Prophet Bisi Olujobi of the Wisdom Church of Christ International has warned President Bola Tinubu that angry Nigerians would revolt against his government anytime soon.

He said the suffering Nigerian masses would soon get on the street to protest against the government and this could ground the nation totally.

In a statement he made available to DAILY POST on Monday, he admonished Nigerians to “start praying for the country to avert anarchy as it sinking as a result of suffering.”

DAILY POST recalls that Prophet Olujobi had before the election prophesied that Tinubu would emerge President, but there would be enormous challenges that would plunge Nigeria into chaos due to policies that would further impoverish the people and increase their hardship more than what happened under President Muhammadu Buhari.

He lamented on Monday that, “Citizens could hardly feed themselves as a result of demonic policies of past leaders and there again, you (Tinubu) came with other policies that will finally set the country ablaze.”

He charged the President to look deeply and refrain from taking ill advice from his advisers, whom he accused of “dishing out strange economic advice” to Tinubu “as they do not love Nigeria and rather taking advantage of his ill health which I have always talked about.”

The cleric spoke further that, “Even if Tinubu is to remove fuel subsidy, I believe there must be some palliatives in place to ameliorate the sufferings of the people. Tinubu has several enemies that do not want him to clinch power and are planning to remove him, yet he is dancing to the gallery.”

“I can see the people revolting soon which I early prophesied about, and this may ground Nigeria totally. President Tinubu has the opportunity to rewrite his story with his own hand if he wants to obtain favour before God and man, as God has given him what it takes.”
https://www.otowngist.com/?p=180889

Imo State Government has debunked the speculation that it ordered the arrest of a radio presenter, Nonso Uba, because of his criticism of the Governor Hope Uzodimma administration.It explained that rather, the Police in Abuja arrested him on allegations of criminal libel bordering on threat to state security.

The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba in a statement in Owerri regretted that commentators have been blinded by emotions, such that they have completely ignored the alleged offence of the radio presenter.

He noted that neither the style of his arrest nor the contents of his radio programmes was the issue but the defamatory statement by Mr Uba that Governor Hope Uzodimma and Alhaji Asari Dokubo were responsible for the killings in Imo State.

According to Emelumba, the government as a law abiding institution sought the help of the police to investigate and substantiate the veracity or otherwise of the allegations.

“His Excellency swore an oath through the constitution to protect lives and property of the people and here you have someone accusing him of breaching that oath which is an impeachable offence. It is only natural for the institution charged with investigation to look into the matter,” he said.

The Commissioner noted that since it is trite in law that he who alleges should provide proof, it was necessary for the police to invite Uba to prove his allegations.

He said that nobody should teach the police how to go about their assignment, insisting that those who arrested Uba were in uniform and didn’t hide their identity.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/nonso-nkwa-being-held-for-criminal-libel-says-imo-govt/

Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has offered amnesty to gunmen terrorising residents of the state, with a promise to grant them pardon if they repent and surrender their weapons to traditional rulers.

Mr Uzodinma disclosed this when he met with traditional rulers and other community leaders at a palace in Owerri on Saturday.

The governor posted a video clip of the meeting on his verified Twitter handle on Saturday.

“I have given an opportunity for bad boys (in the state) who are repentant and willing to surrender their guns, to go to their traditional rulers, surrender their guns. We will grant them pardon. We will even rehabilitate them and make them earn a living for themselves,” he said.

The governor first made the amnesty offer in June, when he asked gunmen operating in forests within the state to surrender their weapons within ten days and receive unconditional pardon.

He had threatened that the gunmen would “face bombardment” if they failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Appeal to community leadersMr Uzodinma, during the Saturday meeting, asked the traditional rulers and community leaders to contribute to restoring security in their communities.

The governor assured that he would support them when called upon, stressing that traditional rulers are part of every government.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/gov-uzodinma-offers-amnesty-to-gunmen-terrorising-imo/

Famous American Grammy award-winning rap artiste, Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar, known as Cardi B, has been seen throwing her microphone at a fan who tossed drink at her during stage performance in Las Vegas.

Cardi B, in a viral video on the internet, was seen performing at the event when a member of the crowd threw liquid from a cup at her.

In the widely shared clip, the singer was captured reacting and looking angry after the drink splashed over her.

The lady, who splashed the drink, was immediately escorted out of the venue by security.

The video has caught the attention of Nigerians, with mixed reactions.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/cardi-b-throws-mic-at-fan-who-splashed-her-drink-on-stage/

One person was killed and another injured while several shops and homes were burnt down during an alleged operation by government officials on some Hausa communities in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State.

Multiple sources told Daily Trust that the officials, believed to be agents of the Owerri Capital Development Authority (OCDA) and Environmental Transformation Agency (ENTRCO), alongside policemen set ablaze shops and properties in Avu Junction and Hausa market, Nekede No 1 market and Arugu market as part of the government’s efforts to remove alleged shanties and illegal structures.

“Several houses and shops belonging to northerners were burnt down, most of us are currently taking refuge in the bush and our Juma’at Mosque was equally demolished by the taskforce and the police,” said Nura Kabir Umar, a youth leader at Nekede No 1 market.

Umar, said tension started brewing on Thursday and climaxed on Sunday when policemen on the invitation of ENTRACO officials shot and killed a 35-year-old trader identified as Mudashir Muhammad and injured another.

Expert laments personnel, facilities’ shortage for VVF treatmentNIGERIA DAILY: Is NLC Truly Prepared for Nationwide Protest?Daily Trust reports that the Imo State Government, through the OCDA had last year declared a take-off of an enforcement order to reclaim the city capital from street trading, shanties and illegal parking.

The OCDA General Manager, Francis Chukwu, had then met with the leadership of Hausa communities in the state and urged them to cooperate with the government in achieving the plan.

Our correspondent, however, could not verify if the operations at the three markets were part of the plan as the Imo State Commissioner for Information, Declan Emelumba, did not respond to calls and SMS sent to his phone.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/ocda-entraco-enformcement-leave-1-dead-several-shops-burnt/

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Assets has resolved to investigate the alleged sale of two training helicopters by the Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

The committee noted that the urgency in the sales and concession of public assets at the twilight of the last administration calls for suspicion since the supposed approval was gotten from that administration.

The purported sale of two Bell 206L-3 helicopters which were public assets acquired for training pilots by the NCAT for N1.2 billion, was reported in the media on Sunday, July 30, 2023.

The chairman of the Committee, Hon. Ademorin Kuye, in a statement issued Monday, said the sale of the helicopters under the pretext of under-utilization by the authorities of the College of Aviation in March 2023 has now become a symptom of the worrying trend of asset stripping in all sector of the economy by all MDAs toward the twilight of the last administration.

He said this was despite the offer of the Nigerian Navy to acquire the same and possibly use it to address the security challenges facing the country in the area of oil pipeline vandalization and crude oil theft.

The chairman noted that the committee felt the assets could have been converted to the use of Nigerian Police to fight banditry and insurgency in the country.

Kuye stated: “The urgency in the sales and concession of public assets at the twilight of the last administration calls for suspicion since the supposed approval was gotten from that administration, and it is only right that the new regime is allowed to be part of the completion of the sale process if there are no hidden agendas.

“Therefore, the House Committee on Public Assets as constituted will investigate the sale of these important training national assets to ensure that due process is followed and that the country is not shortchanged in this deal.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/reps-to-investigate-sale-of-two-training-helicopters-by-ncat/

Heavyweight Boxing champion, Floyd Mayweather, has claimed he witnessed American rapper, Tupac Shakur’s death, as new footage shows moments before his death, Dailymail reports.

According to Dailymail in a post on Thursday, the now-retired boxer, in a footage said to be from 2014, explains how he stayed across the road from where the rapper was gunned down in September 1996.

Tupac was murdered while riding as a passenger in a BMW in Las Vegas when he was struck by four rounds which claimed his life six days later.

Dailymail reports that in the clip, Mayweather says: ‘The car pulled right here and shot Tupac at this light. The car went that way.

The death of Tupac has remained a mystery for many years, and investigations have been ongoing for decades without any resolution.

Footage has also recently been released by The Walter J. Brown Media Archives showing Shakur conversing with a crowd on a sidewalk shortly before he was shot.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/mayweather-claims-he-witnessed-tupacs-death/

Vice President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, have assured President Bola Tinubu of their support to restore democratic governance in Niger Republic.

The support was coming after a military coup that ousted its Niger Republic President, Muhammed Bazoum, earlier this week.

Bazoum, the latest target in a wave of coups in Africa’s Sahel region, has been confined at his residence since Wednesday by his presidential guard.

The Nigerian leader had stood his ground as the condemnation of the overthrow poured in from African states, the ECOWAS, and other international organisations.

President Tinubu, who serves as Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, had described the development as “unpleasant,” insisting that Nigeria will do all within its power to plant and nurture democracy in West Africa.

That Wednesday, the ECOWAS Chair dispatched a strong delegation to talk with all the parties to restore constitutional order in Niger.

In separate telephone conversations with Tinubu, Harris and Guterres expressed strong support for Nigeria’s efforts to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger.

“The two leaders also commended the Nigerian President for spearheading the peace moves,” Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Friday.

The statement is titled ‘Kamala Harris, Guterres, in separate telephone calls with Tinubu, back Nigeria on restoration of democratic order in Niger.’

In her telephone conversation with President Tinubu, at the instance of the US authorities, Harris praised the reform initiatives of the Federal Government, urging the country to continue in that direction.

While pledging to support democracy in Africa, including the West African sub-region, Harris also said the US would assist Nigeria in the battle against terrorism.

The US Vice President spoke on the need for Africa, including Nigeria, to embrace energy transitions.

He said ECOWAS, under his watch, would do all that is necessary to restore democracy in Niger while counting on the support of the US.

President Tinubu craved more private-sector investment in Nigeria, urging the US to lead the way in this regard.

He said, “We had to get rid of the fuel subsidy that is laden with fraud with a few people appropriating the wealth of the country to themselves.

“We would need the US to help push for investments that will help alleviate the effects of subsidy removal in Nigeria. We need foreign direct investment to come in.

“We have abundant gas resources in the country and not being able to fund gas pipelines to Europe and compete in that gas market is a handicap,”

On climate change, the President said Nigeria would stay focused on alternate energy, but he pleaded for the developed nations to understand the situation in developing countries, including Africa.

The two leaders also spoke about strengthening relations between their two countries and their shared work on global and regional issues.

Other matters featured in the discussions that lasted about 40 minutes included defending democracy in West Africa and The Sahel and digital inclusion.

Speaking with the UN Secretary-General Guterres, President Tinubu said he was doing everything possible to resolve the impasse in Niger.

While expressing the hope that the situation in Niger could still be reversed for the better, he said ECOWAS would require the UN’s support for restoring democracy and building institutions in that country.

Guterres had earlier pledged the commitment of the UN to Tinubu’s peace efforts in Niger.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/us-vice-president-un-chief-back-tinubu-on-nigers-democracy/

Five years after an accidental gunshot almost terminated his life in 2018, Senate Leader and Chairman, Southern Senators Forum, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele will graciously enter into a diamond league tomorrow, Babatola Michael writes.

Precisely, on June 1, 2018, I received an emergency call from the immediate past Commissioner for Housing in Lagos State and a two-term member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai. I thought it was one of the usual phone calls to discuss and evaluate the country’s political dynamics at a time political parties were preparing for their primaries at both national and state levels.

But with a quivering voice that portended untold misery, Akinderu-Fatai simply said: “Leader has been shot, and we cannot precisely ascertain his condition. But we leave him in the hands of God Almighty.” He was visibly feeling uneasy, intuitively reflecting on his affinity with the leader and what they had suffered together in their collective exploits to deepen and promote progressive politics not just in Ekiti and Lagos, but also in Nigeria at large.

Midway into our conversation, I exclaimed: “Oh, God! What happened? How did it happen? Where was he shot?” He soberly replied: “I told him not to go to Ekiti for now. But he did not listen to me. See what happened now?” Obviously devastated and troubled, Akinderu-Fatai could not entertain further questions before he abruptly ended the conversation.

Anxious to get more details about what happened and how it happened, I called my contacts at different levels, but their lines were practically engaged. I eventually turned to the websites of the foremost digital news platforms, curiously searching for news updates about Ekiti’s gun violence.

Sadly enough, most of the digital platforms did not update their websites until 45 minutes later. Our inability to get updates immediately enabled our faith to seek divine intervention. Honestly, the waiting period was at best a moment of impending doom because nobody could ascertain whether he would survive the gunshot that ripped his stomach open.

At this point, we were just trusting God for divine intervention, eternally hopeful and fervently interceding with glimpses of faithlessness flipping through our hearts at regular intervals. Amid this seeming uncertainty, Akinderu-Fatai’s call came in again. This time, he provided more details about how it all happened, where it happened and our leader’s grave conditions despite intensive medical response.

He narrated how the then Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi stood by him at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital. He also recounted how President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, then the National Leader of All Progressives Congress, facilitated the deployment of an air ambulance that eventually conveyed him from the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti to a private multi-specialist medical facility in Victoria Island, Lagos State.

That perhaps was the gravest episode in the life and times of the Senate Leader and Chairman of the Southern Senators Forum, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. Then, we thought he might not witness every second that flipped through. By providence, however, he will graciously turn 60 on Saturday, July 29, 2023. Glory and honour to God Almighty who averted the tragedy that almost cut short his life.

Bamidele, fondly called Leader among his political allies in Ekiti and Lagos, is today a living legend given the diverse atrocious travails he had survived on his political foray. From 1993 when he emerged as the leader of the Nigerian students to 2023 when he became the Senate Leader, Bamidele has always been a victim of political travails that later placed him in the council of decision-makers at a higher level than he ever bargained for.

The fiercest of such travails was the bullets that ripped through his stomach in Ado Ekiti on June 1, 2018. Why was he in Ekiti at a time he was gradually coming out of the cloud of the 2014 politics that cost Fayemi re-election? This question might sound illogical, even unreasonable to those who are conversant with the origin and politics of Bamidele for reasons that are not far-flung.

At first, Bamidele is an illustrious son of Iyin Ekiti, a purely ancient agrarian settlement coterminous to Ado Ekiti and located in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area. By implication, Bamidele is always at home anywhere on the soil of Ekiti. Besides, he is a political actor passionate about the state’s socio-economic development. He demonstrated this passion in 2010 when he officially quit the allure of Lagos politics to the uncertainty of Ekiti politics.

Lastly, Bamidele’s heart of benevolence towards his immediate and remote constituents is unparalleled not just in the history of Ekiti State, but also Nigeria at large. Unlike other political actors whose acts of humanitarianism are tied to the political payoff they are pursuing, lending strategic support to the people of Ekiti is just naturally a part of Bamidele’s life.

From the jobless he has empowered to the widows he regularly wipes off their tears, the indigent he has given boundless hope and the communities he has saved from the impending crisis of water-borne diseases, Bamidele is, no doubt, not in politics for himself, but for his Ekiti people and beyond.

With this context, the need to forestall the scenario that culminated in the defeat of APC in 2014 compelled Fayemi to seek reconciliation with Bamidele, a formidable political figure whose public acceptability is not limited to his primary constituency, but crisscrosses the political geography of Ekiti.

Given this consideration, the state’s former governor and the immediate past Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo convened a private peace meeting between Bamidele and Fayemi. Fayemi’s wife, also, played a central role in the process of reconciling her husband and Bamidele, one of her agelong comrades right from their days in student activism.

At the peace meeting, Adebayo appealed to Bamidele to put aside what happened in 2014 in order to avoid another electoral defeat in 2018. He also appealed to Bamidele to support Fayemi’s aspiration to return as the governor of the state in 2018. This came first with an assurance that Fayemi would support Bamidele’s governorship aspiration in 2022 and also a promise to support him to garner a senatorial nomination for Ekiti Central.

To demonstrate his commitment to the peace agreement, Bamidele attended a reception, which Ekiti APC then put together to celebrate Fayemi’s active return to Ekiti politics. It was at this reception that accidental bullets hit Bamidele. It was a huge sacrifice he had to pay not to secure his personal political interest, but to work in tandem with other progressives to reclaim Ekiti from the claws of the ruling conservatives who never nurtured Ekiti to truly be the land of honour it was created to be.

In truth, Bamidele paid a supreme sacrifice for Fayemi’s re-election in 2018. He equally fulfilled his part of the peace accord that Otunba Adeniyi brokered before the 2018 election. Did other parties fulfil their part of the agreement? Why did they not commit themselves to this accord? The time is not yet ripe to dwell on these questions.

Fairly enough, however, they accorded Bamidele unprecedented moral support while he was undergoing surgical procedures in a London hospital for almost six months. They, also, supported Bamidele’s aspiration to clinch the senatorial nomination for Ekiti Central in 2015 even when the APC resolved to return all senators unopposed.

But they denied him much-needed support to fairly and freely pursue his governorship aspiration in 2022. Rather, they agreed to field the then Secretary to the State Government, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, a dependable political godson of Otunba Adebayo and who was also privy to the peace agreement that his political godfather brokered in 2018. They even threatened to deny his return ticket to contest the 2023 senatorial election. The rest, they say, has now become history

But Bamidele has now emerged stronger, even more valiant, from the brutality of an accidental gunshot that almost terminated his life and the agony of political treachery that denied him his constitutionally guaranteed to contest the 2022 election. Put differently, God rescued him from the graveside and placed him in the realm of national glory.

Tomorrow, he will graciously enter into the league of diamond champions, a special age that holds spiritual significance and ushers him into the new status of the Senate Leader. At 60, as shown in Genesis 25:26, God brought great deliverance to Isaac and his wife conceived and delivered two great nations, whose influence still shapes global affairs till date. At 60, as revealed in Leviticus 27: 1-7, God directed the Hebrews to redeem themselves from a vow of serving the Lord by paying 15 shekels to the temple.

As these verses have espoused, 60 is obviously an age of great deliverance. It is equally an age of recommitment to God’s service. That is exactly what God has done for Bamidele, an unlucky lucky gentleman who unknowingly ran into death, but valiantly overcame only in the strength of His Maker.

At different times, he was a victim of accidental tragedy and political treachery. Yet, God the Creator of Heaven and Earth spared his life, even lifted him higher than what his political rivals ever desired. The greatest glory in living, therefore, as Nelson Mandela once said, lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Happy Diamond Jubilee, the Senate Leader!!!

Michael, a peace research specialist, writes from Lagos
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/reflection-on-bamideles-diamond-jubilee/

The World Bank Group has urged Nigeria to reduce government’s borrowing from the Central Bank if it wants to reduce the inflationary pressure on the economy.

World Bank’s Lead Economist for Nigeria, Alex Sienaert, stated this on Thursday during an economic review session at the Lagos Business School.

In his keynote presentation, Sienaert commended the government over its recent economic reforms, but noted that these reforms would have to be sustained for the economy to recover from present shocks and record considerable growth in the near future.

He said, “The whole agenda of tackling inflation is obviously a huge one. Some ideas include reducing subsidised CBN lending to medium and large firms and the government borrowing from CBN.

“All of these things increase the money supply and reducing that will be helpful to reduce inflation, and then replacing imports with FX restrictions with tariffs.”

According to him, the fact that petrol price had significantly increased created pressure on the economy.

He added that a variety of solutions would have to be devised in order to mobilise more revenue a way that spending would be increased to tackle the real priorities in the country

He also stated that the Federal Government’s planned to disburse N8,000 as palliatives following the removal of fuel subsidy will increase the available earnings and income of about 50 per cent of Nigerians by 10 per cent.

Seinart, said many Nigerians would benefit from the extra cash from the government, since it would ensure that they did not have to skip a meal, pull a child out of school, or not go to the hospital.

He said, “The other thing we often hear is that N5,000 or N8,000 is a trivial amount of money. I think people will be shocked to know that for a huge number of Nigerian households, it is a very significant amount of money.

Seinart explained that the amount the government would spend on the cash transfer was not an enormous amount of money when compared to what it will gain from subsidy removal.

He noted, “I know what has been in the news is the idea of a N5,000 or an N8,000 cash transfer to needy households for about six months, if you look at that the cost of that it would be equivalent to just about one month worth of spending on the subsidy that happening before it was cancelled under the old exchange rates still less than two months’ worth under the new one.

“So, it is not actually an enormous amount of resources relative to what is being freed up and it might just help many poor and vulnerable households get through this without having to do things that harm their prospects like pull a school out of school, or not go to the hospital, or skip a meal, whatever the case might be.”

Recently, the President Bola Tinubu, disclosed that the Federal Government was planning to transfer N8,000 to 12 million poor households for a period of six months, to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal.

Organised labour and some economists kicked against the plan. According to the Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress, Lagos chapter, Mrs Funmi Sessi, the money would not help the average Nigerian.

She said, “Looking at the money and the effect of the subsidy removal that has escalated the prices of everything in the market, I wonder what the N8,000 can do for a family in a month.

“I wonder what it can buy and the services it can render for 30 days; N8,000 cannot take care of a family for a week; it is not possible; it is going to be like a drop of water in the ocean.”

The Federal Government has since backtracked its plans and has said it is reviewing the plan.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/reduce-govt-borrowing-from-cbn-wbank-tells-nigeria/

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new management team for the Nigeria Customs Service.

This is coming weeks after the President appointed Adewale Adeniyi as the acting Comptroller General of Customs and retired some of the management members of the service.

In a statement signed by the National Public Relations Officer of the service, Abdullahi Maiwada, the appointees include three deputy comptroller generals and three assistant comptroller generals.

He charged them to redouble their efforts to ensure the service achieves greater heights in its

mandates of revenue generation, suppression of smuggling, and trade facilitation.

The appointed officers include, “DCG FO Okun, DCG MBA Musa, DCG A Hamisu, ACG K Olumoh, ACG AB Mohammed, ACG A Alajogun,”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/tinubu-approves-new-management-team-for-customs/

The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Yahaya, has approved the appointment of 12 new permanent secretaries in the state civil service.

The acting Head of Civil Service, Ahmed Abdullahi, who conveyed the governor’s approval, said the appointments were based on their suitability in terms of credentials, experience, hard work, commitment, and loyalty as well as their performance at the promotion examinations and interviews.

According to Abdullahi, the development is also in line with the present administration’s commitment to reinvigorating the civil service and the resolve to ensure that hardworking civil servants attain the peak of their careers before retirement.

Others were Mohammed Dantata Ndus – Kaltungo; Abubakar Bella M/ sidi – Kwami; Shuaibu Ibrahim -Shongom, and Mohammed Ismail Hina – Yamaltu Deba LGA.

“All the appointments are with immediate effect,” Abdullahi’s statement partly added.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/gombe-gov-appoints-12-new-permanent-secretaries/

A 19-year-old woman of Ishehi Hamlet in Misau Local Government Area of Bauchi State has been arrested by the police for allegedly stealing a newborn baby.

The suspect, Hajara Usman, was said to have stolen the infant after conspiring with an 18-year-old man, Ibrahim Usman, of Dugurgama Hamlet.

The Bauchi State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Ahmed Wakil, stated this in a statement made available to journalists in the state on Thursday.

He said that a resident of the Galawa Area of Akuyam District in the Misau LGA reported the incident at Akuyam Police Outstation that his daughter’s newborn baby was stolen at about 4: 30 am.

Wakil said, “On July 25th, 2023 at about 7: 00 am, one Adamu Baka (55) of Galawa area Akuyam district of Misau local government area, reported at Akuyam outstation that at about 4. 30am, unknown persons intruded into his daughter’s apartment who recently gave birth and carted away with the newly born baby.

“Upon receiving the report, a team of detectives was immediately mobilized and earnestly swung into action and eventually arrested the hoodlums.

“The stolen baby was recovered from one Hajara Usman, female (19) of Ishehi Hamlet who conspired with one Ibrahim Usman, male (18) of Dugurgama Hamlet to steal the baby.”

He is that investigation is still ongoing to unravel the hidden motives behind the nascent adding that the suspects would be profiled and charged to court for the established offences at the end of the investigation.

“On July 23rd, 2023 at about 21. 30pm, the Command’s detectives attached to Tulu Divisional Police Headquarters acted on credible intelligence from the village head of Sabon Garin Tulu that a suspected unknown person was sighted around the area.

“A team of detectives moved to the scene but the suspected person, on sighting the Policemen took to his heels to an unknown destination.

“He abandoned his sack containing one AK-47 riffle alongside one magazine with six (6) rounds of live ammunition recovered.

“Investigation has been ignited and collaborative efforts are being intensified to arrest the fleeing suspect,” he stated.

According to him, the commissioner of police tasked all the Command’s operatives to “consolidate maximally on intelligence gathering which is the crux and fulcrum of modern policing.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/19-year-old-woman-steals-newborn-baby-in-bauchi/

The Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday advocated the setting up of voter registration centres at the Internally Displaced Person camps and host communities.

According to the commission, the registration centres would allow the IDPs to exercise their franchise without undue burdens.

The National Commissioner and Chairman, Outreach and Partnership Committee, INEC, Prof. Kunle Ajayi, made this known in Abuja at the training of IDP coordinators on 2022 regulations and framework for voting by the IDPs.

The programme which was organised by the All-rights Foundation Africa and funded by the European Union through its Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria focused on enhancing IDPs’ participation in the electoral process.

In September 2022, INEC reviewed the electoral framework for voters in IDP camps.

This was due to the passage of the 2022 Electoral Act and the introduction of new technologies, according to INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu.

Ajayi, who was represented by a committee member of the Framework for Voting by the IDPs, Dorathy Bello, noted that the plight of the IDPs is an issue of grave concern as they often endure immense hardships and face multiple challenges daily.

The National Commissioner noted that based on the obstacles faced by the IDPs, “We must collectively work towards creating an inclusive and enabling environment that encourages and empowers the IDPs to actively participate in the democratic process.

“This will allow the IDPs to easily register as voters and exercise their right to vote without undue burdens.

“Additionally, as an inclusive Commission, implementation of voter education programmes tailored to the specific needs of IDPs, aiming to inform them about their rights, the electoral process, and the significance of their participation is very crucial.”

Ajayi added that the commission with the collaboration of relevant stakeholders can mobilize resources and expertise to ensure that IDPs are adequately represented and that their interests are safeguarded in the political sphere.

At the event, the Chief Executive Officer, TAF Africa, Jake Epelle, said INEC policies are not known to people, hence the need to train the IDP coordinators.

“An IDP has automatically become a marginalised individual.

“INEC has a lot of policies and frameworks that many people are not even aware of. One of such policies is that of the electoral framework for voters in IDP camps.

“This is our first step of enlightening not only the coordinators but the general public about the role of INEC, and IDPs in the electoral process,” Epelle said.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/inec-seeks-voter-registration-centres-in-idp-camps/

A Nigerian doctor based in the United Kingdom has lost custody of his 16-year-old son to the government after flogging him with a belt.

This was revealed by a child rights advocate known as pepstalk1 on her Instagram page on Wednesday.

She narrated that the Nigerian doctor flogged his son after he caught him and his friends invited over to study together watching an inappropriate video.

His friends reportedly informed the police and told them that while the father was beating his son with a belt, the doctor repeatedly said, “Is this how you want to become a doctor?”

She said, “Two friends of a Nigerian doctor’s son two months ago came over to the doctor’s residence to sleep over and study in preparation for their General Certificate of Secondary Education examination.

“The two friends ran out of the scene to call the police and they came over and took the boy away. The case was later held in court and during the session, the friends said that they heard the father saying that “Is this how you want to become a doctor” while beating his son?

“The boy also said that his father was always beating him to study the subject that he doesn’t want and his father want him to study medicine at the university.

“The court later ruled that the doctor’s 16-year-old son be taken into custody care and can no longer go back to his father’s house.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/uk-based-nigerian-doctor-loses-custody-of-son-after-flogging-him-with-belt/

The National Association of Nigerian Students has condemned the comment of the presidency on the increase of school fees, describing it as deceitful and misleading.

The presidency, through the Special adviser to the president on communication, Dele Alake on Wednesday said reports suggesting that President Bola Tinubu increased tuition fees in federal government-owned universities are incorrect.

Alake stated that the increment is discretionary by each university, adding that each institution can determine what to charge for hostel accommodation, registration, laboratory, and other charges which are not school fees.

However, NANS in a statement by its National Public Relations Officer, Giwa Temitope said the presidency’s comment “is a dubious attempt to conceal the real picture and the extent of the crises the Federal Government and authorities of tertiary institutions have driven the students into.”

It also said the Tinubu-led administration displayed a “lack of willingness to ensure the education sector is uplifted”.

“The posture of the Nigerian government towards what we tag astronomical and illogical increment in fees payable across our Universities. We consider the claim by President Tinubu that Nigerian Universities are tuition-free, as deceitful and misleading.”

The apex student body demanded an immediate reversal of the fee increase in all federal.

It also asked that the student loan scheme proposed by the Federal Government should be abandoned, adding that the education sector be properly funded for the effective delivery of quality education.

“We maintain that there is no reason whatsoever for the increment in fees payable across our Universities. Therefore, we demand an immediate and unconditional reversal of the increment in fees in all the affected institutions.

“Yes, federal Universities remain tuition-free but the sundry payment students are being tasked to pay should solely be the sole responsibility of the government. As a matter of fact, if truly Tinubu is interested in ensuring that every Nigerian regardless of the economic situation has access to quality education, as painted by Dele Alake in his press text on behalf of the Nigerian presidency, his administration must invest more substantially in the education sector, to ensure access to quality education for everyone, regardless of economic background.

“In light of the outrageous fees paid by Nigerian students, the tuition-free policy is tantamount to free tuition in exchange for outrageous fees!”

The statement further stated, “Increasing fees payable will automatically deny thousands of students access to education and we, as an association have resolved to vehemently oppose it. Students loan which Dele Alake is fronting is far from the way forward but grants, aids, and scholarship. This is because the student loan scheme is an attempt to turn students into life-long debtors in exchange for a service that ought to be provided for by the government.

“In an economy where gainful employment has become a miracle people pray for in religious centres, it is callous to make them debtors even before they commence their career. We also consider the student loan scheme as an effort in the wrong direction. The conditions attached to the loan are bogus and almost impossible to meet by any student. It appears the loan policy on paper is a loan for all, while in practice it is a loan for NONE.

“We demand that the student loan scheme should be abandoned.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/nans-slams-presidency-over-tuition-fee-hike/

Some policemen on Thursday morning in Owerri, the Imo State capital, arrested a popular broadcast journalist, Chinonso Uba, popularly known as NonsoNkwa.

Uba was accosted and arrested by the cops after he finished anchoring his morning programme on Ozisa FM, Owerri Housed by Assumpta Cathedral of the Owerri Catholic Archdiocese.

He was driving in his Highlander jeep when the operatives who were laying siege, double-crossed him in front of Holy Ghost College Secondary School junction.

An eyewitness told our correspondent that the policemen operated in a Hilux vehicle, a Lexus 350 Jeep, and an ES 330 ca
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/police-arrest-popular-imo-broadcast-journalist/

Thieves have reportedly carted away vital equipment from power turbines worth about N57bn ($72m) at N792/$1, which were meant for the construction of a 1,250 megawatts plant in Ajebandele village, Ondo State.

Addressing the 9th set of graduates of the Adeleke University, Ede, Osun State, on Tuesday, the Pro-Chancellor of the institution, Dr Deji Adeleke, said the looters invaded the power plant site to steal components of the turbine, which cost about N56bn ($72m), adding that this might lead to a delay in delivering the project in record time.

Adeleke, one of the leading industrialists in Nigeria, commenced the project a few years ago to complement the existing 4,000MW being generated by the 26 plants in-country. The plant is estimated to cost a total of N1.6tn ($2bn).

“I am building a 1,250MW power plant. Nigeria has about 5,000MW, adding mine to it is a lot. The cost is $2bn. We started it in a village in Ondo state. We brought in turbines that cost about $72m
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/n57bn-parts-stolen-from-adeleke-varsity-turbines-pro-chancellor/

The Director-General of the International Labour Organisation, Gilbert Houngbo, has called on G20 labour and employment ministers and other world leaders to address skill gaps.

Speaking recently during the G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting in Indore, India, Houngbo urged leaders to invest in social protection and adopt sustainable financing for employment and social policies to reduce inequalities in the global labour market.

According to ILO, the meeting highlighted the need to sustainably finance social protection, extend social security to more workers, including gig and platform economy, and address the global skills gap.

The ministers’ meeting centred on addressing the global skills gaps, extending social protection to platform and gig workers, and sustainably financing national social protection systems.

The ILO said ministers agreed on specific policy priorities to accelerate progress on the first two challenges and a set of policy options regarding the third.

“At present, the global employment divide is deepening in the face of global shocks and risks, with low-income countries being left further and further behind.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/ilo-urges-governments-to-bridge-skill-gaps/

The National Open University of Nigeria has advocated for more opportunities and flexible academic programmes for staff and inmates of the Nigerian Correctional Service to gain admission and study courses of their choice at the university.

This was contained in a statement signed by the NCoS Spokesperson, Abubakar Umar, on Wednesday.

The Coordinator of the NCoS-NOUN Special Study Centre, Controller of Corrections, Francis Enobore, while enumerating new admission offers available in the university, disclosed that holders of National Diplomas with lower credit can now get to study the course of their choice in the institution.

Enobore further noted that “holders of Higher National Diploma seeking fresh admission would be admitted into 300 level.”

Welcoming the delegation, the Controller General of Corrections, Haliru Nababa, was delighted that the University has reviewed and improved upon its academic programmes.

Represented by the Deputy Controller General in the Directorate of Non-Custodial Service, Ahmad Tukur, the CG reiterated the Service’s readiness to key into the reforms of the institution in line with its mandates to reform, rehabilitate, and reintegrate offenders back into society.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/noun-ncos-partner-on-improved-educational-programmes-for-inmates/

Malian Prime Minister Choguel Kokalla Maïga has denounced US sanctions on the defence minister, air force chief of staff and his deputy as a “distraction” and pledged his “total support” to the junta officials.

“The sanctions against our valiant officers, Defence Minister Col Sadio Camara, Gen Alou Boi Diarra, Col Adama Bagayoko, have no objectives other than to distract the Malian people. Nothing will distract us from the work of rebuilding Mali,” Mr Maïga has tweeted.

The US Treasury imposed sanction on the three for “facilitating” the expansion of Russia’s Wagner Group in Mali.

Wagner troops have been accused of committing atrocities alongside the Malian army in their fight against jihadists, with the US saying civilian casualties had more than tripled since they deployment in late 2021.

The prime minister of is the only senior official in the military government to have commented on the sanctions.

The measured Malian response so far contrasts with the rhetoric and accusations of plots to destabilise the ruling junta delivered by government spokesman Col Abdoulaye Maïga in previous diplomatic rows, notably with France and the UN.
https://www.otowngist.com/?p=180624

Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has urged Nigerian Afrobeat star, Davido, to ignore calls demanding his apology over the controversial music video he posted on his social media platforms.

The PUNCH reported that the Davido Music Worldwide label boss and his signee, Olamilekan Taiwo, aka Logos Olori, caused a stir online, sparking mixed reactions from netizens following the release of the latter’s new record, ‘Jaye Lo.’

A 45-second clip of the new video posted Friday on Instagram by Davido has since attracted criticism. Many Muslim devotees have labelled the video offensive and are now calling for a retraction while also threatening the artists with a lawsuit.

The controversial scene featured some men depicting praying mallams seen dancing in front of a mosque instead of praying. This dancing act has since been deemed offensive by some Muslim devotees.

Despite deleting the video forty-eight hours after it was posted, some Muslims are still demanding a public apology from Davido.

The Literary icon said former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El Rufai had made offensive comments against Christians in the past but was never asked to tender an apology.

He said, “There was nothing to apologize about, and that applied equally to El Rufai’s comments at the time. It should come as no surprise that I equally absolutely disagree with Shehu Sani if indeed, as reported, he has demanded an apology from Davido on behalf of the Moslem community.”

“It wasn’t Davido’s music that lynched Deborah Yakubu, a second-year Christian college student who was killed by a mob of Muslim students in Sokoto last year over alleged blasphemy,” he added.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/jaye-lo-ignore-calls-for-apology-soyinka-tells-davido/

The Nigeria Labour Congress has put plans in place for a nationwide strike scheduled to begin August 2,2023, The PUNCH has reliably gathered.

Though a court order which barred the congress from going on strike in June still stands, our correspondent learnt that the congress noted that it could not fold its arms while Nigerians continued to suffer the effects of subsidy removal which has led to untold hardship.

The PUNCH reports that the Tinubu administration dragged the organised labour to court earlier in June to prevent a nationwide strike following the initial removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit popularly known as petrol.

Though the government set up a committee to liaise with the organised labour, officials of the Trade Union Congress and the NLC said the committee had failed to engage labour in a dialogue.

Speaking with our correspondent, the national treasurer of the NLC, Hakeem Ambali, said, “Yes. We issued a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to conclude all negotiations with labour or face industrial action yesterday by the Central Working Committee.”

Failure of the government to meet the ultimatum would lead to a nationwide strike.

The national president of the NLC, Joe Ajaero has yet to issue an official statement on the matter nor respond to inquiries by our correspondent on the matter.

Another national official noted that the public would be intimated on other plans shortly.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/fuel-subsidy-nlc-issues-seven-day-nationwide-strike-notice/

Nigerians have demanded economic growth as President Bola Tinubu is expected to submit the much-awaited ministerial list to the National Assembly in the next 24 hours for screening.

A presidential aide, who demanded anonymity in a chat with The PUNCH, on Tuesday, said the President stretched the submission of the list to the last days to ensure that the list was inclusive and reflective of what was best for the country.

The list, which is expected to be a mixture of technocrats and tested politicians, the source revealed, would have more technocrats who would help drive the President’s Renewed Hope agenda for the next four years.

The Fifth Amendment to the 1999 Constitution mandates the president and governors to submit the names of their ministerial and commissioner-nominees within 60 days of taking the oath of office for confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly.

Tinubu, who was sworn in as President on May 29, has to submit his ministerial list to the Senate before July 29 as stipulated by law.

Speaking against the backdrop of the constitutional deadline, the presidential aide said, “President Bola Tinubu will transmit the ministerial list to the National Assembly tomorrow (today). He has stretched the transmission of the list to the federal lawmakers to ensure that he gets it right. One thing is certain, the list is going to be a mixture of technocrats and tested politicians.

“The President has made it clear that his decisions for the next four years, starting with the ministerial list, would be guided by what is right for Nigeria and not political considerations.”

When pressed for the names on the list, another aide, who did not want his name mentioned, said, “One thing we have been told is that the ministerial list is something the Commander-in-Chief is keeping close to his chest.”

However, in the last few weeks, various names had been bandied around as possible ministerial nominees, including former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai; ex-Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike; Wale Edun; the Special Adviser, Monetary Policies and a host of technocrats and politicians.

Tinubu sought prayers

Meanwhile, the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Tuesday, said the President sought prayers of Nigerians for him to make the right choice.

Bamidele disclosed this while speaking in Abuja at his 60th birthday lecture and book presentation titled: “Leadership through Communication.”

Bamidele said Tinubu, who was billed to be the father of the day, called to say he could not make it to the event because of ongoing work to ensure that the ministerial list is delivered to the Senate in the next 48 hours.

He said, “At 10.03am this morning, Mr President, was on the phone. He said to me ‘Opeyemi, I need to make myself unavailable in the next 48 hours because a correspondence must come to the Senate, a very crucial correspondence.’

“Mr President prayed for me. He asked me to give the phone to my wife and he prayed for my wife.

“He said the two of us should join the rest of Nigerians and pray for him to be able to make the right decision on the list in 24 hours so that when Nigerians hear the list of his ministers they will say ‘yes, this is uncommon.’”

Agitation in Bayelsa

Meanwhile, some stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Bayelsa State have kicked against alleged desperate attempts by former President Goodluck Jonathan to nominate the person for the state’s ministerial slot in Tinubu’s cabinet.

The stakeholders under the auspices of the Bayelsa APC Elders Council condemned Jonathan’s move, saying it was wrong for him to reap where he did not show.

Speaking in Yenagoa on Tuesday, the chairman of the elders’ council, Chief Michael Adomokeme, wondered why the former President was angling to produce a minister after actively and openly supporting the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, during the 2023 presidential election.

He said Jonathan was threading the path of unfairness and injustice, stressing that his desperation could be likened to someone seeking to receive salaries from a company he did not work for.

Adomokeme, however, expressed confidence that Tinubu, as ‘’a known rewarder of hard work, would not allow a situation of ‘monkey work, baboon chop’.”

The APC elder said, “People shouldn’t try to reap where they have never sowed. Some of us have been here since the early days of this party when it was considered to be taboo just by being a member.

“You all remember, APC in Bayelsa was called either Islamic party or Hausa party by these same people; I mean, Jonathan and his people. Fast forward to the 2023 elections, President Jonathan did everything to make sure we failed, but we didn’t as God would have it. What right has he to suddenly want to now nominate the minister from Bayelsa State?”

Some capital market operators, on Tuesday, stated that the ministerial list and the portfolios of the ministers would have an impact on the sustainability of the bullish run of the market.

Nigerians set agenda

The Nigerian Bar Association said the President and his ministers must improve the security situation in the country.

Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents on Tuesday, the NBA Publicity Secretary, Habib Lawal, also urged the President and his ministers to scale up investment in agriculture.

Lawal said, “They must look critically at the peculiarities of our security situation and design bespoke measures to deal with them while ensuring that continental, cross-border and international collaborations are carefully exploited to deal with our security challenges.

‘’We must consider diplomatic strategies to address these issues because of the global trends in security. Also, the government must deliberately and heavily invest in agriculture among other sectors of our economy. We expect that commensurate investment will be made to actualise the enthronement of the rule of law and to build that judiciary that can be trusted to deliver justice and strengthen our institutions.”

TUC speaks

The Trade Union Congress on its part advised the incoming ministers of labour, finance and budget planning to ensure industrial harmony, stressing that “a country surmounted by industrial actions will not grow.”

The National Deputy President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, who stated this, admonished Tinubu to assign the labour portfolio to a labour-friendly person.

Etim said, “It is expected that the President will assign the labour portfolio to an individual who is labour-friendly, a minister who will take workers’ welfare as a priority; who can build a block of the relationship between the government and the workers.’’

Underscoring the centrality of labour to national economic development, the labour leader argued that no amount of infrastructure could replace workers.

“Any nation surmounted by industrial strike can never grow. Labour plays a very important role. The ministers must understand that labour has a very important value. These are critical areas (finance, budget, labour) that have to do with the well-being of the economy.

“Ministers that will tell the government the truth about labour relations so that the positive agenda will be spilt over to the states because issues that affect labour are in the exclusive list and it shows that whatever happens at the federal level will spill to the states,’’ Etim submitted.

The National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, Solomon Aderoju, outlined infrastructural deficiency, capacity building, funding and poor power supply as key issues that must be resolved to boost the viability of small-scale enterprise in the country.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Tuesday, the vice president said, “The (trade) minister has to be proactive and pragmatic enough to handle some of the challenges facing Medium and Small Enterprise. The minister’s appointment must not be based on political jamboree.

“He/she must be able to resolve basic issues such as infrastructural deficiency and low power supply to help our local markets. We have an influx of goods coming from other countries even when they are not of better quality than what we produce here.”

Aderoju further said the incoming cabinet members must address the increasing operational costs of business.

He added, “Cost is mounting, talk of diesel or forex. He/she can be instrumental in solving these challenges if it isn’t under his purview. Capacity building and funding is also very important for small business owners for their training and retraining.

“We must re-strategise our research department so we can compete favourably with other nations, especially under the newly-signed Africa Continental Free Trade Area.”

On his part, the President of the Association of Small Business Owners, Femi Egbesola, demanded that the finance minister must be an experienced entrepreneur.

He said, “We expect that the new minister should be someone who has been an entrepreneur over the years and has felt the pain and identified with the problems faced by an average small-scale business owner in Nigeria. We don’t want a lawyer or any profession not related to trade and investment.”

The business owner also stated that the trade ministry must shift policy focus to small businesses which formed 96 per cent of total businesses in the country.

He stated, “The ministry must shift its policy focus to MSMEs. Most times, it has concentrated its efforts on satisfying the yearnings of large corporations and businesses at the expense of the nano, small micro and small businesses.

“Most of the policy direction of the ministry has always been to cater to the big companies and that must change. We expect a lot of collaborations with the private sector; they should not come up with policies without our input.”

Speaking with one of our correspondents, the Head of Information, National Union of Pensioners, Bunmi Ogunkolade, urged the prospective ministers to be willing to learn and understand the system.

He further stressed that the federal cabinet must not take the issue of pensions lightly, insisting that the President must appoint the best hands to deliver good governance to all categories of Nigerians.

He said, “For the incoming ministers especially as it affects pensions, it has to do with the ministers of labour, finance budget planning and the accountant general; the first thing is that ministers that will handle these portfolios must understand our plight. He must know pension issues.

“Anyone who is not conversant with pension issues will not understand. Some people think it’s just about paying a monthly pension. The challenges of pension differ from one ministry to the other; from one agency to another. For instance, salaries are different.”

Speaking further, Ogunkolade noted, “Those working in core ministries earn lower than those working in Federal Inland Revenue Service and the Central Bank. We need explanations. Is it a crime for someone to be working in ministry while others in Customs and others go home with bumper pay?

“The salary structures were released by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission. I don’t know of any other countries in the world where there are such discrepancies. Pensions are now being calculated based on where you work.

“Therefore, there are different categories of pension and pensioners depending on where you work. So, the person coming in as the minister of labour must have contemporary knowledge of these issues so that when you explain, he would understand.”

Weighing in, the Deputy-President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gabriel Idahosa, said the government needed to appoint officials with a clear understanding of the private sector into ministerial positions that pertain to the private sector.

Idahosa said, “They should have a sense of what is required, even if they don’t have deep knowledge. They have to understand that it is extremely important to support the private sector to flourish.

“They should not see the private sector as a competitor to the private agenda of some of these government officials, or see the private sector as people who are making a lot of money by exploiting the government from contracts.

“We need government officials who have a deep understanding of the private sector and its issues, not just what they read in the papers or the general feeling about business people.”

In his comments, the National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Small Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George, urged the President to put ‘round pegs in round holes.’

He emphasised that the appointments should not be based on political considerations alone, stressing that having the right people is key.

The entrepreneur stated, “We expect that these appointments are not informed by political affiliation or political compensation, but based on knowledge and merit. It should be based on what they can deliver. What we need now is efficiency. Let’s have the right people.

“For example, in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, let’s have people who know about manufacturing and entrepreneurship. We should have people who have been through it, who know where the shoe pinches and not just technocrats who do not have experience.”

But a facilitator with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Dr Ikenna Nwaosu, said Tinubu should have appointed his ministers within 30 days of taking office, describing the 60-day window as the upper limit.

He complained that the delay in unveiling the federal cabinet has slowed economic development and revenue generation.

“The list should have been out in 30 days not even 60 days; the 60 days is an upper limit. So there is no reason the President should even wait for that upper limit. Every day there is no minister for any ministry, it slows down the economy, it slows economic development and revenue generation. For every day there is no minister, it slows down governance so it is not even 60 days, it is 30 days.” Nwaosu explained.

The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association, Mr Wale Oyerinde, simply asked Nigerians to wait for the announcement of the new ministers.

Capital market operators

Some capital market operators, on Tuesday, stated that the ministerial list and the portfolios of the ministers would have an impact on the sustainability of the bullish run of the market.

The market capitalisation of the Nigerian Exchange Limited recorded the highest daily profit in two years; a day after Bola Tinubu was sworn as President of Nigeria. Tinubu took over as Nigeria’s President on May 29, 2023.

Market capitalisation grew by N1.51tn, from N28.844tn to N30.349tn, a day after Tinubu was sworn in. At the close of transactions, the All-Share Index rose by 2,764.47 points or 4.96 per cent to close at 55,738.35 points.

According to the macroeconomic report of Arthur Stevens Asset Management Limited for May 2023, this positive run of the equity market on the first day after the inauguration of a new President was the highest since 1999. It was 5.22 per cent higher when compared to the previous trading day.

Speaking on investors’ behaviour and impact on the market capitalisation, the Head, Financial Institutions Ratings at Agusto&Co, Ayo Olubunmi, said that the policy direction of the new administration excited the capital market.

He said, “There has been a bullish run on the capital market since the President came into office. One thing we need to have at the back of our minds is that a lot of people were concerned about the policies of the Buhari administration, so the new administration was like a breath of fresh air.

“This is not the first time we are seeing this. When Buhari won the election, we saw a bullish run on the stock exchange. But now, investors are particularly excited by some of the policies that the President also stated.”

From the minority shareholders community, the President of the Pragmatic Shareholders Association, Bisi Bakare, projected that good days are ahead for investors.

She said, “Considering what is happening in the capital market for the past six weeks, the prices have gone up. As an investor, we are very happy about it because the essence of investing is to get returns on our investment, either in terms of capital appreciation, dividends or bonuses.

“For some of the companies who have released their first and second quarter results, the results have been very good. Compared to what it was in the second quarter of 2022, the prices of stocks are higher. On the whole, we believe that during this Tinubu administration, investors are going to enjoy capital appreciation and we hope that the trend will continue for the remaining two quarters of the year.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/nigerians-demand-reforms-as-tinubu-submits-ministerial-list/

Doctors in Nigeria's public hospitals have started a “total and indefinite strike” over what they described as the failure of government to address their grievances.

The striking medics make up the largest percentage of doctors in Nigeria’s hospitals.

Their walk-outs usually severely disrupt healthcare services in government hospitals.

Among their demands, they are asking for the immediate payment of all salaries and a new hazard allowance.

The Nigeria Medical Association says at least 50 doctors leave Nigeria every week to work abroad.

Poor working conditions, coupled with bad pay and the rising cost of living are the main factors.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/public-doctors-begin-indefinite-strike/

Big Brother Naija All Stars housemate, Cynthia Nwadiora, aka CeeC, has revealed that she gets sad whenever she thinks of her time in season 3 of the reality show tagged ‘Double Wahala.’

She said she went through a lot “mentally” during the season in which she finished as the first runner-up.

She disclosed this to Biggie during her diary session on Tuesday.

CeeC said, “Anytime I think about my time in the ‘Double Wahala’ season, I always have mixed feelings because I went through a lot mentally. I get a little bit sad.”

The Enugu-born lawyer returned to the reality show as one of the representatives of season 3 in the all-star edition.

She was the first housemate to be announced by the host, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, on Sunday.

CeeC would hope to walk home with the N120 million cash prize of the all-star edition after narrowly missing out on the N45m prize in 2018.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/bbnaija-all-stars-i-went-through-a-lot-mentally-in-double-wahala-season-ceec/

A Court in the United Kingdom, UK, has ordered an ex-lawyer of James Ibori, the former Governor of Delta State, to pay £28 million for helping to hide funds gained illegally.

The lawyer, Bhadresh Gohil, who also is Indian, was convicted in 2010 of 13 counts of money laundering and other offences linked to his role in aiding Ibori to hide the proceeds from criminal activities.

Gohil was sentenced to ten years in prison in 2010 and has served half of his sentence.

According to Reuters, Gohil was ordered on Monday to pay over £28 million or face a further six-year sentence.

The court’s decision came after Ibori was ordered last week to pay £101.5 million ($130 million) or face an eight-year sentence.

However, Ibori had vowed to appeal the UK court ruling.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/iboris-lawyer-to-pay-28m-uk-court-orders/

Algeria has summoned senior Danish and Swedish diplomats to condemn the continued attacks on copies of the Quran in the two countries.

Earlier on Monday, the biggest market in Qatar is reported to have removed any products which come from Sweden.

There have been protests against this in several Muslim-majority countries, with campaigners and governments demanding that Sweden ban the burning of Islam's most sacred book.

Earlier on Monday, two people from a group calling itself "Danish Patriots" burned a copy of the Quran in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen.
https://www.otowngist.com/?p=180609

Two years since President Kaïs Saïed of Tunisia adopted sweeping powers, hundreds of his opponents have held demonstrations in the capital, Tunis.

In 2021 Mr Saïed sacked the government and suspended parliament - before later enfeebling the judiciary and arresting many of his critics.

Chanting "down with the coup" the protesters demanded the release of around 20 opposition politicians as well as journalists, activists and lawyers, most of whom have been charged with conspiring against the state.

Rights groups have described the arrests as a witch hunt.

An uprising in the North African country helped trigger the so-called Arab Spring in 2011 - and it was the region's sole democracy to emerge from the uprisings.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/tunisians-chant-down-with-coup-at-anti-saied-protest/

Lionel Messi scored twice and assisted once on his first start for Inter Miami in a 4-0 win over Atlanta United.

The Argentina star, 36, scored two inside the opening 22 minutes before setting up team-mate Robert Taylor in the second half.

After netting his second, Messi celebrated by pointing at Inter Miami owner David Beckham.

His performance follows a match-winning stoppage-time free-kick on his debut last week.

"He can do everything on the ball. He can keep it in tight spaces, and he makes the right decision 100% of the time," said Taylor.

"Most of the time he'll find one of his team-mates. He brings so much quality to the team, so much. I mean, he's the best player in the world.

"This is what he does - he scores two goals, he scored last game, gets another assist. It's a dream come true to play with him."

Messi, who is a seven-time Ballon d'Or winner, only trained with his team-mates for the first time last week after moving to the Major League Soccer side following the end of his contract at Paris St-Germain.

The 2022 World Cup-winner scored 32 goals in 75 games during a two-year spell with the French champions and turned down lucrative offers from other countries to play in the US.

Messi opened the scoring in the ninth minute, firing home a rebound from his own shot after controlling a ball over the top from former Barcelona team-mate and fellow new arrival Sergio Busquets.

He doubled the lead 13 minutes later, combining with Finland midfielder Taylor to slot home a low cross from close-range.

Taylor added a third before half-time, before Messi put the 28-year-old through on the break in the second half to complete the scoring.

Messi was substituted in the 78th minute to a standing ovation, with a number of fans leaving the 20,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium shortly afterwards.

"I really didn't notice. However, with the type of player he is, it's justified that this happens," said Inter Miami head Gerardo Martino.

"I would have preferred that the public stayed and pay tribute to the entire team, but I can also understand it."

The win saw Inter Miami move into the knockout stages of the Leagues Cup.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/two-goals-one-assist-for-messi-on-first-inter-miami-start/

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has expressed concern over the persistent number of out-of-school children in Bauchi State.

The UN Agency also expressed worry over the increased rate of dropout among girls in the state, particularly in the Alkaleri Local Government Area.

The UNICEF Education Specialist in Bauchi, Raphael Ayedipes, who spoke at a community outreach to some selected communities in Alkaleri on Tuesday said the agency is very passionate about the number of out-of-school children, particularly in Alkaleri, adding that the number is alarming compared with other local governments in the state.

According to him, the Agency will embark on a rigorous sensitization campaign to educate and enlighten the community to know the value of education In their children’s lives.

In his words “According to the UNESCO findings which indicate that Bauchi has the highest number of out of school, Alkaleri got the highest among the twenty local government areas in the state.

“UNICEF, however, deemed it fit to embark on creating awareness, sensitization to look for ways of improving the enrollment of school children’s back to classes at their respective schools.

“We hope at the end of the 5-day activities we’ll come up with valid and concrete data to prove our findings and forward the same to the government and authorities concerned for action.”

Meanwhile, residents in Alkaleri LG have blamed poverty and economic hardship as the major obstacles contributing to the number of out-of-school children and dropouts respectively.

A resident, 65-year-old Mal. Baba Barde, with 18 children said that the community has no other options than to allow their children hawk on the streets to get some money to feed their families.

Corroborating Barde, a mother of eight, Hadiza Usman, said lack of financial support from the government and well-to-do individuals have worsened the situation.

In his response, the Director, School of Services in SUBEB, Korijo Buba, said the government is doing everything possible to improve the number of children in schools across all the 20 LGAs.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/unicef-expresses-concern-over-out-of-school-children-in-bauchi/

Rwanda’s senate vice-president has penned and posted on Twitter a lengthy apology to President Paul Kagame after she participated in a function to introduce a clan leader.

Espérance Nyirasafari said she had "done a horrible thing” for taking part in that function, an act that the governing RPF party said “threatens the unity of all Rwandans”.

Other party members who took part have also apologised.

One vice-mayor resigned on Monday night following the incident.

The clan leader who was introduced at the function that took place early this month, also said sorry.

The issue around ethnicity in Rwanda remains sensitive, almost three decades after the genocide where around 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in 100 days.

Mrs Nyirasafari's apology puts her political influence and position in doubt.

She has previously served as a national prosecutor, minister of gender and minister of sports and culture.

In her apology she said she regretted not "doing anything” to stop the clan meeting.

Public apologies aren’t new for the RPF and the opposition says their purpose is to shame and discredit officials who otherwise would give different ideas on policies.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/rwanda-senate-vp-apologises-to-kagame-for-clan-meeting/

Davido’s Logistics Manager and socialist, Israel Afeare, popularly known as Israel DMW, has apologized to the Muslim community over the controversial video shared on social media by the singer.

Davido came under heavy criticisms for sharing a music video of his signee, Logos Olori’s new song ‘Jaye Lo’ which captured people praying in Islamic way and dancing.

Following the backlash, Davido deleted the controversial video on his social media pages.

But the Muslim community is still demanding a public apology from Davido.

Israel DMW, in a post on his Instagram story, apologized on behalf of his boss.

Israel stated that the video is purely an entertainment effort that was wrongly presented.

He wrote: “Let me specially apologise to my Muslims brothers and sisters, on the video my oga posted, as a result of him wanting to lift up somebody, which is one of his hubbies.

“It was purely an entertainment effort wrongly presented. Make una no vex. Love you all.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/offensive-video-davidos-manager-apologise-to-muslim-community/

The bodies of five sub-Saharan Africans have been discovered by Libyan authorities in a militarised buffer zone between the country’s border with Tunisia.

The discovery comes after weeks of mass expulsions of black Africans by the Tunisian government.

The policy followed violent clashes between migrants and residents in Tunisia’s second city of Sfax – a main departure point for people trying to cross the Mediterranean illegally to Europe.

Rights groups say hundreds of black Africans - some of whom have legal status in Tunisia - were bussed to the remote desert buffer zone and abandoned without food or water.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/dead-bodies-in-desert-after-tunisia-expels-black-africans/

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, will meet with President Bola Tinubu as part of efforts to avert the planned industrial action by the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors.

Abbas noted that his meeting with the President would be to intimate him of the pending issues raised by NARD and appeal to the President on how to resolve them.

At a meeting with the national leadership of NARD on Monday in his office in Abuja, the Speaker also announced the setting up of an ad hoc committee to be chaired by the House Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, which will meet with all the stakeholders to address the issues.

The ad hoc panel has the immediate-past Chairman of the 9th House Committee on Healthcare Services, Tanko Sununu (All Progressisves Congress, Kebbi), as the Deputy Chairman. All medical practitioners in the House would be co-opted into the ad hoc committee.

The Speaker directed the ad hoc committee to swing into action immediately.

In May, resident doctors embarked on a five-day warning strike due to the Federal Government’s failure to meet their demands.

Also in July, NARD issued a two-week ultimatum to the government for the implementation of all its demands.

During the meeting with the NARD leadership on Monday, Abbas appealed to the resident doctors to give the House leadership two weeks period to find solutions to the issues raised.

He said the 10th House was inaugurated a little over a month ago and appealed to the resident doctors to see reason with the current leadership and “give us a little time to address this matter.”

He said, “Your decision to meet with the House is an affirmation of your faith and confidence in our capacity to intervene and resolve the lingering issues in dispute. This is most reassuring because the 9th Assembly had previously intervened in this matter. We hope to even go beyond the steps and actions taken by the previous House to ensure that we find a lasting resolution to the ever-lingering crisis.”

The leadership of the resident doctors, led by the National President of NARD, Dr Innocent Orji, acceded to the Speaker’s appeal and said they would get back to their members on the Speaker’s position.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/speaker-meets-tinubu-over-planned-resident-doctors-strike/

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos on Tuesday granted the immediate past Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele bail.

The court granted Emefiele bail in the sum of N20 million and a surety in like sum.

This followed a two-count charge of illegal possession of firearm levelled against him by the Department of State Service, DSS.

Emefiele’s lawyer, Joseph Daudu, had, after his client pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge, applied for his bail, contending that the offense for which Emefiele was charged is bailable.

The DSS had picked up Emefiele about a month ago after he was suspended by President Bola Tinubu.

He was brought to court in a white Toyota Hilux pick-up van, with the plate number covered, around 9:23 a.m.

On arrival at the court, Emefiele stepped down from the van and was assisted by a female before Justice Nicolas Oweibo.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/court-grants-ex-cbn-gov-emefiele-n20m-bail/

A suspected Boko Haram member planning to attack the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Yola, Adamawa State, has been arrested.

The suspect was among three others apprehended in Atiku’s residence in Yola and handed over to the police.

The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Jubrila Mohammed, is a native of Damboa in Borno State.

Mohammed said he and the others planned on attacking organisations associated with Atiku and some other sensitive locations in Yola.

Others include Mohammed Bulama, 28, Ibrahim Mohammed, 27, and Musa Mohammed, 26.

A statement by Atiku’s Media Office reads: “Police arrest four suspects in plot to attack Atiku, others in Yola

“We wish to alert the Nigerian public that at about 9:44 pm on Sunday, 23 July, 2023, a man seeking to confirm the residence of His Excellency Atiku Abubakar in Yola was apprehended at the gate of the residence.

“The man who was apprehended by security operatives at the residence of Atiku Abubakar was later handed over to the police.

“Upon further interrogation by the Police, the suspect identified himself as a 29 year-old Jubrila Mohammed and confessed to being a Boko Haram member from Damboa in Borno State.

“The suspect also informed the Police that he and his colleagues, who were later arrested too, intended to attack organisations associated with Atiku Abubakar and some other sensitive locations in Yola.

“All four suspects have been handed over to military authorities.

“We commend the police for the work that they continue to do in this particular investigation.

“We further ask that other relevant security agencies remain on top of their brief.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/four-boko-haram-members-planning-to-attack-atiku-arrested/

President Bola Tinubu has eulogised the first female Professor of Yoruba Studies in the world, Prof Omotayo Olutoye, for her important contributions to the Yoruba language, culture, and tradition.

In a statement issued on Monday by Dele Alake, his Special Adviser on Special Duties, Communications, and Strategy, President Tinubu said Omotayo’s works and seminar interventions helped deepen the knowledge and understanding of the Yoruba language.

Prof Olutoye, who died recently at 87, was the wife of Major General Olufemi Olutoye (retd), the Alani of Idoani, in Ondo State, and mother of renowned surgeon and pediatrician, Prof Olurotimi Olutoye.

She was also the Yeyeluwa of Idoani in Ose Local Government Area of the state.

The President said: “Prof Omotayo Olutoye, who died recently at 87, made useful contributions to Nigeria and the Yoruba race, particularly to Yoruba language, culture, and tradition.

“As the first female Professor of Yoruba Studies in the world, her works and interventions helped a great deal in spreading and deepening the knowledge and understanding of the Yoruba Language.

“Her works have kept the Yoruba language alive and flourishing. Prof Omotayo Olutoye has etched her name in our memory, and this will remain indelible.

“Importantly, a staunch member of the Anglican Communion, Prof Olutoye also made invaluable contributions to Nigeria by giving us the renowned surgeon and paediatrician, Prof Olurotimi Olutoye.

“I offer my sympathy and condolences to her husband and patriarch of the family, Major General Olufemi Olutoye (retd), the Alani of Idoani, the entire Olutoye family, and Ondo State Governor Oluwarotili Akeredolu, for the loss of the illustrious woman.

“May Nigeria be blessed with many of the ilk of Prof Olutoye. May she find comfort in the bosom of the Lord.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/president-tinubu-eulogises-first-female-professor-of-yoruba-studies/

The House of Representatives has unveiled “Healthcare for All” as one of its legislative agenda items for the 10th House under Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.

This was unveiled on Monday during a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on the development of the legislative agenda.

In a statement at the meeting, Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere said the pillars of the legislative agenda will focus on the economy, human capital development, education, accountability, and security.

On “healthcare for all,” he said the legislature will ensure an increment in allocation to the health and education sectors.

“We will work towards increasing the budgetary allocation to the healthcare sector, ensuring that facilities are adequately equipped and staffed to meet the healthcare needs of our citizens. ” Additionally, we will explore public-private partnerships to bridge gaps in healthcare provision,” he said.

The pillars of the proposed legislative agenda include economic empowerment and diversification, infrastructure development, education and human capital development, healthcare for all, transparent governance and accountability, and the security and safety of persons and properties.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/house-of-reps-unveils-six-point-legislative-agenda-prioritises-healthcare-for-all/

Nottingham Forest have signed Sweden forward Anthony Elanga from Manchester United on a five-year deal.

The 21-year-old moves on from Old Trafford, with Forest believed to have paid United a fee of £15m.

Elanga had been with United since he was 12 and achieved a first-team breakthrough in 2021, reaching 55 appearances before Forest stepped in.

He said of his move: "It's a pleasure to be here. It's a proud moment, not only for me, but for my family as well.

"It's a big step and I'm really looking forward to playing in front of the Forest fans at the City Ground.

"I had interest from elsewhere, but for me, Nottingham Forest feels like the perfect place.

"I've been here with United. It's a special place, but being here with Forest, I feel like it will be even more special. I'm ready for the challenge."

Trevor Francis obituary: A 'wonderful person', 'fabulous team-mate' & record breakerChris Bart-Williams: Former midfielder dies aged 49Elanga had been on United's pre-season tour of the USA but travelled back to complete the move and become Forest's first summer signing.

He joins Steve Cooper's side despite interest from clubs in Germany and Everton, whom Elanga was close to joining on loan in January.

Elanga registered four senior goals for United and although he failed to score from 26 games last season, he made just seven starts.

"Anthony had a number of excellent options in front of him to choose from so we are naturally delighted that from those he has chosen to become a Nottingham Forest player," said Forest's chief football officer Ross Wilson.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/07/nottingham-forest-sign-elanga-from-man-utd/

Ghana's president has accepted the resignation of Sanitation and Water Resources Minister Cecilia Abena Dapaah, following public outcry over huge sums of money discovered at her home in the capital city, Accra.

Two domestic staff there have been accused of stealing and stashing more than $1m in cash, €300,000 and several million Ghana cedis, as well as some personal items.

The disclosure has caused uproar in Ghana. Many are wondering how a minister could have such vast sums in her home.

MPs have called for an investigation to verify the source of the money.

"I intend to co-operate fully with all state agencies to enable them fully establish the facts," Ms Dapaah said on Saturday.
https://www.otowngist.com/?p=180491