Year: 2022

2023: Atiku, Wike, PDP Govs hold closed-door meeting over Party Crisis 

 

Nigeria’s largest Opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP is set to resolve all the major crisis currently rocking the Party.

It was learnt that the party’s bigwigs held a major meeting on Monday night in Abuja to discuss and resolve serious issues within its ranks.

It can be recalled that the Governor of Rivers state, Nyesom Wike and Edo state Governor, Godwin Obaseki are currently at loggerheads over the former’s comments on Mr. Phillip Shuaibu, the deputy governor of Edo state.

Former Vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Wike, Gov. Bala Mohammed, Emeka Ihedioha, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Ex-Gov Olusegun Mimiko, National chairman of the party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu amongst many others were all Present at the meting.

Sources disclosed to this newspaper that the meeting was also centered on strategies to strengthen Synergy within party. The party resolved to postpone its National Executive Committee meeting which was scheduled for today.

National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba made this known to newsmen at the end of the meeting.

“The National Caucus meeting is adjourned to continue on Wednesday. The Board of Trustees (BoT) Meeting and NEC meeting will now be held on Wednesday, March 16.”

 

‘Strike Action Is Mutinous’ — Nigeria Police Warn Officers Of Consequences

 

The Nigeria Police on Monday denied reports that some officers were planning to embark on a strike with effect from March 26.

The police, through its acting spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, described such reports as “fake and mischievous” attempt to “bring the Force to disrepute, misinform the general public and heat up the polity”.

The police noted that the Force has laid down rules that regulate its operations as well as tackle the grievances of the officers, “and in no circumstance is a strike action one of such means”.

Adejobi described strike actions as mutinous, noting that officers understand this adverse effect and as such, would not stoop to such level of disloyalty and indiscipline because policing services are paramount in maintaining order and peace in the nation.

The statement, however, linked the reason for rumours of the strike action to the failure by the Federal Government to increase the salaries of officers.

The statement read partly: “It is pertinent to emphasise that the IGP is accelerating efforts to ensure the full implementation of the increment of salaries and allowances proposed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“It is important to accentuate that it was the President’s initiative without any demand from the Police to direct the process of increasing salaries and allowances. The Federal Government is therefore fully committed to the implementation of the new salary package.
“Since that approval, the Salaries and Wages Commission has issued an implementation circular, the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs and the IGP have been working with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to ensure the stoppage of tax deductions as directed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“Similarly, the Inspector-General of Police reiterates that police officers under his leadership are well motivated with the ongoing reforms, especially the provision of kits, accoutrements, body armor, the cooperative society’s housing scheme, the renovation of training schools, upgrade of police training curriculum, procurement and deployment of technology to boost ICT-driven policing.

“The IGP equally assures that the police are committed to discharging their duties to the nation as expected and renew their commitment to ensuring public safety, and the protection of lives and property of all and sundry”.

Recall that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration had in 2018, 2020 and 2021 promised an upward review of salaries without fulfilling the promises.

In December 2021, the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi announced after a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting that Buhari had approved a new salary structure for officers.

The minister said the president had approved N1.1billion for the payment of outstanding uninsured benefits of the police of 2013-2020.

Also approved was over N127 million for payment as outstanding death benefits of 5,472 personnel for the uninsured period of 2013-August 2021, not covered under the group life assurance and many other approved benefits.

The Minister had said it would take effect from January 2022, but the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, who fielded recently questions on the salary increase revealed that the increment was not captured in the 2022 budget.

 

2023: Why Tinubu will be APC flagbearer – Top party member

 

Baroness Tinuke Davies-Kesington, the woman leader of the Bola Tinubu Support Organisation, and matron of the Asiwaju Volunteers Group (AVG), says the All Progressives Congress (APC) national leader stands a better chance than the rest of his party’s presidential aspirants.

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that according to Davies-Kesington, Tinubu would most likely become the APC flagbearer in respect of the 2023 presidential election “because he has over the years become a brand that is embedded in the minds of Nigerians”.

The APC stalwart was speaking in an interview published on Vanguard on Tuesday.

“Nigeria as a country is showing its advancement by producing world class statesmen as mentioned above. They are all credit to Nigeria. But in my professional judgement, Bola Ahmed Tinubu stands a better chance because he has over the years, not only being known as a politician, but has also become a brand that is embedded in the minds of Nigerians across all geographical locations.

“Asiwaju Tinubu is not only a statesman but also brand. He has a unique vision for Nigeria, a Nigeria that is powerful, with her people healthy, prosperous, and educated,” Davies-Kesington said.

 

 “The game has started, I will make you loose weight”.  – Wike replies Edo Governor

 

 

The war of words between Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike and his Edo State counterpart, Godwin Obaseki, continued on Monday with the former recounting how he made the latter governor.

Wike, whose reply came after Obaseki’s full advertorial accusing him of being a bully and domineering force within the PDP.

But while commissioning the Community Secondary School, Omuanwa, in Ikwerre Local Government Area of the state on Monday, said, even though Dr. Abiye Sekibo told him not to reply Obaseki, he said “No, I will reply him, I’m a politician,” and went all gun blazing on Obaseki.

Speaking on Obaseki, he said, “Obaseki said I’m a bully, but he came to beg a bully for ticket, a bully was his campaign DG, and a bully bullied him into Edo state government house.

“It didn’t end there, he still came back with his wife to thank the bully after the election.

“I slept in Edo State for three days just to deliver Obaseki, but today, I’m a bully.

“If you check the DNA of Obaseki, what you’ll see is betrayal, serial betrayal and ungratefulness.

“He said I threatened PDP, assuming without conceding that I threatened PDP, I have every right to do so, I have invested in the party. Rivers State has invested in the party.

“Rivers State is one of the few states that had voted PDP since 1999, we have invested in the party.

“You’re a tenant in PDP, I have more stake in PDP than you.

“You said I’m causing crisis in Edo State, I have capacity, that is why I’m causing crisis.

“I challenge you to come and cause crisis in Rivers State, then you’ll know who is who.

“Obaseki, I know your cohorts, I will smoke all of you out.

“Obaseki, I challenge you to defect back to the APC, we’ll shave your head.

“I know those using you, if I decide to run for President, I will win all of you.

“Obaseki, melembe melembe.

“The game has started, I will make you loose weight.

 

Don’t Give Up On Your Health – Doyin Okupe Advises Kemi Afolabi

 

 

Presidential aspirant under the Peoples Democratic Party, Doyin Okupe, has advised popular Nigerian actress, Kemi Afolabi not to give up on her incurable ailment, Lupus.

Okupe in an open letter said despite Lupus not being curable, it is not true that the actress has limited years to live.

Recall that the actress had earlier claimed that her doctor notified her that she has five years left to live.

The former presidential aide advised Afolabi to entrust her treatment and medical care in the hands of a medical doctor and her faith in God.

Okupe wrote, “My dear Kemi, I read about your affliction with Lupus with much compassion. I was, however, saddened by your announcement that doctors told you that you have about five years to live. This is untrue. It is a lie of the devil.

“True Lupus is incurable but there are recorded cases of inexplicable complete remissions.

“Please entrust your treatment and medical care to your doctors but your length of days is totally in the hands of your creator the Almighty God who is mightier than any disease and greater than any doctor.

“Also, I can tell you for a fact that I know people who have been living with Lupus for more than 10yrs.

“They take their treatments faithfully but rely on God exclusively. Put your trust in God and Jesus, whose name is above everything including Lupus, and you will receive mercy as I have received personally and others too.”

Top Real Estate Player Dele Phillips Constructs Impressive Resort In Lekki

After opening exotic fun centres and lounges named Shores for business, in the heart of Victoria Island and Lekki, in Lagos, debonair businessman, Dele Phillips is set to open a resort that’ll be talk of the town very soon.
The Hotel and Resort, which has promosed to be one of the best tourism and hospitality resort in the country when completed is situated at the Free Trade zone complex, Lekki, Lagos.

Sitting on four acres of land, the 80 rooms five star resort will boast of Restaurants, gyms, artificial lakes, Olympic size swimming pool and a cinema.

The resort will be a classic all stop complex especially for the busy refinery and Free Trade zone workers as well as the numerous high end visitors who will be falling in to do business in the area.

Shores Hotel and resort Lekki, is a member of Deephill Investments, Shores Hotel, 9th Avenue Hotels, Phillips Property and Phillips Exchange in Dubai, promoted by city big boy, Dele Phillips.

Dele Phillips, holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Ado Ekiti University. He also obtained a Diploma in hospitality and property management from the United Kingdom.

An investor in various fields, Dele Phillips has over 15 years experience in marketing, hospitality and property management both in the United Kingdom and Nigeria.

NANS Protests Shooting Of Eruwa Poly Student By Policeman

 

The National Association of Nigeria Students has tasked the Oyo State Police Command to find the policeman who allegedly shot a student of the Business Administration Department at Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa, Samuel Akinsuyi.

The Coordinator of NANS in South-West, Olatunji Adegboye, said Akinsuyi was coming to Ibadan from Eruwa on Friday when a yet-to-be identified policeman shot him in the leg.

The NANS coordinator on Monday accused the Oyo State Police Command of cover up while lamenting frequent cases of harrasment of students by the police in the command.

He said the injured student was now battling against being paralysed as a result of the injury sustained from the gunshot

The incident reportedly triggered panic as students of the polytechnic staged a protest against it.

The NANS coordinator said, “On Friday, March 11, 2022, the Nigerian students yet again suffered a great injustice from the hands of a reckless policeman.

“Akinsuyi Samuel, A Business Administration student at the Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic in Eruwa, was beaten and then shot on the leg by a yet-to-be-identified stop and search Police officer, on his way from Eruwa to Ibadan on Friday.
This demonic action has thrown Mr. Samuel Akinsuyi into a titanic battle against paralysis.

“It is rather unfortunate that several days after the criminal incident, the Nigeria Police Force, Oyo State Command and the Police Service Commission have failed to make convincing action statement over this persistent cankerworm.

“As the culture is, most times when an officer of the law infringes on the fundamental human rights of the citizens, the police force and the service commission usually perfect a cover up and make sure that justice is circumvented.

“Up till now, the assailant remains unidentified. This is a clear sign of the regular conspiracy practices of the police force.

“As we continue to piece the puzzle together, we demand a thorough and exhaustive investigation to identify the culprit and the law be allowed to take its full course through the arrest, dismissal and prosecution of the offender as well as other disciplinary actions though the force itself and the police commission.”

However, the Police Public Relations Officer in Oyo State, Adewale Osifeso, could not be reached for his reaction to the incident and the allegation against the police.

 

BREAKING: Police take-over APC Secretariat in Abuja as Crisis heightens

 

The Crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC may not be over anytime soon as Police Officers have yet again surrounded the national secretariat of the party.

Th security operatives condoned off the entire Blantyre Street where the party’s headquarters is located.

Although the security agents, numbering about 80 in 11 Patrol vehicles, were very civic in handling proceedings, allowing free flow of vehicular and human movement, along the street, inside the secretariat was empty. Eyewitness reports reveal that none of the warring factions of the party were at the scene.

However, there was speculation among some secretariat staff on who among Mai Mala Buni, the embattled chairman of the party’s caretaker committee and Sani Bello, the acting chairman, was truly in charge of the party’s affairs.

POLITICS NIGERIA earlier reported that Bello took control of the party last week after policemen surrounded the premises of the secretariat. Later on, Nasir El-rufai, the Governor of Kaduna state, appeared on a live Television interview on Channels TV to state clearly that ‘Buni was gone’ and that Bello will organize the party’s convention.

He further alleged that Buni was aware of a court injunction that could cripple the party’s chances in the upcoming 2023 general elections but kept mum about it. However, Buni’s camp issued a statement that he handed over to Bello to manage affairs pending when he returns to the country from a medical trip abroad.

This development has caused so much rancour within the party leading to the rise of factions. However over the weekend, President Buhari waded into the matter and called for order within the party’s ranks.

 

‘Karma Is Real’ Nigerians Mock Abba Kyari’s Wife For Fainting In Court

 

Nigerians on social media have reacted after the wife of the embattled former commander of the Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abba Kyari, fainted inside the court.

In the video that was shared on social media, she reportedly slumped on the ground shortly after trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite deferred ruling on applications that Kyari and six other persons facing drug trafficking charges filed to be released on bail pending the determination of the case against them.

The lady, who wore a black Hijab, fell on the floor while armed operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, were leading Kyari and the others away from the court premises.

Following the development, Nigerians have taken to Instagram to express their views regarding the wife of the embattled super cop in court.

See some of the reactions below:

chiblue0202 wrote; ‘When she wakes up they should continue sha….. your husband dealt with people … he should be judged too’

One grubskitchen wrote; ‘Is it the money she has been enjoying that shocked her or the atrocities/killing her husband has been committing all these years? Jokers Aunty wake up, It’s time to face the music’

One lois__u wrote; ‘Odiegwu. Akiko ndi ngbo. Pour am pure water for inside nose she go wake sharp sharp’

One realwhite_wave wrote; ‘when she was enjoying the money she no slump mtsheww’

One iam_mcdee wrote; ‘Fainting is the easiest thing in Nigerian court….’

One kaima882 wrote; ‘She got half a percent of what her husband has been doing to other women for years and she slumped, now Mr Kyari imagine the number of women you’ve put in this condition and some already lost hope of having they husbands back again, Karma is real.’

One ms_dera wote; ‘You never start . This is just the beginning’

JUST IN: US Journalist Shot Dead In Ukraine

 

A United States journalist, Brent Renaudwas gunned down in Irpin, a frontline northwest suburb of Kyiv, capital of Ukraine, on Sunday.

 

Renuad was killed in the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

 

The head of police in the Kyiv region said Renaud had been killed and another journalist wounded by Russian forces in Irpin, east of the capital.

 

“The invaders cynically kill even journalists of the international media who try to show the truth about the atrocities of Russian troops in Ukraine,” Andriy Nebitov wrote on Facebook.

 

“Of course, the profession of a journalist is a risk, but US citizen Brent Renaud paid his life for trying to highlight the aggressor’s ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness.”

 

He also published photos of the press ID and passport of Mr Renaud, which had led to initial reports that Renaud had been on assignment for the New York Times.

 

In a statement published on social media, New York Times deputy managing editor Cliff Levy said the publication was “deeply saddened” to learn of Mr Renaud’s death, who he described as a “talented photographer and filmmaker”.

 

Though Mr Renaud had contributed to the Times previously, he had not been on assignment for the publication in Ukraine.

 

“Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago,” a statement he shared from a New York Times spokesperson said.

 

According to his social media pages, Mr Renuad had been documenting the plight of refugees in the country.

 

He and brother Craig Renaud “have spent the last decade telling humanistic verite stories from the world’s hot spots,” according to their website, with their work spanning HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS and Vice News.

 

This includes covering “the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, the fight for Mosul, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico, and the youth refugee crisis in Central America.”

 

A military base in Yavoriv, near the Polish border, was hit during a Russian missile attack killing at least 35 people and wounding 134 others this morning, Ukrainian authorities said.

 

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