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‘You’re playing with fire,’ Ugandan president warns youth planning protest

Itoro ETUKUDO
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‘You’re playing with fire,’ Ugandan president warns youth planning protest

UGANDAN President Yoweri Museveni has warned his country’s youth planning anti-corruption protests that they were “playing with fire.”

Some youths in Uganda have taken to social media to protest against the growing corruption in the country, planning to stage an anti-corruption march to the nation’s parliament on Tuesday, July 23.

In a televised address on NBS TV, Uganda, Museveni warned the protest organisers to avoid the temptation of bringing chaos to the country.

“We are busy producing wealth, and you here want to disturb us. You are playing with fire because we cannot allow you to disturb us,” he said.

The Police had said they would not allow the march to be held when parliament opens.

Meanwhile, speaking with newsmen, one of those planning the protest, Louez Aloikin Opolose, said nothing would stop them.

“We don’t need police permission to carry out a peaceful demonstration. It is our constitutional right,” he said.

Yoweri Museveni has been the president of Uganda since 1986 and is the longest-serving president of the country.

Some African nations have recently been hit by nationwide protests against economic hardship and bad governance

The ICIR reported how Kenyans, for weeks, took to the streets to protest against the Finance Bill, putting pressure on the President, William Ruto, to refrain from signing it into law.

In Nigeria, there are plans by some youths to protest against President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the hardship occasioned by his government’s policies.

Minister alleges victimisation by National Assembly, cabals over refusal to sign ‘dubious $500m’

Mustapha USMAN
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Minister alleges victimisation by National Assembly, cabals over refusal to sign ‘dubious $500m’

THE embattled Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, has claimed she is being victimized by the National Assembly and some cabals for refusing to sign a $500 million World Bank loan request.

Kennedy-Ohanenye, disclosed this during a phone interview with THISDAY newspaper, noting that there was also another case of $100 million. 

“There is a $500 million loan that was meant to be signed by me, but I refused to sign. There was also a case of $100 million earlier as well. Find out what it was meant for.

“All the loans they collect, including World Bank loans, etc, are you aware that the same World Bank staff in Nigeria takes back 40 per cent and calls it consultation fees?

“These are things you people should look into. You people should focus on where the problem is and let them leave me alone,” she said.

The minister alleged that her life was at risk because she refused to sign the $500 million loan.

The ICIR reports there was a bit of uproar when the minister appeared before the committee to address allegations of a N1.5 billion diversion intended for contract payments by her ministry officials.

The situation became heated when the committee demanded an account of the substantial sum released by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation for contractor payments. 

Uju, however, confirmed that 30 per cent of the total contract payment was released to the ministry but stated that she couldn’t provide further details because the President’s wife, Oluremi Tinubu, had advised her to mind her own business.

She also blamed the non-payment of the contractors on the fact that the total amount was not released to her ministry.

She mentioned that if she had signed the loan, she would have been entitled to five per cent of the money, but chose not to.

Kennedy-Ohanenye further stated that this refusal was why the National Assembly and others were targeting her. 

According to her, 40 per cent of the loan would be secretly taken by the cabals.

She added: “Now, my life is at stake because I refused to sign the $500 million loan. Let me tell you, if I sign that loan today, I am entitled to five per cent of the money, but I refused to sign it. It is part of why the National Assembly and all of them are after me.

“And that 40 per cent they take is a secret, I found it out. Why should anybody give us a loan and you still direct us how to use the loan, and you take 40 per cent and provide us with a consultant that will take it, and they will take it?

“I told them $100 million is too much to use to teach our women how to save money, we can teach them, let them bring the $100 million and give it to those women and use it to know what to do with their lives. Let me do things that would impact the lives of the people,” she noted.

The minister had also been queried by the House of Representatives for allegedly spending unrelated expenditures, including N45 million for a new year party and N20 million for sanitary pads.

She was also accused of spending N1.5 million on vehicle fuel.

Biden endorses Kamala Harris as Democratic presidential nominee

Itoro ETUKUDO
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FEW hours after stepping down from the United States (US) presidential race, President Joe Biden has endorsed the Vice President, Kamala Harris, as the Democratic nominee ahead of the November election.

In a follow-up message he shared on his X account, the President said he offered his full support for Harris to be their party party.

“My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made.

“Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this,” he wrote.

The ICIR reported on Sunday, July 21, that Biden stepped down from the presidential race, days after testing positive for COVID-19.

He stated that he believed it was in the best interest of both the party and country for him to step down.

The President earlier had temporarily suspended his campaign ahead of the election to be held in November after testing positive for coronavirus.
According to the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, the President had been vaccinated and had mild symptoms of the disease.

Harris is the first woman and first black and South Asian American to be elected US vice-president.

She was also the first woman to hold presidential powers.

She briefly held presidential powers while Joe Biden underwent a regular health check, being in control for 85 minutes.

Biden steps down from US presidential race

Itoro ETUKUDO
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0
Biden steps down from US presidential race

PRESIDENT of the United States (US) and Democratic candidate for the November 2024 election, Joe Biden, has stepped down from the race, days after testing positive for COVID-19.

He made this known in an official statement he released on Sunday, July 21, via his official X account.

Biden stated that he believed it was in the best interest of both the party and the country for him to step down.

“While it has been my intention to seek re-election, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for my term,” he stated.

Biden steps down from US presidential race
Statement by Joe Biden

This is coming after he disclosed in an interview that he might reconsider his decision to remain in the race if he got diagnosed with any medical condition.

The ICIR reports that Biden had temporarily suspended his campaign ahead of the election after testing positive for coronavirus. According to the White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, the President had been vaccinated and had mild symptoms of the disease.

Jean-Pierre noted that the President presented with upper respiratory symptoms, including rhinorrhea (runny nose) and a nonproductive cough, with general malaise, adding that he would be returning to Delaware where he would self-isolate and would continue to carry out his duties fully.

The President has also faced increasing pressure from the Democrats to step down from the presidential race after his poor performance at the debate with his opponent, Donald Trump of the Republican party, in June.

Biden’s withdrawal from the race also came exactly a week after an attempted assassination of Trump.

Both Biden and Trump were seeking re-election for the second and final term of four years as President of the US.

Dangote challenges Nigerian gov’t to transparently test its diesel, other products

Harrison EDEH
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Dangote challenges Nigerian gov’t to transparently test its diesel, other products

PRESIDENT of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has challenged the Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) to conduct tests on its products to determine the credibility of the agency’s claim that its diesel is inferior to those imported.

Affirming the quality of his product during a tour of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Dangote Fertiliser Limited complex by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, and other House members on Saturday, July 20, Dangote said the NMDPRA’s head of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, made his claim without sufficient knowledge of his refinery.

On July 19, The ICIR reported how Ahmed claimed that the quality of diesel produced by Dangote Refinery was inferior to those imported into the country.

Dangote told his guests that his company offered Nigeria and the rest of the world where his products are exported quality products, adding that they meet international standards.

He restated the superiority of his products over their imported counterparts after the House leadership insisted on testing other diesel products, alongside Dangote’s diesel.

The lawmakers tested the Automotive Gas Oil (diesel) from two different petrol stations alongside Dangote Petroleum Refinery and commended the company for its significant investments and contributions to Nigeria’s development.

The diesel samples were procured from two well-known filling stations near Eleko Junction along the Lekki Epe Expressway, by the House of Representatives members.

Chairman of the House committee on downstream, Ikenga  Imo Ugochinyere, and Chairman of the House committee on midstream, Okojie Odianosen, oversaw the collection of samples from the Mild Hydro Cracking (MHC) unit of the Dangote refinery for testing of all the samples.

Laboratory tests revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm (parts per million), whereas the other two samples showed sulphur levels exceeding 1800 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively.

Responding to the tests, Dangote emphasised that the findings debunked Ahmed’s claims that passed his products as inferior.

Dangote openly challenged the regulator to compare the quality of refined products from his refinery with those imported, advocating for an impartial assessment to determine what best serves the interests of Nigerians.

“We produce the best diesel in Nigeria. It’s disheartening that instead of safeguarding the market, the regulator is undermining it. Our doors are open for the regulator to conduct tests on our products anytime; transparency is paramount to us.

“It would be beneficial for the regulator to showcase its laboratory to the world so Nigerians can compare. Our interest is Nigeria first because if Nigeria doesn’t grow, we have limited capacity for growth.

“Right Honourable Speaker and esteemed members, you’ve witnessed the results of the credibility test. I appreciate your wise counsel in procuring samples from the filling stations alongside our refinery’s product. Ours shows a sulphur content of 87.6 ppm, approximately 88, whereas the others exceeded 1,800 ppm. Although the NMDPRA permits local refiners to produce diesel with sulphur content up to 650 ppm until January 2025, as approved by ECOWAS, ours is significantly lower,” he added.

Dangote also said that he aimed to achieve 10 ppm, aligning with the Euro V standard.

“Imported diesel is capped at 50 ppm, but as you’ve seen, those from the stations, imported by major marketers, fall well outside this standard,” he told the House of Representatives members.

In what appears to be an indictment to the regulator, Dangote told the Speaker and his team that high-sulphur content diesel regularly imported into the country often comes with dubious certifications.

He emphasised that the most effective method to verify the quality is to purchase the product directly from filling stations and conduct credibility tests.

According to him, this issue has resulted in health risks and financial losses for Nigerians.

“The best method to verify this is to purchase the product directly from filling stations where end-users obtain it. I believe Farouk Ahmed speaks without sufficient knowledge of our refinery. We have successfully exported diesel and jet fuel to Europe and Asia without any complaints; in fact, we have received repeated orders, indicating satisfaction with our products.”

Supporting Dangote’s assertion, Vice President of Gas and Oil at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, highlighted recent actions by European countries like Belgium and the Netherlands.

“These countries have expressed concerns about the carcinogenic effects of high-sulphur diesel being dumped into the Nigerian market, prompting them to impose bans on such fuel exports to West Africa.”

Edwin informed the lawmakers that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, designed to process a wide range of crudes including various African and Middle Eastern crudes, as well as United States Light Tight Oil, conformed to Euro V specifications.

The ICIR reported the accusations by management of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL)  that the International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in Nigeria consistently frustrated the company’s requests for locally-produced crude as feedstock for its refining process.

The company also informed that the IOCs offered a higher price above the market price to the refinery.

 

South African with Nigerian father faces backlash in race to becoming Miss SA

Itoro ETUKUDO
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South African with Nigerian father faces backlash in race to becoming Miss SA

A 23-year-old South African beauty queen, Chidimma Vannesa Onwe Adetshina, has faced backlash after making it to the top 16 at the ongoing Miss South Africa (Miss SA) pageant.

Born in Soweto to a Nigerian father and South African mother, Adetshina has been targeted by some South Africans who claim she is not South African by birth.

According to a South African Vlogger, some South Africans are unpleased that Adetshina made the top 16 in the pageant, adding that Nigerians in South Africa are known to engage in questionable jobs.

Responding to the trolls, the beauty queen said in various interviews that she is a South African and qualified to compete at the pageant.

“I am a South African citizen and I have met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss SA competition. The fact that my father is Nigerian does not take away from the fact that I am South African. My mother is South African, and I was born and raised in this country,” she said.

Also clearing the air on the issue, the Miss SA organisation, in a statement confirmed that Adetshina met all the requirements to participate in the pageant.

“All documentation provided by the entrants is screened and vetted. Chidimma is a South African citizen and has met all the requirements to be a part of the Miss South Africa competition. Her mother is South African (Zulu), and her father is Nigerian,” they said in the statement.

According to the Miss SA organisation, to be eligible to contest for the pageant, the contestant must be a South African citizen and possess a valid ID or passport. If the contestant holds dual citizenship, documents relating to both must be made available.

Also, as stated in the amended South African Citizenship Act, citizenship can be acquired by birth, descent, or naturalisation.

While most South Africans are against the Miss SA organisation allowing  Adetshina to continue with the competition, in 2001, Vanessa Carreira, born to Portuguese-Angolan parents in South Africa won the Miss South Africa title.

 

Lagos vehicle owners to begin paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques, others

Bankole ABE
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Lagos vehicle owners to begin paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques, others

VEHICLE owners in Lagos State will start paying for on-street parking in churches, mosques and other public places.

The state government said it resolved to charge vehicle owners who park on some specified streets in the state.

According to reports, implementing the on-street parking regulations in Lekki, Surulere, and a few other locations will commence in October this year.

The state administration has been notifying religious organisations—such as churches and mosques— and event centres through letters about the commencement of the on-street parking fees.

According to Punch, in a letter to the Lagos State branch of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), the government advised the organisation that cars parked on approved streets by the church and its members would be subject to hourly fees, and that vehicles parked carelessly will be subject to appropriate enforcement.

The letter was dated July 19 and signed by the Head of Operations of Lagos State Parking Authority, Ayokunle Akinrinmisi.

The letter partly reads, “I am directed to inform your revered organisation that LASPA will be commencing its on-street parking scheme at designated streets within the Lagos State metropolis. “In view of this, I am using this medium to inform your eminence, that vehicles parked on designated streets by the church and its members, will be charged hourly and indiscriminately parked vehicles will be enforced upon accordingly.

“Consequently, we advise that this piece of information be adhered to as a law-abiding organisation.”

The General Manager of the Lagos State Parking Authority, Adebisi Adelabu, revealed that the on-street parking scheme’s pilot programme would start in October.

She said in 2022, the state held meetings with Christian and Muslim associations, nightclubs, event centres and others and told them that it would implement the policy.

According to her, Lagos is a city of over 25 million people and has over three million vehicles. As a result, the state must have proper parking management.

Despite increasing revenues accruing to the Lagos State government coffers, a report by The ICIR showed that the government failed to keep its word in improving budgetary allocations to the state’s education and health sectors.

The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is serving out his second term and has said repeatedly that he was prioritising education and health on his administration’s agenda.

It is already five years since he assumed office and the budgetary allocations for education and health have continued to dwindle to a single digit, despite his promises to raise them to a double-digit percentage.

LP to presidency: Peter Obi has nothing to do with protests

Itoro ETUKUDO
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0
LP to presidency: Peter Obi has nothing to do with protests

A LABOUR Party (LP) chieftain, Yunusa Tanko, has refuted the allegation against the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, that he is behind a planned nationwide protest.

In an interview with The ICIR on Saturday, July 20, Tanko noted that Obi had nothing to do with the protest, noting that people could plan to protest based on the hardship in the country.

“There are people suffering from health, education, security, and many other issues. These things are part of the failure of the government. They should face the government’s failure as individuals and not attach it to Peter Obi.

“Peter Obi has nothing to do with this, whatsoever and it affects all Nigerians, who have a right to raise their voices as enshrined in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that when there is bad governance, people have the right to ventilate. It is unfair and unacceptable that they are trying to pin this on Peter Obi,'” he said.

The special adviser on information and strategy to the President, Bayo Onanuga, on Saturday, took to his X account to state that the supporters of Peter Obi were planning to stage the nationwide protests scheduled for August 1.

He noted that Peter Obi should be held responsible for the planned protest, adding that the protest planners were the same people that instigated the destructive ENDSARS protest in Nigeria in October 2020.

“Don’t be fooled: the malcontents planning to stage nationwide protests are supporters of Peter Obi, the failed presidential candidate of the Labour Party. And he should be held responsible for whatever crisis emanates 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,” he said.

This is coming following reports that some Nigerians are planning a nationwide protest on August 1 due to the rising cost of living and economic hardship.

After one year of President Tinubu’s administration, many of his economic reforms have worsened  inflation, as food prices and cost of living generally soared.

Across the country, the economic situation is fuelling frustration and anger against the government, with many Nigerians calling for massive protests.

In the past couple of days, some governors have publicly warned the youth in their states not to join any protest against the federal government.

On Wednesday, the members of the House of Representatives resolved to slash their salaries by half to appease Nigerians. However, the lawmakers only slashed a fraction of their earnings.

Nationwide protests against economic hardship have been occurring in various countries. The ICIR reported how Kenyans, for weeks, took to the street to protest against the Finance Bill, putting pressure on the President, William Ruto, to stop it.

Although the protest led to the death of some youths in the country, the President however bowed to pressure and declined signing the bill. The protests also led the President dissolvimg his cabinet.

 

Edo politics: Philip Shaibu defects to APC

Bankole ABE
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Edo politics: Philip Shaibu defects to APC

THE recently reinstated Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has finally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Shaibu declared for the APC in the presence of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) legacy coalition members during Saturday’s meeting of the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) for the Edo governorship race.

“On behalf of the legacy group, I announce our movement to the APC. We have come to add value to the party.

“It is time to take back our state. We will not talk too much because action will speak for us. We are not afraid. We are ready to move forward,” Shaibu told the gathering.

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, his Cross River counterpart, Bassey Otu, and the national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, attended the meeting. 

Also at the meeting were the APC governorship candidate in the forthcoming Edo election, Monday Okpebholo, the state’s former governor, Adams Oshiomole, and the state chairman of the APC, Jarett Tenebe.

Shaibu was received into the APC party by the National Organising Secretary, Suleiman Argungu.

He had earlier hinted during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday that might be heading to the APC.

He also accused his principal, Godwin Obaseki of denying him entry into the state.

“The Constitution does not allow anybody to bar me from entering Edo State, not even when I am a deputy governor. Even if I am an ordinary citizen, I should have a right. I should have freedom,” he said during the interview.

Shortly after Shaibu’s return to Benin City on Thursday, July 18, following his reinstatement by a Federal High Court in Abuja, there was pandemonium in the state which led to the death of a policeman attached to him.

Both camps have since traded blame on the incident.

Meanwhile, The ICIR reported on Saturday that Shaibu appointed a few aides to work in his office.

This followed his reinstatement by a federal high court in Abuja on Wednesday, July 17.

This was confirmed in a statement released by his media team on Saturday, July 20.

According to the statement, Shaibu appointed Musa Ebomhiana as chief press secretary (CPS) and reappointed Kingsley Ehigiamusoe as chief of staff (COS).

Shaibu also appointed seven other persons to serve in various capacities.

A Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja reinstated him three months after he was impeached by the state House of Assembly.

In his ruling, on Wednesday, July 17, the presiding judge, James Omotosho, said the impeachment was in gross violation of the Nigerian Constitution.

The Edo state government the appointments and described his actions as ‘provocative’.

In a statement on Saturday released by the State’s commissioner for information and communication, Chris Nehikhare, the government stated that it had filed a stay of execution of the FHC judgment.

The state government also called on the people of the state to ignore the appointments. 

2023 polls: Vote-buying rose by 44% in North-West – NBS

Bankole ABE
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0
2023 polls: Vote-buying rose by 44% in North-West – NBS

THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)  said vote buying increased by 44 per cent in the North-West zone in the 2023 general elections.

According to the NBS, the menace of vote-buying in the region increased from 23 per cent in 2019.

It added that the zone recorded “a relatively high share of 55 per cent of citizens who were offered money or another favours in exchange for their votes.”

This was contained in a report released by the NBS recently titled, “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and trends third survey on corruption as experienced by the population’.”

The NBS said overall the elections recorded 22 per cent of vote-buying, which is five per cent higher than the 2019 general elections with 17 per cent.

The report further disclosed that in 2023, 10 per cent reported that they were not personally offered money or another favour in exchange for their votes, but instead another member of their household was approached, compared to five per cent in 2019.

According to the organisation, 22 per cent of Nigerians said they were directly promised money in exchange for casting a ballot before or during the general election of 2023, while nine per cent said they were offered a different favour.

Vote-buying has been defined as the practice of soliciting a voter’s vote in an election in exchange for cash, commodities, or other favours.

“This represents an increase in both types of vote buying compared with 2019 when personal offers of money were reported by 17 per cent and personal offers of other favours were reported by four per cent of citizens.

“Just over half (55 per cent) of the citizens who were personally offered money or another favour in exchange for their vote in the 2023 general election reported that the offer did not influence their vote choice, while 40 per cent of those citizens said they voted for the person or political party which offered them money or a favour precisely because of the offer.

According to the report, its survey revealed that some electorates were not influenced by their voting decisions even after collecting money or favour.

It added that between 2019 and 2023, the proportion of Nigerians who were personally offered bribes in exchange for votes increased similarly across sexes, urban and rural areas, and age groups.

The NBS discovered that there were little or no changes in the South-West, South-South, and North-Central regions between 2019 and 2023 in their analysis of the vote-buying by zones.

The ICIR reported during the 2023 general elections that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) apprehended over 65 persons allegedly for vote-buying and inducement across 28 states during the governorship and House of Assembly elections that were held on Saturday, March 18.

A statement signed by the EFCC spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, said that the commission’s operatives of the Kaduna zonal command on election monitoring duty nabbed 13 suspects.

Kaduna State is one of Nigeria’s North-West states where the NBS said vote-buying escalated in the last poll.

 

 

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