Breaking News Today Tuesday 10 November 2020

BREAKING: North East elders ask Buhari to sack service chiefs.

THE Coalition of North East Elders for Peace and Development, yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to sack his service chiefs, accusing the military of deploying massive strength during the #EndSARS protests in parts of the country, thereby leaving the zone at the mercy of Boko Haram, and Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists.


According to the elders, scores of civilians were killed as a result of the strategic and operational blunders, which they argued, was avoidable, had greater tact been adopted. In a statement signed by the chairman, Engr. Zana Goni, the North East elders said pro-active intelligence would have revealed this lapse to the military high command, had the service chiefs not been lethagic in their responsibilities.


Consequently, the elders, for the umpteenth time, called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to show the service chiefs the way out, having exhausted all applicable ideas which they insisted were now obsolete.

In their considered view, the sack of the heads of the Armed Forces of Nigeria will, no doubt, pave the way for the appointment of a new set of senior officers who will approach their jobs with the highest degree of commitment and enthusiasm.


This, they noted, was moreso that new appointees will bring fresh ideas to bear on the onerous task of defeating the 11-year-old insurgency, that has since altered the North East equation.

“Though, the protests in parts of the country may have been suspended, with deaths and destruction of both private and public properties in the trail, we wish to state that the North East also suffered similar fate during the period of the demonstrations,” Goni said in the statement.



He regretted that the unbridled quest to quell the protests by all means possible, and the desire to prove that they were indeed on ground, left the security of the North East worse than it was.

Goni said: “We had thought that the high command of the military will, at least, be proactive enough to know that these insurgents take advantage of loopholes, to perpetrate their wicked acts.



“We are disappointed that these gaps were not covered, thereby giving the terrorists a free rein in many communities, a situation that culminated in many unreported deaths and destruction of property.

“Our men, women and children are tired of these needless attacks on communities, in the face of huge budgetary expenditure on the defence and security sub-sector of the nation.


“We are concerned that our dear President, who is so passionate about leaving an enviable legacy of a prosperous nation in all respect, has remained adamant, as far as the military heads are concerned. This position is despite the unanimous resolution by the Senate and the House of Representatives requesting the sack of the Service Chiefs.

“May we, therefore, reiterate our earlier calls for the removal of Service Chiefs, as their replacement will never be difficult, considering the fact that there are younger generals that are now better positioned to deliver on our expectations.

“We know that our dear President will lose nothing, as loyalty among officers and personnel of the military, is total, absolute and unalloyed, not withstanding who is saddled with whatever responsibility”.

How to achieve timely recovery from COVID-19, by Osinbajo.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday declared that dealing with the disruptions caused by COVID-19 on economies and livelihoods, stronger international cooperation and collaboration among countries was crucial to expedite economic recovery.

Osinbajo stated this during the 8th German-Nigerian business forum that held virtually. The event also featured presentations by representatives of the German and Nigerian business communities.

Emphasizing the importance of building stronger collaboration and cooperation in post COVID-19 era, the vice president said: “As it turned out, the pandemic is no respecter of borders, and has forced us to ponder on the importance of collaboration and international cooperation in solving some of our most pressing problems.

“This year will probably go down as perhaps the most challenging in recent global history. No one can be blamed for the circumstances that led to it. However, history will hold us responsible as individual nations and collectively if we do not see and seize the immense opportunities that the moment presents.

“Bilateral cooperation is a major plank of that effort. We must use the German Nigeria forum to snatch growth and prosperity for our countries from the jaws of the pandemic.”

On the German-Nigerian business cooperation, Osinbajo said: “There are several reasons the economic relationship between Nigeria and Germany is important and natural.

“With its population of nearly 200 million people and as the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria is a natural partner of Germany, which is also the largest economy in the European Union and also its most populous country. Both countries have a shared experience of paving the way in their respective continents and serving as strategic entry points for investors across industries.”

Osinbajo, who noted that the cooperation between Nigeria and Germany has become more important than ever, said: “We already have an excellent example in the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), a power infrastructure upgrade and modernisation programme, agreed to by the Nigerian government and Siemens AG of Germany, with the support of the German government.

“Under the initiative, the Nigerian government will on behalf of the other shareholders in the DisCos invest in infrastructure upgrades in the form of improved payment systems, distribution substations, transformers, protection devices, smart meters and transmission lines.”

The vice president said the focus of the Nigerian government’s interventions was aimed at addressing the fallouts of the pandemic.

“The priorities we, as a government, have set for ourselves are centered around nine inter-related and inter-connected areas, which include

stabilising the economy, achieving agriculture and food security, attaining energy sufficiency especially in power and petroleum products, improving transportation and other infrastructure and driving industrialization with a special focus on SME’s.”

Other participants at the meeting include Nigeria’s Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar; Germany’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Birgitt Ory and the Chief Executive Officer of Afrika-Verein, Christoph Kannengiesser.

Senior citizens to mediate between ASUU, Fed Govt.




SENIOR citizens under the aegis of Association of Nigeria Universities Alumni (ANUA) yesterday declared their readiness to mediate between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government, to end the eight-month strike.

The association said it has resolved to ensure that unemployed graduates are registered, to secure social security allowance for them from the Federal Government.

The newly-elected Chairman of the group, Dr. Stephen Fasakin, said at the national convention of the association in Imo State University, Owerri that one of his mandates was to unify the alumni associations of the universities under one umbrella.




He said: “Under my leadership, we shall embark on the creation of a website where every unemployed graduate shall be registered. We shall pursue a bill for the payment of social security allowance to the unemployed graduates, to be taken by the National Assembly

“Under my watch, we shall encourage graduates to be more interested in politics so that we can salvage this country from the greedy office holders. Graduates must take over the position of leadership and responsibilities. We shall facilitate a better serving condition for corps members.

“One area where university growth has suffered is the area of alumni associations’ collaboration. We shall not close our eyes to that. On that note we shall take a bold step in resolving this current conflict between the government and ASUU so that universities will resume.”

The chairman urged members to be committed to the association, saying: “The association shall be committed to you too.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded Nigerian Police Fund Pensions Ltd for instituting Retirees Resettlement




President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded Nigerian Police Fund Pensions Ltd for instituting Retirees Resettlement Support Scheme, which will provide financial support for retired police officers.


He assured that the federal government was fully committed to improving the welfare of serving officers.


The President, who performed virtual commissioning of the new Head Office Building of Nigerian Police Fund Pensions Ltd, said the government was also focused on ensuring that police officers, who served the nation meritoriously, were properly resettled on retirement.




He said: “To the Nigeria Police Fund Pensions Limited, I wish to applaud your Company for instituting a Retirees Resettlement Support Scheme through which you provide some form of financial support to retired Police Officers to enable them to resettle fully in retirement after meritoriously serving the nation.


“Taking your services to the doorstep of Police Officers by maintaining an office in each Police Command and Formation is also very laudable. At this juncture, I urge you to continue your untiring efforts in collaborating with the Police authorities towards improving the welfare of both serving and retired personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.’’

Lawmakers approve N39.3bn for ministry of communications, digital economy.

The Joint Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Communications, ICT and Cybercrimes have approved N39.3 billion budget for Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy for 2021 fiscal year.

The Committee approved the budget after the 2020/2021 budget defence session by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami.

The Minister had explained that the ICT contributes 17.83% to the country’s GDP in the Q2 of 2020 up from 13% achieved by previous administrations.




Senator Ibrahim Oloriegbe in his contribution, however, expressed disappointment at the failure of several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which he said fritter away multi-billion naira annually for ICT services, instead of using Galaxy Backbone, a public-owned ICT company.


The Chairman, House Committee on Telecommunications, Rep. Akeem Adeyemi on his part, explained that the exercise would enable the Legislature to identify projects that have been concluded; those that are ongoing; those that remain unexecuted; and the reasons, if any, why some projects are not executed.

Rep. Adeyemi who observed that effective deployment of ICT would enhance productivity in virtually all human endeavours cannot be overemphasized stressed the need for the Ministry to give its stewardship of the plans towards the establishment of the ICT. University of Nigeria; Smart City Project; ICT Hub Centres and ICT Parks all of which are components of the National ICT Road Maps.

Adeyemi also queried the utilization of multi-billion naira released so far for the implementation of a number of projects, which he observed “are still either awaiting BPP approval or the procurement process is ongoing.

As contained in the 2020 budget performance submitted to the joint committees, some of the disparities in the amount released and utilized by the Ministry showed that: out of the total sum of N13.858,200 released for local travels and transport, others, the ministry spent N13,900,800. Out of N2,803,032.52 released for office stationaries/computer consumables, the Ministry utilized N7,683,520; out of N1,100,000 released for the printing of non-security documents, the ministry utilized N1,702,000. Out of N2,630,000 released for maintenance of office building/residential quarters, the Ministry utilized N4,532,145; out of N3,479,000 released for maintenance of office/IT equipment, the Ministry utilized N5,062,638; out of N4,015,526.58 released for publicity and advertisements, the Ministry utilized N4,027,301.58.

Meanwhile, the Ministry utilized a total sum of N8,123,775.75 out of N8,749,687.26 during the year under review.

During the examination of the 2021 budget proposal, Rep. Adeyemi demanded for justification for the N21.9 billion increase between the total budget proposal for the 2020 and 2021 fiscal years.

While responding to query on the sum of N21.9 million differentials between the 2020 and 2021 budgets, Dr Pantami said: “Regarding 2021 budget proposal, the variation and why the amount is higher than the previous year. It’s to accommodate the proposal of NIMC, that’s the major variation there, their budget now is part of our own and if you at their salary it’s over N5 billion and I think that could be the reason.”

He added that the sum of N2 billion revenue was projected from the sale of forms, spectrum licenses, renewal fees and other sources in 2021.

Second wave of COVID-19 infections possible, says NCDC.

The second wave of COVID-19 infections is possible in the country, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Director-General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said on Monday.

He urged for caution and responsibility to help prevent another outbreak of the pandemic.

Ihekweazu spoke during an event organised by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Abuja.

He said: “The increasing number of COVID-19 cases in other parts of the world is a reminder that the virus is still with us and we cannot afford to be complacent.

“The second wave of infection is possible in Nigeria but it is not inevitable. We can prevent it with our collective action and our collective responsibility

“The virus does not know why people congregate. The virus does not know whether it is for NYSC, religious purposes, education, demonstration or partying. It makes use of all opportunities in equal measure to jump from one person to the other.

“We must implement these measures that we know all the time and not be selective in the scenarios in which we implement them.”

Ihekweazu said the NCDC, in the past few weeks, worked with officials of the NYSC, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and ministries of health to introduce measures to limit the risk of COVID-19 exposure to corps members during the orientation camps.

He said the corps members, officials and others will be screened on arrival at the camps.

 We Paid N6.6m Ransom For Our Daughters’ Release – Katsina Community.




Sources told the Daily Trust yesterday that the girls were randomly picked from houses in Garin Aja on October 13, 2020, only to be released on November 6. The community shares border with Zamfara State.

“Those abducted included girls and spinsters. The bandits moved from house to house and selected their victims,” one of the sources said.

“The abductors did not bother to pick children or the old; they carefully selected girls and young women who either lost their husbands or divorced. They also asked their parents to pay a ransom and get their wards back. The parents simply complied because they want their children back and safely,” another source said.

The Zamfara State Government delegation, led by the Commissioner for Security and Home Affairs, Alhaji Abubakar Dauran, handed over the 26 girls to Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari at the weekend.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Media and Communication, Zailani Bappa, told Daily Trust last night that the girls were released after negotiations and dialogue with the armed bandits.




Governor Bello Matawalle had earlier tweeted that: “I interacted with 26 rescued girls after medical professionals have ascertained their physical and mental fitness following days of trauma suffered in kidnappers den.

“The young girls kidnapped from Katsina State were rescued on 6/11/2020 as a result of our intervention.”

But the village head of Dan-Aji, Alhaji Lawal Dogara, told newsmen yesterday in Katsina that the community paid N6.6 million ransom to free the girls.

“The governor of Zamfara State should stop claiming credit for the release of our women because we paid for their release,” Dogara said.

He said two community leaders, Alhaji Abdulkarim Dan Aji and Liman Babangida Dan-Aji, trekked for three days into the forest to deliver the ransom to the bandits.

Meanwhile, the Zamfara State Police Command has confirmed an attack on the state government delegation returning from Katsina State where they handed over the rescued girls to Katsina State Government.

The command’s spokesman, Muhammad Shehu, in a statement yesterday, said the delegation was caught in the crossfire between two warring bandit groups who were fighting for supremacy at Dogon Karfe, Gidan Jaja along Zurmi – Jibiya Road in Zurmi local government.

“Unfortunately, a driver in the delegation died in the crossfire. Immediately, the combined Police and Military personnel rushed to the scene to strengthen the existing escort of the delegation,” Shehu added.

Kidnapping is a recurrent decimal in Zamfara, Katsina and the North West in general.

Fresh Mass Protests Inescapable If…, Lawan Warns.




Senate President Ahmad Lawan has warned that Nigeria may not escape another mass demonstration in the mode of #EndSARS protest if the Federal Government fails to effectively address youth unemployment.

Lawan gave the warning in Abuja yesterday at the 2021 budget defence of the Ministry of Agriculture.

He urged the government to take practical steps in its 2021 budget to meaningfully engage the youths.

“Our budget, especially for 2021, should be mindful of what we do to provide employment opportunities for these youths.

“They demonstrated. They protested because they could do so. There are so many other people who may not be youthful but are also in the same need and they didn’t protest.




“Let’s meet them where they are. We don’t have to wait until they also try to grumble or protest. We should be proactive. We should reach them and they are in the rural areas. Most of them.

“So, we should meet them there. Give them what we can and what they need to some extent, within the purview of our resources and give them there, to make them live a productive life and that is the only way we can make a difference in the lives of the people.

“On our part, we are going to be accountable. If we escape this one (#EndSARS protest), the other one is inescapable. And I am sure people will know what I am saying,” Lawan said
1. Bandits operating within Katsina and Zamfara States, on Monday, attacked the convoy of the Zamfara State Commissioner of Security and Home Affairs, Hon. Abubakar Dauran, killing his driver on the spot.

Report says the incident occurred when the commissioner was coming from Katsina State where he had gone to hand over the 26 kidnapped minors rescued by Zamfara State Government to the Katsina State Government.

Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello has tested positive for COVID-19.

Bello made this known in a tweet on Monday, revealing that he is asymptomatic and is in isolation.

 Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, has said the Senate will open an investigation into the conviction of six Nigerians in the UAE for wiring $782,000 to Boko Haram.

Bamidele, speaking with reporters on Monday, however, noted that the committee was unaware of the recent arrest and imprisonment of the six persons.

The West African Examinations Council, on Monday, announced the postponement of the 2020 West African Senior School Certificate Examination for private candidates in Nigeria.

The Head of Public Affairs, WAEC Nigeria, Mr Demianus Ojijeogu, who made this known in a statement on Monday, said the examination would now commence on Monday, November 30, 2020.


President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday has asked youths to do well to keep the peace in Nigeria as it is in their ultimate interest.

Buhari, who spoke at the State House in Abuja, while receiving in audience the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, UN, Amina Mohammed, said the current administration inherited severe infrastructural deficits, and that was what they were fighting to correct.

The Osun State Government has instructed the authorities of public schools to distance themselves from selling or distributing uniforms to students in their various schools.


This, according to the state government, was part of the protocols of the reversal to old uniforms with effect from the new 2020/2021 academic session.

7. Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has handed over his duties to an INEC National Commissioner, Air Vice Marshal Ahmed Muazu (rtd).

Yakubu handed over to Ahmed pending Senate confirmation of his reappointment by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The Confederation of African Football, CAF, has banned journalists and spectators from attending the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match between Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

The Nigeria Football Federation’s Director of Competitions, Bola Oyeyode, made this known in a statement released by the spokesperson, Ademola Olajire, on Monday.

Residents have been thrown into fear following the discovery of lifeless bodies of two young girls for the second time this year in Kurmin Mashi area of Kaduna town.

Hafsat Muhammad-Baba, the state’s Commissioner of Human Services and Social Development, while addressing reports over the incident, expressed sadness and urged the Commissioner of Police in the State, Muri Umar, to deploy all available resources to fish out the perpetrators of the heinous crime.


The United States and Nigeria are to convene a virtual meeting with members of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS Tuesday (today).

The U.S. State Department, in a statement, said the parley is to affirm the commitment to countering the threat of ISIS and its branches worldwide, including in West Africa.

CBN opposes bid to remove Arabic from naira note





The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has opposed a suit seeking to remove the Ajami (Arabic) inscriptions on naira notes.


It told the Federal High Court that it would cost the country a “colossal sum of money” to discard the existing notes and print new ones without Ajami.

The CBN said Ajami is not a symbol or mark of Islam but an inscription to aid non-English speakers who are literate in and use Ajami for trade.



The apex bank made the submission in a counter-affidavit to a suit filed by a Lagos-based lawyer, Chief Malcolm Omirhobo, before Justice Mohammed Liman.

Omirhobo argued that the Arabic inscriptions on the naira notes portray Nigeria as an Islamic state, contrary to the country’s constitutional status of a multi-religious state.



He contended that this violates sections 10 and 55 of the Constitution, which makes the country a multi-religious state.

Section 10 reads: “The government of the Federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion.”


Omirhobo prayed the court to restrain the CBN from “further approving, printing and issuing naira notes with Arabic inscriptions, bearing in mind that Nigeria is a secular state”.

He also prayed the court to order the CBN to replace the Arabic inscriptions with either English language, which is the country’s official language, or any of Nigeria’s three main indigenous languages – Hausa, Yoruba or Igbo.

But in its counter-affidavit deposed to by Abiola Lawal, the CBN argued that “the Ajami inscriptions on some of the country’s currencies do not connote any religious statements or Arabian alignment”.

The apex bank maintained that contrary to Omirhobo’s claim, the Arabic inscriptions were not a threat to Nigeria’s multi-religious status.

It said: “The inscriptions on the country’s currencies do not and at no time have they threatened the secular statehood of the nation, nor have they violated the Constitution of Nigeria, as every design and inscription was finalised with the approval of the relevant government bodies.”

The apex bank explained that the “Ajami inscriptions” on the naira notes date back to the colonial era “and they do not imply that Arabic is an official language in Nigeria”.

It added: “The naira notes retained the inscriptions with Ajami since 1973 when the name of the Nigerian currency was changed to naira from pounds.

“The Ajami was inscribed on the country’s currency by the colonialists to aid those without Western education in certain parts of the country, who, back then, constituted a larger part of the populace.

“The Ajami is not a symbol or mark of Islam but an inscription to aid the populace uneducated in Western education in ease of trade.”

 NYSC begins compulsory health insurance, mobilises 66,000 for orientation






The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has directed the National Youth Service Corps to ensure the enrolment of corps members in the National Health Insurance Scheme, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier-General Shuaibu Ibrahim, said on Monday.

Ibrahim also disclosed that the NYSC had mobilised 66,000 graduates from across the country for the 2020 NYSC Batch “B” exercise scheduled to begin on Tuesday (today).

Ibrahim stated these during a media chat in Abuja.

The NYSC DG described the scheme as “the most critical platform for mentoring Nigerian youths as drivers of national unity and development.”

He added, “The scheme has concluded arrangement with the NHIS for the enrolment of corps members into the NHIS in line with a presidential directive. We have also expended huge resources on critical health needs of corps members, including footing of medical bills.

“As of last Thursday, a total of 66,000 eligible graduates had been mobilised for the 2020 Batch B service year, resuming on Tuesday, November 10. They will participate in the orientation exercise, which has been planned in three streams for ease of compliance with the COVID-19 protocols.”

Ibrahim also warned fake graduates seeking to infiltrate the orientation camps to stay away in their own interest.

“This year, we secured the conviction of a fake corps member in Taraba. We are currently prosecuting many others. If you know you’re not a qualified graduate do not show up. If you do, we’ll arrest you and hand you over to relevant agencies for prosecution,” he said.

At the event, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, said corps members would be tested free for COVID-19.

Ihekweazu said, “The COVID-19 tests would be administered free of charge on every corps members. Above all, there would be holding areas set up for isolating and treating those who test positive in the camps.”

Naira may depreciate to 475 against dollar, says Rewane






The naira will weaken in the parallel market as oil prices stay at $40-$42 per barrel and likely depreciate to 470-475 against the dollar in November and December, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr Bismarck Rewane, has said.

Rewane stated this in his presentation at the Lagos Business School Breakfast Session last week, a copy of which was obtained by our correspondent on Monday.

The Nigerian currency is currently trading around 462 to 465 against the greenback in the parallel market.

According to Rewane, oil prices are under pressure again, currently trading below $41 per barrel, and this will further limit foreign exchange supply.

He said the resumption of international flights, trading and manufacturing activities would heighten forex demand pressures.

Rewane said, “Naira [is] likely to depreciate to trade around 470-475 in November/December. Convergence of multiple rates will continue but unification is unlikely.

“The CBN will maintain its forex rationing stance and intensify efforts to keep the naira stable. External reserves to likely fall towards $34bn in the coming months.”

The economic expert stated that the International Monetary Fund’s Article IV review had started, adding that the Central Bank of Nigeria would come under additional pressure.

“As Nigeria ponders IMF’s conditionalities, CBN could succumb to pressure and devalue the naira to N390-400/$,” he added.

According to him, the 2021 budget is likely to be revised, as a result of the impact of lower oil prices and higher expenditure and the #EndSARS crisis, which will deepen the economic crisis and delay the recovery.

He noted that CBN’s Monetary Policy Committee meeting in November would take place against the background of the need to provide further stimulus in the wake of the #EndSARS crisis and surging inflation and currency pressures.

“MPC [is] likely to maintain status quo. If inflation rises further and exchange rate pressure continues, then something will have to give. A hike in interest rates may be necessary to stave off pressure,” Rewane said.

He said a second wave of COVID-19 and global lockdowns would trigger a fall in commodity prices, trade activities, capital flows and remittances.

According to him, a Joe Biden presidency in the United States will mean increased focus on renewable energy; a revival of the Iran nuclear deal; banning of fracking on US federal lands, and the US to rejoin the Paris accord on climate change.

Amnesty Programme yet to address causes of N’Delta’s agitation — Report






The Presidential Amnesty Programme, PAP, despite gulping billions of naira annually over the last 11 years, had failed to address various challenges that necessitated its setting up in the first instance, according to a report published by international development consulting firm, Nextier Security, Peace and Development, SPD.

Presenting key findings in the report, sponsored by the Nigerian Natural Resource Charter, NNRC, at a dialogue on the PAP in Abuja, Dr. Ndubuisi Nwokolo, Senior Policy and Research Lead at Nextier SPD, argued that as it is presently constituted, the amnesty programme appears to be rewarding militancy and aggressiveness in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

He added that despite taking a heavy toll on the revenue of the Federal Government, a large number of development and infrastructural issues remained unaddressed, noting that the financial burden of the amnesty programme is unsustainable to the country.

He identified shortcomings and challenges of the Presidential Amnesty Programme to include widespread corruption, unverified beneficiaries, poor programme design, slow progress, low levels of consistency and high dependence on stipends.

According to him, the reintegration phase of the PAP was still incomplete 10 years after; while difficulty exists in getting current and reliable data on the status of reintegration of the ex-agitators, adding that the recently-suspended coordinator of the programme had brought to the notice of Nigerians, the entrenched corruption in the programme.

He said: “The programme is focused on individuals rather than the community; the payments have deepened entitlement culture and had strengthened command and control structures of groups. It is also characterized by politics of exclusion, especially the exclusion of the private sector.

“The programme is also characterized by slow pace of reintegration and lack of employment, especially as the reintegration phase of the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration, DDR, process, meant to last five years is still ongoing and there is difficulty of beneficiaries landing jobs after graduation.”

“It has brought about an apparent lack of coherence between PAP activities and other Niger Delta interventions; while these have resulted in poor levels of social reintegration.”

Nwokolo, however, warned that unless the programme is urgently reviewed, it would continue to serve as a drain on the Federal Government’s resources, with the monthly allocation of N5.5 billion; adding that it would continue to engender poor return on investment, record limited success in reintegrating ex-agitators, among others.

He called on the Federal Government to devolve the activities of the amnesty programme to state government’s oil development commission, stating that this would lead to higher levels of effectiveness.

Prosecution of #EndSARS protesters: FG being misled, says Falana





Human rights activist, Femi Falana (SAN) has said the Federal Government was being misled into prosecuting the promoters of #EndSARS protests, adding that there was no connection between the youths calling for socio-economic reforms, including an end to police brutality, and the hoodlums that went on the rampage.

Rather, Falana accused the government of failing to provide security for the peaceful #EndSARS protesters, who were exercising their fundamental human rights, as required by law.

He also described the hoodlums that burned and looted as “products of the decadent and neo-liberal economic policy of the Federal Government.”

The Senior Advocate was reacting to the Presidency’s stance that the #EndSARS promoters must face the law.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, had said in a Channels TV programme, Politics Today, on Sunday night, that those who promoted the protest and allowed it degenerate into chaos must be made to face the full wrath of the law.

According to Shehu: “This country has only one President and has only one constitution.

“President Muhammadu Buhari is responsible for his government. The buck stops at his table.

“We are a country governed by law. There is a constitution that states clearly, under Section 33, that clearly defines the rights of citizens to freely protest in a peaceful way.

“But where a peaceful protest turns into riot, violence and looting, there is a law and order duty to be performed.”

No link between #EndSARS protesters and hoodlums, Falana reacts

However, Falana pooh-poohed the Presidency’s claims, noting that “During the #EndSARS protests, the Federal Government conceded the fundamental right of Nigerian youths to protest peacefully.

‘’The protests were generally peaceful. Unfortunately, the police did not provide security for the protesters as required by the law. Hence, hoodlums took over the protests.

“By the way, the hoodlums are products of the decadent and neo-liberal economic policy of the Federal Government. There is no nexus between the #EndSARS protesters and the hoodlums.

“It is unfortunate that the government is being misled as usual. They should go ahead and charge the #EndSARS protesters in a criminal court if there is any scintilla of evidence indicting them.

“We have travelled through this dangerous route before to the detriment of national development,” Femi Falana added.

Marafa remains suspended, says Zamfara APC





Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said Senator Kabiru Marafa has no locus standi to speak on the any issue affecting the party.

It insisted that the Zamfara Central senator had been suspended from the party since 2019.

Marafa, on Sunday, asked the Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the party to organise a national convention in December, in line with the mandate given to it or quit.

But in a statement yesterday in Abuja, Zamfara State APC Chairman Lawal Liman said having been suspended from the party since last year, Marafa lacked the status of a member to speak on any matter considering the APC.

Liman said: “As far as we are concerned in APC in Zamfara State, Senator Marafa remains sacked because since 2019, we suspended him in accordance with the party’s constitution and our decision has been forwarded to the APC National headquarters in Abuja. We call on the National Caretaker Committee of the party to ratify his suspension.”

Party members and the public were advised to disregard any statement from Marafa on APC.

APC convention holds in 2021, NEC meeting before Christmas





There were strong indications on Monday that the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress would meet before December 25.

The PUNCH gathered that because of the limited time at the disposal of the party’s National Convention Planning Committee, it would seek an extension of its tenure for six months during the meeting.

Multiple sources in the party, who confided in our correspondent, said it was becoming inevitable that the national convention would hold next year.

Recall that the APC NEC at its meeting in the Presidential Villa on June 25, 2020, dissolved the Adams Oshiomhole National Working Committee and set up a panel headed by the Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni.

According to the decision reached at the NEC meeting and the constitution of the party, the Buni-led interim committee has a six-month tenure within which it is expected to organise a national convention, where substantive leaders of the party will emerge.

But multiple sources within the party’s hierarchy, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Monday because they were not authorised to speak to the media on the issue, said it was now almost certain that “the convention can no longer hold this year.”

One of the sources said, “The process of rebuilding anything takes time, efforts and patience. The wounds inflicted on cohesion within the party by Adams Oshiomhole are still fresh.

“You will agree with me that the National Caretaker Committee started the reconciliation process while preparing for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states, respectively.

“With these elections over, they are just settling down to the real business of reconciling aggrieved party members and have just set in motion the machinery for the planned nationwide registration, update and revalidation of the party’s membership register.

“These are needed not just for record purposes, but to ensure that those who will participate in our forthcoming convention are actually party members. Other things being equal, we should have our National Executive Council meeting on or before December 25, when the initial six months given to the caretaker committee will lapse.”

Another party leader, who confided in The PUNCH, said, “It is almost certain that the interim committee is not prepared to hold the convention this year. If it is ready, it would have started preparations from the ward level. Besides, no timetable has been released for the convention.”

Hold convention in Dec or resign, Marafa group tells Buni

However, a factional leader of the party in Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa, restated his position that the caretaker committee, which was a creation of compromise, would be overreaching itself if it failed to hold a national convention by December.

He said, “Our position is clear; the Buni committee was given six months to conduct a national convention to elect substantive leaders of the party; that has not changed. It is either Buni does this by December or he resigns.”

The spokesperson for a group of party supporters under the aegis of Concerned APC Members, Abdullahi Dauda, while supporting Marafa’s position said, “We are waiting. The tenure of the committee will expire in December, so we expect our convention to hold on or before the expiration of the tenure of the caretaker committee. A fresh registration of members is not part of their mandate; they should leave that one for the incoming NWC.”

Disregard Marafa, he’s not an APC member – Zamfara faction

However, the National Secretariat recognised APC Chairman in Zamfara State, Alhaji Lawal Liman, in a statement titled: ‘Marafa Remains Suspended – Zamfara APC’, issued in Abuja on Monday in response to Marafa, said, “As far as we are concerned in the APC in Zamfara, Senator Marafa remains suspended because in 2019, we suspended him in accordance with the party’s constitution and our decision has been forwarded to the APC national secretariat, Abuja.

“We are calling on the National Caretaker Committee of the party to ratify his suspension. Therefore, members of the public should not regard him as a member of the APC. We don’t consider Marafa as our member, because he is being used by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party to disrupt the peace and stability in the party.”

We didn’t envisage enormity of our assignment, says Buni panel

When contacted, the Secretary of the Caretaker Committee, Senator John Akpan Udo-Edehe, told The PUNCH in an interview on Monday that every member of the party had a right to hold and express an opinion.

He, however, said the party under the leadership Buni, was currently focused on its core mandate of reconciling aggrieved members.

According to him, the committee is working hard to ensure that party members go into the convention as one united family.

Udo-Edehe said, “The important thing is that when the six-month tenure was given to us by NEC, it did not envisage that the enormous crises in the party would take this long to resolve. When we took over, we went round the country to meet our leaders and explain things to them.

“The party brought us from all over Nigeria, because you cannot play politics, especially in the APC, without reaching out to (Asiwaju Ahmed) Tinubu and Baba (Bisi) Akande; we went and explained things to them; that was the first thing we did.

“We inherited a crisis from the former NWC; we had a crisis in Edo and had to set up a committee headed by Ken Nnamani, the former Senate President, to reconcile everybody so that we could win. We had a situation where our state chairman accused the other group of working with the opposition party. We went for the campaign and election; how many months did that take?

“We went on to conduct the primary in Ondo and it took a lot of time; other aspirants were against the governor and we had to bring them on board so that we could win; this took time.

“We set up a reconciliation committee headed by the Niger State Governor. When we came back, we had to organise primaries to replace senators, who died and those that were removed by courts.

“When we finished, COVID-19 came and because of the COVID-19 protocols, we could not gather. Even with that, we were preparing that INEC will hold the elections and the #EndSARS protests came and you cannot play politics under that atmosphere; even INEC had to postpone the elections and it doesn’t have a date for the elections yet.

“We don’t have the power to extend our stay; we are not asking for it; we are all very busy people. Those, who are saying we should not go ahead with the registration, go to your APC ward chairman and ask him to give you the register of members in your ward if he has one. What we want to do is to complement what was done before; we want to have a proper register of members and have a database.”

He added, “We want to build the party from bottom up. If you are going for a convention, are you not going to elect delegates and in a state where you have a parallel exco, who do you elect? We don’t want to leave loopholes. We want to return the party back to the real owners, the ordinary people.

“It is only when you finish what you are doing that you take a timetable to those who sent you; it is left for them to agree or disagree.”

He, however, refused to speak on the proposed date for the NEC meeting and whether or not the committee would be requesting additional time.

It’s important we hold convention as a united party, says Nabena

The Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena, who also spoke in a similar vein, said while a section of the media had been awash with reports of a tenure extension for the committee, it remained focused on achieving and sustaining its core mandate of reconciliation.

He said, “It is important that the APC conducts its planned national convention to produce the party’s national leadership as a united house. Otherwise, the main aim of constituting the CECPC following the dissolution of the immediate-past National Working Committee will be defeated.

According to him, the Buni-led CECPC has over the past few months displayed an uncommon determination to rebuild the party from the ashes of the crises, which led to the dissolution of the former NWC.

He maintained that it remained to the credit of the committee that it was able to reconcile aggrieved members in at least 10 states of the federation and had brought on board notable party members for one reason or the other.

Fire destroys N1.2m worth properties in Osun





SHOP owners in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Monday counted their losses as fire razed shops and destroyed properties.

The affected shops were part of a shopping complex located at Orita Aje Street, Testing Ground area.

The Nation gathered that the fire started in one of the shops following power surge, before it affected three other shops.

One of the shop owners, identified as Akande, told our reporter that the fire started at a computer accessories shop that was locked.

He said it lasted about 45 minutes before the State and Federal Fire Service officials were alerted to put it out.

He noted that the intervention of the firefighters prevented the fire from gutting the whole shopping complex.

The Administrative Officer of the Osun Fire Fighters, Mr. Fatai Aremu, said the office responded promptly upon receiving a distress call from owners of goods in the shops.

He said: “Four of the shops were completely burnt before the arrival of men of the Fire Service, while the rest were partially affected by the fire. Properties lost to the incident worth N1.2 million