Nigerian Eye

Biden campaign raises $364 million, breaks Obama’s record

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‌Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden raised more than $364 million in August, reportedly breaking the record for monthly campaign donations even though his fundraising efforts were largely online because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The former vice president and the Democratic National Committee pulled in a total of $364.5 million, of which $205 million were pledged online from small donors, his campaign team said Wednesday.
The previous record was set by Barack Obama and the DNC in September 2008, when he raised almost $200 million, according to CBS and New York Times reports.
“That figure blows me away,” said the 77-year-old Biden in a statement thanking his supporters.
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“Over $205 million, or 57 percent of the money we raised, came from online donations, from people like you, chipping in $5, $10, $20 at a time,” the candidate added.
Having prepared his re-election campaign since he arrived in the White House in early 2017, 74-year-old President Donald Trump still has a larger overall war chest, but Biden has been drawing in ever larger sums since winning the Democratic primary in April.
“We have to keep breaking records if we want to ensure a fighting chance at winning this thing,” Biden urged his supporters.
“Trump’s money machine remains and it’s bolstered by outside, dark money — not grassroots donors like all of you,” Biden said.
“And you better believe they will pour it all into attacks and smears against me, against Kamala, and against our campaign.”
Biden’s pick of California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate, making her the woman of color on a major party presidential ticket, fired up his donor base, raising $26 million in 24 hours, Biden revealed on August 12.
In July, Trump and the Republic National Committee raised $165 million, against $140 million for the Democrats the same month.

Latest-News Biden campaign raises $364 million, breaks Obama’s record

‌ Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden raised more than $364 million in August, reportedly breaking the record for monthly campa...

EFCC re-arraigns ‘Mama’ Boko Haram, others for alleged N6m fraud

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The Maiduguri Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had re-arraigned the Chief Executive Officer of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, Aisha Alkali Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram.
Mama Boko Haram was said to have been re-arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri, on amended four counts bordering on conspiracy, giving false information, and cheating to the tune of N6 million.
At the sitting, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmad, informed the court of a pending amended charge and urged the court to strike out the earlier charges filed on March 3 and 10, 2020, and substitute it with that of March 18, 2020.
A statement on Wednesday by the Head, Media, and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, indicated that Justice Kumaliya substituted the charges and ordered them to be read to the defendants.
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One of the charges read, “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director respectively, of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (NGO), sometime between October and November, 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly induced one Alhaji Bukar Kachalla of Abks Ventures Limited to deliver to you a Toyota Camry 2012 Model worth N6m only under the guise of executing a contract for the purchase of the said car and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 332 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”
They pleaded not guilty, following which counsel for the second and third defendants, H. Waziri, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him to study the new charges with a view to applying for a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC.
Consequently, Justice Kumaliya adjourned the matter till September 16, 2020 for commencement of trial
Mama Boko Haram was originally arraigned, alongside the Programme Manager of her Foundation, Tahiru Daura and the Country Director, Lawal Shoyode on December 4, 2019. Their trial followed their no-guilty plea to the charges.

Latest-News EFCC re-arraigns ‘Mama’ Boko Haram, others for alleged N6m fraud

The Maiduguri Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had re-arraigned the Chief Executive Officer of Complet...

Bale accuses Real Madrid of not allowing him to leave

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Real Madrid forward, Gareth Bale, has accused the club of not allowing him to leave Santiago Bernabeu.
He also said that it was nice for him to feel appreciated when he joins up with the Wales national team.
Bale almost left Real Madrid last summer for a move to China, but it was blocked at the last minute.
“It’s nice to feel appreciated with Wales,” Bale told Sky Sports News ahead of Wales’ UEFA Nations League fixtures with Finland and Bulgaria on Thursday and Sunday respectively.
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“I have tried to leave Real Madrid. The club makes things very difficult. I’m under contract, so it is in the club’s hands.
“I tried to leave last year, but they blocked everything at the last second. It was a project I was excited for, but it did not materialise.
“I’m only 31 still, but I feel I’m in great shape still and feel like I have a lot to give. We will see what happens. It is in the club’s hands, but they make things very difficult, to be honest.”
Bale joined Real Madrid from Tottenham Hotspur in 2013 for a then world-record fee of £86million.
The winger’s time in Real Madrid has not gone as planned, as he has been frozen out by head coach, Zinedine Zidane.
He made just 20 appearances for the La Liga champions last season and only two of those came after football’s restart following COVID-19 lockdown.
Bale has two years left on his current contract with Real Madrid.

Latest-News Bale accuses Real Madrid of not allowing him to leave

Real Madrid forward, Gareth Bale, has accused the club of not allowing him to leave Santiago Bernabeu. He also said that it was nice for ...

More woes for Nigerians as petrol price increase to N160/Litre

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The pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, appears set to hit N160 per litre as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has increased the price at which it sells the product to marketers from N138.62 per litre to N147.67. 
 
The Petroleum Products Marketing Company, a subsidiary of the NNPC, had initially on Wednesday increased the ex-depot price of the PMS to N151.56 per litre, with marketers saying the product would be sold at between N162 and N165 per litre. 
<a id="more" name="more"></a>The ex-depot price is the price at which the product is sold to marketers at the depots. 
The N151.56 ex-depot price was announced in an internal memo to all stakeholders with reference number PPMC/IB/LS/020 dated September 2, 2020 and signed by D.O Abalaka. 
 
The memo, a copy of which was seen by one of our correspondents, said, “Please be informed that a new product price adjustment has been effected on our payment platform. 
 
“To this end, the price of Premium Motor Spirit is now one hundred and fifty-one naira, fifty-six kobo (N151.56k) per litre. This is effective from September 2, 2020.” 
 
But the PPMC, in another internal memo dated September 2, 2020 with reference number PPMC/MOD/Sales/346 and signed by Onya Schola, reduced the ex-depot price to N147.67 per litre. 
 
When the ex-depot price was fixed at N138.62 in August, marketers were selling petrol at between N148 and N150 per litre. With a new ex-depot price of N147.67 per litre, the pump price may be between N157 and N160 per litre. 
 
Amidst the different ex-depot prices, the Managing Director of the  PPMC, Musa Lawal, told one of our correspondents that the first ex-depot price was wrong and should be discarded. 
 
He said the company was investigating how the first memo went out, stressing that although it was from the PPMC, the figures were still being computed and had not been concluded. 
“That is not authentic. It is wrong and there is a price review which shall be communicated properly, but what came out early today is the wrong one,” Lawal stated. 
Asked to provide the correct one, he replied, “The one that I saw today on the website of one of the dailies is the wrong one. As we speak the circumstances under which that happened are being investigated. 
“However, I cannot tell you more than this as the PPPRA (Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency) is the one to fix prices because we sell based on the guiding price from them.” 
But the PPPRA on Wednesday decided to stay mute, as it did in August when the ex-depot price for the PMS was released by the PPMC. 
Its spokesperson, Kimchi Apollo, did not answer calls nor replied a text on the matter. 
The PPPRA’s silence on petrol price is contrary to what it said in March. 
The agency had stated that it would be issuing a  monthly guiding price for petrol, but in August it did not issue any and had remained mute since then. 
Meanwhile, oil marketers told  newsmen  that going by the circulating ex-depot prices for petrol, the pump price for the commodity should hit between N160 to N162/litre. 
 
They also stated that loading of products had stopped at some depots, as marketers were confused on which price to either buy or sell the commodity. 
 
Up till 8pm on Wednesday, officials of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria stated that no authentic communication had been received from either the PPPRA of the  PPMC on the pump price or ex-depot price of petrol. 
 
“Loading has stopped in some depots because of this confusion caused by the price modulation of guiding exercise introduced by the PPPRA and up till now we’ve not received any notice on either the ex-depot price or pump price,” the National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, Ukadike Chinedu, stated. 
 
But the Zonal Chairman, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, South- West, Mr Dele Tajudeen, told one of our correspondents that the association had decided that the pump price would be N162 per litre when the ex-depot price was increased to N151.56. 
 
Asked what the pump price would be following the reduction of the ex-depot price to N147.67, he said the association would decide on that later on Wednesday if the ex-depot price remained the same. 
 
“We will add whatever the NNPC has added to our buying price to our selling price,” Tajudeen added. 
 
Petrol price was increased by marketers to between N148 and N150/litre in August from a band of N140.80 to N143.80. 
 
Following the  announcement of the new depot price, many filing stations in Ogun and Lagos states were shut on Wednesday  as marketers awaited further clarifications from the PPMC. 
 
The Federal Government increased the petrol price a day after power distribution companies hiked electricity tariffs across the country. 
 
The  petrol price  hike generated angry reactions from the Nigeria Labour Congress,  Manufacturers Association of Nigeria and other major groups in the country on Wednesday. 
 Small businesses will be hard hit,  MAN warns 
 
The acting Director-General, Manufacturing Association of Nigeria, Mr Ambrose Oruche, in an interview with one of our correspondents,  said the poor and small businesses that depended on the  PMS to power their generators would be hard hit. 
 
He said it was important for the government to introduce measures to cushion the effect of the deregulation in the sector. 
 
Oruche stated, “To reduce the impact, government should do more in ensuring power generation is big and distribution is efficient, and ensure that people get at least 20 hours of light in a day to reduce dependence on the PMS. 
“Government should find a way of compensating the SMEs to stay in business through tax rebates or grants to remain in business and stay competitive.” 
Nigerians are being taken for granted by this govt – NLC 
But the Nigeria Labour Congress said by increasing the fuel pump  price  three times within three months,  the Federal Government was taking Nigerians for granted. 
 
The NLC President,  Ayuba Wabba, said the union could  no longer guarantee industrial harmony in view of the development. 
He said Nigerians and the NLC were shocked by the price increase,   “coming at a time when many Nigerians are passing through very peculiar and precarious times. 
 
“It’s like Nigerians are being taken for a ride; the increase in price of petroleum is like adding salt to injury. 
“The increase in price of petroleum has happened now more than three times in three months. Only yesterday (Tuesday), they hiked the tariff of electricity. To compound it,  they also reduced the interest rate on savings which affected mostly the poor and the vulnerable. 
“While rejecting this in the strongest terms, I think Nigerian government is taking Nigerians for granted.” 
The congress noted that the government had betrayed the trust of Nigerians and left them vulnerable to economic ravages. 
 
I warned Nigerians – Fayose 
A  former Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose, tweeted that  the increase was ludicrous particularly coming at a time the whole world was busy finding solutions to the COVID-19 . 
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He stated “Just in case those who led the Save Nigeria protests across Nigeria during Peoples Democratic Party government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan are not aware,  I warned." 
On its part, the minority caucus in the House of Representatives condemned the increase in pump price of petrol. 
 
The Minority Leader of the House, Ndidu Elumelu, in a statement  on Wednesday and titled, ‘Reps caucus demands halt in N151 fuel price increase,’ described the increment as unacceptable. 
He warned that it would result in increase in the already high cost of consumer goods and services and worsen the current economic hardships being suffered by Nigerians. 
A former President of the  Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Malachy Ugwumadu, in a chat with one of our correspondents, said the price hike was ill-timed. 
He said, “At a time when Nigerians are still reeling under the  weight and pains occasioned by COVID-19 pandemic, the time is certainly wrong. Coming on the heels of the hike in electricity tariff renders it both ill- timed and  insensitive.” 
 
The Convener of  the Concerned Nigeria group, Deji Adeyanju,  said the price increase was  ill-advised and anti-people. 
 
In an interview with newsmen, Adeyanju said, “The common man can hardly breathe.  Buhari now has his hands tightfisted on Nigerians. He wants to make sure that people can no longer survive. 
 
“How do you explain a situation where the country is sinking and going down? The country practically relies on loans to fund its own budget and service its debt.” 
 
It’s callous – PDP 
 
The Peoples Democratic Party also rejected the  increase in the price of petrol as well as the hike in the electricity tariffs . The main opposition party described the increases as callous and unjustifiable. 
 
This was contained in a statement titled ‘PDP rejects N151 fuel price, hike in electricity tariff…Says APC is punishing Nigerians,’  signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, on Wednesday. 
 
While demanding  an immediate reversal of the prices to avert a national crisis, the party said,  “The increase will result in upsurge in costs of goods and services and worsen the biting hardship being faced by Nigerians, who are already impoverished and overburdened  by APC-imposed high cost of living in the last five years.” 
 
In its response, the APC,  in a statement titled, “APC to PDP: cajole your cronies to  return stolen fuel subsidy loot,” signed by its Deputy National Publicity,  Yekini Nabena, dismissed the PDP as “shameless.” 
 
It challenged the PDP to come clean of allegations of several years of the pillage of the nation’s resources under the guise of its corruption-tainted fuel subsidy regime. 
 
A foremost economist and Managing Director of Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr Bismarck Rewane,  in an interview with It was noted that while the rise in global oil prices meant increased revenue from crude oil sales, it would also lead to an increase in the price of petroleum products. 
 
Noting that people’s disposable incomes and productivity had not increased, he said petrol price hike would add more pressure to consumers. 
 
“Until our refineries are fixed or when Dangote refinery comes on stream, the country will continue to have this challenge. Let us manage to minimise the increase in petrol price so that people won’t suffer,” he said. 
 
The Chairman, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, Mr Adetunji Oyebanji, had said on Tuesday that the pump price of petrol should be significantly higher than N148 per litre. 
 
Oyebanji, who spoke on CNBC Africa on Tuesday, said, “If you look at the template the PPPRA has been using in setting prices, you will find that if you just apply even the official exchange rate for the month of August, prices at the pump should be significantly higher that where there are today.”

Latest-News More woes for Nigerians as petrol price increase to N160/Litre

The pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, also known as petrol, appears set to hit N160 per litre as the Nigerian National Petroleum Cor...

Kill me instead of destroying my Indian hemp farm, suspect begs NDLEA

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgJ4NWeitU7vIM48zZ5l5IfonbOKvwFLDAF08_Okj7YDNNqaYHNfhzOTUI7P1Qy1cjz_-wWdewKZM52jZOmECZXwLprSLioINnmSiA4q4ZrkPmCiDIjHPrUk-9neXky2TDBKprNjraEeQ/s640/ndlea.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="321" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglgJ4NWeitU7vIM48zZ5l5IfonbOKvwFLDAF08_Okj7YDNNqaYHNfhzOTUI7P1Qy1cjz_-wWdewKZM52jZOmECZXwLprSLioINnmSiA4q4ZrkPmCiDIjHPrUk-9neXky2TDBKprNjraEeQ/s0/ndlea.jpg" /></a></div>
 
A suspected Indian hemp farmer, Clement Akor, has begged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to take his life instead of destroying his 10-hectare cannabis plantation.
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Akor, a 42-year-old father of six from Enabo village in the Ankpa Local Government Area of Kogi State, and his accomplice, David Ameh, were arrested by the Kogi State Command of the NDLEA.
 
Akor, who claimed to have invested so much in the business and could not afford to lose everything, said he learnt dealing in Indian hemp from Owo, Ondo State.
 
The suspect, who cried profusely and attempted to stop the men of the NDLEA, led by the commander, Alfred Adewumi, from destroying his farm in Oketepe, Okula community, about 10 kilometres from Ejule, said he preferred to die than watch the officers destroy what he worked hard for in the last one year.
He noted that he was aware of the ban on the sale of Indian hemp, but insisted that it was a risky business.
Akor stated, “I am the owner of this farm. I learnt it in Yorubaland. When I cultivated the produce last year, it was stolen. So, this year, I bought the seed from Yorubaland and planted it before I was caught.
“The Indian hemp business is by luck. In this farm, I can get many bags. I do sell one bag for N20,000, depending on the area where I am selling it to. It can be me more. I spent N12,000 on cultivating this farm. It is better for you people to kill me than destroy this farm.”
“This is my business. I spent a lot to allow this plant to grow up to this level. In the next two weeks, I am supposed to harvest it. Now, you people have come here to destroy it. Just kill me so that I won’t see you people destroying what I have laboured for. I am looking for money because I am illiterate. I don’t want to engage in armed robbery or kidnapping, that is why I am into this business of Indian hemp cultivation and sale.”
Adewumi, however, calmed him down but insisted that the war against illicit drug use was on course in the state.
Addressing journalists shortly after the destruction of the farm, Adewumi lamented the increasing wave of cultivation illicit and use of cannabis sativa in the state.
He stated that the two suspects were arrested through intelligent gathering by officers of his command.
The commander noted that the latest breakthrough came three days after the command arrested Endurance Samson and Abah Sunday for alleged possession of 36.2 kilograms of Indian hemp.
Adewumi stated, “What you are seeing today is certainly more than three football fields put together.  Just look around that is a huge expanse of cultivated cannabis land. We just left the first farm, which is equally a huge cannabis plantation.
“This is very unfortunate. I am worried about this unfortunate development. I have thought that Kogi State will not descend to this point. As things stand today, it will be self denial to begin to say that Kogi State is not planting cannabis sativa, because the evidence itself suggests the fact that there is high rate of cannabis sativa cultivation in the state.”
He added that the suspects would be charged as soon as investigation was concluded into the case.

Latest-News Kill me instead of destroying my Indian hemp farm, suspect begs NDLEA

A suspected Indian hemp farmer, Clement Akor, has begged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to take his life instead of destroyin...

The new increase in fuel price is like adding salt to the injury of Nigerians - NLC Chairman

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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">Mr Ayuba Wabba, NLC President has rejected the increase in the price of petrol from N148.50 per litre to N162, saying it is “like adding insult to injury”.</div>
He made the stand of labour known on Wednesday in Abuja.
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According to Wabba, Nigerians and even the NLC are shocked about the increase and this increase is coming at a time when many Nigerians are passing through very precarious times.
“It is like Nigerians are being taken for a ride.
“The increase in price of petroleum has happened now more than three times in three months, only yesterday they hiked the tariff of electricity,” he said.
The NLC president said that to compound the issue, the CBN also reduced the interest rate of savings which affects mostly the poor and the vulnerable.
“The organised labour therefore rejects the increase in price of the product in the strongest terms.”
According to him, at the end of the day, Nigerians are becoming poorer and poorer, in fact many people are already on the edge. Many workers are already on the edge.”
“Certainly, we cannot guarantee industrial peace and harmony, and we will have to call our organs and we will have to also react but we reject it in its entirety.
“They have betrayed the trust of Nigerians, for Nigerians to be protected against the economic challenge that is affecting us,” he said,
The Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) in a statement announced that the new price adjustment effective from Sept. 2.
PPMC increased the ex-depot price from N138 to N152. This serves as basis for an increase in the retail price by marketers
IPMAN has told its members to sell the fuel at N162.
The last price increase was on Aug. 5, when the price moved from N143.50 to N148.50 per litre..
Some filling stations in Abuja sold petrol for N161 per litre on Wednesday.
Also reacting, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, Professor of Finance and Capital Market, Nasarawa State University, told NAN that the new price will heighten inflationary pressure in the country.
“This is clearly a downside risk to inflation.
“In the coming months, I expect inflationary pressure to heighten as crude oil price recovery in the international market necessitates a hike in domestic pump price of imported fuel.
“This situation will be compounded by naira devaluation,” he said.
Uwaleke, also a former Imo Commissioner for Finance said that to save the situation, the alternative would have been petrol subsidy.
According to him, government cannot afford it now as it not provided for in the 2020 budget.
“Again, expecting a government already saddled with huge debt to borrow to subsidise price of petrol does not make economic sense.
“With all the economic headwinds, there is no question about a spike in cost of living in the coming months,” he said.
He noted that the only solution was for government to ensure the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).
“The solution remains passing the Petroleum Industry Bill into law to pave way for investors in the oil refining sector which will put a stop to import of petroleum products well before Dangote refinery takes off to fill the gap,” he said.