A 30-year-old man identified as Ubani Usman was headbutted to death on Wednesday by a cow in the abattoir located in Agege Area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident happened about 7:40pm on Wednesday after the cow broke loose from the abattoir.

An eyewitness who spoke to PUNCH Metro on Thursday said all efforts by the police who stormed the abattoir to arrest the fiery cow proved unsuccessful and that butchers in the area refused to provide the cow for arrest.

The source, who chose to speak anonymously for fear of victimisation, said the deceased victim was immediately rushed down to the general hospital in the area for medical attention before he was later pronounced dead by a doctor on duty.

The source said, “The man was standing not far from the abattoir when the incident happened. The cow broke loose, and before we knew it, it had rammed the man down. We took the victim to the general hospital in the area, but he was later confirmed dead by a doctor.

“When the policemen came to arrest the ram and the owners, the people in the abattoir were not helpful at all. So no arrest has been made.”

When contacted, the state police public relations officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, was not available to confirm this as his phone rang out and a message sent to him had yet to be responded to as of the time this report was filed.

By Godfrey George

ESTHER AND MOLLY

It was a hazy Monday morning in 2019 when a social media content creator, Muna (surname withheld) got a message from a suspicious email address, asking her to pay the sum of $3,000 if she did not want to see her nudes online.

Apprehensive, she searched her heart just as she did her archive to ascertain who may be behind the mail.

She had just got off what she described as a toxic long-distance relationship with another content creator she identified with his stage name, Sharmuel, after dating him for nearly six years.

“We shared a lot of nudes. I have his and he has mine, so I did not think he would be behind the email,” she said in an interview with our correspondent.

She added that after a few months of not responding to the message, she got a follow-up email from the same address containing her nude photos which she claimed she only shared with this particular lover.

Muna also noted that she had blocked Sharmuel on all social media handles and deleted all pictures or memories of him on her phone and other devices.

She, however, confronted him with the claims that he sent the email, but Sharmuel said he would not have done that as, according to him, he also deleted memories of her before his phone was stolen.

Perplexed, she reached out to her friends who also had access to her phone, but they all denied having any involvement in the matter.

Another message from that address asked her to pay up the $3,000 in two weeks or risk having her nude in public.

“I was more than troubled. I took my phone to a system operator to format it back to factory setting. I wanted a clean slate. I am not a promiscuous person. I did not know what to do and I did not want to involve the police because, apart from the fact that the blackmailer warned me not to go to the police, I also knew that the police would first slut-shame me before they even begin to work, and this may take too long,” she added.

After begging the blackmailer to change the currency to naira and accept N200,000, she was asked to get the money in cash and go to Ojodu-Berger Bus Stop and give it to one of the e-hailing drivers who would be stationed there to receive it.

On that day, Muna said she carefully wrapped the N200,000 in an old newspaper, taped it and put it in a cellophane bag before taking it to the bus stop. At the bus stop, just by the market, she saw a delivery guy stationed there who approached her, asked her to give him the package and drove off.

She said she did not get another email from the blackmailers for months. Not even one to confirm that they had seen the money.

She was, however, shocked when she received her intimacy video on WhatsApp from a foreign number, asking her if she recognised the lady in the video.

Of course, she did. She was the one in the video.

She said she asked the person how he got the video and was asked to visit a website, where, not just her but hundreds of girls’ nude pictures and videos were published and available to the public for free.

“I almost died. I had to open up to my parents before they would see it. I was asked to come home. We met a lawyer but there was nothing he could do. We traced the initial email back to that website and we sent them a cease and desist, which never got a response. The video was still on their site until we paid a hacker to take it down from there and through the help of Google, got it off the dark web,” she added.

Saturday PUNCH reached out to Sharmuel after an independent investigation by a hacker engaged by our correspondent linked not only his IP address to the poster of Muna’s nude on the website, but also a continuous engagement on the content in question, but he did not respond as of the time of filing this report.

Text messages sent to his mobile numbers were also not responded to.

Muna is one of the many victims of revenge porn.

Many persons, especially women found to be vulnerable, popular and have a lot of things to lose, are often times blackmailed and humiliated over nude pictures or intimacy videos they recorded, or did not know were recorded.

Some fall prey to the blackmailer by beginning to pay the sums requested by them. But, like all blackmailers, there is always no end in their continuous quest for more money.

Recently, a TikTok sensation, Esther (surname withheld), famously recognised as Buba Girl, appeared in a video that showed her in a private moment with herself.

In what seemed like a failed attempt to humiliate and slut-shame her, the blackmailer was alleged to have sent her the video, requesting that she paid a sum to get it wiped out.

Although it is not clear whether or not she paid the sum, as her account on TikTok and Instagram has now been made private, and a phone number said to be hers has remained unreachable by this reporter, the nude video has since gone viral.

Most of the comments on Twitter have been everything but palatable.

On Facebook, a user, Adaeze, commenting in a now-deleted post, called Buba Girl, a ‘shameless pig, who has no respect for herself and her family’, vowing to share the video far and wide until it got to her (Esther’s) parents.

Another user, Osas (surname withheld), whose profile shows her as a caterer and mother-of-two, said the Buba Girl got what she deserved, and should ‘go ahead and kill herself for being very stupid to have filmed herself in a private moment’.

Some other persons, however, believed that the TikToker leaked the video herself when she could no longer pay the money.

Many commentators asked for the video to be shared with them, as many blogs had the videos published on their websites for cheap clicks.

As of the time of filing this report on Thursday, the video had been watched 123 million times on one of the websites.

Our correspondent reached out to another female content creator close to Buba Girl, who claimed that the Tiktoker was blackmailed by a former lover.

“It must be one of her exes. She told me about it when the first threat came months ago. I am not sure if she paid any money because I told her not to pay anything because what she did was not illegal.

“Filming one’s self while masturbating, from what the law says, is not illegal. I even told her to report to the police but I knew that there was nothing she could do. The blackmailer had to release the video, and she has been depressed. She is just trying to be strong. She only just became popular on Tiktok with her Buba comedy and content but this person just wanted to ruin her life,” the source said.

On the identity of the suspect, the source said she would not be able to disclose it as, according to her, Buba Girl, was “a grown-up woman who had the right to as many partners as she wanted”.

Surprisingly, on Wednesday, Buba Girl, who had over 500,000 followers on Instagram, in what looked like a response, posted on her story.

“All of us go dey alright las las,” she said in Pidgin English. This loosely translates to, “Everyone will be alright in the end”.


Molly

Hours after Esther’s video went viral, another popular TikToker with over 500, 000 followers, Molly’s intimacy tapes were leaked.

Efforts to reach her have been abortive, as she refused to speak when contacted on her mobile phone on the matter.

However, the video had garnered millions of views on several blogs. One of them had over 12 million views in just 16 hours of posting.

Most of these videos, Saturday PUNCH-employed hacker found, were traced to the same website that posted Muna’s nude.

A friend of Molly, who said she wanted to be identified only as Bailey for personal reasons, said she (Molly) was blackmailed.

She, in a chat with our correspondent, said a blackmailer on WhatsApp sent some of the videos to Molly and asked her to pay to get them deleted.

Bailey claimed that her friend paid the blackmailer for some months but got tired of paying, which made the person to leak the video.

“Molly is depressed right now. Some brands who had already started plans to work with her are pulling out. It is unfair what is happening to her. The government should intervene. This is an attack on all skit makers in Nigeria.

“The blackmailer said he/she had a lot of videos belonging to different popular Nigerians and could bring anybody down with just one click. Even me, as I speak, I am afraid. I am not that clean,” she said.

Saturday PUNCH had reported how a businessman, Kennedy, blackmailed a widow and two other ladies whom he had sexual relations with because he had hold of their intimacy videos.

The matter had since been charged to court.

Many celebrities, including popular musician, Tiwa Savage; on-air personality, Toke Makinwa; actors, Godwin Maduka and Empress Njamah; singer, Oxlade; and ex-beauty queen, Chidinma Okeke, and controversial cross dresser, James Brown, among others, had been victims of revenge porn.


Revenge porn and the law

Revenge porn refers to the distribution of sexually explicit images or videos of another without the person’s consent. It is a crime in Nigeria and the law frowns at it owing to the devastating effect it has on victims.

A lawyer, Muhiz Adisa, stated that it was immaterial that the explicit pictures or videos were taken by the victim or taken with his or her consent.

“What matters is that it is being circulated without the victim’s consent. To constitute revenge porn, the following must be established: there is an explicit picture or video of a person; those pictures or videos were shared; the victim did not consent to the circulation of the shared pictures or videos; the perpetrator intends to cause shame or embarrassment to the victim; the perpetrator shared the pictures or videos because the victim refused to grant certain requests and the perpetrator intends to get back at the victim (by way of revenge),” he said.

Revenge porn is criminalised in Nigeria under the Criminal Code Act and the Cybercrimes (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

The code states, “Any person who knowingly sends or attempts to send, by post anything which; (a) encloses anything, whether living or inanimate, of such a nature as to be likely to injure any other thing in the course of conveyance, or to injure any person; or (b) encloses an indecent or obscene print, painting, photograph, lithograph, engraving, book, card, or article, or which has on it, or in it, or on its cover, any indecent, obscene, or grossly offensive words, marks, or designs; is guilty of a misdemeanor and is liable to imprisonment for one year.”

Aside from the criminal code, the Cybercrimes Act also criminalises revenge porn. It states, “Any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that is grossly offensive, pornographic, or of an indecent, obscene, or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be so sent; or he knows to be false for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will, or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent: commits an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000.00 or imprisonment for a term of not more than 3 years or to both such fine and imprisonment.”

Another lawyer, Mrs Selena Onuoha, urged victims of revenge porn to report to the police and file the case in court.

She said, “A person who happened to find his or her sexually explicit pictures or videos in circulation has some remedies under the law. However, it is imperative to point out that at the point of being threatened with posting pictures or videos online, the victim should inform the police. By engaging law enforcement agents, especially the police, the culprit or person in custody of the sexually explicit picture or video can be arrested and interrogated by the police to ensure the said pictures do not get into public view. This is based on the fact that sharing it in public view will amount to a criminal offence. Also, the very act of threatening to publish the explicit picture or video in itself amounts to the crime of blackmail.

“Also, the victim may engage the services of a lawyer: By engaging a lawyer, the lawyer is able to work with the law enforcement agents by filing a petition or complaint which can subsequently get the culprit arrested and curtailed to ensure the private pictures or videos do not get into the public view.”

However, for cases where the posts are already circulated online, Adisa said the victims could file for an action for breach of the right to privacy.

He said, “The right to privacy is guaranteed and protected under the constitution. Thus, where A’s sexually explicit pictures are shared online by B, A can maintain an action in court against B to enforce a breach of his fundamental right to privacy.

“An aggrieved victim can also maintain a criminal action against the perpetrator of the crime under sections 170 and 24 of the Criminal Code and Cybercrimes Act, respectively.

“A civil suit can also be instituted by an aggrieved victim against the perpetrator in situations where the victim suffers as a result of the publication of sexually explicit pictures or videos.”

Also commenting, a front-end developer, Mr Adeyinka Olukayode, urged youths to be careful with their intimacy videos.

“If you must make videos for whatever reasons, please, be sure to delete them after whatever it is you want to use it for is done. The way the world is now is that once that video or picture is on your phone, it is open to attacks and one can do almost nothing when it gets to the wrong hands,” he said.

The rift between the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu may come to a head next week as the latter is set to be relocated to a building outside the Government House.

The PUNCH discovered on Saturday that the new office is situated at 7 Dennis Osadebey Avenue, close to the Government House.

The building used to be the office of the Edo State Public Procurement Office which was inaugurated by former governor Adams Oshiomhole, on December 16, 2014. In fact, the plaque stating the inauguration date is etched by the entrance of the building.

A signboard with the inscription, ‘Office of the Deputy Governor’ is erected at the entrance. When our correspondent visited the complex, on Friday, workers were seen renovating the building and the compound while the renovation had yet to commence on the security post.

One of the workers handling the renovation who did not give his name, said that the job was expected to be delivered on Monday.

He added that he didn’t know what the building was going to be used for as he also had no idea about how the signboard was placed at the entrance.

The worker said, “I work for the company handling this renovation of this building. Our job is to deliver the project on Monday as agreed. I do not know how the signboard got to the entrance of the building and I don’t have an idea of what the building will be used for.”

Speaking about the development, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, said, “If there is a government signboard saying so, then it must be so.”

James Emejo in Abuja

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has alerted banks and other financial institutions of the arrest of a Nigerian and four others over their alleged involvement in currency counterfeiting amounting to $1 billion, which was bound for African countries. T

herefore, the central bank, pursuant to Regulation 4 of the CBN Anti-Money Laundering, Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing of Weapons of Mass Destruction in Financial Institutions) Regulations, 2022, (CBN AML/CFT/CPF Regulations), directed financial institutions to conduct searches on their database to determine any information related to the identified individuals. The apex bank stated this in an administrative letter to banks and Other Financial Institutions (OFIs), dated August 23, 2023, which was signed by the CBN Director, Financial Policy and Regulations Department, Chibuzo Efobi.

The CBN also asked them to check whether they maintain any accounts or hold any funds or economic resources for the persons involved. The banks were further requested to identify and file suspicious transactions reports to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and render NIL reports to the unit where no such records exist. The CBN also directed the banks to comply with the directive immediately.

The arrested persons were identified as Dele Bolade Samson Babaola, who holds both Nigerian and Swedish citizenship. Others were Kean Kwasi Arhin from Ghana; Netanel Jacob Weiss, from the United Kingdom; BO Nils Olof Forsanker and Peter Willi Herbert Schick both from Sweden.

The central bank has stepped up its vigilance against money laundering activities to further protect the financial system. On July 6, the CBN urged banks and other financial institutions (OFIs) to be vigilant and alert to possible emerging risks resulting from the circumvention of measures taken to protect the international financial system. The central bank in an administrative circular issued following the outcome of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary held between June 21-23, 2023, had further alerted the banks on the addition of Cameroon, Croatia, and Vietnam to the list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring by FATF. The apex bank further stressed that the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea, Iran, and Myanmar remained on the list of high-risk jurisdictions subject to “Call for Action”, urging that enhanced due diligence should be applied, and in severe cases, countermeasures may need to be implemented to safeguard the international financial system.

The bank had emphasised that the suspension of the Russian Federation’s membership in the FATF remained in effect. In light of the development, the central bank had further directed financial institutions to note all additions to jurisdictions under “Increased Monitoring” as well as high-risk jurisdictions subject to a “Call for Action” and take necessary measures to mitigate these risks effectively. The FATF is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog that sets international standards that aim to prevent illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. THISDAY however, gathered that the jurisdictions under increased monitoring are actively working with the FATF to address strategic deficiencies in their regimes to counter money laundering, terrorist financing, and proliferation financing.

At least 110 top bank executives and junior staff members have been sacked for fraud-related cases in the past two years, findings by The PUNCH have shown.

These were contained in the ‘Reports of Fraud and Forgeries in Nigerian Banks’’ released by the Financial Institutions Training Centre between the second quarter of 2021 and Q2 2023.

FITC’s institutional members are members of the Nigerian Banker’s Committee, which comprises the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, and all licensed banks in Nigeria.

A breakdown showed that while only four bank officials were sacked in Q2 2021, the figure rose by 175 per cent to 11 in Q2 2023.

The highest number of sacked top bank executives and junior staff members was recorded in Q3 2022. Twenty officials were fired.

The PUNCH observed that between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022, 52 bank staff members were sacked for fraud-related issues.

However, between Q3 2022 and Q2 2023, 58 bank staff members were sacked for the same reason.

Also, within the period under review, the sacked staff members were involved in a total of 967 fraud cases.

The highest number of cases was recorded in Q4 2021, with 410 cases involving bank staff, while the lowest was recorded in Q3 2021, with 32 cases.

The PUNCH further observed that between Q2 2021 and Q2 2022, bank staff were involved in 657 cases, while between Q3 2022 and Q2 2023, they were involved in 310 cases.

Also, about N18.01bn was lost due to fraud committed by bank staff and outsiders within the reviewed period out of a total of N81.69bn involved in fraud cases.

The PUNCH learnt that the highest amount lost was N5.79bn in Q2 2023, while the lowest amount lost was N472.28m in Q1 2023.

For the total amount involved, the highest amount was N34.78bn in Q3 2021, while the lowest amount was N1.18bn in Q2 2022.

The PUNCH further observed that mobile fraud, computer/web fraud, and P0S-related fraud were the most prevalent types of fraud, and this trend persisted in Q2 2023.


In June 2022, the PUNCH reported the continued trial of three former workers with the First Bank of Nigeria facing attempted fraud charges before a Lagos State Special Offences Court, Ikeja.

The defendants, Ozioma Ugorji, 35; Ugwu Emeka, 32; and Obike Chukwuka, 38, were arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission for allegedly attempting to steal N20bn from the bank.

The PUNCH learnt that the defendants conspired to tap into the bank’s server to grant access to a syndicate.

They were, however, apprehended by the EFCC on March 6, 2021, following an intelligence report.

In June this year, four men were arraigned at the Yaba Magistrates’ Court for allegedly defrauding their employer, Think Finance Microfinance Bank of N150m in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.

The defendants include the company’s Head of Risk Management, Ojimi Ayodeji, the Loan Officer, Isaac Eddy, Joseph Setonji and Juwon Irinyemi, and were arraigned before Magistrate Patrick Nwaka on three counts of theft.

The PUNCH had reported recently that four Nigerian deposit money banks lost a total of N1.77bn to fraudulent activities involving the banks’ employees and consumers in 2021.

This was contained in the 2021 financial statements of the banks, which included Access Bank Plc, Guaranty Trust Bank Plc, First Monument City Bank, and Wema Bank.

The PUNCH also reported that Access Bank, GTB and Fidelity Bank recorded 26,877 fraud cases in the first six months of this year, according to analyses of their financial reports for the first half of 2022.

This was a 56.45 per cent decrease from the 61,715 fraud cases that were recorded by the banks between June and December, 2021.

The President of the Bank Customers Association of Nigeria, Dr Uju Ogunbunka, recently urged banks to educate their staff and create protective measures that would discourage fraud.

Commenting, ICT expert and Senior Partner of e86 Limited, Olugbenga Odeyemi, recently said several fraud cases needed insiders from banks.

He stated, “Some of the hacking and fraud cases that we’ve seen, happened not because of the lack of security on the banks’ electronic platforms, but because of poverty, greed, and sometimes the lack of education on the part of the customers.

“Other than asking banks to invest more in the security of their platforms, it’s equally important that banks spend more resources on educating their customers.

“That said, several fraud cases couldn’t have happened without the help of insiders in some of the banks. I think Nigerian banks should spend more money on the welfare of their staff while making appropriate changes to their internal processes, starting from their hiring processes.”

The Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise, Dr Muda Yusuf, recently urged the CBN to introduce sanctions and eliminate policies that promote corruption.

He said, “I think what they can do is to activate sanctions on anyone found wanting. Aside from the tracking, there must be evidence. And once there is evidence, they should close in on anyone they find. Cyber fraud is the biggest threat in the banking industry.’’

The FITC advised banks to strengthen their security protocols and utilise advanced fraud detection systems.

It said, “Considering the rise in the total amount involved in fraud cases and the amount lost, Nigerian banks should strengthen their security protocols and systems to prevent unauthorised access to customer accounts and sensitive information. This may involve incorporating measures such as multi-factor authentication, implementing strong encryption techniques, and ensuring regular security updates are in place.

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee investigating the utilization of Ecological Funds and other intervention funds of the Great Green Wall Project on Wednesday queried claims by the National Agency for Great Green Wall (NAGGW) that it spent N81bn to plant 21 million trees in the frontline states in the north.

The states are Kebbi, Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Yobe and Borno.

NAGWW Director-General, Yusuf Maina Bukar, told the committee that the agency also spent N697.71m on renovation of office accommodation and N11.28bn on capital projects.

He said the main funding of the agency was from 15 per cent of the Ecological Funds and the federal allocation as well as other sources for its operations.

The committee also quizzed the Central Bank of Nigeria over seven accounts domiciled in the apex bank.

A six-page document dated 22nd August, 2023 submitted by the CBN showed that N9,465,960,382.57 was domiciled in the agency’s account from 2015 to date.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, represented by Deputy Director, Irene Nwangwu, said the NAGWW had received a total of N19,377,726,506.95 from the Derivation & Ecology Accounts from February 2019 to date.

In addition, the agency also received the N11.023bn as capital expenditure through the oAGF.

Nwangwu said former President Muhammadu Buhari approved the release of N2.309bn to the agency as 2020 statutory 5% Ecological Fund.

The chairman of the committee, Isma’ila Haruna Dabo and members complained that the NAGGW spent monies without commensurate results.

The committee also said the agency deviated from its core mandate.

He said, “Projects such as the Great Green Wall under investigation here were designed primarily to address some of these issues.

The persistence of these challenges despite funds put into the programme from both the federal government and international partners has necessitated this investigation.

“In recent years, we have witnessed a significant upsurge in natural environmental challenges such as land degradation, deforestation, desertification and drought, which most times are explained away with the context of climate change”.

A 21-year-old lady identified as Sukura Owodunni has allegedly been set ablaze by a pastor, Taiwo Odebiyi, when he was trying to perform deliverance on her at his Cherubim and Seraphim Maberu Parish located in Offin in the Sagamu area of Ogun State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the incident happened on August 17, 2023, when the victim visited the church for a special prayer at the pastor’s invitation.

Our correspondent further learnt that the pastor directed the victim to buy Amazing Grace perfume, local eggs and a candle for the special prayer.

While praying for her, the pastor was said to have poured the perfume on the lady’s body and lit the candle.

Immediately after the pastor lit the candle, Owodunni was said to have gone up in flames, causing serious burns to her chest, shoulder and legs.

PUNCH Metro further gathered from an eyewitness that the suspect was immediately arrested after the Divisional Police Officer in Adigbe, CSP Abdulfattah Ogunsanya, and his men stormed the premises on Tuesday.

Contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Wednesday, noted that further investigation had commenced to unravel the circumstances surrounding the case.

“The lady was said to have been abandoned to fend for her medical bills after the incident. The victim has been taken to the hospital for medical attention.

“Our men have arrested the suspect. The case will be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department after the preliminary investigation is perfected,” Odutola told PUNCH Metro.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) says it has commenced the implementation of value-added tax (VAT) on automobile gas oil (AGO), also known as diesel, imported into the country.

The service made this known in a memo, dated July 28, 2023, sent to all importers and agents of diesel.

The memo was titled, ‘Request for Charge of Value Added Tax (VAT) on Automobile Gas Oil (ago) or Diesel Imported into the Country’.

The communication, signed by PC Chibuoke (DC admin) on behalf of the area controller, Area I, Port Harcourt; made reference to a “headquarters circular No. NCS/T&T/T/899/217/VOL.I of 27 July 2023 on the above subject matter”.

“I am directed to inform you that henceforth, Value Added Tax (VAT) is to be charged on Automobile Gas Oil (AGO), and Procedure Code 4900 000 shall be used on all importations of AGO,” the memo reads.

The service added that no importer of diesel is allowed to use “additional Code 409 in their declaration”.

In 2020, the federal government began the implementation of the Finance Act, which stated that a 7.5 percent VAT would be charged on diesel costs.

The development means that the price of diesel, which has been surging, may reach unprecedented highs — further worsening the plight of Nigerians and manufacturers.

In July 2023, the price of a litre of the product increased to N794.48 a litre, compared to N774.38 per litre in the corresponding period last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The action of some lawyers during a football match in Abuja, on Monday, has put a question on the ethical conduct of some members of the legal profession.

The 2023 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), which kick-started smoothly with a Moslem prayers last Friday, experienced some sore point on Monday, when some lawyers ended up in physical combat during a football match.

The match between the Abuja NBA team and their brothers from the Onitsha bar saw players exchanging blows over the officiating of the match which was said to be in favour of the Abuja NBA.

The action further brought to the fore the doubt if Nigeria could get better, considering the claims of lawyers that the country must move forward, lawyers must take the lead.

It was against this conviction that the leadership of the NBA chose to build this year’s conference theme on, ‘Getting it Right: Charting the Course for Nigeria’s Nation Building.’

Ironically, the same day the fracas occurred, some lawyers seated at the velodrome, Moshood Abiola Stadium, venue of the conference, were being lectured on Ethics and Professional Conduct of Lawyers, regards anti money laundering and counter terrorism financing.

As at the time of filing this report the NBA leadership and the Public Relations Officer at the national level did not respond to calls as well as text and Whatsapp messages on the issue.

However, the chairman of the Garki Branch, Mr Ezen wobodo, condemned the act, stressing that, “it is not part of our culture”.

He disclosed that disciplinary action had already been meted out to the affected lawyers.

Meanwhile, a report by the Chairman of the NBA Sports Organising Committee, Mr Godwin Madubuko, disclosed that a player and coach had been penalised over the incident.

The report read,”After the consideration of the incident report of what happened during the semi final match between Abuja and Onitsha Branches on August 28, 2023, the Organising Committee hereby issue the following;

“The Coach of NBA Onitsha is barred from attending the 3rd place match fixed for August 29, 2023.

“The Player wearing Jersey Number 3, Tabai Braye, for the Abuja team is barred from attending or playing for the team during the final of the competition on August 29, 2023.

“The Coach of the NBA ABUJA team is given a touch line ban for the final of the competition fixed for August 29, 2023.

“The investigation of the incident is still ongoing. The Committee will issue the final report after the investigation.”

Lagos has emerged as the fifth best African city with high desirability by people to live, work, and invest, according to a report by Brand Finance City Index 2023.

The survey puts Lagos at 56.7per cent behind Cape Town (South Africa), Cairo (Egypt), Johannesburg (South Africa), and Casablanca (Morocco) as the first four best African cities with 62.9, 60.7, 59.7, and 59.3 per cents respectively.

Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, also makes the chart by coming behind Nigeria, as the sixth African city with 55.1 per cent.

Cape Town, Cairo, Johannesburg, Casablanca, Lagos and Nairobi are the only six African countries that appear on the 100 world’s best cities as numbers 60, 67, 72, 76, 90, and 94 respectively on global rankings.

Meanwhile, London (England) is crowned as the world’s best city brand in the ranking scoring 84.6 per cent, while New York (the United States) and Paris (France) come as 2nd and 3rd garnering 83.0 and 79.7 per cents respectively.

“The ranking is based on a global survey of close to 15,000 members of the public conducted in April 2023 in 20 countries on all continents to measure perceptions of the world’s top 100 cities,” the report reveals.

Speaking on the survey, the Chairman and CEO of Brand Finance, David Haigh said, “London’s exceptional performance in the Index can be attributed to its global familiarity.

“Coming first on this particular measure, London has a huge advantage over its peers, leading to its success in the ranking overall as the world’s best city.

“Knowing a city allows the public to form positive perceptions about it – to recognise its reputation and to consider it as the preferred place to live, work, study, retire, visit, or invest.

“High familiarity means a deeper understanding of its qualities and a broader reach of its appeal, allowing the city to draw significant economic benefits from inbound migration, investment, and tourism.”

However, Zurich (Switzerland) is the 17th on the global table with 72.0 per cent, but the report says is the best city in the world for investment alongside other factors to live and work.

The report states, “Zurich is a highly desirable destination to work locally, work remotely, invest, and retire, claiming the top spot for each dimension.”

“The city scores exceptionally well on reputation (4th) and consideration (1st) when considering all seven dimensions combined too, but a low score on familiarity (53rd) prevents it from taking a higher spot in the overall Brand Finance City Index ranking (17th),” it adds.

AHMED OLUWASANJO


Chicago State University has locked its X microblogging handle from the general public as Nigerians intensify pressure on President Bola Tinubu’s controversial certificate from the institution.

With a padlock icon appearing on the account, a check by Peoples Gazette on Monday showed that only “confirmed followers” of the institution could see its tweets now, contrary to how it was before.

A notification telling the general public that the institution had locked its X handle from the general public reads: “These posts are protected. Only confirmed followers have access to @ChicagoState’s posts and complete profile. Tap the ‘Follow’ button to send a follow request.”

The Gazette could not verify why the institution allowed only its confirmed followers access to its timeline while restricting the general public from its content.

Chicago State University has yet to respond to the Gazette’s request seeking comments on the development, coming amid heated debates among Nigerian cybernauts on Mr Tinubu’s academic records, with many calling out the institution on X.

Earlier in August, Mr Abubakar requested court approval to subpoena Mr Tinubu’s files domiciled with CSU because he believed the documents would clarify glaring inconsistencies in the president’s background, including publicly available documents that suggested the institution, in the 1970s admitted a female student bearing Bola Tinubu born on March 29, 1954.

In pushback against Mr Abubakar’s legal move, which could expose his academic record, Mr Tinubu also filed a motion to prevent a federal court in the United States from releasing his academic records to his principal opponent in the 2023 presidential election.

The institution had claimed that a clerk was responsible for irregularities that characterised a certificate the school reprinted in Mr Tinubu’s name, according to court filings seen by The Gazette.

Amid the legal tussle in the U.S., Mr Abubakar on Sunday mocked Mr Tinubu, asking him to reveal how he obtained a degree from Chicago University without attending primary and secondary school.

Mr Atiku’s tweet sparked widespread reactions seeing the “AskTinubu” trend of X microblogging app on Sunday as Nigerians discuss Mr Tinubu’s academic records.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to freeze the processing of visas for all government officials seeking to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly without proof of direct participation in UNGA’s official schedule of activities.

His spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, in a statement on Monday, said the directive was part of a broader effort to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria.

He said to prevent any sharp practice in this regard, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria was accordingly guided on official visa processing while Nigeria’s Permanent Mission in New York is further directed to prevent and stop the accreditation of any government official who is not placed on the protocol lists forwarded by the approving authority.

Ngelale said by this directive of the President, all Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies were mandated to ensure that all officials, who were approved for inclusion in the UNGA delegation, strictly limited the number of aides and associated staff partaking in the event.

He added that where excesses or anomalies in this regard were identified, they would be removed during the final verification process.

The President said that henceforth government officials and government expenditure must reflect the prudence and sacrifice being made by well-meaning Nigerians across the nation.

The Federal Government has concluded plans to roll out 9000 autogas filling stations from the existing 10,000 retail outlets across the country under the National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP) within the next six months.

Chairman of the NGEP, Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, who disclosed this at the weekend said the NGEP has gone very far in reflating the economy by leveraging on the nation’s gas resources despite the frustration of its activities by the subsidy cabals and some stakeholders who said the gas expansion programme would never work.

He spoke just as the N250bn NGEP fund remained dormant in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the past four years over stringent conditions attached to it.

Ibrahim spoke in Lagos during the Annual Training Workshop of the Nigeria Auto Journalists Association (NAJA) with the theme, “Fuel Subsidy Removal: Autogas/Electric Vehicles as Alternatives”.

The NGEP was conceived to serve as a catalyst for adding value to the vast natural gas reserves Nigeria is endowed with.

The Chairman who was the guest speaker at the workshop insisted that gas was cheaper and more environmentally friendly for vehicles following the removal of fuel subsidy by the federal government.

He stated that the promise of the Tinubu-led administration to create 100 million jobs was achievable with the gas expansion programme, saying the multi-fuel scheme which enables vehicle owners to fill their tank with liquefied natural gas (LNG) or compressed natural gas (CNG) as well as the conventional premium motor spirit would take off in the next 6 months despite resistance from some stakeholders.

According to him, over 5m conversion kits were needed to convert 30m internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to CNG or LNG which would create 12.5m jobs. He noted that autogas has potentials “to really reflate the economy if it is properly done.”

He said, “Under our NGEP programme, we have what we call the multi-fuel scheme whereby we do not intend to shut down the current petrol stations that we have in the country, about 10,000 of them and like I said earlier we have carried out an audit whereby 9000 of 10,000 qualify to retrofit to become multi-fuel.

“So what is going to happen and we have a couple already in the system, is that, you drive into a filling station, you are going to have dispensing facilities for your petrol, diesel, and kerosene but in addition you are going to have the dispensing facilities with the cryogenic tower that enables you to have access to LNG and also a dispensing pump for CNG and also a charging point for your electric vehicles.

“So it becomes a multi-fuel retail outlet that enables you to have access to LNG for your long hauls, CNG for your 300km maximum and conventional petrol, diesel and kerosene.

“But you don’t even need a separate CNG facility because all you just need is if you have your cryogenic tower, you can generate CNG from your LNG in your station by an addition of a pump.”

On the N250bn NGEP fund domiciled in CBN, he noted that no individual or company had accessed it because of the stringent conditions attached to it.

He said the former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele did not listen to his team that the conditions should be made less stringent to make it accessible to companies involved in the autogas value chain.

The recent rejection of 17 commissioner-nominees of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu by the Lagos State House of Assembly was a confirmation of a rumoured cold war going on within the state chapter of the All Progressive Congress (APC), multiple sources have confirmed.

On Wednesday, only 22 of the 39 cabinet nominees presented by Governor Sanwo-Olu to the House of Assembly for screening were confirmed. Seventeen other nominees were rejected by the lawmakers.

The 17 rejected commissioner-nominees included some technocrats who were part of the governor’s administration in the first term and who were adjudged to have performed excellently.

On why some of the governor’s nominees were rejected, Saturday Sun’s investigation and chats with different stakeholders, politicians and some government officials revealed that there is a cold war among political gladiators, power brokers and stakeholders in the state.

Many sources confirmed that the State House of Assembly was only acting on the scripts written by different aggrieved interest groups to pass a message to Governor Sanwo-Olu.

According to some of the sources, the rejection of the governor’s 17 nominees had never happened in the history of the state, but happened due to an alleged ‘I don’t care attitude’ of the governor to some issues affecting party members and various interest groups within and outside the party.

A source within the State House of Assembly who did not want his name in print, said some of the rejected cabinet nominees were not going to be shocked over their rejection because of what had transpired during their screening, adding that majority of them were not in the good books of their constituencies, and neither did they have any cordial relationship with the party or the representatives of their various local governments in the assembly. Some government officials also accused the past cabinet members who were re-nominated again of implementing various anti-human policies during their reign.

The cabinet nominees’ rejection was also attributed to some actions and inactions of some of the former commissioners during the last general elections in the state. Some of the party members across different local government areas, it was gathered, expressed displeasure over the cabinet list submitted by the governor to the assembly, saying that the morale of faithful party members was being killed by rewarding those who did not sow in the party.

A party chieftain in the Ikorodu area said almost all those rejected have no political base and grassroots affiliation but were included in the cabinet list because they were the governor’s friends and associates. He alleged that only few members of the Governors Advisory Council members have input in the list submitted by the governor. When contacted over the issue and the allegation levelled against the governor, Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile dismissed allegations that the party was ignored by the governor. Akosile said people in the list submitted by his principal to the State House of Assembly were from a pool of people nominated by party members across all the local government areas.

He described Governor Sanwo-Olu as a good party man who understands the mechanism of reward system, equity, fairness and justice. He noted that all the commissioner-nominees were selected based on merit, contribution to party and competence by the governor, his deputy and party members.

Akosile said the governor was shocked that some of his nominees were not confirmed by the House of Assembly, but sounded optimistic that the governor would resolve whatever the issue might be very soon. He said the governor has a cordial relationship with all stakeholders in the state, insisting that the governor would not do anything that would undermine the interest of any stakeholder or group.

“All the rumours being spread over the rejection of the commissioner-nominees by the State House of Assembly are mere imaginations of the peddlers of such rumours. There is no iota of truth in them,” he noted.

The governor’s spokesman assured that everything regarding the issue would be resolved very soon.

Days after President Bola Tinubu swore in 45 ministers who will work in his cabinet, some of them who were appointed to head newly created ministries will have to work without physical offices and government officials assigned to them, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Some of the new ministries were created from old and existing ones.

For instance, the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy, which is currently headed by Gboyega Oyetola, emerged from the Ministry of Transportation currently headed by Said Alkali.

Though the two ministers were sworn in on Monday, Oyetola resumed at the Ministry of Transportation immediately while Alkali resumed at the same ministry on Tuesday.

Sources at the ministry confirmed to our correspondent that the reason why Oyetola came to the ministry on Monday and Alkali on Tuesday may not be unconnected with the fact that the two ministers may have to share the same set of directors and permanent secretary, pending the time that a full restructure took place.

“When some directors introduced themselves to the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, they did not know whether they should introduce themselves as directors under the Ministry of Transport or Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy,” one of the sources at the ministry said.

At the former Ministry of Information and Culture, from which the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, led by Muhammed Idris; the Ministry of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, led by Hannatu Musawa; and the Ministry of Tourism, headed by Lola Ade-John, were created, our correspondent learnt that the three ministers visited the ministry at the same time on Monday and addressed journalists together.

It was also gathered that as of Friday, civil servants in the ministry were still confused about the minister to report to.

Though sources within the ministry noted that there were departments that could easily be connected to a particular ministry, our correspondent learnt that the new ministries would need directors specifically tailored to their needs.

It was further gathered that the Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake and his steel development counterpart, Shuaibu Audu, will continue to work with the same set of civil servants until a full restructure is carried out.

Meanwhile, our correspondent gathered that the Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, has commenced the process for the appointment of new permanent secretaries to fill new and existing vacancies in the civil service.

In a memo dated August 21, 2023, and signed by the Head of Service, Folashade Yemi-Esan, it was stated that the recruitment process commenced following the approval of the President for the appointment of permanent secretaries in the federal civil service was in respect of existing vacancies for Bauchi State and the North-East geopolitical zone whose permanent secretaries had retired and impending vacancies for Ebonyi, Niger, Oyo, Katsina, Kogi State and the North-Central geo-political zone whose permanent secretaries would retire on or before December 31, 2023.

“Consequently, officers in the mainstream federal civil service who meet the following conditions are eligible to participate in the exercise: have attained the position of substantive director on Salary Grade Level 17 on or before January 1, 2021, have updated their records on the IPPIS verification portal, are from the states listed in paragraph one above, and are not retiring from service earlier than December 31, 2025. Officers undergoing disciplinary procedures are, however, excluded from the exercise,” it added.

Efforts to get the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, to speak on the physical offices of the new ministers proved abortive.

The Director, Press and Public Relations of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Eddy Megwa, has said that the Minister of Arts and Culture, Mrs Hannatu Musawa, who is currently doing her one-year youth service is occupying the ministerial position in breach of the NYSC Act.

Speaking with our reporter over the phone, Megwa confirmed that the minister had been serving for the past eight months in the FCT.

He explained that it was against the NYSC Act for any corps member to pick up any government appointment until the one-year service was over.

He said Mrs Musawa was originally mobilised in 2001 for the youth service to Ebonyi State where she had her orientation programme but later relocated to Kaduna State to continue the programme.

He said it was when she got to Kaduna that she absconded and didn’t complete the programme.

Megwa noted that the scheme would look into the issue and take action where necessary.


Lawyers react

Reacting, Abeny Mohammed (SAN) said the action was a breach of the NYSC Act which stated that nobody would be legally employed or offer themselves for employment without doing the service and presenting the certificate or would have been exempted and had the certificate of exemption.

Mohammed said, “The situation we have at hand is that this person is still serving as a corper and she has been appointed a minister. It shows the inconsistency in our policies and disregard for our laws.”

Similarly, Femi Falana (SAN) said it was a violation of the law for anybody to still be serving in the NYSC and accept a ministerial appointment.

In a statement titled: “A Youth Corps Member is not Competent to be a Minister in Nigeria”, Falana said by virtue of Section 2 of the NYSC Act every citizen who graduated from any tertiary institution in and outside Nigeria and was not 30 years old shall be mobilised for the one-year compulsory national youth service, while any person above 30 was not eligible to participate in the service.”

The military rulers who seized control in Niamey on July 26 have given the French ambassador 48 hours to leave Niger, the country’s minister of foreign affairs said in a statement Friday, AFP reports.

Faced with “the refusal of the French ambassador in Niamey to respond to an invitation” from the minister for a meeting Friday and “other actions of the French government contrary to the interests of Niger”, the authorities have decided to withdraw their approval of Sylvain Itte and ask him to depart within 48 hours, the statement said.

This decision follows a series of statements and demonstrations hostile toward France since the Nigerien army overthrew President Mohamed Bazoum, who has since been detained with his family.

The military leaders accuse Paris of wanting to intervene militarily in Niger in order to reinstate Bazoum and claim that the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is an organisation in the pocket of former regional colonial power France.

ECOWAS has imposed heavy economic sanctions on Niger following the coup and has threatened the use of armed force to restore constitutional order.

France has some 1,500 troops stationed in Niger to aid in fighting jihadist groups that have plagued the country along with the wider Sahel region for years.

Aisha Ibrahim, a Kano-based fashion designer, is struggling with stagnant earnings and dwindling fabric sales. She is being squeezed by the ever-increasing prices of food, leading her to cut down on the amount she can use to put food on her family’s table.

“I am really feeling the heat,” said Ms Ibrahim, a widow and mother of three. “I can’t simply afford the basic things we use at home in terms of food,” she said, adding, “The prices of everything have increased. I have had to cut down on meat, eggs, and other proteins.”

Ms Ibrahim’s ordeal is being shared by millions across Africa’s most populous nation as rising food prices mount on Nigerians amidst poor purchasing power.

Data compiled by Picodi, an international e-commerce organisation shows that the average Nigerian household spends about 59 per cent of its income on food. That’s the highest in the world, according to the report published in August.

Picodi researchers analysed statistical data from 105 countries and calculated how much money people spend on their groceries worldwide. Nigeria ranked 105th out of 105 countries.

The report said food and non-alcoholic beverages make up 59 per cent of Nigerian’s spending on goods and services.

Nigeria’s situation is worse than other countries with high spending on food such as Bangladesh (52.7 per cent), Kenya (56.1 per cent), Myanmar (56.6 per cent), and Laos (50.6 per cent).

In contrast, residents in the US, Singapore, UK, Ireland, and Switzerland spend less than a tenth of their income on food and non-alcoholic beverages. The US is 6.7 per cent, Singapore – 8.4 per cent, the UK – 8.7 per cent, Ireland – 9.2 per cent and Switzerland – 9.9 per cent, the report said.

Nigeria’s inflation has remained at double digits since 2016, with a significant impact on household spending, even as governments across states struggle with backlogs of salaries and pensions.

Equally, the nation’s food inflation increased to 24 per cent in July, compounding the misery of many households. Nigeria’s situation is so dire that President Bola Tinubu recently declared a state of emergency on food insecurity.


How much is spent on food in Africa

The highest food spending in Africa can be found in Egypt ($114/month), followed by South Africa ($77/month) and Kenya ($74/month), Picodi said.

It noted that an average Nigerian spends $62 (₦48,186) monthly on food. This amount is higher than Nigeria’s minimum wage of N30,000.

How much money is spent on food in Africa
How much money is spent on food in Africa
The lowest grocery spending can be found in Algeria ($51/month), Cameroon, ($45/month), Uganda ($24/month), Ethiopia ($20/month), and Tanzania ($15/month).

The researchers said they used the latest household food and non-alcoholic beverages consumption statistics from Euromonitor and official government websites.

For currency conversion, the organisation used the average exchange rate data from Google Finance for July 2023.

The last NBS report published in 2020 shows that Nigerians spent about N22.8 trillion on food in 2019. This was about 57 per cent of the total spending (N40.2 trillion) by Nigerians for that period.

Customers of electricity distribution companies are protesting the moves by electricity distribution companies to retrieve prepaid meters for an upgrade.

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company recently informed its customers via its Facebook page that it would begin retrieving a set of prepaid meters for upgrading.

The flyer from the Disco read, “Dear esteemed customers. Kindly be informed that as part of the ongoing meter upgrading, we will be retrieving from our customers, prepaid meters with meter numbers 62417, 62418…and some meter no, starting with 6321…This is to enable us to upgrade.

“Our field staff will visit the affected customers’ properties to retrieve the meters.”

The company further said the meter would be returned once upgrading was concluded, and that old tokens would not be wiped out from the meters.

However, the information did not go down well with its customers.

One Olatinwo Multimedia, a customer of the Disco, said codes should be provided instead.

“That is nonsense. You should provide a link where meter codes will be placed for updates. It is absolutely nonsense and unrealistic to remove already (installed) prepaid meters. Who does that?” he queried.

Another customer, Olaanipekun Henrym warned IBEDC members of staff “not to come near” his house.

“Nobody should come near my house because you people cannot be trusted. Mine is 62418, but nobody will take it away for an upgrade. I know any attempt to take it away, it won’t be returned in a year,” he said.

On his part, Akinyemi Tayo said the Disco could not be trusted.

“Walahi, you people want to rob us again by increasing the tariff so that it can finish on time. This is wickedness. God will stop it soon,” he said.

Sources close to the matter told The PUNCH that other Discos could employ similar avenues to upgrade problematic meters.

“I said it. IBEDC can’t upgrade automatically. Can you imagine going manually and hoping it won’t be hijacked by crooks,” one Oni Kunle said.

Muraina Akeem Olatunji added that the Disco was “taking their customers for fools, abi?”

A twist was added to the Discourse when one Adewusi Ayodele said, that although he had upgraded his meter via a code provided by the Disco, however, he was given a lesser token after a fresh recharging.

“Good day, IBEDC. I did a recharge of N6,000 but was given a token for 43.04 units. I am confused with these new tariffs/charges. Kindly clarify,” he said.

Rasaq Adebayo expressed fear that the meter may not be returned until after six months if customers allowed the Disco to take it away.

IBEDC’s spokesperson, Adebusolami Tunwase, told The PUNCH that customers whose meters would be retrieved would be placed on post-paid meters during the period.

“The information is explicit. It is to upgrade the software of meters that are rejecting upgrade codes, and the meter series affected are stated.

“They will be put on post-paid meters that require bill payment for that duration. The meters will be returned as the upgrade is completed. And as you know, the upgrade continues till November,” she said.

A spokesperson for the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors, Sunday Oduntan condemned the intended retrieval, describing it as “absurd”.

Meanwhile, spokespersons for the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, Babatunde Lasaki and Kano Electricity Distribution Company, Bala Sani, including the Corporate Communications department of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, did not respond to inquiries about the retrieval of some meters.

Metering expert, Sesan Okunade told The PUNCH that the update that was shared by IBEDC was part of the development in the power sector as stipulated by the STS compliance meter.

“What this implies is for the TID rollover. Each of the smart meters that we have that is compliant with the STS is expected to roll over by the 24th of November 2024 to zero, and what that implies is that if you do not upgrade, it may no longer be active.

“So, ordinarily, what is to be done is for each Disco to generate a key change token for each customer when they are making their purchases, but I am sure this class of meters with these numbers stipulated is specific to a particular meter supplier, which is having a defect. They might need to do it offline, and possibly take them to their offices.

“If other Discos have also patronise this same supplier, they might follow suit. At the time those meters were purchased, the Discos themselves were not aware because the market was flooded by different types of meters. They got to know say around late last year. So, the meter supplier must have provided upgrade codes to be done offline,” he explained.

The President of the Electricity Consumers Association of Nigeria, Chijioke James, did not give a concrete response to The PUNCH inquiries.

“I am still outside the country and can only respond after consultation with colleagues on the ground,” he said.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s Spokesperson, Usman Arabi, said the Commission would continue to ensure that the Discos’ businesses are conducted in a manner that favours not just the electricity market, but also the consumers.

Most filling stations across the country are currently rationing Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), popularly known as petrol as fuel marketers have shunned importation, LEADERSHIP can exclusively reveal.

Although the level of fuel consumption has drastically dropped in recent months following the hike in fuel pump price, which explains why the rationing is not creating heavy queues in filling stations, LEADERSHIP findings revealed light queues in petrol stations across some major cities, particularly, Lagos.

The light queues being experienced in some major cities of the country and in particular Lagos is expected to build up in coming days due to the rationing.

For over one week now most dispensing outlets in Lagos operate at low capacity selling for a few hours daily.

Initial excuse was that marketers were expecting upward price adjustment which the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL) earlier denied.

Another rumour claimed the federal government was contemplating return of partial subsidy to cushion the effect of rising price of petrol.

Again a highly reliable source had told our correspondent that although there has not been any official confirmation to that effect but the rumour is rife that the government is contemplating such.

He said the move is to arrest the escalating pump price of petrol which has taken a toll on the cost of living of the masses.

The source said the action is the only available option left for the government at the moment given that it has no control of crude oil in the international market which is the key determinant factor that translates into cost of refined products which is imported into the country.

A competent industry source however confirmed to our correspondent on phone that depots are apparently getting dry.

Our source said that the experience by motorists at filling stations is a confirmation of the situation on ground.

“The truth is that marketers are not importing. The landing cost is above ex-depot price at the moment and access to foreign exchange is challenging.” she said.

According to her, marketers have not resolved the issue of pricing with the NNPCL and the decision by the company stipulating the price at which marketers will sell negates the principle of deregulation and competition.

The source claimed though under deregulation prices wouldn’t continue to go up but the exchange rate and scarcity of forex remain unresolved the price of petrol will continue to go up.

LEADERSHIP recently reported that major petroleum products marketers and other independent traders which recently restarted importation of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, (Petrol) after the federal government removed petrol subsidy had contemplated declining further importation.

We were informed by industry sources that a rise in the exchange rate had made the business unprofitable.

Only last month the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, said oil marketers have started importing petrol into the nation.

Until now, the importation of the product was solely done by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL.

At a stakeholders’ engagement in Lagos, the chief executive officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, (NMDPRA), Farouk Ahmed, said of the 56 oil marketing companies that applied for licences, 10 demonstrated commitment while three have imported fuel into the nation.

Ahmed listed the three companies currently importing the product to include, A.Y. Ashafa, Prudent and Emadeb, adding that others would import in the coming weeks.

He also expressed the commitment of the federal government towards the deregulation of the sector in line with the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA.

He said some challenges that previously affected the seamless importation of the product were being addressed.

Recently, the oil marketers urged the federal government to tackle insecurity and suspend the 7.5 per cent Value Added Tax, VAT on diesel as part of measures needed to impact operations in the downstream sector.

The oil markers also urged the government to put in place measures capable of addressing the rising cost of food items and transportation in the nation in order to impact the welfare of citizens affected by the recent deregulation of the sector.

The chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, Olumide Adeosun, who applauded the government for inaugurating the committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms by President Bola Tinubu, said the measures are needed as citizens currently pass through very difficult times.

In a statement, MOMAN members confirmed the capacity of its members to import petrol into the country; especially since their licences are renewed on a quarterly basis.

He said: “The reality is that many of us have importation licences that have never lapsed. We renew them on a quarterly basis via the NMDPRA portal. Some of us are also importing diesel, so we need these licences.”

The Federal Government plans to cut the cash in circulation to rein in inflation, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME), Mr. Wale Edun, hinted yesterday.

He said the measure became imperative to keep rising inflation at a desirable and stable level.

Edun, who was inaugurated on Monday as minister, spoke in Abuja while chairing the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting.

“There should be discipline in money supply to control inflation in the nation’s economy,” the minister told FAAC members.

By emphasing discipline in money supply, the CME Finance minister is referring to the need to carefully regulate the creation and circulation of money in the economy.

On the monetary side, it involves controlling the growth of money supply through various measures, such as adjusting interest rates, open market operations, or setting reserve requirements for banks.

On the Fiscal side, caution will be required on how the federal, state and local governments disburse money.

By maintaining discipline in money supply, the government aims to keep inflation within a target range that is conducive to stable economic growth and price stability.

Ultimately, the objective is to strike a balance between ensuring adequate money supply to support economic growth and preventing excessive inflation that can erode the value of currency and cause economic instability.

The finance minister also noted that there was the need for government to mobilise resources to deliver on its mandate to increase employment and reduce poverty.

The FAAC agreed to share N966.11 billion as federal allocation to the three tiers of government for last month.

The amount was shared from a total gross revenue of N1.746 trillion.

The total revenue was made up statutory revenue of N397.42 billion; Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N271.95 billion; Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N12.84 billion and Exchange Difference revenue of N283.9 billion.

For last month, the total deductions for cost of collection came to N62.42 billion, while the total deductions for savings, transfers, refunds, and tax credit cancellation amounted to N717.96 billion.

The Excess Crude Account (ECA) stood at $473,754.57.

A communiqué made available to reporters after the meeting further detailed the distribution of the total distributable revenue.

Of the N966.11 billion, the Federal Government got N374,48 billion, state (N310.67 billion) and the 774 local government areas went home with N229.41 billion.

Additionally, N51.55 billion was shared among the relevant states as 13 per cent derivation revenue.

The gross statutory revenue for the month of July was N1.15 trillion, which was lower than the N1.15 trillion generated in the preceding month (June) by N2.49 billion.


From the available N397.42 billion as statutory revenue, the federal government was given N190.49 billion, the 36 states got N96.62 billion and the councils shared received N74.49 billion.

The oil producing states got N35.82 billion as 13 per cent derivation.

For July, the available gross revenue from VAT was N298,79 billion, which was higher than the N293.41 billion available in June by N5.38 billion.

The federal government received N40.792 billion, the states (N135.97 billion) and councils (N95.18 billion) from the N271.94 billion distributable VAT revenue.

The N12.84 billion EMTL was shared among the federal government, which got N1.93 billion, the state governments, which received N6.42 billion and the local government areas (N4.49 billion).

From the N283.9 billion Exchange Difference revenue, the Federal Government received N141.28 billion, the state governments (N71.66 billion, the councils received N55.245 billion, and N15.72 billion was shared among the relevant states as 13 percent mineral revenue.

The communiqué noted that Imports and Excise Duties, as well as Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), saw significant increases for last month.

There were notable declines in revenues from VAT, Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Companies Income Tax (CIT) and Oil and Gas Royalties.

He said Abuja should be kept clean, adding, "If you are in charge of sanitation, will call you at any time of the day.

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has announced a ban on street trading in Abuja, saying that people who sell corn and engage in other street hawking are responsible for insecurity and criminalities in the nation’s capital city.

Wike, the immediate past governor of Rivers State, made the announcement on Tuesday while reading the management staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) the riot act.

He urged them to be committed to doing the "right things".

"The important thing we must do is to ensure that Abuja is back to what it ought to be. I moved around Abuja and found out there is total darkness in most of the places.

"What we need to do is to ensure light comes back as soon as possible.”

He said Abuja should be kept clean, adding, "If you are in charge of sanitation, will call you at any time of the day.

“We shouldn’t allow motor parks all over the place. Something must be done as soon as possible. If you cannot meet up my standard, say it now so that we can change you."

Wike noted that even though times are hard, that should not be an excuse for lawlessness in the capital city.

He said, "Street trading is prohibited. People selling corn will drop their waste indiscriminately and these are the things that cause insecurity,l. Criminals come to buy and use the opportunity to spy and give information to criminals. It is imperative we clear street hawkers.

“Development control is a serious crisis area, we have to stop. Why are there illegal structures and shanties everywhere? We will demolish any illegal structures. No matter how highly placed, the structure will come down.”

A senior officer in the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General I. M. Ahmadu has died while running during the Second Annual Physical Training Test for 2023.



SaharaReporters learnt that Ahmadu was an Artillery Officer serving in the Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programmes.

The General fell while running and was confirmed as the hospital where he was rushed to, a top source in the military told SaharaReporters on Monday evening.

According to the source, the General was buried on Monday evening according to Islamic rites.

“Sadly, an Army Brigadier General lost his life while running during the Second Annual Physical Training Test for the year 2023.

“His name is Brigadier General I.M. Ahmadu, an Artillery Officer currently serving in the Army Headquarters Department of Special Services and Programmes.

“The General has however been buried this evening according to Islamic rite,” the source said.

Newly sworn-in Federal Capital Territory FCT, minister, Nyesom Wike, yesterday assumed office, disclosing how governors of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, sent 10 ministerial nominees to President Bola Tinubu for consideration.

Wike, who said he would not be biased in sanctioning anyone who violates extant municipal planning laws, said even if it was discovered that the PDP national secretariat was without a Certificate of Occupancy, he would not hesitate to pull it down.

“I don’t care how you feel and where you come from, my task is to ensure Abuja comes to where it should be. I am here to turn Abuja around. That is the work I have been sent here to do and I am going to do just that.

“They said PDP will sanction me for taking appointments, did PDP governors not write to beg Mr. President for appointment some people? The president asked the 36 state governors to recommend people for appointment. The PDP governors wrote and nominated 10 persons,” he stated.

Wike also declared that he had not come to Abuja to fly any party’s flag.

At his maiden news conference, the minister, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was reacting to questions about whether he would fly the national flag and that of his party or that of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC.

“Why should anyone be bothered about what party flag I will be flying? Okay, bring PDP flag, I will fly it, bring Labour Party flag, I will fly it. The FCT is in this state and you think the people are bothered about the party flag I fly? I will fly the Nigerian flag and ensure the FCT returns to the dreams of the founding fathers.

“We will bring FCT back to where it ought to be. So many people have complained that this is not the FCT of the founding fathers. We must tackle issue of insecurity. FCT should be where people come for holidays.”

Wike, who spoke at length on his mandate, also pledged to restore the city’s master plan, adding that land allottees who had been given Certificates of Occupancy but failed to develop would also lose their lands to give way to those ready to build.

“If you know you have built where you are not supposed to build, it will go down”, he said.

He also reeled out a 10-point agenda with emphasis on security, city sanitation, preservation of Abuja Master Plan, infrastructure development, restoration of green areas, removal of shanties, plugging revenue leakages, ground rents payment, among others.

He warned that the administration under his leadership, would not take excuses from security agencies as they would be provided with the required tools to work.

On the landscape of the city, Wike said: “Abuja has turned into a slum city. Sanitation is bad with refuse everywhere. We cannot allow that, we will look at issues of waste disposals.

“If you build on a green area, sorry, it will go down. Those who were allocated land and refused to develop them, we will revoke such lands and re-allocate them to those who are ready to develop them. Those who don’t pay ground rent, we will not notify them to do so, but I will not be tired of signing revocation notices.

“Uncompleted buildings that have become a safe haven for criminals will be reclaimed by the government and put them to good use. Land racketeering days are over. Those who refuse to develop, turning to land speculators will lose their lands.”

time is up. The goal is to sanitize Abuja and make it safe for everyone.

“We will consult with stakeholders, the natives, and herdsmen to address some of these problems, including open grazing.

“We will provide alternatives to reduce the suffering of the people, particularly those without private vehicles.

“We will bring back mass transit to improve access to public transportation, and therefore, the person in charge of transportation must keep his records clean.

“We will provide security agencies with necessary tools and logistics and after that, we will not want to hear any excuses. What we want to see is results.”

Directors in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Civil Service, who were to proceed on compulsory retirement since July 27 having spent eight years at their positions, have stayed put, in contravention to a new rule.

Checks by LEADERSHIP reveal that the no fewer than 500 directors affected by the new rule are yet to comply.

The new stipulation that such affected directors should give way followed the revised Public Service Rule (PSR) and circular issued by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan, last month to heads of MDAs, directing them to ensure compliance with the new rule and the revised PSR.

The revised PSR was unveiled last month at a public service lecture held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. According to the Head of Service, its implementation kicked off immediately with the launch.

“Following the approval of the revised Public Service Rules by the Federal Executive Council on the 27th of September, 2021 and its subsequent unveiling during the public service lecture during the commemoration of the 2023 Civil Service Week, the PSR has become operational with effect from 27 July, 2023. You are, therefore, to ensure full compliance with all provisions of the Public Service Rules, 2021. Please, ensure strict compliance with the contents of this circular,” the Head of Service stated.

The circular noted that the new rule, which seeks to give room for deputy directors within the Federal Civil Service some of whom have been stagnated on Grade Level 16 for about a decade, to rise to the cadre of director, would see over 500 directors across the civil service on Grade Level 17 who have spent more than eight years in their positions proceed on compulsory retirement.

For instance, following the circular from the Head of Service, the director of Administration, Federal Ministry of Finance, Maria Rufai had in an internal memo, dated August 3, directed affected directors in the ministry to hand over all government official property to the next most senior officer in their respective departments and proceed on immediate retirement.

Consequently, all affected directors were advised to begin the process of documentation with the Administration Department for compulsory retirement by virtue of the section under reference and to formally hand over to the most senior officers in their respective departments as well as surrender all official documents, including Identification Cards as well as official vehicles (if any) before exiting.

Another stipulation contained in the revised PSR is that Permanent Secretaries shall now hold the office for a term of four years which can be renewed upon satisfactory evaluation of performance on the job.

While there seem to be commitments to the directive in the ministries, the required compliance has been in gross deficit in the departments and agencies.

Three directors in the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) have since retired in tandem with the new rule.

Further checks however show that many of the affected directors, especially those in departments and agencies of government have only observed the new rule in the breach.

In one of the anti-graft agencies, it was gathered that all of its five directors affected by this federal government directive are still clinging onto their offices.

Similarly, following a failure to comply with the new policy in the ministry of Information and Culture, a fresh directive was issued on the need for compliance on August 17.

LEADERSHIP recalls that moves to revise the PSR began in August 18, 2011 when the government of President Goodluck Jonathan constituted a Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies, headed by former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Stephen Oronsaye.

The committee submitted its report on April 16, 2012, recommending the reduction in the number of federal agencies from 263 to 161; 38 agencies to be abolished; 52 agencies to be merged, and 14 to revert to departments in ministries, all to reduce cost of governance in the country.

In April 2014, President Jonathan ordered the establishment of a White Paper implementation committee on the report of the committee.

Though a White Paper on the report was issued and published in March, 2014 and was followed by the White Paper Implementation Committee, inaugurated in May, 2014, the succeeding Muhammadu Buhari government, in a curious twist, outrightly suspended all action on the implementation for over six years until it lately began moves in November 2021 towards the implementation of the White Paper with the inauguration of two sub-committees to review the main report and the document proper.

The two sub-committees which were given six weeks to conclude their work and submit reports, came up with the revised PSR which would reset the tenure of federal permanent secretaries and a new retirement directive for directors in MDAs with an implementation date that commenced on July 27, 2023.

Speaking at the inauguration of the two sub-committees in Abuja on November 4, 2021, Boss Mustapha, the immediate past Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), said the non-implementation of the White Paper on the Presidential Committee on the Restructuring and Rationalisation of Government Parastatals, Commissions and Agencies was hugely bleeding the federal government of its scarce resources, adding that one of the areas of concern to successive federal governments “has always been the increasing cost of governance without seeming concurrent productivity in the quality of service delivery.”

The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folashade Yemi-Esan, had in a circular addressed to all Permanent Secretaries, Accountant-General of the Federation, Auditor-General for the Federation and Heads of Extra Ministerial Departments to start implementation of the revised public service rule from July 27, 2023.

The revised PSR 020909 stated that “A director or its equivalent by whatever nomenclature it is described in MDAs shall compulsorily retire upon serving eight years on Tenure Policy on the post; and a Permanent Secretary shall hold office for a term of four years and renewable for a further term of four years, subject to satisfactory performance and no more.”

The director of information for the head of the service of the federation, Mohammed Ahmed, who could not give figures on the number of affected directors, said that the rule cuts across all the public services in Nigeria.

Ahmed said as far as a civil servant is up to eight years in any MDA as a director, or whatever nomenclature it is called, he or she must retire and go.

Already, the Ministry of Information and Culture has issued a fresh circular directing directors affected by the new Public Service Rule (PSR) 2021 to immediately exit the service.

In a circular addressed to “All Directors/Heads of Unit” of the Ministry of Information on behalf of the Permanent Secretary by Ms. Equere E (HRM), the affected directors were instructed to hand over to their next in line following the revised PSR.

Mixed reactions have greeted the threat of the newly-inaugurated Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, to demolish houses built illegally.

The minister issued the threat in his inaugural address at the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) office on Monday.

“All those people who are distorting the master plan of Abuja, too bad too bad. If you know you are building where you’re not supposed to build, it will go down,” Wike said.

“If you know you have anybody that has taken the green areas, the parks, and now built restaurant. No will not accept that. If your father has done that, sorry. There is nothing I can do. It will go down.”

He also vowed that government would revoke undeveloped portions of land sold to people.

Reacting to Wike’s statements on X, Nigerians poured out their thoughts as many expect him to be brutal in the administration of the FCT, as he will not mind whose ox is gored.

Tweeting a video of the press conference, one Akin Akinwale, wrote, “Wadata Plaza will go down.”

Wadata Plaza located at Wuse Zone 5 Abuja, is the headquarters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“Emperor Wike is here. Abuja don receive visitor!” @ItsOladeni reacted.

@Ibrazeez1 said, “Wike is in town, everyone be it individual or company must sit up and do the right thing at the right time. Next press conference will be “all eyes on Judiciary” and 25% Abuja special citizens of Nigeria later.”

“To be honest, this na Wike third term,” @krisifesi wrote. “From Governor of Rivers State to Governor of FCT.”

Tweeting via @OneJoblessBoy, a social media user said, “If PDP doesn’t have C of O, they don’t have C of O”

Another user, @cbngov_akin1, said, “PDP Sec on my mind 😆”

@MrOdanz said, “He knows how far he can reach and who he can reach.”

“This statement is very reckless,” @iamdamified wrote.

“Mr Negative is angry Wike is here😂,” said @bigmainm.

@Robbin_Hood217 posted, “It will go down if it’s in the wrong place.”

Wike fell out with the PDP after he lost the presidential ticket of the party to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and was not considered at Atiku’s running mate.

Alongside, some key PDP figures, Wike worked against PDP interest in the election.

Burkina Faso and Mali have deployed war planes in Niger Republic following the threat of the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS) troops that they were waiting for order to strike.

The regional bloc had given Niger junta a week ultimatum to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum or face possible sanctions, including possible military action.

The coupists had called the bluff of ECOWAS and vowed to resist foreign intervention.

Subsequently, ECOWAS Defence Chiefs were ordered to activate the region’s force for action to restore civil rule in Niger.

But Burkina Faso and Mali warned that any military intervention in Niger will be considered a declaration of war against them.

In a joint statement, the governments of Burkina Faso and Mali said, “The disastrous consequences of a military intervention in Niger could destabilise the entire region,” the statement read.

At the end of a two-day meeting of ECOWAS Defence Chiefs in Accra, Ghana capital, Abdel-Fatau Musah, ECOWAS Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, said, “We are ready to go any time the order is given. The D-day is also decided. We’ve already agreed and fine-tuned what will be required for the intervention.”

However, he said the option for diplomacy was still available.

“As we speak, we are still readying [a] mediation mission into the country, so we have not shut any door.”

“Tomorrow there is the possibility of an ECOWAS mission going into Niger to continue to pursue the peaceful path to restoration of constitutional order. We are ready to resolve the issue peacefully but it takes two to tango.”

The latest move of Mali and Burkina Faso was disclosed by Niger’s national television.

In a report, the television station said the military leaders from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger convened Friday in the Nigerien capital Niamey to decide on “concrete measures” in case ECOWAS chooses to “escalate a war.”

Most of ECOWAS’s 15 member states are prepared to contribute to the joint force, except Cape Verde and those also under military rule – Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea.

The main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nigeria is working towards bringing an end to the crisis that engulfed the party since the conduct of its presidential primary in May, 2022, Daily Trust Saturday has learnt.

Party sources told Daily Trust Saturday that even though there were disagreements, among the options being considered was wielding the big stick against ex-Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his erstwhile G-5 governor allies.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that the crisis stemmed from Wike’s defeat and the refusal of the eventual flagbearer, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and the PDP leadership to field Wike as Atiku’s running mate in the last general elections.

Wike, his G-5 allies, also known as the Integrity Group, not only refused to work for the presidential candidate of the party, Atiku, but worked for the eventual winner and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu.

The PDP, then led by Iyorchia Ayu, whose reign as its national chair was truncated by a court ruling, suspended or sent some top members out of the party over alleged anti-party activities.

Many of those affected are either directly connected to the G-5 governors or, like the dissident governors, openly supported the presidential candidates of other parties.

While a member of the G-5, ex-Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State, was referred to a disciplinary panel, a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, a known ally of Mr Wike, was suspended from the party. But both decisions were later reversed by the party.

Daily Trust Saturday further reports that the crisis in the main opposition party then took a new twist when Wike dared the leadership to suspend him.

Wike, who was answering questions from journalists, said the party’s leadership knew what he was capable of.

He said, “I beg them today, they should not waste time to suspend me.

“They should call a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting now and say, ‘You are now suspended from the party.’ Anything you see, you take. They know what I will do.”

While he had accepted the outcome of the presidential primary in good faith, Wike insisted that Senator Ayu must resign as the party’s national chairman for the sake of equity since a Northern presidential candidate had emerged.

His actions since then, however, have been perceived by many as anti-party activities amid speculations that the PDP leadership may be planning to sanction him.

Although Wike has been rewarded with the position of the Minister of the FCT by the APC-led administration, PDP which he has been a member since 1999, is still trying to wriggle out of the crisis exacerbated by the loss of the presidential election.

Disagreements over line of action

Daily Trust Saturday gathered that previous efforts by leaders of the party to settle the issue of Wike and his allies in the party had been frustrated by those loyal to him, ranging from some members of the NEC, National Working Committee (NWC) to some chieftains of the party.

Siminlalayi Fubara, Rivers PDP governor-elect then, and his deputy, Ngozi Odu, who were backed by Wike in the March 18, governorship election, had in April sued the party and its executives over an alleged plan to suspend or expel them over their association with the then outgoing governor.

Consequently, a Federal High Court, Abuja, in July, issued an order restraining the PDP from suspending or expelling members perceived to be loyal Wike.

However, analysts say his inauguration on Monday as a minister in the ruling APC administration may finally pave the way for the party to put the crisis to rest once and for all.

After a meeting of the PDP Governors Forum recently, Atiku and the party leadership reportedly warned that going forward they would not tolerate “anti-party activities and sabotage,” adding that, “No individual or group of individuals will be allowed to undermine the unity of the party and its processes.”

In a communiqué read by Senator Bala Mohammed, Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum and Governor of Bauchi State, they stated that a healing and reconciliation process was in progress and yielding results.

However, Daily Trust Saturday gathered after the meeting that stakeholders present were unable to agree on the appropriate action to take on the situation, even as some known members of the Integrity Group were also in the meeting.

It was learnt that while Atiku and his loyalists who met earlier had wanted a change of guards and their own to replace the suspended Ayu, lack of consensus at the expanded meeting meant that the issue remained unresolved.

A highly placed source within the party told Daily Trust Saturday that the party would not allow Wike and, especially his allies in the party, to carry on the way they liked, adding that actions would soon be taken to bring them in line or expel them from the party.

The source said, “The PDP will soon suspend or even expel him; they are just waiting for him to be inaugurated as a minister. The party also wants to be diplomatic because many of his people are in the party.

“So many things happened during and after the elections. There were divisions after the presidential primary and the election itself. There is serious disaffection in the party. So, in such a situation, you have to tread carefully, that is what the leaders of the party are doing. The moment he is sworn in as a minister, he might have to make the decision himself or the party will assist him to do that. Because the party did not send him there, he is not representing the party. So, if he does not move out of the party, the party will act.

“You saw that he went to visit Ganduje, the APC national chairman, so it is either he is also trying to make his transition into the APC smooth or all those things will be used to push him out of the party. But I can tell you that once the ministers are inaugurated and he (Wike) takes office, the party will act.”

Speaking on the G-5 and other allies of Wike, the source said his loyalists within the party would also have to take a stand either to go with him (Wike) or remain and be loyal to the party.

He said, “I can tell you the party will not continue to pamper these people.

“In the case of the G-5, they have to make up their minds, but many of them have not shown that they want to follow Wike to the APC. Ortom for example did not work for Tinubu. He worked for Peter Obi. He is the leader of the party in Benue State; he will stay in the party.

“Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, worked with Tinubu, but going forward, what will be his next line of action? Those are the things that will determine what will happen because the party will treat each case on its merit.

“Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in Enugu has produced a governor, he will not abandon him, but he will have to decide, the same way with Okezie Ikpeazu. So, things will soon take shape.”

But the Deputy National Youth Leader of the party, Hon Timothy Osadolor, told Daily Trust Saturday that the issue of Wike had been settled and there was no need to dwell on it.

Osadolor noted that having accepted to serve in the Tinubu/APC administration Wike was already a member of the party and there was even no need to suspend or expel him from the PDP.

He said, “Wike cannot be in APC and PDP at the same time, he has left PDP, and so you don’t need to suspend a man who has already left your party.

“Since the presidential campaign council was put together nobody has sighted Wike in any PDP function either at the national or regional, it is only in Port Harcourt the one he organises by himself.

“What we know at the level of the NWC and the leadership of the party is that Wike is a member of the APC, and he cannot say he is not a member of the ruling party. We saw him with the Chairman of his party, Umar Ganduje. That he has not been formally unveiled as a member of the party does not mean he is not part of the party. There is no need to suspend a man who has left your party. It will be an exercise in futility; the man has left.”

Speaking on the reconciliation efforts of the party, Osadolor said, “Our doors are open for discussions, and even the state chapters, zonal levels are already meeting with those who feel the PDP family and the umbrella is good enough. They are already communicating with the party. But those like Wike, who left, we wish them well. The PDP will survive with or without them.

“But for those who have genuine cases of grievances and decided to stay aloof during the last elections, the party is speaking with them, because they are sincere enough to want to reconcile with the party. We are more than willing to work with them.

“But for those who are hell-bent on going ahead with whatever they want, the party wishes them well wherever they are going to. We are a big organic party and have more than enough capacity to go through whatever it is.”

He added, “If the judges of the PEPT do what Nigerians expect of them, we expect that our mandate will be returned to us. With this in mind, it is better for all to close ranks with the party.”

Why we delayed action – Ologunagba

Speaking on why the party hierarchy is foot-dragging on dealing with Wike and his allies following their open opposition and anti-party activities, the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said, “The party will tackle the matter at the appropriate time.”

Ologunagba also told Daily Trust Saturday that the party was more concerned about the present situation bedeviling the country and how Nigerians could enjoy the dividends of democracy, adding the party would tackle the issue at the right time.

Wike ready to cooperate – Ganduje

Daily Trust Saturday further reports that Ganduje last week said Wike was ready to cooperate with the PDP.

Ganduje, who spoke at the APC national secretariat in Abuja when a former Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, paid him a visit, said, “You know Wike is an honourable minister-designate. So, he came, we discussed because I was looking for him to congratulate him on that, and also he came to congratulate me and we discussed that when he becomes minister fully he would work very hard in order to move the ministry he is given forward. He is ready to cooperate.”

Ganduje also said his leadership was in talks with some opposition parties to collapse their structures and merge with the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Leader of the notorious bandits gang, Alhaji Dogo Jede, has married a 16-year-old Christian Gbagy girl in Aglunma village, in Kwusasu District of Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State.

The marriage between Jede and his 16-year-old spouse took place on Tuesday, under heavy security in the village as the bandits were said to have taken over every strategic location within the village.

A source close to the community, who spoke to Daily Sun under the condition of anonymity, said the bandits’ leader had instructed the people of the area not to flee their homes, as their safety is guaranteed, adding that they were not after the villagers. He was said to have slaughtered a cow and shared the meat to the people to celebrate his wedding, on Tuesday.

It was further gathered that Alhaji Dogo Jede has remained in firm control of some communities within Shiroro local government, and he is very popular among the people. These communities include Kwusasu, Chukuba, Nasa, Wurukuchi and parts of Iburo, where he operates with his gang with impunity. He attends Kwusasu market and prays every Friday at the central mosque under heavy security provided by his gang.

Although our source revealed that the villagers know everything about the bandits leader and his gang, including their hideout in the bush, they are, however, afraid to disclose such for the fear of being wiped out with their family by the bandits.

It was further learnt that Dogo Jede recently lost some members of his gang to another bandits group, who tried to invade his territories in a fierce gun battle, saying that he would not allow the people to be molested any longer, after they (villagers) had agreed to his terms.

“As I speak with you, Dogo Jede, his family members and his gang are on the payroll of the communities that I mentioned earlier. They enjoy free food and there is an amount the people contribute for him, in order to allow them to farm. The people have no choice because nobody can help them and they have nowhere to run to.

“They must live in the communities to do their farm business, which is their only means of survival. Initially, when they relocated from the communities, life became completely unbearable for them, so they had to come back and embrace peace with the bandits’ leader and agreed with his terms,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Chairman, Shiroro local government, Akilu Isyaku Kuta, has confirmed that the Boko Haram sect has hoisted their flag at Angwar Madaki in his local government, saying that “this is the reports that I have received from the people in the area”.

The chairman, who spoke in an interview with a private radio station monitored in Minna, equally confirmed that the bandits have asked the people not to relocate from their homes as their safety was guaranteed.

The President Bola Tinubu administration has no respect for the rule of law, a judge said during a ruling on Thursday.

Nicholas Oweibo, a federal high court judge, in Lagos said this while giving his ruling on the ‘illegal possession of firearms and ammunition” charges against the suspended Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele.

On Tuesday, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) at the federal ministry of justice, Abubakar Mohammed, had filed an oral application seeking the withdrawal of the two-count charge.

The prosecutor told the judge that its decision to withdraw the charges was informed by emerging facts and circumstances of the case which require closer investigation.

“The prosecution has shown that they are not law abiding and have no respect for the court. The court cannot force them,” the judge said.

“What good will it be for the defendant who is in custody? Of what benefit will it be to keep the file in the court’s docket?”

“To stop the embarrassment of the court and to keep its integrity intact, I believe the proper thing is to allow them withdraw the charge.

“They can simply abandon it and the court will still have to strike it out for lack of diligent prosecution. The application to withdraw is hereby granted.”


Backstory

On Tuesday, Mr Mohammed told the judge that the application for withdrawal was based on the result of more investigations conducted by the government.

Mr Mohammed later told journalists that they “will probably come back with more charges, more counts” against the suspended bank chief.

On 25 July, Mr Emefiele was arraigned on a two-count charge of “illegal possession” of firearms and live ammunition.

The government had accused the bank chief of possessing a single- barrel shotgun (JOJEFF MAGNUM 8371) without a licence, an offence contrary to section 4 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1b) of the same Act.

The defendant was also accused of having in his possession 123 rounds of live ammunition (cartridges) without a licence, which is contrary to section 8 of the Firearms Act Cap F28 Laws of the Federation 2004 and punishable under Section 27 (1) (b) (il) of the same Act.


The defendant had pleaded not guilty to the charge, a development which made the court grant him bail in the sum of N20 million and ordered that he be remanded with the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS). The order was flouted by the State Security Service (SSS).

But the federal government explained to journalists that they did not disobey the court order but certain administrative processes “slowed down” compliance.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has disclosed that the oil rig, which capsized on Tuesday at Ovhor in Warri, Delta State, had been operating on the nation’s waters illegally since 2016

In a press statement by the Head, Public Relations of the agency, Osagie Edward, on Wednesday, he said the Majestic Rig belonging to Depthwize Nigeria Limited, had been operating since 2016 without requisite approvals from the regulatory Agency.

According to him, NIMASA has, however, dispatched a team comprising of Search and Rescue and marine accident investigation officers to the scene of the incident.

“In line with the mandate of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, which includes safe shipping and cleaner oceans, a team comprising of Search and Rescue and marine accident investigation officers have been dispatched to the scene of the incident involving the Majestic Rig belonging to Depthwize Nigeria Limited, which capsized at Ovhor in Warri, Delta State.

“Initial findings has confirmed that the ill-fated Rig is Panama Flagged and has been operating on Nigerian waters since 2016 without requisite approvals from the Agency.

“The ABS Classed inland Water Drilling 232 feet-long Barge, with a rated drilling depth of 30,000 feet collapsed where it was been towed from N04, 30:34 / E00543:57 enroute Ovhor 21 that belongs to SEPLAT Oil field in Delta State.

“NIMASA has initiated contact with the Clean Nigerian Associate, a conglomerate of all International Oil Companies (IOCs) responsible for the cleaning of Tier 2 oil spill, to establish the level of spillage at the scene of the incident.

“In addition, the Agency is in communication with officials of SEPLAT Energy Limited chatterers of the ill-fated Rig who are expected to officially report the incidence within 24 hours in line with the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act 2007,” he stated.

The Abia State Police Command, has reacted to the incident of an alleged sex romp between an Abia bishop and his married lover that resulted in her death in a hotel in Aba.

Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Moureen Chinaka, when contacted, told Vanguard that the Command was yet to be “officially briefed” on the matter.

The Police Spokesperson, however, promised to get back to our correspondent as soon as she has a briefing on the incident.

Meanwhile, according to a report making the round online, a married Lady Evangelist and mother of five was engaged in a marathon sex with a certain Bishop and General Overseer of a new -generation Church/Prayer Ministry (names withheld) located around Obikabia Junction, Ogbor Hill Aba.

The deceased (names withheld) had allegedly lodged with the amorous Bishop in a popular Guest House located around Ogbor Hill side of the commercial city of Aba.

The married lady evangelist was said to be one of the Bishop’s pillars in his Church/Prayer Ministry.

According to the report, both lovers were said to have checked into the guest house on Saturday night, but around 11:00pm the Bishop was said to have sneaked out pretending that he was going to buy food.

The report said that the lifeless body of the lady evangelist was discovered on Sunday morning by the operators of the guest house, who suspected a foul play.

Part of the report read: “The manager of the hotel suspected foul play and reported to the Eastern Ngwa Police Station in Obingwa Local Government Area around around 1 am on Sunday morning.

“The woman was found lying naked with foam coming out of her mouth and nose when police arrived the scene.

“When her mobile phone was accessed, it was discovered that the duo have been in a romantic relationship for quite sometime.”

According to the report, the amorous Bishop was subsequently quizzed inside his church while preaching on Sunday.

He is said to be cooling off at the Eastern Ngwa Police Station Obingwa.

According to the report, the husband of the deceased lady evangelist, who hailed from Umuatakawom in Obingwa, was said to be away to Bayelsa State on a business trip when the ugly incident occurred.

Meanwhile, Abia has a proliferation of self-acclaimed Bishops and General Oversees.