Category Nigeria News

Political economist, Pat Utomi, has urged Nigerian public servants to shun the use of taxpayers ‘ money for luxury purchases such as Land Cruisers and new presidential jets, describing such spending as “unjust” in a country where many citizens “struggle” to afford one meal a day.

“If you’re using public money, please don’t use it to buy a Land Cruiser”, Utomi said on Channels Television’s Hard Copy, aired on Friday.

“Go around as a permanent secretary in a Toyota Corolla, please, it is a public resource. If you’re president, please don’t buy a new presidential jet. South Africa’s president used to travel around Africa in business class. I have sat in the same aircraft class as Thabo Mbeki when he was president of South Africa”, the economist said.

The 69-year-old drew comparisons with Egypt, noting the country’s infrastructural strides despite its leaders ‘ modest lifestyle choices

“Go to Cairo in Egypt. See the remarkable infrastructure revolution that has taken place, power, they have twice as much as they need and strategies to keep having a buffer. New Cairo is going up, but look around and see what their elites drive, they’re in Peugeot 504s, they’re in Toyota Corollas.

” Abuja, you all are driving big SUVs, money going out of the country for what we don’t produce. I don’t have anything against SUVs, if you earn it, please buy your SUV, “he said.

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Utomi also criticised Nigeria’s large presidential fleet, describing it as unnecessary and unjustifiable, especially when many citizens cannot afford even one meal a day.

” Why must we have a presidential fleet that is bigger than most Nigerian airlines? They think it’s befitting when it’s public resources, resources of people who can’t eat one square meal a day. That’s unjust, that’s unfair thinking, “he said.

Asked about the culture of Nigerians aspiring to wealth and flaunting extravagant lifestyles, he warned that the elite’s behaviour was setting a dangerous precedent for younger generations.

” The elite are setting the bad example, so they are learning from them. In my writing on why nations are poor, I tried to describe how leadership comes to matter. What really sets the tone of human progress are essentially institutions and values, culture, but who sets the tone of culture?

As Rann, a village in Lake Chad along the Nigerian–Cameroon border, was attacked by soldiers of the military, killing seven Boko Haram terrorists.

The terrorists attempted to elude Nigerian troops in the Kalabalge Local Government Area of Borno State on Thursday night, but they were met by resistance. They continued to attack until early on Friday before successfully thwarting the attack.

Major General Abdulsallam Abubakar, the theater commander of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), revealed that several weapons were recovered as the terrorists fled with injuries from the gunfight that ensued in a conversation with Channels TV shortly after leading troops on the offensive.

He continued, “Troops of OPHK repelled a Boko Haram attack yesterday in the Rann community,” while explaining. Our troops were engaged in a fierce gun battle on Friday at eleven o’clock on Thursday night from the Cameroonian border until around two o’clock in the morning.

In the more than three-hour fight, seven terrorists were killed. Many of them escaped with gunshot wounds. More casualties will be recorded if more troops follow them using blood stains.

An RPG bomb, AK-47 rifles, magazines, and other explosives were found in Rann, according to the report.

They entered from Cameroon and exploited our country’s porous borders. However, our soldiers are always inspired to fight any obstacle. The success of this operation depended greatly on OPHK’s air component command. They assisted the ground forces with air support and surveillance as well.

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The Kalabalge LGA’s main office is located in Rann.

It is 184 kilometers away, or 5 hours, to drive from Maiduguri.

Although the LGA has been dealing with inaccessible roads, flooding, and the Boko Haram insurgency, Nigerian Army troops have remained in control of the area overall.

A suspected Boko Haram logistics supplier, Ahmadu Mohammed Dogo, was also detained in Maiduguri by Operation Hadin Kai’s troops and the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF).

He was discovered carrying fuel that was concealed inside bottle of water and allegedly headed for Gamboru-Ngala, a crucial logistical hub for insurgents.

A CJTF member attached to the operating forces made the disclosure to Channels TV.

At the southern end of Lake Chad, Gamboru-Ngala is a border LGA.

In response to an unresolved issue between the legislature and the executive, Governor Hyacinth Alia wrote a letter to the Benue State House of Assembly asking for the screening and confirmation of commissioner nominees for the state executive council.

The Speaker, Hyacinth Dajoh, presided over the plenary on Friday, and a decision was made.

The House acted in response to Shimapever Jiji’s motion of urgent public importance, according to a statement from Terver Zamber, the speaker’s chief press secretary.

Jiji informed the audience that the governor had repeatedly violated the Assembly’s resolutions and had treated the legislature in a manner he called “total disregard.”

Thomas Dugeri, who supported the House’s position, argued that Alia had not addressed a number of pressing issues that the Assembly had previously raised.

He claimed that “the governor has no respect for this magnificent chamber.”

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Other participants in the discussion made it clear that the decision was intended to compel the executive to fulfill its obligations and not to stall governance.

They claimed that the governor must first demonstrate commitment to previous agreements and respect for the House’s resolutions before they can be denied the screening of commissioners.

The lawmakers listed their demands, including the immediate use of official vehicles by affected members and the enforcement of suspension notices issued to Otukpo Local Government Council, Otukpo Local Government Council, and Benue State Sports Lottery and Marketing Board executive secretary.

Former presidential candidate in the 2023 election under the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has called on the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to adopt a compassionate approach in handling its services to students, following the blacklisting of several accredited Computer-Based Test (CBT) centres in Anambra State.

In a post on his official X handle on Friday, Obi said he recently encountered a large crowd of students outside the JAMB office in Amawbia, Anambra State, with some even sitting on the fence. Upon speaking with them, he learned they were there to make changes to their course or institution choice services, which are ordinarily available at CBT centres.

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“While passing through Amawbia, in Anambra State, recently, I noticed a large crowd of students gathered outside the JAMB office – some even perched precariously on the fence. The scene was striking and may likely be the same in some other states across the country. Troubled by what I saw, I stopped to speak with a few of the students,’’ he said.

‘’They explained that they were there to make changes to their course or institution choices. I found this surprising, as such services are ordinarily processed at JAMB-designated CBT centres. When I inquired why they weren’t using those centres, their response was disheartening: most of the CBT centres had stopped offering the service, leaving them with few or no alternatives. ”

Obi said most of these centres had stopped offering the service after being blacklisted by JAMB, forcing students to travel long distances to the state office.  

Out of 28 approved centres in the state, he noted, 17 have been blacklisted, with many of them unaware of the specific reasons except being told they were “under investigation.  

He lamented that the development had caused financial and emotional strain for students, some of whom had made up to five unsuccessful trips before being attended to. A service that should cost about ₦1,500, he added, now costs as much as ₦15,000 at the JAMB office, including unofficial fees.

“Further investigation revealed that out of 28 JAMB-approved centres ( CBTs)in Anambra State, 17 have been blacklisted. Sadly, many of the affected centres were not even informed of the specific reasons behind this action. The explanation given was the vague phrase: “under investigation. ”

“The consequences of this are far-reaching. Students are now forced to travel long distances, sometimes from remote parts of the state, just to access basic services at the JAMB state office. “From my interaction with the students, I learnt that many have made up to five unsuccessful trips before being attended to. What is more troubling is the sharp increase in the cost of processing these changes: a service that should ordinarily cost around ₦1,500 at accredited centres now costs up to ₦15,000 at the JAMB office – often padded by unofficial fees. ”

The former Anambra governor warned that the situation risks derailing the academic prospects of many young Nigerians, especially as some universities have already begun post-UTME screening. urging JAMB to allow the affected centres to continue offering services under close monitoring until investigations are concluded.

The Niger House of Assembly has called on Governor Umaru Bago to issue an executive order banning the celebration of Markers ‘ Day and sign-out activities in all public and private secondary and tertiary institutions across the state.

The resolution followed a motion by the member representing Tafa Constituency, Muhammad Idris, who decried the negative consequences associated with such celebrations.

Idris noted that what was initially meant to be a harmless farewell gesture by graduating students has degenerated into unruly behaviour, rising incidents of misconduct, and immoral activities. He warned that the trend threatens the moral and intellectual development that the state’s educational system seeks to promote.

“The ongoing trend of signing out from schools, which is presumably intended to be a celebration by final-year students, has recently been characterised by unruly behaviour and misconduct”, Idris told the lawmakers.

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The motion received unanimous support from other lawmakers, who described it as a timely intervention in response to growing public concern.

Presiding over the plenary, the Deputy Speaker, Afiniki Dauda, assured the House that she would liaise with the governor and the Ministry of Education to ensure the ban is swiftly enforced.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has inaugurated a committee to identify areas in the nation’s capital in violation of the Certificate of Occupancy issued to them.

Speaking during the inauguration ceremony at the FCTA headquarters in Abuja, Wike lamented that there was no distinction between commercial and residential areas in the FCT.

This, he said, contravened the master plan of the city.

The minister also inaugurated a committee to oversee some issues that had sprung up between the FCTA and a private estate, River Park, located along the airport road in Abuja.

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“Sometimes, the government will give a letter of intent to those engaging in mass housing, but we found out in most cases that the agreements are violated”, Wike said.

The minister gave two weeks for both committees to conclude their investigation and come up with recommendations for the government to take necessary implementation and action.