The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said he would not mind collaborating with other politicians ahead of the 2027 election.

Speaking in an interview with News Central, Peter Obi said he was ready to collaborate with any politician, including the former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

He, however, noted that the focus of such collaboration must be on helping the citizens and not just to win elections.

When asked if he could collaborate with Kwankwaso, he said, “I’m ready to collaborate with anyone who is interested in lifting people out of poverty. If the collaboration is for state capture or just to win election, I will not be part of it.

“I will not join anybody for state capture or for winning the election. I want anybody to tell me how are we going to ensure that no child is left behind, how are we going to put those millions of out-of-school children back in school.”

When asked if he could be the vice president of any other politician, Obi said if he sees anyone who can do it better than him, he can be the Vice President, adding that he is not desperate to become the President of Nigeria.

He stated, “Quite frankly, for me, I’m not desperate to be Nigerian president. I am desperate to see Nigeria work. If I see people who can do the work better, I will.

“I even have people who say I should not come out in 2027 and I said to them, offer yourself. And we will not put everybody on a scale.

The former governor of Anambra State also disclosed that he has no plan of leaving the Labour Party.

“Yes, I would be here, and if anybody is coming for us to negotiate or to come together, he must tell me what his purposes,” Obi added.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has vowed not to support Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in his political life again.

Wike stated this during an appearance on Channels Television on Friday.

He said, “I will never support Fubara in my political life again. Anybody knows me, it’s not about me. People laboured to put up a structure.

“People laboured; you wouldn’t have even taken the 50th position. I sacrificed to talk to the Ogonis; I sacrificed to talk to several other people who let us go this way.

“You turned it that I am asking for N50 billion, N100 billion. You turned up lies against me; I brought you up and put you here. Today, I turned out to be overdemanding.

“What is Wike demanding? In every politics or political family, you run elections under people, and people work together. We must have to keep our political structure.”

Wike also denied his rift with the governor is causing a setback for the development of Rivers State.

“What is causing the setback? Wike asked. I’m not interfering with governance. I don’t want to be there. I had no crisis with anybody in the country as a governor. I survived it. If you don’t want to take leadership position, you don’t want to. That’s the truth about it.”

The Federal Government has announced that Monday, September 16th, 2024, will be observed as a public holiday in honor of the Eid-ul-Mawlid celebration.

Naija News reports that this was made known in a statement on Friday by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo.

The Islamic festival of Eid-ul-Mawlid marks the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad.

In the statement to journalists, the Minister congratulated Muslim Ummah both at home and in the Diaspora on this occasion.

Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, said Dr Tunji-Ojo urged the Muslim Ummah and, by extension, Nigerians, to imbibe the spirit of patience, sacrifice, and resilience.

“While congratulating the Muslim Ummah on the occasion, the Minister implored them to use the opportunity of the period to pray for enduring peace and a more prosperous egalitarian nation”, the statement added.

The Federal Government on Friday disclosed that the supply of petrol from Dangote Refinery will commence on tomorrow after both parties reached an agreement on pricing and supply.

NNPC will remain as the sole off-taker of petrol from the refinery with other marketers getting the product from the national oil company. 

Speaking in Abuja, a member of the Presidential Committee on the Sale of crude Oil and Refined Products and Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji said in return NNPC Limited would commence the supply of 385,000 barrels of crude oil to Dangote Refinery on October 1, 2024.

Adedeji announced that “all agreements have been completed and loading of the first batch of PMS from the Dangote Refinery will commence on Sunday 15th September”.

He disclosed that Dangote Refinery will in return supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market to be paid for in Naira.

He said other decisions reached by the committee include the sale of Diesel in Naira by the Dangote Refinery to any interested off-taker while PMS will only be sold to NNPC.

“From 1 October, NNPC will commence the supply of about 385kbpd of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery to be paid for in Naira

“In return, the Dangote Refinery will supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market to be paid in Naira.

“Diesel will be sold in Naira by the Dangote Refinery to any interested off-taker. PMS will only be sold to NNPC, NNPC will then sell to various marketers for now. All associated regulatory costs will also be paid for in Naira”, he added.

The agreement is expected to ease the acute shortage of petrol across the country and also allow the government to continue the payment of subsidies on the product. 

The Presidential Committee on the Sale of Crude Oil and Refined Product has announced that loading of the first batch of petrol from the Dangote Refinery will commence on Sunday, September 15.

A member of the committee and Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Zacch Adedeji, disclosed this in Abuja on Friday. Briefing journalists, the FIRS boss said that from October 1, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) will commence the supply of about 385kbpd of crude oil to the Dangote Refinery to be paid for in Naira.

La Liga giants Villarreal have added a new defensive asset to their squad after confirming the signing of 21-year-old Nigerian centre-back Ekerette Udom for their reserve team.

The young defender, known for his towering height and strength in aerial duels, arrives from Rivers United, a club in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). 

Villarreal made the announcement on their official website, stating:

“Villarreal CF have reached an agreement with Rivers United for the transfer of young defender Ekerette Udom, who joins Villarreal B’s ranks.”

Standing at 1.98 metres tall, Udom brings both physicality and versatility to Villarreal B, as he is capable of playing as a centre-back and a holding midfielder.

His solid performances in the NPFL, particularly for Rivers United, have caught the attention of European scouts, leading to this exciting move to Spain.

Udom will initially join Villarreal’s B team, which competes in the Primera Federación – Group 2.

The platform will allow him to hone his skills while aiming for promotion to the senior squad. Villarreal B, founded in 1999, plays its home matches at the Estadio de la Cerámica, a 23,008-seat stadium in Valencia.

This transfer marks a significant milestone in Udom’s career, as he embarks on his European journey with a three-year contract.

His experience in the CAF Confederation Cup, as well as stints with various Nigerian clubs like Nasarawa United and Sunshine Stars, have prepared him for this next chapter.

Now with the opportunity to develop further in one of Europe’s top football environments, Udom will be eager to make an impact at Villarreal B and work his way into the first team.

THE Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), said its purchasing portal would be reopened as soon as the backlog of orders for petrol was cleared.

Marketers had complained about the  portal shutdown, adding that it encourages round-tripping of product supplies while driving prices.

However, in a press statement obtained by Vanguard, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd., Olufemi Soneye, said: “We have a significant backlog to address. The closure is intended to prevent us from holding marketers’ funds for an extended period. 

“It will be reopened once the backlog has been sufficiently reduced. We are working to address it as soon as possible.”

The Caretaker Committee of the Labour Party has called on Julius Abure to cease presenting himself as the national chairman.
The party leadership maintained that Abure’s tenure ended on June 9, 2024.

During a press conference held by the Labour Party National Transitional Committee (NTC) in Abuja, the Secretary of the party’s Board of Trustees, Salisu Mohammad, noted that this resolution was made during a stakeholder meeting in Umuahia, led by the legitimate and lawful Caretaker Committee under Nenadi Usman.

Mohammad emphasized that the NTC has actively engaged and rallied all pertinent stakeholders to facilitate the party’s recovery from what they termed Abure’s unlawful actions and corruption.

He further stated that since Abure took over as national chairman following the unexpected passing of the previous chairman, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, in 2000, he has led the party without undergoing an election.

‘In fact, INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) had asked him to vacate the chair meant for Chairman of Labour Party.

“These interventions by the NTC have culminated in the meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Labour Party in Umuahia.

“The National Transitional Committee (NTC) facilitated by the Nigerian Labour Congress as the Trustee of the Labour Party fully accepts and commends the decision of the NEC of the Labour Party at its meeting on September 4, 2024.

“We support the 29-man Caretaker Committee to prepare and conduct democratic congresses to elected party leadership at the Ward, LGA, State and National levels’’, he said.

He stated that the NEC convened by Governor Alex Otti of Abia represents the most necessary intervention to rescue the party from what he termed as unlawful activities.

“We believe that this intervention is in line with the expression of the democratic will of the millions of Nigerians who do not want the party to die at the hands of political contractors who have been procured to destroy the party,” Mohammad said.

King Charles III, on Thursday, hosted President Bola Tinubu at the Buckingham Palace in the United Kingdom (UK).

The development was confirm by the new media aide to the president, Olusegun Dada, who posted a photograph of both men exchanging pleasantries in a post on X.

The aide said continued diplomatic ties and partnership between Nigeria and the UK were discussed at the meeting.

Dada said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu visited His Majesty, King Charles at Buckingham Palace.

“The significant meeting, highlighting the continued diplomatic ties and partnership between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.”

Both men met last in November 2023 shortly before the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Tinubu traveled to the UK after visiting China where a number of agreements were signed between Nigeria and the Asian giant.

The president is expected to leave the UK for the United Nations general assembly meeting in New York, US.

Beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s student loan scheme across the country have lamented the delay in the payment of the August monthly stipend.

Some of the students, in separate interviews with our correspondent, expressed their disappointment in the payment delay.

The PUNCH reports that students can choose to apply for upkeep loan apart from institutional loans, which is paid directly to institutions.

A total of 20,371 students from six tertiary institutions were said to have been paid a sum of N20,000 each as July stipends.

The institutions said to have benefitted from the disbursement are Bayero University, Kano State; Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State; University of Ilorin, Kwara State; University of Benin, Edo State; University of Ibadan, Oyo State; and University of Maiduguri, Borno State.

A BUK student, who spoke to our correspondent anonymously for fear of victimisation, said, “We haven’t received the August stipend. I am very confused. Please help us speak to them. The economy is getting too difficult. In fact, we are even trying to plead with them to please help us increase the stipend as the N20,000 cannot even get us anywhere.”

Another student from the University of Ibadan, who also spoke anonymously, said, “To be very honest, I was expecting it at month end but till now we have not got any feedback from them as to what the problem is.”

A student of the University of Benin, also speaking, said, “Honestly, it is getting too late. NELFUND needs to do something. Our school fees have been paid but at this point, the upkeep is much more important. Please help us reach out to them.”

Commenting on the development, NELFUND’s Director of Corporate Communications, Oseyemi Oluwatuyi, said the students would likely be paid the N20,000 stipend this week.

“It’s been approved. They should get it this week,” Oluwatuyi said.

Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigerian Students has called on the Federal Government to increase the monthly stipend from N20,000 to N40,000.

In a surprising twist, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced that it will not sign the peace accord, just two hours before the planned signing ceremony.

This move is coming ahead of the September 21 governorship election, where the peace accord was intended to promote a peaceful and harmonious electoral process among contending political parties.

Recall that Governor Godwin Obaseki had earlier declared that his party Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, may not sign the peace accord because the party has lost faith in the police and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Addressing a press conference at the party secretariat, Emperor Jarret Tenebe said the party declined to sign the accord because two months after a police inspector Onuh Akor, who was the orderly to the candidate of the party, Sen Monday Okpebholo was shot and killed along Airport Road, nobody has been arrested and prosecuted.

Details soon …