The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, said his administration would be reducing public servants working days as part of plans to cushion the cost of living crisis in the country.

“We want to start with our public servants, immediately from next week, Civil servants from the lower level will be working like three times a week and level 15-17 can work four times in a week,” Sanwo-Olu said during the ongoing media parley on economic hardship.

On the rising cost of food, he added that his administration would open more markets where Lagosians can buy food items at discounted rates.

“We will open Sunday Markets in at least 42 identified markets across Lagos State. You will be able to buy food items at a discounted price. You will only be able to buy items worth up to N25,000,” the governor said. 

“Coupled with the one at Idi-Oro in Mushin, four more food hubs are under construction and 7 other locations in other local governments have also been identified for more food hubs to be developed,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He added that the 25% reduction on transport services will start this weekend for the State Public Transport system (BRT, Train, Ferry).

Furthermore, Sanwo-Olu announced a free delivery for pregnant residents across all government-owned hospitals in Lagos.

“There is an arrangement for free delivery including cesarean session at government hospitals,” he said.

On rising cost of drugs and other pharmaceutical products, the governor promised that his administration “will also give rebate on some particular drugs at our state government hospitals”.

The governor noted that his administration was also in discussions with various transport unions to reduce their fares.

“First is to express empathy with our citizens, We are not unmindful of the situation, as leaders, we must be able to solve socioeconomic problems,” Sanwo-Olu said.

He also challenged the private sector to look into what they can do for the citizens by replicating their role during the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Punch]

Asue Ighodalo, a businessman, has won the governorship primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo state.

Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara and returning officer of the election, declared Ighodalo winner of the primary poll on Thursday. 

Lawal said Ighodalo secured 577 votes to defeat other aspirants in the race.

“I, therefore, declare Asuelimen Ighodalo the winner of this concluded primary today with a total vote of 577,” Lawal said

Ighodalo was the preferred candidate of Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo.

Earlier, Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo, won the parallel governorship primary organised at his residence.Advertisement

Bartholomew Moses, the returning officer, who announced Shaibu as the winner of the parallel primary election, said the deputy governor won the exercise with over 300 votes.

Some party delegates who arrived at the lawn tennis court of the Samuel Ogbemudia stadium in Benin City, the state capital, the venue of the primary, were reportedly denied access.

The delegates subsequently moved to Shaibu’s residence where a parallel election was held.

 [TheCable]

The US Dollar supply turnover at Wednesday’s official foreign exchange market surged by 51 per cent to $240.72 million as the Naira recorded marginal gains.

FMDQ data showed that FX Turnover increased to $240.72 million on Wednesday from $117.32 million on Tuesday.

The figure represented a $123.4 million FX turnover increase at the close of trade on Wednesday.

The development led to the appreciation of the Naira to N1,542.58 per US dollar on Wednesday from 1,551.24 on Tuesday.

DAILY POST gathered that this is the second time the nation’s currency has appreciated against the US dollar at the official foreign market since last Thursday.

DAILY POST recalls that the turnover of US Dollar supply at Tuesday’s official foreign exchange market surged by 76.61 per cent to $117.32 million as the Naira appreciated.

However, at the parallel market, the Naira dropped N1,860 per US dollar on Wednesday from N1,740.00 on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, at Binance, a P2P market, Naira appreciated N1,608 per US dollar on Wednesday from N1,936 on Tuesday, amid reported access restrictions in Nigeria.

The development came days after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, raided illegal Bureau De Change operators in Abuja, Lagos, Kano and Oyo states.

DAILY POST recalls that in the past weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has rolled out several policies to checkmate the continued fluctuations of the Naira in the FX market.

The federal government of Nigeria has banned the exportation of cooking gas as part of efforts to beat down the price within the country and make the product available.

This was made known on Thursday by the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ekperikpe Ekpo.

Speaking at a stakeholders workshop in Abuja with the theme, “Harnessing Nigeria’s Proven Gas Reserves for Economic Growth and Development,” Ekpo explained that once there is a stoppage of the export of locally produced domestic gas, there will be more volume for the domestic market which will automatically reduce the price of the product.

He added that his ministry is constantly discussing with critical stakeholders like the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and operators such as Mobil, Chevron, and Shell to address the issue.

His words: “We are interacting with critical stakeholders to ensure that there is no exportation of LPG.

“All LPG produced within the country will have to be domesticated. And when this is done, the volume will increase and of course, the price will automatically crash.

“I am in contact with the regulation, NMDPRA, we hold meetings almost on daily basis, and the producers such as Mobil, Chevron, and Shell. So there is that hope that things will turn around. We don’t need to make noise about it.”

In an imminent move to alleviate the cost burden of pharmaceuticals on Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu is set to sign executive orders aimed at reducing the prices of essential medicines.

The announcement was made by the Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa and communicated through a post on X by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga on Wednesday.

This strategic decision comes as a response to the soaring prices of pharmaceutical products, which have increasingly become a concern for many Nigerians.

According to Minister Alausa, the executive orders are expected to provide “immediate succour” to citizens, addressing the urgent need for affordable healthcare products in the country.

The move to regulate pharmaceutical prices through executive orders was underscored a month prior by the Minister of Health, Ali Pate.

He highlighted the necessity of such measures following the withdrawal of major multinational pharmaceutical companies from the Nigerian market.

This departure has exacerbated the challenge of accessing reasonably priced medicines, making the government’s intervention critical.

The minister said, “On what the government is doing regarding the high cost of pharmaceuticals, Mr. President has asked us to come up with a set of Executive Orders that he is going to sign to provide immediate succour to Nigerians about the high cost of pharmaceuticals.

“And these executive orders will get to the President’s table in the next few days. And that is the short-term solution to bringing down the cost of high pharmaceuticals and medical consumables that the citizens are experiencing currently.

“We are also working on medium-term solutions and long-term solutions.

“For us at the ministry of health, we are collaborating with the ministry of industry, trade and investment, and others to develop medium and long-term plans so that the situation we suddenly find ourselves in will not be here ever again.

“This cost of high pharmaceuticals that we are noticing now is due to inadequate planning in the past, but we are working on plans and solutions that will be durable and sustainable.”

Alausa added that the president is very committed to getting to the “end of this problem very quickly”.

He added, “As we know, the president made a lot of campaign promises to revamp, improve, and put the healthcare system of Nigeria on a sustainable pathway.

“As we can see, Mr. President is meeting a significant chunk of his campaign promises, and he is going to meet all of his promises. The healthcare budget for 2024 is the biggest ever that we have had in the history of Nigeria.”

While asking Nigerians to bear with the current administration, the minister assured that the costs of pharmaceuticals will plummet pretty soon.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State has declared a 25 percent reduction in transport fares for government-owned transport schemes.

Sanwo-Olu made this announcement during a live media chat, ‘Sanwo Speaks’ on Thursday.

He also announced that civil servants from levels 1–14 will begin to work three days a week as part of measures to ease the economic challenges for residents.

The governor noted that the forum was intended to intimate residents of steps being taken to reduce the economic burden on Lagosians.

He said workers in the teaching sector will, however, maintain the five-day-a-week work schedule, but the government will ensure additional transportation support for them.

A former governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi has claimed that Senator Adams Oshiomhole attempted to impose a gubernatorial candidate on the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State.

Fayemi accused the governor of playing a “disruptive” role during the February 17, 2024, governorship primary election in the state.

Recall that three governorship aspirants were declared winners of the primary election by three different umpires.

The governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and chairman of the primary election committee, declared Dennis Idahosa, a member of the house of representatives, as the winner of the election.

However, Ojo Babatunde, spokesperson of the returning officers, declared Sunday Dekeri, a lawmaker representing Etsako federal constituency in the house of representatives, as the winner of the primary.

In another twist of events, Monday Okpebholo, the senator representing Edo central, claimed that he won the election with over 6,000 votes.

On Tuesday, the national leadership of the APC declared that the primary election was inconclusive.

The party fixed Thursday, February 22, 2024, as the new date for the completion of the primary election process.

The party subsequently appointed the governor of Cross River State, Bassey Otu as the chairman of the primary election committee.

However, speaking via a statement by Ahmad Sajoh, his media aide, Fayemi claimed that Oshiomhole ousted the governor of Edo State, Godwin Obaseki during the buildup to the 2020 gubernatorial poll in the state.

The former Ekiti governor said Oshiomhole should have ensured a level playing field for all aspirants in 2024 instead of trying to impose a candidate.

“Earlier, Oshiomhole had attempted to eliminate some aspirants from contesting the primaries but failed. This is reminiscent of his high-handedness as national chairman when he manipulatively schemed Governor Godwin Obaseki out of the electoral process. That action led to the unfortunate loss of Edo state by the APC.

“It would appear the ground was being prepared by Oshiomhole yet again for the APC to lose the coming election in Edo state because of his unconscionable behaviour.

“However, the party has demonstrated independence and impartiality in cancelling and reordering the primaries.

“We hope the fresh primaries will now take place in an atmosphere deemed free and fair by all, for the sake of our great party.

“Oshiomhole may decide to support any of the aspirants if he chooses not to be neutral but the process must be open, free, and transparent, following the laid down rules.

“My interest is the APC and the party must put its best foot forward in the forthcoming elections,’’ Fayemi said.

THE Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP,) on Thursday held a parallel Congress that produced the deputy governor of the state, Rt. Hon Philip Shaibu is the candidate.

While some delegates were being accredited to proceed to the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium venue of the primary election, another set of delegates met in a facility in Commercial Avenue where they announced Shaibu the elected candidate of the PDP.

They claimed that they went to the venue for accreditation but were chased away by security agencies. They also alleged that the list of delegates published by the national leadership of the party was not the authentic one alleging that they saw names of people from Bayelsa state and names of people who are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Declaring Shaibu winner of the election, Bartholomew Moses said “During the counting of this primary election, Philip Shaibu has a score of 301 votes and therefore, we hereby declare Philip Shaibu as the authentic elected candidate for this election in the PDP”
The people had barely finished their exercise when gunmen invaded the venue. They were dressed in vigilante outfits and came in several vehicles including two black unmarked Toyota Hiace Truck, an unmarked white sienna, a white Hilux and several other vehicles. They were shooting sporadically into the air and the people scampered in different directions for safety

Before the election, the delegates led by Festus Owu had protested to the deputy governor’s official lodge where they complained to him that they had been disenfranchised.
Speaking to the protesting delegates, Shaibu said “I appeal to all of you to be peaceful I don’t want anybody to be injured, I don’t want anybody molested and I am happy the way you have conducted yourselves peacefully and have come to report to me that you were not allowed to be accredited but I want to tell you that no one man can determine the destiny of a people and by the grace of God they cannot disenfranchise you people.

The law is clear that you people are the authentic delegates. Now that they have pushed you away, they want to go and replace you but I assure you that your vote must count, they cannot change and replace your names. I assure you that I will take your protest to the committee that is coming but you must remain peaceful in everything you are doing.”

Speaking to journalists later, Shaibu said “I saw the crowd outside and I asked who they are and they said they are delegates, I said they should be directed to the venue of the accreditation but they said they were protesting because they have been sent away from the venue if accreditation and they won their election and they have their results.

The election will hold and if a winner emerges with fake delegates, the election will not see the light of the day but if a winner emerges with the authentic delegate, there will be no problem, I am sure.”

Nigeria’s politicians have perfected the art of burying themselves with one foot sticking out. And it appears that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will, once again, stage this rite of self-destruction in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.

The party’s primaries on Saturday was such a shambles, it has now been forced to conduct it again, with no guarantee of a sensible outcome for an exercise involving perhaps less than 500,000 members (parties routinely inflate their roll). If Governor Godwin Obaseki’s ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), had paid to put a spell on APC, the outcome would not have been more potentially devastating.    

Yet, this is a governor whose bet to install a successor from his own party is not necessarily based on his own record, but on the gift of an opposition in disarray.

After the turbulent last four years at Osadebey House between Obaseki and his deputy, Philip Shaibu, it looked all but certain that the divided house of PDP would collapse when elections hold again in September.

And this was not wishful thinking. Not only has the common political front that paved the way for Obaseki’s ascension to power in his first term eroded; in his second term, he has been fighting both internal and external political enemies, severely limiting his attention and performance.

If his first term was uneventful, it was precisely because that was when the seed of the state’s future political crisis was sown. Even though his benefactor, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, had installed him in office in the hope of replicating the Tinubu-Fashola model in Lagos, Obaseki had other plans.

The new “tuke-tuke”

Once he was ensconced in office, he made a point of telling the remnant of the Oshiomhole crowd still hanging around the corridors of power, that power had changed hands. No longer, he reportedly said, were the days of “tuke-tuke” politics, a carryover from the era of Tony Anenih, which former Edo State Commissioner for Information and presidential aide, Louis Odion, once described in Louis-pedia as a political variant that empowered touts and prioritised rent for politicians for doing little or no work.

Obaseki, the blue-eyed Lagos Boy and financial consultant, advertised as the answer to Edo State’s private sector woes, should know. He was a core member of Oshiomhole’s cabinet, now determined to carve his own path.

When after taking power, however, he began to cut off the supply line to the trough, starving the APC’s political structure in the state of nutrition, the battle line with Oshiomhole was drawn. The former governor who had also become the Chairman of the APC at the time, used his position to block Obaseki from getting the party’s ticket for a second term.

Obaseki of course milked public sympathy and later decamped to the PDP where he contested and won re-election. As a result of his defection, he governed with a hostile, hobbled parliament. Fourteen – and later 10 – out of the 24 members of the State House of Assembly were in the opposition and they operated mostly from a hideout provided in Abuja by Oshiomhole.

Significantly damaged in legitimacy, there was very little Obaseki could do. He has spent a greater part of the last four years watching his back for a deputy who, were he in the opposition, could not have plunged more daggers in the government’s back.

Residents have borne the brunt. Not only has Obaseki replaced the old cult of “tuke-tuke” with the new cult of “yes-men,” reports from the state also indicate that there are few paved roads and other social infrastructure such as water, hospitals, and schools, especially in areas outside the capital, Benin City.

The more you look…

Not unlike a good number of the states, the doubling of the state’s internally generated revenue from N1.8billion monthly in 2016 has barely been felt in rural areas where homes are still without water and school buildings are still largely without roofs and students without teachers.

Although Edo is currently ranked above its peers in the South-South poverty league with 1.4m (out of the state’s 3.9m population) leaving in multidimensional poverty, a government determined to make its mark could have done far more to lift the people.

Obaseki has done well in cultivating an elite in smart suits, while keeping up a façade of performance, especially with high-profile media events like Edo Best, Alaghodaro Summit, and the renovation of the Secretariat. But as surely as the ball of pounded yam never fails to press into the straying fish crumb in the soup, these projects have been criticised, particularly by the opposition, as the government’s conduit pipes.

Edo could not have been riper for the taking than in its present state, but Oshiomhole’s ambition may well be the wrecking ball. In my forecast entitled, “What you might expect in 2024,” published last December 28, I said, “The biggest danger to APC’s victory is Oshiomhole…except the APC finds an overwhelmingly appealing candidate, the party could be in for a surprise.”

The result of the party’s “inconclusive” primaries on Saturday, showed that the surprise came early. From reports, Oshiomhole, APC’s certified nemesis in Edo, managed to suborn forces in the Presidency to hand over the party’s flag to Dennis Idahosa – a candidate that Oshiomhole’s government had once described as “untrustworthy,” the most flattering of the government’s description at that time. 

But suspects have their moments of redemption. Except that in this case reports on the conduct of the primaries on Saturday showed that even the redeemer seemed so far gone in his waywardness, he suborned not only Abuja, but also one of the most notorious political conductors to supervise the primaries.

A crime scene

The result, of course, were parallel primaries. One with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officers present – as it should be – that produced Monday Okpebholo; and the other, which invariably produced Idahosa, became a crime scene.

The outcome was neither organised, even from the point of a common heist, which it was; nor was it politically strategic. Idahosa, the beneficiary of that crime scene, is from Edo South, where Obaseki, who is backing Asue Ighodalo, a candidate from Edo Central, could significantly undermine APC’s votes. A third candidate, Anamero Dekeri, even emerged from the woodwork, to claim victory!

It’s true that whether a political party holds its primaries in the motor park or at a brothel, it is not the business of non-party members. The point, unfortunately, is that we have seen that in the end, voters pay for the travesty, corruption and incompetence in the parties.

APC should have learnt that lesson in Zamfara four years ago when a court ruling invalidated the entire state election over shambolic party primaries, never mind a recent Supreme Court ruling that has further muddied the waters.

At elections, voters often have uninspiring candidates – Tweedle-dee and Tweedledum – inflicted on them by party primaries that were anything but primaries. The crimes committed by politicians behind closed doors soon become public bastards, often leading to voter apathy, bitter wranglings or needless court disputes. It’s incredible that parties that can’t even manage their own affairs want a chance on the bigger stage.

PDP may laugh – and indeed it should, as it appears that the APC has already handed it the shovel to finish off the burial rites. But with Obaseki’s deputy, Shaibu, threatening to bring down the roof, it would be interesting to see how the PDP and the Labour Party, which is also having its own troubles, organise their own primaries.

If Nigeria’s elections – party, local council, state or federal – has taught anything, it is that as surely as a stumble precedes a fall, shambolic primaries lay the foundation for turbulent electoral outcomes and unstable governments.

Once again, Edo is proving that the story is not about to change.

Azu Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP.