President Bola Tinubu, on Thursday,in Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, relived the obstacles he had to surmount in the build-up to the general elections to achieve his presidential ambition.

The President spoke at the palace of the Paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, in Ijebu-Ode, during what he called a thank-you visit to the monarch.

Tinubu, who was in Ogun State on a private visit, also visited the Alake and Paramount Ruler of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo,at his palace in Abeokuta.

Tinubu, who arrived in a presidential chopper 5N FG2, Nigeria Air Force, landed at the Dipo Dina International Stadium in the Ijebu-Ode area of the state at exactly 10.18am.

In his entourage were the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and presidential spokesperson, Dele Alake.

He was received by Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; former governors of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Segun Osoba; and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, among others.

At the palace of Oba Adetona in Ijebu-Ode, Tinubu said his path to Presidency was not easy, adding that he had to invoke the spirit of ‘Baba Emilokan’ to overcome various challenges, including the naira redesign and cashless policies of the Central Bank of Nigeria ahead of the general elections.

Tinubu said, “Our monies were confiscated. The cashless policy didn’t work, it was terrible then. I realised that I came to this palace to invoke the spirit of freedom which we are noted for.

“I invoked that spirit twice. The spirit of Baba Emilokan. That’s baba (Awujale). Being blunt, being decisive, that’s him, he will tell you. The second spirit is that money or no money (we will do the election and we will win).”

Awujale, in his remarks, urged Tinubu to be fair to all Nigerians in everything he does.

The monarch said, “You have started well; you must continue that way.

“My joy knows no bounds because I know that you will give us the Nigeria of our dreams.

Also speaking at the palace of the Alake of Egbaland,Tinubu begged Nigerians to go with him through what he called the baby steps of pains.

He said, “At least, we delivered, despite the hardship of no money, no fuel; I credit you, thank you. I don’t know that it will be like this, I just wanted to sneak in and sneak out, to greet kabiyesi. Now, I know exactly what it is to be a President.

“Having achieved the prayer point of ‘Emi lokan’ and then being here, I have redeemed a pledge that I will be back with victory and the crown.

“Now, what I ask for is prayers that will help the country and we are determined to help our country, to steer the ship of the nation, build a good team, positive for this country and deliver on all the promises that I have made.

“The hope is recharged; it’s here. That hope will never fade. That hope will recharge your life in a positive manner.

“I’m here still making that pledge of the campaign promise that there is no difference between us and any members of the Nigerian family.

“I have seen that in France during this discussion and we are the children of the same parents, living in the same house, we are only sleeping in different rooms, just recognise that.

“Let us be united, no distraction, we will arrive at the destination, a positive destination for this country and it is all in our hands to make history and I promise that.

“We will see positive changes as we move along, just go through these babys’ steps of pain, baby steps of pain, I’m taking baby steps as the President, not marching in a hurry, being ready to listen, maintain an open-door policy, let the freedom flow, let the confidence return to Nigeria.

“This country is the only country that we have. I have been a refugee, I know what it is to be a refugee in another country and my green passport is what I still have now.

“We need your prayers, we need your support, we need your interventions to get our people’s change of mind, so that the economic prosperity of this country being opened up will affect all of us positively.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/naira-redesign-policy-couldnt-stop-my-victory-tinubu/

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Federal Government, for the immediate arrest of ex-Niger Delta agitator, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo.

The group threatened that should the Federal Government refuse to arrest Asari-Dokubu as it demanded, it would mobilise its members to embark on a nationwide protest across all 36 states of the federation.

HURIWA made the threat in a statement on Thursday by its National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko.

The group said, “Asari-Dokubo must be arrested by the Department of State Services or any other relevant security agency over his suspected link to the violent phenomenon of ‘unknown gunmen’ in the South-East.

“HURIWA is giving President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 72 working hours to order the arrest and investigation of Asari Dokubo over his suspected link to the violent phenomenon of unknown gunmen in the South-East or HURIWA will call our her members for a protest in Abuja next week over it.

“Illegality must not be allowed to continue whilst the security agencies pretend not to know or wilfully not take action. Asari-Dokubo must be arrested. Nigeria is not a Banana Republic.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/arrest-asari-dokubo-or-face-protest-huriwa-tells-fg/

The Academic Staff Union of Universities has rejected the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards prepared by the National Universities Commission.

The union said it was nightmarish, a threat to quality university education, and an erosion of powers of the university Senate in Nigerian universities.

A statement signed by the national president of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, on Friday, explained that it was inexplicable that NUC pre-packaged 70 per cent CCMAS contents were being imposed on the Nigerian University System, adding that university Senates, who are statutorily responsible for academic programme development, were left to work on only 30 per cent.

It stressed that there were growing concerns about the numerous shortcomings and gross inadequacies of the CCMAS documents.

“ASUU is not unaware that setting academic standards and assuring quality in the NUS is within the remit of the NUC. Section 10(1) of the Education (National Minimum Standards and Establishment of Institutions) Act, Cap E3, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, enjoins the NUC to lay down the minimum standards for all universities and other degree awarding institutions in the Federation and conduct the accreditation of their degrees and other academic awards. “However, the process of generating the standard is as important (if not more important) than what is produced as “minimum standards”.

It stressed that many university administrators, though dissatisfied, were shying away from making public comments on CCMAS.

The statement revealed that, however, some university Senates did not hide their displeasure with the ongoing efforts to impose CCMAS on Nigerian universities by the NUC.

It read, “The CCMAS is a nightmarish model of curriculum reengineering. It is an aberration to the Nigerian University System. The CCMAS documents are flawed both in process and in content. There is no basis for the 70% “untouchable CCMAS,” which cannot stand the test of critical scrutiny of university Senates.”

However, it suggested that “NUC should encourage universities, as currently being done by the University of Ibadan, to propose innovations for the review of their programmes. Proposals from across universities should then be sieved and synthesised by more competent expert teams to review the existing BMAS documents and/or create new ones as appropriate. The difference here is the bottom-up approach, unlike the top-bottom or take-it-or-leave-it model of the CCMAS.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/just-in-asuu-rejects-curriculum-designed-by-nuc/

President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has maintained his position as Africa’s richest man, despite a fluctuating Nigerian currency against the dollar, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Dangote’s wealth was valued at an impressive $15.6 billion in the recently released daily top billionaire lists on Tuesday, placing him at the pinnacle of African billionaires on the Index.

Ellon Musk and Bernard Arnault are the first and second richest people in the world, with fortunes totalling $219 billion and $194 billion, respectively. Jeff Bezos comes in third with $151 billion, followed by Microsoft CEO Bill Gates with $130 billion, and Larry Ellison comes in fifth with a net worth of $130 billion.

Only five other Africans made the most recent list of the world’s top 500 billionaires for the year 2023. They include South Africans Johann Rupert and his family, who have a net worth of $13.3 billion, Nicky Oppenheimer, Nassef Sawiris, Natie Kirsh, and Naguib Sawiris, who have respective fortunes of $9.0 billion, $7.47 billion,
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/bloomberg-ranks-dangote-africas-richest-man-bill-gates-4th-in-world/

The Presidential Amnesty Programme is sponsoring 75 pilots and aircraft engineers to South Africa and France for type-rating as part of its aviation training scheme, the Interim Administrator of the PAP, Major General Barry Ndiomu (retd.), said on Friday.

He also said that sanitary measures carried out on the PAP database revealed that certain beneficiaries and ex-agitators had multiple accounts linked to their BVNs.

“Further verification of the payment list revealed that certain beneficiaries had multiple accounts linked to their BVNs. In total, 513 beneficiaries had 1370 accounts on the payment list linked to their BVNs. Other anomalies were that of certain accounts not linked to their BVNs; this group had a total of 2601 accounts.

“To rectify those irregularities, a portal was created by PAP (_stver.osapnd.gov.ng) for the affected beneficiaries to log in, and those with multiple accounts linked to their BVNs were to choose just one account in order to have their payments regularised. A total of 1,561 accounts have been cleared and paid in full to date and presently, multiple account fraud has been eradicated from the payment list”, he said.

According to him, a total of 847 delegates are currently undergoing training at the National Information Technology Development Agency in various ICT-specialised fields.

The delegates would be certified in digital marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, computer appreciation, search engine optimization, as well as technical and computer writing.

In a statement, the Special Assistant (Media) to the PAP CEO, Freston Akpor, said that from vocational training centres to opportunities in Federal Government agencies, and incentives for viable SMEs, the innovative ideas initiated by Ndiomu would guarantee the socio-economic sustainability of ex-agitators and young people in the Niger Delta.

He said enormous windows of employment opportunities have been provided for ex-agitators in the oil-rich Niger Delta region to thrive.

“Similarly, the PAP is sponsoring 75 pilots and aircraft engineers to South Africa and France for type-rating as part of the programme’s aviation training scheme, which General Ndiomu is very passionate about. A breakdown of the figure indicates that 35 delegates are pilots, while 40 are billed for aircraft engineering.

“A major boost to that initiative was the launching of the PAP Cooperative Scheme with an initial sum of N1.5 billion as seed money in the account with an additional N100 million operational fund to be solely managed by the ex-agitators. The cooperative scheme has an eminent jurist, Justice Francis Tabai, a retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria as chair of the board with a team of experienced consultants to assist in nurturing the cooperative into fruition. This will create a conducive environment for small businesses to grow to become the catalyst for economic development in the Niger Delta.”

Speaking on the vocational training centres designed to provide skills for the teeming youths in the region when completed, he emphasised that the PAP has cleared monies owed to contractors to facilitate the completion of five vocational centres across the region.

“Relevant higher institutions of learning, training institutes and development partners have undertaken spot assessments to re-evaluate existing infrastructure, update software and service equipment, including those left at Boro Town after it was burgled, to bring the centres, including an additional one to be sited in Bayelsa, up to speed and eminent take-off. The management under General Ndiomu has also cleared all debts related to ongoing training schemes,” he maintained.

He added that under General Ndiomu’s watch, the PAP has provided employment for a critical number of young graduates from the Niger Delta in line with the vision of the PAP, thereby reducing the culture and cycle of dependency and indolence.

“The Presidential Amnesty Programme has gained a huge mileage from September last year through the initiatives introduced by General Ndiomu and his managerial acumen has impacted positively on the programme. Unfortunately, the lies and blackmail will not deter the Interim Administrator from doing what is right by the majority of ex-agitators and the people of the Niger Delta,” Akpor said.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/pap-uncovers-1370-bvn-linked-bank-accounts-belonging-to-ex-agitators/

The National President of the Heavy Duty Truck Drivers Association, Mr Uche Nebuwa, has stated that there will be no remedy to the hike in the pump price of fuel caused by subsidy removal unless old refineries are repaired.

Nebuwa stated this during the inauguration of Uzoeghelu General Motor Park at Ugwu Nwasike/Nkwo Market, along Old Onitsha-Enugu road, Ogidi, Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra, on Thursday.

He described the hike as a big problem to them in the transportation industry and society at large.

He said, “Fuel hike is a very big problem to us transporters; President Bola Tinubu would have consulted us before the removal of the fuel subsidy.

“No palliatives will solve this issue of hike in fuel pump price except the old refineries are repaired.

“The alleged distribution of solar lights as palliatives would not have any positive effect on Nigerians, rather it will worsen the situation.

“They just introduced that to calm frayed nerves for now but it will not work as everybody is crying and it has also caused more harm than good to the present socio-political and economic quagmire that we are trying to set ourselves free from.”

The Zonal Chairman of South-East National Union of Road Transport Workers, Mr Augustine Udeozor, said the hike in fuel had become a general disease that should be removed from the top.

“It is a general disease that can only be cured by the Federal Government because the masses are suffering.

“Something should be done immediately to alleviate the suffering imposed on us in the name of making effort to rectify the socio-economic and political quagmire.

“So the inauguration of the park is not the issue but what one is capable of doing, how many vehicles you brought, how many passengers you attracted,” he said.

Earlier, Mr Obiegbu Ikeobi, the Chaiŕman, Njikoka Local Government Area Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, said with the inauguration of the massive park, business would start fully on Friday.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/fuel-subsidy-removal-big-challenge-to-transport-industry-hdtda-president/

France approved a new law Thursday requiring social media platforms like TikTok to verify users’ ages and obtain parental consent for those under 15 years in an effort to protect children online.

The legislation is part of a string of recent moves by the government to reduce children’s screen time and protect them from cyberbullying and other crimes.

The “landmark” law would be “applied as soon as possible”, Digital Transition Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told lawmakers.

But the exact date the age verification bill will come into force remains unclear following Thursday’s Senate approval, as no specific date was set and the European Commission has yet to check that it conforms with EU law.

Sites will then have a year to comply with the policy for new subscribers, and another two years to apply the requirements to existing users.

Lawmakers’ concerns ranged from pornography to cyberstalking, unattainable beauty standards and the attention-grabbing addictive nature of the platforms, which pose a particular risk for youth.

Existing regulations mainly focused on the collection of personal data have failed to have an impact on children’s access to social media.

Sites are in theory closed to those under the age of 13 in France.

But with some users signing up from just eight years of age, according to the French National Commission for Technology and Freedoms, more than half of children aged 10-14 use social media sites like Snapchat and Instagram.

Social media firms that breach the law will face a fine of up to 1 percent of their global revenues.

The law will also allow parents to request suspension of accounts belonging to their children under 15 and will require sites to offer tools to limit the time children spend on the platform.

It will not be enough to put an end to concerns about children’s safety online, admitted the lawmaker who spearheaded the act, Laurent Marcangeli, on Wednesday.

He further called for “advancements in age verification technology online and heavily investing into digital education for parents, children and teachers.”

French lawmakers recently put forward another bill to children’s image rights against abuses by parents on social networks, which still needs to be drafted into law.

In March, measures against children’s overexposure to screens were also introduced in parliament.

Next week, Minister Barrot is expected to defend a bill to “secure and regulate the digital space”, which includes measures requiring porn sites to check that their users are of legal age.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/social-media-france-mandates-parental-consent-for-minors/

The Governor of Gombe State Muhammadu Yahaya, has directed the extension of Eid-el-Kabir holidays to Friday.

According to a press statement signed and released on Thursday by Jibrin Yusuf, on behalf of Gombe’s acting Head of Civil Service, Ahmed Abdullahi, the gesture was to ensure workers enjoy the festivities alongside their counterparts nationwide.

Yusuf’s statement partly read, “I am directed to inform you that His Excellency, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, (Dan Majen Gombe) has approved the extension of the Public Holiday to Friday 30th June 2023 to enable Civil Servants in the State to continue with the Celebration of this year’s Eid-el-Kabir along with their counterparts nationwide.”

“The Acting Head of Civil Service wishes all Workers and indeed the General Public a peaceful celebration.

“Meanwhile, all essential services would be maintained throughout the Public Holiday and Workers will resume work on Monday 3rd July, 2023, please,” Yusuf added.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/gombe-extends-eid-el-kabir-holiday-to-friday/

The Christian Association of Nigeria on Thursday condemned the killing of a butcher, Usman Buda, over alleged blasphemous comments by religious extremists in Sokoto State with a call on the government to ensure the protection of all citizens’ rights, regardless of their religious affiliations.

The President of CAN, Daniel Okoh, in a statement in Abuja, extended condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.

He said, “According to reports reaching us, Usman Buda was brutally murdered over an alleged blasphemous comment. CAN firmly believe in the freedom of religion and the peaceful expression of beliefs. We, therefore, denounce any form of violence or jungle justice in the name of religion.

“We urge religious leaders and followers to promote interfaith dialogue and peaceful coexistence for a harmonious Nigeria. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Usman Buda during this difficult time.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/blasphemy-can-condemns-killing-of-sokoto-butcher/

Three persons were injured when a two-storey building caved in along Okilton Drive in Ada George of Port Harcourt on Thursday morning.

It was learnt that some of the workers at the site were trapped in the building which was under construction.

An eyewitness who gave his name as Tonye said they heard a loud sound just about the break of dawn which frightened residents.

While saying that the cause of the collapse could not be immediately ascertained, he stated that some of the workers on the site were living in the building.

He stated, “What we saw was that the three persons rescued this morning were still alive and they were taken to the hospital.

“We are aware that the POP people and the tilers who are working in the building also live inside the building. Right now we don’t know whether there are other casualties. ”

A female resident who did not want her name mentioned said when they approached the scene of the incident, they saw a man crawling out of the building and people quickly rescued him.

“Some workers said they noticed some cracks in the building and asked their co-workers who were in the last building. But they didn’t hear because they were playing loud music.

“After that time the building started shaking, so the ones downstairs ran away.

“The next thing the building started collapsing. We just pray that those injured survive,” the resident stated.

Meanwhile as of the time of filing this report, the State Commissioner for Special Duties, Emeka Woke had visited the scene.

The commissioner said that the state government will investigate the cause of the building collapse.

When contacted, Eng Woke said he was in a meeting and asked our correspondent to call back in two hours’ time.

“Okay I am in a meeting with my boss. Please call me back in two hours’ time I will respond to you,” he stated.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/three-injured-as-uncompleted-building-collapses-in-port-harcourt/

The Vice Chancellor of Modibbo Adama University Yola, Professor Abdullahi Tukur, has urged President Bola Tinubu to revamp and remap cattle routes across the country.

Prof Tukur also urged the president to come up with a realistic programme on ranching.

Prof Tuku made the call on Wednesday at a Seminar organised by the Centre For Peace and Security Studies, Modibbo Adama University, Yola, on cross-border pastoral, environmental change, and farmers/herder relations in Adamawa State.

Speaking, at the event Professor Tukur, stressed that climate change is one of the key drivers of farmers and herders’ clash in Nigeria.

In his presentation on Pastoral Mobility, Inter-Group Relations and Peace Building in the Border Lands of Nigeria and Cameroon, the lead researcher of the project, Dr. Adam Higazi, urged the Federal Government to work on cattle routes and ensure the education of citizenry, especially the rural dwellers.

Earlier in his address, the Director, Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, Modibbo Adama University, Professor Jude Momodu, explained that the findings of the research will be useful to the government and policymakers, advising the government to employ the use of technology in growing grasses and improved variety of cows.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/revamp-cattle-routes-across-nigeria-don-urges-tinubu/

Islamic leaders in South West have condemned the clash that occurred at the Osogbo Eid prayer ground between some aides of Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, and an ex-spokesperson of the Senate, Dr. Ajibola Basiru.

The Wakeel Muslimeen, South West, Edo, and Delta states, Sheikh Iskeel Awwal who spoke on behalf of the religious leaders, warned politicians against turning the Eid prayer ground and mosque into a political battleground.

Sheikh Awwal said this while speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital on Thursday.

He urged the governor and other politicians in the state to respect religious leaders.

It was reported that Bashiru and Adeleke’s aide clashed at Osogbo Eid praying ground over seating arrangements.

Wakeel Muslimeen in his statement admonished that Asiwaju Adeen of Yoruba land should be respected being a Muslim leader in Yoruba land and Nigeria.

He said, “All Muslims in South West condemn what happened in Osogbo. We condemned the clash at the Eid prayer ground. They should not take politics into the Eid prayer ground or mosque.

“Politicians should respect religious leaders and the religious leaders should respect political leaders.

“They should all fear Allah and know that Allah is above everybody, be it governor or senator.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/osogbo-eid-clash-islamic-leaders-caution-politicians-against-unruly-behaviour-in-mosque/

The Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria has said that members of the group remained crucial to routine immunisation uptake in the country.

The ACPN said community pharmacists play a crucial role in the healthcare systems, particularly in the attainment of the 2030 Universal Health Coverage target.

The association stressed that community pharmacists could help address gaps in routine immunisation coverage in Nigeria and increase uptake.

National Chairman of ACPN, Adewale Oladigbolu, disclosed this ahead of the association’s forthcoming 42nd Annual Scientific Conference in Asaba, Delta State, with the theme, ‘Building Effective Community Pharmacy Services for Universal Health Coverage’.

He said the conference aims to shed light on the crucial role of community pharmacists in providing accessible and quality healthcare services for all.

Oladigbolu explained that the conference will bring together renowned experts, policymakers, and community pharmacist representatives to discuss key areas, among which is the importance of community pharmacist services, and opportunities, and to also examine the challenges faced by community pharmacists.

He noted that the services of community pharmacists go beyond dispensing medications, stressing that they play a vital role in promoting the public health and well-being of the citizens.

The ACPN national chairman said community pharmacists being the closest healthcare professionals to the people have an important role to play in primary healthcare services, especially in the area of routine immunisation.

He observed that with universal health coverage becoming a global priority, it is essential to recognise the significant contribution of community pharmacists and explore ways to enhance their services.

The World Health Organisation says immunisation is one of the most impactful and cost-effective public health interventions available, and that it averts over 4 million deaths annually.

According to the WHO, ensuring universal access to vaccines is a critical entry point for universal health coverage

The International Journal of Public Health, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, noted that community pharmacists’ participation in providing immunisation services is pivotal to expanding access to immunisation services, especially in resource-constraint settings and bridging the existing gap in the shortage of skilled service providers.“What we are saying is that let the private sector also supplement what is happening with the public sector.

“80 per cent of healthcare behaviours are taken to the private sector and the Federal Government is spending 100 per cent of their healthcare budget on the public sector. Does it work? No. It does not work.

“So, you need to lean on private sector facilities, which are built for profit to supplement what is happening in the public sector,” he added.

The pharmacist noted that the country has an array of highly trained and competent community pharmacists within communities but has not made good use of them.

He said, “For example, vaccination coverage in Nigeria, even in urban centres, I am sure is still less than 50 per cent of complete routine immunisation. In rural areas, it is still less than 15 per cent.

“So, what we are saying is that wherever community pharmacists are located, they can help you bridge the numbers in terms of routine immunisation. That is why we are talking about the primary healthcare system. Routine immunisation is a primary healthcare service.”

Data from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey and National Immunisation Coverage Survey indicated that at least 64 per cent of children between ages 12-23 months in Nigeria did not receive all recommended vaccines in the last five years.

Both surveys revealed that 46 per cent of children were partially vaccinated between 2016 and 2021.

Nigeria’s immunisation programme recognises the following routine immunisation for children – BCG (Bacili Calmette Guerin), a vaccine against tuberculosis; OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine), a vaccine against poliomyelitis; DPT combination vaccine against diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus; Hepatitis vaccine for hepatitis A and B; Measles vaccine; Yellow fever vaccine and supplemental vitamin A.

Speaking on this, Oladigbolua said, “In the past six months, community pharmacists have been involved in COVID-19 vaccination. And they have been bringing in more numbers than what the individual primary healthcare centres are doing. So that is what we are saying; let us supplement the efforts of the public healthcare system.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/community-pharmacists-crucial-to-routine-immunisation-group/

The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council on Wednesday, withdrew all her members covering the State House of Assembly with immediate effect.

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the State Congress of the union held at its secretariat, which was jointly signed by the State Council Chairman, Comrade Amos Etuk, State Council Secretary, Comrade Dominic Akpan, Comrade Iniobong Ekponta, Chairman of Communique Drafting Committee, Comrade Dianime Uko, Secretary Drafting Committee and Comrade Emem Okon.

The communique noted that the order was as a result of the appointment of a non-journalist, Mr Nkereuwem Udom, as the Press Secretary to the Speaker, Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Mr Udeme Otong.

According to the communique, the union warned that any member that defaults the directive of the congress will face servere sanctions.

The communique in parts, “Congress directed all journalists covering the activities of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, including the Press Corps to withdraw their services with immediate effect over the appointment of a non-journalist as the Press Secretary (Head of Press Corps) by the Speaker, Mr Udeme Otong.

“Congress frowned at this development and consequently warned that any defaulting member of the Union shall face severe sanctions,” communique stated.

The communique also called on the Akwa Ibom State Environmental Protection and Waste Management Agency to take immediate action against indiscriminate dumping of refuse along Atiku Abubakar Way, which has blocked drainage causing flooding in the area.

The union in the communique called on the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to henceforth enforce the law, arrest and prosecute drivers, who drive against traffic (wrong way drive) as the ugly development always cause road crashes.

“Congress called on the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Motor Traffic Division of the Nigeria Police and other authorities involved in traffic management to arrest and prosecute motorists who drive against the traffic as the ugly development has often resulted in accidents and injuries.

“Congress also noted that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, has shortchanged oil producing communities in Akwa Ibom State by not remitting the funds generated from fines from gas flaring in the affected communities to them directly, as enshrined in the Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. Congress, therefore, urged NUPRC to henceforth start paying gas flaring fines to the affected communities.”

The communique further called on the Nigeria Police Force Akwa Ibom Command and other security agencies in the state to step up their surveillance and come up with measures to arrest the increasing cases of phone theft in Uyo metropolis.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/nuj-withdraws-members-covering-akwa-ibom-house-of-assembly/

The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, has urged the election petition tribunals to declare unelected candidates with fake certificates.

Amadi claimed that the nation is dying under the weight of fake certificates being paraded by politicians, including professors, lawyers and doctors.

He argued that it is in the national interest to remove from office any person who forged any certificate.

In a post via his Twitter handle on Wednesday, the social critic insisted that the court has a duty to protect public ethics.

He wrote, “Fake Certificates and National Survival.

“Nigeria is dying under the weight of fake certificates by professors, lawyers, doctors, politicians, etc.

“The least any tribunal, including PEPT, can do is to declare unelected any candidate with any fake certificate, in Lagos, Enugu, Oyo, etc.

“No nation- in Europe, Asia or America ever developed with pervasive certificate fakery. It is actually in national interest to remove from office any person- no matter how illustrious or well meaning, who forged any certificate. The court has a duty to protect public ethics .
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/remove-politicians-with-fake-certificates-amadi-urges-tribunals/

A chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Buba Galadima, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Mahmood Yakubu.

Galadima said Yakubu allegedly conspired with some politicians to subvert the will of Nigerians during the last presidential election.

Speaking with Channels Television on Tuesday, Galadima said what Yakubu did was more than what the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Godwin Emefiele, did before he was sacked.

He stressed that the INEC boss committed more crimes than Emefiele.

According to Galadima: “The INEC chairman must go, what he did is more than what Godwin Emefiele did.

“He colluded with some people to subvert the will of Nigerians. He committed the greatest crime anybody will commit.”

Yakubu was accused of compromising the 2023 presidential election.

Some political stakeholders had accused the INEC chairman of manipulating the 2023 presidential election in favour of Tinubu.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/inec-chair-yakubu-should-be-sacked-he-committed-more-crimes-than-emefiele-buba-galadima-to-tinubu/

Shehu Sani, a socio-political commentator has mocked former President Muhammadu Buhari after he reportedly pleaded not to be probed by his successor.

Sani said Buhari was allergic to being probed and blamed after he did the same to his predecessor.

The former Kaduna Central Senator recalled that Buhari blamed the previous administration for Nigeria’s problems while he was in office.

Tweeting, Sani wrote: “They arrogantly oppressed, dispossessed, and killed the poor and the innocent and without remorse seek divine blessings for their injustice and inequity.

“Buhari probed and blamed all the ills and vices of this country on the previous administrations but he is allergic to being probed and blamed.”

There are claims that Tinubu had assured Buhari that he won’t probe him and his close aides.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/he-is-allergic-to-probe-shehu-sani-mocks-buhari-over-reported-agreement-with-tinubu/

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has dismissed an audio message circulating on social media asking residents of the southeast to observe a one-week sit-at-home from July 3 to 10.

The sit-at-home order, purported to have come from IPOB, with the tag #FreeNnamdiKanu, is aimed at forcing the Federal Government to release Nnamdi Kanu, who has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The audio message claimed that there will be dire consequences for anyone who ventures out on the said dates.

But the media and publicity secretary of IPOB, Mr Emma Powerful, told DAILY POST upon enquiry on Wednesday, that the audio message was not from his group.

“You must know whom madness sit-at-home is, and the criminal who is illegally destroying our land.

“I will issue an official press release against it in two to three days to the date declared in the audio, but for now, the leadership (of IPOB) has asked me not to give it attention or attraction,” he said.

IPOB had first declared every Monday a sit-at-home day in the South East, as a way to compel the Federal Government to release its leader Kanu, but later canceled it, upon plea that the exercise was taking a toll on the economy of the region.

However, since its cancelation, some hoodlums have continued to enforce it, making many to compulsorily sit at home every Monday, despite IPOB’s assurances.

A factional leader of the group, Simon Ekpa, who is based in Finland, has continually supported the Monday exercise, and even threatened governors of Anambra and Enugu, Prof Chukwuma Soludo and Mr Peter Mbah respectively, who had spoken and cancelled the exercise in their states.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/ipob-dismisses-rumour-of-week-long-sit-at-home-in-south-east/

Ohanaeze Ndigbo explained on Wednesday why President Bola Tinubu would hearken to the cries of the Southeast.

The apex Igbo social-cultural association said Tinubu would listen to the Southeast when governors from the region and Igbo leaders support him.

This is according to Okechukwu Isiguzoro, a factional Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, who asserted that Igbo leaders pushing Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, to unseat Tinubu will fail.

Isiguzoro charged them to withdraw their support from Obi and extend it to Tinubu.

Speaking with DAILY POST, Isiguzoro said: “The Southeast governors should openly declare their support and work with Tinubu, irrespective of party affiliation.

“Those of them supporting Peter Obi should renounce it and openly declare for Tinubu because what we have seen is that the ruling party has two states, APGA has one state, and the Labour Party and PDP have one state each in the Southeast.

“So, at this point, they should declare their open support for Tinubu. These are the things that would make Tinubu listen to the pleas of the Southeast.

“Those Ohanaeze and Igbo elders hiding under Peter Obi and pushing him to unseat Tinubu will never succeed; no power on earth can unseat Tinubu. We will ensure that all those unrepentant elders are made to support and work with Tinubu.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/tinubull-listen-to-igbos-if-we-support-him-ohanaeze/

Simon Ekpa, a popular Biafra agitator and Separatist, has cautioned the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomery, against fueling conflict in the Southeast.

Ekpa, the Finland-based lawyer and Prime Minister of the Biafra Republic Government in Exile, disclosed on Wednesday through his official Twitter handle.

Montgomery, through his official Twitter handle, wrote on Wednesday, “It was an honour & pleasure to meet Governor Peter Mbah in Enugu, especially to discuss better collaboration on attracting investment, boosting trade and creating more economic opportunities. Lots of ideas to follow up”.

However, Ekpa told Montgomery he could not discuss investment in a conflict zone.

According to him, some of the activities of the British High Commission may be fueling conflicts in the southeast region.

He cautioned Montgomery against disrupting the call for a Biafra referendum.

Ekpa added that supporting the self-referendum of Biafra is supporting lasting peace in the region.

“You are talking about investment in a conflict zone? Are you aware that Biafrans are fighting for an independent state? Your activities with the government will definitely fuel the crises.

“Some of you are benefiting from the conflict. You come to Africa to fuel crises while you enjoy democracy in the UK. Are you not aware that Enugu state is Biafra, and people are sitting at home demanding the release of a UK citizen Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous people of Biafra, who is illegally being detained by Nigeria state? Did they kidnap him from Kenya? In your country, the UK. Do you listen to your citizens, or do the citizens listen to you?

“Through this medium, we, the Biafra people, caution you to desist from fuelling conflict in the South East. There is no way you can have an investment in Biafra territory with the current conflict”, he wrote.

Ekpa’s reaction comes against Montgomery’s meeting with the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, on Tuesday.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/ekpa-cautions-british-high-commissioner-montgomery-against-fueling-conflict-in-southeast/

Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has given reasons why he decided to set up a judicial panel of inquiry to recover allegedly stolen government property from people who served in the previous administration.

Otti recently set up a panel charged with recovering the property in the state.

Justice Florence Ikwuoma Duruoha-Igwe of the State High Court Umuahia was named the chairman of the panel.

Other members of the panel are Prof Ursula Ngozi Akanwa, Mazi Ugochukwu Okoroafor and Rev Fr Alex Okonkwo and Prof Ogwo Ekeoma Ogwo.

However, in a tweet via his Twitter handle on Wednesday morning, Otti said he decided to set up a panel to recover the state’s assets because of large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former government officials.

Otti tweeted, “Honored to inaugurate the Judicial Panel focused on the recovery of Abia State’s assets.

“Ordinarily, the desire of this administration would have been to focus on the business of governance and the delivery of the dividend of democracy without resorting to any form of inquiry into past deeds.

“However, in response to large-scale allegations of misuse and misappropriation of public resources by former officials. A very hostile handover with many assets inaccessible and operations starting from ground zero. Emphasizes the need for inquiry and accountability, as advocated by our citizens.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/why-i-set-up-panel-to-recover-stolen-abia-govt-property-alex-otti/

The United Kingdom’s controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda will cost £169,000 ($210,000) per person, according to an impact assessment published Tuesday, although the government insisted it would recoup most of the costs.

The UK’s Conservative government has made tackling immigration a priority, and it was a key promise as the country left the European Union.

It wants to outlaw asylum claims by all irregular arrivals and transfer them to “safe” third countries, such as Rwanda, to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.

The government said up to £165,000 could be recouped due to saved costs from reduced asylum support.

London also hopes the programme will act as a deterrent.

The government has highlighted the cost of housing asylum seekers while their claims are being processed, as it attempts to win support for the bill in Parliament.

The interior ministry assessment shows that the initial cost of sending an individual to a third country will be around £169,000 — including a £105,000 payment to the third country, along with flight tickets and administration costs.

But it also predicted an estimated saving in costs over four years of £106,000 for each asylum seeker removed to Rwanda or another third country.

This could rise to £165,000 if accommodation costs grow at the trend rate that has been observed since 2019, it added.

The assessment warned that the figures were “highly uncertain”, and said the plan would need to deter around 37 per cent of small boat crossings for the costs to be recouped.

Beyond the cost, the proposed law — which is currently being debated in parliament — has come under fire over the potential treatment of asylum seekers in Rwanda.

“If enacted in its current form, the bill would leave tens of thousands of refugees unable to access the protection they are entitled to under international law,” said Enver Solomon, head of the Refugee Council.

“It would cause hardship, cost billions of pounds, and do nothing to alleviate the current crisis and pressures within the asylum system.”

The Rwanda plan, announced by then-prime minister Boris Johnson last year, was blocked at the last minute by the European Court of Human Rights, which is separate to the EU.

The government scheme is still mired in legal challenges. To date, no deportation flights to Rwanda have taken place.

Judges in London will hand down their judgment on the legality of the scheme on Thursday.

Rights groups accuse Rwanda — ruled with an iron fist by President Paul Kagame since the end of the 1994 genocide that killed around 800,000 people — of cracking down on free speech and opposition.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/sending-asylum-seekers-to-rwanda-will-cost-uk-169000-per-person/

Nigeria’s decision to eliminate fuel subsidies has had a significant impact, resulting in the collapse of a thriving black market in West African nations. This informal sector, which played a central role in the region’s economic activity, has been disrupted as the price of cheap contraband Premium Motor Spirit, better known as petrol, from Nigeria suddenly doubled.

In a report on Monday, American news platform, Reuters, noted that black market fuel vendors and commercial drivers in Cameroon, Benin and Togo, who heavily relied on smuggled petrol from Nigeria, have witnessed their businesses crumble since the subsidy removal. As fuel supplies dwindle, long queues have formed at official petrol stations, where prices are now competitive.

In Garoua, a town in North-West Cameroon near the Nigerian border, the cost of a litre of petrol on the black market used to be around 300 CFA francs (about $0.48) but it has skyrocketed to a minimum of 600 CFA francs, causing dissatisfaction among customers who perceive the high prices as unjustified.

The repercussions extend to commercial motorcycles, or okada, leading to conflicts between hand-to-mouth riders and customers demanding low fares, regardless of the circumstances.

Ousmanou Mal Djoulde, a rider in Garoua, has been forced to more than double his fares, resulting in many customers refusing to pay and business becoming painfully slow, Reuters reported.

The trade in black market fuel holds such significance in the local economy that authorities either turn a blind eye or are complicit. A Reuters reporter in Garoua observed a Cameroonian customs officer seated on a motorcycle being refuelled with smuggled Nigerian petrol.

According to Reuters, Benin and Togo, neighbouring nations to the west of Nigeria, have also witnessed a decline in supplies and customers for contraband fuel vendors, while official petrol stations have experienced a sudden surge in activity. At the Hilacondji border crossing between Togo and Benin, some black market fuel stalls have closed, leaving vendors waiting with empty containers for potential deliveries.

In the absence of improvements, some individuals have sought alternative livelihoods such as fishing or engaging in other small businesses. The closure of informal fuel depots has left previously employed individuals without work, adding to the unemployment rate.

According to the United Nations, over 80% of employment in Africa is in the informal sector, making it a crucial driver of economic activity. In Cotonou, the commercial capital of Benin, located about 60 km from Nigeria, long queues have formed at official petrol stations, and some have struggled to meet the sudden surge in demand, particularly from commercial motorcyclist, locally known as “zemidjan.”

A worker at the JNP fuel station in Cotonou, named Janvier, reported that their daily sales have increased from around 2,000 litres to up to 7,000 litres. However, the heightened demand has caused supply shortages, forcing them to turn away customers.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/vibrant-west-africas-fuel-black-market-collapses-on-nigerias-subsidy-removal/

The newly appointed service chiefs have promised to respect human rights while discharging their constitutional mandates.

This is as they promised to rid the country of the insecurity bedevilling it.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa, stated this on behalf of other service chiefs when they visited the Ministry of Defence in Abuja on Monday.

However, Musa said the Armed forces under his watch would go about their duties professionally with respect for human rights.

He urged the citizens to see the Armed forces as theirs.

Musa said, “To the civilians, the Armed forces are for you and we will do whatever it takes to ensure Nigeria thrives.

“We are committed to what we have been tasked to do. While doing this, we are going to respect human rights. We can assure you that we are going to be very professional in our approach.

“We assure you all that we are here and we are committed to ensuring that we achieve the mandate of the president.”

He said, “We want Nigeria to be peaceful. We grew up when Nigeria was peaceful and we know what it looks like and we want to ensure that our children will be proud of the country during our time.”

Speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Ibrahim Kana, said that as part of the efforts to reform the military, the immediate past government approved the establishment of Octagon.

Kana said, “The MOD has developed activities to key into the affairs of the new government, specifically the reform of the armed forces, which the past government approved and we have commenced implementation.

“One of them is the establishment of Octagon; you know, in America, we have the Pentagon. In Nigeria, our leaders that came together chose Octagon, a situation where civilians and military work hand in hand to see to the provision of security to the nation.”

He also said the military would support the Federal Government to ensure the growth of the economy.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/new-service-chiefs-vow-to-respect-human-rights-end-insecurity/

Oil-rich Gabon will hold presidential, legislative and local elections on August 26, the West African country said Tuesday, with President Ali Bongo Ondimba’s strong favourite to win against a divided opposition.

Bongo has not yet said whether he will stand again, but he is widely expected to run for re-election.

His powerful Gabonese Democratic Party holds strong majorities in both houses of parliament.

Bongo, 64, took over from his father, Omar Bongo Ondimba, the country’s ruler for 41 years, in 2009.

The president was narrowly re-elected in 2016, with just 5,500 more votes than rival Jean Ping who claimed the election had been fixed.

Bongo suffered a stroke in 2018 and spent months on the sidelines recovering, leaving the opposition to question his fitness to run the nation.

The Bongo family has ruled the country for 55 years already and is branded a “dynastic power” by the opposition.

But the opposition has failed to agree on a single candidate for the presidential election, leaving some 15 candidates to announce their intentions to stand.

In April, the Gabonese parliament voted to amend the constitution and reduce the president’s term from seven to five years.

The amendments bring all mandates into line at five years and make all elections single-round ballots again after the last changes to the constitution in 2018 set up two rounds of voting.

– Wealthy –Gabon is one of the richest countries in Africa in terms of per capita GDP due largely to its oil, timber and manganese, and its relatively small population of 2.3 million.

It is among the leading producers of black gold in sub-Saharan Africa, which represents 38.5 per cent of its GDP, and 70.5 per cent of its export revenues.

In January, President Bongo announced a change of prime minister, appointing Alain-Claude Bilie-By-Nze to form a government.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/gabon-to-hold-elections-on-august-26/

A party chieftain and member of the dissolved Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State, Iyke Ejie, has thrown his weight behind the proposed defection of former Governor Nyesom Wike to the ruling All Progressives Congress to take charge of party affairs in Rivers State.

Ejie also urged Nigerians to ignore the statement credited to the former House of Representatives member, Austin Wokocha, that the ex-governor Wike didn’t work for the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the state.

The PUNCH reported that Wokocha has faulted the call made by a former Chief of Staff, Tony Okocha, for Wike to cross over and lead the APC in the state, following speculations that the ex-governor is weighing his options.

Wokocha, a former Commissioner for Power, frowned at the move, saying Wike is unfit to lead the opposition party in the state and did not campaign for President Bola Tinubu as speculated.

But Ejie dismissed Wokocha’s claim as untrue and baseless.

“If not for Wike’s support, the APC wouldn’t have won in the state. When the chips were down, the governor threw his weight behind Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who had more political spread and acceptability.

“Remember, he led the G-5 governors who stood by equity, fairness and inclusiveness and insisted on a president from the southern extraction who, against all odds, delivered President Tinubu, which Mr President himself acknowledged when he came to Rivers State for a ‘thank you’ visit.

“Let me state without mincing words, the public should disregard those acclaimed Rivers State APC leaders feckless press statement against the real and authentic Rivers APC members led by Chief Tony Okocha, who fought; campaigned for Asiwaju’s victory. While some elements who acted as moles within the APC were working for Mr Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Sen. Magnus Ngei Abe against Asiwaju’s victory,” he said.

Continuing, he added, “Let me state without equivocation that Wike delivered Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is from the Southern region, in line with his resolve and that of the G-5 governors for power shift to the South. The fact remains that Chief Tony Okocha is the leader of APC in Rivers State and I reiterate the call for Wike to join the APC in Rivers State and lead us because he is a man with vision and can be trusted. It is his constitutional right to belong to a party of his choice.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/defection-rumour-tinubus-campaign-member-backs-wike-to-lead-rivers-apc/

OtownGist Media has unveiled a strong list of speakers for the 30th June, Social Media Day Event.

The virtual event which is tagged ‘The Future and Finance of Contemporary Media’ is designed to help media outfits find alternative sources of audience and finance.

Chinedu Hardy Nwadike the founder of OtownGist and President of Imo State Bloggers Association said that the event is timely and there is need to put an end to the dwindling fortunes of contemporary media outfits in Imo State especially. 

Chinedu alo stated that the speakers at the event are experienced in the modules they will be handling, adding that solving the problem of the media in the state requires collective efforts.

On-Air personality and comedian Esiri Grant popularly known as MC Ominimini will be one of the speakers at the three hours Zoom event.

MC Ominimini who is also the founder of RayGrant Media Consult will be speaking on how to optimize thelocal adverts with social media followers.

Digital storyteller, Chidera Rosecamille Aneke popularly known as Certified Camille is another broadcast journalist on the list, she will be speaking on how to create alternative contents for social media in media houses.

John Okoye, the CEO of Brainslink Nigeria Company will moderate the event while Chinedu Hardy Nwadike will also be one of the speakers at the event.

The 3 hours virtual event will be running between 1:00PM and 4:00pm on June 30, 2023.

Registration link for the event is www.tinyurl.com/socialday2023 .
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/ominimin-certified-camille-john-okoye-named-for-otowngists-social-media-day-webinar/

Former Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State, Collins Opuruzor who recently resigned and dump his party with six other exco members, has revealed that more trouble times await the party.

He claimed that about 90 percent of members of the party are plotting to sabotage and deprive the governorship candidate, senator Samuel Anyanwu his victory in the scheduled November, 11 election in the State.

Opuruzor who is also the spokesperson of the G-7 that resigned from PDP disclosed in a statement on Sunday that the PDP governorship candidate who is also the party’s National scribe has destroyed the party in the State prompting the mass exit of its members.

The ex PDP information officer has also waved of the thought of his rescinding his decision of returning to the party,insisting rather that he prefers settling down with the All Progressives Congress(APC) . More over, he claimed that his former party has become a “theatre of violence” where thuggery is the order of the day.

He said “Today, over ninety percent of PDP members in Imo state are getting set to sabotage their party at the polls in November. There is no leadership, and Senator Samuel Anyanwu has no capacity to provide one. There is no cohesion.

“There is no more political party in the real sense. And the situation cannot be remedied, because everyone knows that Senator Anyanwu is the greatest kingpin of party sabotage and brazen anti-party activities.

“Preliminary report of the party’s reconciliation committee has shown that the internal contradictions within the party are irreconcilable, and that the law of sowing and reaping is still effective in the affairs of men.

“I find it compelling to respond to certain unfounded insinuation that, perhaps, I am under pressure to rescind my resignation and return to the PDP after my defection to the APC. Peddlers of this misinformation, I rebuke you by the Blood of the Lamb!

“What is further baffling is the moonlight tale, that certain senior members of my former party have elected to mobilize resources to ensure my return. I totally dissociate myself from such idle talks. If there were actually persons championing such an impossible task, the task remains impossible and their motive remains known to themselves alone”. Opuruzor said.

He added ” To be clear, my decision to exit the PDP is unyielding and irreversible. It was reached after a dispassionate analysis of the situation in Imo PDP and the state at large. And far from being driven by immediate personal gains, the ultimate goal is to contribute to building the Imo of my dreams through direct participation in the process of governance.

“Moreover, while in office as Imo PDP Spokesman, I was confronted with the moral burden of defending a system which I knew was unjust, decayed and dysfunctional, and by far worse than the system which I ought to oppose. Pretense is not an index of integrity, but sincerity is. I had to walk away. And I am glad I did.

“Imo PDP has become a theater of violence, primitive cruelty and tyrannical display of nake power, even when their unelectable governorship candidate keeps sloganeering about “making Imo safe again”! What an irony!
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/imo-guber-90-percent-pdp-members-set-to-sabotage-anyanwu/

The tallying of results is continuing in Sierra Leone two days after the general election.

It's not clear who is leading in the presidential race between President Julius Maada Bio and his main contender Samura Kamara, but both sides have already said that they won the poll.

Election observers have urged them to remain calm and wait for the official results. But there are worries that no results have been announced.

The European Union mission urged the electoral commission to provide "full transparency during the tabulation of results" to ease tensions.

The Carter Center also expressed concern over "reports indicating a lack of transparency during parts of the tabulation process", the AFP news agency quotes it as saying.

The winner of the election must secure 55% of the valid votes cast, otherwise there will be a run-off between the top two candidates two weeks after the announcement of the results.

A lot is at stake as the West African country faces many issues including a worsening cost-of-living crisis, poverty and massive unemployment.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/both-sides-claim-victory-in-sierra-leone-poll/

Ahead of the November 2023 gubernatorial election in Imo State, the Labour Party, LP, has insisted that Senator Athan Nneji Achonu, remains its flag bearer.

The clarification came on the heels of a purported ruling of a Federal High Court Sitting in Bayelsa, declaring Chief Ukaegbu Ikechukwu Joseph (Ikenga) as the authentic candidate of the party for the poll.

In the said ruling, Justice Emmanuel Akko upheld the party primaries, conducted under the leadership of the factional chairman of the party, Alhaji Lamidi Bashiru Apapa, on April 16, 2023, adding that the National Chairman, Julius Abure was “restrained by the FCT High Court from parading himself as National Officer of the Labour Party, LP on April 5, 2023, over criminality, bordering on forgery, perjury and criminal conspiracy with financial malfeasance.”

The court ruled that the primary election conducted by Julius Abure and Umar Farouk Ibrahim on April 15, 2023, was “null and void alongside the candidates that emerged from such illegality, which constituted contempt of the FCT High Court Restraining Order.”

However, reacting to the ruling, Imo Chief Chime Nzeribe, the campaign Director General of the Imo Labour Party gubernatorial candidate, assured Imolites and the public to “ignore the laughable insinuations and misinformation that a court in Bayelsa affirmed one Joseph Ukegbu as the Labour Party gubernatorial candidate.”
https://www.otowngist.com/?p=178509

The journey of nine residents of Amangwo Olokoro community in Umuahia, Imo State travelling to Enugu for burial on Saturday was cut short by gunmen who hijacked their vehicle at Imo axis of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway.

The gunmen subsequently diverted the Sienna bus of the travelers far into bush in Arondizuogu area of Imo State where they killed two of them and robbed others of their valuables.

One of the passengers, identified himself simply as Francis narrated his ordeal and that of his co-travelers in the hands of the gunmen to NAN on Sunday.

He said, “We were travelling to Enugu for a burial and when we got close to Arondizuogu Junction, we saw a group of heavily armed men and they asked us to park.

“One of us in the vehicle asked them ‘why do you ask us to park and pointing your guns at us, do you know who I am?’.

“Then one of the hoodlums said, ‘now oga you will prove to us whom you are’.

“They ordered us out of the vehicle and asked us to sit on the ground and pull off our shirts with which they blindfolded us.

“From there, they started beating the man that made the comment with machete,” Francis said.

He said that when they got into the hamlet, residents “were watching us as if they are watching a video.

“When we alighted from the vehicle, their leader asked about the man that made the comment and they pointed at him.

“They brought him out, and barely three steps away from us, they shot him dead.

“Another man with us, who saw what happened and attempted to escape was rushed and also shot dead,” Francis said.

According to him, they seized the two corpses.

He said that the hoodlums were not fewer than 50 in their hideout, with 20 of them heavily armed.

“And the funniest part of it was that these men were speaking our own language.

“They told us that Umuahia people are ‘sabo to them’, that they asked us not to vote in the last election and we went out to vote.

“That they declared Mondays sit-at-home and we are not obeying them.

“That any Umuahia person they got around here will get it hot.

“Then they asked us to say our last prayers,” Francis said.

He said that as they were praying, they were being moved into one of the three new Hummer Buses in the hideout and taken to where they eventually loaded them back into their Sienna Bus and led to the tarred road.

“At that point they asked whether we can find our way out and we said no and they told the driver to go straight.

“They said we should go and tell Umuahia people what we saw.

“That was how we found ourselves back to Umuahia,” he said.

Francis said that valuables collected from them, included cash and cell phones.

Meanwhile, the deceased persons were identified as Chukwuemeka Nwachukwu, a pastor, who passed a comment after they were flagged down, and the Village Youth Leader, Ifeanyi Onwunkwe, who attempted to escape.

A journalist from the community said on the condition of anonymity that “the sad incident has thrown the area into mourning”.

Attempt made to get a confirmation of the attack from the Imo Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Henry Okoye, was unsuccessful as phone calls made to him failed to connect.

However, a senior police officer at the Abia Police Command claimed to be aware of the incident but said that “formal entry” had yet to be made.

“I am aware of the Saturday attack but you know the incident happened in Imo.

“So, as we speak, nobody has made any formal entry here,” the source said.

(NAN)
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/how-rampaging-imo-gunmen-abducted-9-passengers-killed-2/

Kenya's President William Ruto has signed into law his government's first finance bill, which seeks to boost revenue through raising taxes on a number of items.

One of the most controversial changes approved by parliament last week was the doubling of value-added tax to be charged on fuel - it's rising from 8% to 16%.

Employees will also hand over 1.5% of their gross pay for a housing levy that will go into a fund that will then pay to build homes for low-income people.

President Ruto, who was elected last year, has said that the government needs more money in order to be able to pay off the debts racked up under the presidency of his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.

But the opposition have said they would call for protests if the tax rises came into effect.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/ruto-signs-kenyas-controversial-tax-hikes-into-law/

Soldiers have surrounded the headquarters of the main opposition party in Sierra Leone, as votes are counted in the country's presidential election.

The leader of the All People's Congress, Samura Kamara, said live ammunition was fired into the building as he held a news conference.

He said it amounted to an assassination attempt.

Clouds of tear gas shrouded the building.

It's unclear why truckloads of troops were deployed.

The police have not yet commented on the incident.

The opposition is hoping to unseat President Julius Maada Bio, who's standing for a second term in office.

There was sporadic violence against election officials during the vote on Saturday after a tense campaign.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/sierra-leone-police-open-fire-at-opposition-hq/

A coalition of South-East youth leaders has asked Fulani herdsmen to vacate farmlands in the Assa community in the Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area of Imo State, which they have allegedly been occupying and destroying since March.

A statement issued by the group on Saturday, endorsed by Goodluck Ibem, the group’s president General, gave the herders a two-day ultimatum to vacate the community.

The statement called for the immediate arrest of the herders and the payment of adequate compensation to farm owners.

The statement said that open grazing had been banned in the country, regretting the economic losses the herders had caused the community residents.

The statement read, “The attention of the Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, the apex sociopolitical youth group in the South East geopolitical zone has been drawn to the unlawful occupation and destruction of farmlands in Obasa Assa Community in the Ohaji/Egbeme Local Government Area of Imo State by Fulani herdsmen with their cattle whose wicked activities have brought great famine on the people as their crops have been eating up by the cows while also sending the community parking from their ancestral homes and community.

“The issue of open grazing has been banned for a long time and anyone or group of persons still involved in such outdated practise is on a wicked mission to take the ancestral lands of the community they are staying in.

“The cattle they are moving around with is just a smokescreen to cover their real wicked intentions.

“What are those terrorists parading as Fulani herdsmen doing with AK47 rifles and other dangerous weapons if not to kill, rape and sack the community they are staying in. This madness must stop immediately.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/youths-order-fulani-herdsmen-to-vacate-imo-community/

Famous Nigerian singer, Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, snagged the “Best International Act” award at the 2023 BET Awards held on Sunday night in Los Angeles, United States of America.

The ‘Last Last’ crooner defeated French singer, Aya Nakamura, British superstars, Ella Mai, Stormzy, and Central Cee, and his compatriot, Ayra Starr to clinch the award.

With his victory, Burna Boy extended his record as the most awarded person in the BET Awards’ “Best International Act” category (4).

DAILY POST recalls that Burna Boy won the award for three consecutive years (2019, 2020 and 2021).

Since the creation of the BET Awards’ “Best International Act” in 2018, the category has been exclusively won by Nigerians, with Davido being the maiden winner.

Rising Nigerian music star, Tems won the “Best International Act” last year.

Meanwhile, Nigerian singer, Asake lost the “Best New International” award to Cameroonian star, Libianca last night.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/bet-awards-burna-boy-named-best-international-act-for-record-fourth-time/

A federal high court in Bayelsa has affirmed Ikechukwu Ukaegbu as the governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Imo state, for the forthcoming off-cycle election.

The election is slated to hold on November 11.

Delivering ruling on Friday, Emma Akko, the presiding judge, said Ukaegbu also known as Ikenga, is the rightful candidate having won the gubernatorial ticket in the primaries conducted by the Lamidi Apapa constituted electoral panel in the state on April 16.

Akko said the primaries conducted by the Julius Abure-led faction of the LP in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states were unlawful and and illegal.

He added that the primaries were conducted at the time Abure was restrained by a court from parading himself as the party national chairman.

The court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately upload names of candidates who emerged through “valid primaries” conducted in Imo, Bayelsa and Kogi states.

Nze Akujobi, Imo state chairman of the LP, hailed the court’s judgememt and described it as a true reflection of the will of the party.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/imo-guber-court-reaffirms-ikechukwu-ukaegbu-as-lp-candidate/

A 25-year-old cattle rearer, Mohammed Abubakar, has been arraigned at a Magistrate Court in Ilọrin, the Kwara State capital for allegedly inflicting bodily injury on a girl, Mohammed Aisha, over sex.

He was brought to court on two counts of causing grievous hurt and attempting to commit culpable homicide.

The offences contravened sections 246 and 299 of the penal code law of Kwara state.

According to the police’s first information report, the case was reported at Lafiagi Police Station by the Medical Director, General Hospital, Lafiagi, Dr. S.K Suleiman.

The charge sheet quoted Dr Suleiman that “The victim was brought for treatment where she narrated that she went to bush in searching for Shea butter with her two sisters Hassana and Adishetu.

The police told the court that “investigation revealed that the suspect demanded to have sex with the victim and her two younger sisters but they refused and ran for safety.

“But he (suspect) chased them and matcheted the suspect severely on her head in the process.”

The Police Prosecutor, Ayeni Gbenga, said the investigation on the case was yet to be completed and therefore urged the court not to grant the accused person bail.

In her ruling, Magistrate Gbadeyan Kamson ordered the remand of the suspect and adjourned to July 10, 2023.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/kwara-herder-hacks-girl-with-cutlass-over-sex/

Enormous crowds of worshippers thronged Mecca, Islam’s holiest city, on Friday for the biggest hajj pilgrimage in years, with more than two million expected to brave the scorching Saudi Arabian heat.

Pilgrims in white robes and sandals packed the ancient city, now dotted with luxury hotels and air-conditioned shopping malls, after flooding in on planes, buses, and trains for the annual rites.

This year’s hajj – one of the world’s biggest annual religious gatherings, with a tragic history of stampedes and other disasters – could break attendance records, officials said.

“As the hajj draws near, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prepares… for the largest Islamic gathering in history,” Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah said in a video published by the ministry this week.

Rites include circling the Kaaba, the large black cube in Mecca’s Grand Mosque, praying on Mount Arafat and “stoning the devil” by throwing pebbles at three giant concrete walls representing Satan.

More than two million people from more than 160 countries will attend, Rabiah said – a dramatic increase on the 926,000 from last year, when numbers were capped at one million post-pandemic.

In 2019, about 2.5 million people took part. Only 10,000 were allowed in 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, rising to nearly 59,000 a year later.

The hajj is among the five pillars of Islam and must be undertaken by all Muslims with the means at least once in their lives.

– ‘Unbelievable feeling’ –

Travellers from around the world have been pouring into Jeddah’s modernised airport, some of them using streamlined visa services to disembark from planes straight onto buses to their accommodation.

Some 24,000 buses will be in service to ferry the pilgrims, as well as 17 trains capable of moving 72,000 people every hour, officials said.

“It is an unbelievable feeling that is very emotional,” Souad bin Oueis, a 60-year-old Moroccan pilgrim, told AFP after arriving on her first visit to Saudi Arabia along with her husband.

This hajj will be the biggest since the requirement for women to be accompanied by male guardians was dropped in 2021.

This year, the maximum age limit has also been scrapped, meaning thousands of elderly will be among those contending with Saudi summer temperatures that are expected to reach 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit).

Mecca pilgrimages are a major source of income for Saudi Arabia, which is embarking on an ambitious plan to overhaul its largely oil-dependent economy. The hajj and year-round umrah rituals generate an estimated $12 billion annually.

An expansion project that involves scaling up infrastructure and transport supporting Mecca and Medina, where two of Islam’s holiest sites are located, is a key part of the economic plan as the kingdom looks to increase visitor numbers.

This year’s summer timing for the hajj, which follows the lunar calendar, will test the endurance of worshippers during the four-day, mostly outdoor ritual.

More than 32,000 health workers will be on hand to help fend off heatstroke, dehydration and exhaustion.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/millions-arrive-in-saudi-for-hajj-amid-heat/

The American owners of English Premier League giants Chelsea on Thursday sealed a deal to take control of French Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg.

“This agreement marks a new chapter in the history of Strasbourg as the consortium is committed to accelerating sustainable investments in the growth of the club,” the BlueCo consortium said in a statement.“(This includes) the first team and in the academy, in the continuity of the project implemented by Marc Keller, who will remain chairman of the club, supported by his current management team.”

The consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly and US-based Clearlake Capital endured a torrid first year in charge of Chelsea.

They sacked managers Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter before a miserable end to the campaign under interim boss Frank Lampard.

Chelsea’s 12th-place finish was their worst since 1994 despite a spend of more than £500 million ($624 million) on new players in the new owners’ first two transfer windows.

They have since hired Mauricio Pochettino as their new coach.

Boehly is also the co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and the consortium also boasts shares in NBA heavyweights, the LA Lakers.

– ‘New dimension’ –Strasbourg endured their own struggles last season, finishing just two places and five points above the relegation zone.

They were an impressive sixth just 12 months earlier.

A source told AFP that the US consortium has bought almost all of the Strasbourg club shares.

However, he was unable to reveal the full value of the deal.

“It’s an important day for Strasbourg,” said Keller.

“We have built a healthy, well-managed club at all levels.

“But we were aware that we had reached the ceiling of our model, and that if we wanted to continue to advance the club into a new dimension, we had to be accompanied by a solid structure capable of supporting our development and our ambition.”

He added: “I therefore welcome a new strategic investor, with whom we will accelerate the club’s ambition to build the Strasbourg of tomorrow.”

A source at the club said there “will be no affiliation with Chelsea”.

“There will be a common shareholder but separate sports departments. There may be collaborations but that will not be the priority.”

Supporters had feared that Strasbourg, declared bankrupt in 2011 and demoted to the fifth division, would become just a farm team for Chelsea.

“The new majority shareholders are investing in Marc Keller’s project to give him the means to progress,” added the source.

“If Strasbourg does nothing, the club will drop in the hierarchy. We must therefore take preventive measures today to allow the club to maintain its place.”
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/chelsea-owners-buy-french-ligue-1-club-strasbourg/

The Norwegian Government has committed an additional $4.5 million in support of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation’s humanitarian activities in addressing the lingering crisis in the northeastern part of Nigeria.

The FAO Representative in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States, Fred Kafeero, stated during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding ceremony between the UN body and the Norwegian government in Abuja.

Kafeero said the support from the government of Norway has amounted to $24 million, since the beginning of the crisis and it has reached over 1,198,077 conflict-affected people at present and still counting.

According to him, since 2017, the government of Norway, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been generously contributing to rebuilding the lives and livelihoods of the most vulnerable communities in North-East Nigeria that are affected by the now over-a-decade-long conflict.

For the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan, Kafeero noted that FAO, being a key provider of livelihood support in the food security sector, has set a target of reaching two million people.

He said that currently, only 56,000 individuals have been reached.

“Moreover, an analysis of the funding trends reveals that only 3.4 out of 100 units of total funding allocated to the food security sector are directed towards livelihood interventions.

“While the funding is contributing towards improving food security in the North-East, the gap is still huge in meeting the needs of 3.7 million people who need livelihood assistance.”

The Ambassador of the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Nigeria, Knut Eiliv Lein, said the $4.5 million additional funding commitment made by the government was aimed at supporting agriculture and people impacted by the conflict.

“We had a three-year programme with the FAO that we renewed another three years last year and we increased funding to four and half million dollars”, Lein said.

The funding support is targeted at implementing an existing project aimed at scaling-up food security, nutrition and sustainable livelihoods in Borno, Adamawa, Yobe and Taraba.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/norway-commits-4-5m-to-food-security-in-nigeria/

The Federal Government on Friday stressed the importance of investment in the country’s transport infrastructure, saying it plays a vital role in any nation’s development and growth.

This is as it commissioned 130 newly acquired operational vehicles, which would assist the operations of the Federal Road Safety Corps in road safety management.

The operational vehicles comprise 97 patrol vehicles, 10 heavy-duty tow trucks, 15 flatbed tow trucks, five ambulances, one 56-seat staff bus and two coaster buses.

At the commissioning of FRSC operational vehicles in Abuja, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, said President Bola Tinubu is committed to transport infrastructure to enhance transformative growth.

Akume stated, “We have realised, among other things, that our resolve to make Nigeria, a veritable home for investors will not be achieved if this administration does not make the management of safety on our roads a topmost priority.

“Let me use this opportunity to reiterate President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to the provision of transport infrastructure.

“Mr. President believes that investment in transport infrastructure is a key determinant of performance in all other sectors since it plays a vital role in any nation’s development and growth process.

“Indeed, transport infrastructure encourages transformative economic impact.”

Akume noted that the commissioning of the 130 vehicles would improve the quality of the road safety management approach in Nigeria.

The SFG said, “The Federal Government is, therefore, in sync with this effort of FRSC and encourages other agencies of Government at all levels to develop similar resourceful ways to improve their work processes in the most cost-effective manner possible.

In his welcome address, the Corps Marshal, FRSC, Dauda Biu, pointed out that inadequate patrol, rescue and recovery logistics continue to hinder the ability of the Corps to perform optimally.

Biu noted, “Inadequate facilities continue to undermine our effective presence on the wide network of roads across the country, and the promptness with which we attend to rescue and clearance of obstruction needs on our roads.”

Expressing optimism, the Corps Marshal stated that the provision of the vehicles would surely beef up the operational capability of the corps, adding that its “corporate strategic goal for this year is to achieve 5% reduction in road traffic fatalities and traffic injuries in 2023 alone.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/fg-commissions-130-frsc-operational-vehicles/

The Nigeria Labour Congress, power distribution companies, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission are heading for a collision course over the planned hike in the tariffs payable by electricity consumers nationwide.

Although power distribution companies and the NERC have not officially confirmed the planned increase, the Multi-Year Tariff Order of the regulator, which explains tariff reviews in the sector indicates that electricity tariff is meant to be reviewed every six months.

This implies that the tariff being paid by power users currently, will be reviewed and a new tariff will take effect from July 1, 2023.

In reviewing the tariff, based on MYTO, the NERC considers various economic factors. They include inflation rate, foreign exchange rate, available power generation capacity, gas price, and, capital expenditure adjustment.

Operators project that the high rate of inflation, coupled with the recent floating of the naira against the dollar, among other factors, will lead to an estimated rise of about 40 per cent in electricity tariff by July 1, 2023, should the MYTO be implemented.

Reacting to this, the NLC, on Thursday said the plan to increase electricity tariff by 40 per cent by July 1 “was both insensitive and callous and reflects an organised indifference to the wellbeing of consumers, especially, the poor ones.”

NLC kicks

The NLC President, Joe Ajaero, stated that the massive increase was explained away as a response to the over 100 per cent increase in the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol.

“Details reveal a movement in inflation from 16.9 per cent to 22.41 per cent (threatening to needle at 30 per cent), and a shift in the exchange rate from N441 to N750 (per dollar).

“We believe that not even these figures are a justification for this reckless proposed tariff increase. The issue of capacity to pay and quality of service delivery is not only germane but superior to any rationalisation by market logic,” Ajaero stated in a statement from the labour union.

He also pointed out that the service providers in the power sector were performing far below expectations, and accused power distributors of hiking tariffs surreptitiously.

He added, “The service providers in spite of sundry support have not been able to meet the threshold of 5,000 megawatts. Coupled with this, there have been surreptitious increases without notice in violation of statutes.

“The inherent risk in the new regime of tariff is that there is no control, implying that by August, consumers will pay new rates. The other risk is that by the time other products or service-rendering entities come up with their new prices or rates, the ordinary person would have been compacted into dust.

“We would want to advise the apostles of the market who have called the NLC all sorts of names to check their conscience. The rate at which they are going is highly combative and combustible,” Ajaero stated.

He noted that with contemplation of payment of school fees in tertiary institutions and increases in privately-owned ones, in addition to other costs and tariffs on the way, “life in Nigeria could truly be Hobbesian.”

He said, “The market economies which the market fundamentalists seek to emulate, have in place socio-economic safeguards which we do not have. In light of this, our advice is that this proposed tariff hike should be shelved for our collective safety.”

NERC’s tariff adjustments

The NERC is responsible for regulating electricity tariffs in Nigeria, as it periodically reviews and adjusts this based on various factors such as inflation, exchange rates, gas prices, and the cost of operating the power sector.

It introduced the Multi-Year Tariff Order, which is aimed at ensuring cost-reflective tariffs in the Nigerian electricity market. Under the MYTO, electricity tariffs are scheduled to increase gradually over time to cover the actual cost of generating and distributing electricity.

The commission, for instance in its MYTO 2022, explained that in line with the subsisting MYTO methodology, some indices with potential impact on electricity rates were considered, adding that these indices would be reviewed every six months.

“These indices shall be reviewed every six months to update the tariffs with changes in the indices as applicable in line with the MYTO methodology,” the regulator stated in MYTO documents issued to Discos.
https://www.otowngist.com/2023/06/labour-discos-on-collision-course-over-electricity-tariff-hike/