Thunderous welcome for Tinubu in Maiduguri

Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to save the nation from drift and anarchy by obeying the Supreme Court ruling on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s policy on Naira redesign and swap.

He said:”There is no shame in rescinding a decision adjudged not only unpopular and counter-productive, but which also bears the insidious seeds of potential conflagration in the land, one of the ostensible reasons for this ill-conceived policy.”

Akeredolu said in a statement that the policy has threatened to disrupt the general elections and constitute serious danger to democratic governance.

The Governor appealed to Muhammadu to be a statesman to halt the crisis.

Akeredolu said:”There is incontrovertible evidence bordering on miscalculation, error of judgement and/or disinformation on the part of the policy makers, especially the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele, on the failed implementation of the policy, the effect of which compels the whole country to groan, immeasurably, at present. “
The Governor said while Buhari and Emefiele are empowered under the law to exercise some powers on the monetary policy, it cannot be the original intention of the policy to create hardship and agony for Nigerians.

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Noting the safety of the people is the supreme law, Akeredolu said:”Any measure, purportedly designed to ameliorate their conditions, must not reduce the entire populace to a beggarly existence.

“There is pervasive discontent in the land. A policy, presented as currency swap, must not be construed by both the reasonable members and people of average intelligence in the society to convey the deplorable impression of contrived subterfuge manifest in the official confiscation of legitimate deposits of the people in banks, as a counter measure against electoral malfeasance, terrorism and banditry.”

He added:”Desirable as the policy appears to be, its implementation excites curiosity as regards the real motive of its drivers, especially at this time when the conduct of general elections is almost here.

” The mere knowledge that the N1000 and N500 notes represented 82 % of the currency in circulation and that the N200 note, whose validity has been extended, by fiat, for another 60 days, represented 7%, expose the mendacious slant in the advice given to Mr President. This counsel clearly misrepresented, deliberately, the facts as they existed before the commencement of the implementation of the policy.

“The implementation of this policy has been woeful despite claims to the contrary. The suffering of the masses, occasioned by the non-availability of new notes to replace the old ones, equally decreed out of existence by presidential fiat in contravention of the CBN Act, 2007, could have been averted if the strategy of a gradual and systematic withdrawal of the old currency notes had been adopted.
” I make bold to assert that the unfolding events across the country show that the policy has failed significantly.

“It is, therefore, expected that the President will halt this needless drift into the abyss of chaos, more so, when the ruling of highest court still subsists.

“I call on the President to allow both the old and new notes co-exist until such a time when normalcy returns to the country.

“It will be a fitting parting gift for the people of this country, especially the downtrodden, who feel the negative impact of the poorly implemented policy.

“While the reasons adduced for the policy appear legitimate, there can be no justification for the confiscation of the lawful earnings of Nigerians.

” The negative impact which the mediocre and, I dare say, mischievous implementation of the policy by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria is having on the poor people and small business owners defeats all the good programmes of the Federal Government designed to elevate as many people as possible out of the morass of poverty. “

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Northwest Youth leader AbdulHamid  Moh’d Oscar has assured northerners won’t betray his party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu next Saturday. 

He said no amount of campaign of calumny and gang-up by opposition  against Tinubu will succeed because he has paid his dues. 

According to Oscar, the APC presidential candidate stood by the North when he was needed most and has earned a pay back. 

The youth leader said Tinubu doesn’t need to reimburse anyone with money or buy his way to become President as his good deeds will pave way for him. 

Oscar, in a statement, said:  “We are the Northern youths and we will not betray Asiwaju for his past generosity. We also know that he has the north’s interest at heart. 

“Tinubu has sown a seed, so the  Northerners don’t even need money to vote him, we want what he is bringing to the table for the north after the elections. We believe based on his past track records, he will win.

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“We northerners are students of history and we know what the opposition are capable of doing. For God sake, PDP  failed Nigeria and now they are trying every possible means to crawl back to power and if they do, it will be disastrous for the common Nigerians.”

The Federal Government has warned 32 States, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja are on high alert ahead of predicted floods in 2023. 

Minister of Water Resource, Suleiman Adamu, announced this at the Annual Flood Outlook, AFO, organised by the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency, (NIHSA) in Abuja.

Adamu said 178 local government areas in 32 States of the Federation and the FCT fall within the high flood risk areas.

He said: “The forecasts for 2023 show that 178 local government areas in 32 states of the Federation and the FCT fall within the high flood risk areas.

“While 224 LGAs in 35 States including FCT, fall within the moderate flood risk areas. The remaining 372 LGAs fall within the low flood risk areas.

“The high flood risk states are as follows; Adamawa, Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross-River, Delta, Ebinyi, Ekiti, Edo, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe, Zamfara, and the Federal Capital Territory.

“High flood risk areas between the months of April and November 2023, and the level of floods in this category is expected to be high in terms of impact on the population, agriculture, livelihood livestock and infrastructure.”

Read Also : ‘Flood killed 29, affected 2,934 in Bauchi in 2022’

He added that parts of 66 LGAs across the country falls within the highest flood areas in April, May and June while parts of 114 LGAs fall in July, August and September with 100 LGAs falling in October and November 2023.

Adamu maintained the 2022 flood was the worst recorded in the country in terms of impact, affecting nearly all 36 States including the FCT with severe devastation anddestruction of properties, infrastructures, farmlands, agriculture and livestock. 

He stated that over 1.4 million people were affected, 616 persons killed, and thousands of people displaced. 

Wife of the presidential flag bearer of All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Oluremi Tinubu has faulted critics accusing him of being over-ambitious. 

She said service is the driving force propelling the ruling party standard bearer.

The  Lagos Central Senator said her husband is qualified to aspire for the nation’s highest office after serving others and seeing to their successes for 20 years.

Tinubu, who spoke on Friday at a pre-election strategic meeting with zonal, state and local government women leaders organised by the National Women Leader, Dr Beta Edu in Abuja, said “ticket of Tinubu-Shetimma is the best option for Nigerian women.”

According to her: “My husband has not contested an election since 2003. This year, it will be 20 years, so he did not just wake up and say it is my turn. If you served other people for 20 years and make sure they excel. I don’t believe you can’t ask for your place.

“The Bible says when you build, you should inhabit, when you sow, you should be the first part taker. It depends on how long you have invested.”

On the ongoing cash crunch and its effect on her husband’s chances, the former Lagos First Lady said the large crowd of party supporters at Tinubu-Shettima campaign rallies have shown that God, and not money has been propelling the campaigns. 

She said: “They told us, we are buying people to come to rallies. God now said  what I am going to do, I can shut the heavens, so there is no money and you will see my glory. Are we not seeing God’s glory?

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Appreciating the women for turning out in large numbers, the federal lawmaker said: “The strategic meeting of today is very important at this crucial time. I appreciate you all who have come from the 36 states and FCT and I am charging you, as women leaders, to go back to their states, wards and units to educate the women folks to vote for Tinubu/Shettima.

“This is our time. The popular saying ‘what a man can do, a woman too can do better.’ This is the decade for women. This is the time for women to take control again. Take control of our homes so that we can build our homes and nation.”

Counselling the women to be patient. She said: “Be patient and go and vote. When you vote, shine your eyes and monitor until they count your votes”.