Deji Adeyanju, a renowned human rights activist, has called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu if found guilty of financial misappropriation.

In a statement he signed, Adeyanju said Tinubu should ensure a transparent and independent investigation into the scandal.

Edu had come under heavy criticism after a memo surfaced where she directed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, to transfer N585.2 million into a private account owned by one Oniyelu Bridget, who the Ministry claimed currently serves as the Project Accountant, Grants for Vulnerable Groups.

The minister said the payment followed due process, but the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein was of a contrary opinion.

Reacting, Adeyanju, the convener of Concerned Nigerians, commended the Accountant-General of the Federation for her steadfastness in refusing to grant the request by Edu.

He said: “This action by the Accountant-General is in line with Chapter Seven, Section 713 of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations 2009, which clearly states that personal money shall not be paid into a government bank account, nor should any public money be paid into a private account.

“I applaud the Accountant-General for her unwavering commitment to upholding the principles of accountability and transparency in the management of public finances.

“Her refusal to comply with the improper and illegal request by the Honorable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs demonstrates her integrity and dedication to the rule of law. By adhering to the Financial Regulations, she has set a commendable example for other public officials to follow.

“In light of these developments, I call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate the matter thoroughly and take appropriate action against the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Betta Edu.

“The request made by the Minister to transfer such a substantial amount into an individual’s private account is a flagrant violation of Nigeria’s Financial Regulations. It raises serious concerns about the misuse of public funds and suggests a breach of trust by a high-ranking government official.

“Adeyanju urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensure a transparent and independent investigation into the matter and, if found guilty, to suspend the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs pending further disciplinary actions saying the senseless looting perpetrated by Betta Edu reason military truncated severally democratic governments in the country. The president should sack her and preserve our democracy.

“This step is crucial to maintaining public confidence in the government’s commitment to fighting corruption and ensuring the prudent management of public resources.”

[DailyPost]

The N57.8 billion worth of food palliatives approved for members of the National Assembly by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for onward distribution to their constituents is raising dust, Daily Trust reports.

While some lawmakers confirmed receiving palliatives, said to be worth N200 million for senators and N100 million for members of the House of Representatives, others denied that.

This is just as many constituents across the country are accusing their representatives of hoarding the items. 

The Presidency, while showcasing Tinubu’s scorecard in palliatives’ disbursement to Nigerians, had revealed that each senator got N200 million worth of palliatives; and N100 million for each member of the House of Representatives.

Going by the data released by the Presidency, the food items approved as palliatives for all the 469 lawmakers (109 senators and (360 House of Representatives members) amounted to N57.8 billion.

Corroborating this yesterday, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a chat with one of our reporters, clarified that Tinubu did not send the money to the legislators.

He said the president only “asked the Ministry of Agriculture to provide the food items to them. Each Rep member is to get food items worth N100 million; senator, N200 million.”

Investigations by Daily Trust indicated that many of the lawmakers had received bags of rice from the ministry and had begun distribution to their constituents.

Meanwhile, the Presidency confirmed that some lawmakers had  yet to recieve the items owing to logistics problem.

The Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Segun Dada, had, in a post on his X handle, clarified that Tinubu “did not give cash to the National Assembly members as palliatives to the people in the constituencies and senatorial districts.”

He said the president, through the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, only distributed rice and other food items as palliatives “and sort of constituency projects worth N100 million per federal constituency and N200 million per senatorial constituency.

“The emanating insinuations from some Nigerians out there suggesting that some National Assembly members are hoarding the palliatives is grossly misleading because they can only distribute when they have received it, and this is due to logistic reasons behind the distribution process,” Dada said.

Dekeri Anamero, member representing Etsako Federal Constituency of Edo State, in a viral video, disclosed that Tinubu approved truckloads of rice for each member of the House of Representatives for onward distribution to his/her constituents. He spoke at his constituency while flagging off the distribution of 2,400 bags of rice to his constituents during the yuletide season.

“I’m back in Etsako Federal Constituency to celebrate Christmas with our people. I want to appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for deeming it fit to give all the members of the House of Representatives palliative grains.

“Here, you have two trailers of rice. You have one trailer on the right and one on the left here in Etsako Federal Constituency. So, I want us to celebrate the Christmas in a joyous mood. In all, we have four trailers of rice. That is 2,400 bags which we’ve branded in my name for my federal constituency,” he stated.

Nigerians in other constituencies across the nation have continued to mount pressure on their representatives for similar food items released by the Federal Government.

Many of them, who took to the social media, especially on X (formerly twitter) accused lawmakers of hoarding the palliatives for campaign purposes. Some social media influencers have also called on constituents to hold their lawmakers to account should they fail to share the palliatives.

@ojooluwadareemi1 said Tinubu should have engaged the services of private logistics companies to distribute the palliatives “house to house in each local government area and taking feedback from landlord associations. “Some of these reps or senators will divert the items and sell them,” he alleged.

@GAjibowu wondered why the government could not name the lawmakers who had received the items “for the masses to hold them accountable”. 

JohnAde04 alleged that the release of rice to the lawmakers was contributing to the increase in the price of the commodity, “because govt will mop rice from the market and those politicians won’t give out the rice; they just hoard it.”

How N/Assembly members lobbied for palliatives

Our reporters learnt that lawmakers lobbied the presidency for the rice palliative after the passage of the 2023 supplementary budget.

The budget, among others, made provisions for palliatives to citizens to reduce the cost-of-living crisis, widely believed to have been worsened by the removal of petrol subsidy.

A senator, who spoke to Daily Trust in confidence, revealed that: “After the budget passage, our colleagues protested that since the president had given billions to state governors to provide food items to Nigerians, they should also be given palliatives for distribution.”

Another lawmaker said: “We realised that palliatives were given to the governors while we were left with nothing to help our constituents. So, we demanded something to give to our people. That was why the president approved the provision of rice for us through the Ministry of Agriculture.”

An aide to a ranking senator, who also preferred anonymity, confirmed that his principal received rice from the Ministry of Agriculture and distributed same during the yuletide.

A member of the House of Representatives, also confirmed: “Yes, there are foodstuffs that the Ministry of Agriculture was instructed to give us for distribution to our constituents.

“I’m also expecting two trucks for my constituents. But, even before this, we had been distributing rice and other foodstuffs to our constituents, especially in December,” the legislator stressed.

However, the member representing Ganjuwa/Darazo Federal Constituency of Bauchi State, Mansur Manu Soro said: “Nobody gave me rice to share. But I know of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security’s palliative programme, which members were requested to advise on the type of palliative needed in their constituencies and states.”

“Some members recommended rice; some, fertilizers and others, depending on their people’s needs. So, the report that the president gave rice to all the 360 members and 109 senators is wrong and misleading. It was targeted at tarnishing the image of the National Assembly members,” Soro said.

Lawmaker’s house vandalised

Daily Trust learnt that a lawmaker from the southern part of the country was attacked and his house vandalised by angry constituents who went there in search of palliatives.

A member of the House of Representatives from the North East said: “This thing has generated so much controversy that some of our colleagues are having problems. A friend of mine was attacked by hoodlums because of this. They went to his house looking for the said palliative and vandalised many things in the house.”

Meanwhile, some legislators, who denied receiving any food times from the presidency, said they bankrolled the palliatives’ distribution to their constituents during the festive season in anticipation for a refund from the Federal Government.

A senator’s aide said: “Since there’s a plan to give lawmakers rice for distribution, those who are yet to get theirs and could not wait used their money to get the items and distributed to their people with a plan to claim a refund.

“My principal belongs to this category. He distributed over 2,000 bags of rice, other food items and cash during the Christmas period to his constituents. But he has not received anything from what the presidency approved”, the legislative aide said.

Rep Abdulmumini Ari (APC, Nasarawa), in a chat with Daily Trust, said: “I’ve not seen any colleague who has received the rice you’re talking about.”

A beneficiary in Kwara State, said “Our wards received 500 bags of rice from our representative who had his picture on it and some additional cash. The same thing was replicated in all the ten wards in the councils.

“But nobody told us whether it came from the Presidency. So, we assumed it came from him (the lawmaker) because of the picture.”

Senate silent on largesse

The Senate spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu, did not respond to calls to his cellphone by our correspondent. He had earlier denied receiving any item as a palliative from the Federal Government. 

Reps spokesperson speaks

The spokesman of the House of Representatives, Akin Rotimi, had in a statement, said the leadership of the House “successfully lobbied for additional palliatives for our constituents across the country”.

He said this was being handled by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in line with extant public procurement laws.

“The procurement process is at different stages depending on the constituency, but to be clear, no legislator has, nor will be given any money for palliatives.

“While, as politicians, honourable members may be visible during the process of distribution and rightfully take the credit for bringing succour to the people, the procurement and distribution of the palliatives is being handled by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.

“As it is customary during this season, honourable members, in their respective constituencies, celebrated with their constituents in various ways in individual capacities.

“These gestures should not be misconstrued as palliatives, and honourable members will continue to engage at the grassroots to clarify these issues in order not to cause disaffection for colleagues in other constituencies”, he said.

 [DailyTrust]

The Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, will today (Monday) launch the first online portal for passport application in Abuja.

He disclosed this during a demonstration session of the online portal on Friday with the Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Caroline Adepoju.

According to Tunji, an online passport application platform has been established for both international and Nigerian applicants.

The minister had announced in December that the Federal Government was working to ensure a full automation system of passport application in the country.

At the time, the minister said the automated application system was “99 per cent done,” adding that the process would include uploading passport photos and supporting documents.

He stated that Nigerian applicants who want 32-page passports with five-year validity would pay N25,000, while those who want 64-page passports with a 10-year validity would pay N70,000.

Meanwhile, foreign applicants, who wish to apply for passports with a five-year validity period and 32 pages, will pay $130, while those who prefer passports with a 10-year validity period and 64 pages will pay $230. Candidates must submit their applications at https://passport.immigration.gov.ng.

Dignitaries who graced the event included the Chairman, of Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa; representative of the International Organisation for Migration, Stephen Matete; Country Manager, Development Alternatives Incorporated, Joe Abah; Founder, Kwandala Foundation, Tijjani Musa, and the Co-founder, Technext, David Afolayan.

[Punch]

The 2027 presidential election is three years away but political realignments have begun, mainly within the opposition camp.

This came to the fore yesterday as the group of five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors reaffirmed support for President Bola Tinubu ahead of 2027.

The five governors, who worked against their party’s candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 general election, stated this yesterday at a New Year luncheon organised by minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, at his private residence at Rumueprikom in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Members of the G-5 governors – former governors Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), and Seyi Makinde (incumbent governor of Oyo) – had supported President Bola Tinubu, then the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, in the 2023 election.

The event also had in attendance serving and former members of the National Assembly and members of the Rivers State House of Assembly loyal to Wike.

Earlier in the day, however, a coalition of opposition platforms disclosed moves to birth what they call an ultra-political party ahead of the 2027 polls.

This was disclosed by the National Consultative Front (NCFront) which also revealed that its inaugural meeting will be held this month.

Interestingly, the Labour Party and the PDP had at different times, last year, distanced themselves from talks of a merger following Atiku’s call for a united front among the opposition leaders.

While the Labour Party presidential candidate in 2023, Peter Obi, recently declared that his party was ready to be Nigeria’s main opposition party this year, one of Atiku’s spokesmen, Daniel Bwala, stated that his boss will contest the 2027 election, warning that the opposition must unite behind him if they intend to unseat the APC.

But in a dramatic twist, the Coalition for United Political Parties (CUPP) yesterday rejected Atiku as the rallying point of the opposition parties in Nigeria ahead of the 2027 general election.

Pundits and analysts had blamed divisions for the opposition’s defeat in the 2023 presidential election.
Recall that major PDP figures had split from the part ahead of the 2023 polls. Obi had switched to the Labour Party; Dr Rabiu Musa Kwakwanso to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), while the G-5 governors supported the rival APC. Atiku retained what was left.

This was a clear contrast from the 2013 merger of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), and a part of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) which defeated a hitherto behemoth PDP in 2015.

However, the National Consultative Front (NCFront), yesterday, said the opposition is working to initiate a new ultra-mega political party to rescue Nigeria from the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The group, led by former presidential candidate, Prof Pat Utomi, said while it was aware of the dissenting views so far, a meeting held over the weekend (Saturday) among key opposition leaders showed that they were poised towards forming a mega party.

It added that a Merger Facilitation Group had been put in place to ensure the process succeeds.
The group issued a statement debunking insinuations that Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso were already jostling to run for the presidency in the next round of general elections in 2027.
Acting spokesperson of NCFront, Mallam Hamisu San Turaki, said consultations are ongoing on how to streamline and strengthen their political forces to be able to rescue the country from the dangerous slide into misrule and anarchy foisted by the APC.

Turaki, in the statement yesterday, said the “current erroneous view in the media is a panicky and mischievous agenda of hatchet jobbers to divide the opposition and frustrate the merger proposal for leading opposition parties mooted by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar before it takes off, knowing fully well that the unity of the opposition in Nigeria will, without stress, defeat and overthrow the present flip-flop governance and wrongheaded policies of the present Tinubu-led APC administration.

“For the avoidance of doubt, leading opposition leaders and parties in Nigeria are at the moment not focused on contesting for political offices in 2027 but presently holding consultations on how to streamline and strengthen their political forces to be able to rescue the country from the dangerous slide into misrule and anarchy foisted by the All Progressives Congress-led federal government as well as its exploitative economic policies which have landed millions of households and citizens in Nigeria into abject poverty and penury, making the renewed hope mantra of the Tinubu government a mere consolidation of the rudderless policies of despair and hopelessness of the Buhari regime.”

Throwing more light on the unfolding realignment, Turaki told LEADERSHIP that the organisers reached out to all the stakeholders, including key leaders of PDP, Labour Party and NNPP.
He revealed that at the meeting held in Abuja over the weekend, the various party leaders gave their blessing before the statement unveiling their intention was issued.

“We had a meeting with all of them. Peter Obi was part of the meeting. Even some key members of PDP also all agreed to it. We held the meeting yesterday (Saturday) in Abuja.
“In forming a thing like this, we are also aware of the challenges but we have made good progress,” he said.

While he noted the dissenting posture from some members in the opposition party towards the emergence of a united opposition political front, he stressed that genuine lovers of democracy and good governance are already aligned with the drive to rescue Nigeria.

He, however, noted that they are aware of other real concerns from those who have good intentions and would be open to listening to proactive measures to make the union better.
He maintained that the inaugural meeting will be held before the end of the month.
When contacted, the camp of former Vice President Atiku admitted that its principal was in consonance with the position of NCFront.

This was confirmed to LEADERSHIP by Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, who replied “Yes!”, when asked if the platform’s position reflected that of the former presidential candidate.
Meanwhile, the G-5 governors, who worked against PDP in the 2023 general election, reactivated their machinery ahead of the 2027 election at the New Year luncheon organised by Wike in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

However, speaking during the luncheon, former Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, who reaffirmed Wike as the leader of the group, pledged the group’s continuous support to the presidency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Ortom said: “All of us are here today to support Nyesom Ezenwo Wike as leader of the G-5. We are here because we recognise Wike as the leader of G-5. I am speaking on behalf of G-5 governors.

“Governor Ikpeazu is not here because his son is getting married in Lagos today. We have to sacrifice that event with his consent, so that we will be able to honour this invitation, even though belated.

“Governor Seyi Makinde, who is the youth leader of the G-5 governors is in the United States on vacation with his family. Of course, you know if he were in Nigeria, he would have done everything to be around because he respects Wike.

“Today, the G-5 governors are going to talk about President Tinubu, Wike and Rivers State. Tinubu, we are very proud of you. The demand of G-5 governors was that a Southerner should emerge as president. All of us supported Tinubu during the election and we are going to continue to support his presidency.”

On his part, Wike admonished his supporters not to be pained about the sacrifices they made during the 2023 election in the state which produced Governor Siminalayi Fubara.
The FCT minister, who has been locked in a battle of wits with his successor and estranged political godson, Fubara, had during a private visit to the residence of the APC national vice chairman, South-South, Chief Victor Giadom, at Bera community in Gokana local government area of the state, boasted that the true political leaders of the state would be unveiled in due time.

At yesterday’s luncheon Wike said, “It is not everything you invest in that you will reap in. People establish a company and it crumbles. They have to be alive to make sure the companies stay.

“So, you cannot say I did this and that. God knows why things happen the way they happen. But what is important is life; to God be the glory. Life continues for us to see what is happening. When a man is dead, he doesn’t know what is happening.

“So, you should be able to advise your children, you should be able to advise your friends. I was alive and this is what I saw; don’t allow yourself to be a victim.”

Also in attendance at the gathering were the acting PDP chairman in the state, Hon. Chukwuemeka Aaron, and the chairman, caretaker committee chairman of the APC, Chief Tony Okocha, as well as chairmen of the 23 local government areas of the state.