Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says it is hypocritical for the All Progressives Congress to contemplate banning or regulating social media after using it to hoodwink Nigerians to attain power. He argued that the APC-led government has miserably failed and wants to use its disagreement with Twitter as a false premise to suppress criticism of the administration’s appalling handling of the affairs of the nation through the dubious regulation of social media. The governor, who made this assertion during the inauguration of nine reconstructed streets, including Nzimiro, Herbert Macaulay, Amassoma, Arochukwu, Atako, Ogoja, Akure, Yola and Chinwo in Old Government Residential Area of Port Harcourt on Thursday night. The Governor in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri on Friday morning noted that APC, having become the butt of jokes on social networks, is desperate to trample on the freedom of expression of Nigerians. “You have misled the country. You told us lies through social media. The same social media that you used to take over government, the same social media you want to regulate and ban. The same social media you used to tell Nigerians lies of how former President Goodluck Jonathan did not do this, how PDP did not do that. “Now, you want the same social media to be regulated. You don’t want freedom of speech. Now, you want to gag them. Did anybody gag you when you were using them?” Governor Wike said the kidnap of scores of students at Federal Government Girls College, Birnin Yauri, Kebbi State on Thursday, is a further demonstration of APC’s gross ineptitude to guarantee the safety of lives and property of Nigerians. According to him, Nigerians are anxious for the APC to quit power and allow the more experienced PDP to once again restore stability in the polity and dignity of the nation. “You wake every morning to hear 20 people have been kidnapped; 30 people have been kidnapped and people are telling us to keep quiet. Is it when they have kidnapped your own daughter?” Wike also took a swipe at the presidency for berating PDP governors who demanded transparency and accountability in the way the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is managed, and that the APC-led government should be alive to its constitutional responsibility to protect lives and property. “In Kebbi, 40 to 50 girls have been kidnapped, our young daughters. And then you are telling me we (PDP) have not proffered solution. Which solution are you talking about? The President is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. It is the president that appoints all the security heads in this country. “No governor has the power or any role to appoint even a Commissioner of Police. And then you are telling me that we have not proffered any solution. What solution do you want us to proffer? When you have taken your oath of office that you are going to guarantee the lives and property of Nigerians.” Governor Wike noted that even the President, Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd.), during his recent television interview, disclosed to Nigerians that he has nothing left to offer the country in terms of good governance. “The president spoke to us the other day and Nigerians were happy the way he spoke to them, he told them the truth. And the truth is that whether you like it or not, I have nothing again to offer and that was the truth. And people must agree to that. The governor said his administration has deliberately embarked on a massive urban renewal drive aimed at restoring the Garden City status of Port Harcourt. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the PDP, Senator Walid Jubril, who inaugurated the nine streets, commended Governor Wike for transforming Port Harcourt, such that even the blind can attest to it. Jubril said the entire board of trustees of the PDP was proud of Governor Wike’s steadfast commitment to the party, adding that PDP stalwarts across the country, are impressed with the governor’s remarkable achievements and leadership. “Anybody from this state who is trying to go astray, I am not with him. I am with the people of this state and I will remain with you (Wike),” Jubril stated.

Governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have resolved to implement judiciary and legislative autonomy in their states. The governors met at an emergency meeting in Abuja on Friday and issued a communique on their decision, signed by chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum and Kebbi state governor Atiku Bagudu. The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria had been on strike, shutting down all courts across the country in agitation for the financial autonomy of the judiciary, particularly at the state level. The Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN), members were also said to be on strike in some states over the denial of state Houses of Assembly their financial independence. But the APC governors, who have finally agreed to implement their demands, said they were satisfied with the work done by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) Committee on autonomy for Judiciary and State Legislature under the Chairmanship of Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. “The Forum endorses agreements reached by the Governor Tambuwal-led NGF Committee and enjoined all APC controlled states and indeed, all states to commence the process of implementing the submitted recommendations. “As part of the process of implementing the NGF agreements in APC controlled states, appropriate consultations with Attorneys-General will take place in order to provide all necessary legal framework for the implementation of the Governor Tambuwal-led NGF Committee’s proposed recommendations. “In appreciation of the enormity of the challenges facing the country and the onerous efforts at addressing them, the Forum recommits itself to continue to support all the initiatives of the federal government under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari,” the governors said.

A young lady has reportedly died while having sexual pleasures together with her husband on the night of their wedding. The Sun reports that the 18-year-old lady started to feel unwell during the night while having romps of sex in their matrimonial home in the city of Ibirite in Brazil. It was gathered that the couple had gotten married on Thursday morning at the husband’s farm. However, the unforeseen happened while they were both having fun in the night. The lady after showing strange signs reportedly collapse and the husband dashed out to call his neighbour for help. According to reports, the first taxi ordered to take the lady to the hospital refused to help out. A second taxi was called, but the driver also refused to help and said the husband needed to call the emergency services instead. It was gathered that when the paramedics finally arrived, they found the woman struggling to breathe and confirmed she had suffered a heart attack. She sadly died on the way to the hospital. While the distraught husband alleged that it took an hour for the ambulance to arrive at their home, the emergency services said the first ambulance was cancelled and then the second arrived within 21 minutes. However, tests carried out revealed the bride’s death accidental as her body showed no signs of foul play or violence. A neighbor reportedly told the police she didn’t hear any screams or noises before the woman died. A post-mortem examination found the woman had a history of bronchitis. The distraught man who spoke to newsmen, said he wasn’t sure if he could continue living in the same Brazilian city following his wife’s death.

In a virtual meeting with the representatives of the Federal Government, the mission of the International Monetary Fund stated that the resurfacing of fuel subsidies was concerning. The IMF mission led by Jesmin Rahman, according to a press release, expressed its concerns about rising fuel subsidies to the Nigerian authorities during a virtual meeting. The Fund also stressed the importance of introducing market-based fuel pricing mechanisms and the need to deploy well targeted social support to cushion any impact on the poor. The mission commended the Central Bank of Nigeria for merging taking the official exchange rate to the NAFEX window. However, they recommended the unification of all exchange rate windows and establishing a market-clearing exchange rate. On monetary policy, they advised the country to strengthen the monetary targeting regime and integrating the interbank and debt markets. Rahman was quoted as saying, “The Nigerian economy has started to gradually recover from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Gross Domestic Product growth turned positive in the fourth quarter of 2020, and growth reached 0.5 per cent year-on-year in Q1 2021, supported by agriculture and service sectors. “Nevertheless, the employment level continues to fall dramatically and together with other socioeconomic indicators, is far below pre-pandemic levels. Inflation slowed down in May but remains elevated at 17.9 per cent, owing to high food prices. “As oil prices and remittance flows recover, the balance of payments has slightly strengthened, although imports are rebounding faster than exports and foreign investment subdued resulting in forex shortage.” The mission urged the government to keep reliance on CBN overdrafts for deficit financing within legal limits. It also asked the Federal Government to strengthen budget planning and public finance management practices to allow for flexible financing from domestic markets for better integration of cash and debt management. The IMF applauded the Federal Government’s efforts towards containing the transmission of COVID-19 in the country and the COVAX vaccination programme. It backed efforts to acquire additional doses from countries with surplus stocks. Commenting on the banking sector, the mission said, “The banking sector remains liquid and well-capitalised while non-performing loans are contained. “The extension of the moratorium on principal payments of qualifying credit facilities on a case-by-case basis through March 2022 should be limited to viable debtors with strong pre-crisis fundamentals. “CBN stress tests show that the banking system would remain adequately capitalised except in case of a severe deterioration of credit quality. “Nevertheless, it is not clear what share of forborne loans may turn non-performing as the impact of the pandemic subsides.” It added that since NPLs often rose at the tail of economic crisis, CBN’s strong oversight remained critical to safeguarding financial sector stability.

A human Right lawyer, Tope Tomekun, has called for the immediate release of an 18 year-old-girl, Kemisola Ogunniyi, who was arrested during the #ENDSARS protest in Ondo state and given birth to a baby boy in prison custody. Temokun in a letter addressed to the Ondo Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General, Sir Titiloye Charles, said Kemisola was arrested with three other people during the protest. He said the other three suspects arrested and detained in prison custody since October 24, include, Ayodele Bukunmi, Ojo Samuel and Ani Obinna, saying the four suspects had been in Surulere Prison in Ondo West local government since October last year. According to Temokun, the charges preferred against them were conspiracy to commit the following felonies, to wit: arson, riotous assembly, stealing and malicious damage. He disclosed that Kemisola gone into labour on June 15 and gave birth to a baby boy the following day, and argued that Kemisola was innocent of the crime preferred against her. He explained that “Kemisola was on her way to the Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA) to collect money for her mother’s treatment when she was apprehended by the Nigerian Army on random raiding and handed her over to the Police for investigation. “She was later alleged to be part of those who set APC Secretariat Akure on fire during the #ENDSARS protest that took place in October 2020. I write to you sir, first as a lawyer and in furtherance of my conviction as a believer in the humanitarian cause of justice, to appeal to you sir, that for the sake of the sinless newborn child and in the interest of justice, to give a directive that this matter is given an urgent hearing as this is one deserving case, sir, in which the powers in this direction could be exercised.” He, however, appealed to the Ondo Commissioner of Justice and Attorney-General, Sir Titiloye Charles, to use his powers to discontinue the prosecution of the teenager and three others.