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Obi’s supporters, IPOB behind planned protest, Onanuga says

 Bayo Onanuga, a presidential aide, has accused supporters of Peter Obi, Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election, of planning protests across the country.

Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, who was emphatic that Obi’s supporters were planning to stage nationwide protests, said that Obi would be held responsible for whatever crisis emanated from the action.

“The protest planners are also the same people who were instigated by IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu to launch the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020,” Onanuga wrote on his official X account. 

“ENDSARS began as a genuine protest by youths against the Police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, notorious for its high-handedness.

“IPOB members planning to extricate the South-East region from Nigeria infiltrated the protest and hijacked it for their own agenda.

“Lagos still bears the scar of the malicious destruction until today,” Onanuga wrote.

He said that two years after ENDSARS, IPOB and the gullible innocents joined the Labour Party in 2022 to support Obi, who he said was a sympathiser of their cause.

“They are the people spreading the hashtags ‘EndBadGovernance,’ ‘Tinubu Must Go,’ and ‘Revolution2024.’ They are not democrats but anarchists.

“They are attempting to call out our people via propaganda because their Messiah, Peter Obi, failed to win the Presidency in the 2023 election.

“As bad losers, they don’t have the patience to wait for another election in 2027; they would rather destabilise Nigeria by staging a civilian coup against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he said.

According to him, if they understood the meaning of their hashtags, they will realise they are clarion calls for treason; wanting to end an elected government is high treason, wanting revolution is a call for a coup d’etat, which is also high treason.

“I have been on the trail of one of the protest planners, who is nameless but claims to have an internet radio station, PTM100.88 Abuja.

“The anonymous person joined X in August 2022 and has 520 followers today, among whom are FS Yusuf, another rabid Obi supporter, and Prof. Pat Utomi, a Labour Party chief, and a guy on X who goes by the pseudonym Peter Obi’s First Son.

“PTM’s profile image has someone holding the inscription ‘Certificate Forger Not My President,’ with a photo of Peter Obi as an inset. Only Obi’s supporters will be talking about certificate forgery long after the Supreme Court dismissed the allegation,” Onanuga wrote.

He said that in the past 24 hours, this X user had been whipping up the gullible to join the protest being planned and also posting the activities of Obi.

In one of the posts, he said a video showed a teenager, who was said to be in the North, printing T-shirts emblazoned with “EndBadGovernance in Nigeria 2024.”

There is also a retweeted post by Babatunde Gbadamosi, who he described as a failed and frustrated politician in Lagos. In it, he refers to his earlier post urging people “to identify APC members, sponsors, supporters, enablers, thugs, promoters, and appointees.”

Onanuga said the police and DSS ought to have arrested the man for making a brazen threat to political opponents.

He said there was also “General Oluchi,” a woman by the screen name “A Field Marshall of the Han Dynasty.”

“She has been sending out letters of mobilisation. She even pinned a ‘Week 6’ letter urging Nigerians to wake up and take control of their country, using the language of IPOB, Peter Obi, and his supporters.

“Another member of the malcontents is Brother Bernard, also known as Mikael C. Bernard. He is not based in Nigeria because he was once busted over Binance and fraudulent crypto businesses in Nigeria.

“Bernard was the man who once wrote that the naira should go down to zero,” said Onanuga.

In a reaction to Oluchi, Bernard said the protesters should remove the increase in salaries for the armed forces as part of their demands.

“If they want an increment in salary, let them launch their own protest. It is not our job to fight for enablers of evil,” Bernard wrote on X, according to Onanuga.

However, an X user reminded Bernard that according to Nigerian law, men of the armed forces don’t protest.

“Security agents should, by now, begin to interrogate these agents of destabilisation.

“There is no country in the world where people are not going through some economic challenges and where the cost of living is not a major issue.

“No country is immune from economic turbulence at the moment. Civilised and democratic people wait for another election to make leadership changes. They don’t trigger mayhem in their countries by staging protests, the end of which nobody can predict,” said Onanuga.

He added that Nigerian citizens must consider the government’s attitude and concern about the cost of living crisis when deciding whether to join the protests.

“The Tinubu government has not been found wanting in this regard. The minimum wage has been increased by more than 100 percent. Loans are being disbursed to students in tertiary schools.

“A credit corporation has been launched to promote consumption credit. Palliatives, including the latest distribution of 740 trucks of rice to the 36 states and Abuja, are being rolled out.

“Businesses, such as pharmaceuticals, are being assisted. The Federal and state governments are investing heavily in agriculture to produce more food,” he stated.

According to him, the economy is improving, inflation is slowing, the national debt has been reduced in dollar terms, and the FIRS has increased revenue generation to record levels.

“Investors are coming back to our country. Our stock market is the best in the world, with a 33 per cent return on investment.

“President Tinubu has a four-year mandate to run his agenda. Those calling for protest should wait till 2027 to either re-elect him or elect their Messiah, Mr Peter Obi,” said Onanuga

However, the Labour Party, in a statement by Obiora Ifoh, its National Publicity Secretary, has said that the party is known for being peaceful and has, on several occasions, asked its followers to follow peace at all times.

“The attention of the leadership of the LP has been drawn to a tweet from one of the presidential aides, Mr Bayo Onanuga, linking it and its national leader Peter Obi, and very many notable figures in the LP, to the proposed protest.

“We say that there is no truth in that.

“Labour Party is known for being a very peaceful party and it has, at several occasions, asked its followers to follow peace at all times.

“We are not known as a lawless group, as was evident in the aftermath of the last general election.

“It is, therefore, wrong for anyone to link our supporters to the planned protest. Labour Party, Peter Obi and our supporters are not planning any protests,” Ifoh said.

National

Survey shows 71% of households affected by food price hike

A new survey report just released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that the most prevalent shock affecting 71 per cent of households in Nigeria is price increases on major food items in the last 12 months.

The survey, 2023/24 General Household Survey-Panel, commonly called (GHS-Panel) Wave-5, is a follow-up to the 2018/2019 GHS Wave-4.

It seeks to enhance the understanding of household living conditions and provide government and other policymakers with reliable information for effective policy decision-making in Nigeria.

It specifically collects information on household income, assets and consumption, income-generating activities, health, education as well as shocks.

The survey conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and released yesterday in Abuja said 48.8 per cent of households surveyed reported that their main mechanism for coping with the increase in the prices of food items was reducing food consumption.

The report further said that 65.8 per cent of the households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money.

The report also shows that 73.0 per cent of survey household members ages 10 to 19 were enrolled in school during 2018/2019 Wave 4 survey. But by 2023/2024 Wave 5 survey, the proportion of the people who were in school had decreased to 44.8 per cent, as 34.8 per cent of those previously enrolled were now out of school.

In the area of energy access, the survey shows that only 40.4 percent of households in rural areas had access to electricity compared to 82.2 per cent of urban households.

It also reports that many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water. It noted that waste disposal is mostly informal, with 45.6 per cent using bushes or streets.

In his address during the launch of the report, the Statistician General of the Federation (SGF), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said the survey is a multi-topic data collection exercise that serves as an essential tool for capturing the dynamics of Nigerian households, providing invaluable insights into their economic activities, well-being, and resilience.

He said it is a longitudinal survey, meaning that it tracks and interviews the same respondents over time. “In the 5th Wave of the survey, approximately the same 5000 households have been followed and interviewed across five waves,” he said.

“This includes Wave One conducted in 2010/11, Wave Two in 2012/13, Wave Three in 2015/16, Wave Four in 2018/19, and now Wave Five conducted in 2023/24.”

He said available records indicate that, over the last five years, the survey findings have been used to design several projects and intervention programmes worth approximately $8.9 billion across many sectors which include Agriculture and Food, Education, Water, Social Protection and Jobs, Governance, and several others.

In his goodwill message, the World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Dr Ndiame Diop, said the survey was important in understanding how Nigerian households responded to policy changes, crises and shocks.

Diop, who was represented by Vinay Vutukuru, Programme Leader, Sustainable Development, Nigeria, however, said the key thing was how the data would be used by ministries and stakeholders for effective policy formulation to achieve economic and sustainable growth.

He pledged the bank’s continuous support in working with the NBS to strengthen Nigeria’s statistical system.

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National

Reps reject bill seeking six-year single tenure for president, governors

The House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for Nigeria’s presidency.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 others failed to pass second reading on Thursday during a debate on its general principles.

The bill also canvasses the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones of the country.

35 legislators had in June under the auspices of Reformed-minded Legislators, said the proposition would lead to a reduction in the cost of governance.

Ugochinyere, added that the move would unite the country and ensure a seamless transition and unprecedented development for the country.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to the general principles of the bill, “these amendments was to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by four year periodic elections.

“The bill among others seeks amendment of Section 132 of the Principal Act by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly to provide that an election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the country every six years.

“Other amendments include, Section 76 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting a new subsection (3) as follows; (3) For the Purposes of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.

“Section 116 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new a subsection (3) as follows; For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and Local Government Councils shall be held simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

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National

NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on fake products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released a fresh warning on the risks of unregulated products, especially as the festive season approaches.

The warning came after the agency uncovered a warehouse stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket products in Oke-Afa, Okota, part of Lagos State.

According to the Agency on X (formally Twitter), a NAFDAC team acted on intelligence and raided the facility, apprehending operators offloading a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks. “A further inspection revealed over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions.”

The agency said the facility is currently placed on hold for further investigation and asked the management to provide sourcing evidence such as the Global Listing for Supermarket Items (GLSI) certificate.

It then encouraged consumers to report suspicious activities to any NAFDAC office and remain vigilant by ensuring their product sources are verified, particularly during the coming festive season.

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National

ICPC tracks N610 billion projects in 22 states

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off phase 7 of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

The tracking of the constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the Commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources, and power, amongst others, by the government is utilised.

The 7th phase, involving 1500 projects with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on Monday, November 18th, 2024, in 22 states across the 6 geopolitical zones.

The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu State.

The phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Ecological Fund Office.

The objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.

The ICPC tracked a total of 1,900 projects valued at N500 billion naira in phase 6 of the exercise across 24 states of the nation’s 6 geopolitical zones.

The projects were tracked within the focal sectors of Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Power, Health, Energy, and Roads.

These projects in the 6th phase were awarded to 1,355 contractors in 176 MDAs.

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National

FG awards contracts for Calabar, Ebonyi, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa, Abuja highways

President Bola Tinubu has approved the restructuring of his media team

The Federal Government has signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of the Calabar-Ebonyi-Benue-Kogi-Nasarawa-Abuja Superhighway to boost the country’s transportation ecosystem.

Speaking during the signing ceremony in Abuja, Minister of Works, David Umahi, thanked President Bola Tinubu for his inclusive leadership and the distribution of the dividends of democracy.

Umahi also explained that the Legacy Project is strategic for boosting transportation along the economic corridors of the South East and North Central, noting that it would stimulate trade along the regions and foster inter-regional cohesion, cooperation, and collaboration.

He noted that the project will create a seamless movement of goods and services between the Southeast and Northern routes of the road and further the road infrastructure revolution master plan in keeping with the tenets of inclusive leadership in the country.

According to Umahi, the Federal Ministry of Works has also signed a contract with Infiouest International Limited for the construction of Enugu/Abakaliki/Ogoja Highway (Africa Trans-Sahara route) cutting across Cross River, Benue, Kogi, Nasarawa States and terminating in Apo in Abuja.

The Works Minister argued that the project will consist of the reconstruction of the existing jointed, asphalt concrete and laterite surfaced road pavements from Ndibe beach, traversing through Eke Market.

Others, Abaomege, Onueke, Achiagu, Umuoghara/Onu Nwafor, Ukwuachi, Ishieke, Odomoke before terminating at Mbeke in Ebonyi is the third Project spanning 118.85km and it is to be constructed on Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP).

He assured that the four projects are not just transformational but also critical investments that would turn around the socio-economic fortunes of the country, stimulate diversification, and enhance a more sustainable transportation ecosystem.

Umahi therefore thanked Mr. President for carrying on the execution of the inherited road projects across the 6 Geo-Political zones, including the South East, believing, Lagos – Calabar 750 kilometers sections 1 and 2, construction already are going on very well.

“Despite legal action, the project is a must. We’re supporting Mr. President to have that project accomplished. It is an investment. Very soon, we are starting 3A and 3B in Cross River and Akwa Ibom,” Umahi said.

The Minister argued, “There is Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway, 1,068 kilometers. Two sections are already ongoing. The biggest of the project is the Kebbi section, 258 kilometers. It’s ongoing. We’ve flagged off, and we have paid the first mobilization fee.”

Speaking after signing the contract, the Managing Director of the company, Mr. Joseph Abou Jaounde promised to justify the confidence reposed on them, saying, “We have to carry on with this goal, and we have to prove that we trust in the right place.”

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National

Alia approves ₦75,000 minimum wage for Benue workers

 Gov. Hyacinth Alia of Benue has approved a minimum wage of ₦75,000 for workers in the state.

Alia in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sir Tersoo Kula, announced the new wage after he met with organised labour representatives on Monday in Makurdi.

The governor said that the new minimum wage would take effect in November 2024.

He stated that the remaining three months of the five-month backlog of salary arrears promised workers would be paid as budgeted in the 2024 budget.

He emphasised that the arrias would be paid along with the new minimum wage.

“We decided to set the wage at ₦75,000, fully aware of the other concerns raised by organised labour during the negotiations.

“These concerns included a minimum wage of N30,000, wage awards, transportation allowances, tax relief, and work-off days, among others.

“Recall that the President had approved the sum of N70,000, which we have decided to exceed, considering the concerns raised by organised labour regarding our ability to pay,” he said.

Alia restated his administration’s commitment to serve the common man and stressed that he would do everything legitimately possible to ensure that Benue workers were properly taken care of.

The governor added that his motivation to ensure the arrears were paid was to alleviate the effects of hardship on workers.

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