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Your daily go-to for political happenings, analysis, newspaper headlines, reactions of Nigerians

02/07/2024

The Minister of the FCT Nyesom Wike has vowed to ensure that the senator representing the area, Ireti Kingibe, does not return to the upper lawmaking house in the next election.

PHOTO STORY: NDLEA Arrests 60 At Abuja Drug PartyOperatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Frid...
30/06/2024

PHOTO STORY: NDLEA Arrests 60 At Abuja Drug Party

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), on Friday night, disrupted a drug party dubbed “Go Hard or Go Home, Pick Your Poison”, where 60 suspects comprising 25 males and 35 females were arrested at an apartment in Sun City Estate in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

A statement on Sunday by the Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Femi Babafemi, said the raid followed credible intelligence about the drug party organised by one Stanley Ikechukwu, who was also arrested at the venue.

At least six of the suspects: Victoria Adoga; Hamza Yari; Joanne Essein Joy; Socchima Valentine; Jago Imole, and Charles Indobuibisi, were arrested with different quantities of ecstasy and cannabis.

The statement added that the chairman/chief executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), has directed that 20 of the suspects who tested negative to drug be released unconditionally, while 33 others who tested positive to illicit drugs were to be released on bail and will report at the FCT Command of the anti-narcotics Agency on Monday to begin treatment and counselling.

27/06/2024

Tinubu’s request for 2023 budget extension may be legal but not moral, says Doguwa

His Excellency Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso today 27 June 2024 paid a courtesy visit to a former Colleague HE Mallam Nas...
27/06/2024

His Excellency Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso today 27 June 2024 paid a courtesy visit to a former Colleague HE Mallam Nasir Ellrufai who served alongside him as the Minister of FCT when Kwankwaso Was minister of Defense.

𝐄𝐥-𝐑𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 O𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝟒𝟑𝟐𝐛𝐧 P𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sued the Kaduna State House of Assembl...
26/06/2024

𝐄𝐥-𝐑𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐢 𝐬𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐊𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐥𝐲 O𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐍𝟒𝟑𝟐𝐛𝐧 P𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐞

Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sued the Kaduna State House of Assembly over claims that his administration embezzled N432 billion and left the state with significant debt obligations.

Sokoto Gov Planning To Depose Sultan – MURICThe Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised an alarm over alleged plan by G...
24/06/2024

Sokoto Gov Planning To Depose Sultan – MURIC

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has raised an alarm over alleged plan by Governor Ahmed Aliyu of Sokoto State to depose the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III.

The Executive Director of MURIC, Prof. Isiaq Akintola, raised the alarm in a statement on Monday.

Governor Aliyu had earlier deposed 15 traditional rulers for various offences.

In his statement, Akintola said Nigerian Muslims reject any thought of deposing the Sultan.

“Feelers in circulation indicate that the governor may descend on the Sultan of Sokoto any moment from now using any of the flimsy excuses used to dethrone the 15 traditional rulers whom he removed earlier.

“MURIC advises the governor to look before he leaps. The Sultan’s stool is not only traditional. It is also religious. In the same vein, his jurisdiction goes beyond Sokoto. It covers the whole of Nigeria. He is the spiritual head of all Nigerian Muslims.

“Therefore, any governor who tampers with the stool of the Sultan will have Nigerian Muslims to reckon with because the Sultan combines the office of the Sultan of Sokoto and that of the President General of the NSCIA,” Akintola said.

The MURIC boss warned that Governor Aliyu should not force Nigerian Muslims to take a drastically revolutionary measure.

He said having a traditional ruler as leader has been a condition Nigerian Muslims accepted a long time ago as a necessary weakness in the structure which they have to live with.

He said, “A military governor, Col. Yakubu Muazu, exposed this soft underbelly when he deposed Sultan Ibrahim Dasuki on 20th April, 1996. Nigerian Muslims will be forced to make a hard decision if Sokoto governors continue to diminish the authority of the Sultan.

“For the avoidance of any doubts, Sultan Muhammad Sa’d Abubakar is not only the Sultan of Sokoto but the Sultan of the Nigerian people. His performance and style of leadership have warmed him into the hearts of Nigerians.

“Nigerian Muslims North and South of the country may be constrained to pick Islamic scholars only as President General of the NSCIA and overall leader of Nigerian Muslims.

“It will be farewell to the leadership of traditional rulers over the NSCIA and an irreversible departure from Sokoto’s priviledged leadership position. But history will not be kind to Col. Yakubu Muazu and Ahmed Aliyu for ruining the chances of Sokoto.

“Once is happenstance, twice is a coincidence, the third time is enemy action. If the deposition of a Sultan and NSCIA leader happens a second time, Nigerian Muslims will not allow the embarrassment to happen a third time.
“MURIC reiterates its call on the Sokoto State House of Assembly to either repeal or review the state’s chieftaincy laws by adding the phrase ‘except the Sultan of Sokoto’ to Section 6, Cap 26 of the Laws of Northern Nigeria which empowers the state governor to depose the emirs including the Sultan.

“We urge Northern elites and Islamic scholars based in the North to intervene before it is too late. This is the time to lobby the Sokoto State House of Assembly and the governor himself. If the chieftaincy laws of Kano State can be repealed within 24 hours, nothing stops that of Sokoto State from being reviewed in favour of immunity for the office of the Sultan in a single day to save Nigerian Muslims from humongous embarrassment.”

Under the current law, the authority to appoint district and village heads lies with the Sultanate Council.

However, in practice, the Sultanate Council merely provides recommendations to the state government, with the governor ultimately making the appointments.

Nasir Binji, the state’s attorney-general and commissioner for justice, had clarified that the proposed amendment aimed to synchronise the legal framework with the customary procedure in Sokoto.

Addressing journalists after a State Executive Council meeting, Binji explained that under the proposed amendment, the Sultanate Council would retain the power to recommend candidates, while the authority to appoint would be vested in the governor.

Armed robbers invade estate in Abuja, kill Army Brigadier-GeneralDare-devil robbers have attacked Sunshine Homes estate ...
23/06/2024

Armed robbers invade estate in Abuja, kill Army Brigadier-General

Dare-devil robbers have attacked Sunshine Homes estate in the Lokogoma area of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, killing a Nigerian Army’s retired Brigadier General, identified as Uwem Harold Udokwere.

The police in the FCT confirmed that the attack occurred on Saturday around 3am saying the Commissioner of Police, Benneth Igweh, ordered “a discreet investigation into the circumstances surrounding this regrettable event.”

The statement signed by SP Josephine Adeh, the Police Public Relations Officer,
said, “In response to the tragic and unprecedented attack at Sunshine homes estate by armed robbers, resulting in the untimely demise of one Brigadier General Uwem Harold Udokwere (rtd.) on June 22, 2024, at approximately 03:00 a.m, the Commissioner of Police, FCT, Benneth Igweh has promptly ordered a thorough and discreet investigation into the circumstances surrounding this regrettable event.

“Expressing profound condolences to the bereaved family, CP Benneth Igweh assures the family and the public of swift justice, with every effort in conduit to ensure the perpetrators of the atrocious act are apprehended and brought to justice.”

Atiku visits Buhari in Daura Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar visits Muhammadu Buhari the immediate past president o...
22/06/2024

Atiku visits Buhari in Daura

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar visits Muhammadu Buhari the immediate past president of Nigeria to pay a sallah homage.

Atiku who was accompany by PDP members wrote on his page "Accompanied by some stakeholders of our great party, the PDP, we visited the Daura residence of former President Muhammadu Buhari to pay a courtesy call and offer Sallah homage. -AA"

Indian PM Modi ResignsIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tendered his resignation to the country’s Preside...
05/06/2024

Indian PM Modi Resigns

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday tendered his resignation to the country’s President Droupadi Murmu, after his cabinet recommended the dissolution of the lower house of parliament Lok Sabha.

Murmu accepted the resignation of Modi and the council of ministers, requesting Modi to act as the prime minister till the new government is formed, an official of the President’s House said.

We Are Not in Any Merger Talks with Another Political Party - PDP Restates The National Working Committee (NWC) of the P...
05/06/2024

We Are Not in Any Merger Talks with Another Political Party - PDP Restates

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after its 587th meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, restates for the upteenth time that the PDP is not engaged in any merger, fusion or amalgamation talks with any other political Party or interest.

While the PDP, as a truly people’s Party, is open and welcoming to all Nigerians including our former members who left for other parties, we state that our Party remains strong and formidable, capable of winning elections in a free,fair and transparent electoral process in our country.

The NWC acknowledges the influx of millions of Nigerians into our Party in the on-going Party Membership Drive in all the Electoral Wards across the country; which further confirms that the PDP remains the Party of choice for majority of Nigerians.

The public, teeming members of our great Party, Democracy Institutions and of course the International Community should therefore disregard any report suggesting any form of merger between the PDP and any other political Party as such is not in the contemplation of our great Party.

Signed:

Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary

BREAKING Kaduna State House Of Assembly Adhoc Committee Investigating The Financial Dealings Of Former Governor Nasir El...
05/06/2024

BREAKING

Kaduna State House Of Assembly Adhoc Committee Investigating The Financial Dealings Of Former Governor Nasir Elrufai Has Submitted Recommendations.

Committee Recommends Probe Of Former Governor Nasir Elrufai For Abuse Of Office, Money Laundering.

Former Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Muhammed Visit His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari today in Daura, Katsina State 2...
03/06/2024

Former Minister of Information Alhaji Lai Muhammed Visit His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari today in Daura, Katsina State 2nd June 2024.

Kano State Governor Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf visits the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in his office in Abu...
30/05/2024

Kano State Governor Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf visits the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in his office in Abuja on Thursday.

Kano State Deputy Governor, last week accused the NSA of providing security for the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero. The allegation which NSA strongly denied and demand apology from the Deputy Governor which he did.

29/05/2024

𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐎: 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐛𝐮 𝐒𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐈𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐋𝐚𝐰

A joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives sang the reinstated National Anthem of Nigeria for the first time on Wednesday after it was signed into law by President Bola Tinubu.

PUNCH Online reports that Tinubu, on Wednesday, signed the National Anthem Bill 2024 into law.

The final assent to the bill brings about a shift from the now-recognised, “Arise O Compatriots.” to “Nigeria, We Hail Thee.”

The lyrics of the official national anthem of Nigeria.

“Nigeria we hail thee
Our own dear native land
Though tribes and tongues may differ
In brotherhood, we stand
Nigerians all, are proud to serve
Our sovereign Motherland.

“Our flag shall be a symbol
That truth and justice reign
In peace or battle, honour'd,
And this we count as gain,
To hand on to our children
A banner without stain.

“O God of all creation
Grant this our one request.
Help us to build a nation
Where no man is oppressed
And so with peace and plenty
Nigeria may be blessed.”

Credit: X| AriseTv

Nigeria is not working: One year of Tinubu is a cocktail of trial-and-error economic policies. On May 29, 2023, Presiden...
29/05/2024

Nigeria is not working: One year of Tinubu is a cocktail of trial-and-error economic policies.

On May 29, 2023, President Bola Tinubu raised the hopes of Nigerians with his pledge to “remodel our economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security and an end of extreme poverty.” Since then, Tinubu has also spoken about growing the economy at double-digit rates to US$1 trillion in six years, ending misery, and bringing immediate relief to Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis. On listening to this, Nigerians must have breathed a sigh of relief after their experience with ex-President Buhari’s 8 years of economic misadventure.

Tinubu laid out no plans for the ‘remodeling’ of the economy but soon embarked on a cocktail of policies to achieve it. In May 2023, he eliminated PMS subsidies, and a month later, the CBN implemented a new foreign exchange policy that unified the multiple official FX windows into a single official market. More policies followed in rapid succession: the tightening of monetary policy to reduce Naira liquidity, a hike in monetary policy rates, the introduction of cost-reflective electricity tariff, and a cybersecurity tax.

Predictably, 12 months on, Tinubu’s pledge of growing the economy and ending misery remains unfulfilled. His actions or inactions have significantly worsened Nigeria’s macroeconomic stability. Nigeria remains a struggling economy and is more fragile today than it was a year ago. Indeed, all the economic ills - joblessness, poverty, and misery - which defined the Buhari-led administration have only exacerbated. Africa’s leading economy has slipped to the 4th position lagging behind Algeria, Egypt, and South Africa. Citizens’ hopes have been dashed (and not renewed contrary to the propaganda of the administration) as Nigeria’s economic woes have multiplied.

How and why did we get here?

In my press statement on the state of our economy, earlier this year, I expressed my concerns about the downside risks of unleashing reforms without sequencing; without any ideas on how to implement them; and without any regards to their potential and real devastating consequences. Implementing policies without proper planning and a clear destination is nothing other than trial-and-error economics.

My concerns have not diminished. I will focus on just four areas to underscore those downside risks associated with Tinubu’s reform measures and their dire consequences on Nigeria’s medium to long-term growth and development.

First, President Tinubu’s policies do not create prosperity. Instead, they pauperize the poor and bankrupt the rich. They spare no one. Nigerian citizens, the majority of whom are poor, are going through the worst cost-of-living crisis since the infamous structural adjustment programme of the 1980s. The annual inflation rate at 33.69% is the highest in nearly 3 decades. Food prices are unbearably higher than what ordinary citizens can afford as food inflation soared to 40.53% in April, the highest in more than 15 years.

Nigerian citizens have to pay 114% more for a bag of rice, 107% more for a bag of flour, and 150% more in transport fares relative to May 2023. Today, in some locations, motorists are paying 305% more for a litre of fuel. Yet, on a minimum wage of the equivalent of US$23 per month, Nigerian workers are among the lowest wage earners in the world. Tinubu had the ‘courage’ to remove subsidy on PMS and impose additional taxes on his people but lacks the compassion to raise the minimum wage or implement a social investment programme that would reduce the levels of vulnerability, and deprivation of workers and their families.

Second, President Tinubu’s policies create a hostile environment for businesses, big or small. The private sector is overwhelmed by Tinubu’s dismal policies and overburdened by his failure to address the policy fallouts. The manufacturing sector, which holds the key to higher incomes, jobs, and economic growth, has been bogged down by rising input prices, higher energy and borrowing costs, and exchange rate complexities. For example, since 2023, the average price of diesel has doubled to N1,600 per litre. Electricity tariff has recently been increased by 250% from N68/Kwh to N206/Kwh. As reported by the Guardian (13 May 2024), in Q1 of 2024, energy prices were up by 70%, costing manufacturers N290 billion.

Since May 2023, corporate Nigeria has lost more than a dozen enterprises to other countries. Unilever, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), Procter & Gamble (P&G), Sanofi-Aventi Nigeria, Bolt Food, Equinor, among others had exited Nigeria citing reasons including foreign exchange complexities, security concerns, and high operational costs. According to the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), nearly 20,000 jobs may have been lost due to the departure of 15 multinational companies from Nigeria.

Those enterprises that remain are struggling to survive. Vanguard Newspaper (20 May, 2024) reported a significant rise - to nearly 30% - in unsold goods in the warehouses of manufacturers of fast-moving consumer goods, occasioned by the rising cost of living and declining purchasing power of the citizens. According to the Guardian, manufacturers reported in Q1 a 10% drop in capacity utilization, a 10% drop in production, a 5% drop in investment, and more than 7% drop in sales. The Daily Trust (1 May, 2024) quoted Dangote lamenting that nearly 97% of manufacturing concerns in Nigeria will be unable to pay dividends this year.

In an economy with high rates of unemployment, a declining manufacturing sector cannot be an option.

Third, President Tinubu’s foreign exchange policies have not had any positive impact on Nigeria’s foreign trade balance, contrary to policy expectations. In particular, the free-float and the resulting devaluation of the Naira has not resulted in an appreciable improvement in Nigeria’s trade balance. Devaluation has not enhanced the competitiveness of local producers and has had no positive impact on exports of goods, primary or manufactured. In Q4 of 2023, for example, while imports surged 163.1%, exports rose at a slower 99.6%, indicating a huge foreign trade deficit. Similarly, in Q1 of 2024, Nigeria recorded a trade deficit of $7.5 billion, with exports value of $12.7 billion and import value of US$14 billion. Overall, the trade deficit as a percentage of GDP increased by 0.83% from 0.05% in May 2023 to 0.88% in May 2024.

Fourth, President Tinubu’s policies have failed to attract foreign investments into the country despite all the posturing and media hype by the President’s men. Exchange rate unification and free float of the Naira have not led to higher capital inflows (whether Foreign Direct Investment or Foreign Portfolio Investments), again contrary to policy expectations. Indeed, FDI inflows declined by 26.8%, from US5.33 billion in May 2023 to US$3.9 billion in May 2024. It is not difficult to understand why: FDI is about TRUST. It is about the investing world trusting the leadership of a country to act and deliver on promises made. Investors come when the right policies are designed and delivered timely and efficiently by public institutions.

Finally, despite deploying various monetary policy tools, inflationary pressure persists, and so does exchange rate volatility. No thanks to Tinubu’s misguided policy, the Naira’s value plummeted against the dollar and has since become the worst performing currency in the world.

It is clear from the foregoing that President Tinubu has an exaggerated understanding of the efficacy of his policies and was not ready for the potential fallouts. Tinubu and his team are not exactly sure of where the reform process is and what the next steps are. Has Nigeria reinstated fuel subsidy? Is the Naira on a free or managed float? These trial-and-error policies raise questions about the readiness of the administration and their capacity to restore the economy to a path of sustainable growth.

Time is running out for the government, and Tinubu must act fast to save the economy.

Here are six things he must do.

First, pause and reflect. It is important that the government understands what reforms must be undertaken and in what sequence. A framework is needed with clearly stated reform objectives and strategies.

Second, undertake a comprehensive review of the 2024 budget within the new reform framework. The 2024 FGN Budget, the exact size of which remains a mystery, is not designed to address the structural defects of the Nigerian economy or the cost-of-living crisis. It will neither create prosperity nor promote opportunities for our young people to lead a productive life.

The review must prioritise fiscal measures to deal with an unprecedented rise in commodity prices. Higher commodity prices have created more misery for the poor in our towns and villages and have pushed millions of people below the poverty line. One of such measures for immediate implementation will be to ease the existing restrictions on selected food imports.

Third, undertake a comprehensive review of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) to mitigate some of the impact of these policies on the most vulnerable households. The SIP must go beyond Conditional Cash Transfers to include programmes that prioritize support to MSEs across all the economic sectors, as they offer the greatest opportunities for achieving inclusive growth. In addition, a holistic programme to support medium and large-scale enterprises to navigate the stormy seas in the aftermath of the withdrawal of subsidy on PMS is also needed.

Fourth, Tinubu must be cautioned against any attempt to further pauperize the poor by introducing new taxes or increasing tax rates. We are aware of the behind-the-scenes attempts to increase VAT rate from 7.5% to 10%, re-introduce excise on telecommunication, and increase excise rates on a range of goods. It needs to be restated that we cannot tax our way out of this situation. Instead, Tinubu must see the need for expenditure rationalization and restraint - by having the budget more in sync with Nigeria’s fiscal reality, by improving efficiency in revenue utilization, improving procurement processes and trimming the size of government - and therefore reducing the cost of governance.

Fifth, provide clarity on the fuel subsidy regime, including the fiscal commitments and benefits from the fuel subsidy reform and the impact of this on the Federation Accounts. It is curious that since April 2024, fuel queues had mounted at many filling stations across Nigeria, and the infamous ‘black market’ has sprouted in several states. How much PMS is being imported and distributed, and at what cost? What is the implicit subsidy?

Sixth, tackle security headlong. President Tinubu, as a matter of priority, needs to rejig the nation's security architecture as what is currently in place is not serving the needs of the people. The state of pervasive insecurity continues to adversely impact agricultural production and the value it brings to the economy, especially in the Northern parts of the country. Insecurity resulting from terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and cattle rustling has compelled many crop farmers and pastoralists to abandon their lands and relocate to the neighbouring countries of Niger, Chad, and Cameroun. This has drastically caused a reduction in the production of food and skyrocketed prices of foodstuffs. Food scarcity in Nigeria is so dire that a report by Cadre Harmonize warns that between June and August this year, about 31.5 million Nigerians may face severe food shortages and scarcity

I have always been a reform advocate. The Nigerian economy certainly requires a large dose of reform measures to accelerate its transformation after many years of lacklustre growth.

The difference is that I understand the appropriate reforms to undertake and what steps to take per time to mitigate their negative impact. In my Policy Document, I had anticipated that the withdrawal of subsidy and unification of exchange rates could, in the absence of fundamental interventions, impact negatively on micro and small enterprises in the informal sector and on the medium to large enterprises in the formal sector. I had also anticipated that such policies could elevate the levels of vulnerability and deprivation of poor families, including the youth and adults with no incomes. With this understanding, I had designed robust mitigation interventions that will be implemented alongside our reforms.

I was prepared for reform fallouts. Tinubu wasn’t. However, it is not too late for him to change course and do what is right for the good of our people and our nation. -AA

𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐢’𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭A Federal High Court in Kano has ordered the e...
28/05/2024

𝐅𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐬𝐢’𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭

A Federal High Court in Kano has ordered the eviction of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II from the Kofar Kudu Palace, while a State High Court has restrained the police and other security agencies from carrying out the eviction order.

𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒: President Tinubu Receives Tony BlairPresident Bola Tinubu received former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at...
28/05/2024

𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐓𝐎𝐒: President Tinubu Receives Tony Blair

President Bola Tinubu received former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, shortly after returning from a four-day working visit to Lagos.

The meeting was attended by several high-ranking government officials, including the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila; Foreign Affairs Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, Information and National Orientation Minister ,Mohammed Idris, and Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman.

Credit: X | HMMohammedIdris

𝐒hettima, 𝐀tiku, Others Attend Ibrahim Lamorde's Burial In AbujaDignitaries from various walks of life gathered at the N...
28/05/2024

𝐒hettima, 𝐀tiku, Others Attend Ibrahim Lamorde's Burial In Abuja

Dignitaries from various walks of life gathered at the National Mosque in Abuja on Tuesday to pay their last respects to a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Lamorde.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned "Southern Parkway from Christian Center to Ring Road 1, in Abuja on Tuesday, th...
28/05/2024

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned "Southern Parkway from Christian Center to Ring Road 1, in Abuja on Tuesday, the commissioning is part of the activities to mark the administrations one year in office.

Photo Credit: Minister of State FCT/Facebook

FULL LIST: Number of medical doctors across states in Nigeria1. Lagos: 7,3852. FCT: 4,4533. Rivers: 2,1944. Enugu: 2,070...
28/05/2024

FULL LIST: Number of medical doctors across states in Nigeria

1. Lagos: 7,385
2. FCT: 4,453
3. Rivers: 2,194
4. Enugu: 2,070
5. Oyo: 1,996
6. Edo: 1,777
7. Kaduna: 1,524
8. Anambra: 1,518
9. Ogun: 1,511
10. Kano: 1,477
11. Delta: 1,456
12. Osun: 1,294
13. Plateau: 1,200
14. Imo: 1,110
15. Kwara: 1,016
16. Ebonyi: 899
17. Akwa Ibom: 888
18. Abia: 829
19. Cross River: 826
20. Ondo: 743
21. Borno: 736
22. Bayelsa: 727
23. Ekiti: 695
24. Benue: 621
25. Sokoto: 602
26. Katsina: 562
27. Nassarawa: 552
28. Niger: 494
29. Gombe: 485
30. Bauchi: 443
31. Kogi: 418
32. Adamawa: 280
33. Yobe: 275
34. Kebbi: 273
35. Zamfara: 267
36. Jigawa: 255
37. Taraba: 201



BREAKING: Court Orders Police To Evict Bayero From Mini PalaceJustice Aisha Adamu Aliyu of Kano State High Court has ord...
27/05/2024

BREAKING: Court Orders Police To Evict Bayero From Mini Palace

Justice Aisha Adamu Aliyu of Kano State High Court has ordered the Commissioner of Police in Kano to take over palace and evict the 15th Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero.

President Bola Tinubu flag off the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.The president flag off the pr...
27/05/2024

President Bola Tinubu flag off the construction of the 700km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

The president flag off the project on Sunday, 26 May, and says the project will improve transportation for Nigeria.

"Today is our my day to boast. The deal is done. The dream is realisable. The determination to build a nation of prosperity is possible.

We say we will build this road, and we are determined to do it” President Tinubu says.

27/05/2024

VIDEO: Kano Deputy Governor apologises to NSA, Nuhu Ribadu over allegations of involvement in Emir tussle

🎥: TVC News

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, is dead.Lamorde, a retired po...
26/05/2024

A former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Lamorde, is dead.

Lamorde, a retired police officer, was said to have died after he battled an undisclosed illness.

The retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police died at the age of 61 in Egypt where he was receiving medical treatment.

PHOTOS: Security personnel seal roads leading to palace housing Aminu Bayero
26/05/2024

PHOTOS: Security personnel seal roads leading to palace housing Aminu Bayero

Restoring the federal in the Federal Republic of Nigeria - by: Nasir El-RufaiI had the privilege of chairing the APC Com...
26/05/2024

Restoring the federal in the Federal Republic of Nigeria - by: Nasir El-Rufai

I had the privilege of chairing the APC Committee on True Federalism which submitted its report back in January 2018. This committee of distinguished Nigerians was set up as part of our party’s attempt to put forward a position on federalism, an issue that has been intensely debated in recent decades. For the sake of our country and its people, we need to put as much passion into effecting what has been agreed, even as we further debate that which is awaiting consensus or resolution. We are in our 25th year of democratic governance, long enough for a panoply of deliberate actions to be taken to undo the distortions injected into our federalism by decades of military rule.

Propelled by ideology or driven by pragmatic desire for a working and dynamic country, many Nigerians see the merit in devolving powers and responsibility to the subnational level. It is seen as key to further unleashing the productive impulse, spurring creativity, rewarding the competitive instinct, and promoting better governance across the states. Devolution of powers will also free the Federal Government of some burdens and enable it to concentrate better on discharging its most consequential responsibilities in national defence and security, monetary and fiscal policy and foreign relations.

Some positive steps towards restoring and practicing federal ethos have recently been taken. The constitutional amendments passed by the 9th National Assembly in January 2023 included significant adjustments to the exclusive list, shifting some important responsibilities like electricity, railways and prisons to the concurrent list. This empowers state governments to regulate the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, intra-state rail networks and establish correctional facilities. Happily, President Muhammadu Buhari assented to some of the constitutional reform bills enacted by the 9th Assembly. This step towards decentralisation has been reinforced by President Bola Tinubu who swiftly signed the Electricity Act 2023 that bestows on state governments powers to regulate electricity markets within their boundaries.

Some state governments have moved with admirable speed to actualise their newfound regulatory powers in the electricity supply industry. In compliance with the law, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has also commendably ceded regulatory powers to such state governments. Given the well-known challenges in the electricity sector, there is much hope that the involvement of subnational actors and the private sector will help mobilise more resources to help address gaps in the sector. Efforts by the state governments to participate in the sector may also help to further build professional, technical and regulatory capacity across the states, to the benefit of all.

There is also renewed interest in decentralising the internal security structure, particularly policing. The weaknesses and inadequacy of a centralised police structure in a federation are painfully obvious. Government efforts to secure our people, their property, livelihoods and communities would be enhanced by introducing additional law enforcement footprint at the state, local government and community levels. Such subnational policing structures should be empowered with the necessary resources in personnel, training, equipment and technology to deter and prevent crime, protect citizens, businesses, and property, and to arrest and prosecute criminals. I hope that the conversations going on now would produce concrete measures in this regard, with strong nationwide regulation to address the concerns of those fearful of abuse or politicisation of policing powers by State Governments.

These welcome steps should spur us to complete the work that remains to be done towards reclaiming the federal in the official name of Nigeria. One of this is a conclusive clarification of the status of the local government councils. Nigeria’s federation is a union between its 36 states and the Federal Government. The APC Committee on True Federalism considered it an anomaly that the local government areas are named and listed in the Constitution and that they more or less receive direct funding from the Federation Account. Our Committee recommended that local government should be a matter for states which should decide on, legislate for, and fund the type of democratic local government system that best suits them.

As things stand, the contention over local government councils across the country stems largely from the funding that they receive from the Federation Account. In my view, a more prudent, and truly federal, option would be to let the Federation Account fund only the federal and the state governments, while the state governments should then fund and manage governance at the local level as they deem fit, and as reflected in the enabling laws that their respective Houses of Assembly shall enact to that effect. Every state can then have as many or as few local government councils as they may choose.
The APC Committee on True Federalism recommended that the federation be rebalanced, with more powers and responsibilities devolved to the states. Our federal system needs to strengthen the state governments to effectively deliver on the many human capital and infrastructural development responsibilities that are vested in them by the Constitution.

Another pending issue is the question of restoring a federal structure in the judiciary. The powers of the National Judicial Council should be limited to federal courts (and the Federal Capital Territory), while the state judiciaries should be vested in the State Judicial Councils to be created by constitutional amendment.

As a country, we also have to develop consensus on the application of fiscal federalism and the control of mineral resources. Let us discuss and settle the question regarding whether the vesting of land in the states by the Constitution and the Land Use Act should be extended to include ownership and control of minerals below the land, including oil and gas resources. That scenario will see the Federal Government collecting royalties and taxes, while retaining control of all offshore minerals in the continental shelf and the recently enlarged extended economic zone, in accordance with public international law.

The APC Committee on True Federalism had worked in the hope that its report would help enhance nation-building. Our consultations and deliberations highlighted the enduring appeal of federalism across the country. The patriots that negotiated our independence in the 1950s built a national consensus on federalism, with strong regions and a weak federal government. Federalism as a principle was made even more appealing over the decades by the evident distortions and clear limitations of military rule. The apparent failure of the creeping centralisation that set in after the tragic events of 1966 to build a strong Nigerian state and an efficient political and economic system has further reinforced the argument for federalism.

Excessive centralisation has neither strengthened national unity nor encouraged a productive instinct. As I observed during a Chatham House talk on restructuring in 2017, “unitarist and distributive impulses did not accelerate the evolution of national unity nor encourage productive endeavour. Rather, it created a rentier economic structure.” A federal restoration will help correct this.

This country was birthed as a federation. The imperative of the moment is to restore a federal structure that challenges and rewards creative efforts by the states to build up their subnational economies and governance capacity and frees the Federal Government to better discharge its core responsibilities to secure the country, grow its economy and be the leading voice of the Black race in international relations. A unique opportunity beckons for the federal and state governments and the 10th National Assembly to further accelerate the evolution of a better functioning federation within the next 12 months.

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