Nigerian Eye

Nigeria officially stops petrol subsidy

The Federal Government has officially ended the subsidy on premium motor spirit, popularly known as petrol. The latest Petroleum Products Pricing template, issued by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency does not contain the usual subsidy component. 
 
The PPPRA is the government agency that regulates the prices of petroleum products in the country and its template has always offered insights into how the pricing of these products are determined by the regulators. 
 
As of December 28 last year, the official pricing template for petrol by the PPPRA showed that the Federal Government subsidised the product by N6.45 per litre. The Expected Open Market Price at that time was N93.45, which was N6.45 higher than the then retail price of N87 per litre. 
 
 
 
On the revised template, the Estimated Open Market Price set by the regulator is now N84.78 for NNPC fuel stations and N85.1 for stations run by other oil marketer companies. 
 
The EOMP is the summation of the landing cost of petrol and subtotal margins. Such margins include transporter’s cost, dealer’s charge, bridging fund, administrative charge, etc. Our correspondent said that the EOMP, therefore, is the true cost of the product. 
 
Before the release of the revised template, the EOMP was usually higher than the retail/pump price of petrol at filling stations. The difference between the retail price and the EOMP was what the Federal Government paid as subsidy to oil marketers. 
 
However, the new EOMP is lower than the retail price of N86.5, which was set by the Federal Government as the amount at which petrol should be sold nationwide. The implication is that Nigerians are paying an extra N1.4 for the commodity whenever they buy PMS at non-NNPC run petrol stations and N1.22 extra for every litre of petrol bought at NNPC-run filling stations. 
 
On the extra amount paid by consumers for the commodity, the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, NNPC, Mr. Bello Rabiu, while explaining the template, told our correspondent that the negative subsidy would be remitted to the Petroleum Support Fund in line with the PPPRA guidelines. 
 
He said, “The savings under such a regime could be domiciled in the PSF as a buffer to fund future subsidy (if any) that may arise during high oil price regime or invested by the industry in supply and distribution efficiency improvement projects such as decongestion of Apapa area, Single Point Monitoring in Port Harcourt and Warri, complimentary rail services, inland waterways, etc.” 
 
The PPPRA, after getting approval from the Federal Government, had announced last Tuesday that retail filling stations belonging to the NNPC would from Friday, January 1, 2016 sell petrol at N86 per litre, while other oil marketers would sell the commodity at N86.5 per litre. 
 
The Executive Secretary, PPPRA, Mr. Farouk Ahmed, while announcing the new price of PMS in Abuja, had told journalists on Tuesday that the reduction in the price of the commodity was due to the implementation of the revised components of the petroleum products pricing template for PMS and House Hold Kerosene. 
 
He said the template would be reviewed on a quarterly basis as it was geared towards ensuring an efficient and market-driven price that would reflect current realities. 
 
Ahmed had said, “Since 2007, while crude oil price had been moving up and down, the template has remained the same. This made it necessary for us to introduce a mechanism whereby the template would be sensitive to the price of crude oil. 
 
“However, the template is not static, as there would be a quarterly review and if there is any major shift, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources would be expected to call for a review, either upwards or downwards. If there is no major shift, the price would continue from January to March 2016. In addition, there would be a Product Pricing Advisory Committee that would be set up to advice the PPPRA concerning movements in the price of crude oil.” 
 
On why the NNPC sold at a lower price than other oil marketers, Ahmed explained that it was due to the fact that it was cheaper for the corporation to import products, compared to the independent and major oil marketers. 
 
Some oil marketers had told our correspondent that although it was possible to sell PMS at a “reduced price”, Nigerians might not be ready to absorb future fluctuations or modulations in the pump price of petrol. 
 
The Corporate Affairs Manager, NIPCO PLC, an oil marketing firm, Mr. Lawal Taofeeq, said, “It is possible, but the issue that government needs to understand is that, should there be fluctuation in price, are Nigerians ready to absorb it? If the price of crude oil should go up again, will Nigerians be ready to pay the resultant increased cost for petrol? Thus, there is need for adequate education in this matter.” 
 
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, on December 27 last year, had told journalists in Kaduna that the government was currently not paying subsidy on petrol. 
 
“Today, there is no subsidy; we are selling the product at N87; in January, we will look at what the trend is, we will announce (a new) price if that is less than N87; we will announce it and if it is more than that, we will have to announce it,” the minister, who also doubles as the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, had said.

Latest-News Nigeria officially stops petrol subsidy

The Federal Government has officially ended the subsidy on premium motor spirit, popularly known as petrol. The latest Petroleum Products ...

OPEN LETTER TO BUHARI: Nigeria under state- sponsored tyranny – Femi Fani-Kayode

06:06 Unknown 0

Mr. President, as one of your most loyal and faithful subjects who has nothing but the utmost respect for your person and your office, I am constrained to write you this open letter. This is because there are issues I believe are important for you to clarify and to come clean on. I say this because some of your assertions of late are at best contradictory. 
 
Whichever side of the political divide we are on, I believe we can all agree on one thing: The prosecution of the war against terror is not something that any of us should play politics with. This is especially so given the fact that human lives are at stake and the very existence of our nation is under threat. Like much of the rest of the world, our country is going through hell at the hands of jihadists and Islamist terrorists. 
 
There is no gainsaying that we must all come to terms with the fact that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Al Shabab and Boko Haram are nothing but bloodthirsty murderers. They are indeed the scum of the earth, the troublers of humanity and the vermin of hell. It is with this in mind that I urge you to take the war against terror far more seriously than you are doing and plead with you to stop passing the buck. 
 
Your penchant for blaming your failings in this regard on the previous administration is simply nauseating and it does not serve you well. You continuously contradict yourself when it comes to this matter. We your subjects look up to you for consistency, strength, unequivocal commitment, a firm resolve and the ‘’leadership from the front’’ that you promised during your presidential campaign in this war. We do not want and neither do we need doublespeak, lame excuses and buck-passing. 
 
Permit me to point out a few examples of your contradictory assertions and your buck- passing in this short intervention. Initially, you claimed that your predecessor in office, President Goodluck Jonathan, never bought any arms and that, instead, he squandered and stole all the money that was appropriated for the procurement of arms. 
 
Yet, when the British Minister of Defense visited you in the Presidential Villa the other day, the story changed. You did a u-turn and gleefully told him and the wider world that Jonathan bought arms with raw cash. 
 
One wonders which story you shall come up with next and which one you will conjure up in the future. Kindly tell us what the position is: Is it that Jonathan did not buy arms at all and stole all the money or is it that he used cash to buy arms? You cannot have it both ways. It is either one or the other. 
 
 
 
Glaring doublespeak 
 
Quite apart from your glaring doublespeak on this matter, there was another issue which you ought to have raised with your highly esteemed and respected British guest. You failed to tell him that his was one of the countries that not only refused to sell weapons to us during the course of this bitter conflict but that also helped to impose and enforce the international arms embargo on our country even though we are at war. 
 
This resulted in the unnecessary death of thousands of our people because we found it difficult to procure the weapons to protect them. Your guest’s country insisted on toeing the American line and doing this to us, even though we were fighting a war against a relentless, well-motivated, well-funded and well-armed fighting force that Global Terror Index has described as the ‘’deadliest terrorist organization in the world’’. One is forced to ask: With friends like this, who needs enemies? 
 
Given the fact that the embargo was in place, one wonders how we were supposed to procure arms unless we did so with raw cash in the black market. The alternative was to buy none at all, to do nothing and to allow Boko Haram to take Abuja, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Lagos. Perhaps that is precisely what your Western friends and allies wanted but, thankfully, it never came to pass. 
 
Despite the challenges and constraints Jonathan faced, instead of losing any more ground, he rose to the occasion and retook no less than 22 local government areas and virtually pushed Boko Haram out of Nigeria. The only place that they occupied by the time the election took place was Sambisa forest. 
 
The former President achieved this with those arms that he bought with raw cash. This is apparently what you are now complaining about. Permit me to remind you that it is those same arms that Jonathan bought with raw cash that your army is still using till today. Yet, sadly, since you were sworn- in as President, seven months ago, you have lost some of those same local government areas that were earlier recovered and they are now back in the hands of terrorists. 
 
 
 
‘Technical’ victory 
 
Despite this, you keep telling the international community and the Nigerian people that we are ‘’making progress’’ in the war against terror. As a matter of fact, you went as far as to say that we had ‘’won the war’’ against Boko Haram and your Minister of Information, Mr. Lai Mohammed, echoed that grotesque mendacity and reiterated that sentiment by adding the words ‘’technically won’’ (whatever that may mean) to the equation. 
 
Sadly, two days later, on Christmas day, in what can only be described as an eloquent response from the terrorists, scores of innocent civilians were killed by Boko Haram in Borno State and a whole community was burnt to the ground. Again, on Sunday, December 27, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, came under heavy attack from the terrorists. Yet again, on Monday, December 28, in Adamawa State, Boko Haram launched a series of suicide bomb attacks in which at least 50 civilians were killed. So much for having ‘’won the war against Boko Haram’’, whether ‘’technically’’ or otherwise. 
 
Curiously, the next thing that you did was to tell Nigerians that you would ‘’persuade Boko Haram to drop their arms’’. One is compelled to ask: Why would you have to persuade them to drop their arms if you had already defeated them and won the war against them? 
 
 
 
Persuasion as a weapon 
 
In any case, this would be the first time in the history of modern warfare that a sitting President has sought to destroy and defeat a vicious and relentless terrorist organization and win the war against terror simply with the awesome and devastating weapon of persuasion. Perhaps you should recommend that same tactic to the Americans and the rest of the international community as an effective and credible weapon to adopt in their war against ISIL, Al Qaeda, Al Shabab and all the other jihadist groups that plague the world. 
 
Whilst you are at it, perhaps you could also persuade Boko Haram to free the Chibok girls. It is disturbing to note that despite all your campaign promises and assurances that once you are elected President the girls would be rescued or returned, nothing has been done or heard about any of them ever since you were sworn- in. Worste still, the Bring Back Our Girls group, which was essentially an appendage of your election organization, together with its distinguished leaders and conveners, appear to have gone very quiet. I guess they are busy trying to persuade Boko Haram to drop their arms too. 
 
Sadly, you appear to be detached from reality. Instead of fighting the war against terror, you are making it worse with the killing of Shia Muslims in Zaria on December 12, locking up their leader Sheik Ibrahim El Zakzaky and opening yet another war front in our country. The last thing that we need is for Hezbollah or the Iranian Republican Guard to rise to the occasion, take up the challenge, jump into the fray and decide to protect and avenge their Shia Muslim brothers and sisters in northern Nigeria. 
 
Yet, despite the reprehensible and indefensible actions of your military commanders in Zaria, you have refused to show any remorse for what was undoubtedly a war crime against fellow Nigerians and you have not prosecuted the officers and military personnel that were involved in the butchery. Instead the homes of the victims and those that share their Shia faith have been burnt to the ground in Zaria and their graves and burial sites have been dug up and desecrated. 
 
 
 
Cameroonian attack 
 
Worse still, you have refused to defend our country. I say this because a few days ago the Cameroonian military invaded our country, violated our territorial integrity and savagely murdered over 70 Nigerians in their village before burning it down. 
 
Your government refused to acknowledge that this event even took place, despite media reports. You did not console or express condolences to the families of the victims or retaliate against the Cameroonians. 
 
You did not even warn them or demand an apology or reparations from them. It could not have happened under Jonathan, Obasanjo, Babangida, Shagari, Abacha, Abubakar, Shonekan, Mohammed, Balewa or indeed any other former Nigerian President or Head of State. If any of them had been in power and the Cameroonians cultivated the effrontery to do such a thing, there would have been consequences. 
 
Yet, you did nothing to avenge this affront or to defend our honor. What happened to the gallant and brave General Buhari that courageously led our troops into victory in Chad in the early 1980s? What happened to the man that we all admired and looked up to because of his military exploits in Chad? What happened to the war hero that gave the Chadians a ‘’bloody nose’’ for daring to attack a Nigerian village and that almost took Ndjamena, the Chadian capital? What happened to the man who proved to the Libyans and their Chadian proxies that Nigerians knew how to fight? It appears that you have changed and that you are no longer the man that you used to be. 
 
State – sponsored tyranny 
 
You refuse to tell the world that our military is terribly demoralized, our soldiers are suffering heavy casualties and are not being paid their salaries regularly and, worst of all, you have failed to procure a single bullet or weapon for them to use in the last seven months since you came to power. 
 
Instead of deploying all the power of the state against Boko Haram, you have spent all your energy and resources trying to teach the former National Security Advisor, Colonel Sambo Dasuki, and all your other perceived enemies the lesson of their lives by misrepresenting them before the world, subjecting them to state-sponsored tyranny and the most insidious form of persecution, violating their human rights and telling the world that they stole and shared money that was meant for the purchase of arms. 
 
You have also misinformed the Nigerian people about the rules and conventions that are applied when it comes to the administration of security funds and about the fact that it is the National Assembly alone that has the right to probe the use of such funds as part of their oversight functions. To cap it all, you have claimed you did not receive any benefit from the NSA ‘s office whilst Jonathan was in power. This is an assertion which we all know is, at best, questionable. 
 
You must understand that any leader or government that is motivated by bitterness, fear, hate, vengeance and malice will eventually hit the rocks and crash like a pack of cards. You must appreciate the fact that God is watching and that He sees and knows all.

Latest-News OPEN LETTER TO BUHARI: Nigeria under state- sponsored tyranny – Femi Fani-Kayode

Mr. President, as one of your most loyal and faithful subjects who has nothing but the utmost respect for your person and your office, I ...

Abduction saga: Baby still with Davido’s sister - Momodu family

06:06 Unknown 0

The baby of hip-hop musician, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido, which he had with his baby mama, Sophia Momodu, is still with the Adeleke family. 
 
A member of the Momodu family revealed on Saturday that the Adelekes threatened that only the court could take the baby away from them. 
 
The family member who spoke on condition of anonymity said, ‘‘We have been told that only the court can take the baby away from them. But we also want to know if they took the baby away from the mother through the court. The baby’s mother is heartbroken and cries everyday over the matter.’’ 
 
 
 
In a related development, indications emerged on Saturday that the families of Momodu and Adeleke will meet with officials of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons this week over the petition sent by the Momodus to the agency on December 30, 2015. 
 
The agency had last week invited the parties concerned in the matter. 
 
Sophia had in a petition by her lawyer, alleged that her daughter, Imade, was being held away from her by the Adelekes with an attempt to take her abroad without her consent. 
 
It was gathered from sources close to the two families that the parties concerned were ready to honour the invitation. 
 
One of the sources who spoke with SUNDAY PUNCH on Saturday said, ‘‘I can confirm to you that the two families are meeting with the agency this week. I cannot say the exact day of the week because the agency gave an option for them to choose a particular day the two families can agree on. They are to come and explain what transpired before it got to the level of attempted abduction.’’ 
 
Sophie Momodu’s lawyer, Mr. Gbolaga Ajayi, had in the petition to NAPTIP urged the agency to intervene in the matter. 
 
The petition read in part: “Our client, a 27-year-old, is the biological mother of a baby girl with name, Aurora Imade Adeleke, who was born on the 14th day of May 2015. The baby’s father is Mr. David Adedeji Adeleke (aka Davido). The father and mother are unmarried. 
 
“On the 11th July, 2015, our client was tricked into visiting the house of Mr. David Adeleke’s half sister – Miss Ashley Coco Adeleke ─ with her baby, Imade Aurora Adeleke. After getting to the house on Baderinwa Alabi Street, Lekki Phase I, Lagos, our client’s baby was forcefully taken from her and she was thrown out of the premises with the threat that she would be decisively dealt with if she ever bothered to return there. 
 
“There were armed policemen on the premises and our client’s survival instinct made her leave her breast-suckling baby behind, with so much pain in her heart. 
 
“When Mrs. Modupe Mofikoya, the immigration officer who attended to the Adeleke travelling party accosted Ashley Adeleke and asked for the mother of the baby, she claimed that she was the mother. Immediately, the immigration officer on duty collected her Nigerian passport, she quickly absconded from the scene with the baby. Her father, Mr. Deji Adeleke, showed up shortly afterwards to clear his daughter’s mess. 
 
“Our client, with the help of her family members, including Mr. Dele Momodu, determinedly resisted the attempt by Miss Ashley Adeleke and her father from taking away Imade Adeleke from Lagos. Our client believes that the pair are trying to take the child to America and thus put her out of the reach of the biological mother. 
 
“At the moment, Miss Ashley Adeleke and our client’s daughter, Imade, are still in Lagos and their respective passports are in the custody of the airport immigration services.’’

Latest-News Abduction saga: Baby still with Davido’s sister - Momodu family

The baby of hip-hop musician, David Adeleke popularly known as Davido, which he had with his baby mama, Sophia Momodu, is still with the A...

Ex-militants ask FG to probe past NDDC board

06:06 Unknown 0

A group of former Niger Delta militants have threatened to go back to the creeks if the Federal Government failed to probe the past Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission. 
 
The former fighters, who are currently students of King Amachree African University in Benin Republic, said they were ready to arm themselves with guns if funds approved by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for Niger Delta youths’ empowerment were not released for the purposes they were meant for. 
 
One of the ex-militants, Ani Igiofori, who spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt on Saturday, stated that they were promised N500,000 each as empowerment allowance after being enrolled at a university in Benin Republic. 
 
 
 
The ex-militant lamented that the 129 beneficiaries of the scheme, which began in April 2015, had yet to get the empowerment funds from the NDDC. 
 
Igiofori urged President Buhari to intervene before they (ex-militants) get frustrated and go back to the creeks. 
 
He said, “If they (NDDC) fail to empower us, we will go back to the creeks. They should empower us very well. This board should investigate the immediate past board led by Bassey Dan-Abia. 
 
“We are calling on the new Acting Managing Director, NDDC, Mrs. Ibim Semenitari, to empower Rivers State youths. They should empower the Niger Delta youths so that we can leave militancy completely. They said we should shun kidnapping and armed robbery, but they should empower us.” 
 
Another former militant, ‘Commander’ Mike Bassey, said they were ready to go back to the creeks if nothing was done to settle their bills in the university. 
 
He said, “We are begging President Buhari to intervene. The past management of the NDDC did not empower us and the youths of the Niger Delta region are suffering. The stipends and toiletries they used to give us amount to N30,000 every month. 
 
“They (NDDC) said they removed us from the streets for us to be better citizens. But now, we may return to the streets. The Federal Government should arrest them and ask them what they did with the money earmarked for youth empowerment during Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.” 
 
Another ex-militant leader, ‘General’ Marvin Ovie, called on the NDDC to release the N500,000 empowerment fund promised each of them, saying the fund was approved by the Jonathan administration. 
 
Ovie said, “We want President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene, arrest those involved in this fraud and provide our need because we do not want to go back to the creeks again. 
 
“Let them (NDDC) give us the funds they promised us as our empowerment package. All these have been signed (approved) by former President Goodluck Jonathan. They (NDDC) are aware that our training will end this year (2016).” 
 
Reacting to the claims, the Head of Corporate Affairs Department at the NDDC, Mr. Ibitoye Abosede, revealed that contrary to the position of the ex-militant students, the former Managing Director (Dan-Abia) had approved the payment for their empowerment package. 
 
Abosede attributed the non-payment of the package to the delay in the process, maintaining that the students (ex-militants) would soon get paid. 
 
“The former managing director has signed and approved some funds to be disbursed to the students being trained in Benin Republic by the NDDC but the payment is being delayed. Very soon, the students will be paid,” Abosede said.

Latest-News Ex-militants ask FG to probe past NDDC board

A group of former Niger Delta militants have threatened to go back to the creeks if the Federal Government failed to probe the past Board ...

Chicken pecks buyer to coma in Asaba

06:06 Unknown 0

A fowl on Friday around Konwea Plaza in Asaba, Delta State allegedly pecked a buyer to coma, leaving the crowd who had thronged the scene to catch a glimpse of the incident to scamper for safety. 
 
It was gathered that a big broiler on sale with others by the plaza, pecked the buyer identified as Sunday Ibie on his eyes. 
 
The customer, who had wanted to buy the chicken, immediately fell to the ground breathing heavily before he was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba. 
 
 
 
The seller identified as Mama Ekene told our correspondent that the buyer had approached her to buy the broiler and was given the price of N4,000 but haggled for N3,000. 
 
She said: “I am shocked by the incident I was surprised that it pecked man in his right eye as he attempted to tie it. He fell down immediately and I had to raise the alarm for help.” 
 
An eyewitness, Kate Okafor, also said the broiler attacked the buyer when he attempted to tie its legs before taking it away. 
 
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Mrs. Celestina Kalu, who confirmed the incident to our correspondent, said: “What baffled everybody was the way and manner the broiler attacked the victim.’’ 
 
She added that the seller had been arresting by police and is helping with further investigations. 
 
The spokesperson stated, “The victim is receiving treatment at the FMC Asaba and he is still in coma. The bird removed part of the flesh in the buyer’s eye and inflicted a deep cut in that part.’’

Latest-News Chicken pecks buyer to coma in Asaba

A fowl on Friday around Konwea Plaza in Asaba, Delta State allegedly pecked a buyer to coma, leaving the crowd who had thronged the scene ...

PDP, APC in war of words over Dasuki

06:06 Unknown 0

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, linked the trial of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), to the 2019 general elections, saying President Muhammadu Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC) are scared Dasuki may be nursing a presidential ambition. 
 
The party said it was unfortunate that Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade has now become a war between the APC and the PDP. 
Meanwhile, the APC leadership replied,saying it was not losing sleep about who the PDP plans to pick from the North as its presidential flag bearer in the 2019 elections. 
 
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement, said it was appalling that the APC and its leaders, “who gleefully and unjustifiably poured invectives on former President Goodluck Jonathan in the guise of playing the role of an opposition party, would now not want to condone criticisms”. 
 
PDP explained that the trial of Dasuki was a sign that the ruling party felt threatened by his wide political and security network which he may use should he decide to contest for the presidency in 2019 on the PDP platform. 
 
Buhari, according to the opposition party, appeared to have already pronounced Dasuki and Nnamdi Kanu of Radio Biafra guilty in his last week media chat even before court pronouncements. 
 
It sympathised with the President and the APC over “their inability to accept, with equanimity, constructive criticisms of their administration”. 
“Besides, it is sad and embarrassing that President Buhari’s anti-corruption crusade has now been reduced to a war between the APC and the PDP as declared by the Office of his spokespersons. Since they have confirmed that this is what the anti-corruption crusade is all about, the APC is obviously seeking to destroy the PDP so that it can push through Buhari’s second tenure in 2019 without opposition from the PDP,” the PDP stated. 
 
“This has also confirmed our concern that this is the reason the Federal Government is persecuting, and not prosecuting, Col. Sambo Dasuki. The APC and its leaders fear that Dasuki, given his vast political and security network, may be harbouring a presidential ambition, more so that the PDP has zoned its presidential ticket to the north. 
 
“The PDP is conversant with the sinister plan by the APC-led Federal Government to completely decimate our party by raking up all manner of allegations of corruption against the Goodluck Jonathan administration and leaders of the PDP with a view to taking them to court on orchestrated charges. 
 
PDP also said that it is aware that President Buhari has directed security agencies to be more vicious in dealing with our members and has continued to subtly coerce the Judiciary to convict those being charged to court. 
 
“But what gives us joy is that President Buhari is not God and we will not worship him. Unlike the APC that denigrated the office and person of former President Jonathan by wrongly depicting him as ‘clueless and incompetent’, the PDP remains the most decent, mature and constructive opposition party in our democracy and we have evidenced great respect for the person and exalted office of President Muhammadu Buhari. 
 
“During the Goodluck Jonathan presidency, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, while in the saddle as interim Deputy National Secretary of the APC, in a post on his twitter page, described President Jonathan as ‘lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, hopeless and useless leader.’ Other APC leaders made raining abuses on Jonathan a past time. 
 
“The PDP is a very responsible opposition party; our leaders are mature; and we have demonstrated so in our critique of the President’s responses during the maiden Presidential Media Chat. We have reviewed President Buhari’s performance and concluded that it was uninspiring” 
 
Replying to the PDP allegations, last night, the APC said it was not losing sleep over who the PDP picks from the North as its presidential candidate in the 2019 elections. 
 
The party’s National Chairman, Chief John Oyegun, spoke in a statement, through the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Edegbe Odemwingie, in Abuja. 
 
Oyegun said his party ” will not join issues with the childish and laughable conspiracy theories being bandied by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in relation to the 2019 presidential election.” 
 
It went on,”Whoever the PDP picks as it’s candidate for the 2019 presidential election is not the business of the APC. Relevant laws in the country clearly spells out requirements for persons seeking election into all political office. 
 
“The preoccupation of the APC and President Muhammadu Buhari is to deliver on all the promises made to Nigerians by the party during the 2015 election. Looking back at the last seven months, there are clear indicators showing that the APC and the President Buhari administration is on the right track to delivering on its Change Agenda. 
 
“The PDP speaks of a presidential directive to security agencies and judiciary to “coerce” and “convict” PDP leaders and officials of the immediate-past administration with corruption charges. Clearly such abuse of presidential directives was a concept invented and effectively deployed by the PDP during its defunct 16-year rule. The APC is a law-abiding party and cannot adopt such diabolical concept. The APC believes strongly in the rule of law, as against the kind of impunity Nigeria witnessed under the PDP for 16 years. 
 
“We assure Nigerians that the PDP conspiracy theories will not distract the President Buhari administration, law enforcement and anti-graft agencies from the successful on-going war against corruption being waged on looters of our common wealth. ‎The ongoing war against corruption is not selective. Anybody guilty of corrupt practices will face the law. 
 
“Clearly, the PDP has chosen to blame everyone but itself for the sorry state it finds itself. The PDP should have known that it will pay for its years of impunity, recklessness and shocking mis-management of the country’s commonwealth. PDP members who are genuinely inspired by the APC-led administration are welcome to the APC fold. It is their right to abandon a sinking ship and join one that is smooth-sailing”

Latest-News PDP, APC in war of words over Dasuki

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, linked the trial of the former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd), to the ...

Man hacks step-mother to death in Enugu

06:06 Unknown 0

Pandemonium broke out in the agrarian community of Umuenem,Ezinesi-Oduma in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State following the killing of Bennedeth Anyim, allegedly with an axe during her intervention to quell a fight that erupted between two belligerent siblings. 
 
The suspect, Friday Anyim, was said to have engaged the elder sister,Abigail Anyim, in an argument over the sale of a water tank to enable him (Friday) raise money for the purchase of a motorcycle, popularly known as Okada, for commercial purpose. 
 
It was gathered that the suspect,a son to one of the three wives of his father, Anyim Samuel, had, in a bid to have his way,picked an axe, apparently to deal a devastating injury on the sister before the deceased rushed to intervene and was hit by the flying axe. 
 
The attack left the deceased sprawling on the floor just as the suspect took to his heels. 
 
Enugu State Police Command Public Relations Officer,PPRO,Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, confirmed the incident in a statement, adding that the deceased’s husband who was in the middle of a meeting in a nearby house, raced home on hearing the news only for him to meet the wife in a pool of blood.

Latest-News Man hacks step-mother to death in Enugu

Pandemonium broke out in the agrarian community of Umuenem,Ezinesi-Oduma in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State following the kill...