News

Tinubu Does Not See Any Need for Protest, Says Info Minister, Idris Mohammed

Published

4 months ago

July 24, 2024

Eric

President Bola Tinubu has said that he does not see any need for a planned protest, scheduled to hold between August 1 and 10, 2024 across the federation while urging the youths to exercise patience as he is already addressing the issues raised, assuring that government will promptly react to all their grievances.

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, made the revelation while briefing newsmen after a routine meeting with the president at the State House, Abuja.

He said: “Mr President has asked me to again inform Nigerians that he listens to them, especially the young people that are trying to protest.

“Mr President listens to them; he takes what they say seriously and he is working assiduously to ensure that this country is good not just for today but also for the future.

“On the issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that; he asked them to shelve that plan and he has asked them to await government’s response to all their pleas; he has listened to them like I said.”

The minister further disclosed that intervention measures had been taken by the Bola Tinubu administration including the new minimum wage of N70,000 already passed by the National Assembly, trucks of rice already dispatched to all the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), as well as the Student Loans Fund launched recently by the president.

His words: “A lot is happening, only today, the National Assembly has expeditiously passed the bill on national minimum wage; you can see how the president is working. It was transmitted only yesterday, today, it has been passed.

“A lot of other interventions that the president has also put in place are also going to be looked at expeditiously in the interest of Nigerians. So there is no need for strike. The young people out there should listen to the president and allow the president more time to see to the realization of all the goodies he has for them.

“Highlights of other policies to cushion the effect of hardship Nigerians are feeling are in town. For example, you saw that the Federal Government approved grains and rice for state governments, it was delivered to them expeditiously.

“Also, the Federal Government, like I said that time it is just the necessary first step. Government is going to continue in that direction, supporting them and assuring them that whatever intervention the Federal Government has put in place go to those that should benefit, it is very important that is being put out.

“The Federal Government is looking at strategies that every intervention would go directly to those who benefit from those interventions, not middle men intervening along the way.

“You heard about the Student Loans Board launched by Mr President. Mr President is very passionate about the fact that everyone will have the opportunity to go to school. It is no longer a time for all of us to stay back and see our able bodied young men and women that have passed the examinations to go to tertiary institutions that have not been able to do that because their parents are not able to pay for their fees. This is now a thing of the past, government is very very desirous to ensure that happens.

“You know the provision that was made to the NELFUND already; we have in excess what is required today and the more that people are requiring that the more the president will also give.”

Idris also disclosed that government will soon come up with a scheme that will accommodate all unemployed graduates nationwide, while stressing the fact that President Tinubu was committed to running an inclusive government.

According to him, “There is also the intervention the president is making for young men and women who have finished school and who are yet to get employed post NYSC. For example, there is a scheme the government is perfecting now and that will be pushed very fast so that all those young men and women who have finished school, graduates of universities and polytechnics that are not able to get jobs, they will continue to be supported by the government until such a time that those jobs are offered to them.

“The whole idea is that no one is left behind. It is an all inclusive government and the president is determined to ensure that no one is left behind in this attempt to march Nigeria towards progress.”

News

Ex-Polaris Bank Chief Remanded in Prison Custody for Alleged Fraud

Published

2 days ago

November 19, 2024

Eric

The Special Offences Court sitting in the Ikeja area of Lagos State, on Monday, remanded a former branch manager of Polaris Bank, Abiodun Sanni, at the Ikoyi Custodial Centre for alleged multi-million naira fraud.

Sanni was arraigned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a 16-count charge bordering on obtaining credit by false pretences, forgery, use of false documents, and stealing.

The EFCC counsel, Orhieoghene Adewunmi, told the court that Sanni committed the offences at the Iju branch of the bank in Lagos on February 24, 2020.

The lawyer stated that the defendant, as the branch manager of Polaris Bank, obtained from the bank a credit sum of N17 million in form of a loan.

He said Sanni collected the loan on the pretext that the loan had collateral in the form of a fixed deposit worth N111.1 million, which belonged to one Yinkus Multi-biz Ventures.

The EFCC lawyer also alleged that the former bank manager dishonestly converted a Polaris Bank fixed deposit account worth N15.1 million, belonging to one Joshua Atolagbe, to his personal use.

According to Adewunmi, the alleged offences contravene Sections 36(1), 278(1), 313(1)(a), 361 (1) and 364 (1) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

Sanni, however, pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.

Adewunmi urged the court to remand the defendant.

“My lord the prosecution intends to call 10 witnesses in this case. We urge the court to remand the defendant in custody in view of his not-guilty plea,” the EFCC lawyer said.

The defence counsel, Osho Oludoshu, told the court that he had filed a bail application.

The presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Abike-Fadipe, thereafter, remanded Sanni at the custodial centre.

Justice Abike-Fadipe adjourned the case to March 6, 2025, for the commencement of trial.

News

INEC Declares APC’s Aiyedatiwa Winner of Ondo Guber Election

Published

4 days ago

November 17, 2024

Eric

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lucky Aiyedatiwa, as the winner of the just concluded Ondo State governorship election, held on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

The Returning Officer for the election Olayemi Akinwumi, who is also the Vice-Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Kogi State declared Aiyedatiwa winner of the election on Sunday, extending the governor’s stay at the Government House in Alagbaka, Akure.

Governor Aiyedatiwa polled 366,781 votes to defeat his closest rival and a former deputy governor of the state Ajayi Agboola who flew the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) flag. He scored 117,845 votes, more than twice lower than the APC candidate.

“That Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa of the APC having satisfied the requirement of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the returning officer said at exactly 2:30 pm at the INEC collation centre in Akure.

The declaration came hours after the collation of results for the election began in the early hours of Sunday. Although the collation centre went on breaks, the APC took a commanding lead with over 200,000 votes ahead of the PDP.

The final results showed that the APC won the election in a landslide, clearing all 18 local government areas.

News

PDP Chieftain Sues IGP Egbetokun over Police Invasion of Home

Published

5 days ago

November 16, 2024

Eric

A former National Deputy Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Diran Odeyemi has filed a fundamental rights suit against the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun.

Also joined in the suit is the Osun State Commissioner of Police.

The suit dated November 7, 2024, was filed before a Federal High Court in Osogbo, Osun State capital.

In an affidavit in support of originating summons, Odeyemi accused armed agents of the defendants of invading his residence at Ibadan on October 26, without prior notice.

The plaintiff said the invasion of his residence and attempt to unlawfully arrest him was part of plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to silence leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Osun State.

Odeyemi alleged that the National Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje on 20th of October, 2024, declared in Akure, Ondo State capital that the party had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State for APC, adding that what played out at his residence was part of the broader plans of the APC.

The plaintiff asked the court to determine where the attempt and threat by the defendants and their agents to arrest him on wilful investigation of some stalwarts of the APC do not constitute an infringement of his fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, expression and association.

The ground of the originating summons includes, “The plaintiff by virtue of sections 35, 39, 40, 41 and 46 under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and under the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights is entitled to enjoy his rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

‘The Plaintiff, being a citizen of Nigeria, has the right to move freely without any inhibition, express his thoughts, associate freely, and enjoy his dignity without being harassed, intimidated,d, or hindered in any way or manner.

“The Defendants and their officers are rigorously attempting to violate the plaintiff’s fundamental rights to personal liberty, freedom of movement freedom of expression, and freedom of association by threatening and planning to intimidate, harass, molest, and unlawfully arrest and detain him on wilful instigation of some politicians within the All Progressives Congress who are hellbent on framing the Plaintiff in order to silence him, as part of the All Progressives Congress secret strategy to recapture Osun State and wrestle power from the Peoples Democratic Party in the State., come 2026.

“The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress boastfully stated in Akure on the 20th October 2024 that the APC had a secret strategy to recapture Osun State from the Peoples Democratic Party but that he would not reveal the secret and his threatening statement was widely reported in the media.

“In what appears like the commencement of the secret political machinations, the agents of the Defendants, at the instance of some APC politicians and without having ever invited the Plaintiff, invaded the Plaintiff’s home on the 26th day of October 2024 in an attempt to unlawfully arrest, detain, harass and intimidate the Plaintiff but they failed because the Plaintiff was not in the country”