Former President Goodluck Jonathan paid a visit to All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje at his Abuja home.

On Friday morning, the ruling party shared pictures from the visit on its X account.

“National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, received in audience former President Goodluck Jonathan @GEJonathan at his residence in Abuja,” the caption reads on the post.

As at the time this report was filed, the visit’s objective was unknown.

Contrary to rumours, Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), has stated that he has no issues with Benue state Governor Hyacinth Alia.

Remember that there have been persistent allegations among Benue state supporters of the Governor and the SGF about a falling out over who will rule the state politically.

Speaking to All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders on Saturday in Makurdi, the SGF issued a warning over the false reports that he and the Governor are at odds.

Sen. Akume warned those he labelled as “political jobbers who bring issues between me and the Governor to stay away because I am at peace with him and we are not quarrelling,” through the presence of elder statesman Simon Shango. I thus want the party to be aware that there is no miscommunication between myself and the governor.

Additionally, the SGF issued a warning, saying that the party was committed to making sure that no one stole its mandate.

He commended the Governor for his stewardship since assuming office in May saying, “though there might be problems here and there but he is solving them one after the other.”

The SGF pointed out that he understood the background of the Governor as a Priest and the political terrain he had found himself saying “in the church all you need to say is an amen but that is not the same in politics where we have disagreements and sometimes quarrel to agree.

“But I can assure you that we will continue to support you to move the state forward.”

Elder Shango who also represented the Minister of Water Resources and Sanitation, Prof. Terlumun Utsev, said the Minister urged the people of the state to unite for the good of the state.

Addressing the gathering, Governor Alia commended the call for unity of purpose in the state by political leaders assuring that all would be done to ensure unity in the state in order to enable his government “restore the glory of the state.”

The governor claimed that a great deal of work has been completed in the state since taking office, including the State Assembly complex’s refurbishment, continuous work on 16 Makurdi township roads, and street lighting in the state capital.

The governor also listed some of the accomplishments of his administration’s last five months, including the timely delivery of fertiliser subsidies and the restoration of some degree of peace to the state. He also asked for continued support so that his administration could continue to provide the benefits of democracy to the populace.

In Owerri The Independent National Electoral Commission, or INEC, said that the results of the Imo state governorship election held on Saturday from each of the state’s 27 council areas have been compiled. 

This was said by Abayomi Fasina, the state collation and returning officer, at the INEC office in Owerri following the announcement of the final results from the Mbaitoli Council area. 

Fasina requested an hour-long recess, following which the results and the winner will be announced. 

Nonetheless, the All Progressives Congress, or APC, led by incumbent governor Hope Uzodimma was ahead, according to the INEC results of the state’s 27 council areas. 

The candidates for governor from the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senators Athan Achonu and Samuel Anyanwu, respectively, trailed Uzodimma.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emeifele, was brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The EFCC had failed to comply with the order of the FHC directing it to produce Emefiele in court on Monday or release him unconditionally.

Following the disobedience by the commission, the court restated its order and adjourned proceedings till Wednesday.

However, EFCC complied with the order as Emefiele was led into the court by heavily armed operatives.

The judge is, however, yet to sit.

A native doctor named Danladi Ya’u of Damaiwa village is being pursued by Nigeria Police, Bauchi Command officers via Bursali ward Zaki LGA, Bauchi State. Ya’u shot and killed Muhammadu Murtala Ali for the sole purpose of testing a bulletproof charm.

According to SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, the spokesman for the Bauchi Police Command, two suspects have been taken into custody in relation to the regrettable occurrence, Vanguard was informed on Wednesday.

“On 31/10/2023 at about 0830hrs, information received from the officer-in-charge of the Bursali Police Outstation under Zaki Division revealed that one Danladi Ya’u ‘m’ aged 28yrs of Damaiwa village via Bursali ward Zaki LGA, Bauchi State, a native doctor (Mediciner) and three other accomplices now at large went to Damaiwa bush with the sole aim to test a gun medicine on one Muhammadu Murtala Ali ‘m’ aged 43yrs of the same address.

“In the process, the said Muhammadu Murtala was unfortunately penetrated (shot) with the locally made gun by the said Danladi Ya’u.

“On receipt of the report, a team of detectives led by DPO Zaki swiftly swung into action, rushed to the scene, and evacuated the victim to General Hospital Jakusko Yobe State for medical attention, where he was certified dead by a medical doctor.

“Moreover, two suspects were immediately arrested, and efforts have been intensified to trace and arrest the fleeing accomplices. The investigation is ongoing, after which the defendants will be charged to court,” he said.

We spent N500m on toilets, Jigawa commissioner says

The Jigawa administration claims to have spent N500 million installing better restrooms at state-wide schools, hospitals, marketplaces, and parking lots.

Alhaji Ibrahim Hannungiwa, the Commissioner for Water Resources, made this announcement on Wednesday in Dutse. He also mentioned that the government has taken aggressive steps to guarantee the state’s continued leadership as a “Open Defecation Free” state.

Hannungiwa claims that by 2025, the state hopes to have surpassed the country’s ODF target.

Hannungiwa said the feat was achieved by putting in a lot of effort through the execution of viable policies and programmes in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

The Commissioner added that the state had set up a committee to work out modalities for the sustainability of its ODF status by ensuring total eradication of the menace.

“Under this committee, more standard public conveniences would be provided at public places and along highways in the state.

“The state government has done a lot in the area of public enlightenment on the importance of using toilets, especially in rural communities.

“Jigawa State is the first and the only state so far declared Open Defeacation Free in the country by the UNICEF,” he said, adding that the UN Agency appointed the state governor, Umar Namadi, as ODF Ambassador.

He said the governor is expected to deliver a paper on the Nigerian situation in the fight against the ODF at a conference billed to be held in Canada.

(NAN)

On Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu said that cabinet members would only be allowed to hold their positions for a limited time, contingent upon periodic reviews of their performance.

At the State House Conference Centre in Abuja, Tinubu made the statement while opening the 2023 Cabinet Retreat for Ministers, Presidential Aides, Permanent Secretaries, and Top Government Functionaries.

“If you are performing, nothing to fear, if you miss the objective we review, if you don’t perform, you leave us… Don’t be a clog in the wheel of Nigeria’s progress,” said the president.

Tinubu noted that his Special Adviser on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Usman, who will spearhead the Result Delivery Unit, will closely monitor the performances of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies across the eight priority areas of his administration.

These include Food Security—To promote economic growth and development through job creation, food security and putting an end to poverty; Ending Poverty—To promote economic growth and development through job creation, food security and putting an end to poverty; Economic Growth and Job Creation—To promote economic growth and development through job creation, and putting an end to poverty and Access to Capital—To promote economic growth and development through job creation, food security and putting an end to poverty.

Others are Inclusivity: Drawing on all Skills bass—To prominently feature women and youth in national activities; Security—To defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality; Fairness and rule of law—To be impartial and govern according to the constitution and ensure the rule of law and Anti-Corruption Stance—To discourage corruption whilst strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies.

Tinubu also made it clear that performances would be evaluated and accountability upheld.

This includes a performance bond to form the basis of periodic reviews and evaluations.

“At the end of this retreat, you will sign a performance bond with me…You are here to help me succeed and succeed I must…I have appointed a dynamic young lady Hadiza Bala Usman as my SA on Policy Coordination. If you have a problem with her, come to me. If you don’t, stay where you are and work,” he told the ministers.

More so, Tinubu stressed the importance of collaborative efforts to propel the country forward and reaffirmed his confidence in the democratic process.

He declared that he had accepted the assets and liabilities of his predecessor, telling the participants that although chaos exists around them, they must be focused like one driving in a tunnel to deliver the goods.

“You don’t look at the skies or sideways, face your front and focus on your lane,” he advised.

While noting that his administration has spent the last six months “reviewing ourselves,” he stressed the importance of good healthcare and quality education, which he said is the best weapon against poverty.

The president assured foreign investors that they would be able to bring in their capital, invest and repatriate their gains without hiccups.

He declared the country open for business while promising to remove obstacles to economic growth.

All ministers and ministers of state are seated for the three-day exercise, except the Minister of Tourism, Mrs Lola Ade-John, who was not spotted at the meeting.

The withdrawal of fuel subsidies by President Bola Tinubu’s administration, according to Dr. Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, was the right choice for Nigerians.

The lack of investment in local refining, he said, has had serious economic repercussions, including job losses and the slowing of the expansion of allied companies.

Dr. Otti argued that the Federal Government should have engaged in more strategic planning and communication before reducing the subsidy to protect the public from the anticipated shocks. He was speaking as the 63rd Founders’ Day lecturer of the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Enugu State.

While speaking on the theme: ‘Petroluem Subsidy Removal: Dealing with the Challenges, Harnessing the Opportunities,’ he said that the petrol subsidy should have been removed 10 years ago to place the nation on the path of sustainable national development.

The biggest winners, according to him, were wealthy businesses who could pool their resources to invest in gasoline importation under the previous regime, which only approved subsidy payments for imported petrol. According to him, this system supported arbitrage, waste, and other types of corruption because it lacked efficient monitoring and reporting mechanisms and was purposefully manipulated by well-connected people working with dishonest officials.

According to Governor Otti, the complicated subsidy system encouraged a lot of unhealthy behaviours, and in the end, rather than benefiting from the significant investment as had been intended, the poor ended up financing the extravagant lifestyle of the wealthy and well-connected.

“One thing I have learnt in communicating policies and plans is that you can never get everyone to agree with your proposals. However, sincere and clear communication, using various channels would help on two fronts: buy you genuine public support and give your audience an opportunity to understand your intentions better.

 “The removal of fuel subsidy was clearly the right decision and should have been done about ten years ago or earlier but even then, I am of the considered opinion that more could have been done to insulate the public from the anticipated shocks.

“Being a policy that would introduce shock into the system, I believe it should have been communicated better. I do not think that much was done to properly educate the public on the issues at stake,” he said.

He further cited examples from other nations, like Angola and Senegal, where governments strategically retained subsidies on essential products for the poor.

Advocating for a more comprehensive policy framework to support specific areas of needs as identified by the World Bank, he stated that measures such as subsidized mass transit, cash transfers, food assistance, and low-interest agricultural loans should have been considered to support the urban and rural poor.

He advocated for the quick adoption of strong policies to address rising poverty and unemployment and voiced concern that the subsidy’s elimination has worsened living conditions for citizens.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Charles Igwe, stated in his welcome speech that the Founders’ Day lecture is reserved for individuals of exceptional accomplishments and that it aims to create an opportunity for serious reflections and discussions on issues of national and global interests.

The Vice Chancellor praised Governor Otti as a top-notch economist, banker, and dynamic manager of people and resources and mentioned that the speaker belonged to a select group of University graduates after receiving an Honorary Doctorate from the school.