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Nigerians have taken to social media to react to the viral video showing terrorists flogging the abducted passengers of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.
Using the hashtag #SaveAK9TrainPassengers, Nigerians are demanding the Federal government move in to rescue the abducted passengers.
Read the tweets below
Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has countered claims made by his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, in relation to the Muslim-Muslim ticket and what transpired between them in the build-up to the 2007 presidential elections.
Abubakar had in an interview with Arise TV on Friday morning claimed that he rejected Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 because he is opposed to fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the interest of the country’s unity.
“My fundamental disagreement and political departure with Asiwaju [Tinubu] since 2007 was due to the Muslim-Muslim ticket. Remember, I opted out of PDP because of zoning, and together with Asiwaju we formed ACN,” Abubakar said in the interview.
“Tinubu wanted to be my running mate when I was given the ACN presidential ticket in 2007, but I disagreed. And because of that, he switched his support to the late Umar Yaradua. That was the parting point.”
Tinubu, however, slammed the claim in a statement by his media aide Tunde Rahman on Saturday.
He accused Abubakar of demeaning himself by pandering to base prejudice at a moment Nigeria needs true leadership.
The statement read in part, “We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological.
“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.”
Tinubu explained that contrary to Abubakar’s position, he and the then Action Congress of Nigeria had helped him out in 2007 after he was frozen out by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and forced out of the PDP.
He said, “I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.
“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the vice presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.”
Read the full statement below:
PRESS STATEMENT
Atiku demeans himself, office he seeks by pandering to base prejudice at a moment Nigeria needs true leadership – Tinubu
All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, says all Nigerians should feel great pity and sadness for the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
In his desperate attempt to win the election by stoking religious bias, Atiku has reduced himself to uttering baseless lies on national television.
“We are saddened to see such a man become unhinged from the truth. So obsessed is he with his quest for office, Atiku is willing to render any form of untruth if he thinks it might gain him a single vote. Atiku may want to be president. However, all he has shown is that he is pathological,” the APC presidential candidate said in a statement on Sunday by his Media Office signed by Mr. Tunde Rahman.
“Whatever moral compass he had has been lost. During a 22 July television interview, Atiku assaulted historic truth by lying that he did not name Tinubu as his running mate in 2007 on the Action Congress ticket because Atiku did not want a Muslim as his running mate.”
Responding to the false account of PDP Presidential candidate, Tinubu set the record straight. He recalled that Atiku was not among those who founded the Action Congress.
“It was the actual founders of the AC who offered the party’s flag to Atiku because of the need to fight the authoritarian designs then President Obasanjo and the PDP had on Nigeria’s democracy.
“At that moment, Atiku had been unceremoniously pushed aside if not out of the PDP by Obasanjo. We needed to rally all forces to confront the one-party state Obasanjo had in mind. Atiku was simply a beneficiary of this collective duty to fight the attack on multi-party democracy the PDP had launched.
“I feel sorry for dear old Atiku. Love of his own ambition has eclipsed his relationship with the truth and an honest account of the past. We formed the AC without his knowledge. When President Obasanjo virtually exiled him from the PDP, we lent him our support by giving him the AC platform for the 2007 election.
“Let me say openly that Atiku offered me the vice presidential ticket in 2007. Let me also say that my religion has not changed. When he offered the position to me, I was a Muslim and I believe he was aware of my religious faith at the time.
“Atiku’s calculations and deceit had nothing to do with religion or his sensitivity to it. His conduct has everything to do with what we discovered about his paucity of character and love of intrigue.
“True to form, Atiku, fifteen years later, promised HE Governor Nyesom Wike the same thing this electoral season and similarly reneged. Governor Wike is a Christian.
“When it comes to intrigue, we can say that Atiku is without bias. He will attempt to lie and deceive both Christian and Muslim with equal vigour.
“Atiku has no business raising the issue of a Muslim-Muslim ticket except as a hypocrite. Perhaps he believes people have forgotten his antics during the 1993 election. After he woefully lost his bid to be the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, what did he do? He canvassed and lobbied harder than anyone to become the running mate to late Chief MKO Abiola. When it benefitted him personally, Atiku did not see anything wrong with Muslim-Muslim ticket. He saw everything right in such a ticket as long as he was on it.
“Now, Atiku criticizes my selection as running mate based on religion. He does so because he cannot criticize it on other grounds. If Atiku were to have one of his rare moments of honesty, he would admit that the person I selected as my running mate is more qualified for the position than the man who joined him. And this conclusion has nothing to do with religious faith. It has everything to do with competence, experience, ability, and vision.
“My running mate and I are here to build a more just and prosperous society for all Nigerians, be they Christian, Muslim or adherents of other faiths. It seems that Atiku is here trying to build an edifice of lies and call that the house into which Nigerians should walk and reside. He will fail in this sad attempt to trick an entire nation.
“Let me restate my position on religion and politics. When I decided that Senator Shettima was the best selection as my running mate, I listened to and weighed in serious balance the advice received from a broad and representative array of wonderful Nigerians who deeply care about this nation and the path it must go.
“Some people counselled that I should select a Christian to garner support of the Christian community. Some said I should select a Muslim for a similar reason. I clearly could not do both. Both positions had merit and right on their side. But neither position expressed what was most right and needed for the moment in which we find ourselves and the nation.
“All my life, the decisions regarding the team supporting me have always been guided by the principles of competence, innovation, compassion, integrity, fairness, and adherence to excellence. I was not going to depart from these principles at this important juncture. In fact, it was more important than ever before that I adhere to these principles.
“As Governor of Lagos State, these principles helped me assemble one of the most capable governing cabinets any state or this nation has seen. I trust in these principles to allow them to, once more, guide me to construct another exemplary team that can do Nigeria proud.
“In this crucial moment, where so much is at stake, we must prioritize leadership, competence, and the ability to work as a team over other considerations.
“This is the standard I will use to select the rest of my campaign team and if you elect me as your president when I staff my government. I will select the best people for the right jobs so that we can construct a better Nigeria now and for generations yet to come.”
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that most of his life accomplishments, including his emergence as both a military Head of State and President of Nigeria, have come by accident.
He noted that the only thing which was not an accident for him was farming.
Obasanjo’s eight-year civilian rule between 1999 and 2007 laid the foundation for the economic recession and political instability which the country is still grappling with.
His tight-fist and sit-tight leadership made him attempt a third term in office which was truncated by the National Assembly, opinion leaders and public outcry across the country.
Obasanjo was an ex-military Head of State before he was elected as a civilian President in 1999.
Apart from his stints as Nigeria’s leader, he is reputed for being passionate about farming and since the end of his second tenure in 2007, he has retired to his Obasanjo Farm in Ota, Ogun State.
While appearing on a live radio interview with Segun Odegbami in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Saturday, the former President said he was always proud to be addressed as a farmer.
The host of the show had asked Obasanjo to speak about what he termed his “romance with farming.”
He said, “I don’t like the word you used, “romance with farming.”. I am a farmer. What do you mean by romance? Everything I have done in my life is by accident. The only thing that is not accidental is farming. Every other thing that I’ve been is by accident. And you called that romance? No; What do you mean by romance?
“You know my beginning. I was born and bred in a village. I went to school by accident. My father just said, “Won’t you do something different?” So I went into farming.
“When you look at countries that have made it, they developed on agriculture. First, for the purpose of food security; second, for the purpose of processing what they get from their farms, which is the beginning of industrialisation. Third, to give it out as export, which is for the purpose of foreign exchange; and fourth, as a means of generating employment for the youth.”
Meanwhile, Obasanjo advised Nigerian youths to take over leadership positions right now.
Anambra State Governor, Prof. Charles Soludo has explained what his government will be doing with the N100 billion he is borrowing.
Speaking after assenting to the 2022 Revised appropriation budget of N170 billion on Friday July 22, Soludo said the loan would be used for critical infrastructural development particularly in building roads, bridges and others.
Signing the budget tagged “Building Off From The Blocks” at the Government House, Awka, the Governor said Anambra people cannot wait for results that would be achieved.
Promising that there will be absolute prudence in making sure Anambra gets value for the money that will be borrowed, he added that the whole amount won’t be spent this year.
The money according to Soludo, would be judiciously used to create wealth for the benefit of the people of the state.
Calling for stronger synergy between the legislative and other arms of government for greater Anambra, the Governor commended members of the House of Assembly for being diligent, responsible and responsive to their job as lawmakers and representatives of the people of Anambra State.
He said;
“The patriotic and responsive manner the budget was passed by the State House of Assembly was not only commendable but signalled the birth of a new partnership for a greater Anambra.”
Recounting how he said that N250 billion was estimated as the amount required to build critical infrastructure towards the realisation of the livable and prosperous homeland in the state that every Anambra person yearns for during his campaign, Soludo insisted that there’s no underhand dealings in signing the budget as the process was conducted with integrity, patriotism and responsiveness.
Lamenting that the resources at the government disposal are abysmally lean, the Governor said they had no option but to draw up multiple strategies including taking a look at the trajectory of expenditure, introducing prudence in spending, among others.
As part of the measures to improve government finances, Soludo said efforts are being made to digitize the Internally Generated Revenue of the state to eliminate leakages.
He specifically thanked the Speaker and the House members for understanding the exigencies to approve the planned loan.
The Governor said;
“I promised Ndi Anambra the money will be spent on critical infrastructure, particularly on roads, bridges, flyover, among other strategic places.
“I thank Ndi Anambra for their support and sacrifices through payment of their fair share of taxes and others. For people who have violated public order such as indiscriminate building of illegal structures, we say enough is enough. These are necessary, painful steps that we must take to rescue our state.”
Nigerians have started a challenge called the #BishopChallenge to mock the APC over claims they hired fake clerics to dress in religious regalia at the unveiling of the party’s Vice Presidential candidate.
On Wednesday, July 20, Nigerians expressed outrage when photos of the “clerics” at the APC event were shared online.
Many accused the ruling party of disrespecting the Nigerian people by hiring paid actors to wear religious robes in order to show that there are Christians who are in support of the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Two days later, the conversation has not died down.
Nigerians have now taken to various platforms to mock the “clerics” who were at the unveiling by using items from their homes as costumes to transform themselves into religious clerics
Many Nigerians engaging in the challenge used bedsheets as the Bishop’s robes, bowls and pots as the Bishop’s cap, and mopsticks or brooms as the Bishop’s staff.
The House of Representatives has approved the extension of the lifespan of the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination result from one year to four years.
The result’s validity extension was proposed in JAMB Act Amendment Bill which passed second reading at the House on Thursday.
Sponsored by a member of the House from Oyo State, Tolulope Akande-Sadipe, the legislation is titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (Establishment, Etc.) Act, 2021, and Other Related Matters.’
According to Akande-Sadipe, the amendment is meant to overhaul the existing Act, most especially the validity of scores, tenure of the registrar and membership of the board, among others.
The bill specifically seeks to amend Sections 5(1)(a) and 5(2) of the principal Act.
The new sections would read, “5(1)(a)(i) The general control of the conduct of matriculation examinations and admissions to courses leading to award of first Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma and Nigeria Certificate in Education by universities (by whatever name called), monotechnic/polytechnics (by whatever name called) and Colleges of Education (by whatever name called) in Nigeria which shall be valid for four years;
“5(1)(a)( ii) The conduct of entrance examinations and admission to all award of First Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma and Nigeria Certificate in Education by universities (by whatever name called), monotechnics/polytechnics (by whatever name called) and Colleges of Education (by whatever name called) in Nigeria which shall be valid for four years;
“5(2) For the avoidance of doubt, the Board shall only be responsible for determining matriculation requirements and conducting examinations and admissions to tertiary institutions in Nigeria offering academic programmes leading to the award of First Degrees, Higher National Diploma, National Diploma, Nigeria Certificate in Education and any other diploma or certificate in education courses, but shall not be responsible for examination or any other selective processes for postgraduate courses/programme and any other programme/courses offered by the tertiary institutions.”
In a related development, the House earlier on Thursday mandated its Committee on Tertiary Education to “invite the officials of JAMB with a view to resolving the current issue and all other related matters connected with technical hitches witnessed by candidates during the examination process.”
The committee is to report back to the House within seven days for further legislative action.
The Peoples Democratic Party, on Friday, claimed that with the outcome of last weekend’s governorship election in Osun State, the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, should withdraw from next year’s election.
This is as the party alleged that the former Lagos State governor’s effort to “frustrate” the outcome of the election won by its candidate and Governor-elect, Ademola Adeleke, was rejected by stakeholders in Abuja.
The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Hon. Debo Ologunagba, made the allegation during a press conference in Abuja on Friday.
“Asiwaju Tinubu’s humiliating rejection in Abuja, where he had reportedly rushed to in a desperate bid to frustrate the smooth conclusion of the Osun State Governorship election is a clear testimonial that the APC presidential candidate has been roundly deflated.
“Our party is privy to reports of how doors were locked against APC leaders in Abuja and how their frantic telephone calls and corrupt offers to truncate the Osun election were turned down,” Ologunagba alleged.
The PDP’s spokesperson noted that the party was also “appalled by the nauseating, blasphemous and unpardonable act by APC in hiring street artisans, fraudsters and touts and criminally dressing them in bishop’s vestments to orchestrate an endorsement for its collapsing presidential campaign”.
“The PDP, in the strongest term, condemns this profane and highly provocative act of desperation by the sinking APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the face of APC’s collapsing leadership, membership and followership structure across the country.
“Nigerians were sickened by videos and pictorial evidence of known mechanics, bus conductors and fraudsters sacrilegiously being dressed in fake bishop vestments and paid to endorse the unveiling of Asiwaju Tinubu’s widely rejected running mate, Sen. Kashim Shettima.
“Such action is unacceptable and unbecoming of any individual aspiring to a leadership position at any level let alone, the office of the President. This is an embarrassment to leadership.
“With this scandalous act, Asiwaju Tinubu, who is still battling with issues of alleged perjury, non-existent certificate and allegations of extortions has become more ethically challenged and lost all moral standing to seek election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“More sickening is the outcry by the hirelings that they were defrauded by agents of the APC Presidential candidate, who paid them sums ranging from N30,000 to N40,000 as against the N100,000 they were earlier promised.
“It is therefore ludicrous that instead of being remorseful and asking for forgiveness, the APC Presidential Campaign is shamelessly posting lame denials and excuses in the face of hard and verified evidence of its involvement in the shameless venture.”
On Osun election, Ologunagba said, “It is now crystal clear to Nigerians why the people of Asiwaju’s ancestral State of Osun and the South West geo-political zone which ought to be his natural stronghold outrighly rejected him and his APC in the July 16, 2022 Governorship election in Osun the State.
“PDP’s sweeping victory and the spontaneous jubilation across our country are direct statements by Nigerians on their resolve to stand on the platform of the PDP to free themselves from the agonizing stranglehold of the lying, cruel and life-discounting APC and its presidential candidate.”
He added, “The APC Presidential candidate and his party should know that it is in his own interest to withdraw from the race as it will be futile to go into an election in which the Will and aspiration of the people are manifestly against him and the APC.
“Asiwaju has no political fighting chance in the face of the soaring popularity of PDP’s very competent, candid, transparent, people-oriented and much more prepared Presidential Candidate, His Excellency, Atiku Abubakar at the poll.
“The PDP is poised for a winning campaign and as always, our Party is open to suggestions and further collaborations with well-meaning Nigerians as we collectively march to liberate our nation in the 2023 general elections.”
The Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has recorded a major setback, following the defection of three strong members of the party with thousands of their supporters to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
The three members of the party are: Salihu Maibuhu, Rabi,u Ilili and Abubakar Bargaja who were supporters of former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.
They have announced their defection to the opposition PDP with thousands of their supporters, a situation that has dented the reconciliation process between Governor Bello Matawalle and Yari.
Speaking to The PUNCH on phone, one of the defectors, Salihu Maibuhu, said they were not interested in the reconciliation process between Matawalle and Yari, as such they decided to join PDP.
”We are not interested in Matawalle, Yari reconciliation and we have decided to defect to the opposition PDP in the state.
“We are not with Governor Bello Mattawalle and that was why we left the APC together with our supporters
“We will however continue with our relationship with the former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.”
“We are not with Governor Bello Mattawalle and that was why we left the APC together with our supporters
“We will however continue with our relationship with the former Governor Abdul Aziz Yari.”
In his reaction, the spokesperson for the state chapter of Zamfara APC, Yusuf Idris, said the party was never moved by the defection to PDP even though they did not officially announce their defection.
Idris said, “The APC has never been moved by their decision to defect even as they failed to officially inform the party of their move which was without any reason but self-aggrandisement.
“Just as they left the APC, we are happy that the ruling party has continued to receive and welcome more defectors in the state and keeping it ahead of other political parties.”
The January 6 House select committee investigating the events of Jan. 6, 2021, revealed at Thursday’s primetime hearing unseen raw footage of President Donald Trump on the day of, and day after, the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Trump recorded and released a video message from the White House Rose Garden while the riot was underway on Capitol Hill, urging the mob to disperse and telling his supporters, “We love you. You’re very special.”
The hearing was held to find out what Trump did and didn’t do in the 187 minutes before he finally called off the attack, after hours of pleas from his inner circle.
“I know your pain, I know you’re hurt,” Trump said in the footage that was eventually released. “But you have to go home now, we have to have peace. We have to have law and order, we have to respect our great people in law and order.”
The next day he recorded another video from inside the White House. Outtakes of both videos were shown during the hearing on Thursday.
“The staff that remained at the White House on Jan. 7 knew the president needed to address the nation again and they had a speech prepared for him that morning. But he refused for hours to give it,” Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat and former Navy officer who sits on the Jan. 6 panel, said at Thursday’s hearing.
Luria said the committee heard testimony that Trump was finally convinced to deliver the message later in the evening of Jan. 7 by advisors who warned of “concerns he might be removed from power under the 25th Amendment or by impeachment.”
The outtakes, Luria said, were taken more than 24 hours after the video filmed in the White House Rose Garden.
After a few takes, Trump is seen saying, “This election is now over. Congress has certified the results,” before stopping himself and saying on camera, “I don’t want to say the election is over. I just want to say Congress has certified the results without saying the election is over, okay?”
His daughter and former senior advisor, Ivanka Trump, can be heard off camera coaching the president on the precise words to say in the video.
In a later moment of footage, Trump stumbles over the word “yesterday” and asks for it to be taken out of the prepared remarks.
In another video shown during the hearing, he smacks the presidential podium while repeating the line: “My only goal was to secure the integrity of the vote.”
Thursday marked the last in a series of televised hearings the committee scheduled this summer.
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has responded to a comment Omoyele Sowore, the presidential candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) made about him on money spent on electricity while serving as a Vice President in former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government.
Recall that shortly after Atiku tweeted about the national grid collapsing for the sixth time this year days ago, Sowore said Atiku was the vice president when his principal, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, budgeted $16 billion to revive power but with nothing to write home about.
Sowore had tweeted;
The National Electrical grid collapse started when you and Obasanjo invested $16 billion to procure darkness for Nigeria, the @MBuhari regime came to gazette grid collapse as a law. Alhaji @atiku, don’t pretend that you care about the National Grid! #WeCantContinueLikeThis
Atiku who responded to the AAC Presidential candidate’s claim in an interview on Arise TV, said Sowore lives outside Nigeria and comes only after four years to contest election.
The PDP presidential candidate also added that Sowore knows nothing about policy implementation or even the policy initiative.
Atiku said;
“He is my opponent, what do you expect him to say? He has all along lived outside this country. He doesn’t even know the policy implementation or even the policy initiative. When we came in, the total generation was about 4,000 megawatts. We initiated the building of nine additional power stations. By the time those nine were finished, the capacity has gone up from 4,000 to 13,000 megawatts.
“Unfortunately, no correspondent increase as far as the transmission lines are concerned. There is no way our transmission lines cannot evacuate the power you are producing that they cannot collapse.
“These additional nine power stations were completed by Jonathan. Umaru Yar’adua was on it. He died and Jonathan continued and he completed them. That is why any time there is an increase in the power generation and then you’ve the transmission system that cannot evacuate power, there will be a collapse.
“So, he (Sowore) doesn’t even know, because he lives outside this country. He comes after every four years and contest for the presidency and goes back. He fails and goes back again. So, what does Sowore know about this country? Nothing; absolutely nothing.”
Responding to Atiku’s claims, Sowore said the PDP Presidential candidate “failed to address how $16b was used to procure darkness”.
He tweeted;
Dear @atiku, I watched a clip of your @ARISEtv interview this morning wherein you were asked about my view on power scam under your regime, you failed to address how $16b was used to procure darkness instead you claimed “he doesn’t even know,” well these are some things I know
You ran for office for the first time in 1992 as a presidential aspirant of the SDP, I also ran for the post of the SU President of the UNILAG, you lost , I won. You left, I stayed, to deliver democracy to Nigerians.
I then left for the US in 1999 at the age of 28. You went on to become the VP of Nigeria, you left Nigerians in darkness after spending $16billion on power, I stayed with Nigerians, shining light on the mess you and your boss created in that sector. You left, I stayed!
After your failed plan to succeed your boss (Olusegun Obasanjo) who wanted a third term in office, I stayed to botch his third term bid. You, however, joined another political party and tried your luck, you left after you couldn’t win. You left, I stayed.
Since 1999, you have lived in about 5 countries outside of Nigeria. I know this because your IP keeps changing the same way you kept changing political parties. We both contested in 2019, it was my 1st time contesting, but after the elections, you left, I stayed. I’m still here!
You’ve done your rounds from SDP- UNCP- PDP- ACN-PDP- APC back to PDP, you have never done anything for the Nigerian people, you’ve only taken care of your needs and those that benefit your family, cronies, and friends. It is time to quit and let Nigeria experience electricity!
My question again, is this; what happened to the $16billion dollars released for electricity during your tenure as Vice President?
Ahmed Idris, the suspended Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) has been remanded in Kuje prison by a High Court sitting in Abuja, over his alleged involvement in the illegal diversion of public funds to the tune of about N109 billion.
Recall that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arraigned Idris on a 14-count charge bordering on conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and money laundering.
The anti-graft agency which alleged that Idris and his co-defendants were indicted on a 14-count charge of stealing and criminal breach of trust to the tune of N109.5 billion, further revealed that the former AGF allegedly received gratification from one Olusegun Akindele, worth N15.1 billion, in exchange for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine oil-producing states in the federation.
One of the charges read;
“That you, Ahmed Idris between February and December, 2021 at Abuja in the Abuja Judicial Division of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, being a public servant by virtue of your position as the Accountant General of the Federation accepted from Olusegun Akindele, a gratification in the aggregate sum of N15,136,221,921.46 ( Fifteen Billion, One Hundred and Thirty Six Million, Two Hundred and Twenty One Thousand, Nine Hundred and Twenty One Naira and Forty Six Kobo) which sum was converted to the United States Dollars by the said Olusegun Akindele and which sum did not form part of your lawful remuneration but as a motive for accelerating the payment of 13% derivation to the nine (9) oil producing Sates in the Federation, through the office of the Accountant General of the Federation, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 155 of the Penal Code Act Cap 532 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990 and punishable under the same section.”
Justice A.O. Adeyemi Ajayi who presided over the case on Friday July 22, ruled that Idris who was arraigned alongside Godfrey Olusegun Akindele and Mohammed Kudu Usman, and Gezawa Commodity Market and Exchange Limited, be remanded in Kuje prison.
This came after Rotimi Jacobs, EFCC counsel, asked the court to grant the prosecution leave to prefer a criminal charge under section 109 of ACJA against the defendants.
Idris’ counsel, Chris Uche however orally asked the court to grant bail to his client. He said the bail should be granted pending when he files a written bail application.
Uche also said his client had to take the next available flight from Kano just to be able to make it for trial.
Justice Ajayi however ordered that Idris and others be remanded in prison.
The Tinubu Support Organisation on Thursday described the attack on the clergypersons who attended the unveiling of the Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Kashim Shettima, as “unwarranted”.
The group also clarified that the clergymen who attended the event were not known in Christendom yet and were still building their missions.
In a statement by the group’s Director of Media and Public relations, Bayo Onanuga, the group maintained that the “clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers” as been rumoured online.
The statement read, “Tinubu Campaign Organisation has described as unwarranted distractions the viral pictures and videos of some Christian clergymen and women at the unveiling of the All Progressives Congress Vice presidential candidate, Senator KASHIM SHETTIMA, on Wednesday in Abuja.
“APC formally presented Senator Shettima to the public and its various organs as the running mate to the party’s presidential standard-bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the well-attended ceremony at Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja.
“The TCO through its Director of Media and Communication, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, said the event was an open affair, which allowed members of the public to attend, including the clergymen and some others now being derided by hirelings of the opposition.
“We want to say that those clergymen were not fake, not mechanics or yam sellers as the purveyors of hatred have made Nigerians to believe in the social media. They are not big names in Christendom yet, they are gradually building up their missions.
“They are church leaders who genuinely believe that Nigerians must eschew politics of hatred and religious bigotry and rather embrace politics of peace and nation building.
“We, therefore, deplore the hysterical twisting of the presence of these men and women in cassocks and the false accusation against our candidates, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senator Shettima.
“The orchestrated social media sensation over the presence of the men is needless and all calculated to detract from the huge success recorded at the momentous event on Wednesday.
“We believe Nigerians are too wise and discerning to see through this shenanigan. Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate and our great party are working very hard to provide purposeful leadership and good progressive governance that will improve the quality of life of Nigerians.
“We are well aware that the opposition parties and the sponsors of the social media charade are jittery and threatened by the intimidating political credentials of our candidates. The only way they hope to shift attention of public scrutiny away from their uninspiring candidates and credentials is to create social media distraction.
“Our campaign is determined on focusing on core governance issues that affect all Nigerians with a view to confronting them and make the desired improvements in the standard of living of our people.”
Following the terrorist attacks on the Kuje Correctional facility on July 5 as well as others recorded nationwide, the Federal Government is considering a ban on the use of motorcycles and mining activities.
The Ministers of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Justice, Abubakar Malami and Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after Thursday’s Security Council meeting chaired by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The cabinet members were, however, silent on whether the ban would be nationwide or restricted to the affected regions of the country.
According to them, the Council is considering both measures to cut off funding and logistics which the terrorists have leveraged to execute their nefarious activities.
Malami revealed that the use of motorcycles allowed the terrorists to move around funds sourced from mining and channeled to purchase arms.
The federal government, he said, ws now considering ways to block the sources already identified.
The Minister of Justice also noted that the terrorists have since evolved their financing techniques to mining and ransom-taking, necessitating the government’s intervention.
On his part, the Minister of Interior, Aregbesola, said despite the extensive intelligence gathered before the attack on the Kuje Correctional Center,
the terrorists succeeded because “there was no will to act.”
He revealed that President Buhari has received a report on the preliminary investigation on the Kuje attack and officers who have been found to renege on their responsibilities would be punished.
President Joe Biden tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday, his administration announced, saying the 79-year-old leader was experiencing “mild symptoms” and would carry out his full duties while isolating at the White House.
“He is fully vaccinated and twice boosted and experiencing very mild symptoms,” the White House said in a statement, adding that Biden had begun taking Pfizer’s anti-Covid pill Paxlovid.
“Consistent with CDC guidelines, he will isolate at the White House and will continue to carry out all of his duties fully during that time.”
Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, says he will be surprised if the National Labour Congress (NLC) goes ahead with the planned protest scheduled for July 26 and 27 in solidarity with the strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
Addressing journalists, Ngige said such protest is against international labour practice. The Minister also said the NLC has representatives on the negotiation with ASUU, and the congress is privy to all discussions with the university lecturers’ union.
Ngige said;
“It is a very incongruous situation I must tell you. Why? NLC is on the table of the discussion. They are there. I invited them as the head of the federation to which ASUU belongs, to which SSANU belongs, to which NAAT belongs.
“I invited them. And so, they are on the table as their senior partner. That’s one. Two, we have a National Labour Advisory Council inaugurated in January 2021. It is an ILO instrument, an ILO architecture for labour unions, governments, and the private sector to come together at any given time.
“So, we’ve just finished our meeting in March, and this issue was tabled before them. And the NLC is in NLAC, the National Labour Advisory Council, and much more importantly, the head of NLC, Nigeria, has an affiliate of workers federation, worldover called International Trade Union Congress.
“So, I will be surprised if he’s going ahead with his NEC to do a demonstration, knowing fully well that that is not permissible in international labour parlance.”
Mayo, one of the sons of the Ogun state governor, Gbenga Daniels, bagged a Masters’s Degree in Real Estate from the University of London.
Former first lady, Olufunke Daniels, and their children attended the graduation ceremony.
See more photos below…
Hundreds of demonstrators on Wednesday morning stormed the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress to register their grievance over the position of the party on the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The protest took place almost at the same time the leadership of the APC was unveiling former Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the running mate of its Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at Shehu Musa Yar’Adua in Abuja.
The demonstration, which was led by a few party members under the aegis of APC Hausa-Fulani Youth Forum, saw the delegation arrive the Secretariat in six luxury buses and few cars, raising different banners and chanting solidarity songs.
Some of the banners read ‘A cry for justice’, ‘Drop Shettima and give slot to our Christian brothers’, ‘Discrimination and mutual suspicion in our country’ among others.
Speaking to our correspondent, Convener of Forum, Abdullahi Bilal Mohamadu declared that they will not stop protesting until the party do the right.
On why the demonstrators took to protest on a day the party is presenting his vice presidential candidate, Mohammadu stated that it was a deliberate act to tender their grievances and ensure it reaches the appropriate authorities.
In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and made available to The PUNCH, Mohammadu stated that they saw the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected immediately by the leadership of the party.
The letter read, “We write to your good office in light of the prevailing circumstances arising from the decision of our Presidential candidate to select a Northern Muslim as his vice presidential candidate.
“While it must be stated that there is a right to make decisions, however, such decisions must not be made to the collective detriment of the sensibilities of the people that make up the country of Nigeria especially at a time of mutual suspicion amongst the Christians and Muslims in the northern part of the country.
“As concerned stakeholders of the APC and those who constitute the voting strength of our party , we find it worrisome that such a decision could be taken without recourse to its implication on the electoral chances of the party and the attendant uproar such a decision could bring about in the country.
“In our opinion, this is insensitive and a gross display of a lack of respect for our Christian brothers and sisters especially the Middle Belt minority who have given all their best to us as one northern Nigeria. Picking another Muslim from the north eastern part of the country as his running mate is politically and morally indefensible.
“In Northern Nigeria, there are credible candidates with rich credentials and with massive grassroots following that can complement the presidential ticket of the APC in the presidential elections. As such, the Hausa – Fulani Youths Forum sees the selection of Senator Kashim Shettima as an aberration that should be corrected with immediate effect by the relevant authorities within the party.
“The implication of non-action in this regard can only be imagined, so much so that the majority of the eligible voters in Northern Nigeria have elected to boycott the APC in protest of the disrespect and disregard to our Northern Christian brothers , whose population and relevance in the scheme of things in the region cannot be overemphasized.
“If our party is desirous of recording electoral success in the 2023 presidential elections, it must retrace its steps by selecting a Christian from the Middle Belt as its vice presidential candidate. The party must not be perceived as promoting a religious agenda by fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“We consequently say no to a Muslim-Muslim ticket by the APC. We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to kindly intervene to save the party from an electoral crisis. We urge Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emulate the example of President Muhammadu Buhari in the choice of his running mate in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections.
“Our Christian brothers and sisters deserve a place in the scheme of things, and our party must not be seen as a religiously insensitive party. The time to act is now.”
A pan-Igbo grassroots sociocultural organisation, Imeobi Igbo Forum, has described the present crop of politicians in the South-East as the “worst in history”.
The group also said the present legislators of the region at the National Assembly have failed the Igbo race and insisted that they should be withdrawn from contesting the 2023 general elections.
Addressing journalists in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Tuesday, the National Chairman, IIF, Dr Mike Ikegulu, berated the politicians and elites from the region for their public conduct and utterances in a bid “to please the chieftains of some ethnic groups”, describing it as “disappointing” and “painful”.
Ikegulu said, “Since the emergence of the present crop of Igbo political and business elites, Ndigbo have continued to be shamed and short-changed. We are not genuinely being represented in any sphere of Nigeria affairs.
“Their public conduct and utterances are disappointing and painful, just to please the chieftains of some ethnic groups. These Igbo elites have raped and abandoned Ndigbo.
“Those at the national assembly are insensitive to our collective interests. Never lending a voice on anything of interest to Ndigbo for pecuniary interest and personal aggrandizement.”
He called on the people to take advantage of the ongoing registration of the Permanent Voters Card to register and be ready to vote out leaders who have not meant well for the region.
“Their public conduct and utterances are disappointing and painful, just to please the chieftains of some ethnic groups. These Igbo elites have raped and abandoned Ndigbo.
“Those at the national assembly are insensitive to our collective interests. Never lending a voice on anything of interest to Ndigbo for pecuniary interest and personal aggrandizement.”
He called on the people to take advantage of the ongoing registration of the Permanent Voters Card to register and be ready to vote out leaders who have not meant well for the region.
He lamented that the present system of governance in Nigeria is alien to Ndigbo, adding that the leaders in the region emerge by their actions and utterances, not by election or appointment.
According to him, in a multi-ethnic country such as Nigeria, other ethnic groups have stratified leadership, but the Igbos are represented in such a dastardly fashion.
He also accused the southeast politicians of ganging up to have the Indigenous People of Biafra proscribed, rejected the referendum, set Nnamdi Kanu up and got him kidnapped and incarcerated to silence him.
He said, “These greedy and shameless political elites brought similar disgrace to those other nationalities rooting for a Nigerian president of South-East extraction for equity, justice and fairness.
“For their business and political interests, they ganged up to have IPOB proscribed, rejected referendum, set Nnamdi Kanu up and got him kidnapped and incarcerated to silence him.
“They keep mum over the atrocities committed by occupying forces and the continuing intimidation and slaughter of Igbo youths for agitation.
“Igbo politicians followed the dollars in the party primaries, disregarding the recurring political realities which give us the short end of the stick.
“The present and future generations of Ndigbo will look down on the present group of Igbo political and economic elites who have largely relocated to Abuja, as the worst in history.
“The present Igbo legislators in the national assembly should not be allowed back, for toying with the destiny of Ndigbo, in the complex country of Nigeria.”
“They are there for self, family and friends. One wonders why they are gearing up to return to the same indolent representation at the national assembly in 2023. Even the serving governors are buying their way to the senate as retirement home, this is unacceptable to us.”
The Gombe State Coordinator, National Youths Service Corps, Ada Imoni, has tasked Assistant Directors, Heads of Committees, and collaborating agencies to work in synergy as they prepare for the 2022 Batch ‘B’Stream II Orientation Course scheduled for Wednesday.
The PUNCH had reported that the state awaits 1,600 graduates across various schools to undertake the compulsory three-week orientation course in Gombe.
Imoni made this disclosure on Tuesday while addressing authorities preparing for the exercise, adding, “Each camp had its peculiarities, and as such, all hands must be on deck to ensure a hitch-free and successful exercise.”
Speaking on Camp market operators, the State Coordinator said, “All must be vigilant to ensure that corps members don’t over-socialise with them. The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency should watch out against infiltration of drugs into the Camp.”
While urging officials to take the assignment personally, Imoni implored them to devise techniques and strategise on ways to beef up security within and outside the Orientation Camp.
“We are dealing with young graduates from the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. It behooves us to groom them and serve as guardians and parents to them,” Imoni added.
Also speaking, Camp Director, Ado Taura lauded the State Coordinator for appointing him to oversee the affairs of the forthcoming orientation course and promised to give his best.
Taura called on all to support him as he promised to be open to constructive criticisms.
On his part, the Camp Commandant, who spoke on behalf of other heads of agencies, Major Ornan, appealed to all not to allow over-familiarity to set in, adding that it would avoid complacency.
“Be proactive and decisive in all your assignments,” Ornan said.
A political support group of Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has assured the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Kashim Shettima, of victory in the state ahead of the 2023 general election.
The Governor Yahaya Bello Network 4 Asiwaju, led by the state coordinator, Haddy Ametuo, gave the assurance after a closed-door meeting with Shettima in Abuja on Monday evening.
The meeting is coming nine days after the Kogi governor collapsed his structure, Yahaya Bello Campaign Organisation, and donated his campaign office to the APC presidential flagbearer, Bola Tinubu.
Reciprocating the goodwill, Tinubu, accompanied by Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), had commended Bello for mobilising the consciousness of the Nigerian youths, saying he “reminded us of what the nation wants to be.”
In Monday’s meeting, Ametuo briefed Shettima on their activities and proposed plan to ensure the victory of the APC presidential ticket during the 2023 general elections.
He said, “Through the support of our principals Alhaji Yahaya Bello, we paid a solidarity visit to our Vice Presidential candidate Senator Kashim Shettima on Monday to congratulate him on his selection and to assure him of our support for the project.
“We are particularly excited because Senator Kashim Shettima is young, brilliant, resourceful, energetic, and a round peg in a round hole who would add developmental values to Nigeria.”
The political support group pledged its whole alliance and support for the presidential candidate and his running mate ahead of the poll.
Ametuo also reassured that Kogi APC, under the leadership of Bello, has been repositioned and strengthened beyond the reach of opposition political parties in its bid to secure victory for the Tinubu-Shettima ticket in the state.
“Being a grassroots organisation, we assured Senator Shettima that we will ensure massive mobilisation of real voters from all the nook and crannies of Kogi state to deliver the ticket 100 percent during the election.”
“Against all odds, we believe that Senator Shettima was selected based on the principles of integrity, inclusion, and continued performances and relevance in Nigerian politics,” he said.