A Chief Magistrate Court in Lafia, the Nasarawa State capital, has ordered the remand of 30 protesting women at the Correctional Centre over allegations of violence and destruction of public facilities.

Protests erupted in the state capital in response to the Supreme Court’s recent judgement upholding the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule.

The Nigeria Police arrested and arraigned the women on Friday afternoon, accusing them of engaging in acts of violence, blocking roads, and destroying public property.

The protesters reportedly caused heavy traffic as roads were blocked, and some of them set tyres ablaze.

The court also remanded eight other male suspects at the correctional centre.

The male suspects face charges related to blocking roads, public disturbance, and destruction of public facilities.

The identities of those in custody are yet to be disclosed.

The court has adjourned the matter for a hearing on their bail applications scheduled for Monday, January 21.

DAILY POST had reported that the Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Umar Shehu Nadada, had threatened to take decisive action against anyone engaged in violence before, during and after the Supreme Court judgement.

The warning was issued at a peace pact ceremony organised for leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

A former Minister of Power and Steel, Olu Agunloye, has been released from the Kuje Correctional Centre after meeting his bail condition, Saturday PUNCH gathered.

Our correspondent learnt that Agunloye was released on Friday evening.

The spokesperson Federal Capital Territory Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Adamu Duza, disclosed this to our correspondent.

Duza said, “Agunloye has been released from prison after meeting his bail condition. He was released this evening around 5.30pm.”

A Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the remand of Agunloye in Kuje custodial centre over a $6bn Mambilla hydropower contract.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission arraigned Agunloye before the Federal High Court in Abuja where he pleaded not guilty to the charges read against him.

The judge, however, ordered that the embattled former minister be remanded in Kuje custodial centre pending when bail would be granted.

Recall that the EFCC declared Agunloye wanted in connection with a $6bn power scheme involving the Mambilla hydropower project.

Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori said on Friday that he survived 38 cases in various courts from pre-election to post-election up to the Supreme Court to become Governor of Delta State.

Speaking at a thanksgiving service at the Government House Chapel in Asaba, the governor called on his opponents to partner with him to move Delta State forward.

“This victory is for our people to know that our God is faithful and He alone has delivered us.

This victory is for everyone and like I promised Deltans, I will be the governor for all Deltans,” he said.

Oborevwori stressed that God ordained him to be governor and thanked Deltans for supporting his ambition.

“I came to this altar before I went to Abuja for this last judgment and I said God is not a man that he should lie. I have promised God that every time He gives me victory, I must come here to thank Him.

“I have done it several times and I said I would also return the same day of the victory to thank God. For the Lord has redeemed me.

“This victory is not about me but about the people of Delta State. The immediate past governor said that somebody who would not recognise this altar will never be governor; God has honoured that word,” he said.

Oberevwori added: “This case made it 38 cases for me from pre-election matters to this one. Even the governors who have done eight years did not go through such a number of cases.”

The governor, who was earlier welcomed from Abuja by a mammoth crowd at the Asaba International Airport, said he was happy that the litigation was over, assuring that he would now concentrate on delivering on his MORE Agenda for the people.

Reacting to the judgement, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on his verified Facebook account, wrote: “This judgement truly underscores the trust and confidence that the people of our state, the Big Heart of our nation, have placed in the leadership of Governor Oborevwori’s administration and our great party.”

Also, former governor of the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan, said: “ These cases have been quite trying, but for those that have passed through this route, propaganda was a big issue.

“We thank God for the overall result; it is now time to settle down fully and deliver the dividends of democracy.”

Management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery has commenced registration of distributors for the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products across the country.

So far, members of three prominent associations, that constitute 75 per cent of the total market in Nigeria have been registered. The associations are the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, (IPMAN), and Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, (MOMAN).

The company is also considering other marketers that have signified interest in the lifting and distribution of its petroleum products in the country.

Executive Secretary, Depot, and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Olufemi Adewole said that the association commenced discussions with Dangote Petroleum Refinery regarding the lifting and distribution of refined petroleum products last year during a meeting between DAPPMAN Chairman Dame Winifred Akpani, the 2nd Vice Chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Tukur and the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote.

According to him, the meeting was to explore collaboration between the refinery and DAPPMAN members whose nationwide presence will be critical in distributing products from the refinery to the consumers.

He said the refining of petroleum products from Dangote Refinery would accelerate Nigeria’s economic development and provide DAPPMAN members with seamless access to refined petroleum products.

Speaking in the same vein, National Vice President of IPMAN, Alhaji Hammed Adekunle Fasola, said the association had declared its intention to lift and distribute petroleum products from Dangote Refinery.

He said: “We have already established a business relationship with Dangote Refinery. We believe that the relationship is going to be a win-win one. Our association owns 80 per cent of the retail outlets in the country and we have all it takes to ensure smooth distribution of petroleum products from Dangote Refinery across the country.”

Also, the Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer, MOMAN, Clement Isong said MOMAN members have registered with Dangote Petroleum Refinery to become marketers of its products.

“I confirm that my members have registered with them. We were waiting for the production to start and now it has started, and they will start discussing the commercial terms. So yes, major marketers and other players will buy for the market. The important thing was the registration.

“So now the commercial terms will be agreed with each marketer and then they will buy from them. There are several ways you can buy from them. They have loading ranks, over 90, so you can take your truck to go and pick. You can also use vessels to pick. Those are the two ways you pick products.”

Designed for 100% Nigerian Crude with the flexibility to process other crudes, the Refinery can load 2,900 trucks a day at its truck-loading gantries. The products from the Refinery will conform to Euro V specifications. The refinery design complies with the World Bank, US EPA, European emission norms, and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) emission/effluent norms, employing state-of-the-art technology.

Dangote Petroleum Refinery can meet 100% of Nigeria’s requirement for all refined products (Gasoline, 45 million litres per day; Diesel, 14 million litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day) and have surplus for export.

After COVID and the war in Ukraine, free-trade boosters in Davos fretted over a new bout of turmoil in global supply chains due to rising geopolitical frictions.

The Israel-Hamas conflict, Yemeni rebels attacking ships in the Red Sea and tensions over Taiwan weighed on political and business elites at the five-day meeting of the World Economic Forum, which wrapped up Friday.

“There are geopolitical dynamics that are on our minds with respect to obviously the potential disruption of supply chains,” Francesco Ceccato, CEO of Barclays Europe, told AFP on the sidelines of the WEF.

“We thought we had normalised those after Covid. Clearly, that’s a little bit more precarious after … what is happening every day in the Red Sea,” he said.

Before Hamas’s attack on Israel in October, the World Trade Organization had forecast global trade growth of 3.3 per cent, an improvement from 0.8 per cent in 2023.

But WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told the forum this week that she was now “less optimistic” about world trade in 2024 due to “worsening geopolitical tensions”.

She added, however, that it would be “much better than what we saw in 2023. Unless a major war breaks out, then all bets are off.”

– Disruptions for ‘few months’ –

The Red Sea route carries about 12 per cent of global maritime trade, but the attacks have prompted many companies to take a massive and costly detour around the southern tip of Africa.

Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen say they are targetting Israel-linked ships in protest over the war in Gaza.

US and UK military forces have launched a series of strikes against rebel sites in Yemen.

The Huthis have “changed global trade and global shipping costs,” said Karen Harris, an economist at the consulting firm Bain & Co.

Vincent Clerc, the CEO of Danish shipping giant Maersk, said the conflict will probably disrupt supply chains “for a few months at least. Hopefully less, but it could be also longer because it’s so unpredictable”.

Automakers Tesla and Volvo were forced to temporarily suspend some production in Europe due to a shortage of parts.

Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, told the Davos conference that shipments of liquefied natural gas “will be affected” by the Red Sea tensions.

-Taiwan tensions

There are concerns along other major trade routes.

Taiwan’s presidential election last weekend renewed US-China tensions over the democratic island, which China considers a part of its territory that must be brought back under its control, by force if necessary.

Speaking in Davos, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recalled that a huge amount of commerce flows through the Taiwan Strait.

“If that were to be disrupted, it would affect the entire planet. And it’s about the last thing we need, especially coming back from Covid,” Blinken said.

Taiwan itself is a major producer of semiconductors, the microchips that are vital for a range of products from smartphones to cars.

“Any disruption in the flow of that product is going to be, again, a watch item or a concern,” Ceccato said.

– Green and tech trade spats –

Microchips are already at the heart of a trade spat between Washington and Beijing as the United States has tightened export curbs on the technology over national security concerns.

China is also squabbling with the European Union over the bloc’s probe into Chinese electric car subsidies.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang took the podium on Wednesday to slam “discriminatory” trade measures on green and tech trade.

Europe is also concerned about the huge subsidies for clean technologies in the United States under the Inflation Reduction Act.

But German Finance Minister Christian Lindner warned the EU against following in the Americans’ footsteps.

“We have to avoid a subsidy race,” Lindner told Friday’s panel.

 Panama drought

On top of geopolitical tensions, climate change has also played tricks on global trade.

A drought and water shortages linked to the El Nino weather phenomenon reduced ship traffic through the Panama Canal.

“We have more sources of disruptions,” said Tobias Meyer, CEO of German logistics group DHL.

“It’s more likely that two, three, four of these events somehow accumulate. And that leads then in the system of transport to certain bottlenecks,” he said.

Harris said each disruption “simply reinforces the return on investment for near-shoring, re-shoring” — the act of bringing production home or closer instead of relying on factories across the world.

[AFP]

The elder statesman and convener of Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Chief Edwin Clark, has said the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari severely hampered the growth of the country and reversed the gains of his predecessors

Speaking while reviewing the performance of Buhari’s government, Clark said Buhari pushed Nigeria five decades backward.

Buhari had, on Tuesday, showered encomium on himself for giving his best to the country between 2015 and 2023, despite insecurity, economic hardship, and unemployment among other challenges that plagued the country under his watch.

The former leader said this at the book launch of his former media aide, Femi Adesina, in Abuja.

The two books, Adesina wrote are: ‘Working with Buhari: Reflections of A Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (2015-2023)’ and ‘Muhammadu Buhari: The Nigerian Legacy (Volume 1-5)’.

However, Clark, in a statement said the portrayal of Buhari’s government in the book did not reflect the parlous state of the nation and what Nigeria went through under him.

He said the books were contrary to the assessment of the majority of Nigerians of his administration, adding that Buhari’s government was beset by unprecedented economic downturn, insecurity and bigotry.

“I watched the public presentation of the book chronicling activities/achievements of Muhammadu Buhari during the eight years of his administration as President and Commander-In-Chief of the country, as contained in about 80 pages of the 488-page book,” the nonagenarian said.

“What struck me most is the attitude and statement of former President Buhari who eulogised his achievements as President of the country during the occasion.

“This, I must say, is contrary to the assessment of majority of Nigerians of his administration. To most of us as Nigerians, Muhammadu Buhari failed abysmally as President.

“His administration was full of insecurity, economic collapse, injustice, religious bigotry and lack of direction. The eight years of his administration plunged Nigeria and Nigerians, five decades backwards.

“Even his successor, the current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, noted as much in his speech at the time of the occasion where Buhari was eulogising himself.

GUINEA-BISSAU coach Baciro Cande believes his side can still end their AFCON 2023 Africa Cup of Nations journey with victory over the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The Djurtus are bottom of Group A after losing their first two games to hosts Cote d’Ivoire and Equatorial Guinea, and have been eliminated from the tournament.

However, Cande is not giving up hope of at least taking the big scalp of the three-time African champions when they face each other on Monday.

Guinea-Bissau are not totally helpless against Nigeria, having beaten the Super Eagles in recent times, a shock 1-0 win incidentally in a qualifying match for AFCON 2023 in Abuja last March.

Cande was also the Djurtus head coach for that match and he fancies a repeat against Jose Peseiro’s Super Eagles.

“We have one game left (against Nigeria) to close the group stage and we hope to win,” Cande said after his side’s 4-2 defeat to Equatorial Guinea yesterday.

The Super Eagles are second in the group with four points, behind leaders Equatorial Guinea on goal difference, and a draw would seal a top two spot and a place in the round of 16.

Guinea-Bissau have never won an AFCON game in their history and this is the fourth edition they are attending, although Cande thought they should have done better against Equatorial Guinea.

“I feel sad. We wanted to win this match but we did not succeed,” he told reporters after the game.

“Before their first goal, we had four chances to score plus the penalty that was refused.

“We worked hard to be ready for this game. Football is sometimes like that.”

[NaijaTimes]

Described as “prominent Opposition spokesman” (for the 2023 PDP/Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign), Daniel Bwala hugged the limelight early in the week when he was not only sighted at the seat of power, Aso or Presidential villa, but was also captured posing for a snapshot with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress. During the last presidential campaign, Bwala, like many other anti-Tinubu politicians, said unprintable things about the APC and Tinubu and swore by thunder that it was Atiku/PDP or nothing!

Now, has he eaten his vomit? Is he defecting? Is this an act of disloyalty and has he, in so doing, stabbed both Atiku and PDP in the back? Rather than his act – which is commonplace anyway and which is to be expected from our bread-and-butter politicians devoid of principles, character and ideology – it was the reason he gave that resonated with me: “In this time of hunger and problems…” he was quoted as saying! Is it not said that when hunger enters the belly, nothing else finds its way there? Has hunger entered Bwala’s belly?

Bwala was more forthright than Dr. Doyin Okupe who resigned from the Labour Party citing “ideological differences” Okupe, who was for a brief period the Director-General of the Peter Obi/Labour Party presidential campaign, did not, however, state the direction in which he was heading. Can he return to PDP? Or is he joining APC, the winning team? If talks of a grand alliance between PDP, Labour Party and NNPP materialize in future, what happens? It has been said that success (APC) has many fathers – and attracts many defectors! – but failure (PDP/Labour Party) is an orphan!

Okupe, however, made a profound disclosure, which should sadden every lover of democracy, when he referred to political parties as Special Purpose Vehicles (SPV) for the purpose of contesting elections. No considerations for party ideology or manifesto. Assuming the Labour Party had won the last presidential election, would Okupe have still resigned from the party because of ideological differences?

Judging by the use to which SPV and shell companies have been put to undermine this country, it is sad when our leaders treat an important pillar of the democratic system as political parties as mere SPV. A shell company is defined as “essentially a corporation without any active business operations or assets. These entities often mask the true ownership from law enforcement, other businesses, and the public, facilitating the concealment of illegal funds and evading anti-money laundering regulations and taxes” while SPV is defined as “a legal entity created to fulfill narrow, specific or temporary objectives. Special Purpose Entities are typically used by companies to isolate the firm from financial risk” The mentality of buccaneers that our politicians exhibit about politics and governance is the reason why nothing is working in this country.

Back to Bwala. There is no denying the fact that a majority of Nigerians today live in a time of hunger and problems. All available economic indexes say so from the rooftop. Inflation rate roars at 28.2%. Food prices; transportation costs; cost of living generally, cost of drugs and medicaments, Naira depreciation, cost of utilities are beyond the reach of many while high unemployment rate rose to 4.2% in the second quarter of 2023. Keeping children in school is no longer possible for many parents.

Many Nigerians now resort to self-medication or traditional medicine. People eat what they find – when they find it at all – and not what they want or like to eat. No more balanced diet. Lagosians, who can be said to be representative of Nigerians generally, chanted that unfortunate reality to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on December 30 last year in Lagos with choruses of “We are hungry” Yes, people are hungry! And angry as well – justifiably so!

In different times and climes, people have reacted in different ways to “times of hunger and problems” The scriptures record in Genesis 12: 10 – 20 that when there was famine in the land, Abraham “japa” to Egypt in search of greener pasture but disaster nearly befell him there, if not for God who intervened and reclaimed his wife, Sarai (as she then was), for him.

Again, in the time of his son, Isaac, another famine visited the land and Isaac, forgetting the nasty experience of his father, also chose to “japa” to Egypt but God restrained him, leading him instead to Abimelech, king of the Philistines at Gerar. What befell his mother (Sarai) in Egypt almost befell his own wife, Rebecca, at Gerar but God also saved the day for him.

So, “japa” is not a new phenomenon and some problems can pass from generation to generation. In the time of Jacob, the son of Isaac, there also was famine in the land and Jacob had to send his children to Egypt in search of food. (Genesis 42, 43 and 44).

It is instructive for Christians to note what Isaac did at Gerar in the time of hunger and problems, such as we have today in Nigeria. The Bible records: “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great” (Genesis 26: 12 & 13). Isaac might have prayed; he might also have fasted a hundred days; he might have done a countless number of days of vigil – but in addition to all of that, he sowed in the land. He toiled.

Isaac did not wait only for miracles, signs and wonders. He did not wait for manna to fall from heaven. He did not wait for palliatives from the government. Isaac sowed in the land. We have thousands of miles of arable land lying fallow. Many are not ready to work but all the same want to live life to the hilt. They go from one prayer place to another shouting “I receive” to prophesies that are not backed up with work!

At another time there was famine in the land and a certain man of Bethlehem called Elimelech and his wife, Naomi, and their two sons “japa” to the country of Moab. There, however, disaster struck as the man and his two sons died. The only saving grace left to Naomi was Ruth, wife of one of the dead sons, who insisted on following her back to her country. So devastated was Naomi that, when her kinsmen came to welcome her back home, she told them: “Call me not Naomi (Pleasant) but call me Mara (Bitter)” because she said she went out full but came back empty. Through Ruth, however, God changed her story.

Be careful before you join the Joneses. Abroad is not for everyone a bed of roses. Defection or political prostitution, though may accord you temporary respite in the short run, may inflict permanent damage on your political career in the long run.

Back, again, to Bwala. He said he was invited by the President; it was not him that initiated the visit to the seat of power. He said he had been a Tinubu man in the past. He said he told his erstwhile (?) principal, Atiku Abubakar, that Tinubu had sent for him and he was going to answer the presidential summons. Like they do say that there must be an end to litigation, he said there must also be an end to politicking. Patriotism, he said, dictates that the man declared by INEC and the courts to have won an election should be allowed – in fact, assisted – to govern. If I am permitted to quote the late Ooni Olubuse, I will say Bwala made some sense to me, but…!

Those who are used to being in the corridors of power, enjoying government largesse, cannot do without it for long. Politicians generally gravitate towards the winning side. Four years is too long a time to stay in the political wilderness. What will they eat “in this time of hunger’? How will they grapple with the many problems popping up here and there, one of which is that their followers will scatter in no time if they no longer can afford the means to retain their loyalty. Before the next election, another politician in power would have wormed his way into the hearts of the electorate in Bwala’s locality and our man would no longer be politically relevant. No politician wants that. Years and decades of toil in politics must not be allowed to go down the drain just like that.

So, when they move the cheese, move with the cheese! That is the wisdom in “Who moved my cheese?” by Spencer Johnson. If Bwala and Okupe decide, “in this time of hunger and problems”, to move where the cheese is, don’t blame them! Corruption and politics are the two thriving “business” in this time of hunger and problems!

Politicians are masters of use-and-dump; they are fair-weather friends. For them, there are no permanent friends but permanent interests. And the interests that matter to them are their own selfish interests. Trample principles! Eat your vomit to feed your stomach! If you can’t beat them, join them!

At least five persons were killed in the explosion

The reverberating shocks and aftermath of the explosion in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital, has killed a hotel manager, Tunde Solomon.

He died as result of the heart attack he suffered during Tuesday’s explosion that occurred at Dejo Oyelese close, Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan.

At least five persons were killed in the explosion while several others suffered varying degree of injuries.

Property worth millions of naira were destroyed while hundreds of people have been displaced as a result of the incident.

Solomon, prior to his death, was Operations Manager of BON Hotel Nest Ibadan located few metres from the scene of the blast.

The management of the hotel announced the death of Solomon in a statement on Friday.

It described the deceased as selfless and dedicated, adding that he used his 25 years in the industry for the growth of the organization.

”We regret to inform you of the sudden passing of our beloved Operations Manager, Mr.Tunde Solomon. Mr. Solomon suffered a heart attack on the 17th of January 2024 and it is believed that was a consequence of the explosion which occurred on the 16th of January 2024 at Bodija.

”Mr. Tunde Solomon was a vastly experienced member of staff with more than 25 years in the industry. His commitment to his role and his contributions to the growth of BON Hotel Nest Ibadan and the BON group in general during his tenure were invaluable.

”His loss leaves a void that will be deeply felt by all who had the privilege of working alongside him. We extend our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Solomon’s family during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they navigate through this challenging period,” the statement read