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Take It Back Movement, one of the key organizers of the EndBadGovernance nationwide protest, has scheduled Saturday for a one-million-man protest in all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja.
Mr Sanyaolu Juwon, National Coordinator of the movement, stated this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.
He said, “the Take It Back Movement (TIB), side-by-side with other organizers and organizations will on August 10, lead a monumental one-million-man protest in each of the 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Abuja.
“This event will mark a critical juncture in our nationwide EndBadGovernanceInNigeria campaign, which began on August 1, 2024.
“It started as a planned 10-day protest but has evolved into a sustained and widespread movement, drawing participants from every corner of Nigeria and the diaspora.”
DAILY POST reports that the protest which aimed at drawing the attention of the governments at all levels to the hardship bedeviling the citizens, commenced on August 1 and is expected to end on Saturday, August 10.
Although the protest was hijacked by criminal elements, the exercise recorded large turnout across the country, especially in the northern states.
Despite the appeal by President Bola Tinubu in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday, asking the protesters to back down and give his administration more time, the protest had continued in Abuja, Kano and some other parts of the country.
[DailyPost]
A former Center for Democracy and Development (CDD) Director, Jibrin Ibrahim, on Wednesday, said Nigerians are angry because they are being deceived by the President Bola Tinubu government.
Ibrahim made this claim during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
He said governance was collapsing in Nigeria because the government had failed in its promises.
Ibrahim said, “When they removed the fuel subsidy, they said in weeks we will have CNG buses and the price of transportation will crash. They said this 13 months ago. Nigerians have not seen those buses. It is called waiting for Godot in literature. When you are told continuously that you will see them and you wait for weeks, months and a year and nothing is coming. You know that what you are told is just a narrative not based on reality.
“That is why Nigerians are very upset. They are very angry. They are being deceived regularly and systematically by a government that feels that it can tell stories and we survive. We refuse to do what we need to do but we survive because we tell stories that will cover up. And Nigerians said no you can’t tell stories.”
He further stated that patients were dying on a daily basis because they did not have money to buy medicine.
According to him, Nigerians are starving because of the economic situation in the country, but the government wants them to starve in silence.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and publisher of Ovation Magazine, Dele Momodu, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s inner circle for not being truthful about the dire state of governance in Nigeria.
The PDP chieftain accused President Tinubu’s appointees of misleading Nigerians about the country’s economic condition.
In an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Momodu alleged that Tinubu’s aides publicly defend the administration while expressing dissatisfaction privately.
Momodu said, “To ask a question ‘is there bad governance in Nigeria?’ I don’t think that is in doubt. Every Nigerian agrees on that. And I say it including the aides of Mr. President who cannot say it in his presence but they grumble behind him. I say it everywhere. He is my friend, he is my big brother and if anybody will deceive him, I will remain the only one who will continue to tell him that you’re surrounded by liars.”
The veteran journalist, who backed the #EndBadGovernance movement, lamented the current state of Nigeria, saying, “Nigeria has never had it this bad.”
He offered suggestions on how President Tinubu could address these issues, emphasizing the need for substantial reform rather than superficial gestures.
“What I would expect president Tinubu to do and for him to be able to assure the nation that he means well for the nation. It’s not about throwing money around. I expect Tinubu to say ‘Today, I am merging some of these ministries’ as long as you meet the constitutionally required number of ministries, cut off the rest.
“Number two, all these excesses. Everyday, they are awarding appointments like popcorn. You can’t run Nigeria the way you ran Lagos state. In Lagos, it’s just a state and because it’s a state and a very wealthy one at that, you can afford that. But nationally, the level of poverty in Nigeria does not allow that. Then, all this living large, outlandish lifestyle, you want to buy a presidential jet, you want to build multi-billion naira homes, stop it now,” he asserted.
Jibrin Ibrahim, a professor of Political Science and member of governing board of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has revealed why Nigerians are angry with President Bola Tinubu.
According to him, the reason is because they are being deceived by the President Bola Tinubu government.
Ibrahim made the observation during an interview on Channels TV’s Politics Today.
He lamented that governance was collapsing in Nigeria, saying that the government had failed in its promises to cushion the suffering of Nigerians.
“When they removed the fuel subsidy, they said in weeks we will have CNG buses and the price of transportation will crash. They said this 13 months ago. Nigerians have not seen those buses. It is called waiting for Godot in literature.
“When you are told continuously that you will see them and you wait for weeks, months and a year and nothing is coming. You know that what you are told is just a narrative not based on reality,” he said.
The political analyst noted that patients in hospitals are dying on a daily basis because they don’t have money to buy medicine, pointing out that Nigerians are starving because of the economic situation in the country.
According to him, the government wants Nigerians to starve in silence.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has suspended an Assistant Superintendent of Immigration II (ASI II) for allegedly soliciting financial gratification from a traveller.
NIS’s Comptroller General, Kemi Nandap, made this known in a statement issued by the Service Public Relations Officer, Mr Kenneth Udo, on Thursday in Abuja.
According to Nandap, the officer’s conduct, captured in a video circulating on social media, does not reflect the values and ethics of professionalism upheld by the NIS.
She condemned the alleged misconduct in the strongest terms, saying that it undermined the ongoing reforms aimed at enhancing service standards.
She, however, assured that the officer had been indefinitely suspended pending the outcome of disciplinary procedures, in accordance with the law and Public Service Rules.
She said NIS received a video currently circulating on social media titled “This is how immigration officers treat tourists in Nigeria,” showing one of its officers soliciting financial gratification from a traveller.
“This disgraceful act is not a representation of our commitment to hospitality, reception, and courtesy.
“As a result, the officer in question has been indefinitely suspended pending the outcome of disciplinary procedures,” she said.
The NIS boss reiterated the NIS’s commitment to identifying and removing corrupt elements within its ranks, in line with its zero-tolerance for corruption policy.
The comptroller general also assured that the NIS would continue to strive for excellence in service delivery, in alignment with the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of the Federal Government.
Nandap added that electronic gates (e-gates) were being installed at all international airports to facilitate smoother travel for passengers and prevent incidents like the one involving the suspended officer.
She urged the public to report any form of misconduct or corruption by its officers to the appropriate authorities. (NAN)
Media
Look at how our immigration officers treat tourists, Quite embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/sZyehBaPKx
— Chude Nnamdi (@chude__) August 7, 2024
The Department of States Service (DSS) has denied allegations suggesting that its personnel conducted a raid on the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) headquarters in Abuja.
Naija News reports that this statement follows claims made by the NLC on Wednesday, which asserted that secret police operatives had invaded their office and whisked away certain documents.
The union reported that the operatives arrived at the Labour House at approximately 8:30 PM.
“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.
“When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor, carting away hundreds of books and other publications. The invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the#EndBadGoveranance Protests.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in its entirety this new low in security operations in Nigeria. The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night.
“Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy,” said a statement by the NLC’s head of Media and Public Relations, Benson Upah.
The NLC indicated that it could not quickly determine the full extent of items removed from its offices.
Nevertheless, in a statement issued on Thursday, the DSS spokesperson, Peter Afunanya, clarified that its personnel were not involved in the disruption of the labour union’s office.
“Good morning dear friends. Pls kindly note that the Service (DSS) did not carry out any operation at the NLC office in Abuja,” Afunanya said in a terse statement on the agency’s X handle.
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, has said it will be hard for Nigeria’s economy if any administration tries to reverse the fuel subsidy removal after President Bola Tinubu’s government.
Wale Edun added that any plan by other administrations to reverse forex subsidy will have to deal with the gains recorded from the two policies.
Edun said with the removal of fuel and forex subsidy the federal government has been able to reduce the percentage Nigeria was spending on service debt from her revenue from 98 percent to 61 percent.
He said such administration would have to borrow money to run every responsibility of government, including payment of salaries, or even to construct a kilometer road
Edun’s statement was posted by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, on his X handle, on Thursday.
The Minister of Finance also explained that the federal government took the best decision by removing the fuel and forex subsidy.
He said, “Let me be very frank here if any president will come up and dare to return to payment of petrol subsidy or forex subsidy, he will have to deal with reversing the gains we have attained with reduction of percentage of what we were spending out of all our revenue to service debt, which we have reduced from 98% to 67%.
“Then, he will need to borrow to run virtually every other responsibilities of government, including to pay salaries or even to construct a kilometer of road.
“With this, more debts are incurred and debt servicing will now exceed all our revenue thereby leading to bankruptcy and a total collapse of every facets of the governance system.”
In what appears a major shift from previous clam by the Dangote Refinery company, the Group Chief Strategy Officer, Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals Company, Aliyu Suleiman on Wednesday, stated that 60 per cent of the crude supplied to the refinery was done by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL.
Aliyu made the submission during an interactive session organised by the Senate Ad-hoc committee to investigate alleged sabotage in the Nigerian petroleum industry.
This supersedes the position of the Group Chief Commercial Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Rabiu A. Umar, who had claimed that the NNPC has been supplying insufficient crude oil for its production demand.
Umar had said that NNPC supplies only 33 per cent of crude to the refinery, disclosing that it had to look elsewhere to source the remaining 67 per cent to meet its production capacity.
He added that the refinery, which has the capacity of refining 650,000 per day, could not depend on short supply from Nigeria’s oil company.
But during his presentation, Aliyu Suleiman stated that out of the five million barrels of crude oil they got in recent time, “NNPC gave them 60 per cent, 20 per cent was imported, and 20 per cent was purchased”.
Aliyu expressed gratitude for the strong partnership between the Dangote Refinery and the NNPC Ltd, and for making the huge supply to Dangote.
He described the refinery as a baby that should be supported by all relevant stakeholders “in order to grow and not die”.
The House of Representatives has given an explanation why its pledge to donate half of its members’ salaries as promised hasn't been fulfilled.
Giving explanation, spokesperson of the House, Rotimi Akin said, the lower chamber remains committed to the 50 per cent deduction in lawmakers’ salaries.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy as intended for the month of July,” he said in a statement.
“Resolutions of the House are ratified when the votes and proceedings of plenary are adopted on the next legislative day. Consequently, the bureaucracy was only formally instructed on July 23,” the spokesperson said.
The lawmakers in July agreed to cut their salaries by 50 per cent for six months in solidarity with Nigerians over economic hardship and hunger experienced by the citizens.
This followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion’s prayer moved by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on the need for lawmakers to sacrifice 50% of their N600,000 monthly salaries to support Nigerians given the hardship.
Days after, the Reps spokesman attributed the delay in the implementation to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.
To Akin, instructions for adjusting salaries had since been issued and would be enforced moving forward to ensure its pledge is fully realised.
He called for patience, assuring that the House would adhere to its promise and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians.
The spokesman also clarified that each member of the House takes N600,000 as monthly salary against N900,000, which is being speculated.
“There is nothing to investigate, as some media houses reported, as the House’s position on this matter had been provided to some journalists who had reached out for clarification.”
“The House of Representatives has been inundated by some media outlets reporting claims of discrepancies in the salaries of members, suggesting that we received 100 per cent of our July salaries. The report claimed that our salary amounted to N936,979.
“We wish to clarify that the actual monthly salary for members is N600,000, after deductions for advances such as housing, which are paid at the commencement of the tenure,” he said.
Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman says challenges and protest against government policies are not peculiar to Nigeria.
Ganduje reacted to the ongoing protest on Wednesday in Abuja, when he played host to some leaders of the party from the United States of America.
The APC national chairman, who said even developed economies have their challenges, assured that whatever challenges that was being faced in Nigeria currently, would soon be over.
“There is no doubt, as a developing country, even the so called developed economies have their turbulence in one way or the other.
“So, it is not surprising that Nigeria is having its own share of the problem. This is not the first time.
“You will recall that whenever there is a reform agenda, obstacles must be on the way, as a result, people must suffer in one way or the other.
“But, in the long run, everything will be according to the plan,” the APC national chairman assured Nigerians.
He also emphasised that President Bola Tinubu came into power with the intention to introduce reforms that would secure the country’s future.
He explained that the country’s institutions were weak, adding that strong institutions were needed to implement whatever good policies the government had.
Ganduje assured the people that President Tinubu was doing all he needed to secure the country’s future in the interest of all.
He expressed optimism that in a matter of time, the country would come out from its current challenges because Tinubu was working very hard on the economy.
Ganduje, who said that positive results would be achieved soon, described the visit of the party’s U.S. leaders as historic and a day that would not be forgotten in a hurry.
“Today they came from one of the farthest places in the world, from the U.S. to show commitment, love and loyalty that they are truly Nigerians serving abroad and we are highly delighted with that.
“From history, we have checked, since the time of military politics down to today, some of you have been in such associations that led into political parties.
“So, there is no doubt that you are committed party men and women, and we appreciate your coming,” Ganduje said.
Prof. Adesegun Ladejo, who led the delegation, said they were in the party’s secretariat to show support for its leadership and the Tinubu-led administration in spite of the challenges.
This, he said, was even with the discouragement they got from some Nigerians in the diaspora, adding that their visit was to also harmonise their relationship with the party’s national leadership.
“In spite of the discouragement, we insisted on coming, in the face of all the turmoil that they projected will happen or is happening,
“We are here to support our President and Ganduje, our party’s national chairman and our country’s leaders,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the delegation includes Mr Oyakhilome Bello, APC U.S. National Youth Leader, Alhaji Sama’ila Maigyara, National Publicity Secretary and Alhaja Khirat Ajiboye, Deputy National publicity Secretary.
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House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has received another set of 600 defectors from four political parties into All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State.
The defectors dumped the ruling Labour Party (LP) in the state, as well as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) to embrace the APC.;
They were received into the APC during Kalu’s tour of electoral wards in his Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State.
Kalu is currently on a “thank you” and mobilisation tour of the 13 electoral wards in his constituency to show gratitude to the people and ask about their immediate needs.
A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Levinus Nwabughiogu, said the Deputy Speaker had visited five wards covering Item Wards A, B, and C; Ugwueke/Ezeukwu and Itumbauzo Wards and received several defectors into the APC.
Amongst the defectors are former PDP councillors from Alayi Ward A, Enoch Elekwa and Chukwu Udensi; former LP ward chairman, Jonah Chukwu; YPP ward vice chairman, Ekeoma Sylvester Eze; and former APGA local government chairman, Ndubuisi Sunday Agu.
Also, over 100 defectors publicly dumped the PDP and other political parties and joined APC when Kalu visited Umuhu Ezechi Ward on Tuesday.
During the tour, a former commissioner and Bende Local Government Area’s erstwhile chairman, who handed over to Kalu as council chairman 22 years ago, Paul Chikezie Mba, said the performance of the Deputy Speaker at the National Assembly attracted him and other defectors to APC.
Mba expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for signing the South East Development Commission (SEDC) Bill into law and hailed Kalu for attracting many projects to the ward.
Receiving the defectors, Kalu said he was at Umuhu Ezechi to show gratitude to the people for voting him in last year’s general election.
He urged the people to continue to support President Tinubu who graciously signed the SEDC Bill.
During his visit to Ozuitem Ward, the Deputy Speaker received over 100 defectors from LP, PDP, APGA, and YPP to APC.
They included Chief John Ihueze and Sunday Kalu Iroham, who were hitherto chieftains of PDP; Adighije Okoronkwo, from APGA, and a host of others from YPP.
The monthly salary of a member of the House of Representatives is N600,000 and not the N900,000 that is being speculated, House spokesman Akin Rotimi has said.
In a statement yesterday in Abuja, Rotimi reaffirmed the commitment of the Green Chamber to the 50 per cent deduction in the salary of its members to reduce hardship.
“The House of Representatives has been inundated by some media outlets reporting claims of discrepancies in the salaries of members, suggesting that we received 100 per cent of our July salaries. The report claimed that our salary amounted to N936,979.
“We wish to clarify that the actual monthly salary for members is N600,000, after deductions for advances, such as housing, which are paid at the commencement of the tenure,” Rotimi said.
The House spokesman explained that the member who displayed his salary on a TV programme was an exceptional case because he assumed office through a court decision many months after the on-boarding process had been concluded.
He said the House remained committed to the resolution passed on July 18, which stipulated a 50 per cent reduction in the salaries of members for six months.
“We acknowledge and regret that this resolution was not implemented by the bureaucracy, as intended, for the month of July.
“Resolutions of the House are ratified when the votes and proceedings of plenary are adopted on the next legislative day. Consequently, the bureaucracy was only formally instructed on July 23,” Rotimi said.
According to him, the delay in the implementation is due to necessary administrative procedures and coordination with financial institutions.
The House spokesman added that instructions for adjusting members’ salaries had been issued and would be enforced, moving forward, to ensure that its pledge is fully implemented.
“There is nothing to investigate, as some media houses reported. The House’s position on this matter had been provided to some journalists who had reached out for clarification,” he said.
Rotimi called for patience among members of the public, assuring of the House’s steadfast adherence to its pledge and sustained efforts to earn the trust and confidence of all Nigerians.
Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has given details of Wednesday’s night invasion of its headquarters, the Labour House, Abuja by armed security operatives.
NLC in a statement, also demanded international inquiry into the traumatic invasion.
The statement by its Head, Media and Public Relations, Benson Upah, equally “directed all its staff to stay away from the Labour House for now until we are certain that there are no incriminating materials or harmful substances dropped in our offices by the invading operatives.”
It called on the international community to take note of the deterioration of democratic principles in the bid to turn Nigeria into a Police State.
Among others, the statement reads “
This evening (yesterday) at about 8.30pm long after the close of work, a troop of heavily armed security operatives invaded the Labour House, Central Business District, Abuja which serves as the National Headquarters and Secretariat of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
“The security operatives, some from the Nigeria Police Force, some wearing black tee-shirts presumably from the Department of State Services (DSS), and others on outright mufti swooped on the 10th Floor of the NLC and arrested the security operative on duty and then commandeered him to the second floor where he was asked to produce the keys to the offices.
“When he told them that he had no such keys on him, they broke into the floor and ransacked the bookshop on the 2nd floor carting away hundreds of books and other publications. The invading troop claimed that they were looking for seditious materials used for the#EndBadGoveranance Protests.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress condemns in its entirety this new low in security operations in Nigeria. The armed security operatives showed no legal document permitting them to invade the premises of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the ungodly hours of the night.
“Even in the dark days of military rule, NLC secretariats were never invaded and ransacked by security agents. Today is indeed a very sad day for our democracy.
“Just this afternoon (yesterday)the National Executive Council, NEC, of the NLC took note and vehemently condemned the high handed manner that security agents manhandled protesters in many parts of the country and the needless bloodshed that ensued.
“We also condemned the sweeping mass arrests of those perceived to have led the protest. The NEC also frowned at the reckless use of ‘treason’ to describe the protest and demanded for moderation. What we did not see coming was the invasion of the Labour House by masked and heavily armed security operatives hours later.
“In the light of the foregoing and the ominous sign it portends for democratic rights, freedom of speech and association and the unimpeachable right of citizens to protest peacefully on any issue they feel strongly about, we call on the international community to take note of the deterioration of democratic principles in the bid to turn Nigeria into a Police State.
“Given the experience of the leadership of the NLC in recent times at the receiving end of the naked brute force of the state especially the near daylight assassination of the NLC President by security operatives and thugs, our fears of a Nigerian state that is descending into enforced brutality are well founded. We fear that the situation might deteriorate.
“Given the state of things, the Nigeria Labour Congress has directed all its staff to stay away from the Labour House for now until we are certain that there are no incriminating materials or harmful substances dropped in our offices by the invading operatives.
“In order to allay our fears, we demand an international inquiry into this very traumatic invasion.
Finally, we demand the immediate withdrawal of the troop of invading security agents from the premises of the Labour House, Abuja. We also demand that all the books and materials carted away by the invading security operatives should be returned unfailingly to where they were taken from before the end of work tomorrow, 8th August 2024. We make this demand given the illegality of the operation as there was no court order for the invasion, ransacking and looting of the publications.
If this harassment continues, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not hesitate to call on its members to stay home until their safety and security are assured. We warn that the asphyxiation of the public space and channels for constructive engagement, dialogue and negotiations in light of the excruciating difficulties that Nigerians are going through right now would only make matters worse. A stitch in time might still save nine!”
The Federal Government has issued a stern warning to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to refrain from meddling in the Labour Party‘s internal matters, stating that such actions breach the Trade Unions Act.
This warning followed the NLC’s refusal to acknowledge Barrister Julius Abure as the Labour Party’s chairman, with the NLC’s National Transition Committee providing conflicting directives to party members.
It is noteworthy that Abure had reached out to the Ministry of Labour and Employment on July 10, 2024, requesting clarification regarding the NLC’s role.
In a reply dated July 31, 2024, the Ministry of Labour and Employment cited Section 15 (1) (2) (3) of the Trade Unions Act, which restricts the use of trade union dues for political purposes unless explicitly allowed by the union’s regulations.
The letter from the Ministry, signed by the Director/Registrar of Trade Unions, Falonipe Amos, stressed that any breach of the Trade Unions Act is considered an offense.
It also delineated the NLC and TUC’s limitations in political activities, emphasizing that their funds should not be used for political aims.
“If any of the funds of a trade union are applied to the furtherance of a political objective in contravention of subsection (1) of this section, the trade union and every official thereof shall be guilty of an offence under this Act.
“I wish to urge the leadership of the NLC to be guided by the above provisions of the Trade Unions Act in dealing with the Labour Party and any other political parties,” the letter read.
The Ministry urged the NLC leadership to adhere to the Trade Unions Act when engaging with the Labour Party or any other political entities. This response serves as a caution to the NLC and TUC, warning them against further involvement in the Labour Party’s business.