Gridlock Grounds Lekki As ‘Obidients’ Rally At Lekki Toll-Gate (Photo)

 

The ‘Obidients’ as they are fondly called, gathered on Saturday morning at the toll-gate despite heavy police presence on the ground.The many supporters of Peter Obi, the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, have stormed the streets of Lekki in Lagos for a rally.

They have now grounded traffic activities in Lekki, as they defied police orders and campaigned at Lekki toll-gate.

The ‘Obidients’ as they are fondly called, gathered on Saturday morning at the toll-gate despite heavy police presence on the ground.

Our correspondent noticed private and commercial bus drivers finding alternative routes out of the traffic on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, as the traffic was almost at a stand still.

Speaking with a commercial driver, who opted for all his passengers to get another bus, he said, “Obidient people are campaigning at the toll gate, I have been in this traffic for too long, I’m going to turn back at Jakande roundabout. I wouldn’t be heading to Lekki Phase 1 again.”

PDP Presidential Ticket: Fellow southern govs betrayed us — Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike

Rivers State governor and presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Nyesom Wike, who came second at Saturday’s primaries, has accused Southern governors of betraying the power shift agreement.

Wike, who has vowed to remain in the party and support its 2023 presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, disclosed that he almost scuttled the PDP primaries at a stage when the rule was breached but had to maintain his calmness

The governor spoke at a reception in his honour at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, following his return from the presidential primary in Abuja.Also, commendations continued to flow for Atiku on his emergence as PDP standard bearer, yesterday, as the apex Igbo Socio-Cultural Organisation, Ohanaeze denied saying that it would work against Atiku, adding that it has not taken a position on the issues.

Nigeria now depends on IMF, World Bank to pay salaries of workers – Prof Tomori

 A professor of Virology, Oyewale Tomori has said Nigeria is now depending on international agencies such as International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to pay workers salaries.

Tomori spoke on Thursday while delivering a lecture on the topic “Science, Scientist and Society” at the 79th Interdisciplinary Research Discourse of the Postgraduate College, University of Ibadan.

Professor Tomori who is a member of the World Health Organisation Technical Advisory Group on COVID-19 vaccine composition, also disclosed that Nigeria has become a beggar for COVID-19 vaccines.

He regretted that the country has failed to consistently invest in education, science and technology despite the vast number of natural resources.

He said while other countries are enjoying a return on investments, Nigeria is reaping a return on iniquity and immorality.

He said this is the main reason the country depends on loans from international donor agencies such as IMF and World Bank to pay salaries of workers.

The University Don lamented that the current democratic system in the country is full of corruption and immorality.

“While other countries are getting sumptuous results on their investments, we are wallowing in our own return on iniquity and on return on immorality.

“That is why we have 10.5 million of our children out of school, 4.5 million under-vaccinated, we become the poverty capital of the world.

“We are investing hugely in corruption and disdain for science and technology.

“And we now depend on IMF loans and world bank to pay our workers’ salaries, to import food which we should be producing.”

Just In : Vessel Goes Up In Flame Around Escravos Delta State, Nigeria

A Floating Production, Storage and Offloading, FPSO, has exploded in Escravos, Delta State.

The explosion of the FPSO, known as Trinity Spirit, which occurred in the afternoon of Wednesday,  February 2, 2022, caused fire and panic in the Escravos area of Warri South-West Local Government Area of the State.

BREAKING: CBN again keeps interest rate at 11%, expresses hope price of food will drop

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has voted to retain the monetary policy rate (MPR), which measures interest rate, at 11.5 percent.

The monetary policy rate (MPR) is the baseline interest rate in an economy, every other interest rate used within an economy is built on the MPR.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday after the committee’s two-day meeting at the CBN  headquarters in Abuja, Godwin Emefiele, governor of the apex bank, said the committee members unanimously retained key rates.

According to Emefiele, the committee voted to maintain the key lending rate at 11.5 percent, with the asymmetric corridor of +100 and -700 basis points around the MPR and liquidity ratio at 30 percent.

CBN said the decision to keep the interest rate was to keep the ongoing growth in the economy.

COVID-19: Nigeria records 18,000 cases among travellers, insists on protocols

The Nigerian government says more than 18,000 cases of coronavirus have been recorded from inbound travellers to the country as of January 16, 2022.

It blamed the development on the failure of travellers to strictly adhere to the travel protocols put in place by Nigeria.

The director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed this in a statement issued on its website on Friday.

Mr Adetifa said the decision to make repeat tests mandatory in Nigeria was based on the review of COVID-19 test positivity data among returnees to the country during the first and subsequent waves of the pandemic.

He explained that this was necessary to ensure a balance between the mandate to protect the health of Nigerians from infections and supporting the restart of the economy.

“As of 16th January 2022, over 18,000 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded from inbound travellers to Nigeria. Therefore, the associated risk of disease transmission is not trivial,” he said.

So far, Nigeria has recorded 251,684 cases of COVID-19 and 3,123 persons have died from complications caused by the virus.

Inbound, outbound travellers

Mr Adetifa said there have been complaints and enquiries on the use of the Nigeria International Travel Portal (NITP).

He said since the resumption of international flights post-COVID-19 lockdown in Nigeria, NITP remains an effective means of preventing the importation of the virus via air travel.

“Since its launch, the NITP has been updated frequently over time and more recently, there was an upgrade in October 2021, to enable a more user-friendly experience for travellers, laboratories, and other users.

“We are aware of reports of travellers to Nigeria who have experienced delays at the airport for not meeting all the travel requirements as stated on the NITP,” he said.

He urged the public to adhere strictly to the guidance on the travel portal to ensure its seamless use.

NCDC also recommends the use of card payments over bank transfers when using the portal.

The director-general added; “Registration on the travel portal prior to departure should be done immediately after your negative COVID-19 test result is obtained, preferably 24 hours before your travel date.

“Card payments are recommended over bank transfers especially if the registration on the portal is done less than 24 hours before departure.

“Travellers who do not receive their QR code despite making payment should download the Permit to Travel/QR Code using the “Get Permit to Travel” button visible on the top right corner of the portal. A link to print the Permit-To-Travel is also sent to the email address of registered travellers.”

Mr Adetifa said the agency recognised the technical challenges that might occur from time to time and will continue to make improvements to optimise the functionality of the travel portal.

He said the agency and the Federal Ministry of Health remain committed to strengthening Nigeria’s response to COVID-19 and controlling this and other outbreaks.

NLNG set to supply cooking gas to Nigerian market to crash prices

 

The Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas NLNG Limited (NLNG) says it will supply 100 per cent of its liquefied petroleum gas to the Nigerian market to crash the prices of cooking gas.

The NLNG on Thursday in a statement signed by Andy Odeh, the general manager, external relations and sustainable development, said it will prioritise the domestic market for 100 per cent of its butane and propane production.

It said the move is designed to increase LPG availability in Nigeria, diversify its use and support the federal government’s Decade of Gas initiative.

According to the statement, NLNG is currently the highest single supplier of LPG to the domestic market, with an estimated 400,000 metric tonnes supplied in 2021.

“The milestone is coming just three months after the company supplied its first propane cargo into the domestic market and has developed a scheme to sustainably supply propane for usage in cooking gas blending as well as in agro-allied, autogas, power and petrochemical sectors of the Nigerian economy to further deepen gas utilization in Nigeria,” the statement said.

The cost of cooking gas has been on the rise since the beginning of last year.
Before now, it has been reported how the hike in the prices of cooking gas has forced many women into harmful alternatives such as using firewood and charcoal for cooking.

In December, Mele Kyari, the NNPC Group Managing Director, at the inauguration of a 120-metric tonnes LPG storage and bottling plant by Emadeb Energy Services Limited, said the corporation is currently working towards increasing the supply of LPG, in a bid to force down its rising price in the country.

“Two things are in play, one is the supply and the other is the international price of gas,” he said at the time.

“It (price) moves with the price of every other petroleum product including crude oil and its derivatives. So it is a reflection of what is happening in the international market.

“What we are doing is to increase supply. Once the supply is increased the prices will come down.

POLIO RESURFACES IN NIGERIA AS BAUCHI RECORDS 38 CASES

 

There is currently a resurgence of the Wild Poliovirus in the country after years of Polio-free satisfaction, Bauchi State has recorded a total of 38 confirmed cases of circulating Mutant Polio Virus Type 2 (Cmpv2) in 12 LGAS.

Out of the confirmed cases, 19 are from AFP, 13 from contact cases and 6 from the environmental samples with the affected LGAs to including Toro, Warji, Darazo, Misau, Dambam, Zaki, Jamaare, Alkaleri, Ganjuwa, Bauchi, Katagum and Shira.

The disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of BASPHCDA, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed on Saturday while flagging off vaccination against the virus held at the PHC, Bayan Fada in Bauchi metropolis.

According to the BASPHCDA Executive Chairman, the target population is under 5 years with a total of 2,286,057 while the total vaccines (nopv2) so far received is 2,367,450.

Rilwanu Mohammed added that the total number of wards in the state is 323 while the total number of settlements is 17,243 7 and a Total number of 4023 House-House teams are to be engaged for the exercise as well as a total number of special teams1280 9 and a total number of Fixed teams 646

Also, the total number of DOPV teams is 756, Total number of days of implementation is 4 (11 – 15 January 2022)

According to him, the level of preparedness of the exercise by the Agency is 100% having received support from all relevant international donor agencies having received feedback to STFI/ICC of the outcome of September 2021 round which was conducted.

Also conducted was the State level training of State Technical Facilitators (STFs); Advocacy visits to Political, Religious and Traditional leadership and Ward level training of house-to-house teams.

The BASPHCDA EC further said that there are 5 special teams for LGAS, TFI & Social Mobilization Committee meeting was conducted at various LGAS to review the last round, examine successes, challenges and provide action points.

Rilwanu Mohammed further said that Inter/intra-state Border synchronization meetings between Bauchi-Jigawa-Kano, Yobe-Bauchi-Gombe-Bauchi were conducted.

The assessment of the level of LGA status preparedness using a pre-implementation checklist was also conducted just as Vaccines were distributed to LGAS.

He then stressed that Logistics have been paid by WHO and UNICEF for the implementation of  DOPV strategy in all High-risk LGAs in the state.

The National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) assured that there is a need to focus attention on the fight against the resurgence of the Poliovirus particularly in the North in order to be able to curtail it before it becomes epidemic.

All other international donors and support agencies assured of a collaborative effort to quickly stop the virus from spreading.

My governmentt ‘working very hard’ on local production of vaccines — Buhari

 

President Muhammadu Buhari says his government is ‘working very hard’ to ensure the local production of vaccines.

The president, however, declined to provide any details.

“We shouldn’t make noise about it until we succeed,” he said of the efforts his government is making.

Mr Buhari spoke in an interview with the NTA, which was aired on Thursday and monitored by PREMIUM TIMES.

With its estimated population of 206 million, Nigeria relies on imported vaccines for the prevention and treatment of diseases including polio, COVID-19, measles, and others.

COVID-19 and Vaccine

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of local vaccine production as some countries have more access to available vaccines than others.

This is partly due to overreliance on foreign donors to get vaccines.

Unfortunately, Nigeria is only one of many African countries relying on foreign donors for vaccines, including COVID-19.

This also depicts one of the many reasons African countries have the least number of persons vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

PDP Lists Eight Proxy Companies Allegedly Used By Governor Akeredolu To Siphon Ondo State Funds

PDP had on Sunday accused Akeredolu of using his wife and children to loot the state through the registration of various companies.

According to a report by SaharaReporters, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ondo State chapter, has released the names of eight proxy companies allegedly used by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s family to get contracts in the state, and siphon funds from the state coffers.

The listed companies were; Erudit Limited, Pentabon Limited, Egimka Nigeria Limited, Terrenovo Agro, Claribet Consulting Limited, Limerite Limited, Pentagon Motusi Ltd and Jakovie Energy.

PDP had on Sunday accused Akeredolu of using his wife and children to loot the state through the registration of various companies.

They noted that the governor’s family particularly his wife, Betty and his son, Babajide had been using the companies to get contracts in the state.

However, the Ondo State government in statement issued by Donald Ojogo, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, on Monday asked the PDP, to publish details of companies linked to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s family and report to EFCC funds spent on Countdown Show.

“PDP’s latest misadventure mistaken for opposition is not to glorify the rudderless camp; it is to counsel the seemingly disorganised ilk and for the sake of general public at the mercy of PDP’s disingenuous misinformation.

“Their assertions in respect of 13 companies they claimed were registered by the Governor’s family in 2017 without evidence exposes the juveline and pedestrian composure of the PDP. It is sheer waste of precious media space to assert without evidence to prove. We challenge PDP to publish the names of the Directors of those companies as well as the names of those companies," he said.

Meanwhile, PDP on Wednesday revealed the names eight proxy companies allegedly used by Akeredolu’s family,

The party affirmed that action had begun towards petitioning the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC for appropriate action.

This was made known in a statement on Wednesday by the Publicity Secretary of PDP in the State, Kennedy Peretei. He noted that findings showed that the companies were either owned by the governor’s wife or his son with most of the transactions through the account of the companies emanating from them.

“For those who think we are peddling “beer parlour” rumours, it is better to wake up from your slumber to join the rest of us to rescue and rebuild Ondo State.

“Take your time to glean through the documents. We are not arm-chair critics. We do our due diligence. As critical stakeholders, we cannot fold our hands and allow this to continue.

“As to the request to petition the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the advice is un-necessary as, action is already being taken,” he said.

ROAD SAFETY TIPS FOR THOSE RETURNING FROM FESTIVE CELEBRATION

 

1. Obey the rules of the road and carry your driver’s license with you.

2. Plan the route to your holiday destination and allow yourself enough time to reach the destination

3. Make sure that your vehicle is in a roadworthy condition before departure. All lights and indicators, windscreens, windscreen wipers, brakes, steering, shock absorbers, exhaust system and tyres should be carefully examined for faults.

4. Do not overload.

5. Try to avoid driving after dark if possible.

6. Have a good rest before you embark on your journey

7. Take safety breaks every 2 hours or 200km. Rest, have an energy drink and continue once well-rested.

8. Do not drink and drive

9. Try to recognize potentially dangerous drivers on and pedestrians alongside the road and keep well clear of them

10. Be visible - drive with your lights on

11. Headlights should be dipped well before an approaching vehicle is within the range of the main beam.

12. Always wear your seat belt and see that everyone in the car is wearing theirs.

13. Drive defensively

14. Stay within the speed limit at all times

15. Only overtake when it is absolutely safe to do so

16. Maintain at least a 2-second following distance - this distance should be increased at night, in foggy or rainy conditions and when the road is wet.

17. Expect others to not be as obedient to the law as yourself

18. Avoid distractions on the road such as texting, conversations on cellular phones etc

19. Be courteous towards fellow road users - keep your temper and resist the temptation to retaliate

20. Know your emergency numbers - When you need assistance you can call the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) its toll-free 122 line to report emergencies.

FRSC also has a 12-digit emergency line – 0700 2255 3772

Experts say Bitcoin could soar to $200,000 in 2022

Bitcoin’s price could reach $200,000 in 2022, according to prominent cryptocurrency experts.

After reaching a new high this year, Bitcoin is recovering from its worst month since May. Crypto Trading has dropped 16% in the last month with many blaming the new variant of Covid-19.

However, both Brock Pierce and Tom Lee, co-founders of Fundstrat Global Advisors, believe Bitcoin will hit $200,000 in 2022.
What you should know

In the interview with Fox, Pierce talked about BTC’s performance over the past month. He said “People like to speculate, claiming they have answers, but in truth, BTC’s market is volatile. According to him, BTC’s poor performance in December is a result of multiple events.”

Pierce stated that BTC is a risk asset. According to him, BTC is a store of value but not an inflation hedge like gold and real estate.

However, it has a more interesting return profile than the above assets. Sharing what he believes will drive BTC beyond $100,000.00, Pierce said financial uncertainty in the broader financial system.

He said, “I would not be surprised if BTC goes beyond $100,000.00. It’s conceivable for it to break $200,000 for a moment and come back again.”

He predicts that the top cryptocurrency could briefly reach the aforementioned price mark before retracing lower.

Bitcoin’s price performance in 2022 depends on “external factors,” pointing to massive money printing that is happening in the world.

Ton Lee predicted $200,000 for BTC in the December 23 Market Rebellion Roundtable discussion.

He said: “So, maybe Bitcoin is in that $200,000 range. I think that’s achievable, and I know it sounds fantastical, but it’s very useful.”

Lee previously maintained his 2021 BTC price prediction of $100,000 as late as October in light of ProShares launching the first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the United States.
Why Bitcoin price is down

While many believe the Omicron variant of COVID-19 started and drove the current bear market, Pierce adopted a more technical approach, noting, “BTC’s price is down because there are more sellers than buyers in the market.”

He confessed that one of the reasons for BTC’s bad performance is that some investors are putting their money into other cryptos.
“Other coins snatching some attention from BTC is crucial for the market,” he argues.

Some cryptocurrencies, according to Per Pierce, are assisting in the development of the Bitcoin concept.

He explained that Bitcoin is a digital currency, whereas Ethereum aims to construct programmable contracts. Pierce compares the crypto space to the internet in 1999, because each idea is unique.

The rich with access to weapons, drugs, behind Nigeria’s insecurity — Hamza Al-Mustapha

Major Hamza Al- Mustapha, one time Chief Security Officer ( CSO) to former Nigerian military ruler, General Sani Abacha, has alleged that rich people with access to weapons and hard drugs were behind the insecurity bedevilling Nigeria.

Al-Mustapha said dealing with the situation would require the contribution of all and sundry that are patriotic about the country, while the authorities would have to step on toes in the effort to normalise the security situation.

Major Al-Mustapha who spoke in a viral VOA Hausa interview, said ” it is high time that every patriotic Nigerian, anyone who has Nigeria, Africa or the entire world at heart, everyone should stand up and make a personal contribution. Things are not moving as expected.”

“There are people spending their money to cause crisis and it appears they are succeeding.”

“From the way, they’ve access to weapons today in Africa, and different kinds of drugs, and from the kind of people that are given such things and they are using it, these have shown that the strength they have has started to overpower the laws of African countries, especially here in Nigeria. “

“That is why in my remarks, I delved on these issues and other issues pertaining to world affairs.”

He said many bad things are happening in the country as some few individuals were so powerful to have acquired the means of exploring, refining and exporting the nation’s mineral resources.

He alleged that these few Nigerians benefitting from the country’s mineral resources seemed to be unstoppable.

” If you want to stop them, they are ever ready to use all means at their disposal to fight you. They can even do that in collaboration with their local and foreign allies,” he alleged.

” They are powerful and can fight any government that tries to stop them. Fighting them. will require tact, reverting the laws and educating those carrying out the laws and those in government. They should know where they lag behind and where they are found wanting. “

” If this arises, from what I’ve said if things are to be corrected, toes must be stepped upon People must be shown the right thing to do so that peace and harmony would be restored, ” he said.

Singapore lifts travel ban on Nigeria, nine others

Singapore on Monday lifted the travel ban imposed on Nigeria and nine other African countries over the new variant of the COVID-19 pandemic, Omicron.

The other countries are Botswana, Eswatini (former Swaziland), Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

In a statement issued by its Health Ministry, the South-East Asian nation said it expected a new wave of local cases soon given the higher transmissibility of the Omicron variant.

The ministry added that passengers arriving in Singapore with travel history to the 10 countries within the last 14 days would come under the Category IV border measures.

The Singaporean government imposed a travel ban on Nigeria and the other affected countries over the discovery of the Omicron variant on December 3.

READ ALSO: Canada lifts travel ban on Nigeria, nine others

The statement read: “In the coming days and weeks, we should expect more community (local) cases and rapid doubling of cases. This is again a process we need to go through, in order to live with COVID-19.


“However, the peak of the wave can be blunted and we can avoid overwhelming our healthcare system again if everyone plays their part to get their vaccinations and booster doses, self-test regularly and self-isolate if tested positive.

“In particular, those who have recently arrived from overseas or been in contact with an infected person should reduce their social interactions.

“We have done whatever we can to prepare ourselves for it; especially in administering boosters to our population and starting vaccinations for our children. We seek the cooperation and understanding of everyone, as we weather through an Omicron wave in the next one to two months.

“Instead of being isolated in dedicated facilities by default, Omicron cases will be placed on home recovery or treated at community care facilities depending on their clinical presentation.”

“With the new measures, travellers with links to Nigeria and other listed countries must take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within two days before departure to Singapore, as well as an on-arrival PCR test. They will also have to serve a 10-day stay-home notice at a dedicated facility. Another PCR test will be administered at the end of their quarantine period.”

Conjoined Twins Abandoned By Their Parents Land First Jobs With Two Salaries (Photo)

Conjoined twins

A conjoined twins have gotten a good shot at life after landing two jobs with two salaries.

The twins were abandoned by their parents when they were born.

Sohna and Mohna Singh, from Punjab, India, are working for the first time having received government jobs.

The 19-year-old twins will be working as electricians at the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited and earning the equivalent of £100 a month.

The twins had been living at a shelter ever since they were abandoned by their parents when they were babies in New Delhi.

They have two hearts, kidneys and spinal cords, as well as two pairs of arms, but share a liver, gallbladder, spleen and legs.

Doctors refused to separate the twins due to the risky nature of the procedure which could lead to the death of one of them.

While living in the shelter, they showed a knack for fixing things and would try to help out by attempting to mend any broken appliances at their shelter, Mirror reports.

Speaking to the Independent, the twins said: "We are thankful to the Punjab government for recognising our talent."

Officials at the power company were impressed with the twins after they visited a training site and demonstrated a keen interest in electrics.

Venu Parsad, chief managing director of PSPCL, told The Telegraph that the twins showed great technical knowledge and took them on under a disabled person quota.

Ex-NSCDC Commandant Forfeits 60 Buildings, Land To FG Over Corruption

Federal High Court, Abuja

Bintu was said to have defrauded over 1,000 persons, who subscribed to her housing estate located along the Airport Road, Abuja.

A Federal High Court, sitting in Abuja, has ordered the final forfeiture of 60 buildings illegally acquired by a former Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Adenike Bintu, to the Federal Government, 

Bintu was said to have defrauded over 1,000 persons, who subscribed to her housing estate located along the Airport Road, Abuja.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission had approached Justice O. Egwuata, praying for an order for the final forfeiture of the 60 buildings and a 9.6 hectares land, both located at Sabon-Lugbe South-West Extension, Airport Road, Abuja, alleged to have been acquired by Bintu through corrupt means.

The commission’s counsel, John-Paul Okwor, told the court that the ICPC was relying on Section 48 (1) (2) and (3) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, which gives it power to approach courts to forfeit properties corruptly acquired by individuals.

A statement on Thursday by the ICPC spokesperson, Mrs Azuka Ogugua, titled, ‘ICPC: NSCDC commandant forfeits 60 buildings, land to FG,’ said the commission had argued before the court that the former commandant set up a private company, Faith Winners Victory Properties Limited, through which she allegedly perpetrated the fraud by selling plots of land to unsuspecting members of the public.

The court heard that Bintu claimed that the land, which she used in defrauding over 1,000 subscribers, was owned in partnership with the NSCDC.

The statement read, “However, the subscribers, who had made several payments running into millions of naira, were never allocated plots of land nor had their funds returned to them by Bintu and her company.

“Furthermore, ICPC proved before the court that Bintu, who had jumped bail and is now a fugitive, did not enter into any partnership with NSCDC to build estates for members of the public.”

She was said to have told the court in her arguments that ICPC had no powers to prosecute civil cases and that Sections 6 and 48 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, relied upon by the commission had been repealed by the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2003.

Our correspondent learnt that her arguments were dismissed by the court for lack of merit, and Justice Egwuata then ruled that all the 60 buildings and the 9.6 hectare of land situated at Sabon-Lugbe South-West Extension, Airport Road, Abuja, listed by ICPC be forfeited to the Federal Government.

Joint operation: Amotekun, 20 armed robbers in shootout on lfe/llesha highway

Four persons have been rescued by the joint operation of the Western Nigeria Security Network, WNSN codenamed Amotekun, in a foiled robbery operation along Ife/Ilesha expressway.

The joint operation was put in place by the South West governors for a hitch-free Yuletide in the region.

Many of the motorists and passengers were reportedly robbed and stabbed by the bandit numbering about twenty who blocked the highway in the early hours of Thursday.

During the robbery operation, over 70 vehicle owners were held hostage by the robbers who operated on the highway.

Speaking with newsmen in Akure, the chairman of the joint operation of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun and Ondo state commander of the security outfit, Chief Adetunji Adeleye said that they received distress call by 1 am on Thursday.

Adetunji said ” during a joint operation by men of the Amotekun in Ondo and Osun states along Ife /Ilesha/Akure road. We are on patrol at about 1 am when we got a distress call that a robbery spree is ongoing along Osu junction.

“So our men rushed to the scene which is some few meters after Osu junction, we met over 70 vehicles parked on the road and we have to manouvered to the spot only to found that the robbers are actually at work and opened fire on our men immediately they sighted them.

“They exchanged fire with men of the Amotekun and we pursued them into the bush and we were able to retrieve this car, Toyota corolla, that was stolen from the owner and some other 46 vehicles parked at the spot.”

He said that the armed robbers “numbering about 20 operated on the Ife / Ilesha expressway unhindered in the middle of the night. We gave them a hot chase after they snatched vehicles, while other travellers out of fear parked their vehicles on the road.

” The Amotekun Corps rescued four occupants of a vehicle while the armed robbers had injured some of them, stabbing them after beating them before our arrival at the scene of the crime.

“One man was not as lucky as others, before we got there he had been badly beaten and macheted and we had to rush him to a hospital where they administered first aid treatment to avoid serious casualty.

Adeleye however, advised motorists to avoid travelling at night, noting that “despite our 24-hour patrol, I want to advise our people to avoid travelling at night where avoidable but I can assure you that we are always on the road.”

Speaking with newsmen, one of the victims, Mathew Olakanmi said he was travelling from Lagos to Jos, Plateau state, to deliver the vehicle when he ran into the armed robbers.

Olakanmi said the armed men stopped him on the road and started shooting sporadically but said he managed to reverse his vehicle from the spot to escape from them but said he ran into another member of the gang who have laid siege in the bush.

” The robbers threatened to shoot me and kill me and other occupants of the vehicle. I had to stop and surrender the car key.

“We were flagged down on the road by these men, I thought they are policemen only to discover that they are armed robbers.

“They tried to shoot me and I had to reverse about a kilometre before I ran into another gang.

“They took the car key from me and started beating us, they took all my documents and money and I escaped from the spot but other people in the vehicle are not lucky.

“They stabbed and macheted them and beat them up and took them as a hostage. I want to appreciate the Amotekun and South-West governors for this initiative”

Meanwhile, Adeleye has assured “the good people of Osun and Ondo states that we will stop at nothing in joining forces with other security agencies in ensuring that criminals are chased away from this area.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s Letter to the National Assembly Withholding Assent to Electoral Act Amendment Bill

Further to the letter dated 18th November, 2021 forwarded for Presidential assent, the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 as passed by the National Assembly, I have received informed advice from relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government, and have also carefully reviewed the Bill in light of the current realties prevalent in the federal Repulic of Nigeria in the circumstances arising from the review

1. Rt. Honourable Speaker may wish to note that the nomination of party candidates solely via direct primaries as envisaged by the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 has serious adverse legal, financial, economic and security consequences which cannot be accommodated at the moment considering our Nation’s peculiarities. It also has implications on the rights of citizens to participate in the government as constitutionally ensured.

2. The Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 seeks to amend certain provisions of the extant Electoral Act 2010. Part of the objective of the Bill is the amendment of the present Section 87 of the Electoral Act, 2010 to delete the provision for the conduct of indirect primaries in the nomination of party candidates such that party candidates can henceforth only emerge through direct primaries. ”

3. Arising from the review, Mr Speaker may wish to particularly note the pertinent issues implicated as follows to wit:

a. The conduct of direct primaries across the 8,809 wards across the length and breadth of the country will lead to a significant spike in the cost of conducting primary elections by parties as well as increase in the cost of monitoring such elections by INEC who has to deploy monitors across these wards each time a party is to conduct direct primaries for the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative posts. In addition to these costs with the already huge cost of conducting general election will inevitably lead to huge financial burden on both political parties, INEC and the economy in general at a time of dwindling revenues.

b. The indirect consequences of the issues of high cost and monetization are that it will raise financial crimes and constitute further strain on the economy. It will also stifle smaller parties without the enormous resources required to mobilise all party members for the primaries. This is not healthy for the sustenance of multi-party democracy in Nigeria.

c. _ In addition to increased costs identified above, conducting and monitoring primary elections across 8,809 wards will pose huge security challenges as the security agencies will also be overstretched, direct primaries will be open to participation from all and sundry and such large turn-out without effective security coordination will also engender intimidation and disruptions, thereby raising credibility issues for the outcomes of such elections.

d. The amendment as proposed is a violation of the underlying spirit of democracy which is characterised by freedom of choices. Political party membership is a voluntary exercise of the constitutional right to freedom of association. Several millions of Nigerians are not card carrying members of any political party. Thus, the emphasis should be on enabling qualified Nigerians to vote for the candidate of their choice during general elections as a means of participation in governance and furtherance of the concept of universal adult suffrage or universal franchise.
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e. The proposed amendment may also give rise to plethora of Iitigations based on diverse grounds and issues of Law including but not limited to the fact that the proposed amendment cannot work in retrospect given that the existing Constitution of the Parties already registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) permits direct, indirect and consensus primaries. This real possibility, will, without doubt, truncate the electoral program of the Nation as another electoral exercise is imminent towards a change of Government in 2023.

f. Nigeria is at the moment still grappling with the issues of monetization of the political process and vote buying at both party and general elections. The direct implication of institutionalizing only direct primaries is the aggravation of over-monetization of the process as there will be much more people a contestant needs to reach out to, thereby further fuelling corruption and abuse of office by incumbent contestants who may resort to public resources to satisfy the increased demands and logistics of winning party primaries.

g. Direct primaries are alse subject or susceptible to manipulation or malpractices as most parties cannot boast of reliable and verified Membership Register or valid means of identification which, therefore, means non-members can be recruited to vote by wealthy contestants to influence the outcome. Rival parties can also conspire and mobilise people to vote against a good or popular candidate in a party during its primaries just to pave way for their own candidates. Whereas where voting is done by accredited delegates during indirect primaries, the above irregularities are not possible.

4. The major conclusions arrived at upon the review are highlighted hereunder, to wit:

a. Aside its serious adverse legal, financial, economic and security consequences, the limitation or restriction of the nomination procedures available to political parties and their members constitutes an affront to the right to freedom of association. It is thus undemocratic fo restrict the procedure or means of nomination of candidates by political parties, as it also amounts to undue interference in the affairs of political partes.

b. Indirect primaries or collegiate elections are part of internationally accepted electoral practices. Moreso, direct primaries are not free from manipulations and do not particularly guarantee the emergence of the will of the people especially in circumstances like ours where it is near impossible to sustain a workable implementation framework or structure thereof.


5. In the premise of the above, I hereby signify to the National Assembly that I am constrained to withhold assent to the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2021 in line with the provisions of Section 58(1) & (4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It is my considered position that the political parties should be allowed to freely exercise right of choice in deciding which of the direct or indirect to adopt in the of their primary elections as their respective realities may permit.

Please accept, Rt Hon Speaker, the assurance of my highest consideration and esteem.

US BILLIONIARE AND TESLA OWNER TO PAY $11B TAX IN 2022

US Billionaire and Owner of Tesla Elon Musk has been the topic of a public debate on social media over how much tax he pays.

Earlier this week, Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren tweeted that Mr Musk should stop "freeloading off everyone else".

"For those wondering, I will pay over $11bn in taxes this year," the billionaire responded. 

Mr Musk, founder of electric car maker Tesla and aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, became the world's richest person earlier this year.

Bloomberg Billionaires Index puts his wealth at $243bn, while Tesla is worth around $1tn and SpaceX is worth $100bn.

Last week, Mr Musk was named Time Magazine's Person of the Year.

That prompted Senator Warren to tweet: "Let's change the rigged tax code so 'The Person of the Year' will actually pay taxes and stop freeloading off everyone else."

US President Joe Biden is keen to increase taxes on the ultra-rich, although legislative plans have so far stalled in Congress.

Some senators, including Ms Warren, have backed the idea of taxing not only the income of America's richest citizens, but also the rising value of the assets they hold, like shares.

Many of America's wealthiest citizens don't take a directly taxable salary. Instead, they hold their wealth in shares and other investments, then take out loans using those assets as collateral.

SOURCE

Pope Francis Appoints Nigerian Archbishop As Vatican’s Permanent Observer at the UN

Archbishop Nwachukwu

Nigerian prelate and the Apostolic Nuncio to the Antilles, Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu has gotten a new appointment from Pope Francis.

He has now been appointed as the new Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations Office and Specialized Institutions in Geneva.

The 61-year-old Nwachukwu who now replaces Bishop Ivan Jurkovic (previously appointed nuncio in Canada), was also appointed as the Permanent Observer to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Representative of the Holy See to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The Nigerian cleric's appointment was confirmed in a press release from the Office of the Secretariat of the Episcopal Conference of the Antilles dated Friday, December 17, 2021.

It read;

“The Holy Father has appointed Archbishop Fortunatus Nwachukwu, titular of Acquaviva and until now apostolic nuncio in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Jamaica, Grenada, the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Santa Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname, and apostolic delegate in the Antilles; and Holy See Plenipotentiary Representative at the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations and Specialised Institutions in Geneva and at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Holy See Representative at the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).


“He sincerely appreciates your support during his mission in this region and requests that you accompany him with your prayers and friendship as he prepares to assume the new responsibilities.”


Prior to his recent appointment, Nwachukwu was the Apostolic Nuncio to Saint Lucia, Grenada, and the Bahamas. He got the appointment on 27 February 2018; and was also appointed as Apostolic Nuncio to Suriname on 9 March 2018; and Apostolic Nuncio to Belize on 8 September 2018.


The 61-year-old Nwachukwu will now replace Bishop Ivan Jurkovic (previously appointed nuncio in Canada).