The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • INEC to publish names, particulars of candidates for Kogi, Bayelsa polls

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is to publish names of candidates and their particulars for Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections today, The Nation gathered on Thursday.

    Fifty-two parties submitted lists of nominated candidates for Bayelsa State, while 49 parties submitted for Kogi.

    INEC monitored 64 primaries in Bayelsa and 59 in Kogi.

    The publication of the list and particulars, according to the National Commissioner & Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Festus Okoye, is in accordance “with the Electoral Act and in line with the timetable and schedule of activities for the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections.”

    He said in a statement that the particulars of the nominees “will be published on the notice boards of our offices in Yenagoa and Lokoja.”

    Okoye urged the parties to comply with the guidelines and schedule of activities.

    Read Also: EFCC’s intervention gave credibility to 2019 elections – INEC

    “As we continue to prepare for the Bayelsa and Kogi governorship elections scheduled for November 16, the commission once more reminds the parties of the timelines in the timetable and schedule of activities and requests in strict compliance with them. We look forward to working with the parties and other stakeholders to make the forthcoming elections in the two states free, fair and credible,” he said.

    The national commissioner said as required by law, the commission monitored the parties’ primaries, adding that the list of aspirants who emerged had been published.

    “From our records, 64 parties conducted primaries in Bayelsa State as against 59 in Kogi State. Out of these, 52 parties for Bayelsa State and 49 for Kogi submitted the list of candidates and their particulars at the close of nomination at 6pm on September 9. While some of the parties that conducted primaries did not submit any list and particulars of candidates, a few failed to submit within the time limit prescribed by the commission. Out of the 101 nominees for the two states, 91 are men, representing 90 per cent, while 10 are women, representing 10 per cent of the nominees. Of the 52 nominees for Bayelsa State, six are women, while 46 are men. The corresponding figures for Kogi State are four women and 45 male nominees.

    “The publication of the particulars of nominees is for the public to make claims and objections regarding these candidates, as required by law. Similarly, the commission has observed from a preliminary review of the list and particulars submitted by the parties that some of the governorship and deputy-governorship candidates are below the minimum age prescribed by the constitution for these positions. The commission will notify the concerned parties soon and subsequently consider further action,” he said.

  • Tribunal orders rerun in Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency

    The National and State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia has ordered rerun election across seven electoral wards of Lafia/Obi Federal Constituency, over illegal cancellation of results.

    Read Also: Tribunal okays Jibrin

    Justice Weli Chechey, the chairman of Panel 2 of the tribunal, gave the order while delivering judgement yesterday on the petition filed by Haruna Kigbu, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) in the February 23 general election challenging the victory of Dahiru Abubakar of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    According to Justice Chechey, the cancellation of the results in 24 polling units of Agyaragu Tofa Electoral Ward of Lafia Local Government Area (LGA) by the LGA collation officer was illegal.

  • Lagos Deputy Speaker: stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse

    Deputy Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly Rt Hon. Wasiu Esinlokun Sanni has urged residents, particularly traders, to stop the indiscriminate dumping of refuse on medians and gutters in the state.

    Sanni spoke on Wednesday in Lagos at meet-the-constituents parley for Lagos Island constituency 1.

    Sanni said the indiscriminate dumping of refuse has contributed immensely to the blockade of drainages which usually lead to flooding and traffic congestion.

    Read Also: LAWMA shuts Sangotedo market for illegal dumping of refuse

    The lawmaker spoke just as residents made a passionate return for the monthly sanitation exercise.

    They said a return of the monthly exercise would help sanitise the refuse collection system in the state.

    Sanni said residents need to support the government in its task of taking the state to greater heights, adding the issue of refuse and waste disposal is becoming a real menace.

    ”The Lagos State House of Assembly enjoined all residents to comply with all the state government’s regulations regarding waste control and disposal, embrace attitudinal change, and continue to support the state government in is effort to take Lagos to greater height.”

  • ‘Many Lagos buildings are distressed’

    There are lots of distressed buildings in Lagos State that could go down any time, General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) Mrs. Abiola Kosegbe has said.

    Kosegbe was speaking at a stakeholders, meeting on collapsed building organised by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) at Alausa, Ikeja.

    But, this piece of information is not exactly fresh. Many building in the state often come crashing down, killing occupants and rendering survivors homeless.

    What is Kosegbe’s agency doing about it?

    Read Also: I’m afraid to go to school again, says pupil who survived Lagos building collapse

    She said: “We intend to hopefully come out with a lot of things that will help in preventing building collapse. Usually, when distressed structures are identified, we mark them and the owners are expected to take them down or perform needed repairs.

    “But now, the government is being proactive and we try most times to take action before such buildings collapse. Currently, there are a lot of distress buildings in Lagos. Hopefully, in the next two to three months, we are going to try to address the situation one by one.”

    Director General of LASEMA Dr. Femi Oke-Osayintolu said the meeting became necessary because of the need for holistic approach in preventing building collapse.

    He said there was need to understand the remote causes of building collapse in the state, adding that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has made safety of life and property a priority.

    President, Architects Council of Nigeria (ARCON) Dipo Ajayi said the government, professionals in construction and the people all share blames, adding that over 100 buildings have collapsed in the last three years across the country.

  • IRT busts another kidnap syndicate, arrests alleged kingpin

    An alleged kidnap kingpin Bello Abdul, 40, alias Yellow was on Tuesday evening arrested by operatives of the Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT).

    Yellow was arrested at his hideout in Niger State by detectives who have been on his trail following allegations of operating an armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping syndicate that spanned across Katsina, Zamfara, Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    It was gathered that his gangs which had mainly young boys were responsible for over 150 kidnappings and several murders along the Abuja-Kaduna highways and Kajuru.

    A source who hinted on the arrest told our Correspondent that seven AK47 rifles were recovered from Yellow, adding that the suspect had countless others yet to be retrieved.

    He said: “He confessed that he used to buy the AK47A rifles at N50,000 each and he has so many of them. So far, we have recovered seven from him. He used to buy ammunition in containers.

    “This man is a dangerous suspect. He has been on the wanted list for a long time and we have been trailing him. Each time he was located in an area, he would run to another location. He controls so many gangs and his network goes as far as Zamfara and Katsina. But finally he has been caught.”

    Read Also: Police parade 58 ‘kidnappers, robbers’

    In a video where Yellow was being questioned by IRT operatives, the suspect confessed to have killed over 10 people and kidnapped more than 50.

    The suspect who spoke Hausa said:

    “Yes I am married with five children. I was in Niger State. I was in Kajuru before but I moved to Niger in Iyamadamakwa. I live in Kara.

    “Since I relocated to the village, I have been calm. I was into armed robbery and kidnapping. I have kidnapped about 50 times. I have collected N3m like six times. I have collected N10m, N17m, and N19m from different places.

    “I operate along Abuja-Kaduna road.

    I use small boys and those from my village in Maidaro. My boys are in Katsina and Zamfara. They are in nine places.

    “I used AK47 rifles and I bought them N50,000 each from one Yaro Alhaji at Kajori. I buy like a container of ammunition. A single ammunition is N1,000.

    “I have killed like 10 people. I killed one because the family insulted me on phone when I called them. Others were killed because their families did not pay ransom. I have rustled about 200 cows.

    “I did all these things before but I have stopped them now. I have calmed down. If I call my brother Alhaji Abu, he will bring those weapons I used for kidnapping.”

  • Lagos Mainland stakeholders back Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, Bello to excel

    Political stakeholders in Mainland/Yaba Local Government Areas have expressed faith in All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Mr Tunji Bello.

    They said they trusted the trio to improve the political and socio-economic fortunes of the area, the state and by extension the country.

    The first 100 days of Governor Sanwo-Olu, they added, were “a successful take-off with considerable promise to lift Lagos State to hitherto unattained heights.”

    They praised Asiwaju Tinubu for the “tenacity with which he champions the cause of progressive change in every sphere of national endeavors, across the nation and Lagos State in particular.”

    The stakeholders stated this at a special prayer and thanksgiving ceremony for Sanwo-Olu, Tinubu and Bello, hosted and organised by Leader Mainland Independent Group, Alhaji Ibrahim Megida.

    Read Also: Why Lagos is magnet point for investors, by Tinubu

    One of the stakeholders, Hon Adedayo Macaulay, said: “We are indeed grateful for Hon Tunji Bello’s appointment, because apart from his proven competence, Hon Bello has continued to empower lots of Mainlanders right from his first tenure as commissioner and even up till now. He has never been tired in his effort at making Mainland and its people better”.

    Others, who praised Bello “for his immense developmental strides”, include Hon Abiodun Folajimi, Hon Tokunbo Wright, Hon Segun Davies and Revered Gloria Aina.

    Bello’s Special Assistant, Hon Ibrahim Alao Megida, described him as “a special gift to Mainland and its people, in view of his enormous role in the development of the local government area and its people through his several empowerment programmes from which several lots of people have benefitted.”

    Others at the event included Hon Olanrewaju Osun, representing Mainland I Constituency in the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon Bola Aileru, Vice-Chairman Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Dr. Tokunbo Oluwole, Alhaji Jubril Emilagba, Vice-Chairman, Mainland LGA, Alhaji Raheem Ibrahim, Chairman L.G.A. Yaba.

    They expressed gratitude to the trio

    Another participant, Chief Imam Qasim M.O. Lawal led a team of 10 chief Imams and Alfas to the event which took place at the Remi Tinubu Hall, Yaba L.C.D.A.

    Lawal described Bello as “a God-fearing young man who will enjoy special blessings which Allah has reserved for those who are special to him.

  • Davido proposes to Chioma, gets a yes

  • ‘Nigeria’ll abide by OPEC’s rules’

    The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Chief Timipre Sylva, on Wednesday said the Federal Government will comply with the rules of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

    “It is not every day,”  he said when asked about current overproduction. “We are team players. We will do what OPEC asks,” he told Reuters.

    Meanwhile, Californian refineries began loading up on Nigerian oil – taking cargoes of Qua Iboe, Bonga, Erha, Forcados and others, according to traders and Refinitiv Eikon data.

    Marathon Oil at its Long Beach refinery has been the most consistent buyer, with another very large crude carrier (VLCC) full of Forcados oil departing Nigeria on Thursday.

    Traders said a combination of market factors – including the difficulty and expense of getting U.S. crude oil to the West Coast – made Nigerian grades attractive.

    “It makes more cost sense. Even if U.S. crude is closer on the map, when you factor in the price and availability of taking in barrels from Louisiana or Nigeria, Nigeria came out cheaper,” one seller of West African oil said.

    The purchases are a rare glimmer of hope this year for Nigerian oil, which now competes with U.S. shale for buyers, including in its top outlet, India.

    The United States had historically been a heavy importer of crude oil, but shale production, coupled with the lifting of a four-decade export ban, transformed it into a net exporter of oil and fuels by late last year.

    Barrels from this U.S. oil bonanza sailing to domestic shores face added costs, however, due to a century-old law called the Jones Act, which mandates that only U.S.-flagged vessels can transport it.

    The restriction often makes freight within the United States more costly than much longer journeys.

    But traders warn the surprise opening of the West Africa-West Coast export window, or arb, could be short-lived due to the timescales and distance involved.

    “The arb may be already shutting. The price factors which made a cargo exporting today look like a good deal would have been happening over a month ago when the deal was made,” a major buyer of West African oil said.

    “They won’t be the same today and certainly won’t be the same over a month from now when the cargo arrives.”

    The need to refine oil into low-sulphur shipping fuels in time for stricter environmental rules on Jan. 1 may also have lured those cargoes, as West Africa is home to the kinds of crude most suited to such products. This boon could be fleeting too.

    “The honeymoon will be over in a year from now,” said Ehsan Ul-Haq, lead analyst with Refinitiv.

    “At present, all refiners are desperate to produce marine gasoil or very low-sulphur fuel oil. Once the market reaches equilibrium … there will be less interest.”

    Prince Abdulaziz said the pillars of Saudi Arabia’s policy would not change and a global deal to cut oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day would survive.

    He added that the so-called OPEC+ alliance between OPEC and non-member countries including Russia was staying for the long term.

    Russia’s oil output in August exceeded its quota under the OPEC+ agreements.

    OPEC oil output in August rose for the first month this year as higher supply from Iraq and Nigeria outweighed restraint by Saudi Arabia and losses caused by U.S. sanctions on Iran.

    On Sunday, the United Arab Emirates’ energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said OPEC and non-OPEC producers were “committed” to achieving oil market balance.

    The OPEC+ deal’s joint ministerial monitoring committee meets on Thursday in Abu Dhabi.

    Trade and geopolitical tensions are affecting the market, Mazrouei said.

    Executives at the annual Asia Pacific Petroleum Conference said on Monday they expect oil prices this year to be pressured by uncertainties surrounding the global economy, the U.S.-China trade war and increasing U.S. supplies.

    Elsewhere, China’s crude oil imports gained about 3% in August from a month earlier, customs data showed on Sunday, buoyed by a recovery in refining margins despite a persistent surplus of oil products and tepid demand.

    The United States is “very concerned” about China’s purchases of Iranian oil, Dan Brouillette, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Energy, said on Monday.

    The United States last year withdrew from a nuclear deal that world powers had done with Iran in 2015, and reimposed sanctions to strangle Iran’s vital oil trade

  • PDP BoT to Wike: Prove allegation of corruption against our members

    The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike or any other member with proof of corruption against members of a committee set up by the Board to investigate issues surrounding the emergence Mr Godwin Ndudi Elumelu as Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.

    Elumelu had emerged Minority Leader against the choice of the leadership of the PDP, which favoured another Rep member, Mr Kingsley Chinda.

    Governor Wike, who was also opposed to Elumelu’s emergence, has accused the committee members of having succumbed to corrupt influences with the view to slanting their report to favour Elumelu.

    The BoT committee, which was set up on July 9, had a Third Republic President of the Senate, Dr Iyorchia Ayu as chairman.

    Read Also: BREAKING: Wike breaks ranks with PDP, congratulates Buhari

    Other members are Senator David Mark, Senator Adolphus Wabara, Senator Ibrahim Mantu. A former Deputy Reps Speaker, Austin Opara served as secretary.

    All the committee members are members of the BoT.

    But reacting to Wike’s accusations, the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jubril, said the mere submission of a report by the committee did not imply issuing a clean bill of health to Elumelu and other Rep members who turned against the party’s choice.

    He also challenged any member of the party with proof of allegations against any member of the committee to speak out instead of casting aspersions on the members.

    The BoT chairman said the Board will meet on Thursday next week to deliberate on the committee’s report and take a decision

    Senator Jubril said, “I will not condemn any member of the committee without any proof of evidence of corruption. I challenge anybody anywhere to provide proof of the allegations of corruption.

    “He who alleges must show evidence of corruption. It is not enough to accuse anyone of any wrong doing. I call on anyone; both party members and non-party members to come forward with evidence of corruption and you will see what the BoT will do”.

    The BoT chair enjoined aggrieved party members to take advantage of the existing internal conflict resolution mechanism to table their grievances, instead of spreading unfounded allegations.

    Also reacting to the governor’s allegations, a member of the committee, Wabara said it would be premature to join issues with Wike, as the BoT had yet to discuss or taken a decision on the report.

    “But permit me to make it abundantly clear to our performing Governor of Rivers State that Wabara is not corrupt and that I do not think that all the other distinguished members of this committee are.

    “We are experienced and tested authorities on legislative matters and the unity of our great party without concealed interest in 2023 was paramount.

    “I will not unwittingly discuss the content of the report on the pages of newspapers until the BoT takes a decision on the recommendations of the Ayu committee report”.

    Contacted for reaction, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said its internal affairs of the party and that the matter was being resolved.

    Wike had, on Wednesday, said, “The committee set up by the PDP on the illegal emergence of Ndudi Elumelu is the most corrupt committee ever set up by the party.

    “We thank our worthy son, Rt Hon Austin Opara, for withdrawing from that committee, so that he is not entangled in the illegal activities of the tainted committee”.

    The governor’s reaction was sequel to the withdrawal of Opara as secretary of the committee.

  • ‘I’m still in PDP’ – Timi Alaibe

    A Former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Timi Alaibe has dismissed reports that he defected to the Alliance for Democracy (AD) following his failure to clinch the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Alaibe said he remains a loyal member of PDP despite being bombarded by requests and offers from other parties.

    A statement by his campaign organisation, signed by the Administrative Secretary, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, said no decision had been taken on his next move.

    The statement, titled “Hope is on the way”, reads: “The Timi Alaibe Campaign Organisation notes that since the declaration of results of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries in Bayelsa State, our supporters have been left without clear and precise information as to the next step to be taken by our Principal, Chief Ndutimi Alaibe, in search of justice in a deliberate adulteration of due process in the conduct of the primary election.

    “We thank our supporters and the people of Bayelsa State for their unprecedented support, evidenced by dead silence in the state on September 4, peaceful conduct and patience since the unacceptable election result was announced last week.

    “We apologise for the vacuum created by our silence which has given rise to various speculations planted in the media by those who masterminded the injustice to confuse the people. Be assured that this evil act against the wish of the people, carried out by a handful of selfish people who decided to play god by imposing their personal decisions on us, will not go unchallenged. At the end, Bayelsa people – who are in the majority — will have their way.

    “As it is traditional in matters of this kind, we needed to consult our supporters, particularly the stakeholders — including our vibrant youth and women — before taking any step or embarking on any decision in search of redress or alternatives. We are almost at the end of the necessary consultations.

    “However, let it be stated that Chief Alaibe has not joined any political party as bandied in the media. He is still a loyal member of the PDP despite being bombarded by requests and offers of opportunity by other political parties. That decision has not been taken. Any speculation to the contrary remains what it is —mere speculation.

    “Conscious of the deadlines provided in the Electoral Act and the PDP Constitution regarding any action deemed necessary in matters of this nature, we have decided that whatever needs to be done must be done fast.

    “We appeal to our supporters to remain calm as it would be made known within the next 48 hours, a necessary action that will ensure that Bayelsa people have the governor they deserve, in the person of Chief Alaibe.”