File photo: Wole Soyinka | PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP/Getty Images)
Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, has said that he does not care if Nigeria’s next president, vice-president, Senate President and speaker of the House of Representatives are all from the same village and religion.
Soyinka, who spoke on Channels Television’s NewsNight, a pre-recorded interview, aired, said: “I don’t give a damn if the president, the vice-President, the speaker, etc. all come from the same village, they have the same religion, they belong to the same tribe.”
Soyinka was commenting on the controversy that has trailed the Muslim-Muslim All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket.
Professor Soyinka said there is no problem “if, however, it is transparently, absolutely, unarguable that is a kind of genius breed that has been donated to the nation and to the world. “As long as the capability of the individuals who are into governance is proven, and it is quite clear that there is no alternative, that is my position.”
The 88-year-old playwright stressed that the same faith ticket won’t be a problem in a “normal society” and that Nigeria hasn’t attained such a “norm.”
“Now, we are talking about a society which is normal, which institutions are normal…Is Nigeria normal?” he asked.
According to him, the campaigners for a same-faith ticket should be “very sensitive to the very peculiar circumstances of Nigeria” and explore alternatives that have been working for the country.
Soyinka’s comments came months after APC presidential candidate and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, had announced ex-governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, as his running mate. Tinubu and Shettima are Muslims, a development that has continued to attract criticisms from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN); the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria; Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Kukah amongst others.
“For the benefit of the ones who have forgotten, the Guardian newspaper has in the past, been worshipped as the flagship of the nation’s press; the one that had won every “Newspaper of the Year” awards. Now, they have sadly fallen from the height it once occupied as a medium that sparked intellectual thought and discourse for a fiddler of poorly scripted invective and ad hominem.”
The Nigeria’s Presidency, which presented this position today, August 23, emphasized that the Guardian newspaper, has since taken up the role of regular antagonist and political opponent of the President and his party, APC.”
Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, who authored the statement, said that the Guardian newspaper has now “surpassed itself with its latest call for the impeachment of the President.
“The newspaper editors clearly do not like the way the President is running the country and therefore they believe he should be impeached. “They debase both the political discourse of our nation and public understanding of the law and constitution by doing so.”
Garba Shehu educated the Guardian newspaper by saying that impeachment is a process undertaken after high crimes and misdemeanours have been proven and that it is “not a process undertaken against a leader whose politics you do not agree with, or who you personally dislike.”
He wondered that impeachment has become a newly added partisan weapon in the arsenal being wielded by those who have established a track record of hatred towards the President and an attempt to remove from office, one who is democratically elected by the people.
“In a recent editorial published in the Washington Times, the American political leader and commentator Saul Anuzis stated: “There are exceptional circumstances when presidents and other office holders deserved to be impeached… slam-dunk cases of malfeasance in the highest office.”
“Referencing attempts to call an impeachment vote in the Nigerian Senate a “headline-grabbing stunt,” Anuzis observed “It is no coincidence this occurs just months before Nigeria’s next presidential election.”
“The fact is, it should be for presidents to govern and for opposition politicians and the media to hold them to account. “The circumstances of his election in 2015 – the first time a sitting president had been defeated in a re-election attempt and the first time any party save the PDP had won the presidency – was a vast shock to Nigeria’s political and sections of the media establishments. As far as they were concerned, it was not how things were meant to be.
“So, from day one, they set about attacking this president more than any other in Nigeria’s history. “The fact they could not defeat him at the ballot box when he was re-elected in 2019 – and now with his APC party very likely to retain the presidency despite all their best efforts – they now turn to all and any means, no matter the political, legal, or constitutional consequences to bring him down.
“The Guardian newspaper may never be friend or ally of President Buhari, but they should know better than to support this “headline-grabbing stunt.”
The Directorate of Personnel Management of the Kogi State High Court is set to shed-off what the State High Court’s Council of Judges’ subcommittee described as illegally employed workers as a way of repositioning the judiciary.
Acting Chief Judge of the State, Justice Josiah Joe Majebi confirmed that the committee’s recommendations would be implemented without delay.
Receiving the report, the Acting Chief Judge referred to part of the report which indicates that names of some persons on the payroll of the High Court were not found on the court’s nominal roll (register). The committee stated that the numbers of employed staff within the period of January 2021 to June 2022, falls within the period of its terms of reference.
“After a careful check of the names of newly employed staff from January 2021 to June 2022, the staff disposition list and payroll, it was discovered that some of the names on the payroll could not be found on the staff disposition list of the courts and other departments.
“Therefore, it is an indication that though their names are on the payroll but they do not have duty stations and do not work anywhere in the Inspectorate offices.”
The committee, which has Justice Muhammed Etsu Umar as its Chairman, while submitting its report, recommended that immediate and urgent action be taken to correct the anomaly of having some staff in the payroll without duty stations.
“It is our recommendation that it is an abnormality for a staff to be on payroll without duty station. Such situation should be immediately corrected by termination of employment of such persons affected.”
It also went further to recommend that “henceforth, employment (by the institution) should be highly regulated to the needs of the judiciary establishment and based on budgetary provisions and availability of vacancies.”
The four-man committee, which also comprised a Deputy Director in the Directorate, Mr. Paul B. Egwu, as member, also has the Acting DPM/DCR of the High Court, Ezema A. Beatrice Esq., as its Secretary.
According to the Chairman of the committee, Hon. Justice Umar, who had earlier appreciated the Chief Judge for deploying his experience in carving out a vision that will strengthen and restore the integrity of the judiciary, he said as supervisors of the Directorate of Personnel Management, the committee ensured that they aligned with the CJ’s vision and in doing that a lot of things were unraveled.
He said since their focus was from January 2021 to June 2022, they relied upon the report of the Committee on Staff Verification of the High Court of Justice submitted in December, 2020, to appraise the entire workforce of the High Court shortly after the unfortunate demise of the late Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Nasiru Ajanah, which “changed everything in the system”.
He said subsequent administrations, not minding the finances of the judiciary, threw the organization into what led to agitations for implementation of promotions and minimum wage by judiciary workers.
He said the committee realized that the agitations were not unconnected with the “astronomical rise.
“If doing the right thing has any negative effect on some individuals, such action cannot be faulted so long as the decision and action is beneficial to the system and it is sustainable for both the staff of the organization and the overall administration of justice itself.
“We looked at the objectives of the committee which was to meet and achieve a better standard for all employee’s services under the High Court of Justice. To determine the number of newly employed staff from January 2021 to June 2022 and to examine the list of staff from January 2021 to June 2022 on the staff disposition list of the nine Inspectorate Zones of Kogi State vis-à-vis those on the pay roll.
“We discovered that we have about 40% increase of seven hundred and six (706) staff within the period under review. With the discovery of this astronomical rise in our number of staff within this period, we decided to examine the rise by juxtaposing it with the finances and infrastructure of the judiciary, with a view to its sustainability and there were names found on the payroll but not found in the staff register.
“This contains thirteen names, which when added to the 255 gives us 268 non-existing staff on the payroll but are not traceable to any duty station.”
While appreciating the committee members for a job well done, the Chief Judge, Justice Majebi said the committee’s assignment continues as it was a permanent committee which would be functional throughout his tenure in office as the Chief Judge of the State.
Commending the State’s Judges on their new supervisory roles over Directorates of the High Court, Justice Majebi noted that the High Court of Justice of Kogi State was defined in the past by the quality of her Judges who are blessed with wisdom, knowledge, competence, calmness and discipline.
A sociocultural group, De Noble Club10, Nigeria, has rallied traditional rulers, women and youth groups as well as other Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) for a one-day stakeholders interactive session on how to maintain and promote peace and unity in the community and Nigeria at large. A statement today, August 22 by the chairman of the Planing Committee of the interactive session, Engr. Shuaibu Salami said that the specific item on the table would be the sensitisation of the Ebira people on the forthcoming population census in the country. Engr. Salami said that the interactive session, scheduled for August 27 at Afims Hotels Ltd. Oro, Okene at 10:00am “is expected to attract traditional rulers, including a high-powered delegation from the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, district and ward heads, such heads of other groups as Ebira Peoples Association (EPA), Front for Ebira Solidarity (FES), Ebira Youth Congress (EYC) and others, including community leaders. “The interactive session will discuss the upcoming head count, 2023 general elections and maintenance of peace for harmonious existence.” The planing committee chairman hinted that a resource person has been invited to speak on the issues. Engr. Shuaibu Salami called on all patriotic Ani-Ebira to avail themselves of this rare opportunity to be sensitised for better and rewarding outings.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) has advised Nigerians not reach conclusions on the methods being adopted for elections on the basis of media headlines. INEC accused some media of having misinterpreted the recent short interview granted to a national newspaper on the procedure for result management during elections. In a statement today, August 21, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of the Commission, Festus Okoye, said that the interpretation given to the contents of the press interview on result management procedure to the effect that the Commission has jettisoned the electronic transmission of result and reverted to the manual process is not correct. “For clarity, the procedure for result transmission remains the same as in recent Governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States. There will be no change in all future elections, including the 2023 General Election. “We wish to reassure Nigerians that the electronic transmission of result has come to stay. It adds to the credibility and transparency of the process when citizens follow polling unit level results on the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal on real-time on Election Day. There will be no change or deviation in subsequent elections. “The entire gamut of result management is provided for in Sections 60, 62 and 64 of the Electoral Act 2022. In line with the provision of the law, the Commission, in April this year, released a detailed clarification of the procedure for transmission, collation and declaration of result which was shared with all stakeholders and uploaded to our website. “We appeal to all Nigerians to avail themselves of the provisions of the Electoral Act and the Commission’s detailed explanation of the procedure.”
FCT MInister, Muhammed Musa Bello and some officials
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has distributed assorted presidential grains worth over N100 million to the people of Adamawa State as part of the Federal Government’s efforts to provide food stuffs to Nigerians pending the commencement of the harvest season in earnest.
The food items are 3,600 bags of maize, 1,850 bags of sorghum, 1,200 bags of millet and 1,200 bags of garri.
Malam Bello said that since Nigeria is currently in the middle of the raining season when the people are in the farms and the new crops have not started getting into the markets, President Muhammadu Buhari asked that grains should be obtained from the strategic grains reserve of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be delivered to our people.
Handing over the grains to Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako and other political and community leaders in the State, Malam Musa Bello advised them to to ensure that the grains are distributed to the vulnerable and indigent members of the communities in the State.
This was Senator Abdul-Aziz Nyako expressed appreciation to President Buhari for the timely gesture.
The Senator pledged to ensure the equitable distribution of the food items to the vulnerable and needy.
Also, the Deputy Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in State, Samaila Tadawus said that the party will also ensure transparent distribution of the grains.
Photo credit: Premium Times Photo credit: Premium Times
Medical doctors in Nigerian under the auspices of Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) are back from a short break as they gave a two-week ultimatum to embark of strike if their demands are not met by both the Federal and State Governments.
President of the association, Dr. Godiya Ishaya, at a media briefing shortly after the end of the Extraordinary National Executive Council (E-NEC) meeting today, August 21 in Ilorin, Kwara State, said that the Association resolved at the meeting to give the week ultimatum after observing the federal government’s efforts as a show of goodwill from the association.
“This we believe will give the Federal Government adequate time to substantiate their efforts with results which will avert industrial harmony.”
The NARD president called on the federal government to urgently implement and commence payment of the 2022 Medical Residency Training Fund (MRTF) in full to members using the old template, while the shortfalls, using the reviewed template, be computed and incorporated into the 2023 budget and paid in arrears.
He said that the association would continue to work closely with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) towards the implementation and payment of the new hazard allowance to all affected healthcare workers by the government.
Ishaya lamented the slow pace encountered in the payment of the 2020 MRTF to members who were omitted while decrying the worsening spate of brain drain in the healthcare system, leading to a perpetual shortage of manpower with attendant burnout.
“The deplorable situation has led to the shutdown of the Federal Medical Centre, Owo.”
He said that the association is also concerned about the conditions of members in various stages of government-owned hospitals, including Abia, Ekiti, Imo and Ondo, which he said have remained unchanged, where members are owed salary arrears spanning months.
Ishaya, however, commended the efforts made by the Federal Ministry of Health (FMOH), Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, as well as National Salaries Income and Wages Commission towards the upward review of the MRTF.
He appealed to the government not to delay the full implementation and payment of the newly upgraded Hazard Allowance since its circularisation by the federal government on December 22, 2021.
Ishaya added that the ultimatum would be duly communicated to the government to ensure resolutions were reached and further escalations averted.
The meeting, which was hosted by the Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), had in attendance 79 chapters of the association from both state and federal tertiary health institutions across Nigeria.
The Zambian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga, has begged the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote to assist in developing that country’s agricultural sector. Chipoka Mulenga, who led a delegation from Zambia on tour of the 3.00 million metric tonnes Dangote Fertiliser plant at the weekend, called for collaboration between Dangote Group and the Zambian government in the establishment of fertiliser plant in the southern African country. Mulenga expressed belief that any investment in fertiliser production will not only help the country to be self-sufficient in food production, it will also help grow the Zambian economy as well as that of the neigbouring countries.
According him, the Zambian government has created an enabling environment for local and foreign investment through great incentives to attract investment in all sectors of the economy. “The Zambian government in the last budget made some pronouncements which focus on value addition, industrialisation, skill enhancement and development. We have a huge youthful population who are ready to work if given the opportunity to be productive,” he said. He described Zambia as Africa’s new investment destination because of its stable political system, stable macroeconomic environment and investment protection guarantees.
He said that Zambia is strong in agriculture and even seeking to become stronger through having its own Fertiliser plant. “Rather than continue to import Fertiliser from anywhere, we want Aliko Dangote to come and establish plant in Zambia.
The country’s fertiliser consumption has increased tremendously in the last few years and has continued to increase.
“I am happy that we no longer have to go outside of Africa to seek investors. Dangote has been able to change the narratives through his investment in cement production across Africa.
“We now have Africans investing in the Africa continent. Dangote has already established the biggest cement plant in Zambia. Dangote Cement Zambia has a remarkable portfolio and is bringing positive change to the cement industry, not only in Zambia, but also to other neigbouring countries.”
Mulenga commended the President/CEO of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote for investing massively in fertiliser production in Nigeria.
”This could only happen because the company put the right people, right leadership, right technical skills and the right management in place to have such a remarkable result.
This Fertiliser Plant is not only serving the needs of Nigeria, but also attracting foreign exchange into the continent.
“This is a good demonstration that we can have this kind of investment in any part of Africa, which can grow and be beneficial to other countries.”
He called on Nigerians to guard Dangote investments and other local investments in Nigeria. “Let all Nigerians support this investment to grow from strength to strength. This is amazing and we will like to have a similar investment in Zambia.”
Speaking at the end of the tour, Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Fertiliser Limited, Vishwajit Sinha said that demand for Urea fertiliser in the Nigerian market and beyond remains robust and is expected to continue to grow.
He said the $2.5 billion fertiliser complex would make Nigeria self-sufficient in fertiliser production with excess capacity exported to other African countries and the rest of the world. “The key focus of Dangote Fertiliser has always been to cater to the growing fertiliser demand of the domestic market in Nigeria and also to work towards bringing a green revolution in the country so as to contribute towards food security for Nigeria.
“The surplus production after supplying the domestic market is exported,” he added. Sinha stated that Dangote Fertiliser is positioned to take advantage of the Federal Government’s policy, which focuses on agriculture as one of the keys to unlock the diversification of the Nigerian economy.
“As population is increasing, food consumption is changing. Many countries’ economic progress is linked to agricultural development, which is the best form of inclusive development.
“For all the countries that I have been to, I can see the potential of agriculture in the entire value chain from the farm to the kitchen in Nigeria. Dangote Fertiliser has the potential to transform the entire African region.
“Definitely it will have a huge value on the country.”
Sinha described Dangote Fertiliser plant as a company which will not only increase food-sufficiency in Nigeria, but also drastically reduce the level of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country through the generation of direct and indirect employment.
The Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Muhammad Nami has expressed confidence that the Service will perform better this year than last year, 2021 when it raked in N6 trillion in tax collection. He said that with several strategic measures that have been put in place, the Service was able to record an unprecedented collection of over N6 trillion in 2021, “and has set its sight on higher performance this year.” Nami, who handed over Tax Credit Certificate to the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) for the construction of the Bonny – Bodo Road in Rivers State, is confidence that the Service can achieve its targets with the contribution of taxpayers like the NLNG. He listed such strategic measures to include energising FIRS consultations and regular engagements with stakeholders. “We are building a customer centric and data centric organisation while also restructuring the administrative framework and processes of the Service; we are driving towards full automation of core tax operations. “You may recall that the FIRS started with the development and deployment of an in-house digital solution – The Taxpromax Solution. This solution allows taxpayers to sit in the comfort of their offices or homes to file returns, pay taxes and conduct all forms of tax processes with us. “At the heart of our customer-centric reforms is the setting up of a multi-lingual Call Centre for enquiries and report from taxpayers. “I wish to assure you that the Service is ever ready to attend to any issue that will enable you and taxpayers like you to comply with statutory tax obligations.” Receiving the certificate, the Company’s Deputy Managing Director, Olalekan Ogunleye, who represented the CEO NLNG, Philip Mshelbila said that the company is a major contributor to the country’s economic development and is working towards building a better Nigeria. He acknowledged FIRS as being at the forefront of economic resuscitation and progress the country, adding: “I also want to put on record our appreciation for the expedited issuance of the tax credit certificate. “As you know, this tax credit is in relation to the Bonny-Bodo road which is itself a landmark project and a pilot scheme in this initiative. “This would be the first time the Island of Bonny will be linked by road to the rest of the country. And this is very significant to the development and advancement of the country because it will open new opportunities for economic activity.” The Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, also referred to as the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, is a public-private partnership scheme signed by President Muhammadu Buhari under Executive Order 007 in January 2019. It will enable the Federal Government to leverage private sector capital and efficiency for construction, refurbishment and maintenance of critical road infrastructure in the country. Under the Scheme, participants are entitled to tax credits against their future Companies Income Tax to the tune of the project cost incurred in the construction or refurbishment of eligible roads. So far, NNPC, MTN, Transcorp Group, Access Bank, GZI industries, among others are some of the entities participating in the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme of Executive Order 007.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has vowed to fight to finish anyone working with the enemies of the State, emphasizing: “I will fight to “finish” anyone who pitches his tent with “enemies of the state.”
Governor Wike, who spoke today, August 20, at the flagging off ceremony of the construction of internal roads in Omagwa, Ikwerre Local Government Area of the State, remarked: “if anybody fights our system we will fight the person back.
“Let me tell you what you don’t understand in politics. The moment you claim to be working with us and tomorrow you shift to our enemy, we will take every might we have, we will even leave our enemy and finish you first.
“So all of you who are going back to Abuja to hold meetings with our enemies in the state, I’m going to finish you to the last.
“We removed a National Party Chairman who was not doing well. All of them were here, we all agreed, now they are going to Abuja to hold meetings with the man we removed, thinking that you will use that to fight us, we will crush them.”
And, in a swift response, the former PDP Chairman, Secondus rebuked Governor Wike over his warning against his support for Atiku Abubakar.
A terse statement by the ex-chairman’s media office reminded the governor that he would not be in power till eternity.
Secondus condemned Wike’s “disdainful threat that he will crush anybody who works with him in support of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
“Wike, you cannot crush anybody. I cannot fight or join issues with you. Only God can crush.”.
Quoting Nnamdi Azikiwe’s advisory, Secondus added: “No condition is permanent and nobody can become Governor of a state or President of this country forever.”
Secondus, a strong ally of the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, was ousted as chairman of the Party in 2021, through a strong opposition led by Wike
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The Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) has advised Nigerians not reach conclusions on the methods being adopted for elections on the basis of media headlines.
