*THE NATION*
Ikeja Electrics killer bills and NERC Forums delayed action
Birthed in integrity, the enduring legacy of Captain Hosa
Subsidy nemesis
Obasanjo again!
Constitution Review: Senate panel to resist pressures, says Omo-Agege
Police warn students against protest on fuel price hike
Funding options for agric expands with N50b scheme
Practice fees: NBA tells lawyers to shun Malamis order
APC: PDP, Obasanjo, Atiku lack moral right to condemn govt
Malabu Oil Block: Adoke urges Malami to rein in government counsel in Milan
Failed state: Fed Govt attacks critics, warns against subversion
18 in race to become UI VC
Take to Obasanjos advice, PDP tells Buhari, Fed Govt
Hard knocks for Obasanjo over attack on Buhari govt
Oyetolas revolution
PDP, Oshiomhole in war of words over voters intimidation
Oyedeji appointed Stanbic IBTC Non-Executive Director
*VANGUARD*
We'll fight hike in price of fuel, electricity tariff, Labour insists
Mauritians stage biggest anti-government protests in 40 years over oil spill
Two siblings allegedly rape seven-year-old girl in Anambra
50 feared dead in Congo gold mine accident
Kaduna 2023: Group roots for Uba Sani, urges contenders to shield ambition
Buratai in Sokoto, inspects ongoing projects at 8 Division
Sobomabo Jackrich hails new amnesty boss Dikio
Osinbajo's escort, GUI community gets house, new classroom blocks
COVID-19: Luxury house Louis Vuitton to launch $1k face shield
Group uncovers plot to cause political crisis in Taraba state
China not pursing debt-trap diplomacy in Africa, middle income countries- Diplomats
Using what I said about Ize-Iyamu years ago is lazy man's argument' Oshiomhole
Gov Ayade supports 46, 000 Cameroonian refugees
Reddington Armoured Shield to offer free COVID-19 treatment to international air travelers
Emefiele commended for University Based Poultry Revival Programme
Marginal oil fields: We can no longer guarantee safety of oil facilities ' CATESUN-
Fayose remains PDP's voice in South-West, says ex-Zonal Chairman Olafeso
Edo 2020 Election Debate: My predecessor borrowed recklessly ' Obaseki
Account for $16bn power fund, privatisation of assets or keep quiet ' APC tells Obasanjo, Atiku
State of the nation: Secondus lauds Obasanjo for speaking up
Edo 2020: Ganduje in Edo, mobilises Hausa community for Ize-Iyamu
Ondo: PDP blames APC for INEC office fire incident
Ondo 2020: Our campaign is on, we are not broke ' Ajayi
DELTA 2023: NEF rallies support for Omo-Agege
Edo guber: PDP raises alarm over plot to scuttle poll
Edo 2020: Ex-Army Provost, others leave PDP for APC
N490.4bn inflow to lift interbank liquidity
Losses from loans push down banks' profits in H1'20
Profit taking in banking stocks drags down equities
Russia, China, Iran moving to hack 2020 US elections ' Microsoft
WITIN announces new advisory board
Ancelotti confident new-look Everton can shake up top six after Spurs win
NABTEB exams: Kano directs re-opening of six Technical Colleges for exit class students
Bandits abduct 16 family members on way to farm in Kaduna village
*THISDAY*
Stanbic IBTC Appoints Oyedeji Director
NAHCON, Jaiz Seal New Deal
NEITI Foresees Rebound in Nigerias Revenue
Subsidising the Naira Blocks Nigerias Economic Takeoff
Investors Stake N11bn on Shares amidst Profit Taking
FAO Calls for Greater Action to Tackle COVID-19 Impacts
The Marginal Fields Conundrum
Heritage Bank, FAMO Support 300 Private School Teachers, SMEs
NIMC Boss Gives Timeline for National Identity Registration
Zedcrest Investment Managers Facilitates Wealth Creation for Investors
NEPZA, NASS Collaborate to Boost Industrialiation
Sun Trust Reaffirms Commitment to Entrepreneurship Devt
Experts Proffer Solution to Nigerias Economic Recovery
Polaris to Empower Female Entrepreneurs
FEPSAN Hails Buhari on Fertilizer Importation Ban
Wema Bank Supports Start-ups, Organises Hackaholics
NCC Alerts Telco Consumers on e-Frauds
Report Highlights Liability Loss Trends for Businesses
Unity Bank Ranked High on e-Banking Revenue
BEDC: 30 Firms to Generate 800MW Electricity, Commences Service-based Tariff
SAHCO Introduces Ankara Uniform for Staff
Chevron/NNPC JV Donates PCR Lab Centre to Warri Central hospital
Zenith Bank Secures Afreximbanks $200m Facility
FG Inaugurates NCC Toll Free Centre in Imo
Sterling Bank Pioneers work-study Programme for Secondary School Leavers, Offers a 65% Scholarship
PDP Alleges Plot to Use Judiciary to Halt Edo Election
Fireworks as Obaseki, Ize-Iyamu Engage in Edo Election Debate
Sharif : Waiting for the Hangmans Noose or Judicial Repreive
Buhari Focused on Nation-building and Unity
Northern Nigeria: The Pretence Persists
Serena Out of Italian Open with Achilles Problem
Suarez Keen to Stay at Camp Nou
New-look Everton in Flying Start, Win at Mourinhos Spurs
Ndidi Outshines Ajayi as Leicester Begin Campaign with Away Win
Okpotu Emerges Top Scorer in Tunisian League
New-look Chelsea Set to Start Havertz, Werner against Brighton
*PUNCH*
Odua to prioritise real estate investment
FG to renovat
Edo 2020 Debate: Ize-Iyamu Rattles Obaseki On Performance
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki last night failed to clearly defend his government’s performance in critical areas of job creation, healthcare provision, agriculture, security and infrastructure development.
He also failed to debunk the claim that he did not possess the requisite qualification for admission into the University of Ibadan where he graduated.
It was during a debate organised by Channels Television and its partners to enable Obaseki, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, the All Progressives Congress (APC) contender, to sell their candidature to the people.
The Edo State governorship election will hold on Saturday.
Ize-Iyamu said Obaseki has not performed and that he borrowed millions of naira on account of the agriculture sector without any result.
He also chided the governor for failing to employ teachers when there are no teachers in the classrooms while no doctor was hired in the absence of medical personnel to work in the hospitals.
He said the government closed down the nursing school, raising the fear of lack of nurses in the state in the near future.
Ize-Iyamu said firms in Sobe and Wareke, among others, are neglected.
He said the state’s stake in the modular refinery under construction was a mere one per cent.
On security, Ize-Iyamu said: “We can combat human trafficking, if we make the home environment more conducive and curb the rural to urban drift. There are laws in place and the Federal Government is doing a lot to reduce it.
“The personnel deployed in our state for combating insecurity will be complemented by an organised state police, but we must work with the Federal Government and every other stakeholder. Our people must feel safe at all times.
“Kidnapping is high in the state. We are not showing enough concern. If I were governor, I would have acted on veritable intelligence and mobilised security agencies to flush them out of the forests around Okada-Ofosu road.
“There have been increase in security votes, but there have been no investment in security. Our state is one of the few in the country with no advance in technology for fighting security. Our security vehicles cannot fight security. I will introduce tracker and drones to tackle crimes.”
Obaseki said the state was working closely with the Federal Government to reduce the crimes.
“We have software in government, which we use to track crime and monitor trends. We have deployed this a couple of times, especially when kidnapping was rife in the Okada-Ofosu-Ore axis. We cleared both sides of the forest and collaborated with federal authorities to bring sanity.
“We have young men that are providing intelligence on what is going on in their areas. This has helped to tame cult groups in communities. We call them Public Work Volunteers,” he said.
Ize-Iyamu accused the governor of bandying fake statistics on employment in the state.
According to him, most schools and hospitals do not have teachers and doctors.
“Eight of 10 graduates in Edo State don’t have jobs. There is unemployment in the state. The governor was just releasing fake statistics. The little jobs available were given to outsiders,” he said.
Ize-Iyamu added: “My fellow contestant is not worried about the brain drain in the medical sector. This is, according to him, because he wants to do e-diagnostics.
“Mr Obaseki did not know of the Stella Obasanjo Hospital, which was built over 12 years ago. So, what was he doing when he was in government? He does not even know what is happening in the state.
“I am shocked that the state’s School of Nursing and Midwifery has been closed. The danger is that we will be going outside our state to look for nurses to help our mothers in labour.
“The government has spent around N16 billion to train teachers, but how has this improved education in the state?”
Obaseki said the data records were available for verification and denied spending so much.
He admitted that there were challenges in the area of employment.
“Human capital development is one of the areas that the government has accomplished a lot. Jobs came from the way government addressed the problem by creating a sense of purpose to encourage the private sector to participate,” he said.
Obaseki accused his predecessor, Adams Oshiomhole of borrowing recklessly during his tenure, saying he put the state in a debt burden of N120 billion.
“We have been able to service the debt to ensure that the state can survive,” he said.
But Ize-Iyamu reminded Obaseki that he was the Chief Economic Adviser to Oshiomhole for eight years.
According to him, the promises made by Obaseki in the areas of agriculture and security were not fulfilled.
“He has borrowed lots of funds with nothing to show for them. My contestant has collected over 75 billion in debts. What did he do with them? All his promises remain unfulfilled, despite the fact that he came in when there was high windfall in Edo,” he said.
Ize-Iyamu said the N2 billion the state invested in Sobe farm by partnering with Saro farms, has not yielded any meaningful result.
“The governor made what I might call a very lame attempt and he failed completely and we are in a very sorry state. During Christmas for example, people were going to Abakaliki to bring rice, they were going to Kebbi to bring rice.” Obaseki faulted the figure but did not mention the amount he spent.
On his certificate, Obaseki said it was ironic for somebody who has no certificate to comment on the certificate issued to him by the University of Ibadan (UI) in 1976.
“I studied in the Faculty of Arts and the university has said I graduated from the institution. It is very sad that in a country like Nigeria, some people who do not have the qualifications, have the effrontery to challenge the qualification of those who went to proper schools. That is a very sad situation that we have found ourselves,” he said.
But Ize-Iyamu fired back, he said: “We do not doubt that you attended the university. The issue is, you failed school certificate. You had no English and Maths, which will make it difficult to enrol for A Level. And if you got A Level, why is it that you’ve not been able to present the A Level, where is the result? You had only three credits without Mathematic and English. That is a moral question. A lot of people are looking up to you as a governor and as a leader.
“Your disqualification by APCarose from information, your party now the PDP, provided. Because the PDP, when I was contesting against you (in 2016) said you have no results. Why have you not answered the question? Where is your result?” The governor did not respond to this claim.
Ondo 2020: PDP Says APC Is Jittery
September 13, 2020
Press Conference.
PDP Accuses Jittery APC of Burning INEC Office In Ondo
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) asks Nigerians to hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) responsible for the burning of the head office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Akure, Ondo state.
The party says that information available to it indicates that the heinous act was perpetrated by agents of the APC as part of plots by APC leaders in the state to destroy INEC sensitive equipment so as to frustrate the conduct of credible, free and fair governorship election in the state.
It is clear that the APC has been in extreme fear over the soaring popularity of the PDP governorship candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, across the state, for which the APC has resorted to violence and underhand tactics, particularly after realizing that there is no way its candidate, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who has failed the people can win in a transparent, free and fair election on October 10.
Our party invites Nigerians to note that that the attack on the Ondo INEC office is came after, self-confessed APC militant and former APC in the state, Isaac Kekemeke, boasted that the APC will use violence to rig the October 10 election and that Governor Akeredolu was behind the violent political attacks rocking the state.
Kekemeke had also boasted of APC’s plans to import armed thugs and militants to unleash mayhem in the state and disrupt a peaceful electoral process.
It is therefore not by happenstance that the fire occurred in no other place than the facility where sensitive materials, such as card readers were stored, leading to the destruction of not less than 5141 card readers meant for the election were destroyed.
Nigerians can recall that failure by security agencies to pull in individuals like Kekemeke and other APC hoodlums for questioning emboldened such brazen attack on INEC head office.
Moreover, our party has also been reliably informed of plots by the APC to attack other INEC facilities in the state in its desperation to cripple the commission and impede to conduct of a credible poll.
Our party restates our call on the security agencies to check the violence proclivities of the APC by immediately inviting Governor Akeredolu, Kekemeke and other APC leaders in Ondo state for questioning and possible extraction of undertaking from them ahead of the election.
We call on INEC to note that the APC is after its facilities and as such put stronger measures to protect itself from the assaults of the APC.
Furthermore, our party will intensely monitor the process of replacement of the burnt card readers by INEC. This is to ensure that the APC did not succeed in their plots to manipulate the programming of the new card readers to suit their ugly plots of compromising sensitive data in the existing voters register in Ondo State.
Furthermore, the PDP urged the people of Ondo state to remain at alert and resist the APC in their plot to disrupt credible elections on October 10.
Above all, we restate our call on Governor Akeredolu to accept that he has failed the people with his incompetent administration; he should come to terms to the fact that the people have rejected him and that no amount of violence will make them to bend their resolve to replace him with the PDP candidate, Eyitayo Jegede, come October 10.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary
NBA Rules: Lawyers Sign Petition To Strip Malami Of SAN Title
Over 380 lawyers have signed a petition demanding that the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, be stripped of the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria.
The petition, started on Change.org by Izu Aniagu, is titled, “Sign to strip Nigeria’s AGF, Abubakar Malami the title of Senior Advocate of Nigeria”.
Aniagu predicated his petition on the recent unilateral amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct for Legal Practitioners 2007 by Malami.
He said the unilateral amendment was a threat to the rule of law, coupled with Malami’s other alleged wrongdoings, such as “disobedience to court orders, to his lacklustre prosecution, to his outright failure to prosecute, to allegations of corruption and bias against his person, to the usurpation of office, to shielding of suspects, to his general dereliction of duty.”
The petition added, “This time, the AGF has decided to take his imprudence to top-notch by unilaterally deleting the provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct which provide for stamp and seal as well as bar practicing fee for government lawyers.
“The AGF does not have such power. Section 12 (4) of the LPA gives the General Council of the Bar power to make any such amendment and make other decisions concerning the NBA.
“There is no record of any meeting convened by the Attorney General of the Federation, who is the President of the Bar Council. The AGF took the decision alone and his actions constitute a threat to the rule of law. His action is totally shameful and is undeserving of a lawyer in the rank of a Senior Advocate, let alone a Chief Law Officer of the federation.”
As of 7.57 pm on Sunday, 383 lawyers had signed the petition.
Lai Mohammed: Buhari Prevented Nigeria From Becoming Failed State
In an apparent response to criticism by a former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria’s information minister, Lai Mohammed, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s efforts prevented Nigeria from becoming a failed state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported Mr Obasanjo’s Friday statement that Nigeria was “fast drifting to a failed and badly divided state.The presidency in a separate statement Sunday replied Mr Obasanjo, describing him as Nigeria’s ‘Divider-In-Chief’.
In his statement sent by his spokesperson, Segun Adeyemi, Mr Mohammed did not mention Mr Obasanjo’s name but said, “Those who genuinely love Nigeria will support, rather than subvert,” Mr Buhari’s “committed leadership.”
Read Mr Mohammed’s full statement below.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s assumption of office in 2015 prevented Nigeria from becoming a failed state, after a long stretch of rapacious and rudderless leadership, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the minister said President Buhari came into office at a time that a swathe of the country’s territory was under occupation, a period when many Nigerian towns and cities, including the capital city of Abuja, were a playground for insurgents and a moment that the nation’s wealth had been looted dry, with little or nothing to show for the nation’s huge earnings, especially in the area of infrastructure.
He said it is, therefore, a cruel irony that those who frittered away a great opportunity to put Nigeria on a sound socio-economic footing, at a time of financial buoyancy, and those who planted the seed of the insecurity in some parts of the country today, are the same ones pointing an accusing finger at a reformist government.
”Nigeria today faces a lot of challenges. But whatever situation the country has found itself in, things would have been much worse but for the deft management of resources, unprecedented fight against corruption, determined battle against insurgency and banditry as well as the abiding courage of Mr President in piloting the ship of state,
”Nigeria today is not a failed state, but a nation that is courageously tackling its challenges and building a solid
infrastructure that will serve as the basis for socio-economic development, a nation that is unrelenting in battling insecurity and working hard to ensure greatest prosperity for the greatest number of people,” Mr Mohammed said.
He said no government in the history of the country has done so much with so little, as the Buhari Administration is doing presently adding that with 60% less national income, the administration is making progress on all fronts and setting the country on the path of sustainable growth and development.
The minister said while naysayers are hyping the instances of insecurity in the country, they have conveniently forgotten that the country could have been overrun by insurgents and bandits if President Buhari had not rallied regional and international allies to tackle, headlong, the Boko Haram insurgency that saw bombs going off like firecrackers before his assumption of office, and an estimated 20,000 square miles of the nation’s territory occupied by insurgents
”They tout the downturn in economic fortunes without putting things in context. With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing a global shutdown and a drastic fall in global oil demand, Nigeria lost 60% of its earnings, yet the administration has ensured that not a single worker has been retrenched, has paid salaries as and when due and has continued to build infrastructures like roads, rails, bridges and power, among others, that will serve many generations.
”They aggravate the national fault lines with their angry and unguarded actions and rhetoric, forgetting that while national fissures are amplified at a time of dwindling economic fortunes, what is needed to foster peace and unity is not reckless elocution but responsible and responsive leadership, the kind being offered by President Buhari,” he said.
Mr Mohammed said Nigeria is on the road to greatness, despite the challenges confronting the nation, citing the hard push towards food sufficiency; the modernization of the rail system; the nationwide construction of roads and bridges; the reform in the oil and gas sector; the unprecedented anti-corruption battle, the diversification of the economy and the renewed effort to ensure a steady power supply, anchored on a three-phase project that is expected to deliver 25,000MW of electricity in the next few years.
The minister thanked Nigerians for their perseverance and understanding, especially against the backdrop of the stifling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy, and appealed to them to continue to support the administration, as it seeks to lift 100 million people out of poverty in the next 10 years.
”In one of the most difficult moments in the nation’s history, Nigeria is fortunate to have at the helm a leader who is not only dedicated, selfless and patriotic, but one who is globally acknowledged for his discipline, integrity and vision. Those who genuinely love Nigeria will support, rather than subvert, this committed leadership,” he said.
Akpabio Inaugurates Committee To Rejig NDDC
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has inaugurated a committee set up to look into some prevailing staff matters in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Akpabio, while inaugurating the committee in his office in Abuja, said the development was to ensure optimal performance by ensuring that all issues slowing down productivity and hindering peace in the commission are resolved.
“The commission will be rejigged to deliver on its mandate for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta.”The minister said that over the years, the NDDC had witnessed varying degrees of challenges, especially in the management of the human resource that had led to low morale and dwindling performance of the staff of the commission.
According to him, these challenges have affected the activities and productivity of staff of the commission, with continuous bickering and complaint amongst the management and staff.
Akpabio stressed that for the Niger Delta to develop, the NDDC must be rightly positioned to deliver on its mandate. He explained that it was to this end that the committee was set up to examine all prevailing staff matters in the NDDC with a view to resolving them.
Members of the committee were drawn from both the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs (MNDA) and the NDDC, with the Director, Community Development and Education in the ministry, Mrs. Lauren Briade as chairman, and Director, Human Resources Management, Mr. Musa Dakas, as secretary.
Other members are Stella Aburime, MNDA; Mr. Alfred Abah, MNDA; Mr. Effiong Akwa, NDDC; Mrs. Iyingi Numbere, NDDC; Mr. Okejoto Goshua, NDDC; Mr. Eno Ubi, NDDC and Mr. Patrick Ekade, NDDC. The committee is expected to examine the remote and immediate causes of placement of some staff on compulsory leave, among other issues.
Guardiannews