The Government of Nyeson Wike of Rivers State, has shut the campaign office of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which (Wike) belongs.
It was learnt that the State government sealed off the campaign office based on Executive Orders 21 and 22. The office was said to have been shut for producing noisy political activities in residential areas without approval from the State government.
The Rivers State PDP presidential campaign council, which made this known today, December 23, said that the office, located in GRA Port Harcourt, was sealed off in the early hours of today.
The PDP Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers said it had written an application seeking approval to use the office premise for its political activities.
The application had been ignored for months until the venue was sealed today, the party said.
The media team of the state’s PCC described the seal on the office as anti-democratic and a violation of free expression, even as it advised the leaders of the party in the state to seek legal redress per the provisions of the constitution.
PDP said: “The public is hereby informed that the sealed premises had no bill board or poster, since the approval had not been given, yet it was sealed off, a sign that the delay in the approval is premeditated and computed to cause this sort of unlawfulness.”
“We condemn this act because it rubs off on our fundamental right to free expression of interest. Furthermore, this egregious move by the Rivers State Government, seen in the prism of politics, tends to militarise our democracy and renders our dear state politically recessive when juxtaposed with other states in the country,” the media team said in a statement.
“We urge our dear leaders in the state to challenge this illegality in a court of competent jurisdiction so that friction can disappear from our political space.
“The right to campaign for preferred candidate is enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria, which is the grand norm from which every other law derives its power.
“Thus, every clash between the Constitution and any other made law should be resolved in favour of the Constitution. The Rivers State Government, we dare say, is subject to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as Amended).
“Meanwhile we charge the Rivers State PDP PCC, our dear leaders, to see to it that this unlawful disruption of campaign activities does not rattle their cage. They must continue to function as they always had prior to the existence of the Secretariat.
“It is our duty to remind Governor Wike and his co-travellers that they, like everyone else, are subject to the Laws of Nigeria.”
“Tyranny will expire in our state. If the Nazi Regime could die in Germany, then this facsimile of such will die even much faster to the glory of God and liberty of Rivers State.”
The Chief Executive officer of Max Air, Alhaji Bashir Mangal, is dead. He died in the early hours of today, December 23 in Abuja after a brief illness.
His death was announced today in a statement issued by the the media consultant to the airline.
The statement read in part: “Inna lillahi wa inna Ilaihi rajiun. This is to announce the death of our beloved brother Alhaji Bashir Barau Mangal Vice Chairman/ CEO Max Air in the early hours of today Friday 23rd December 2022.
“May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdaus.”
In a tribute, the presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar said he was saddened by the death of the CEO of the aviation company.
In the tribute posted on his Facebook page, Atiku said: “I am saddened to hear of the death of Bashir Barau Mangal, the Vice Chairman and CEO of Max Air.
“I knew Bashir as a man with a high entrepreneurial spirit, having come from a renowned Bangal family of Katsina, who are well known for their diligence in business and patriotism in nation-building.
“He distinguished himself in the aviation industry by maintaining standards that ensured comfort to the flying public and, by extension, was known to have brought smiles to those around him.
“On behalf of my family and my team, I offer my condolences to the Mangal family and pray for Almighty Allah to grant his soul eternal rest.”
Young Nigerian students who have been tapped to recruit fresh investors in West Africa for the Hong Kong/global crypto exchange AAX have expressed their anger and confusion over collapse of the Crypto. This is coming on the heels of the implosion of FTX crypto exchange.
Nigerian media outlets reported shortly after the collapse that Nigerian-based customers of AAX had “stormed the AAX Lagos offices” in a desperate search for their funds, demanding their money while “beating up the staff available.” report had it that dozens of students in Nigeria were recruited by investor-hungry firms to market cryptocurrencies to their peers, part of an industry push to expand their reach in West Africa, where economic instability has drawn in desperate users. Report have it that enlisted students were being made to hit monthly targets through both the number of new investors won and total funds deposited.
It was learnt that some people were paid a monthly stipend for their recruitment work; while others worked for free in the hope of earning referral commissions. AAX student ambassadors were asked to recruit 50 users to trade USD 250 weekly on the platform, and given a monthly target of USD 50,000 in trading volume, two ambassadors said. The exchange had recruited nearly 50 ambassadors in Nigeria as of late-2022, according to documents seen by the Thomson Reuters Foundation. Those who met the targets were rewarded. FTX campus ambassadors were tasked with recruiting 20 users a month to invest USD 50,000-USD 100,000 in total. The students earned commission for every new sign on. They coordinated and shared photos of promotional events and activities with country managers in Telegram groups. Those who met their monthly targets received an additional USD 800 in cash. “It was always: ‘you must get 100 people, you must bring students, you must refer, you must get them to bring money,’” said Mary, 22, who joined FTX as an ambassador at the University of Nigeria, Enugu. She asked to be identified only by her first name, for fear of retaliation.
Crypto adoption is growing in Africa, especially in Nigeria, which ranks 11th on a global ownership index compiled by research firm Chainalysis, despite an official crackdown on crypto trading in the country. It gained wider popularity in 2020 as Nigerians at home and overseas donated thousands of dollars in bitcoin to fund youth-led protests against police brutality, boosting its use among a demography that is increasingly wary of institutional scrutiny. But inflation, unemployment, and rising poverty have made it a lifeline for young Nigerians – who make up more than 60 percent of a population topping 220 million people – and who have turned to crypto trading and recruitment as a new way to earn a living.
Elijah was arrested briefly last month after angry investors who had parked USD 30,000 in AAX on the student’s recommendation reported him to authorities in a bid to recover their funds. Two other AAX ambassadors said they had gone into hiding out of fear they would be harmed by investors they had recruited. Another AAX ambassador, Abduraoff Aderonmu, was recruited at the University of Ilorin, and encouraged to meet weekly targets of finding 50 new traders. He hosted events at his school and convinced dozens of fellow students to put thousands of dollars into the exchange. In November, AAX blocked customer withdrawals from its platform pending a “system upgrade” it said was vital to protect users from “malicious attacks”. “It was a planned scam from the beginning … a very well-planned robbery,” Aderonmu said. AAX did not respond to a request for comments.
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried is expected to appear before a U.S. court on Thursday after being extradited from The Bahamas, the first step in a possibly lengthy criminal case over the collapse of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange. Bankman-Fried, 30, was arrested last week in the Bahamas, where he lived and where FTX is based. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan charged him with stealing billions of dollars in FTX customer assets to plug losses at his hedge fund, Alameda Research, cementing the one-time billionaire’s fall from grace. He departed the Caribbean nation in FBI custody on Wednesday night. Just hours later, U.S. prosecutors said two of his closest former associates had pleaded guilty and were cooperating with their probe – a move that significantly ramped up pressure on Bankman-Fried. The collapse of FTX triggered a knock-on effect that tanked the value of various tokens, and prompted users to withdraw from exchanges, including some in Africa. FTX also made West Africa a particular focus of its business expansion, with founder Sam Bankman-Fried personally appealing to crypto users in the region to trade on his exchange just days before its collapse.
The Nigerian Immigration System (NIS) has come out with what it called three easy steps to fast track passport renewal process this month; December.
A tweet shared on NIS page today, December 22, broke the steps down in bits, telling Nigerians in Diaspora to use the three Easy Steps to Fast-track their Passport Renewal Process this December.
“The @nigimmigration has made it easy to get a new passport in just two weeks through the newly-launched special diaspora fast-track passport renewal programme.
“This programme will run from the 12 December 2022 to 31 January 2023. What’s more? You can travel to Nigeria even if your passport is expired and renew it once you arrive.
“So, if you’re looking to renew your Nigerian passport during your visit this Christmas season, here’s how: Step 1 – Register online through the online registration portal
“Log in to the passport application portal at https://t.co/OMydkRt6n0 and apply online. The application process includes making payment for your preferred passport type via approved payment platforms.
“Step 2- Visit the Diaspora Desk at any international airport in Nigeria. On arrival into Nigeria via any of the international airports in Lagos, Abuja, Kano, Enugu and Port Harcourt, locate the diaspora desk and provide your application details.
“You will then be given a fast-track letter (this letter overrides the date on your online application, so no panicking) to any passport office of your choice.
“Step 3 – Capture Your biometric information. Visit your preferred passport office between Monday and Wednesday. Once you get there, your biometrics, including your photo and fingerprints, will be captured, and your passport will be produced and ready in two weeks.
“Also, note that you will need your National Identification Number (NIN) for your passport application. You are also to ensure that your personal information in the passport application matches the information on the NIN and vice versa; otherwise, the process cannot be completed.
“If you have any enquiries or complaints concerning the passport renewal process, tweet at @nigimmigration or send an email to – expiredppt@immigration.gov.ng.
“The special diaspora fast-track passport renewal programme is an initiative of @nigimmigration and @MinOfInteriorNG. This initiative is supported by all aviation authorities, @NigeriaMFA, Heads of Foreign Missions, Immigration Attaches, and international airline operators.”
The NIS said that Passport Offices will be opened on Saturdays to support the operations.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) had earlier announced that more than 5,000 passport booklets have been produced and ready for collection from its weekend passport production operation.
The NIS said that the milestone is sequel to the directive by the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isa Jere Idris, to Passport Offices and Diaspora desks at international airports to open on Saturdays to clear applications backlog.
Under a special arrangement to ramp up passport production, Passport Offices from 3 December, 2022 to 28 January, 2023, open between 10am to 2pm to speed up passport production in furtherance of steps by the Federal Ministry of Interior and NIS to clear the backlog of applications for the issuance of the enhanced Nigerian international e-Passports.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said that the promise by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to reopen all Nigerian borders if elected President in the next year’s election, will spell disaster for the country.
Speaking in Abuja today, December 22, at the 15th edition of the PMB Administration’s Scorecard Series (2015-2023), Lai Mohammed stressed that Atiku’s plan will worsen security in the country by allowing arms and ammunition to flow unhindered into the country
“He is ready to worsen the security situation in Nigeria by throwing open all the borders and allowing a massive inflow of small arms and light weapons into the country.
“Only an inordinately-ambitious candidate will wish to return Nigeria to an era of massive importation of food, to the detriment of local farmers, and an era of unbridled inflow of weapons.
“By that statement, Alhaji Atiku has simply informed Nigerians that he will reverse all the efforts made by the PMB Administration to achieve self-sufficiency in the production of many staples, especially rice. By that statement, the former Vice President has informed the country’s millions of rice farmers that they will soon lose their jobs when imported rice floods the country.
“By that statement, His Excellency Atiku Abubakar has told the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians working in the various rice mills that have sprung up under this administration that their jobs are over.
“By that statement, Alhaji Atiku will shut down most, if not all, of our new fertilizer blending companies, with thousands of jobs going down the drain. And by his declaration, the former Vice President has told Nigerians that he will worsen security in the country by allowing arms and ammunition to flow unhindered into the country.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that he will fully participate in campaigning for the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and others candidates in the party in the ongoing political activities.
The President gave the assurance to dispel concerns that he has not featured in campaigns since the national launch in Jos, Plateau State.
Buhari said that while he remained committed to party politics, his functions and duties as a President will equally be upheld at times.
A statement by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, quoted the President as saying in Washington DC in the course of his recent visit to the United States, that he would ensure that candidates of the party attain victory in the general elections next year.”
The President said that the APC campaigns have so far been the most aggressive in recent history.
“They have been impressive and of a high voltage,” compared to the opposition that seems to be playing catch-up.
He expressed strong optimism that the party will win all the elections fairly and squarely.
A body going by the name, ANAP Foundation has declared the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, the winner of the 2023 presidential election.
The body said that a nationwide poll it conducted through social media, mainly phone contacts, showed that Peter Obi polled 23 percent of the votes to emerge winner, while the Presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu polled 13 percent to emerged second and the candidate of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar polled 10 percent to come third.
The online poll, according to ANAP, placed the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso fourth with 2 percent.
The president and founder of ANAP foundation, Atedo Peterside said, in a statement, said that Peter Obi’s 10 per cent point lead at this stage is significant, but not sufficient to separate him from a leading pack of candidates scoring 13 per cent, 10 per cent and 2 per cent.
“Undecided voters and those who prefer not to reveal their preferred candidate add up to a whopping 29 per cent and 23 per cent respectively. The gender split of undecided voters shows that 38 per cent of women are undecided versus 21 per cent of male voters.”
The percentage of registered voters or voters with their permanent voter’s card as of December is 90 per cent in the North East; 89 per cent in the South West and 88 per cent in the South-South. The lowest voter registration percentages were recorded in the North Central with 87 per cent; North West with 86; and the South East with 84 per cent, the report said.
“The percentage of voters refusing to disclose the name of their preferred candidate has increased sharply from 15 per cent to 23 per cent making it difficult for us to ascertain if any of the candidates has picked up significant momentum between September and December 2023.”
The Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has asked the law enforcement agencies to immediately commence investigation into the allegation by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leadership that certain plots to incite violence and derail the 2023 polls are being hatched somewhere.
The APC Presidential Campaign Council said that by such allegation, it is obvious that the PDP has ‘credible information’ as to those unleashing violence in certain parts of the country.
In a statement by the Director of Public Affairs and Chief Spokesperson to Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, the ruling party accused the opposition of operating without an iota of shame or respect for the Nigerian people.
“Instead of continuous apologies for those grievous acts of election rigging, money-laundering and other electoral malpractices, it continues to pontificate.
“Based on its latest Press Statement about having ‘credible information’ about certain individuals plotting to derail the 2023 elections, including acts of arson already perpetrated on the facilities of INEC, we therefore call on the law-enforcement agencies to, as a matter of URGENCY, invite the PDP leaders for immediate questioning. The PDP must provide information regarding:
The place and time such a meeting took place and those in attendance
The identities of those who committed these acts of arson on the facilities of INEC
The information must also include the identity of those who sponsored these individuals (if any).
“The PDP should realise that an electioneering process is very serious business and not a time to issue baseless and infantile statements out of want of something to say to the Nigerian people. The Nigerian people have since grown weary of the antics of the PDP.
“We suspect that the latest alarm by the PDP is one of a long list of diversionary measures adopted by the party to deflect attention from its crumbling edifice. Just yesterday, the major leaders of the PDP in Katsina State led by a former Katsina State Governor, Mr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, and 10 out of the 14-member working committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) boycotted the party’s rally in the State and today they issue this statement to deflect attention from that disaster.
“We also state that this gimmick is nothing but crying wolf when there is none. We have said in an earlier statement on this issue some weeks ago that this is the same unnecessary scare-mongering tactics and crass vituperations they employed and engaged in before the 2019 election which led to their crushing defeat.
“We also said before and we repeat it here that ASIWAJU Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a thoroughbred democrat and one of the major architects of the democracy PDP and Nigerians enjoy today, so he should be the VERY LAST of the Presidential candidates to be accused of undemocratic conduct or underhand dealings in the electoral process.
“The PDP should not joke or play politics with grave security matters. Having ‘credible information’ as to plots and individuals relating to the attack on INEC offices currently, further plots to disrupt elections is, indeed, a matter of national security.
“This is therefore, a notice to our law-enforcement agencies to immediately invite the PDP leaders for questioning. After all, it takes a thief to catch a thief!”
On 25 February 2023, I will pick this voter’s card, walk to the polling centre and cast my vote for His Excellency, Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban Borgu. This is a firm commitment given after a history of association, honour, demographic reality, constitutional requirement, weighing pros and cons as well as the personalities of the candidate and his running mate.
In 2011, I supported the presidential candidature of Nuhu Ribadu. Together we travelled and met with the Jagaba many times in Lagos. Why I pitched my tent with Ribadu then, apart from sharing many things like age, world view, personality, background, geography, etc, was the firm belief that no matter how popular is a northern candidate, he needs to crossover to the South for additional votes and geographic spread that the constitution stipulates. For Buhari to run again that year, 2011, after two previous unsuccessful attempts, would be an exercise in futility as it indeed proved to be after failure of the last minute CPC/ACN merger attempt then. The results did not tie to warrant the second round as calculated in Buhari’s quarters. In 2015 the merger was done and victory was achieved. Elections are about law and numbers. No magic.
There will hardly be any southerner better fit for the position of a partner to the North than the Jagaba today. He is our Abiola, if not better. As some of my readers rightly said, he has patronized us many times: Atiku in 2007 under AC, Ribadu in ACN (2011) and Buhari in APC (2015). This is a consistent friend in need. Honour begets reciprocity.
Furthermore, I am aware that the Muslim identity of the Jagaba has been used to disenfranchise him politically three times. In 2011, Buhari was not keen on the merger that required Pastor Bakare to withdraw for Tinubu because he Buhari was opposed to a Muslim-Muslim ticket after receiving over a decade of bashing from the southern press over shariah.
In 2015, Tinubu was bluntly and brutally told at a caucus meeting that he cannot deputize for Buhari because he was Muslim. He swallowed that and presented Osinbajo.
For the third time, for 2023, the some people want to crucify him for picking a Muslim as deputy against all odds. He believes that the Muslim identity of his running mate will earn him the winning vote and choosing a Northern Christian that will upset the Muslims will deny him our vote.
How honorable would I look if I would I turn my back against a friend in need who earlier provided platforms for my brothers and now believe in my capacity to rescue him? What if my son will contest the Presidency tomorrow and he goes to the Southwest to ask for support? And that day will come, when a northerner will again be in need of that alliance. Let us behave wisely. 2023 is not the end of Nigeria. We must guard the honour that we are known for.
Southern partners of the north have been changing over the years but they remain constantly relevant. The North must not return to those days of serial losses by promoting a candidate acceptable only to it. This is the situation that the Atiku ticket presents today, regrettably.
Our brother, the Waziri, has failed, against all advice, to cultivate the support of the South-south in 2011 after losing the ticket to the incumbent. Instead, he supported Buhari of the opposing CPC. Worse still, in 2015 he abandoned the the PDP, led 5 governors in rebel against the southern President, claiming that it was the north’s turn, and decamped to APC to humiliate Jonathan out of power. Now he has gone to the south-south cup in hand and they paid him back in his own coins.
Still after Bubari’s 8 years, in 2022, he blocked the emergence of Southeast and south-south candidates, claiming that rotation is a party matter. This produced Peter Obi ticket and the G5; two blocks that will deny him the traditional PDP votes in the Southeast and South-south. Southwest is already effectively blocked against him by Tinubu.
The Waziri is effectively left with the North. Here, Benue, Plateau and Southern Kaduna are not likely to vote for “another Fulani”, as we heard them declare repeatedly. The votes of the Muslim North are themselves divided for and against him, not united as they were for Buhari. Borno and Yobe, will massively vote for APC. The ruling party even for kinship will also take Kwara and Kogi. Then incumbency will retain for APC the states of Kaduna, Niger, Zamfara, Gombe and possibly Katsina. Yes, Waziri will get Adamawa and Taraba and possibly Sokoto and Kebbi. Bauchi and Nasarawa are still uncertain for him.
Then as Babachir and some anti-muslim irredentists are threatening northern Muslims of humiliation, a block vote, including Kano, in favour of Muslim-Muslim ticket is possible. That will seal the fate of Atiku decisively.
Now, This calculus does not add up to an electoral win in any way. It is a recipe for the disasters of 2003, 2007 and 2011 to repeat themselves.
Babachir’s insolence is an evil that must be disproved and defeated by both Muslims and Christians. Those who failed to earn the APC VP ticket should return and introspect on why they were not electorally viable enough to win it, not resort to blackmailing and threatening 120 million Muslims. That will only prove the evil they are, which made it right for the Jagaba to reject them. Nobody can publicly say he will teach 120 million citizens a lesson and be allowed to succeed unless if those citizens are worse than donkeys. No lion can stand an army of 120 million donkeys.
Now Babachir’s insult has pushed even the reluctant Muslims to prove their electoral worth as they are increasingly rallying behind the Muslim-Muslim ticket. The majority well-meaning Christians should also do the same. Babachir is posing an existential threat to all northerners. If there is a Christian that will be fair to Muslims tomorrow, I and many Muslims will vote for him, as many of us did for Obasanjo and Jonathan between 1999 and 2011. But a genocidal psychopath of whatever religion does not deserve to be even a deputy local government chairman anywhere in this country. Let us leave him to grumble and crumble alone.
Same faith tickets are not new in Nigeria and they are presently practiced in all predominantly Christian States like Plateau, Benue, Edo and even in a number of Southwestern states where Muslims are predominant. Their Muslims have not threatened national security for their selfish reasons as Babachir and his gang are doing up here. Tam.
Beyond the acquaintance, honour of reciprocity, averting past electoral disasters suffered by the North and the existential challenge of the Babachirs, the Tinubu/ Shettima ticket presents a lot of pros which my readers expressed when I asked their opinion on my Facebook page last week. I share the views of those who are convinced of the Jagaba’s record performance in Lagos, arguably the best that the country has known of a governor since 1999, which, according to the readers,came from his courage, team work, modernity, foresight, talent hunting, etc.
For a person who also believes in efficiency, I cannot but be attracted to the Jagaba. Nigeria needs system upgrading and in some areas even disk reformatting. The Jagaba is the perfect person with the record to handle that squarely. No one better than him can pursue digital reform in commerce, taxation, education, governance, communications, etc. His pragmatism and penchant for modernity is needed to solve our security and other challenges. Who can project the success story of Lagos at the national level better than its original author—the Jagaba? None of my readers has denied him these qualities.
From among my readers who are opposed to the Tinubu Presidency are a number of cons which arise from five sources: the perceived limitations of age and much touted fake stories of his sickness; the accusation of supporting OPC to kill Hausas in Lagos while he was governor; the perception of tribalism, as the Igbo and Hausa too are accused of by others; his affiliation to APC and the President, considering what the readers consider as the failure of the government in many areas in the past 8 years; and the predominantly Christian nature of his house.
Well, on the first and last issue, the runner-up candidate, the Waziri of Adamawa, cannot completely acquit himself of them either. He too is old. Being over 70 he must have evidently slowed down and he cannot disclaim having age associated illnesses. Above 60, one must have one or two. They both have slip tongues as a President Buhari Buhari did in Germany and suffers issues of memory many times. Jos were both misnamed their parties—PDAPC and APDP—was no coincidence. Kwankwaso had it once in Kano too: NPCP. Mischief makers do not deserve our attention.
Even at 61, I have had many times that I could not recall names instantly. The brain just fails to retrieve the information from the disk as fast as when I was much younger. I had the privilege of meeting the Jagaba recently and was surprised that he negated those stories by holding me to a night conversation of one hour after a long day he had in Ebonyi. I watched him appear from his room, walked towards me straight, shook my hands and sat right beside me. There is no sign, then and not in his appearance at Chattam House and the BBC a week later, of a debilitating sickness as purported and he appears to get increasingly stronger.
In any case, the strength of any leader is not in the class of his weight; otherwise, America would have made Tyson a President. It is in the people a leader rallies around him. To be fair to the Jagaba whose talent-hunting obsession is renowned, his Presidency as an institution will run unhindered by his age. He cannot have our bests, the Kashims, Elrufai’s, the Ribadus , the Hadizas, the Modibbos, the Arabis, etc. and fail to perform. But if he will resort to family and friends instead of competence, then I concede that his age will become aggravating. He is not as old as Mahathir Mohammed or Joe Biden after all, not minding similar attacks from Trump during the 2020 campaigns about the latter.
In the end, as Muslims, we must believe that “no soul shall die except by the will of God, a decree determined”, as He said in the Qur’an. Period. Furthermore, the constitution has foreseen that and made the necessary provisions, whether an elected President is living or dead.
The Christian component of the Waziri’s family cannot be denied and neither is he a better practicing Muslim than the Jagaba. None of them is a Sheikh or Imam, anyway.
The OPC related killings cannot be ascribed to him just because he was the Governor of Lagos. We northerners in particular must understand that by now better than anyone. Unfortunately for the Jagaba, he was the Guinea Pig of insurrection in this dispensation. When the OPC came, we had no experience of Plateau, Boko Haram and Bandits. Is it justified for anyone now to equally accuse Governors Sheriff, Shettima, Zulum, Yari, El-rufa’i or even the President who has all our war arsenal of being supporters or financiers or Boko Haram or Bandits? What will be our reaction—believe him or refute him? So if the late Sheikh Jafar were alive, he would have withdrawn his fatwa on the Jagaba for he would have known the hard way that Governors do not have the power of controlling high level violence. They can only cooperate with the Federal Government, which the Jagaba did and OPC was quelled though not before it left many innocents dead, as Boko Haram and bandits are doing today.
All the major tribes accuse each other of tribalism. President Buhari is accused of preferring Hausa Muslims in appointments. The Hausa see the Yoruba as more tribal though. But the Jagaba has set a record here. More than any governor, he has elevated non-natives of Lagos including Hausas to levels of commissioners, helped many grow their businesses in Lagos including Dangote. Of course, as with Buhari in 1984 or Elrufai in FCT and now Kaduna, anyone wanting to modernize cities has to encroach into the business spaces of the common man who is fond of erecting illegal structures. The Jagaba cannot modernize Lagos by magic. He has to touch such structures belonging to commoners too. But all said, I think his inclination for merit in administration will blunt his natural instinct of kinship, which we all share anyway. He may not give 3 ministries to a single Hausaman—as Buhari did to Fashola—but he will not suppress northern talent at all. His record denies that flatly.
Finally, there is nothing he can do regarding the failure of APC. He is undoubtedly its chieftain but not more. The President and members of his cabinet should carry their cross—and so should governors, each in his own domain. The Jagaba has acknowledged the successes of the President and has promised to build on his good works. Where necessary, he will change course, surely. I am Bola Ahmed Tinubu, he told the BBC. Come again. Is the alternative—the PDP—in a better position than the APC when it comes to failure of administration?
So put generally, the pros of the Tinubu Presidency would by far outweigh its cons. Yet, there is another pillar of the ticket we must mention before we conclude this piece—the backup.
In his choice of a running mate, the Jagaba has made a very strategic one. Choosing Kashim earns him not only a reliable and loyal VP, but also a credible one. His Excellency, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, the former Governor of Borno State and a present senator, is not only highly competent but also carries a political aura that can shelter the entire North, coming from the prestigious Kanuri tribe and with the personal humility to listen, respect, engage and accommodate all. He is among our best.
The Jagaba did not look for a lackluster yes man of no firm roots. He went for a talent that is both loyal and strong enough to support the President, humble enough to follow him and honest enough to caution him. That is my friend and master, Kashim. With the Jagaba as the President and him as the VP, I can find no safer shelter among the 2023 presidential camps.
These are my reasons for answering the call to support the Tinubu/Shettima ticket. And I call on every dispassionate mind to do so for the sake of unity and progress of our country. I am not only promising this cause my vote and that of my family, but I will work hard to earn it many more, as much as my talent, body and resources can afford me in the next two months. Come with me.
May God be with us and guide us to what is best for our dear country as we vote for the next President on 25 February 2023.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reviewed its cash withdrawal limit policy and is now N500,000 weekly for individual and N5 million for corporate organization.
The Apex Bank attributed its decision to review the cash withdrawal limits to “feedback from stakeholders.”
A circular issued today, December 21, by the Director of Banking Supervision, Haruna Mustafa said: “the CBN has consequently makes the following reviews:
The maximum cash weekly limit for cash withdrawal across all channels by individuals is now N500, 000 while corporate is N5million.”
It said that in a situation where cash withdrawal above N500,000 for individuals and N5million for corporate is required for legitimate purposes, such requests shall be subject to a processing fee of 3% and 5% for individuals and corporate organisations respectively.
The CBN had on December 6, announced that cash withdrawal limits would be N20,000 daily and N100,000 weekly for individuals and N500,000 for corporate organisations.
The new policy generated outcries across the country, as Nigerians called for the review of the policy.
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The Government of Nyeson Wike of Rivers State, has shut the campaign office of Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to which (Wike) belongs.
The Chief Executive officer of Max Air, Alhaji Bashir Mangal, is dead. He died in the early hours of today, December 23 in Abuja after a brief illness.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has reviewed its cash withdrawal limit policy and is now N500,000 weekly for individual and N5 million for corporate organization.
2023: Why I Will Vote For Tinubu, By Dr. Aliyu U. Tilde
On 25 February 2023, I will pick this voter’s card, walk to the polling centre and cast my vote for His Excellency, Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the Jagaban Borgu. This is a firm commitment given after a history of association, honour, demographic reality, constitutional requirement, weighing pros and cons as well as the personalities of the candidate and his running mate.