Gov. Seyi Makinde

By David Adeoye

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has set up a palliative committee for the Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER).

This is according to a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Sulaimon Olanrewaju.

SAfER is meant to mitigate the effects of the removal of fuel subsidies and the resultant economic difficulties on citizens of the state.

The 15-man committee is headed by the Chief of Staff, Mr Segun Ogunwuyi, while Prof. Musibau Babatunde,

who is the State Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, will serve as its Secretary.

Other members of the committee include the Finance Commissioner; Mr Akinola Ojo; Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Olasunkanm Olaleye; Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Mr Segun Olayiwola; Commissioner for Information, Prince Dotun Oyelade and the Special Adviser, Labour Matters, Mr Bayo Titilola-Sodo.

The statement further indicated that Chief Bayo Lawal, Senior Executive Assistant on General Duties; Alhaji Kolawole Gafar, Executive Assistant on Finance, Budget and Economic Planning and Rtd CP Sunday Odukoya , Executive Assistant, Security are members of the committee.

Also Miss Ololade Ajibola, Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties; Bishop Daniel Oluwajimade, representative of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Alhaji Muniru Ogundipe, representative of the Muslim Community.

Mr Ademola Babalola, will represent the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) while Mr Jide Bamgbose will represent the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as members of the committee.

The governor advised the committee to let the sufferings of the masses propel their loyalty and admonished them to move with speed and efficiency.

The committee will have its inaugural meeting on Tuesday.(NAN)

By Kayode Adebiyi

Coalition for the Survival of Nigeria (CSN), a civil society organisation, has said hardship occasioned by the removal of subsidy on petroleum was not lost of the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Speaking at a news conference on the state of the nation on Monday in Abuja, the coalition said it was optimistic that in no time, the palliative measures being rolled out would sufficiently cushion the effects of the economic policy.

Chairman of the coalition, Chief Ezekiel Afukonyo, said Tinubu should be commended for his courage to confront the issue of subsidy by introducing bold measures.

“We are fully aware of the present economic circumstances of the country and are concerned about the plight of fellow citizens.

“We also salute the patience, forbearance and support of Nigerians and urge the president to remain focused and committed to the rescue of Nigeria’s economy from corruption.

“We believe that to set Nigeria on the path of growth and development, sacrifices have to be made. We therefore implore Nigerians to give the measures put in place time to bear fruit,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that two major economic policies – removal of subsidy on petrol and the floatation of foreign exchange – were announced by Tinubu in his inauguration speech on May 29.

The government insists that the measures were necessary to free up funds for developmental projects and curb corruption and economic sabotage.

However, the measures have drastically raised the general cost of living among ordinary Nigerians, thereby prompting the government to announce palliative measures.

CSN also applauded organised labour, led by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), for opting for dialogue in addressing the issue.

On the situation in Niger Republic, the coalition commended ECOWAS for its prompt response to the political crisis but cautioned against the use of force.

“We must avoid military action but exhaust all diplomatic avenues because, in such situations, military incursion should be the final resort only when all other avenues had failed.”

The group also commended Tinubu for the quality of his appointments so far.

It described the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, as “round pegs in round holes”. (NAN)

Edited by Ismail Abdulaziz

By Oluwafunke Ishola

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has ordered the immediate suspension of Mrs Adenike Adekanbi, General Manager, Lagos State Infrastructure and Asset Management Agency (LASIAMA).

Mr Olumide Sogunle, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Strategy, made the disclosure in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.

The governor approved the suspension based on the outcome of the investigative panel set up to probe the incident surrounding the death of Dr Diaso Vwaere in an elevator accident.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Vwaere, a medical house officer, with General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, died on Aug. 1, as a result of injuries sustained when the elevator she was in crashed in the staff quarters of the hospital.

Sanwo-Olu said that LASIAMA oversees the activities of the facility management company in charge of the house officers quarters of the hospital.

According to him, the state has sacked and blacklisted the facility managers.

The governor said that the operations and line of reporting of the facility managers had been restructured to involve the hospital management directly.

“We have handed the installation and maintenance contractors to the police for further investigation and likely prosecution if they are found culpable.

“The police will also investigate anyone else that might have been found to be negligent,” he said.

He said that engineers are working to unravel why all the safety devices of the elevator failed at the same time.

“It is also important to state that the elevator that crashed was installed brand new in 2021.

“Elevator experts, working with the Lagos Safety Commission, have carried out an initial inspection and will be removing the elevator for further mechanical examination to determine why the safety features that should prevent this kind of accident did not work.

“Their findings will determine if we have a case with the elevator installer,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said that the Lagos Safety Commission had been directed to immediately carry out an audit of all elevators in public offices.

“This is besides the usual safety arrangements that have always existed,” he said.

The governor noted that all staff of the state are fully insured, adding that the state’s life insurance providers had been informed about the incident.

Sanwo-Olu commiserated with the deceased family and colleagues, saying, ‘as a government, we feel the pain of this irreparable loss”. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Olawunmi Ashafa

Coup d’états: Dangers of democratic disruption and African solutions

A news analysis by Emmanuel Oloniruha, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Recent happenings in West Africa points the fact of the danger democracy and good governance are facing in the region. The military takeover in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Sudan and Niger Republic showed the fragility of moving West Africa out of its challenge of poverty, low infrastructure and globalisation.

Coup d’états have taken place over the last three years in the West African states of Mali (August 2020 and May 2021), Guinea (September 2021), Burkina Faso (January and September 2022) and Niger Republic (June 2023). Military governments are still in place in each country.

The roots of this wave lie in regional instability, poor governance by elected leaders, and many successful past coups.

A report by the Foreign Policy Research Institute says a day after arresting President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020, Mali’s Committee for the Salvation of the People publicly accused Keita’s government of corruption and announced its decision to “take our responsibilities before the people and before history” by ousting him.

In September 2021, Col. Mamady Doumbouya followed a similar script, explaining his overthrow of Guinean President Alpha Condé by declaring that “the duty of a soldier is to save the country.” Next to fall was Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kaboré.

Just four months after the Guinean coup, Lt. Col. Paul-Henri Damiba claimed that the severity of ongoing Islamist insurgency in the country had “imposed” the arrival of his Patriotic Movement for Protection and Restoration, pledging to step down once the security situation was under control.

Divisions within the Malian and Burkinabe interim authorities have even resulted in two further coups, exacerbating instability. The military leaders in Mali and Guinea have also promised to make way for civilian governments, but there are fears on whether the transition programmes will progress on schedule.

As a result of the military takeover in Niger Republic, the Economic Commission of West African States (ECOWAS) issued a strong warning to the junta in order to reverse the action and restore democratic rule in the landlocked country.

After a meeting in Abuja on Sunday, the ECOWAS Heads of State and Governments agree for an immediate sanction on Niger including the closure of land and air borders between ECOWAS countries and Niger.

They also agree on establishing a no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger, and suspending all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS Member States and Niger.

Furthermore, assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Bank, Niger state enterprises, and parastatals in commercial banks will be frozen.

Niger Republic will also be suspended from all financial assistance and transactions with financial institutions within ECOWAS.

Additionally, travel bans and assets freezes were imposed on the military officials involved in the coup attempt, as well as their family members and civilians who accept to participate in any institution or government established by these military officials.

However, over the course of the week, President Bola Tinubu, who is the current Chairman of the ECOWAS, introduced a new aspect to the various sanctions imposed on the junta in Niger republic.

A delegation of elders was sent to interact with the military leaders and find a diplomatic means of ending what has become a situation of national and regional pride between the military junta and the ECOWAS leaders.

Before the Sunday Summit began, President Tinubu held bilateral meetings with President Umaro Embalo of Guinea Bissau, President Mahmat Itno of Chad, and Michael Health, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of African Affairs.

Presidents Patrice Talon of Benin Republic, Alassane Ouattara of Cote d’Ivoire, Adama Barrow of The Gambia, Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana, Embalo of Guinea Bissau, Macky Sall of Senegal, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo attended the Summit while the Presidents of Cape Verde, Liberia, Niger and Sierra Leone were represented.

As the diplomatic shuttle unfolds, the effect of the coup across the West African sub-region continue to impact on the ordinary people further compounding their socio-economic woes, insecurity and poor public health.

At a one-day peace conference themed “Peaceful Elections and National Development” organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) in 2019, former President Goodluck Jonathan condemned the desperation of some African leaders to hold on to power, a situation that has brought avoidable woes to the people on the continent.

“There is a vicious cycle in Africa where the struggle for political power leads to conflicts that bring up poor governance and create hardship which fuels the struggle for change of leadership, thus creating further conflicts and poor leadership.”

He also noted that Africa’s relatively slow growth and poor performing economies are linked to the preponderance of conflicts, and that many patriotic Africans will not deny the fact that at the root of most of the conflicts ravaging the continent is the desperation that often characterises the struggle for power.

He stressed that the 10 most developed nations on this earth are those that experience the least conflict while the 10 least developed countries, many of them in Africa, are the ones wallowing in the worst form of conflict.

“The reality is that any leader who is committed to the development of his country will do everything to save it from turmoil and conflicts.”

According to Jonathan, the work of the foundation focuses on credible elections, peaceful transitions, good governance, as well as promoting youth and women empowerment.

The words of the former president at that 2019 workshop continue to ring a bell with the happenings currently in the West African region as the wave of military coups continue to resonate alarmingly and impact negatively on the region and its peoples.

As part of enshrining democracy and good governance in Africa, especially West Africa, a West Africa Elders Forum was created by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation more than seven years ago which comprises former leaders of the region.

The Forum engages government on issues such as transparent conduct of elections, collaboration of all contenders in elections and the acceptance of results that are adjudged free and fairs by electoral observers and umpires.

As parts of efforts to advance democratic consolidation on the continent and especially in West Africa, GJF instituted a home-grown, credible platform called the West African Elders Forum consisting of former leaders and statesmen who will provide mediation and interlocutory role in addressing electoral and democratic conflict in the region.

This Forum was officially inaugurated on the March 4, 2021.

It is instructive to note that a member of the West African Elders Forum, retired General Abdulsalami Abubakar is among the eminent person chosen by President Bola Tinubu to meet with the military junta towards finding a diplomatic option to the crisis.

With the rising conflicts in West Africa as well as Africa, the use of the Forum and any such organisations members will provide a better alternative to resolving our conflict locally before bringing in international mediators in order to showcase the resilience of Africans toward handling their affairs internally.

Additionally, it will add to African credibility towards building democratic accountability, strengthening governance and building leadership towards ensuring transparent and peaceful transition of power.(NAN)
**If used, credit the writer and the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN

By Gift Bayo

Some FCT residents on Sunday appealed to the Federal Government to provide buses and rail transportation in Abuja to ease the high cost of transportation for workers.

The residents, in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) said the removal of fuel subsidy had led to an increase in the prices of goods and services.

They, however, said this had brought untold hardship to Nigerians.

Mr Sunday Amos, a civil servant, said he found it difficult to go to work since the increase of fuel from N537 to N617.

“I have been forced to drop my car due to the high cost of fuel.

“Before the removal of fuel subsidy, I used to fill my tank confidently with 10,000. When fuel was increased from N190 to N537, it costed me N35,000 to fill my tank.

”Now that the fuel had increased again to N617, I am not sure I will fill the tank again till further notice.

“A lot of public car users have dropped their cars because the passengers they carry cannot make them to break even with the current market price,” he said.

According to Ngozi Eze, a civil servant and a business woman said that she had resorted to trekking to cut down the high transport fare.

“I trek even under the sun and rain to reduce transport fare because if I remove the transport fare from my salary, I will be left with nothing,” she said.

Mrs Joy Imuzeze, a resident of Dutse, said that it was now difficult for her to go to work because of the increase in transport fares without a commensurate increase in salary.

“Many workers are voluntarily resigning from their job because if they remove the transport fare from their salaries, they will have nothing to hold on to,” Imuzeze said.

Mr Emmanuel Odey, a public servant, said that there had been a behavioural adjustment in the company where he works, adding,” because the situation is telling on everybody including the employers.

“This situation may increase the already high rate of unemployment because employers are laying off staffers.

“If the government provides buses that can convey a lot of people from various areas of Abuja into the city centres, I think the situation will be better,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

===================
Edited by Dorcas Jonah/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Ibironke Ariyo

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has intercepted 57,450 pills of tramadol, rohypnol and exol-5 along Abaji-Abuja highway from a suspect, Mr Joseph Usman.

A statement by the NDLEA spokesperson, Mr Femi Babafemi on Sunday in Abuja, said that 4,082 bottles of codeine-based syrup were also recovered from a suspect, Joseph Usman.

Babafemi said the suspect was arrested in a commercial bus coming from Onitsha, Anambra State, to Abuja on Friday.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives of the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation (DOGI), attached to courier companies in Lagos have intercepted various quantities of Dextromethorphan.

Babafemi said that the drugs were mixed with heroin, Methamphetamine, Dimethyl Sulfone and Cannabis and concealed in different objects bound for Europe.

He said that 272 grams of dextromethorphan, mixed with heroin going to Greece were recovered from white neck beads, adding that 665 grams of cannabis being shipped to Hong Kong were hidden in bars of Dudu Osun black bathing soap.

He added that 261 grams of Dimethyl Sulfone bound for New Zealand hidden in reels of weaving threads and 1.5kgs of Methamphetamine also heading to New Zealand were intercepted.

“The drugs were neatly packed in an MP3 player after all the parts were removed and the substance stuffed as replacement, ” he said.

Also, in Kano state, a woman and four men – Ladi Peter,47; Umar Salisu, 38; Ahmed Naheeb, 36; Ibrahim Umar, 42, and Musa Suleman, 43, have been arrested for drug related issues.

Babafemi said that the suspects were intercepted in connection with the seizure of 977.7 kilograms of cannabis sativa recovered from them by NDLEA operatives.

He added that they were arrested along Zaria-Kano road, Kwanar Dangora on Friday and July 31.

In the same vein, 2,445 kilograms of cannabis sativa were recovered from the warehouse of a fleeing suspect, Usman Nar at Madinatu area of Jere LGA, Borno state on Saturday Aug. 5. (NAN)

Edited by Idris Abdulrahman

By Florence Onuegbu

Mr Segun Odunmbaku, the Chairman, Ojodu Local Council Development Area (LCDA), says 14 mini-buses have been released to ease movevent for residents in the LCDA.

Odunmbaku said this in a statement on his two years in office on Saturday in Lagos.

He said the release of the mini-buses was part of the palliative measures by his administration, to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on the people of Ojodu and environs.

Odunmbaku said to cushion the impact of the current economic hardship, plans were also underway to provide free shuttle buses for students and pupils when school resumed in September.

The chairman assured residents of the area that his administration was committed to improving their standards of living.

He said in the last two years, the LCDA under his leadership, had carried out development projects cutting across sectors such as health, education, environment, youths empowerment and social infrastructure, including road rehabilitation.

According to him, seven roads in the council area have been given face-lift, while over 2,000 youths have been empowered with skills, as part of efforts to reduce unemployment.

”With the level of deficit infrastructure that we met, it was necessary for us to have a vision and narrow down our needs into these four acronyms.

”I have been privileged to be the secretary in Ikeja Local Government and Ojodu LCDA, before taking up the mantle of the chairmanship.

“So, I gained one or two experiences and was prepared for the office that, if given the mandate, I would want to do things differently.

”In the health sector, we did the survey of the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs).

“As at that time, we had six PHCs in Gbadamosi, Aguda, Oluwole Ogba, Akiode, Akpata and we commissioned one, six months into this administration, then the new one at Agidingbi.

”Out of the seven, we have been able to upgrade two to 24 hours services, which is Akpata and Gbadamosi,” he said.

Odunmbaku said that relevant stakeholders had been engaged, as plans were afoot to take the PHC in Gbadamosi and Akpata to full fledged maternity.

He said that given the challenge of epileptic power supply, the council was planning to equip the PHCs with alternative power energy, in terms of solar panels and inverters.

The chairman said the council had able to do three, while reaching out to multi-nationals to get three done in the next two years, so that the PHCs could have sufficient power supply for its operations.

He also said that arrangements were underway, in partnership with the Lagos State Waste Management Authority, to turn waste to energy, to boost electricity supply.

The chairman urged residents of the area to be patient and continue to cooperate with the government at all levels, while urging them against indiscriminate dumping of refuse

He said that residents should look forward to more poverty alleviating initiatives from his administration, including widows food bank, protein day, during which meat would be sold at very cheap price.

Odunmbaku said that in another palliative market days, all items would be sold at a subsidised rate of N1,000 for each product bought.

He added that his administration was planning to decongest the Ogunnusi Road by opening and upgrading inner roads.

On Corporate Social Responsibility, the council chairman berated some big organisations in the area for not engaging in such noble responsibility.

Odunmbaku said the council had raked in between N60 million and N70 million as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the last one year.

He added that his government was still trying to improve on the IGR.

Odunmbaku also hinted of plans to redevelop the popular Sunday market, to take in more people. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

============
Edited by Chinyere Joel-Nwokeoma

By Oladele Eniola

The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) and the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on preserving critical evidence at crash sites.

Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony at the LASEMA office in Lagos, the Director-General, NSIB, Mr Akin Olateru, said it was important for agencies and organisations to partner in the interest of the country.

Olateru explained that partnership would further enhance safety and preservation of critical evidence at crash sites in cases of serious incidents and accidents involving any mode of transportation.

The director-general said the bureau had also volunteered to train over 200 staff of LASEMA in accident management.

Olateru explained that NSIB was not the first responder in accident cases, but noted that it was necessary for the agency to partner with first responders such as LASEMA, police, military and other critical organisations.

According to him, the partnership with LASEMA will aid accuracy of accident investigation and prevent recurrence.

Olateru recalled that it had in the past six years made attempts to partner with some government agencies, but failed to achieve this purpose.

He lauded the LASEMA management for agreeing to the MoU within five months of its first proposal.

“We had an initial meeting in March this year, which gave birth to this MoU that we are signing today.

“We have been pursuing some organisations in the last six years and nothing positive has come out of it. Whatever MoU we sign with organisations, it is for the interest of the nation.

“We are not the first responder in cases of accident; we are investigators. The first responders need to know their roles and we need to know ours, too.

“We are happy to train the staff of agencies. This is necessary for them to know what we do and how we go about them.

“Evidence needs to be preserved at crash sites. Partnering with an agency like LASEMA is good for our country. Lagos State is the size of four to five states in Europe.

“We will be deceiving ourselves when we say there will not be disasters. There will be disasters, but we need to partner for it so we can reduce the impact of the disasters.” he said.

The director-general noted that the new NSIB Act 2022 empowered it to investigate serious incidents and accidents in all modes of transportation with the aim of boosting safety.

He said the technical staff of LASEMA would be trained in batches by the Southern California Safety Institute of the United States of America (USA).

Earlier, Dr Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, LASEMA, said the authority had signed MoUs with various organisations, including 25 United Nations agencies and a higher institution in the state.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the MoU would further assure the people of Lagos of the agency’s readiness to respond swiftly and manage any emergency.

He said that the State Government had, in recent years, expended billions of naira in the procurement of state-of-the-art ambulance vehicles and training of qualified personnel to equip the agency to manage disasters in the state.

“We also say that disaster management is the responsibility of everyone. We are signing this MoU with NSIB to take care of the airspace in case of an emergency or disaster.

“When the unfortunate aircraft accident happened earlier in the week, we worked together with the officials of NSIB at the crash site and our effort ensured that there was no mortality in the accident.” The permanent secretary said. (NAN) (https://nannews.ng)

Edited by Oluyinka Fadare