Imo State Government has denied any immediate or remote involvement in the alleged burning of houses and vehicles belonging to a self acclaimed opposition spokesman, Ikenga Imo cc It said Ugochinyere is so inconsequential with microscopic importance in the political firmament of the state to warrant any attention,talkless of torching his house. In a statement he issued in Owerri yesterday the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy,Hon Declan Emelumba, noted that Ugochinyere does not pose any threat to the Government,nor does he have any capacity to do so, to warrant any form of attention. “At any rate, His Excellency, Senator Hope Uzodimma, the Executive Governor of Imo state has been in politics for more than 40 years and has never been linked to any kind of violence”, Emelumba submitted. He said it was unfortunate and pathetic that in his quest for attention, Ugochinyere does not hesitate to drag the state government into his habitual, messy, tissue of lies, According to the Commissioner , Ugochinyere is queer and perverted in every sense of the word, resulting in a manifest, lifelong cantankerous conduct that has defined his infantile political adventure for long. Naturally he picks enemies the way magnet picks pin and therefore should look inward to know where his problem emanated. Said he”,A man who is at loggerhead with his party national chairman,a man who is working with anti democratic forces to cancel the upcoming elections and a man at loggerhead with some of his kinsman should know when nemesis is after him and stop crying wolf. His ordeal is certainly not from Imo State Government” Emelumba regretted that Ugochinyere has become notorious in levelling spurious allegations against Gov Hope Uzodimma all in the name of attracting undue national attention. He however expressed satisfaction that none of all the allegations made by the self acclaimed opposition spokesman against Uzodimma had ever been proven to be true. ” From the so called Omuma voters register magic to all his insults on the Governor and the current one, all of them are mere falsehood aimed at attracting undue attention to himself “ The commissioner noted that Ugochinyere has lived a life of falsehood and violence, reason he is always afraid of his shadows. He said it was curious that PDP has found its voice to condemn the latest act of violence in the state because their member is involved. He noted that from the burning of the governor’s countryhome to the recent attack on former Governor Ikedi ohakim, PDP has never deemed it fit to condemn the security breaches in the state. Emelumba said that while he has refused to believe that an obviously demented mind and attention seeker can stage-manage the burning of his property just to attract attention to himself and call the Government a bad name, it still remains a possibility. He therefore called on security agencies to investigate the action with a view to establishing the culprits.

  An Inspector of Police, Matthew Ahmen, who is a colleague of Drambi Vandi, who allegedly killed female lawyer Bolanle Raheem, told a Lagos State High Court sitting at the Tafawa Balewa Square on Monday that they were conducting a stop and search when the incident happened. He said Vandi who was the leader of their team was behind while he was in the middle, and another colleague, Inspector Dimini, was in the front. Ahmen who was the first prosecution witness said when Dimini saw a car coming, he flagged it down but the car didn’t stop, and when the car got to where he was standing, he also flagged the car down but the car didn’t stop as well. He said, “The next thing I heard was a gunshot and I looked back to see what was happening and I saw that a windscreen was falling. “The next thing I saw again was a dark woman who jumped down from the vehicle and I heard her saying that ‘oga you have killed my sister.’ The woman held him and before I and Dimini could get to them, they had entered the car, locked it, and left.” Earlier, Vandi was arraigned on one count of murder before Justice Ibironke Harrison. The trial of the suspended assistant superintendent of police commenced on Monday after he pleaded not guilty to the murder of Raheem. After the charge sheet was read to him, Vandi pleaded not guilty to the murder charge. The PUNCH reports that Raheem was allegedly shot dead by Vandi in the Ajah area of Lagos on Christmas Day. She was said to be returning home from an outing with her family when she was shot. Raheem’s death generated widespread criticism from many persons and groups in the country, as they condemned what they described as extrajudicial killing, linking the incident to be one of such reasons for the nationwide #EndSARS protest of 2020. Vandi was arrested and appeared before Chief Magistrate C.A. Adedayo on December 30, 2022, a day after the Police Service Commission approved his suspension.

  The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has said the various ethnic agitations across Nigeria are products of failed leadership. Fielding questions during his address at Chatham House, London, Obi said equity, justice and fairness would solve the problem of agitations in the country. Asked by a member of the audience at the event about his alleged refusal to condemn the activities of members of the secessionist group, the Indigenous People of Biafra, Obi said, “There are agitations across the country. There is agitation for Biafra and the Yoruba Nation.” He maintained that poverty in the country as well as failure of leadership led to the various ethnic agitations in the country. He condemned the various agitations but said he would go into dialogue with the agitators. Details later…

  Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked Nigerians not to “hand over their future” to an inexperienced politician or Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).   He said this at the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG’s) presidential dialogue on the economy in Lagos on Monday.   Abubakar criticised the current administration, saying more Nigerians are poorer and more miserable now than in 2015.   “Capital has taken a flight. Policy incoherence and flip-flops combined with internal insecurity continue to pose a significant risk to investment and thus output growth,” he said.   “We have lost our esteemed position as Africa’s preferred investment destination to less endowed nations.   “The failure of leadership by the APC-led government is staring every Nigerian in the face as the country’s economic, social, political, and security challenges persist and assume frightening dimensions.   “Experience is important and we must avoid the mistakes of the recent past.   “It is too risky for Nigerians to hand over their future to a greenhorn or to the national leader of the very party that brought us to this sorry pass.”   The PDP standard bearer said he is the best candidate to rescue Nigeria due to his experience in economic reforms and management matters.   “As head of the economic management team, while I was Vice President, I was instrumental in designing a private sector revival strategy and advocated for the opening of the economy for private sector investments in several sectors. And we made tremendous progress,” Abubakar said.   “I’m sure you still remember the good old days of rapid economic growth with stable interest and exchange rates, low inflation, low rates of unemployment, and low poverty headcount. We paid off nearly all of our foreign debt which was crippling the country.   “We created novel institutions to lay the foundation for good governance and accountability, including the Bureau of Public Procurement, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and SERVICOM, whose Golden rule is “Serve others as you would like to be served.”   “We developed a formal development agenda, the NEEDS, which also extended to galvanising participation of state and local governments through SEEDS and LEEDS.”   On the effects of conflicts and insecurity on investments in the country, Atiku said his administration would take tough and difficult decisions on security matters without fear or favour.   “We shall put more boots on the ground and ensure that the security forces are well equipped, well trained, and well paid,” he added.   “Those who confront deadly criminals everyday must have the resources needed to do their job and be well-rewarded for doing so.   “In the medium to long term, I shall work with national assembly and state governments towards allowing state police for the states that so desire.”

  The portal of Nigerian Immigration Services (NIS) is now open for the 2023/2024 recruitment exercise. When the service announced its recruitment last week, the portal was not open to the public, but on Monday, NIS announced that the portal was live. Qualified candidates are invited for full-time appointment to fill existing vacancies in the Services as follow: Available Positions for the Nigerian Immigration recruitment Category A: Superintendent Cadre i- Superintendent of Immigration (SI) conpass 11 professional (Doctors): Applicants must possess first degree in MBBS from a recognized institution of higher learning and NYSC discharge/exemption certificate ii- Deputy Superintendent of Immigration (DSI) CONPASS 10 professional (pharmacists) Applicants must possess first degree in Pharmacy from a recognized institution of higher learning and NYSC discharge/exemption certificate. iii- Assistant Superintendent of Immigration II (ASI) CONPASS 08 Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree, Higher National Diploma (HND) or its equivalent from a recognized institution. Category B: Inspectorate Cadre i- Assistant Inspector Immigration (All) General Duty CONPASS 06 Applicants must to be holders of a National Diploma (ND), NCE or Advance NABTEB obtained from recognized institutions Category C: Assistant Cadre i- Immigration Assistant iii (IA I11) CONPASS 03 General Duty Applicants must be holders of GCE Ordinary Level, SSCE/NECO, GCE or its equivalent with a minimum of 4 credit in not more than two (2) sittings, which must include English and Mathematics. ii- Immigration Assistant III (IA III CONPASS 03 Artisans a) motor driver b) Mechanic Applicants must be holders of ordinary level SSCE or its equivalents and appropriate trade test certificate. How to apply Applicants should log on to https://cdcfib.career from Monday, January 23 to fill out and submit the application form. Submission of Applications Applications must be submitted online within two weeks of the day of the publication of the recruitment. Statutory Requirements i- Applicants must be Nigerians by birth ii- Have National Identity card iii- Applicants must be holders of requisite qualifications and certificates iv- Must be fit and present certificates of medical fitness from government recognized hospitals v- Must be of good character and must not be convicted of any criminal offences vi- Be required to pass drug tests vii- Applicant must be between the ages of 18 and 30 years with exception to doctors and pharmacists who must not be more than 35 years vii Applicants height must not be less than 1.65 for female and 0.87 for men COMPUTER BASED TEST (CBT) There shall be a computer-based test for shortlisted candidates.

  Festus Keyamo, spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council, says the party’s candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is fit to run for president. The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who appeared Monday on Arise TV morning show, was responding to questions concerning the health status of Tinubu. There have been controversies surrounding the health status of the APC flagbearer, with his critics saying he is unfit to be president. But Keyamo said Tinubu had never collapsed or fallen anywhere before, therefore, there was no basis asking for his health status. “No matter how much they repeat it; the opposition and some sections of the press, no matter how much they parrot it, the fact remains that there is no evidence to the contrary, that my candidate has some kind of health issues. “I said on this programme before that the strategy has been to repeat a lie a thousand times until that lie sticks out as the truth. But as I speak with you in the last few weeks, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been more active on the campaign trail than any other candidate. “He has been going around day to day, hour to hour from place to place, having several meetings and after all of the rallies, continuous consultations till the wee hours of the morning. So, how else can one prove his fitness other than that? It is just a strategy of the opposition to continue to stick to this and repeat it a thousand times. “But, let me tell you, ordinary Nigerians watching their television screens reading about him have made up their minds. I can tell you that no matter how much you continue to repeat it, there is no problem at all with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “I have not seen anything happen to my candidate that has not happened to any other candidates. Slip of tongue here and there. It has happened to Atiku. It has happened to Obi and his running mates. It has happened to the spokespersons. The PDP spokespersons and their candidates have asked Nigerians to vote for APC even far more than the APC people have asked Nigerians to vote for APC. “So what was happening to my candidate? Has he fainted? Has he collapsed? Has he missed his steps climbing? What has happened to him? nothing has happened to him. “So when you talk about health status, there must be a basis by which somebody will now say okay, I need to disclose my health status. There must be a basis but there is absolutely no basis. If there is a basis, then perhaps we will call for it.”

  Growing frustration at the worsening energy situation in South Africa is seeing residents call for a national shutdown. On Monday, residents of Boksburg took to the streets to protest against long hours of power cuts. TimesLive, local news site, reports that roads in Boksburg have been blockaded with burning tyres and rocks. The protest was at the corner of Rondebult road and the R554 between Dawn Park and Klippoortjie in the city. “The road has been barricaded by protesters due to a service delivery protest that started earlier this morning. We have SAPS and EMPD monitoring the scene,” TimesLive quoted Deliwe Ndlovu, police spokesperson, to have said. “Motorists are advised to use alternative routes to avoid further delays.” This is not the first time Boksburg is witnessing violent protests as protests over poor services occur regularly in South Africa. In 2018, residents blocked off a major route with stones and burning tyres over “illegal” use of electricity from neighboring areas. Soweto has also recorded violent protests over electricity. In 2021, several roads were cordoned off with rocks and stones by residents over a lack of electricity supply. In August 2022, at least four people died during protests over the cost of electricity in Johannesburg. Experts have warned that the frequency and intensity of load shedding are expected to escalate this year. The announcement of a massive hike in electricity costs has spurred a call for a national shutdown on February 9, which is trending on social media platforms such as Twitter. It isn’t immediately clear who is responsible for the protest action. Politicians from opposing parties are also using the national shutdown hashtag to express their positions on the electricity crisis.   “The success of the #NationalShutdown would be dependent on it being depoliticised,” Gayton McKenzie, leader of Patriotic Alliance, a political party, tweeted. “You are first a citizen before you are a member of a political party and loadshedding affects all citizens even those amongst us who are off grid. Let’s protest together as South Africans.”