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

FG unwilling to deal with terrorists, says Ortom

The Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has told the international community that the Federal Government is unwilling to wield the big stick against murderous terrorist groups.
He urged the international community to put pressure on the Federal Government to address the unabating acts of terrorism by armed herdsmen in the country without religious or ethnic bias. According to a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Nathaniel Ikyur, Ortom made the appeal when he interacted with a delegation from the United Kingdom Parliaments All Party Parliamentary Group on Freedom of Religion and Beliefs at the Benue State Governor’s Lodge, Asokoro, Abuja.

The statement read in part, “The Governor stated that being a multi-religious and (multi-)ethnic country, the Federal Government, which is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring that the rights of the people as enshrined in the constitution are protected, ought to take the task more seriously than it is currently doing. According to Governor Ortom, the inability of the federal government to act swiftly to tame the rise of terror attacks on communities in the country for many years now by Islamic extremists with the sole aim of taking over the country must be put to an end.

“He alleged that the current appointment of suspected Boko Haram supporters into key federal offices, integration of repentant members of the sect into the military and failure of government to arrest and prosecute terrorist herdsmen have also proven the complicity of government. He noted that for the sake of national unity, cohesion, peaceful coexistence and promotion of development, the rights of the people to freedom of religion must also be respected by the Nigerian State, hence the need for the international community to intervene by putting pressure on the government to do the right thing.

“Responding, leader of the delegation and member of Parliament from Ireland, Mr. Jim Shannon, thanked Governor Ortom for availing the delegation with a comprehensive insight into the issues assured that they would present his case at the right department back home to get positive results. In their separate comments, Brendan O’Hara of House of Commons and Rachel Miner, who acknowledged that the religious crisis in Nigeria was getting worse, said they would continue to talk to government, religious and civil society leaders to effect the desired change.”

They showed me decomposed corpse when I negotiated for N10 — Methodist Prelate, Uche

The Prelate, Methodist Church of Nigeria, Dr Samuel Uche, on Tuesday, narrated how their kidnappers settled for N100 million ransom, which they asked be packaged in five Ghana-Must-Go bags for their release. It will be recalled that Uche was kidnapped on Sunday along the Enugu-PortHarcourt Expressway in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State with Methodist Bishop of Owerri, Rt. Rev. Dennis Mark and the Prelate’s Chaplain.

Speaking about his ugly experience in the hands of the kidnappers, Uche said the people, who abducted them, were all Fulanis and they expressed frustration at the President and his government, saying they are not actually against Nigeria citizens but President Buhari and his government. He said, “I told them that I am not a government official and they said that was what saved me, if not they would have killed me outrightly without asking for any ransom. We trekked inside the bush going up and down for like 15 kilometres. He denied some rumours in certain quarters that he was kidnapped by IPOB. He said: “Some people are spreading rumour that I said IPOB released me. They were trying to bring political colouration into the matter and this is very sad.”

Uche said the kidnappers confided in them that the ransom they are collecting was to raise money for weapons, noting: “That after buying enough weapons, they are going to bring all those that have been put in disarray at Zamfara, Katsina and Zambiza forest to Igbo land to deal with the people residing there because it belongs to them. “They also revealed that some of their people are also along Lagos– Ibadan expressway and that they are only waiting for a signal. They said ‘We will finish you people and take over this land because it belongs to Fulani’.” Uche appealed to the Nigerian government to act decisively otherwise what is happening in the north will be a child’s play compared with what will happen in the east.

Buhari embarks on eighth foreign trip in five months

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday, embarked on a two-day state visit to Madrid, the capital city of Spain. According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President’s visit is in response to an invitation by his Spanish counterpart, Pedro Sanchez.

While there, he would meet Head of State of the Spanish nation, King Felipe VI, and discuss issues of mutual interest to both countries, which will expectedly result in the signing of agreements and Memoranda of Understanding on a wide range of areas such as the extradition and transfer of convicted persons, mutual legal assistance, cultural matters, cooperation towards fighting crime and enhancing security, as well as issues affecting dependants of diplomatic staff.

“Also on the agenda are cooperation on energy, trade and investment, transportation, public health and sports development,” Adesina said. The President is expected back in the country on Friday, days before the presidential primary elections of the All Progressives Congress. With the trip, Buhari would have visited eight countries in the last five months.

He had in May visited the United Arabs Emirate where he paid a condolence visit to the country over the loss of its immediate past leader, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nayan; Equatorial Guinea, where he attended the Extraordinary Summit of the African Union; and the Ivory Coast, where he attended the 15th session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Nigeria, others face high risk of food crisis – Report

Nigeria and 44 other countries around the world are severely exposed to the Ukraine war-induced food crisis, a study by Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, has shown. BCG, in a report titled, ‘The war in Ukraine and the rush to feed the world’, said it explored in detail, the multiple direct and indirect impacts of the turmoil in Ukraine on global food systems. The BCG report, co-authored with Food Systems for the Future, also provided 30 near- and medium-term solutions to help respond to the crisis and improve the resilience of global food systems.

It said the affected countries, which were concentrated in Africa, South Asia and Latin America, were hotspots around the world as they endured some of the worst effects of the crisis. According to the BCG report, Nigeria and the other affected countries faced severe levels of extreme poverty, compounded by the ongoing economic and social challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional factors worsening the food crisis identified in the report included: heavy reliance on food imports, high import bills, high inflation, a high debt burden, climate risks, and civil unrest. An estimated 1.7 billion people—most of them in developing economies—could suffer severely increased food insecurity, higher energy prices, or greater debt burdens, according to the UN Task Team for the Global Crisis Response Group.

To minimise the impact of the crisis on Nigeria’s food systems, the government and all critical stakeholders should ensure stabilising the rising cost of food and fertilizer by the provision of viable seedlings, supporting the growth of alternative nutritious grains, driving the adoption of innovative farm practices. The introduction of alternative sources of fertilizer will help reduce the country’s reliance on food imports.”

FG announces plans to check food inflation, okays N8.3b for police retooling

The Federal Government, yesterday, took bold steps to address the astronomical food prices across the federation, planning to “very quickly” convene a meeting of the National Food Security Council (NFSC). It also lined up concrete actions to ensure growth of some sensitive sectors.

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who spoke after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the State House, Abuja, noted that the gathering sanctioned NFSC to meet “very quickly to address the issue of food inflation and also provide a plan and some methods in which we can reduce the cost of food to support improved food prices for the citizenry.” She said the council was briefed on the rising inflation and the need to manage cost of inflation in the country.

FEC equally okayed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of 82 Toyota vehicles, branded raincoats and sundry accoutrements for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) at N8,315,209,825. The pact followed approval for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund to award contracts for the supply of sundry accoutrements for efficient operations of the force.

Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, who briefed newsmen, explained that the approval included supply of customised raincoats to police formations nationwide at the cost of N1.9 billion besides N576 million customised boots for officers.

FIRS to begin recovery of unremitted tax deductions by states, LGAs

The Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, has said it will commence the process of enforcement and recovery of unremitted tax deductions owed by some states and local governments. This decision is contained in a public notice, signed by the Executive Chairman, Muhammad Nami, who noted that most states and local governments have failed to remit to the Service Withholding Tax, WHT, and Value Added Tax, VAT, deductions from payments made to contractors and service providers by them as required by law.

The notice highlighting relevant portions of the Companies Income Tax Act, CITA, and the Value Added Tax Act, VATA, stated that Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, of government as well as parastatals and other establishments were mandated by law to deduct certain taxes while making payments to third parties and remit those deductions to the FIRS. It further stated that most States and Local Governments have failed to comply with these provisions of the law, despite appeals from the FIRS.

Following failure to remit by defaulting states and local governments, the FIRS had stated that it would consequently advise the Federal Government and the Minister of Finance to, henceforth, decline approval of any request for the issuance of state bonds or other securities in the capital market; as well as requests for external borrowing and approval for domestic loans from commercial banks or other financial institutions by any of the states and local governments with outstanding unremitted tax deductions.

The tax authorities said it would also publicly name and shame the defaulting states and local governments, while publishing the amounts owed in unremitted tax deductions. It further stated that it would also invoke the provisions of Section 24 of its Establishment Act which empowers the Accountant General of the Federation to deduct at source, from the monthly FAAC allocations, un-remitted taxes due from any government agency and to, thereafter, transfer such deductions to the Federation Account and notify the Service.

Killings: Soludo assures Anambra residents of safety

The Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, has noted with concern the continued expression of anger and disgust by well-meaning individuals and groups over issues bordering on security in the state. Soludo described the murder of Mrs Harira Jibril and her four children by unknown gunmen as worrisome.

A statement by the Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Christian Aburime, on Wednesday noted that the governor acknowledged the patriotic condemnation of the gruesome act by the Nobel laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, and Arewa Consultative Forum, as well as their demands that the perpetrators of the heinous act be fished out and brought to justice.

The governor assured Nigerians, irrespective of religion and ethnic nationalities living and engaging in lawful activities in the state, of their safety; while the government does all within the ambit of the law to apprehend and deal with the criminals. Soludo, who described the May 20 killing of Jibril and her four children by unidentified assailants as “barbaric and unacceptable”, vowed to fish out the perpetrators and ensure they are dealt with according to law; adding, “There is no going back on that”.

Insecurity: Soludo orders landlords to embark on ‘operation know your tenants’

Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo has ordered all landlords in the state to proceed on what he called “Operation Know Your Tenant” as part of measures to fight insecurity in the state.

Essentially, the governor directed the landlords to keep appropriate records of such tenants and report anyone suspected of be involved in criminal activities to security operatives.

Soludo, who spoke through his Press Secretary, Mr. Christian Aburime, insisted that no part of Anambra State, whether house, bush or forest, should be used as camps for criminals, adding that anyone with a gun in a camp should be considered a criminal and vowed that government and the people would work with security agencies to flush them out.

Okorocha gets bail, leaves EFCC custody

A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday ordered a former governor of Imo State and presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress, Rochas Okorocha, to remain in custody until he perfects the conditions attached to his bail. Justice Inyang Ekwo made the order after admitting the ex-governor to bail in the sum of N500m and one surety in the like sum. Admitted also to bail by Justice Inyang Ekwo is his co-accused, Anyim Nyerere, who was sighted in a 17-count that majored on money laundering. For Nyerere, the court ordered that he should continue on the administrative bail granted him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for exhibiting good conduct while on bail.

The court ordered that Okorocha’s surety must have a property in Abuja not below N500m and the original title documents of the property must be deposited with the court registrar. According to the judge, the original title document of the property must be taken to Abuja Geographical Information System for verification; thereafter, the registrar would swear an affidavit on the report of his findings. Okorocha’s travel documents, according to the court, must be deposited with the court registrar and he must not travel out of the country without the permission of the court.

The Nigerian Immigration Service must be alerted in writing by the court registrar that his passport is in the custody of the court and should not be allowed to travel out of the country with an order of court. Justice Ekwo held that although bail is at the discretion of the court, the circumstances and conduct of the first defendant (Okorocha) would not make the court admit him to customary bail conditions.

In the case of the second defendant, the court observed that since he did not tamper or jump his administrative bail by the EFCC, he should remain on the same. Justice Ekwo finally ordered that Okorocha should remain in the custody of the EFCC until the bail conditions are met. The court adjourned trial to November 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11. Following the order of Justice Inyang Ekwo, the EFCC whisked away the former governor.

Buhari Must Appease Fulanis Before Leaving Office ― Sheik Gumi

Islamic scholar, Sheik Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure adequate appeasement of the Fulani race before leaving office next May.
Gumi spoke on Thursday as a resource person at the ongoing two-day First Interactive Policy Dialogue and Cultural Festival organised by the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural association with the theme, “The Future of Fulani Pastoralists in Nigeria.”
The event took place at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja with Fulanis from 16 West African countries as delegates.

The Islamic scholar claimed that the Fulanis have been wrongly demonised and feel alienated. He maintained that with dialogue and genuine commitment to peace, those who engage in kidnapping and banditry which have complicated security situations in both the North West and North-Eastern part of the country would surrender their arms. The Islamic scholar particularly tasked the Muhammadu Buhari administration to create a Ministry of Nomadic Affairs to mitigate herders-farmers clashes. He also demanded that adequate funds, in trillions to match the appeasement of Niger Delta militants with the creation of the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs be done for the bandits.

POLITICS

Buhari to meet APC presidential aspirants, reveal preferred candidate Sunday

President Muhammadu Buhari, is expected to meet ruling All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants latest Sunday. The president was said to be planning a trip to Ghana today (Saturday), without resolving the consensus crisis rocking the party. A top government official told newsmen on condition of anonymity that the President would return to the country later in the day. Nevertheless, the President, who returned from Spain on Friday afternoon, is expected to meet with the aspirants on Saturday night or Sunday.

APC Screening Committee Disqualifies 10 Presidential Aspirants Ahead Of Forthcoming Primaries

The All Progressives Congress’ presidential committee has disqualified 10 aspirants from the forthcoming primaries. This was made known today by the Chairman of the screening Committee, John Oyegun while submitting its report to the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu.

He disclosed further that only 13 youthful aspirants out of the 23 presidential aspirants screened were cleared by the committee. While the names of those disqualified remained unknown as the time of filing this report, the APC stalwart also cleared the air on reports that the committee also screened former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Nigeria bigger than your ambition, Saraki tells Tinubu

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has said that when he opposed the plan to foist a Muslim-Muslim presidency on Nigeria in 2014, he acted in the national interest with the belief that Nigeria is bigger than anybody’s ambition, including that of Bola Tinubu. Saraki was responding to Tinubu’s speech in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday, in which he claimed that the former Senate President and others opposed his desire to be running mate to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 elections. In a statement signed by the head of his Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, on Friday, Saraki stressed that he would oppose any plan that would cause a religious crisis in a multi-religious country like Nigeria.

But Tinubu has responded that his speech was not, in any way, meant to disrespect President Muhammadu Buhari. The Director, Media and Communications, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, stated yesterday the Abeokuta address was erroneously interpreted. It appealed to the media to avoid over- sensationalising issues of facts and play its constitutional role of informing the electorate to make informed choices at elections.

PDP delegate shares bribe money allegedly received for participating in primary

A Peoples Democratic Party delegate, Tanko Sabo, has reportedly shared the bribe he received during the party’s primary elections to indigent members of his community in the Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State. During the election, dozens of officers of the anti-graft agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), were at the venue, purportedly to check vote-buying. But despite their presence at the election, Mr Sabo reportedly returned home with millions of naira, which he allegedly shared with members of his community. He also gifted a part of the money to a local football team.

Narrating what happened, Reuben Buhari, a former aide to a former governor of Kaduna State, Ibrahim Yakowa, told the Tribune newspaper that Mr Sabo spent the money well.
“Whatever is the argument on whether he was right in collecting the money or not, my consolation is that hundreds of the less privileged in his community are smiling today. For that, I say well done Tanko,” he said.

It was learned that Mr Sabo used N7 million from the bribe he got to pay for the secondary school leaving examination fee for pupils of his community. He paid N100,000 as logistics fee to the five-man committee that went round the schools in his community to pay pupils’ examination fees. He shared N6.9m to 150 orphans and the less privileged in his community. He spent N3.2m to buy and customised the kits of a youth football team in his Dogon Daji community, named Samba Boys.

Mr Sabo spent N700,000.00 to support elders, women and beggars known as “Maroka” while he gave one Danladi Janda N100,000.00 Mr Sabo then kept N1.3 million of the largesse for himself. Mr Sabo told reporters in Kaduna that he made so much money because he was a delegate to the state assembly, National Assembly, governorship and presidential primaries of his party.

In all, Mr Sabo shared N19.3m being the bribes he got from the primary elections. Mr Sabo shared details of how he shared the money on Facebook. Several people have commended him for his generosity and have asked other politicians to emulate him.

Without me, Buhari wouldn’t be president – Tinubu

A presidential aspirant and national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, on Thursday, said without him, President Muhammadu Buhari would not have become the president in 2015. Tinubu spoke at the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta, the state capital, while addressing the APC delegates ahead of the party’s primary. Speaking on why he is the best choice among other aspirants in South West, he said, “it is my time, I’m educated, I’m experienced. I have been serving people for a long time, bring me the presidency, it is my turn.”

“You have not heard this from me before. This is the first place I am saying this,” Tinubu who addressed the delegates in Yoruba said. “If not for me that led the war front, Buhari won’t have emerged. He contested first, second and third times, but lost. He even said on television that he won’t contest again. But I went to his home in Katsina, I told him you would contest and win, but you won’t joke with the matters of the Yorubas. Since he has emerged I have not been appointed Minister. I didn’t get nor request a contract. This time, it’s Yoruba

He added, “since the time we started with the Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, and now the All Progressives Congress, I wanted to contest for president that time. This is me telling you between me and God Almighty, Buhari called me to be his Vice President. He knew all the calculations then favoured us, that is why he wanted me as his vice, but I told him to let us build the party first. And when we finished building the party after we brought in people from the PDP, Saraki now saw that those from the PDP will not get anything if Buhari, a Muslim becomes the president and me, also a Muslim becomes his vice, he won’t get the senate president and the senate president cannot also be a Muslim, that was how they started the campaign of calumny against me.

“And I told them that I have a candidate that is a Christan that I can nominate so that the party will not break, that was how I nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I surrendered my right to him (Osinbajo). I was asked to submit three names, Yemi Cardozo, Wale Edun, and Yemi Osinbajo, but I told them if I submit three names, they will play a game, they may make it four and pick the fourth one. I gave them one name and that was Osinbajo.”

APC Presidential Primaries: Why Odigie-Oyegun’s panel cleared Tinubu, 22 others

The seven-man Presidential Aspirants Screening Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, led by Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has cleared all the 23 aspirants it screened for Monday’s primaries. A source close to the committee told Vanguard that the panel found all the aspirants “electable” and “has no reason to disqualify any of them.”

Asked what the panel did with a petition against one of the frontline aspirants and former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the source said “they threw it away. None of the aspirants has been indicted or convicted by any court. No allegation against any of them has been proved.”

The 23 aspirants cleared for the presidential primaries are Chief Emeka Nwajiuba, Governor Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa), Senator Robert Boroffice, Mrs Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Mr Nicholas Felix, Governor David Umahi (Ebonyi), Senator Ken Nnamani, Dr Tunde Bakare, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu.

Shina Peller Loses Election, Alleges Assassination Attempt

A member of the House of Representatives from Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Honourable Shina Peller, has revealed there was an attempt to assassinate him on his way from Ibadan to Oke Ogun on Sunday 29th May 2022. In a statement he made available to journalists, the legislator also insisted that there was no All Progressives Congress (APC) Senatorial primary election in Oyo North.

Regarding the report on the assassination attempt on his life, he said: “This was true. I was at Premier Hotel in Ibadan for the meeting with other APC Oyo North Senatorial aspirants who were not satisfied with what happened in Iseyin on Saturday. After the meeting, I left Premier Hotel for Oke Ogun in my convoy. However, a few minutes after we had left, I got an intel that six vehicles (Four cars, and two buses) loaded with thugs and ammunition were on my trail to take my life. They gave the description of the vehicles, and I passed the information to my security details.

“When we got to the spot, we actually noticed that the vehicles in question matched the same description we had been given earlier and had campaign stickers and face caps of Senator Teslim Folarin. My security details then decided to disarm and arrest them. My life is seriously being threatened just because I am trying to protect the interest of my dear people from the Oke Ogun region. I am using this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari, relevant stakeholders and security agencies to call Senator Teslim Folarin and his evil machinery to order, as people will hold him accountable if anything happened to me, my family or my aides.”

Speaking further, he said there have been calls from loved ones, supporters, close associates and family about the controversy surrounding the APC) Oyo North Senatorial Primaries which was scheduled to hold on Saturday 28th May 2022 at the Iseyin District Grammar School (IDGS).

Aspirant Opts Out Of Oyo APC Primary Rerun

A leading Oyo South senatorial aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olooye Adegboyega Adegoke, has said he is pulling out of the rerun of the Oyo South primary scheduled for today. Adegoke, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (FCA), in a statement he signed on Monday, announced his withdrawal “from a charade called rerun primary election.”

The primary, which was earlier scheduled for Saturday, was shifted to Sunday to protect the venue from thugs and supporters of some aspirants, who crowded the venue. On Sunday, despite the security arrangement at the venue, there were still irregularities in the conduct of the primary, which led to 20.5% (98 votes) over-voting. The number of accredited delegates was 477, while the total votes cast were 575, with 98 over-voting.

Adegoke, the Aare-Onibon Balogun of Ibadanland, said his decision to opt out of the rerun was to protect his integrity rather than allowing some cabals within the party to use his name to legalise illegality. He said: “I, Adegboyega Taofeek Adegoke (FCA), the Aare-Onibon Balogun of Ibadanland, is pulling out of tomorrow’s (today’s) rerun primary election of APC Oyo South Senatorial District.

“I am not ready to participate in a charade called rerun primary election that will not yield anything other than to legitimise already preferred candidate by some cabal in the party. I don’t want to be used to legalise illegality where results will just be allocated randomly to aspirants. For integrity purpose, I will be staying off the rerun to protect my name and what I believe in.”

APC Screens Presidential Aspirants Ahead Of Primary

The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday commenced the screening of presidential hopefuls seeking to fly the party’s flag in the 2023 general elections. The exercise, expected to last two days, was conducted secretly at a popular hotel in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The screening exercise is being conducted by a seven-man Committee headed by a former National Chairman of APC, Chief John Oyegun behind closed doors at the Hilton Transcorp Hotel as journalists were barred from monitoring the exercise.

Presidential aspirants listed for screening today include the national Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; Vice President Yemi Osibanjo; former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; former Minister of Niger Delta Development, Senator Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu; former Imo State Governor, Senator. Rochas Okorocha, and former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosu.

More than 20 party faithful comprising serving members of the President’s cabinet, governors, lawmakers, and business leaders, among others have picked the APC presidential nomination and expression of interest forms sold at N100 million.

Still active in the race, in no particular order, include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, APC chieftain Bola Tinubu, Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Mrs Uju Kennedy, Mr Tein Jack Rich, and former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, among others.

Presidential primary screening: APC questions Tinubu, Umahi, Bakare, others on foreign citizenship, consensus

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Screening Committee, which began sitting on Monday, questioned the party’s presidential aspirants on 10 key issues including their dual citizenship status. Some of the aspirants, who were screened by the Committee headed by a former National Chairman of the party, the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, confided in newsmen that the panel asked them if they would be ready to step down for the consensus candidate of the party.

The ruling party, which initially scheduled the screening of the presidential aspirants for May 16, shifted it to May 23, but failed to hold exercise on that day. The APC in the guidelines on page 17 of the N100m nomination form obtained by the aspirants, barred the contestants from engaging in thuggery and taking it to court, among other seven conditions.

Although there have been reports that the party may adopt consensus, the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi, who emerged through the method in March, in an interview with Voice of America Hausa Service on May 26, said it would not be feasible for electing the party’s presidential candidate.

Despite the Chairman’s statement, the issues of consensus and foreign citizenship came up when presidential aspirants including the party’s National leader, Bola Tinubu; Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State, his Jigawa State counterpart, Badaru Abubakar; the immediate past Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Ondo-North lawmaker, Senator Ajayi Boroffice; Pastor Tunde Bakare and Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, were screened in Abuja on Monday.

What Tinubu told APC presidential screening panel

All Progressives Congress National Leader and presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, was questioned about his educational background and plans for Nigeria’s development by the party’s presidential screening panel on Monday. Newsmen obtained videos recorded from his screening on Tuesday. In the videos, Tinubu boasted about his initiatives in Lagos and how he helped Nigeria develop its telecommunication sector. He also defended why he is qualified to be Nigeria’s president amidst controversies over his age and educational background. The screening panel was chaired by a former National Leader of the party, Chief John Odigie.

Apart from Tinubu, other presidential aspirants screened on Monday included former Governor of Ogun State, Ibikunle Amosun; former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; and former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. Others were Ebonyi State Governor Dave Umahi; Felix Nicholas, Senator Ajayi Borroffice, former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; Mrs. Uju Ken-Ohaneye; and former Governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima.

PDP Presidential Ticket: Fellow southern govs betrayed us — Wike

Rivers State governor and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Nyesom Wike, who came second at Saturday’s primaries, has accused Southern governors of betraying the power shift agreement. Wike, who has vowed to remain in the party and support its 2023 presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, disclosed that he almost scuttled the PDP primaries at a stage when the rule was breached but had to maintain his calmness.

The governor spoke at a reception in his honour at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following his return from the presidential primary in Abuja. Also, commendations continued to flow for Atiku on his emergence as PDP standard bearer, yesterday, as the apex Igbo Socio-Cultural Organisation, Ohanaeze denied saying that it would work against Atiku, adding that it has not taken a position on the issues.

Peter Obi Emerges Labour Party Presidential Candidate

Former Governor of Anambra State and 2019 Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Peter Obi, Monday, emerged as Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP after Prof Pat Utomi stepped down for him.

His emergence as the party’s flagbearer follows his victory at the presidential primary of the Labour Party. The party conducted the primary for its presidential ticket on Monday in Asaba, Delta State capital. A total of 185 delegates had been accredited to vote in the exercise to elect one of four aspirants seeking to clinch the party’s presidential ticket. However all three co-contenders – Professor Pat Utomi, Olubusola Emmanuel-Tella, and Faduri Joseph – stepped down for Mr Obi.

Prof Pat Utomi who addressed delegates at the National Convention of the party being held in Asaba, the Delta State capital, said; “Obi must be given the opportunity to govern this country.” Utomi said the time to change the country has come, adding that Obi has the capacity to bring the needed change in Nigeria. He assured that he would bring other political parties to join forces with the Labour Party in the 2023 General election.

The former governor clinched the Labour Party’s ticket barely a week after he announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as well as his withdrawal from the primary election of the main opposition party. In a letter dated May 24, 2022, he lamented that the recent developments within the PDP have made it practically impossible for him to continue participating and making constructive contributions to national development. Three days after his resignation, the former governor pitched his tent with the Labour Party.

I can’t be second-class citizen, says Wike, Atiku begins reconciliation

The Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Monday opened up on the Peoples Democratic Party presidential primary and accused some PDP governors of sabotaging him. Wike, who said this at a reception organised for him by the people of the state in Port Harcourt after his arrival from Abuja, venue of the primary, stated that he was not a second class citizen. He said he had told the winner of the PDP shadow election, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, that those hanging around him had no electoral value.

The governor, who came second during the party primary which was held in Abuja on Saturday, stated this as there were indications on Monday that the PDP governors would soon meet as part of moves to pick Atiku’s running mate. He said some PDP governors ganged up with some vested interest groups to derail the quest of southern Nigeria to produce the next president. According to him, it was the agreement of the southern governors that the presidency should come to the South, and he did not betray that agreement.

Wike in a statement by his media aide, Kelvin Ebiri in Port Harcourt, described as shameful the inability of some of those who were part of the agreement to stick to the agreement when it mattered. The governor accused them of selling out, and frustrating the collective efforts that would have secured the PDP presidential ticket for the South.

APC Crisis: We’ve become redundant, NWC members accuse Adamu of dictatorship

The crisis of leadership in the ruling All Progressives Congress APC assumed another dimension on Tuesday following allegations by members of the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee NWC, accusing him of dictatorship. Noting that Adamu now runs the NWC as a one-man show, they added that where he does not seem to have his way, he invokes the name of President Muhammadu Buhari to get the NWC members in line.

They said while Adamu is free to make consultations with stakeholders, he must however subject the outcomes of such parleys to deliberations by the NWC rather than his current penchant for adopting such views as position of the NWC. Two members of the NWC – Salihu Moh. Lukman who is the National Vice Chairman Northwest and Isaacs Kekemeke, National Vice Chairman Southwest – made the allegation in a memo sent to other NWC members on Tuesday in Abuja. Adamu’s media aide, Muhammad Lawal did not immediately respond to Newsmen’s inquiries on the matter.

Presidency: Search for strong consensus candidate, Buhari directs APC govs

The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday began moves to pick its consensus candidate with President Muhammadu Buhari explaining qualities the party’s flag bearer in the 2023 presidential election must possess. Buhari, who said this during his meeting with the 23 APC governors at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, advised the party to think of the right candidate that possessed the qualities he outlined. The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, in an interview said the President did not disclose his preferred aspirant but outlined qualities the APC presidential candidate must have.

The President had in an interview with Channels Television in January said he had a preferred presidential candidate but he would not reveal him. Also, his media aide, Mr Femi Adesina, in an interview with Channels Television on May 12, stated, “In a previous interview when the President was asked whether he had a favourite candidate, he answered yes; but he would not mention him because mischief might happen to that person.”

Addressing the governors on Tuesday ahead of the party’s presidential primary taking place on Monday, Buhari stated, “The party has successfully established internal policies that promote continuity and smooth succession plans even at the state and local government levels. Buhari said he would be seeking reciprocity from the governors ahead of the presidential primary which comes up in the next six days.

In an interview with newse, Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, said he believed consensus was the best option for the party. Akeredolu, who is the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, said should the party pick a southerner, it should be from the South-West. Meanwhile, the six-member presidential committee screened Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan; Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River, his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, and former Governor Godswill Akpabio.

Others screened were a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; oil magnate, Tein Jack Rich; Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti; and a former Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Ogbonnaya Onu. The APC governors met on Tuesday night as part of what sources said was the effort to search for a consensus candidate. The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, said that the next time he would be addressing Nigerians, it would be as the candidate of the APC.

APC stakeholders rail against Buhari’s bid to pick a successor

Some presidential aspirants and stakeholders in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, are poised for a fight and have started mobilizing to abort the emergence of a consensus presidential candidate. They are also fighting to ensure that the party’s standard-bearer does not emerge via imposition. Conversely, it was gathered that some APC governors are holed up in Abuja, meeting on a regional basis, and working on the “consensus mandate.”
“They are to prevail on aspirants from their regions to step down if they are not chosen as the consensus candidate. We must achieve a consensus by the weekend. They are to discuss with the aspirants.

It was gathered on Wednesday that the next stage of the battle would be fought at the National Working Committee, NWC, where decisions would be taken on the report of the Presidential Screening Committee chaired by one-time Edo State governor and former APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun. The seven-man panel concluded its two-day work on Wednesday. It was not clear last night if it had turned in its report.
However, sources said a decision on the panel’s report will be informed by how well the governors get the aspirants to step down.

Uncertainty surrounds APC presidential primary as court okays statutory delegates

The composition of the delegates that will elect the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress on June 6, 2022 remains a subject of controversy as a Federal High Court in Kano State, on Friday, ruled that Section 84 of the Electoral Act did not prevent statutory delegates from voting. The National Assembly had last month amended Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act to permit automatic or statutory delegates to vote in primaries. This is based on the interpretation that Section 84(8) only permits elected delegates from taking part in primaries. But the President, Muhammadu Buhari, refused to sign the amendment.

Subsection 8, which is subsisting, reads, “A political party that adopts the system of indirect primaries for the choice of its candidate shall clearly outline in its constitution and rule the procedure for the democratic election of delegates to vote at the convention, congress or meeting.” Statutory delegates, whom the amendment was seeking to include in the Electoral Act, include persons holding executive positions in the party and members of the party elected into public offices.

Delivering judgment in the suit, Justice Abdullahi Liman stated, “That Section 84(8) cannot be interpreted to have excluded statutory delegates from voting at the convention, congress or meeting by virtue of Section 223 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Article 20(iv)(c) of the All Progressives Congress constitution, which allow statutory delegates to vote at convention, congress or meeting.”

Already, the APC has elected three delegates each from the 774 local government areas in the country and the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, bringing the total to 2,340 delegates. This arrangement is believed to have put some strategic states like Lagos at a disadvantage as it has only 20 LGAs and will be entitled to just 60 delegates, while a state like Kano, which has 44 LGAs, will be entitled to 132 delegates. Should the statutory delegates be allowed to vote, the number of delegates is expected to increase to about 7, 800 with Lagos State being in the top four alongside Kano, Katsina and Osun states.

ECONOMY

Debt servicing may gulp 100% of FG’s revenue by 2026, IMF warns

The International Monetary Fund has warned that debt servicing may gulp 100 per cent of the Federal Government’s revenue by 2026 if the government fails to implement adequate measures to improve revenue generation. The IMF’s Resident Representative for Nigeria, Ari Aisen, disclosed this while presenting the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Economic Outlook report on Monday in Abuja. According to him, based on a macro-fiscal stress test that was conducted on Nigeria, interest payments on debts may wipe up the country’s entire earnings in the next four years.

Early this year, it was disclosed that the Federal Government spent N4.2tn on debt servicing between January and November 2021, which represents 76.2 per cent of the N5.51tn revenue generated during the period. The Federal Government plans to spend N3.61tn on servicing Nigeria’s debt burden in the 2022 fiscal period, which represents about 34 per cent of the 2022 projected revenue of the Federal Government. Nigeria’s debt stock, which is about N39.56tn as of December 2021, is likely to reach N45.95tn following plans by the Debt Management Office to borrow an additional N6.39tn to finance the 2022 budget deficit.

Speaking in Abuja, Aisen expressed worry that many African countries, including Nigeria, risk sliding into a critical debt servicing problem unless urgent actions were explored to significantly raise revenue. He further lamented that being an oil exporter, Nigeria was not only unable to take advantage of the current global high oil prices to build reserves due to the subsidy on petroleum products.

According to him, Nigeria’s subsidy bill would likely hit N6tn by the end of this year at the current monthly subsidy bill of N500bn. Aisen, however, expressed optimism that the Dangote Refinery would reduce fuel importation when completed, in order to reduce the subsidy burden. He further warned that soaring food prices and next year’s general election are threats to the country’s economy. In his remarks, the Director-General of the Budget Office, Ben Akabueze, disagreed with Aisen on his debt service-to-revenue figures but agreed that Nigeria is spending a significantly high amount on debt servicing.

IMF Decries Nigeria’s Debt To GDP Ratio Of 76%, Says It’s Stifling Development

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has decried the 76 per cent debt service to revenue ratio of Nigeria as at 2021, expressing concern that it might rise to almost 100 per cent by 2026. Also, the Fund acknowledged that although the public debt is still at a moderate level, the critical aspect is the revenue servicing side, which is projected to rise astronomically if urgent measures are not put in place to grow revenue. This was disclosed by Mr Ari Aisen, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Resident Representative for Nigeria in Abuja on Monday at the public presentation of the Spring 2022 issue of the Regional Economic Outlook (REO) for Sub-Saharan Africa.

Aisen advised the Federal Government to grow its revenue ratio to GDP to at least 15 per cent by 2025 to enable it to embark on more social spending that would better a lot of the vulnerable segments of the populace. The Fund projected Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to hit 3.4 per cent but added that debt would continue to grow as long as the government can not generate enough revenue to fund its expenditure.

The Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Ben Akabueze agreed that the 76 per cent debt to revenue recorded in 2021 was high as the government is targeting not more than 30 per cent. Acknowledging the situation, Mr Akabueze said “we are already in deficit territory. That is why the thrust of gov4is to grow revenue. The total public expenditure to GDP ratio is among the lowest in the world. It is an existential issue for Nigeria. We are not in a position where the government is spending too much, although experiencing a major shortfall in delivering infrastructure”. He informed that the Federal Government is doing everything possible to generate more revenue through the strategic revenue mobilisation scheme.

Nigeria, others face high risk of food crisis – Report

The BCG report, co-authored with Food Systems for the Future, also provided 30 near- and medium-term solutions to help respond to the crisis and improve the resilience of global food systems. It said the affected countries, which were concentrated in Africa, South Asia and Latin America, were hotspots around the world as they endured some of the worst effects of the crisis.

According to the BCG report, Nigeria and the other affected countries faced severe levels of extreme poverty, compounded by the ongoing economic and social challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Additional factors worsening the food crisis identified in the report included: heavy reliance on food imports, high import bills, high inflation, a high debt burden, climate risks, and civil unrest. It stated that each of these individual factors adversely affected people’s ability to feed themselves.

The Managing Director and Partner at BCG Nigeria, Stefano Niavas, while commenting on the findings, said, “The impact of the Ukraine war on our food systems calls for critical and immediate review of our budgetary allocation. “Currently, Nigeria spends over 27 times of its agriculture allocation to service its debt. Compounded with the Ukraine war and the lingering challenges of COVID-19, the average debt-to-GDP ratio across the continent is expected to rise from 60 per cent to 70 per cent. To minimise the impact of the crisis on Nigeria’s food systems, the government and all critical stakeholders should ensure stabilising the rising cost of food and fertilizer by the provision of viable seedlings, supporting the growth of alternative nutritious grains, driving the adoption of innovative farm practices. The introduction of alternative sources of fertilizer will help reduce the country’s reliance on food imports.”

World Bank lists challenges to poverty reduction in Nigeria

A World Bank report has indicated that COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation, and ongoing uncertainty around the Russia-Ukraine war pose serious challenges to Nigeria’s poverty reduction goals. However, World Bank economists, Jonathan Lain and Jakob Engel, while disclosing this in a blog presentation titled, “Barriers to trade, barriers to poverty reduction? How Nigeria can harness trade to lift people out of poverty”, also said that Nigeria can leverage trade to alleviate poverty in the country.

The report stated: “Nigeria’s aspiration to lift all of its people out of poverty by 2030 presents a serious challenge. Even before COVID-19, four in 10 Nigerians lived below the national poverty line – some 80 million people. “The global pandemic, rising inflation, and ongoing uncertainty related to the war in Ukraine – combined with relentless population growth – have made Nigeria’s poverty-reduction goals more challenging than ever.”

The presentation, however, declared that trade could be a vital solution through its effects on investment, technology transfer, and competition, trade can help growth. It stated: “Trade presents one vital but often untapped pathway to poverty reduction. Through its effects on investment, technology transfer, and competition, trade can help growth – boosting job creation, increasing domestic value added, and reducing the price of goods that Nigerians buy along the way. All of these effects may contribute to reducing poverty.”

Look beyond challenges, focus on opportunities, Buhari tells investors

Presidet Muhammadu Buhari has called on investors to look beyond the challenges currently facing the world and focus on opportunities they present, as according to him, there are no challenges without opportunities and solutions. He made this call Thursday in Madrid when he addressed the Spain-Nigeria Business Meeting organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment during his State Visit to Spain.

The President told the gathering of Spanish and Nigerian corporations and investors to look towards Africa for the opportunities therein. “It is currently a challenging time for the global economy. But I have always held the strong conviction that there is no crisis without an accompanying opportunity and solution. Increased collaboration with African nations could well be what Europe needs to mitigate against both current and potential future supply-chain challenges and improve both our economic opportunities,” he said.

President Buhari added that the business meeting provided a good opportunity to advance trade relations between the two nations which are today principally dominated by the oil and gas sector. “I believe this forum is an excellent platform to establish and strengthen business relationships, share valuable experience, and collaborate for the mutual benefit of our countries.

Ekiti 2022: Monetised politics not good for election — INEC chairman

National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, yesterday, described monetised politics as inimical for election, and it’s anti-democratic. Yakubu assured that every vote of Ekiti electorate will count in the June 18 governorship election in the state, saying the commission will stand by the obligatory mission of ensuring that no extraneous interferences are allowed to affect the credibility of the poll adversely.

The INEC boss said this during an interface with the Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers in respect of the June 18 governorship election in the state. His words: “I want to appeal to all voters in Ekiti that their votes will count. We would still return to interact with other critical stakeholders on how to have a peaceful election in Ekiti. The atmosphere now for the conduct of the 2022 election is so calm, unlike what we had in 2018.

In his remarks, Oba Gabriel Adejumo, praised INEC for the voter registration exercise it had undertaken in the state, saying this would help in widening citizens’ participation in the exercise.

BUSINESS

Food, beverage sector bleed from decaying infrastructure, others — Employers

Employers in the Food and Beverage sector of the nation’s economy have warned that decaying infrastructure, excessive taxation, and insecurity among other challenges, have continued to weigh the sector down, saying these and other challenges have continued to hamper the growth of the industry. Speaking at its 43rd Annual General Meeting in Lagos, the President, Chief Patrick Anegbe, said despite the efforts that have been made in the last couple of years to address these problems, the Government has largely failed to match the pace of demands in these critical areas.

“The gap being experienced has been a major drain on the resources of our member companies because they have had to fund their required infrastructure. It is even more disheartening that the efforts they have been making have not been recognised by the tax and other authorities such that some relief is given for the expenses these companies have been incurring in the face of the government’s inability to adequately provide them. The result is that businesses have continued to spend huge resources to put in place what normally the Government should be responsible for. The implication is that resources that should be used to expand the businesses are deployed to address the inadequacies that the various taxes paid should normally take charge of.

This situation needs to change if we are desirous of optimizing our productive capacity as a country.” He lamented the deplorable security situation in the country and urged the government to brace up to provide solutions to the challenge, saying “The absence of peace and stability has had their toll on investments in Nigeria. This is evident from the poor inflow of Foreign Direct Investments, FDI, over the last couple of years.

Discos, Gencos, others’ revenue shortfall rises to N1.6tn

Total shortfall in the Nigerian power sector has reached N1.6trn in eight years, findings have shown. The Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, revealed this toThe PUNCH during a chat on Monday. According to him, the shortfall was recorded in the fourth quarter of last year. “As at the last quarter of 2021, the total shortfall in the power sector is about N1.6 trillion,” he said.

A shortfall arises whenever electricity distribution companies and generation companies, otherwise called DisCos and GenCos, are not able to recoup an investment made from projects. For instance, the tariff shortfall occurs when DisCos are unable to collect total tariff revenue from electricity provided to consumers. Shortfalls result in debts, which inhibit further investments and development in the sector.

Nigeria’s power sector has been faced with tough liquidity concerns since the distribution and generation arms of the industry were privatised in November 2013. As a result, the Federal Executive Council approved the Power Sector Recovery Programme in March 2017 and made further amendments in 2019 with strategies to phase-out Federal Government support to the electricity market. The last CBN loan to the DisCos was on tariffs shortfalls, which, as of late 2021, had dropped from N1.891trn to N247bn due to the Federal Government’s intervention.

It was learnt that the government began talks with the DisCos on metering intervention in 2020, leading to introduction of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP). The Federal Government’s NMMP was set up to augment that of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ’s Metering Assets Providers (MAP), which as of the time of the intervention had barely reached 300, 000 households. The CBN has, so far, disbursed the sum of N47.66bn for the acquisition of 858,026 meters for the first phase of the NMMP.

HEALTH

Nigeria has no laboratories where Monkeypox Virus is generated, says NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, has refuted claims in some quarters that Nigeria has a laboratories where it generate Monkeypox virus. The NCDC said a recent report in the social media ascribed to the Chief of Russian Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Force, containing allegations has come to its attention.

The allegation,the centre said,was that “there are four US-controlled biological laboratories operating in Nigeria”. That “WHO reports that the Monkeypox (MPX) virus responsible for outbreaks in Europe and elsewhere was imported from Nigeria where the United States of America deployed its biological infrastructure. In order words, MPX virus is generated in these laboratories”.

Reacting to it in a statement by its Director General, Ifedayo Adetifa,the NCDC said,”The statement is not backed by any evidence.” The designation and activities of Nigerian public health laboratories are known to the supervising authorities, most of the laboratories having been procured and set up by the Federal Government in all 36 States and FCT for diagnostic purposes, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other infectious diseases,”it said.

According to the centre, “Some other laboratories are dedicated to the very successful HIV control program, managed by the Federal Government and her Partners, based on larger and longstanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation in public health, including prevention, diagnosis, surveillance, and control of diseases.”

COVID-19: 18 million Nigerians fully vaccinated so far,says FG

The federal government, Tuesday, said a total of18,291,072 Nigerians representing 16.4 percent of Nigeria’s eligible population have so far been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Similarly, the government said 30,327,550 persons representing 23.9 percent have been vaccinated with first dose, 14,629,451 persons have received their second dose while 1,229,909 persons have received their booster doses, respectively.

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA,Dr Faisal Shuaib said these at the flag-off of COVID-19 vaccination at community pharmacies in Abuja. The flag-off signalled the commencement of collaboration between the government and Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria,APCN,in expanding COVID-19 vaccination to the grassroots level.

Dr Shuaib explained that the collaboration became necessary given that the “community pharmacies are one of the most easily accessible and frequently consulted points of care for health care service delivery by the public sector especially in underserved population due to their interconnectedness with the communities.” He thanked the leadership and commitment of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria and the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria for their relentless effort to ensure that the collaboration became a reality.

1,549 Bauchi women die in childbirth, APC gov candidate alleges

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Bauchi State, Air Marshall Saddique Abubakar, has lamented the high maternal mortality and morbidity rate in the state, alleging that 1,549 women out of every 100,000 births die during childbirth. The former Chief of Air Staff stated this while interacting with journalists in Bauchi. Abubakar had been declared the winner of a keenly contested primary after he polled a total of 370 votes to defeat six other aspirants.

He also lamented the high rate of out-of-school children in the state, pointing out that only 29.9 percent of young people attended school in the state, adding that he was worried about the teeming jobless youths in the state, “a platform must be created for all of them to be engaged.”

Speaking on what he intends to do to change the situation, the former Air Chief said, “I want to assure members of the All Progressives Congress that in all that we are going to do, we will involve everybody. The problems we are facing in our society today are problems you cannot solve as an individual or just as a government.

“We need the involvement of the people, you need to really teach and make sure that everybody is able to put in some ideas as to how to resolve some of these serious problems. Health is an issue, we have quite a number of women that are dying, 1,549 women for every 100,000 births, die because of issues that are related to health facilities, the absence of adequate support for them. This is no small loss that our state is making and I believe that everyone must be committed just as we are to changing the narrative and protecting the lives of our women.

EDUCATION

UBEC to invest N3.6bn on construction of six ICT schools

The Universal Basic Education Commission on Wednesday disclosed that it would construct six smart schools in the six geopolitical zones to the tune of N3.6bn. This was disclosed in a statement signed by the UBEC’s Head of Public Relations, David Apeh.
According to the statement, the management of the commission also commenced discreet efforts to ensure the full implementation of e-learning programmes in basic education across the country, following the challenges occasioned in the sub-sector by the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and closure of schools.

The Executive Secretary of UBEC, Dr Hamid Bobboyi, in the statement, said, “The recent challenges in the basic education sub-sector, occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic, has accelerated the need for new learning and teaching models that offer learners and teachers flexible learning opportunities that seek to ensure unfettered access to quality education; hence the idea of integrating e-learning into the basic education system.

Bobboyi explained that the capacity building for the different categories of stakeholders would include general training on ICT tools and facilities. He added that the training would cover all issues pertaining to the effective use of various ICT tools and facilities to enable the teachers to efficiently use them; saying this would also cover areas that have to do with various software packages and their usefulness to e-learning delivery.

WORLD

Gunman Kills Four At US Hospital In New Mass Shooting

A gunman killed at least four people Wednesday at a hospital building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, police said — the latest mass shooting to convulse the United States as Texas families bury their dead after a school massacre nearly 10 days earlier. The suspect, who was armed with a rifle and a handgun during his attack on the Saint Francis hospital campus, died by suicide, police said. “Right now we have four civilians that are dead, we have one shooter that is dead, and right now we believe that is self-inflicted,” Tulsa Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Dalgleish told reporters.

He said officers responded immediately after emergency calls came in reporting that a gunman had stormed into the second floor of the Natalie Building, which houses a clinic on the Saint Francis campus. US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, the White House said in a statement, adding that the administration has offered support to Tulsa officials. The shooting is the latest in a string of deadly assaults by gunmen that have rocked the United States in the past month.

On May 14 a white supremacist targeting African Americans killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. The shooter survived and is facing charges. Ten days later an 18-year-old gunman armed with an AR-15 burst into an elementary school in the small Texas town of Uvalde and killed 21 people — 19 of them young children — before being shot dead by law enforcement.

On Wednesday one of the two teachers killed in that attack was laid to rest in Uvalde, a day after the first funerals for the children. Gun regulation faces deep resistance in the United States, from most Republicans and some rural-state Democrats. But Biden — who visited Uvalde over the weekend — vowed earlier this week to “continue to push” for reform, saying: “I think things have gotten so bad that everybody is getting more rational about it.” Some key federal lawmakers have also voiced cautious optimism and a bipartisan group of senators worked through the weekend to pursue possible areas of compromise.

U.S. and Germany agree to supply advanced weapons to Ukraine

The U.S. and Germany pledged Wednesday to equip Ukraine with some of the advanced weapons it has long desired for shooting down aircraft and knocking out artillery, as Russian forces closed in on capturing a key city in the east.

Germany said it will supply Ukraine with up-to-date anti-aircraft missiles and radar systems, while the U.S. announced it will provide four sophisticated, medium-range rocket systems and ammunition. The U.S. is trying to help Ukraine fend off the Russians without triggering a wider war in Europe. The Pentagon said it received assurances that Ukraine will not fire the new rockets into Russian territory. The Kremlin accused the U.S. of “pouring fuel on the fire.”

Western arms have been critical to Ukraine’s success in stymieing Russia’s much larger and better-equipped military, thwarting its effort to storm the capital and forcing Moscow to shift its focus to the industrial Donbas region in the east. But as Russia bombards towns in its inching advance in the east, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly pleaded for more and better weapons and accused the West of moving too slowly.

Russia Controls ‘About 20 Percent’ Of Ukraine – Zelensky

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russian troops control about one-fifth of his country, including the annexed Crimean peninsula and territory in the east held by Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.

“Today, about 20 percent of our territory is under the control of the occupiers,” he said during an address to lawmakers in Luxembourg, as Russian forces were solidifying their hold on the eastern Donbas region and pushing towards Ukraine’s de facto administrative centre there.

China To Double Wind, Solar Energy Capacity By 2025

China aims to double its wind and solar capacity by 2025, according to a new road map that also allows for more coal-fired power plants to bolster energy security. The world’s biggest polluter earlier estimated it needs to double wind and solar use by 2030 to deliver on its pledges under the Paris climate accord. The latest plan — if implemented — means China might reach that goal earlier. But Beijing has also ramped up reliance on coal-fired power plants in recent months to support its ailing economy as the Ukraine war pushes up global energy prices.

The country’s central economic planner said 33 percent of power supply to the national grid will come from renewable sources by 2025, up from 29 percent in 2020, in a document released Wednesday. China, already the world’s largest producer of renewable energy, has accelerated investment in solar and wind projects to tackle pollution at home, which researchers say kills millions every year. Beijing has pledged to peak emissions by 2030 and become carbon neutral by 2060.

ENTERTAINMENT

Ckay’s ‘Emiliana’ gets platinum certification in France

Fast-rising singer, Chukwuka Ekweani, popularly known as Ckay, has received another global recognition as his hit single ‘Emiliana’ bags platinum certification in France. The Syndicat National de l’Édition Phonographique (National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing), the professional organisation in charge of French records, made this known on their official Instagram page on Tuesday. According to the announcement, Ckay’s song got the certification after getting an equivalent of 30 million streams in France.

The singer has already achieved double platinum certification in France with his global smash hit ‘Love Nwantiti’. ‘Love Nwantiti’ garnered over two billion views on TikTok and 500 million more on YouTube. The song has also charted on six continents, hitting No. 1 in India, Norway, and Switzerland.

Ckay’s fans had expressed disappointment last week when his hit songs, Emiliana and Love Nwantiti, didn’t make the 2022 Headies nomination list. However, the singer had promised his fans that his album, scheduled to be released later this year, will make history.
Three weeks ago, Ckay became the only Nigerian to make the 2022 Time‘s Next Generation Leaders list.

Defamation: Johnny Depp awarded $15m in damages, Heard to get $2m

A United States jury on Wednesday found both Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard liable for defamation following an intense trial riding on bitterly contested allegations of domestic abuse. The seven-member jury in Virginia awarded Depp $15 million in damages after finding that a 2018 article penned by Heard on the “sexual violence” she had suffered was defamatory to Depp.

The jury also found that Heard was defamed by statements made by Depp’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, who told the Daily Mail that her abuse claims were a “hoax,” and awarded her $2 million in damages. Heard said she was disappointed “beyond words” on Wednesday after the jury found she had made defamatory claims of abuse against her ex-husband, calling it a “setback” for women.

2023: Singer Brymo under fire for supporting Tinubu

Singer Olawale Olofooro, popularly known as Brymo, has become a subject of trend on Twitter after the musician openly declared his support for All Progressives Congress presidential aspirant, Bola Tinubu, ahead of the 2023 election. The singer, who described Tinubu as a “city boy” noted that the APC chieftain is the one with a plan for the country.

Brymo further claimed that he has never met Tinubu or his political affiliates, as he told critics to stop judging the aspirant based on old age. Following his comments, tweeps have knocked the singer for supporting Tinubu’s aspiration in the forthcoming election.

I never slept with Kaffy’s best friend, ex-husband breaks silence

Joseph Ameh, ex-husband of popular dancer, Kafayat ‘Kaffy’ Shafau, has broken silence concerning the annulment of his marriage. In a statement on Sunday, the father-of-two refuted claims from his wife that he slept with her best friend. He added that he made a “lot of silly mistake” in the marriage and have decided to move on.

The statement addressed to his wife read, “I will make this as brief as possible. I made a lot of silly mistakes in my life and in my marriage. I take full responsibility of all my foolishness with absolutely no excuses. However, I never slept wit your best friend or close pals- neither have I ever been violent towards you,contrary to the narratives flying around about me. Anyway, It has been a year since the marriage officially ended. I’ve tried to move on and I do advise you do the same too.

“I wish all the very best to both of us as we move on maturely. The end of our marriage should not be the end of our lives.This is the first and last time I will speak on this subject.”
Kaffy had caused a stir on the Internet when she opened up about her divorce in January 2022. The dancer, who noted that she was celibate for three years before her divorce, had hinted that her husband slept with her best friend in a recent interview.

SPORTS

FIFA confirms Nigeria’s Iyorhe for U-20 Women’s WC

World Soccer Ruling Body, FIFA, has confirmed the appointment of Nigeria’s assistant referee Mimisen Iyorhe Calvin-Onwuka as part of the match officials at the FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup. The tournament will be hosted by Costa Rica, which would have hosted the 2020 edition before it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and it will be held between August 10 and 28 across two host cities of Alajuela and San José.

Apart from Iyorhe, five other match officials from the CAF region were also listed for the tournament where Nigeria and Ghana are the continent’s flagbearers. South African Akhona Makalima and Togolese Vincentia Amedome are the two centre referees while the trio of Cameroon’s Carine Atezambong, Fanta Kone (Mali) and Diana Chikotesha (Zambia) are to serve as assistant referees. There are also Moroccan duo of Bouchra Karboubi and Fatiha Jermoumi who are to serve as Video assistant referee (VAR) and assistant video assistant referee (AVAR) respectively.

Second defeat for Peseiro as Eagles fall to Ecuador

For the second time in five days, the Super Eagles suffered defeat in an international friendly match, losing 1-0 to Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena, New Jersey, in the early hours of yesterday. It was a back-to-back loss under new coach Jose Peseiro and his first assistant, George Finidi.

The 25,000 –capacity Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey was packed to overflowing as the Ecuadorians started the game in rampant manner, advertising silky touches and manifesting so much energy and invention. The Super Eagles thus suffered a second straight loss under the newly hired Portuguese tactician, Jose Peseiro, having lost their first of the American tour five days ago 1-2 to Mexico.

Mikel Obi to host first Back2Base talent hunt

Chelsea legend and former Super Eagles captain John Mikel Obi is set to create an opportunity to stardom for young and talented Nigerian athletes. Mikel who started out as an academy player in Jos, Plateau State and rose to the highest level; leading the Nigeria football team to both the World Cup and Olympic Games said he is keen to create a pathway for others to succeed through sports the same way he did.

The 35-year-old who is one of the only three Nigerians to have lifted the prestigious UEFA Champions League trophy is ready to use his new Back2Base programme to uplift hundreds of other young talented Nigerians. The former midfielder fondly referred to as The Catalyst is also willing to put to use his global connections to help the talented young Nigerians not just in football but also in basketball and tennis.

Paul Pogba to leave Manchester United on free transfer

World Cup winner Paul Pogba will leave Manchester United on a free transfer when his contract expires at the end of June, the club have confirmed. France midfielder Pogba, 29, cost United a then-world record £89m when he rejoined the club from Juventus in 2016.
He made 27 appearances in an injury-hit final season in his second spell. “It was a low-key end to a United career that brought so many individual high moments,” the club said.
Pogba first joined United from French club Le Havre in 2009 as a 16-year-old and was part of the academy side that won the Youth Cup in 2011. He made just seven senior appearances before his contract expired in July 2012 and he left to join Juventus.

METRO PLUS

Bandits abduct students, travellers on Birnin-Gwari road, burn vehicles

Bandits in the early hours of yesterday abducted students and other travellers along the Birnin-Gwari highway. They also burnt eight vehicles conveying students to their examination for admission into the School of Health at Makarfi, scheduled for Kaduna State University. According to the Birnin Gwari Emirate Progressive Union, BEPU, in a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer (PRO), Idris Saidu , the bandits laid siege on three different locations on the highway, forcing motorists to make u-turn. “Those who were not lucky fell into the trap set by the bandits and were subsequently abducted.

“Scores of travellers and students who were to write examinations for admission into School of Health, Makarfi, affiliated to Kaduna State university were abducted. “One of our officials, Abubakar Haruna Babajo, who escaped, said eight vehicles were set ablaze by the bandits after abducting all the passengers and they were able to escape by Allah’s Will.”

BEPU advised intending travellers to either suspend their journey or use other possible alternative routes, saying a large number of bandits were currently stationed at about three locations on the highway. ‘This advise should not be taken for granted for security of lives and properties of our people. Due to the blockage of the road, some of our students who are to attend entrance exams at School of Health at Makarfi this morning (yesterday) could not make it, while some of them have been abducted.

Edo indigenes establish platform to curb state’s insecurity

Edo State indigenes all over the world have set up a group of professionals, UNUEDO Renaissance, aimed at enabling the government to find solutions to the problem of insecurity in order to achieve lasting peace and sustainable development. The group held its first in the series of webinars that focused on issues and challenges bedevilling the state on Sunday, to find immediate, medium to long-term solutions.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the event, a copy of which was made available to newsmen on Wednesday, the group disclosed that it drew the participation of over 100 Edo sons and daughters from across the globe who raised their concerns about the need to make the state safe and secure for indigenes and visitors to thrive in an atmosphere of peace for the needed progress, growth and development of our various communities.

The President of UNUEDO Renaissance, Mr. Nuhu Yakubu, said the aim was to offer a platform for the security personnel in the state to discuss developments and compare notes with indigenes and residents who are at the receiving end of their services.

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