States are broke, nothing done in 100 days, By Dele Sobowale.  Just as Emilokan got into Aso Rock and discovered that the Federal Government’s revenue for the next three years has been spent by Buhari, before he left, all the new governors are facing empty purses in addition to mountains of debts to pay.   Money talks”; and virtually all the state government just finishing their first 100 days in office had very little to say because they are broke. In the past, print media was bombarded with 100 days reports from every state. We sometimes had insufficient space for them. Now, we have next to nothing to publish. As the deadline drew near, I actually got in touch with some Chief Press Secretaries of some states to ask them if they had any press release. Hitherto, the new Governors were too eager to announce what they did in such a short time. In my long experience on these pages, most of what was touted as “achievement” was a lot of malarkey – hastily implemented de...

Obasanjo under fire for issuing order to Obas.  Former President Olusegun Obasanjo is under attack over his alleged order to some Yoruba traditional rulers to stand up to greet him. Obasanjo was seen in a trending video ordering some people believed to be traditional rulers in Oyo State to stand up and greet him. The incident was said to have happened at the commissioning of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, LAUTECH’s College of Agricultural Science and Renewable Natural Resources, Iseyin, on Friday. In the video making the rounds on the internet, the former president tongue-lashed the traditional rulers from Oke-Ogun, Ibadan, Oyo and Ibarapa, and termed their effrontery as disrespect to ‘constituted authority’, because they failed to stand up when the governor and himself climbed the rostrum for their addresses. “Wherever a governor or president is sitting, traditional rulers must show them respect”, Obasanjo was seen saying. The elder statesman’s action drew t...

Soun Ogbomoso: Fame, money, not my intention of becoming king — Oba Olaoye.  The historical city of Ogbomoso was on Thursday, agog as the newly installed Soun of Ogbomosola land, Oba Afolabi Ghandi Laoye Orumogege III, moved to the main palace to receive members of the community and dignitaries who converged to rejoice with him on his coronation. While receiving dignitaries from different walks of life, the newly installed Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Olaoye, said he is not interested in making money or name on the throne. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of residents of the ancient city. In his inaugural speech, the Soun said his aim was to put Ogbomoso in its rightful place. Oba Olaoye was installed as the new Soun of Ogbomoso by kingmakers, led by the Are Ago of Ogbomoso, High Chief Solalaje Otolorin, in the early hours of Friday September, 8, 2023. The monarch urged the aggrieved people to unite with him for the development of the town. He added that it was God that s...

Nigeria swinging dangerously away from true democracy, says Obi.  . Cites executive, legislative, judicial corruption as reason The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP in the February 25, 2023 election, Peter Obi, has said transactional politics, disrespect for the rule of law, endemic corruption in the executive, legislature and the Judiciary are pulling Nigeria dangerously away from democracy. Obi stated this in a series of posts on his X account (formerly Twitter) as Nigeria joined other countries of the world to mark the 2023 edition of the International Democracy Day celebration, on Friday. The LP candidate has since announced his decision to contest the Judgment of the Presidential Election Petition Court which upheld the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC that President Bola Tinubu, of the All Progressives Congress won the February 25, election. Obi wrote, “On this year’s celebration of International Democracy Day, we m...

Nigerians hail Abdulrazaq for appointing men with disability Permanent Secretaries in Kwara.  In the bustling heart of Nigeria, Kwara State has become a beacon of hope and inclusivity. Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq recently made history by appointing two physically challenged individuals as Permanent Secretaries simultaneously, marking a first in the state’s history. It brings to three, the number of such appointments in his government, having made a similar one in his first tenure. This unprecedented move has stirred the hearts of Nigerians across the nation, reinforcing the popular adage, ‘There’s ability in disability.’ Peter Ayanwale, a blind man who formerly served as vice principal at the Kwara State School for Special Needs, was one of the newly sworn-in secretaries. His remarkable journey to the pinnacle of his career has been nothing short of inspiring. “Until a few days ago, when our names were announced, I had no idea. When my friend called me to congratula...

NNPC debunks plans to move headquarters to Lagos.  The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd. has denied speculations that it plans to move its headquarters in Abuja to Lagos. Mr Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) NNPC made the denial at the resumed investigative hearing of the ad hoc committee on the acquisition of OVH Energy by NNPCL on Friday. Kyari said that contrary to the petition by petitioners, the company had no plan of moving its headquarters to Lagos, adding that this was in spite of its present status of a private company, registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission. He said the insinuation might not be unconnected with the fact that 70 per cent of its operations were in Lagos, adding that moving the headquarters would incur additional cost on the company. He said the NNPC Ltd. had merged its operations and moved the right people where they were required to function. According to him, the registered headquarters of NNPC Ltd. i...

Hike in fees forcing us to withdraw our kids from schools – Parents.   Recent increase in the school fees by government-owned schools and some private schools has taken a new toll on parents, resulting in the withdrawal of their children. The parents who spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday. They called on the government to take immediate action to mitigate the adverse effects of the petroleum subsidy removal on parents and school owners. Mr Rotimi Lawrence, a civil servant, said he had to withdraw his child’s admission from a government school due to increase in tuition fees, a development he said was not envisaged at the initial stage. Lawrence, who said he was pained to take such a decision, said parents are already struggling with the increased cost of living. “It is heart-breaking to note that private schools are increasing school fees but we understand with them. Government schools which should be a succour to paren...

Inflation rate jumps to 25.8 percent in August.  The National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, today said Nigeria’s headline inflation rate rose year-on-year (YoY) by 1.72 percentage points to 25.8 percent in August from 24.08 percent in July. This represents the seventh consecutive rise in inflation this year. The bureau disclosed this in its Consumer Price Index, CPI, report for August noting that food inflation rate also increased YoY by 2.36 percentage points to 29.34 percent in August from 26.98 percent in July. This was due to increases in prices of Oil and fat, bread and cereals, fish, fruit, Meat, vegetables and potatoes, yam and other tubers, vegetable, milk, cheese and eggs. NBS said: “In August 2023, the headline inflation rate increased to 25.80 percent relative to the July 2023 head-line inflation rate which was 24.08 percent. “Looking at the movement, the August 2023 headline inflation rate shows an increase of 1.72 percentage points when compared to the July 20...

100 Days: The untold stories of President Tinubu’s leadership acts.  In the last one-week since President Bola Tinubu clocked 100 days in office, commentators and analysts, political observers and politicians have busied themselves, dissecting the President’s performance in office, particularly his major decisions and policy options. Many have also commented on the achievements recorded and the areas that require improvements. The newspapers and electronic media have been awash with many lauding the giant strides recorded within just three months and a few days in office. Some top politicians like former Zamfara State governor, Senator Abdulaziz Yari representing Zamfara West, and the Minister of Interior, Hon. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, for instance, bought the front pages of some newspapers to celebrate the President, his exemplary leadership and well-thought out economic policies in just 100 days. Some others, particularly the opposition, behaving like sore losers that they...

CBN drives investments for rehabilitation of moribund ports.  The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has commenced moves to rehabilitate moribund ports across the country to create better efficiency and ease congestion at Nigeria’s ports industry. Speaking at the third edition of the Nigerian Ports and Trade Investment Forum, Assistant Director, Development Finance Department, CBN, Mr Ayoola Kadiri, said the apex bank is currently looking for investors to bring these moribund ports back to life to grow the country’s export trade. Kadiri also said that reviving these moribund ports is geared towards de-congesting the existing ports, adding that there is a fund dedicated for this purpose. He stated: “We are looking for investors that want to invest in moribund ports across Nigeria. There is finance and collaboration from CBN on how these moribund ports can be revived which will help to decongest Lagos ports. “We are working with the Nigerian Exports Promotion Council. Also the...

Naira continues fall, depreciate to N950/$ in parallel market.  The naira yesterday depreciated to N950 per dollar in the parallel market, the lowest level since the introduction of foreign exchange (forex) market reforms by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN on June 14th. Vanguard gathered from black market traders that the parallel market exchange rate rose by N23 to N950 per dollar yesterday from N927 per dollar on Wednesday, triggered by increasing scarcity of the dollar amidst huge demand. Similarly, the naira depreciated in the Investors and Exporters, I&E window to N780 per dollar as the indicative exchange rate for the window rose by N21.88 from N758.12 per dollar on Wednesday. Consequently, the gap between the official and parallel market exchange rates widened to N170 per dollar yesterday from N168.88 per dollar on Wednesday. The naira has been on a downward trend in the forex market since the CBN reforms of June 14, which includes the elimination of multipl...

Outrage as national power grid collapses twice in 6 hours.  Businesses and homes were again left without power supply for several hours yesterday after the nation’s national grid collapsed twice in less than six hours, dropping power generation by 93.5 per cent to 273MW. The latest collapse came barely two weeks after the controversial celebration of 400 days of stable or incident-free operations by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN. In 2022, the grid collapsed seven times, with the Federal Government promising to end constant power grid instability. Data supplied by the National System Operator, a semi-autonomous unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria showed that the grid collapsed around 12.35 am yesterday. After several hours, it collapsed again around 6.40am, leaving the entire country without public power supply. As at 1.30 pm yesterday, data from NSO showed that the grid had begun a slow recovery with load allocation to distribution companies at 585 Me...

Deathtraps: Federal, Lagos govts to shut 3rd Mainland Bridge for repairs.  LAGOS—TO end recurring accidents occasioned by potholes on the Third Mainland Bridge, the Federal Government in collaboration with the Lagos State Government will next week commence remedial repair works on bad portions of the bridge Specifically, the bridge will be closed on two consecutive Sundays, September 17 and 24, for the remedial works to be carried out by the state Government, through the Lagos Public Works Corporation, LPWC, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works. Motorists have continued to lament the bad state of the bridge, which has potholes on many parts, which have been causing accidents. While modalities by the state government for the construction of the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge have reached advanced stage, residents are of the opinion that the Third Mainland Bridge has been overstretched. Confirming the planned rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge to ...

Illegal toll: IGP orders CPs to dismantle all unauthorised checkpoints, arrest violators.  Acting Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, yesterday asked commissioners of police in the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory, FCT, to immediately commence dismantling of all non-security checkpoints within their areas of responsibilities, and arrest violators for prompt prosecution. He also gave commissioners of police yet to establish the complaints reponse units, CRU, three weeks within which to do so in their command headquarters to combat corruption. Speaking at a strategic meeting with DIGs, AIGs and command CPs, Egbetokun assured that the Police would provide adequate security for the governorship elections coming up in three states of the federation, saying there was no need for worry. He said: “We are aware of the challenge posed by the continued presence of unauthorized persons on the various highways around the country, in the guise of r...

Niger coup fallout: Nigerians at the border count losses as misery heightens.  NIGERIAN communities along the Nigeria-Niger border are facing a growing uncertainty and anxiety as a result of the profound impact of the Niger coup crisis. With the border closed and vital services knocked out, misery coupled with frustration has become the lot of the residents. The situation remains dire as the suffering triggered by the closure of the borders stretches into weeks and months with no end in sight. Food, water, and electricity supplies have since dried up, while free movement of goods and services has also been stalled between the dwellers of the borderline areas since the coup rattled the country some weeks ago. In an interview with Arewa Voice, the Acting Village Head of Magama Community in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State, Sani Abubakar, listed the multi-faceted nature of the crisis and its repercussions on border communities. In the midst of the escalating po...

Mile 2-Apapa expressway: Hold LASTMA, Police, others accountable — Truck drivers.   TANKERS and trucks for about a week running have blocked the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway from Second Rainbow bus stop to Tin Port following the inability of the joint task force on Apapa-Oshodi traffic gridlock, comprising Nigeria Police Force, Lagos Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA; and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers, NUPENG, to manage the traffic situation. The drivers claimed that they have paid all the agencies concerned but the development has led to a total collapse of business activities along the stretch of the road. Vanguard observed that the joint task force had completely failed to curb the excesses of the tanker drivers for over one week running as the chaotic traffic situation worsened. The situation came to a height, yesterday, as motorists and other road users spent several hours on one spot due to the double parking and unruly driving by the driver...