President Bola Tinubu on Thursday expressed hope that the Super Eagles of Nigeria will lift the 2023 All African Cup of Nations, AFCON, in Ivory Coast.

Tinubu expressed hope that it’s Nigeria’s turn to lift the trophy, saying, “Awa Lokan.”

The president spoke at an event in Abuja while congratulating Nigerians over the Super Eagles victory against the Bafana Bafana of South Africa.

According to Tinubu: “Congratulations once again on the attainment of victory just last night. It was a moment of joy for every one of us united as a nation and very hopeful that it’s our turn for the trophy, Awa Lokan.”

On Wednesday evening, the Super Eagles of Nigeria had defeated their South African counterpart 4-2 to qualify for the AFCON finals.

The match had ended 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes after which the game went into a penalty shoot-out.

With this victory, the Super Eagles will be facing their Ivorian counterpart in the AFCON finals on Sunday.

Reports have emerged that some South Africans have threatened Super Eagles goalkeeper, Stanley Nwabali, not to return to his club following his heroics against the country as the Nigerian team progressed to the AFCON 2023 final at the expense of the Bafana Bafana team.

It is said that some South Africans are not pleased that the goalkeeper prevented their team from making it to the finals.

Nwabali, who plays for Chippa United in the South African Premier League, has been solid between the goalposts for Nigeria in the 2023 AFCON tournament ongoing in Ivory Coast.

Nwabali gave a superb performance against the Bafana Bafana in the semi-final clash on Wednesday, February 7.

During the clash,  Nwabali showed the best of himself as he stopped multiple attempts by South African players. He followed that up in the penalty shootout as he saved two spot-kicks.

Nwabali’s saves were enough for the Super Eagles to knockout South Africa 4-2 on penalties which qualified Nigeria to take on Ivory Coast in the 2023 AFCON final on February 11.

Speaking on Nwabali’s heroics so far in the tournament, former Nigerian keeper, Idah Peterside, said some fans have already told the Super Eagles shot-stopper not to return to Chippa United after the tournament.

He said, however, that there have only been threats, and no violence has been recorded.

See the video.

The Caucus extends its heartfelt sympathy to the families, communities and the people and government of Ekiti state on the brutal and abominable killings of traditional rulers including the Oba of Koro in Kwara state; the horrific kidnappings of school children and their mentors and the recent violent assault on the peace, security and corporate integrity of Ekiti state, the South West and indeed all the six geopolitical zones.

We await the outcome of investigations into these reprehensible and criminally insane acts; and hold that culprits should be subjected to the wrath of law to its fullest extent

The Ooni Caucus requests the location of a Military Base to reinforce the extant security apparatus in the state, which had proven woefully inadequate

The Caucus join the urgent calls for a constitutional amendment towards the decentralisation of the Nigerian police with the specific objective of enabling the creation of state and community based policing. The decentralisation should be complemented with the cooption and collaboration of Ex-servicemen i.e. retirees from the Police, Military and Paramilitary Forces.

We call for the enhancement of the capabilities of the local law enforcement agencies domiciled in the 774 Local Government Areas through the office of the Divisional Police Officers

We commend the establishment of the Amotekun, the Pan South West Zonal security outfit and its conspicuous accomplishment in its short existence regardless of acutely inadequate resources at its disposal. We appeal to the state governments of the South West zone to double down on this initiative with the provision of ample resources and logistics support. We equally deem the activation of the Oodua Peoples Congress
OPC as of the essence and urgent imperative

Other notable pro-Yoruba communal security groups apart from OPC and Amotekun such as the one led by Chief Sunday Igboho should be equally encouraged and energised towards the strategic protection and defence of Yoruba Region.

There is the need to highlight the specific responsibilities of the government, communities and the private sector in the onerous task of securing our nation and its communities. The economic dimension to security calls for economic interventions especially skills development and job creation schemes to stem security threats arising from socioeconomic factors.

We call on the Southwest political leaders to stimulate and encourage
community-based security initiatives across every hamlet, village and town in Yoruba land. We need to protect our borders as well as identify and secure all our ungoverned spaces, especially forests and public utilities.

We urge leading lights and critical stakeholder groups from across the length and breadth of the region to snap out of their self-destructive complacency and indifference regarding the security of Yorubaland before it is too late. They should regularly liaise and consult with SW Governors to identify current security threats and articulate remedial actions.

Our royal fathers and leaders of traditional institutions should hold mandatory meetings among themselves to discuss and mutually agree actions that would promote and defend the Yoruba heritage. They need to be sensitised and alert to the risks of harmful land and property ownership practices that render Yoruba communities vulnerable to external threat and subversion.

In view of their strategic utility in the peace and security of their domains, we call for the strengthening and empowerment of the traditional rulers.
The institution must enjoy a level of autonomy commensurate with the huge responsibility they bear in the local communities.

We need to begin to ‘Name & Shame’ those individuals and institutions that have been found guilty of compromising and sabotaging Yoruba interests for parochial and selfish reasons.

It is incumbent on all our leaders to regularly embark on regular campaigns to educate citizens on security issues and the need to be vigilant and prepared
to effectively grapple with security threats and challenges.

We do not know for certain the security status of Mr Sunday Adeniyi Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho. We hold the view that he does not constitute a threat to the peace and stability of Nigeria in any way. He should, therefore, be accorded the freedom, rights, and privileges that are due to every Nigerian citizen. If he is not in Nigeria, he should feel free to return home at a time of his choosing

Finally, we find the need to prompt and remind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to redeem his pledge of support towards the decentralisation and devolution of powers in Nigeria.

Balogun Akin Osuntokun (Coordinator)
Dr Yomi Layinka (Secretary General)

As the troubled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convenes its Ministerial Council meeting in Abuja on February 8 to discuss the quit notice served by three of its members – Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger – the situation in Senegal might well be the elephant in the room.

Three weeks to the presidential election earlier scheduled to hold in that country on February 25, President Macky Sall announced that the election had been postponed, without immediately giving a new date or any believable reasons. After a wave of protests, he instigated the Senegalese Parliament to announce December 15 as a possible new date.

It’s not the postponement that will worry ECOWAS leaders as ministers meet in Nigeria, where presidential elections have been postponed twice in the last 10 years even on the eve of voting; it’s Sall’s recent shifty habit – first eying a third-term and then denying it, followed by his government’s crackdown on opposition candidates.

The problem in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger — three delinquent countries that have accused the community of complicity and negligence in its obligations and signalled an intention to quit — is bad enough.

That threat alone has not only put trade in the community estimated at $208.1 billion at risk, minus informal trade amongst citizens which constitutes about 30 percent of the transactions; it also threatens to complicate the security situation in the subregion that is already facing serious problems from violent extremism and banditry.

Hypocritical oath

A politically unstable Senegal is the last thing that the community needs at this time. Of course, it’s unlikely that the situation in Senegal will feature at the ECOWAS meeting, where an allegiance of hypocrisy, elegantly called the principle of “non-interference”, forbids members from telling one another the truth.

The point, however, is that the resurgence of military rule in a number of African countries today, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso, is partly traceable to blatant disregard for constitutionalism, the rule of law, and rigged transitions – the sort of bad habit that Sall is showing in his old age.

Sall looked like the most unlikely candidate for this nonsense. In some ways, he reminded me of Senegal’s founding president, Leopold Senghor – urbane, intellectual and sensible. A geologist and widely travelled man, Sall built his way up from the bottom of the political ladder. Although he started his journey as a minister under former president Abdoulaye Wade, he soon returned to his base where he took up position as mayor of his hometown.

He took up other ministerial positions later on and also became the president of the country’s parliament. He fell out with his mentor, Wade, after he dragged Wade’s son to parliament to answer corruption charges. But his quarrel was not personal.

Sall seduced

Senegal was drifting, the cost of living was rising and infrastructure collapsing. Wade’s answer, if he had any, was to attempt to bend the constitution to extend his rule. Sall rallied the opposition. At a stage, the Parti Democratique Senegalais (PDS), where Sall had risen to become prime minister, could no longer contain Wade and Sall. He broke off to form his own Hope Alliance on which platform he challenged Wade in the 2012 presidential election and defeated him, with the assistance of a coalition, after a run-off.

This same Sall, who is losing his way and dragging his country along with him, set a high mark when he assumed office. He cut the size of his cabinet as he had promised, ploughed funds into the renewal of infrastructure and even made a proposal to parliament that would have reduced his term from seven to five-year two-term limit!

Strong arm tactics

All of that now appears to have been in the former life of a fairytale. As Sall’s reset two terms of 12 years neared its end, he slowly became the worst possible version of Wade, toying with an extended tenure and hounding the opposition with a number of his strongest opponents, including Ousmane Sonkoh, who has now been bumped off the trail on contrived charges. Sall, in short, has been seduced by what he hates.

ECOWAS will not be bothered if Sall changed his mind by December and sought an illegal third term. In the last four years, two regional leaders wangled illegal tenure extensions – Alpha Conde of Guinea and Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire. The first didn’t quite get away with it after soldiers struck and removed him from office, setting off the region’s coup spiral; while the second is the current host of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

Perhaps if there’s one person left in the community on whom the burden falls to whisper to Sall that this is not the Senegal that we used to know, it’s Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As surely as a stumble imitates a fall, the signs from Dakar are those that presage what could become a full-blown political crisis for the region if left unattended.

Tinubu, who promised to promote a coup-free region when he assumed office as chair of ECOWAS last year, cannot afford another country added to the regional coup belt. The same way he requested regional leaders at a meeting in Abuja to give George Weah a standing applause for the exemplary transition in that country, he needs to pull Sall’s ear, behind closed doors, and ask him to stop playing games.

For ECOWAS to achieve the African Union (AU) objective to Silence the Guns in Africa by 2030, the community must pay attention to the underlying factors that breed resort to guns violence, a few of the obvious ones being rigged elections, suppression of dissent, and the rule of strongmen. When regional leaders like those in the delinquent states complain that the community is insensitive to problems caused by Western or foreign meddling, it’s the elite, like Sall, that open the door enabling such meddling.

Oasis in jeopardy

An oasis of stability and a shining light in a highly politically volatile region, Senegal was one of the few countries on the continent that others looked up to. According to Martin Meredith in his book entitled, The Fortunes of Africa, “Over the course of 150 elections held in 29 countries between 1960 and 1989, opposition parties were never allowed a single seat. Only three countries – Senegal, Botswana and the tiny state of the Gambia – sustained multi-party politics, holding elections on a regular basis that were considered reasonably free and fair.”

That’s the reputation that Sall threatens to drag in the mud. Tinubu needs to remind Sall that it was he, Sall, and Nigeria’s former President, Muhammadu Buhari, who led the regional response to flush out Yahaya Jammeh in neigbouring The Gambia when Jammeh was on the verge of disrupting the outcome of the elections there because they did not favour him.

By railroading a 10-month postponement of elections through Parliament, Sall is obviously hoping to succeed where Wade and Jammeh failed. And he doesn’t care the cost. But ECOWAS should. The community cannot afford to wait until Senegal becomes another basket case before weighing in.

The vice-president of the Nigeria Football Federation, NFF, Shehu Dikko, has hailed head coach of the national team, Jose Peseiro, for his bold decision-making against South Africa.

The Super Eagles needed a penalty shoot-out to see off Bafana Bafana in the semi-final of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday night.

Dikko, writing on his verified X page, said Peseiro trusted other players in his squad as the game went into its crucial phases.

He wrote: “Congratulations @JosePeseiro… Fantastic job and huge respect ✊….

“Only a fearless, deliberate, competent and confident coach will be bold to replaced his entire top three strikers and two central midfielders in Osimhen, Simon, Lookman, Iwobi, and Onyeka in a Semi-final do or die match ….. and even had the trust to send on his alternate central defender as the 6th substitute to go in for the Penalty kicks …. and all perfectly worked out very well and the positive results achieved…… WE BELIEVE.”

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) has called for patience over the ongoing economic hardships being experienced in the country.

The governor said this during a briefing in Ilorin with different segments of the state on efforts of the government to ease things for the people.

The sessions, which lasted for hours, involved labour union leaders from the transport, artisans, market unions and students drawn from various backgrounds in the state.

In a statement signed by Rafiu Ajakaye, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, AbdulRazaq said that different federal government committees are working round the clock to plug the spiraling fall in the value of the naira and its impacts on consumer goods.

According to him, “We (governors) held a meeting on Tuesday afternoon which I joined through zoom, and it is a continuation of previous meetings. The government is launching programmes to checkmate the rising food prices.

“Our major problem is foreign exchange. We are getting US dollars from sales of crude oil, whereas we have low sales at the moment. We used to experience pipeline vandalism.

“But since the assumption of Tinubu’s government, production of oil has increased. Not only that, the government realised recently that the crude oil we are, and will be getting in the next six months or so had been sold in advance. So, they don’t get value for whatever they are selling now. But gradually, things will change and we need your support to understand us,” he added.

AbdulRazaq said the government is immediately working to force down the cost of key staple foods by releasing grains from the strategic reserve and distributing the same to the people at intervals.

The devaluation of the naira, the Governor noted “meant that merchants from neighbouring countries are mopping up grains from Nigeria.

“This is because it is far cheaper to buy from the country and then resell at higher prices in their own countries, especially in the West African sub-region”.

Acknowledging the spike in inflation, he urged the people to be patient adding that the government’s investments in gas-powered vehicles will manifest after their distribution in the coming months.

The Bank of Industry (BOI) has been appointed by the Federal Government as the executing agency of a N200 billion fund to support businesses across Nigeria.

The Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Investment (FMITI), recently established three funds totaling N200bn to support businesses across Nigeria.

The funds are the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS), The FGN MSME Intervention Fund and the FGN Manufacturing Sector Fund.

The BoI in a statement noted that the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS), is a N50bn grant scheme to support eligible Nano Business owners.

It noted that the Grant will be disbursed to a minimum of 1,000 beneficiaries (especially Women and Youths) per Local Government Area (LGA) in the 774 LGAs across the Nation and the 6 (six) Council Areas in the FCT, adding that the target nano businesses include traders, food vendors, ICT businesses, transporters, artisans, creatives, among others and beneficiaries are not required to pay back.

The Nigerian currency, the naira, experienced a notable depreciation at the parallel market on Wednesday, falling to N1,500 against the dollar, a 3.45 percent decrease from the rate of N1,450 per dollar observed on Monday.

This recent slide underscores the volatility in the foreign exchange market, contrasting with a slight appreciation observed at the official window.

Bureau De Change operators (BDCs) in Lagos, pivotal players in the parallel market, have set the buying rate of the US dollar at N1,490 and the selling rate at N1,500, marking a N10 profit margin per dollar.

Meanwhile, at the official trading window, the naira saw an appreciation, closing at N1,418 to a dollar on Wednesday, up from N1,433 on Tuesday, reflecting a 1.05 percent increase in value.

The foreign exchange market dynamics, as tracked by the FMDQ Exchange, indicate fluctuations with the naira trading between a high of N1,510 and a low of N896.28, alongside a daily turnover of $203.93 million.

In a significant move on February 1, 2024, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) continued its efforts to reform the foreign exchange market by lifting the cap on the FX rate quoted by international money transfer operators (IMTOs).

This decision is part of a broader strategy to improve liquidity and ensure a more transparent pricing mechanism in the FX market.

CBN said, “For the avoidance of doubt, by this circular, the cap on allowable limit of -2.5% to +2.5% around the previous day’s closing rate of the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market is hereby removed.”

CBN instructed the money transfer operators to quote exchange rates based on the prevailing market rates at the FX market.

The country’s public sector unions are experiencing a financial crisis, with some struggling to fulfil their obligations to members and employees, including salary payments.

Naija News gathered that the Federal Government had seized the check-off dues deducted at source from the salaries of members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart, the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), from November 2023 until now.

It was also discovered that earlier last year, the government withheld the deducted check-off dues of these unions for several months until the NLC threatened a nationwide strike by May 20, 2023. Eventually, the Accountant-General of the Federation reluctantly released the money to the unions.

The situation appears to be repeating itself, as it has been discovered that the funds were processed for payment but later diverted before release.

Among the affected unions are the Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE); Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU); Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU); Nigeria Union of Public Service Reportorial, Secretarial, Data Processors and Allied Workers (NUPSRAW); National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM); and Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN).

Vanguard’s investigations revealed that despite efforts by affected unions through the Joint National Public Service Negotiating Council (JNPSNC) Trade Union Side, there have been no positive outcomes.

The matter was reportedly discussed during a recent meeting of JNPSNC in Nasarawa State, where the unions expressed grievances over the challenges resulting from the withholding of their statutory funds.

Additionally, the leadership of the trade union side of JNPSNC has petitioned President Bola Tinubu, seeking his intervention, but it has yet to be successful.

The NLC expressed strong concern over the situation and its broader implications for public sector unions. In a letter titled “Continuing Refusal To Release Check-off Dues Accruing To Public Sector Trade Union,” dated January 31, 2024, the NLC issued a warning, stating that the withholding of check-off dues accruing to trade unions constitutes interference in their activities.

The letter from the NLC, conveyed by its General Secretary, Emma Ugboaja, reads in part: “The Continuing unfortunate deliberate withholding and piecemeal release of Check-off dues accruing to public sector trade unions in the country has been brought to our notice by our affiliates in the sector.

“These unions have, therefore, accordingly expressed their grievances regarding this intentional withholding or partial release through the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System, IPPIS, platform. We understand that this illegal act was at the instance of the Minister of Finance.

“This practice is totally unacceptable and runs counter to the traditions and principles guiding our engagement as social partners within the nation’s Industrial Relations sphere. We have had cause to have written to the Minister of Labour last year on this, but the report reaching us speaks to its unfortunate persistence.

“We find it inconceivable that check-off dues, deducted at the source from the salaries of public sector workers, would be subject to withholding or released in a piecemeal fashion when salaries themselves are not owed or disbursed piecemeal.

“We wish to draw your attention to the fact that this worrying development deprives not only our affiliates but also national labour centres of the financial resources necessary for their effective operation as workers’ representative organisations.

“Such actions represent a fundamental threat to trade unions and trade unionism in Nigeria, given that financial stability is crucial for the functioning of our organisations. We do not want to believe that this may be part of the ongoing onslaught against workers and trade union rights in Nigeria.

“It is imperative to remind you that the withholding of check-off dues accruing to trade unions amounts to interference in the activities of these unions. This interference is explicitly condemned by Article 2 and 3 of the ILO Convention Number 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, as well as Sections 17 and 18 of Nigeria’s Trade Union Act, LFN, CAP T14.

“We must also stress that sitting on already deducted check-off dues amounts to the impounding or illegal hijack of monies belonging to the trade unions. We may be forced to begin to see this as an intentional misappropriation of funds that rightly belong to trade unions driven by other motives if nothing is quickly done to put an end to it.

“As the supervising authority over public financial flows in Nigeria, we trust that you will act promptly to rectify this anomaly to avoid creating unsavoury workplace outcomes.

“We have followed, as always, due process in handling this and have exercised unusual patience, but allowing this to continue may put undue strain on our relationship.”

NLC demanded that “the Accountant-General immediately direct and ensure the release of all withheld check-off dues accruing to trade unions in Nigeria’s public sector.

“We understand the gravity of this situation and sincerely hope for your swift and positive action to remedy this breach of our statutes. We may not be held responsible for any negative consequences that might arise if the check-off dues of Nigerian workers continue to be held hostage by the government.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has unveiled the final twelve aspirants that will battle for the party’s governorship ticket for the 2024 elections in Edo State.

The list was made known in a statement released in Abuja by the APC National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Arugungu.

The statement disclosed that of the 23 persons who initially indicated interest in the APC ticket, only 12 individuals have currently acquired the Expression of Interest and Nomination documents, which are valued at fifty million naira.

The twelve persons would face the party’s screening process in preparation for the APC primary election set to take place on February 17th.

The successful aspirants are the immediate past state Chairman of APC, Gideon Ikhine; ex-Minister of State, National Economic Planning, Clem Agba; senator representing Edo Central, Monday Okpebholo; erstwhile deputy governor, Lucky Imasuen, former governorship candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu and lawmaker representing Etsako Federal Constituency, Anamero Dekeri.

Others are ex-Zonal Organising Secretary for South-South, Blessing Agbohmere; House of Representatives member, Dennis Idahosa, former permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Ernest Afolabi Umakhihe; Col. David Imuse, Major General Charles Airhiavbere (retd) and Emmanuel Momoh.

The 7-man APC screening committee for the Edo primaries will be led by a former Minister of Sports and Special Duties, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja and they will be sworn in on Thursday at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.

Another committee will be established to serve as the review team. Senator Ibrahim Danbaba will serve as the chairperson and Smart Iheazor as the secretary of the panel.

Other members are Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Adeoye Adelakun, Darlington Dick, Lawal Kenken, Margaret Duru, and Sani

Meanwhile, the Screening Appeal Committee includes members such as Bisi Odewumi, Ngozi Ononiwu, and Abubakar Sidiq.