Prepare To Face Your Waterloo, Buhari Tells Bandits, Boko Haram

April 24, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked bandits and Boko Haram insurgents in the country to prepare to meet the same fate they have been inflicting on innocent ones soon.

“Those that think that profits can be made, either from money paid as ransom or in politics, will realise sooner than later that they are bound by the same fate as their victims.

“Banditry, kidnapping and the politics of murders will be fought with all the resources available to our country.”

President Buhari in a statement condemning the killing of three of the students kidnapped at Greenfield University, Kaduna State, lamented the recurring incidents of kidnappings and killings in Kaduna State in particular, which he described as “barbaric terror.”

The President condemned the unfortunate tenor of some political and religious leaders that seem to further incite and stoke the pain and anguish of mourning families who are forced to confront these atrocities.

“Addressing this scourge, requires a great show of empathy and coming together as a society to squarely confront these elements and the danger it poses to our democracy and peaceful life in the country.”

The President described the killed students as bright youngsters who were cut down by evil people in their prime.

“My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls rest in peace.”

Security Operatives Kill IPOB Commander, 6 Others In Imo

April 24, 2021

Security operatives, comprising police, army and officers of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) have killed the Southeast commander of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), popularly known as Ikonso, and six other armed fighters of the insurgent group.

The killing of the commander was done in the early hours of today, April 24, in a joint operation. The security operatives had stormed the operational headquarters of Insurgents IPOB Militias in Awomama Village Oru East LGA of Imo State.

Reliable security source said that the Insurgents are responsible for the attack on the Imo State Police Headquarters and the headquarters of the Nigerian Correctional Service on 5th April, 2021. They were also said to have carried out series of calculated, violent attacks on security personnel and formations in the south east and south south of the country.

“In a bold and clinical response, the joint security forces fought back gallantly. The Forces eventually neutralized the overall commander of the insurgents in the Southeast popularly known as Ikonso Commander and six other armed fighters of the insurgent group.

“Commander Ikonso is known as the Vice President designate as well as the coordinator of all the militia operations of the group. He was the mastermind and coordinator of the attack on the Imo Police Headquarters and several other attacks on security and military personnel and facilities.

“The operation is part of deliberate effort by the Police and other security forces to quel the activities of insurgents in Imo State and other States of the South East and South South region of the country,” the source said.

It was learnt that after the fierce gun battle, the security team recovered the remains of Ikonso Commander and the six of his fighters.

“Several sophisticated weapons, including six AK47 rifles, hundreds of ammunition of different caliber and lots of charms, including bullet Proof charms were recovered from the insurgents.

Meanwhile, three policemen and one army officer are currently receiving treatment from sustained serious bullet injuries during exchange of gunfire with the insurgents.

Stop Agitation For Separation, Imo Gov, Uzodinma Warns IPOB, Others

Editorial staff

April 23, 2021

The Governor of Imo state, Senator Hope Uzodinma has called on the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and others to drop the idea of having separate countries different from Nigeria.

He told newsmen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, April 24 that he doesn’t support cessation in any form, but disposed to a more united indivisible Nigeria no matter the current circumstances prevailing against the nation.

Governor Uzodinma noted that Nigeria’s strength lies in it’s diversity, especially as the country continues to play a leading role on the continent.

The Imo State Governor, who was reacting to agitations for the division of Nigeria, said that despite the odds, due divisions, saying: “I don’t think that I will support any call for cessation, I want a united, strong Nigeria. Our strength is in our diversity and today, we are supposed to play a leading role in this continent.

“We don’t want to whittle down our strength. Rather, what I advise is that we must appreciate the gift of nature, in our land and support the government.”

The Governor said that the citizens should be more concerned with the issues of job creations and infrastructure development among others, rather than dwelling on inane issues.

“Let me tell you something, this country is blessed by God. From 2015 till today, I thought what the problem would be is people saying that there’s no job creation, people are not feeding, salaries are not paid, infrastructure are going down, social interventions are not approved by government.

“Now, people are no longer talking about that, rather what they are doing is to sponsor crisis, to the extent that those funding this banditry are politicians, which I challenge and call on security agencies to make their names available to the press because what they want to do is to distract a government that is focused.

“If this government is not doing well, I’ll be one of those that has declare the government as not doing well, but a situation where you’ll live the formal way, ethical way of doing politics, and you are now sponsoring banditry to bring down a government, for Christ’s sake, we should rise up and condemn it, all of us.”

Governor Uzodinma called on the opposition to partner the administration to facilitate development programmes for the people, adding that only ‘an enabling environment’ could make those things realistic.

“For those things to function, we need an enabling environment. That is why the enemies, not deterred by the progress the government is making, are now out to scuttle good governance.

“Opposition and politics are about the people. Democracy is government of the people, by the people and for the paper. Why are people hiring people to kill the people? There is no responsible government that will not want those who voted him or her to power to be happy and this government I have seen is a responsible government.

“However, I think we are rising to the occasion. I can tell you that sooner than later, today will become a thing of the past and Nigeria will move forward.”

Bishop Onaiyeka Gives Food For Muslims To Break Fast In Abuja

Editorial staff

April 23, 2021

The former President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, has given food for some Muslims to break their fast after observing Thursday’s Ramadan fasting.

The clergyman, who displayed the gesture at the Al-Habibiyah Mosque in Guzape, Abuja where over 2,000 Muslims gathered to break their fast, said: “we are doing our best to spread an attitude of openness because we believe that God does not want his children to kill each other. He wants us to live in peace. So anything we can do to promote peace, we must do.”

The Chief Imam of Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society, Fuad Adeyemi, commended the Bishop, who he said is not an underground clergy.

“It shows that we can really live together, that we can be friends, and that we can live in peace.”

Present at the event is the Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong and Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Mohammed Buba Marwa.

“Here today we have many Muslims and Christians breaking fast together, we must encourage this kind of religious harmony,” Lalong said.

“Our prayer is that God will use this union to answer our prayer so that there will be peace in Nigeria and all over the world.”

Nigeria Needs N1.89 Trillion To Battle Malaria – Health Minister

Editorial staff

April 23, 2021

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, says Nigeria needs N1.89trillion to effectively combat malaria in the country.
Speaking at a news briefing in Abuja today, April 23, the minister said that out of the total sum, the country requires more than N350 billion to fight the disease in 2021 alone.

“The implementation of the new strategic plan will cost N1.89 trillion; about N352 billion is required for the year 2021 programme implementation.”

The minister, who spoke ahead of the World Malaria Day, scheduled to hold on April 25, acknowledged that the Federal Government does not have the adequate amount required to fight the disease this year.

Dr. Ehanire attributed this to the prevailing economic circumstances occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic, just as in other countries.

The minister said that the government is working to establish a Malaria Council that would help to drive domestic funding for the elimination of the disease.

Buhari To Bandits: Don’t Think We Can’t Crush You

Editorial staff

April 22, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has advised Bandits and other criminals making life intolerable for innocent citizens in the country not to push their luck too far, thinking that government lacks capacity to crush them.

The President, who was reacting to the latest killing of innocent people by bandits in Zamfara State, in a statement today, April 22 by his spokesman, Garba Shehu, said: “these criminals should stop pushing their luck too far by believing that the government lacks the capacity to crush them.”

He made it clear to the criminals that such wanton disregard for human life will be brought to an end sooner than later, even as he said that such insane and persistent violence against innocent people must stop.

He directed the military, security and intelligence agencies to take immediate steps to close all existing gaps in their operations being exploited by criminals to wreak havoc, and expressed hope the Special Operation launched by the military at 3:00am this morning (Thursday) from Maru Local Government area will prove decisive in ridding the state of the “frequent and horrifying “bandit activities.

“The violence against poor villagers who are struggling with poverty and other severe economic challenges is not going to be tolerated by this administration.”

President Buhari called on the security forces to redouble their efforts in bringing an end to this mindless violence against innocent people.

“Let’s not give these criminals any opportunity to succeed by taking the war to their own camps and stop them in their tracks before they even have the time to respond under our massive fire power.”

He reassured the people of Zamfara State that, despite the latest set back in our efforts to protect our citizens, there will be no compromise in our determination to defeat these enemies of humanity.

Christian Association Boss Warns Against Linking Gov Yakowa’s Death To Pantami

Editorial staff

April 22, 2021

Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, has warned against people linking the death in plane crash, of the former Governor of Kaduna State, Patrick Yakowa.
The CAN boss, who was Special Adviser on Religious Affairs to the late Governor, in a statement today, April 22, said that the church and Yakowa’s family consider the allegation very serious with a possible adverse impact on peace and national security.

“Consequently, we express strong reservations and concerns about statements like the ones associated in the past by Pantami as circulated in audios and videos released on social media.
“Society’s discomforts and disagreements should, however, not be enough reasons for us to approve the circulation of phony and injurious statements against any perceived foe.

“However, we consider that the “communique could be doctored. We are aware that in this age of technological advancements, we have to take any allegations with a pinch of salt until we are confident of the authenticity of the source.

“Sensitive documents like the ones purported to be from the JNI meeting in Bauchi should be subjected to thorough security investigation and trials, not tools for social media warfare. The danger of making this a media issue, instead of a legal and security issue that it ought to be, is that we stand to lose the most important point; that of bringing to justice persons accused to have wronged the law.
“Accordingly, there is a need for circumspection and care so that we do not throw our communities into further chaos in the rush to hang one man. At a time of strained relationships between neighbours, what we need are mediatory interventions and peacebuilding, rather than adding fuel to the raging fire.
“To be sure, when Sir, Yakowa died in an air crash there was no inquiry to determine the cause of his death, aside from the immediate and likely technical fault leading to the helicopter crash.

“We, the Christian community and indeed his immediate family acknowledged the tragedy, submitting to the will of God Almighty. For that purpose, there is no point, now or later, to open up what will not bring back our leader and father but rather open up old wounds in a very controversial manner.
“Hence, those with an axe to grind with Pantami should do so within their limits. As a Church leader, I chose to speak because of my deep belief that justice is natural and we shall live to account before our Lord. Besides, if we support unverified allegations against someone today because we loathe the person, the monster could be deployed against us or someone we cherish tomorrow.
“As someone very close to the late Yakowa, I call on all Nigerians to ignore the insinuations linking Pantami with Sir Yakowa’s death, endangering national peace. This, I call on security agencies to step in and tame the circulation of such dangerous documents. We cannot afford to stock fire when we should be pouring more water. Those who feel they have information to help the security agencies investigate whatever crimes against groups or individuals should do so within the provided window, without exacerbating the tension of formulating tales in the public space.”

Chairman Of Governors’ Forum Says He’s Not Aware Of Printing Of Of Naira

Editorial staff

April 22, 2021

Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), who is also Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has said that he is not aware of the printing of N60 billion naira to back up federation account allocation to states in March, as claimed by Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki.

The leader of the Governors of the 36 States in the country, who made this position known at the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting today, April 22, at the Presidential villa, Abuja, insisted that he knew no such thing happened at all.

This was even as the Minister of Finance, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed insisted that no naira was printed to augment the federation allocation, even as the Governor of the Central Bank, Godwin Emefiele fully supported the position of the minister.

The Council described the claim as reported in the press as outrightly false, affirming that no money was printed to shore up allocation for the month of March.

The Council received the recommendations of a national townhall meeting on Enhanced Security and National Unity recently held in Kaduna and affirmed the unity of the country, emphasizing that staying as one country remains the best option for Nigeria.
The meeting which was chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, emphasized the need to address the problems of agitation in parts of the country.

It noted that the agitations are common with countries with huge and diverse populations like ours and it is important not to allow the minority to hijack the mainstream of opinion.”
The Council directed States to hold consultations and dialogues on the issues and report back by the next meeting of Council so that a firm position would be taken on the recommendations of the Townhall many of which it already welcomed.
NEC advised all States,even those that have no agitations, to hold wider consultations to have diverse opinions on the burning issues, taking into consideration local peculiarities and report back to NEC the outcome of the consultations.
The Council resolved that after the planned State-wide consultations a national consensus would be reached on the recommendations of the national town hall meeting held in Kaduna which included the adoption of State Police among other matters.

Businesses In Nigerian Lose $29 Billion Annually To Poor Electricity – World Bank

Editorial staff

April 22, 2021

The World Bank has said that businesses in Nigeria are losing about $29 billion annually as a result of the country’s unreliable electricity.

It also observed that Nigeria had the largest number of people without access to electricity in the world, as every one in 10 people without access to electricity now reside in Nigeria.

The bank’s positions were contained in the Power Sector Recovery Programme fact sheet which was presented during the World Bank virtual dialogue with energy reporters.The presentation was done by the bank’s Practice Manager, West and Central Africa Energy, Ashish Khanna.

It said: “Businesses in Nigeria lose about $29bn annually because of unreliable electricity. Nigerian utilities get paid for only a half of electricity they receive.

“For every N10 worth of electricity received by Discos (distribution companies), about N2.60 is lost in poor distribution infrastructure and through power theft and another N3.40 is not being paid for by customers.

“Six in 10 of registered customers are not metered, and their electricity bills are not transparent and clear. This contributes to resistance to pay electricity bills.”

The PSRP document presented by the bank stated that only 51 per cent of installed capacity was available for generation, as an average Nigerian consumed four times less energy than her counterpart in a typical lower middle-income country.”

It, however, noted that every Nigerian paid less for electricity than what it costs to supply electricity to them.

It stated that the government for years was paying the difference because the government wanted to help poor Nigerian families to pay their bills.

“But richer families use more electricity; so a big chunk of government support ends up going to those who do not really need help with paying bills,” it stated.

On the PSRP, the bank described it as a comprehensive response to Nigeria’s power challenges with the aim to renew the country’s economy by rebuilding a functioning and fair power sector.

It also stated that between June 2020 and February 2021, the World Bank Board approved $1.25bn financing to support the government in its efforts to reset the power sector.

Source: Punch

OML 143: NNPC, SEEPCO Sign Gas Development Agreement to Unlock 1.2TCF

Editorial staff

April 22, 2021

The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Malam Mele Kyari (R) and Chairman of Energy and Exploration Production Limited (SEEPCO), Mr Tony Chukwueke, sign a Gas Development Agreement (GDA), as partners in the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 143, at the NNPC Towers in Abuja on Thursday (22/4/21)-NAN

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has signed the Oil Mining Lease (OML) 143 Gas Development Agreement (GDA) with Sterling Oil Exploration and Production Company (SEEPCO) to boost the gas development and commercialization programme of the Corporation.

A statement today, April 22, by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, disclosed that the project would boost the nation’s gas production by 1.2trillion cubic feet (tcf).

Speaking at the GDA signing ceremony which held at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, said the gas commercialization strategy of the Corporation was in sync with the Federal Government’s National Gas Expansion Programme (NGEP), adding that the gas from the project would be processed at the Ashtavinayak Hydrocarbon Limited (AHL) 125million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas per day gas plant located in Kwale, Delta State.

“This opens a gateway for other opportunities in the Oil and Gas Industry, not just SEEPCO Group but for other companies too. We are happy that this will unlock significant volumes of gas which will deliver 125mmscfd to the Midstream plant that you have built. Of course, this is a great milestone for us and we are happy to do business with you. You are a very reliable partner because when you say things, you get them done,” Mallam Kyari stated.

He said the development of OML 143 would bring value for the Federal Government, NNPC and SEEPCO Group which would in turn boost the nation’s economy.

On his part, the Group Managing Director of SEEPCO, Mr. Tony Chukwueke, said the OML 143 GDA is a major milestone for the country because it was the first Agreement in Nigeria that fully separates gas development from oil production, noting that the arrangement would enable wholistic development of the gas potential in the block.

He further explained that the GDA was a significant step as it was the first of its kind to expressly include terms that encourage the contractor to be effective in its cost management thereby passing on significant revenue to the Federal Government, NNPC and other stakeholders.

“I will like to take this opportunity to thank the GMD, NNPC for his contribution to Nigeria and also recommit that SEEPCO is determined to play its role in the energy industry in Nigeria,” Tony Chukwueke reassured.

The Gas Development Agreement is required, pursuant to the Production Sharing Contract obligations, to set out the terms for the development of the 1.2tcf Non-Associated Gas oil block by SEEPCO which is the Contractor with the NNPC is the Concessionaire.

The additional gas supply from the project would raise the nation’s gas production profile, make dry gas available for the proposed 650 megawatts NNPC/SEEPCO Independent Power Plant, boost in-country supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) and general domestic gas utilization, increase energy security, and create job opportunities for Nigerians.

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