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2023 Polls Worse Ever – Dele Momodu

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Chief Dele Momodu is a renowned journalist, businessman and motivational speaker. He is the CEO and Publisher of Ovation International Magazine. He was also a presidential aspirant  under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.

In this interview with Sunday Sun, he talked about the state of the nation. Excerpts:

We just celebrated Democracy Day on Monday, June 12. Looking back, how have we fared  in the development of our democratic practice?

I believe democracy has become a nebulous concept in Africa’s biggest and most important country. Democracy is largely expected to be a much simpler and less complicated system of government, but unfortunately, Nigerian politicians have since turned it into a desperate, despicable and destructive concept. This is why our electoral process continues to get worse and worse. I’m not sure this was the democracy our founding fathers fought for or envisaged when they went all out in asking for independence from colonial rule. It is very sad and unfortunate that the democracy that was meant to make the lives of the people better has actually impoverished them beyond imagination and human compass. The colonial masters that we were quick to deride and describe in lurid pictures actually left behind better legacies than most of our own political rulers. A democracy where the people are forced to prepare for war instead of peaceful elections cannot be celebrated as successful.

Did we learn any lesson from June 12, considering the crisis of credibility that rocked the 2023 elections?

I’m not sure any longer, if we learnt much lessons from the June 12, 1993 crisis. Our collective amnesia stinks to high heavens. We generally behave like victims of mass hypnotism. We have become less humane in our attitudes to fellow citizens. On June 12, Nigerians voluntarily trooped out to vote for a preferred candidate of their own choices without rancour or brigandage. Ethnic considerations were less manifest. Thuggery was absent. Vote-buying wasn’t so ubiquitous. If you ask me, the two party system worked far better than the current conundrum of multi-party cacophony. What we have now with the proliferation of political parties can be likened to the popular phrase “Fuji House of Commotion!” Nigeria has been divided and balkanized along ethno-religious lines and absolutely devoid of principle, philosophy and ideology.

What are your fears for Nigeria?

My fears are real and  palpable. Nigeria may fall into the hands of hijackers and carpetbaggers. Nigeria may be dangerously tilting to a one party state. Nigeria may be speeding towards a monarchical government. But if that’s the wishes of the people, so be it. My fear is that it may conversely result ultimately in anarchy because of the plurality of nationalities and religions. Those who feel shortchanged may be prone to easy and ready manipulations by enemies of Nigeria. We may be heading for Golgotha if we stoically refuse to see the boobytraps and landmines ahead.

What is your take on the removal of subsidy on fuel by President Tinubu during his inauguration?

The phantom “oil subsidy” has become a debilitating and malignant cankerworm that must be urgently excised and excoriated. It must not be allowed to metastasize further. However , we must be acutely aware of the repercussions or side effects of  treatments of such scale and magnitude. It cannot, and must not, be rushed, in the spirit of political correctness or vain-glorification. What is needed is a well-thought out programme by the government of the day because the impact has devastating implications and consequences. I foresee the government fighting a two-pronged war if it is unable to find the correct register for its communications. One is to immediately attract the angst of current beneficiary of the subsidy regime. Second is to ignite the mass anger of citizens who already live below poverty lines, if commensurate palliatives are not considered and put in place.

The leadership of the 10th National Assembly was handpicked by the executive arm of government; what is the implication of that on the country’s democracy?

Democracy in saner climes operates on the principles of separation of powers, but like I mentioned earlier, it has become endangered in Nigeria, where the Executive arm wishes to control life and death and, unfortunately, finds willing tools ready to sell their birthright. The Executive now has humongous powers of controlling the Legislature and the Judiciary, if we do not find enough men and women of conscience and guts in the separate arms of government. The most recent National Assembly, and even the States Assembly and Local Government Administrations, have been aptly described as mere rubber stamp.

The suspension and arrest of the former CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele was received with mixed reactions by a cross section of Nigerians. While some commended the move, others say it did not follow due process of law. What is your take on that?

I have since expressed my personal views on this development on social media and it is worth repeating it here. Only a poor student of political science would not have anticipated the tragedy that befell the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr Godwin Emefiele. I believe he had overstretched his luck when he dabbled into politics. He must have been goaded into believing he was doing so well and could easily become the awaiting and anointed Messiah of Nigeria. Again, my take is that he should not be made a victim of political vendetta. His rights must be fully respected and no attempt should be made to humiliate him. Perhaps, he would have averted this tragic fall from grace to grass had he hearkened to my humble advice last year February, when I told him to resign honourably once he compromised his special office and position.

What is your assessment of the ongoing proceedings at the presidential election petition tribunal?

So far so good, I think the Presidential Election Tribunal is going very well. My personal view is that the election was the worst ever. What remains is if our judiciary would be able to take very difficult decisions or simply go for what is expedient and convenient.

Culled from Sunday Sun

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Presidency Condemns Misrepresentation of Shettima’s Comments

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The Presidency has dismissed claims that Vice President Kashim Shettima’s recent comments were directed at the political situation in Rivers State or President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s constitutional decisions on the matter.

In a statement on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications (Office of the Vice President), Stanley Nkwocha, the Presidency described the reports as a “gross misrepresentation.”

The statement clarified that Vice President Shettima’s remarks at the public presentation of a book by former Attorney General of the Federation, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), were misconstrued by some online platforms and individuals.

“These reports have distorted the Vice President’s comments in pursuit of a mischievous agenda,” it stated.

“They twisted his account of how the administration of former President Jonathan considered removing him as Borno Governor during the insurgency to falsely link it with current events in Rivers State.”

The Vice President, who spoke at the launch of OPL 245: The Inside Story of the $1.3 Billion Oil Block in Abuja on Thursday, was said to have referenced the past solely to commend Adoke’s professionalism while in office, and to reflect on Nigeria’s constitutional evolution regarding federal and state relations.

“For the avoidance of doubt, President Tinubu did not remove Governor Fubara from office. The constitutional measure implemented was a suspension, not an outright removal.

“This action was taken in response to the grave political crisis in Rivers State at the time, with the governor facing a looming impeachment and the State Assembly complex under demolition,” Nkwocha clarified.

The Presidency insisted that the action taken by President Tinubu in declaring a state of emergency and suspending the Governor was fully in line with Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which authorises such measures when there is a breakdown of public order requiring extraordinary intervention.

According to the statement, the President’s proclamation invoking Section 305(2) was subsequently ratified by an overwhelming bipartisan majority in the National Assembly, confirming the legitimacy and constitutional propriety of the decision.

“The action of President Tinubu in suspending Mr. Fubara and others from exercising the functions of office averted the governor’s outright removal. To conflate suspension with removal is misleading,” the statement further noted.

Nkwocha also stressed that Vice President Shettima’s comments were delivered extemporaneously and intended to underline the importance of public accountability and historical documentation.

He referenced the Vice President’s mention of past public servants, including Adoke and former Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, to illustrate principled leadership.

“His remarks were not in any way a criticism of President Tinubu’s actions, which the Vice President and the entire administration fully support and stand by without reservation,” the spokesman stated.

The Vice President, the statement added, remains in “loyal concert” with President Tinubu and is committed to implementing all constitutional measures necessary to safeguard democracy and uphold order across the country.

Concluding, the Presidency called on media organisations and political actors to desist from misrepresenting public remarks for sensational or partisan purposes.

“We urge media organisations and political actors to desist from the destructive practice of wrenching statements from context in order to fabricate nonexistent conflicts,” Nkwocha said.

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Rehabilitation Challenges: Sale of Refineries Remains a Possibility, Says Ojulari

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The Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bayo Ojulari, has acknowledged growing complexities in the effort to revamp Nigeria’s state-owned refineries.

Although the Port Harcourt refinery began processing crude oil again on November 26, it was later shut down in May for maintenance.

Meanwhile, rehabilitation work is still ongoing at the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg on the sidelines of the 9th OPEC International Seminar in Vienna, Austria, Ojulari said NNPC is in the process of reassessing its refinery strategies, with plans to conclude the review by the end of the year.

“So refineries, we made quite a lot of investment over the last several years and brought in a lot of technologies. We’ve been challenged,” he said.

“Some of those technologies have not worked as we expected so far. But also, as you know, when you’re refining a very old refinery that has been abandoned for some time, what we’re finding is that it’s becoming a little bit more complicated.

“So we’re reviewing all our refinery strategies now. We hope before the end of the year, we’ll be able to conclude that review. That review may lead to us doing things slightly differently.”

When asked whether the review could result in selling the refineries, Ojulari said a sale remains a possibility.

“But what we’re saying is that sale is not out of the question. All the options are on the table, to be frank, but that decision will be based on the outcome of the reviews we’re doing now,” he said.

Ojulari also addressed the cost of oil production in Nigeria, stating that operating expenses range between $20 and $30 per barrel.

“For the cost of crude production, there’s a capital cost and there are the operating costs,” he said.

“The operating cost right now in Nigeria is hovering over $20 per barrel, which is quite high.

“Part of that is because of the investment we’ve had to make in terms of security of our pipelines, which as you know, today we have 100 percent availability of our pipelines. That came out of significant investment.

“So we believe with time, with stability, that cost will start going down, but for now it’s somewhere between $25 and $30 a barrel.”

Looking ahead, Ojulari said NNPC aims to increase Nigeria’s oil output to 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) by the end of the year.

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Review Your New Visa Rules, Tinubu’s Govt Urges U.S.

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The Federal government has responded to the United States’ recent visa rules that reduce how long Nigerian visitors can stay in the United States and limit them to one entry per visa by calling on Washington to reconsider its new visa policy.

The U.S. Department of State had recently updated its non-immigrant visa policy for several countries, including Nigeria, on Tuesday.

Under the new rule, most non-diplomatic and non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be valid for only three months and allow just a single entry into the United States.

The changes took effect immediately.In a notice published on its website, the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria state: “Those U.S. non-immigrant visas issued prior to July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity. We wish to underscore, that as is standard globally, visa reciprocity is a continuous process and is subject to review and change at any time, such as increasing or decreasing permitted entries and duration of validity. You can view the latest information on visa reciprocity schedules for all countries at travel.state.gov.

“The Federal government responded to this by describing the new US directive as “misaligned with the principles of reciprocity, equity, and mutual respect” that ought to govern bilateral engagements between friendly nations in a statement released on Wednesday through Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ spokesperson.

The Federal government said it views this development with concern and keen interest, particularly given the longstanding cordial relations and strong people-to-people ties between our two countries.

“The attention of the Federal government of Nigeria has been drawn to the recent decision by the United States Government to revise its visa reciprocity schedule for Nigerian citizens, limiting the validity of non-immigrant visas including B1/B2, F and J categories to three months with single entry,” it stated.

“The Federal government views this development with concern and keen interest, particularly given the longstanding cordial relations and strong people-to-people ties between our two countries. The decision appears misaligned with the principles of reciprocity, equity, and mutual respect that should guide bilateral engagements between friendly nations.”

It also claimed that this restriction places a disproportionate burden on Nigerian travellers, students seeking academic opportunities, professionals engaging in legitimate business, families visiting loved ones, and individuals contributing to cultural and educational exchanges.

The government also said it understands that every country has the right to make its own immigration rules, but it hopes the U.S. will “reconsider this decision in the spirit of partnership, cooperation, and shared global responsibilities.”

It also added that diplomatic engagements are ongoing, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs remains committed to pursuing a resolution that reflects fairness and upholds the values of mutual interest.

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