The management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has made it compulsory for intending railway passengers to possess National Identity Number (NIN) as part of the requirement for the rail journey, beginning May.
The Managing Director of the Corporation, Fidet Okhiria, said today, April 14 in Abuja that the NIN would be needed to enhance the profiling of passengers, adding that it would enhance the safety and security of rail users.
“The process of linking passengers to their NIN for improved profiling is on-going. This layer of passenger screening will commence by May. The Abuja-Kaduna Train Service (AKTS), will resume as soon as possible with additional security measures put in place.”
Okhiria said the security agencies are working tirelessly to ensure the rescue and release of all abducted passengers, saying that 362 passengers and 20 crew members were on board the train when it was attacked.
“While we continue to sympathise with families of those who lost or have not seen their loved ones, we encourage anyone still looking for a loved one to please call us. The numbers to call are: 08033546208, 08060044600 and 07066700150.
“The corporation will continue to update the general public of the latest developments.”
Okhiria said that the NRC had re-railed the last rolling stock affected in the attack.
“This means that all the 14 de-railed rolling stock (11 coaches, two rescue coaches and one Locomotive engine on the Rescue Train) have all been re-railed from the incident site to our stations at Idu, Abuja and Rigasa, Kaduna.
“Intensive track repair work continues at site. An advanced level of track repairs has been achieved and hopefully it will be rounded off in 10 days.
“The NRC expresses its profound gratitude to security agencies for the continued support, especially for the security cover provided to our officials and staff at the incident site”, he said.
The NRC suspended the Abuja-Kaduna route recently following a March 28 attack by terrorist, resulting in the death of some, injury to others and kidnapping of some.
The House of Representatives has approved four trillion naira for subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly known as petrol.
Approving the review today, April 14 before proceeding on break for the Easter, the House also okayed the reduction in daily crude oil production quota from 1.8 million barrel per day to 1.6 million barrel per day, and crude oil benchmark of $73 per barrel.
The House also approved a cut in the provision for upstream projects being implemented by the federal government by about N200 billion from the initial N352.80 billion.
President Muhammadu Buhari, had in a letter to Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, sought a review of the 2022 fiscal framework in order to accommodate the subsidy payment.
In forwarding the request for the revision of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), the president requested the lawmakers to approve an additional N3.557 trillion in addition to the N442.72 billion provided in the 2022 budget for subsidy.
The House is expected back in session on April 26, 2022.
A joker in poker is a wild card. It can be flipped; it can substitute and be substituted. And it can just be that jester. Nigeria’s political caravan is saturated with jokers. While some jokers are well aware of their status as factotums of other interests in the political circus, some are just aboriginal jesters taken up in their own vanity and delusion of importance. There are presidential hopefuls and there are presidential jokers.
Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra state and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is a presidential joker. I believe Obi knows that he cannot succeed in his presidential expedition under the current political arrangement. The entrenched system which abominates merit is not of his making, but it is an obvious encumbrance to him emerging as the presidential candidate of the PDP. Peter Obi is no match for any of the APC presidential hopefuls — Bola Tinubu, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, and Rotimi Amaechi. This is an uncomfortable but evident fact.
As I wrote in a previous column, if it were a sectional contest where only Igbo votes will decide the winner, perhaps, the former Anambra governor will have a chance. But this is a national election where every Nigerian – north, south, east, west – will decide the outcome. Obi does not have the requisite community network and he remains suspended on the fringes of political relevance. He does not matter to those who really matter in elections – the hoi-polloi. But I give it to him, he is a favourite of some Nigerians from the south on Twitter. But there are no polling stations on Twitter.
It has been speculated that Obi is using the presidential quest as a gambit to negotiate for a vice-presidential position in the PDP – because he may not get another chance like in 2019 when he was the running mate of Atiku Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, in the election. According to whispers from party insiders, a running mate from the south-south or south-west may be selected, if the presidential ticket goes to a northern candidate. This is on the assumption that a popular running mate from the south-west can bite into the bloc vote of the APC in the region.
Ayodele Fayose, former governor of Ekiti state, is another presidential joker. The good thing is, the ‘’Amala and Ponmo’’ exponent, admits he is a joker. Fayose does not try to be suave or rational about his status as a hoaxer; he is honest about his ‘’presidential’’ pursuit. He is a political scullion. Fayose knows he is not popular and that he lacks the needed network for presidential nomination and election. He knows it will even take him an effort to win a senatorial election in Ekiti.
But who is the former governor fronting for? It is alleged that Fayose may be jesting at the behest of the ‘’grand patron’’ of the PDP – a certain governor from the south-south. Real contenders in internal party contests often flash jokers to boost their negotiating and electoral chances. The jokers act in the interest of the pied piper while maintaining a façade.
However, Dino Melaye, former senator and the liveried footman of Atiku and Bukola Saraki, accused Fayose of acting in the interest of another godfather in the APC. So, the former governor may not only be a joker but also a spoiler.
“It is clear from the verbal missiles deployed by Fayose that he was simply de-marketing frontline aspirants in PDP as a counterintuitive strategy to shore up the chances of his political godfather in APC,’’ Melaye said in response to Fayose’s ‘’demarketing’’ of Atiku and Saraki.
Dele Momodu is a presidential joker. Cerebral, cosmopolitan, expansive, yes, he is. In 2011, the CEO of Ovation group ran for presidential office on the ticket of the National Conscience Party (NCP). But he only secured 26,376 votes, coming a distant 11th on the election log. Momodu is vacant of grassroots appeal and appears sequestered from everyday Nigerians. He has a mélange of friends in the elite phylum, but not enough political network to swing the presidential pendulum his way. It has been speculated that he is fronting for Saraki.
Tunde Bakare is another presidential joker. He said God told him to run for president. Well, I believe the fiery preacher knows the celestials will not be voting in the elections – only Nigerians. Perhaps, he wants to take the baton from Chris Okotie, the debonair pastor known for running for president every election cycle without getting as much as 50,000 votes.
There are other persons in the band of presidential jokers. They include but not limited to Cosmo Ndukwe of the PDP, Anyim Pius Anyim of the PDP, Orji Kalu of the APC, Bala Mohammed of the PDP and David Umahi of the APC.
There are presidential hopefuls and there are presidential jokers. The jokers bring nothing but comic relief, and perhaps, excitement to the contest. And who does not fancy a good laugh?
The Oba of Benin, Ewuare II has described Governor Nyeson Wike of Rivers State, who visited him to seek for his blessings as he goes into the contest for the Presidency of Nigeria as “our son.”
He said: “Wike is our son. We love him and if I say so, I believe I am speaking on behalf of our ancestors.”
The Oba of Benin, who received Governor Wike in his Palace today, April 14, added: “we will keep praying for him so that he does not come across anybody that will mislead him, that will mis-inform him and may he and his family not come across harm.
The monarch acknowledged the competence and capacity of Governor Wike based on what he has done as governor of Rivers State and advised political leaders to promote and ensure sustenance of the African culture and traditions which he said, the colonial masters tried to erase after discovering that Benin Kingdom and others had a superior administration and civilization than them.
“We must continue to hold on to our traditions and customs because of its superiority over others”
Governor Wike promised that if elected as president, he would focus on checking insecurity with massive investment in intelligence gathering, stressing that it is only in a secured environment that economic activities, agriculture and investment in infrastructure can thrive.
“I was here one and a half years ago as the DG (Director General) of the campaign for the re-election of Governor Obaseki but I am here today not on behalf of anybody but of myself and my team to seek your prayers.
“I have come to Benin to talk to the delegates of our party that will be part of our national convention by May 28th and 29th. The way our country has fared, Nigeria needs somebody that will see white and say it is white and will see black and say that it is black. If the PDP gives me the ticket, I have enough experience to tackle Nigeria’s miriads of problems having been a local government chairman, Minister of State overseeing Education and now governor.
“The major issue confronting Nigeria today is insecurity and without security no other activity can function and what we need to tackle insecurity is intelligence gathering which is lacking, we are not going to sit down and give excuses but we will take action and spend resources to gather intelligence.”
Max Air passengers went wild today, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, destroying airport facilities over complains of flight delay. According to the protesting passengers, they were not informed about the delay until they began to register their grievances. Information has it that the passengers destroyed the airlines’ counters and other facilities of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN). The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika had directed airline operators in the country to refund the full cost of travel tickets to passengers after a two-hour delay. “On domestic flights, delay beyond one hour, a carrier should provide refreshment, and one telephone call, or one SMS, or one e-mail. They should send you an SMS or email or call you to say, ‘I am sorry, I am delaying for one hour. “Delay for two hours and beyond, the carrier shall reimburse passengers the full volume of their tickets. For delays between 10pm and 4am, the carrier shall provide hotel accommodation, refreshment, meal, two free calls, SMS, email, and transport to-and-fro airport.” Data released by NACA show that in the first quarter of this year, out of the 14,662 domestic flights operated in the country, 7,554 were delayed. Also, 562 flights were delayed out of the 1,871 international flights operated out of the country. Nine international and 149 domestic flights were cancelled. There are nine domestic airlines now operating scheduled flights in the country, while 19 airlines operate international flights in and out of Nigeria, according to the NCAA data.
The International Press Institute (IPI) Nigeria has said that it will open what it called “black book” for every individual whose action or inaction encourages or allows the harassment of journalists and the media in Nigeria.
President of IPI Nigeria, Alhaji Musikilu Mojeed, during a courtesy visit by the body to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed in Abuja, said that the move is informed by the worsening press freedom record under the current administration.
A statement by the IPI Nigeria’s Secretary, Alhaji Ahmed I. Shekarau quoted Mojeed as saying that the Nigerian National Committee of IPI had recently resolved to open a ‘black book’ to document every individual whose action or inaction encourages or allows the harassment of journalists and the media in Nigeria.
“The records so gathered will be regularly updated and shared periodically with embassies, and all relevant international and human rights groups across the world.
“We will use the records to ensure named individuals are held accountable one way or another.”
He said that there are many Nigerians who believe the media is freer and stronger in 2015 than it is now, a perception that tallies with at least two global rankings.
According to him, between 2013 and 2015, Nigeria improved on the annual World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders.
“Nigeria was ranked 115 out of the 180 countries surveyed in 2013, 112/180 in 2014 and 111/180 in 2015. But the reverse has been the case since 2016 when we were ranked 116/180.
“The situation worsened in the succeeding years. The country was ranked 122/180 in 2017, 119/180 in 2018, 120/180 in 2019, 115/180 in 2020 and 120/180 in 2021.
“In fact, the 2021 ranking described Nigeria as ‘one of West Africa’s most dangerous and difficult countries for journalists, who are often spied on, attacked, arbitrarily arrested or even killed’.”
He said that the country is not faring any better in the Freedom in the World Report, an annual report by Freedom House.
“We scored a cumulative 43/100 in the global freedom scores and was ranked a partly free country in the 2022 report, a performance worse than our 2021 showing when we scored 45/100.”
Responding, the minister insisted that Nigeria is one of the very few countries in the world where journalists continued to practice their profession without hindrance despite abuse of press freedom.
“I remember saying at the opening of the 2016 IPI World Congress in Qatar that the government of the day in Nigeria is not a threat to the media, and that it is not about to stifle press freedom or deny anyone his or her constitutionally-guaranteed rights.
“That statement remains true today as it was then. I even told the congress that the Nigerian media have no reason to fear the government, and that — if anything, it is the government that is at the mercy of the media. That, too, remains true today.”
He said that some persons misconstrued the government’s efforts to ensure a responsible use of social media as an attempt to tamper with press freedom or threaten independent journalism.
“We do not harbour such intentions, and that is why we invited stakeholders, including the NUJ and the Nigerian Guild of Editors, to sit down with us to fashion a way forward in this regard.”
He appealed to IPI Nigeria not to relent in its promise to take a holistic look at the issues of fake news, credibility and ethics, among others.
Other members of the IPI Nigeria in the delegation to the minister were the Treasurer of the body, Rafatu Salami; the Managing Director of Triumph newspapers, Lawal Sabo Ibrahim; the Head of Media and Public Relations of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Dr. Fabian Benjamin, and the Features Editor of Peoples Daily Newspaper, Ochiaka Ugwu.
As Ukraine reportedly attacked Russian territory today, April 13, the Russian military has threatened to strike Ukraine’s command centres in the capital Kyiv if the attacks continue in its territory.
The threat against Ukraine’s high command – including President Volodymyr Zelensky – came after Russian regional authorities claimed gunfire was heard today near a Russian village in a western region that borders Ukraine.
Daily Mail reported that the Russian defence ministry said in a statement: “We are seeing Ukrainian troops’ attempts to carry out sabotage and strike Russian territory.
”If such cases continue, the Russian armed forces will strike decision-making centres, including in Kyiv”.
The threat from Russia is also coming at a time when the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia travelled via train to Kyiv to meet Zelensky.
Recall that, Moscow, which sent thousands of troops into Ukraine on February 24 in what it calls a ‘special military operation’, has accused Ukraine of targeting its border regions.
Russia’s military action has continued to generate wider condemnation from across the world despite numerous sanctions slammed on its economy.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has disowned his supporter, Olugbenga Olaoye, who referred to the national leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a sick person.
Professor Osinbajo, who had just declared his intention to run for the Presidential election in 2023, the same way Asiwaju Tinubu had also declared, said: “I am not even aware of the so-called Osinbajo Think Tank he purports to represent.”
His spokesman, Laolu Akande, in his official twitter page, quoted the Vice President, saying that Olugbenga does not represent the office of the Vice President nor his campaign team and should be ignored.
The tweet reads: “Indeed this gentleman does not represent the VP nor the Office. His views are completely & totally his own. This particular opinion he has expressed on TV is deplorable and in bad taste.”
Olugbenga, who claimed to be a Co-Convener of ‘Osinbajo Think Thank’ while reacting to the presidential ambition of Tinubu during an interview with Arise TV said that Nigerians do not want another sick president who is constantly going on trips.
He said: “We cannot afford another sick President who will be travelling to London all the time as we currently have, we need someone who is mentally sound. The little time that Osinbajo spent leading FEC was different. Things were moving.”
The Presidency has roles out various new measures aimed at arresting the raging insecurity in the country which it accused unnamed saboteurs of promoting.
“What the sponsored saboteurs aim to show is
that the government cannot provide power sabotaging equipment at switches and other vital points. They will not succeed. The public knows who is who, and who has done what in our country’s governance.
“Massive gains being made will shortly be manifesting. Large number of arrests have equally been made.
“Nigerians are assured that the government will keep its promise to the nation and threats to security will be handled with the firmness they call for. And government will remain firm in securing the country’s unity and progress.”
A presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement today, April 13, said that the Presidency does not wish to be drawn into the high-decibel show in the media, taking the nation by the storm from the Northern Elders Forum.
“Publicity is the oxygen for politicians who have failed to connect with voters in a democracy.
“It is enough to say from our part, that resignation call on of the President is not a solution to the security problems facing the country, something that has built up to a worrisome level following decades of neglect.
“It is more important that citizens know what their government is doing to deal with this situation and for politicians to come to terms with the fact the it is beneficial to all that they help to preserve the state so that when it is their turn, they will have a place that they will manage.”
Garba Shehu said that people don’t have to destroy what is there in a desperate quest to get power, adding that in response to the recent spike in terrorist activity particularly in the Kaduna and Niger States axis, the defense establishment, in response to presidential directives, has realigned and reorganized the ongoing operation in the areas, as well as that going on in the Niger Delta region.
According to him, the new operations structures are being reinforced with land-based assets to increase the efficiency of the troops and intelligence is equally being reinforced.
“The air defense system is being reinforced with newly-acquired jets and drones which assemblage and training for operators has been hastened to meet the current exigencies.
“The country is equally getting assurances of early delivery of equipment on order from manufacturers and the effort is ongoing to conclude other major procurements still in process.
“Only this morning, the government at a meeting of the cabinet approved the procurement of the largest ever single procurement of military vehicles.
“At the same time, similar major operations are going in the South-East and the South-South where the economic life wire of the nation and electricity transmission lines are currently being secured from saboteurs.”
Former secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), Ban Ki-moon has said thatProfessor Ibrahim Gambari and Mrs. Amina Mohammed are two best Nigerians he had ever worked with in his life.
Gambari is currently Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, and one-time UN Undersecretary General while Amina Mohammed is the current Deputy Secretary General.
A Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, in a statement, said that the former UN secretary-general spoke in a phone call with President Buhari yesterday, April 11.
“He expressed appreciation for the support of two prominent citizens of Nigeria – Professor Ibrahim Gambari, President’s Chief of Staff and one-time UN Undersecretary General, and Mrs. Amina Mohammed, the current Deputy Secretary General – saying that they are among the best he had ever worked with.
“Ban Ki-Moon commended the President for his handling of security and related challenges facing the country.”
This was even as President Buhari also expressed appreciation to Ban Ki-Moon for his support towards the country’s progress.
“President Muhammadu Buhari told the former United Nations Secretary General that Nigeria is in full appreciation for his commitment towards the progress and socio-economic development of Nigeria the country.
“President Buhari reiterated his long-standing respect and admiration for the two-time UN Scribe and thanked him for initiating the call.”
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