National

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

As the presidency of Nigeria outgoing President, Muhammadu Buhari is gradually coming to an end, the president is seemingly busy with constitutional functions he would be performing for the last time.

The President, who was elected for the first time in 2015 was re-elected for a second term in 2019. Due to the two terms limit set by the Nigerian constitution, the president will hand over to his successor on May 29, 2023.

On Wednesday, he presided over the Valedictory Federal Executive Council Meeting. It is the last one he would be presiding over as president of the world’s most populous black nation.

His media aide, Buhari Sallau, made this known on his Facebook page as he shared photos from the meeting.

During the FEC meeting, Buhari also swore in the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Board and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo presented the Health Care Reform Committee Report to Buhari and the FEC at the Statehouse, Abuja.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Barely seven days before the expiration of his final tenure, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the long-awaited Dangote Refinery in Lagos. The newly commissioned refinery is the first private-owned oil refinery in Nigeria. 

The President was flanked by many dignitaries from within and outside Nigeria during the unveiling. He described the refinery as a ‘game changer’ for the country’s economy. 

“This clearly makes this event a notable milestone for our economy and a game changer for the downstream petroleum product market not only in Nigeria but the entire African continent,” He said.

The accomplished businessman and owner of the refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, gave the welcome remark at the unveiling ceremony.

He thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his support and said he was his source of inspiration at times he felt like giving up. 

He also appreciated the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, for ‘moving mountains’ in the course of the project. 

The billionaire also revealed that the first product of the $12 billion facility “will be in the market before the end of July, beginning of August this year”.

“Beyond today’s ceremony, our first goal is to ramp up production of the various products to ensure that within this year, we’re able to fully satisfy our nation’s demand for higher quality products,” he said.

The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemical is the largest single-train refinery in the world and has a capacity of 650,0000 capacity a day.

By Muhammadu Sabiu
 
The Labour Party (LP), the Peoples Democratic Party, and their presidential candidates’ requests for a live broadcast of the election petition proceedings in court have been declined by the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.
 
On Monday, Justice Haruna Tsammani, the Tribunal’s head, denied the request for live coverage of the court proceedings, adding that the request lacked merit.
 
The All Progressives Congress candidate, Bola Tinubu, won the presidential election on February 25.
 
Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s candidate for president, submitted a request on May 8 for live coverage of the court proceedings in his case.
 
Peter Obi, who was also running for president in the election, had also submitted a request for a live broadcast of the court hearings related to the election petition.
 

By Aliyu Nuhu

First; Nigeria does not generate enough electricity to support industries and sustain growth. When leaders talk of addressing poverty and unemployment they forget the single factor holding Nigerian economy down. With 3000-5000mw of electricity, the story of Nigeria will always be associated with darkness.

Second; Nigeria is still unable to employ its youths, about 90% of them finish schools and are sitting at home or roaming streets and committing crimes. The number is alarming.

Three; Industries are either closing down due to insecurity, absence of forex to import critical spare parts or electricity.

Four; Thousands of Nigerians are losing their jobs. MTN and some banks are still retrenching. Only government is employing and doing it selectively for sons and daughters of the elites, politicians and government officials. Government can’t employ everyone. As long as the private sector is not employing, unemployment will always be high in Nigeria.

Five; Start up businesses die due to failure of banks to give them loans. No Nigerian bank gives any form of loan at all.

Six; Big and small industries are being killed by multiple taxation. There are more than 20 different taxes that companies pay in Nigeria.

Seven; Some states are taxing companies for broad band satellite receivers, something that is vital to their operations, especially banks. Other states are imposing tax on boreholes even as the governments fail to provide pipe borne water to factories.

Eight; Agricultural goods in transit, including livestocks are subjected to all manner of extortion by police, LG officials, VIO, FRSC and security forces. Once a truck or car is loaded with goods, it is fair game to security agencies. Nigeria is becoming an impossible nation to move goods, capital and equipment. No nation develops without free movement of labour and capital. In the northern part of the country, insecurity has ensured that most farmers don’t go to farms due to activities of bandits and Boko Haram.

Nine; Despite efforts to build roads, rail, bridges, power plants and other social and economic infrastructure, it is becoming clear that the government will finish its two terms leaving Nigeria with the same tragedy of uncompleted and abandoned projects.

Ten; Nigerian businessmen are being rewarded for investing abroad. In other words the government rewards them for exporting Nigerian jobs to other African countries. Dangote has been building factories outside Nigeria in the name of diversifying his risks. Government should take a cue from what Donald Trump did in America. He rewarded those that built factories in US and punished those that built factories outside the United States. He slashed taxes on American companies to encourage them employ Americans.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdurrashid Bawa, and Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara state continue to trade words over corruption allegations.

The anti-graft agency chairman challenged Matawalle to expose him if he has any fraud record against him.

Bawa has thrown this challenge against Matawalle in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service on Thursday.

He added that even though no human being was 100 percent clean, he would love it if Matawalle could expose him.

The Daily Reality reported that Matawalle was currently under investigation over alleged N70 billion fraud.

The EFCC chairman stated that it was intriguing that Matawalle would want to take on the role of a supervisor, who tells the EFCC whom to investigate.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State is currently under investigation over alleged N70 billion fraud, says the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Abdurrashid Bawa, the EFCC Chairman, disclosed about the development on Thursaday during a press briefing.

Our reporters gathered Matawalle and Bawa have recently engaged in a battle of words and Matawalle had leveled allegations against Bawa and dared the commission to go after members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet.

However, the anti-graft agency chairman urged Nigerians not to be swayed by the Matawalle’s recent outburst.

In his response through the Director of Public Affairs of the commission, Osita Nwajah, Bawa added that “It is intriguing that Matawalle would want to take on the role of a supervisor, who tells the EFCC whom to investigate.

“Is this a case of a “’thief’’ saying he must not be touched until other ‘’thieves’’ are caught?

“Unfortunately, it is not within Matawalle’s remit to dictate to the EFCC whom to arrest, when and where. Suspects in the custody of the Commission cut across all sectors and social class.

“The qualification to get a space in the Commission’s detention facility, is to commit a crime. It does not matter whether you are a priest , Imam, Governor or minister.

“Currently, a former minister of power is in the custody of the EFCC over a N22billion corruption allegation. That conveniently did not attract Matawalle’s attention,” Nwajah said.
 

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chirist Ngige, has thrown a threat to the striking resident doctors saying that the Federal Government will hire ad-hoc doctors to replace their positions.

The minister stated that the ad-hoc doctors would be paid with the salaries of the striking doctors.

The Daily Reality gathered that the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) began a five-day warning strike Wednesday.

However, Ngige, who in an interview with journalists yesterday said there was nothing like warning strike, disclosed this during Channels Television programme.

It was also learned that the association is demanding increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salary of doctors; new allowances included in its letter to the Minister of Health on July 7, 2022, on the review of CONMESS; payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund; payment of salary arrears and consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

Ngige added that the NARD was disrespectful to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which was already negotiating with the government on its behalf.

“The resident doctors are part of NMA. They are young doctors in training. So if the NMA is negotiating on their behalf as the parent body, what these young people (resident doctors) are doing is disrespecting the NMA. They are crying wolf when there is none,” he said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

There are still debates on the Presidency`s plan to collect $800 million loan from the World Bank. The money is said to be used to succour to the poorest of the poor upon removal of the petrol subsidy in the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari had sought the Senates approval to collect the debt few days to leave office as the President of Nigeria.

Ali Ndube, the senator representing Borno South, has threatened to drag President Muhammadu Buhari to the court over this plan.

The senator stated this in an iverterview on Trust TV`s Daily Politics, describing the attempt as unfair, illegal and unconstitutional.

Ndume stated that, “I will go to court on that because it is unfair, illegal and unconstitutional. Let me give you example, we are two now in the studio and you say you are going to borrow one million and share among the two of us, how are you going to select the two?

“Beside that if you are giving to the two and they are the ones to pay that is okay but it is all Nigerians that will pay.

“If you give Nigerians today ₦4,000 randomly, how fair is that? In fact, it is unconstitutional because the constitution of Nigeria does not allow you to discriminate.

“These guys they will just use grammar to confuse this old man (Buhari) and he will just approve. He (Buhari) doesn’t understand this, they just want to steal the money, we cannot continue to allow this kind of things.

“What they are targeting is what they can get out of it not, what Nigerians can get, you can quote me on that, any of them come to challenge me on TV, I will come back to explain myself, they are misleading the President,” he stated.

By Muhammad Sabiu

The Magistrate Court in Bauchi has granted bail to the prominent Islamic scholar, Sheikh Idris Abdul’aziz Dutsen Tanshi.
 
The court ruled on Tuesday on the request for bail requested by the lawyers of the cleric after he was arraigned.
 
On Monday, the police brought Sheikh Idris Dutsen Tanshi before the High Magistrate Court, where they charged him with incitement.
 
Dutsen Tanshi, whose lawyers told the court that the crime the cleric is accused of committing will not prevent him from being granted bail, denied all the allegations against him.
 
The judge then set today Tuesday as the day he would rule on their request and he did.
 
Recall that a religious organisation called Fityanul Islam filed a complaint against him, accusing him of uttering bad words against the Prophet Muhammad.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to reward Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State with a juicy post for his enormous contribution towards the attainment of Tinubu’s success in the 2023 presidential elections.

MURIC made this passionate plea on behalf of El-Rufa’i in a statement by its Executive Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, on Monday.

Akintola stated that MURIC deemed it germane to remind Tinubu of the need to pay debts owed and appreciate those who made his current status a fait accompli. 

According to him, this is important in order to start sowing the seed of success for the incoming administration as well as to secure a strong foothold for 2027.

He further stated that El-Rufa’i should reap the rewards for standing between those in the corridor of power and their inglorious choices. 

The statement read, “As the days inch closer to the inauguration of the new administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Commander-in-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigerian political spectrum has been inundated with power struggle intrigues and post allocation schemes. 

“This is not new to us since we know that failure is an orphan, but winners are always surrounded by all and sundry.

“However, we deem it germane to remind the President-Elect of the need to pay debts owed and appreciate those who made his current status a fait accompli. This is important in order to start sowing the seed of success for the incoming administration as well as to secure a strong foothold for 2027.

“Gratitude is a major characteristic of a good Muslim. Allah says in the Glorious Qur’an, “If you are grateful, I will increase my favours on you…” (Qur’an 14:7). If the President-Elect shows appreciation to the ‘Noble Dozen’ from the North, he will enjoy more of their solidarity.

“It is noteworthy that the ‘Noble Dozen’ (i.e. the twelve governors who insisted that power must shift to the South) was led by Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State. There is no Nigerian who is unaware of the unique support and unequalled solidarity given by this Northern group to the President-Elect. El-Rufai, in particular, left his palatial office in Kaduna to spend days in Abuja.

“His contribution to our victory, the victory of the Muslim-Muslim ticket, is unquantifiable. He became the mouthpiece of the Muslim-Muslim ticket camp, moving from one media house to another. We must not allow all these to go in vain.

“In particular, we must remember the risk El-Rufai took as he stood between those in the corridor of power and their inglorious choices. We must not forget his bold confrontation of the central bank governor over the latter’s misguided, ill-fated and accursed naira discolouring.  

“It will beat all imaginations and expectations, particularly among Muslims if El-Rufai is not considered for a juicy post in the cabinet of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We have played national politics the way it should be played. But now is the time to be focused. Choice positions should not be allowed to go to political charlatans, fairweather friends, hypocrites and parasites. El-Rufai is a different cup of tea. He is tested and trusted. He is the icon of Northern dignity.

“To the President-Elect, we have this to say: guard very jealously the good relationship and the alliance between the North and the South West. It is a union steeped in historicity. Compensate the North for its dignity and integrity without being unfair to the rest of the country. 

“We bequeath you the burden of Nigeria. Your road will be rough, no doubt about that, but with prayers and your well-known administrative acumen and political sagacity, Almighty Allah will clear the bumps and roadblocks for you,” the statement added.