The Presidency, on Wednesday, explained that President Muhammadu Buhari gave the nod for last-minute funds a few days away to handover to the administration of Bola Tinubu because the government needs funds to clear debts.   The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina stated this on Channels Television’s Politics Today while assessing the performance of Buhari’s eight-year tenure in office. “A wicked man pays and owes not, that is what the good book says. When you owe and you refuse to pay, the Bible says you are a wicked man. If the government is owing all those debts, why shouldn’t it pay? It should pay. “The government has a mandate from a time to a certain time, that mandate was from 2019 to 2023, so the government is working,” he said. The President had earlier on Wednesday written to the Senate, seeking approval for a request to pay the judgement debt in the sum of $566,754,584, £98,526 and N226 billion.   Channels Television reported that the monies were owed by the Federal Government through the issuance of promissory notes. The President’s letter of request was read at plenary by Senate President Ahmad Lawan during plenary on Wednesday, four months after 648 cases were brought against the President and other Federal Government parastatals. Meanwhile, Buhari failed to dissolve his cabinet at the last valedictory Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday and Adesina said that there is no rule that says the president should dissolve his cabinet after valedictory. “It depends on the President. Style is typical to each person, that is the style of the President. He wants them to work till the very last day. We know some Presidents who would dissolve after the last FEC meeting, that is their own style,” he stated.   According to the presidential aide, the Buhari administration did not fight dissenting voices, adding that it accommodated every shade of opinion. “Critics have the right to their opinion, they can make their own assessment. There are fact sheets published to show that the government worked, and it achieved a lot,” he said.

  Plane for Nigeria Air will arrive the country on Friday ahead of commencement of operations, the Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika has confirmed. In an exclusive interview with Channels Television, the minister said that a Nigeria Air aircraft will land in the country in two days as part of processes to commence operations and unveiling of the delivery process. He promised that the aircraft will be unveiled in Nigeria’s colours in fulfillment of all the promises made by the administration in the aviation sector. He, however, noted that the only incomplete item is the aerotropolis, which is the airport city and is 60 percent complete. According to him, the ground work has been completed, and are looking to conclude work on the airport city by the next administration. Sirika had at an aviation stakeholder’s forum in Abuja in March said that Nigeria Air will commence full operations before the end of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. Responding to a question on when exactly Nigeria Air will commence operations, the minister had said, “Before the end of this administration, before May 29th, we will fly.” He added that the Federal Government is leaving the aviation sector better than it met it having achieved over 90% of the aviation sector road map.

  Some members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who were earlier kidnapped by assailants have been released in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.   The corps members numbering seven in total were reportedly kidnapped on their way back to the state after orientation camp in Ondo State about a week ago. Confirming the release to Channels TV correspondent, the Public Relations Officer of the Rivers State Police Command, Grace Iringe-Koko, said, “Yes, they’ve been released. They were released in Rumuji on Sunday.” She, however, refused to confirm whether or not any ransom was paid. A parent to one of the corps members — who spoke on the condition of anonymity — said they paid ransom to get their children released but refused to confirm the amount. The crime wave in Rivers State has increased in recent times but the police said they are on top of the situation.

  Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo says it is an aberration to appoint a Minister of State. He stated this while making a speech during a valedictory session chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday. Citing some portions of the constitution, Keyamo, however, noted that his observation was not out of ingratitude but as his contribution to the nation’s constitutional development as a relatively young democracy and to aid future governments to optimise the performance of those they appoint as ministers. He explained in a lengthy speech made available to the press that it is difficult to assess the individual performances of the Ministers of State since their discretion were shackled with the discretion of the Ministers as any original ideas developed by a Minister of State are subject to clearance by another colleague in cabinet before they can sail through for consideration by Council.   Meanwhile, at the valedictory session, the President thanked his ministers and State House staff who worked with him in the past eight years. He said is proud that he and his cabinet gave their best to Nigerians and urged them to support for the incoming President. “I am proud to say we gave our best,’’ the President was quoted as saying in a statement released by his spokesman, Femi Adesina. The President directed the ministers to tidy up their work and avoid last-minute rush that could compromise the good deeds they had done over the years.

  A Lagos State Special Offences Court sitting in Ikeja, on Wednesday, threatened to declare a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, wanted over his refusal to appear before the court for his trial. Fani-Kayode is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on 12 counts bordering on the use of false documents, use of fabricated evidence, and procuring the execution of documents by false pretence. The ex-minister was alleged to have forged medical report(s), which he tendered before Justice Daniel Osiagor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, where he is being prosecuted by the EFCC for an alleged N4.9bn fraud. Justice Olubumni Abike-Fadipe, who was displeased with Fani-Kayode’s refusal to appear before the court to face his trial after his arraignment on December 17, 2021, and subsequent adjournments, made the threat on Wednesday when the matter came up. At the last adjourned date, the defendant’s counsel, Mr Wale Balogun, informed the court of the absence of the defendant, citing ill health, which he said was connected to Fani-Kayode’s encounter with the Department of State Services, which grilled him over some comments ahead of the general elections. Balogun had pleaded with the court to grant him adjournment with a promise to make him available at Wednesday’s proceeding. But at the resumed hearing of the matter on Wednesday the defendant’s counsel Mr Chinozo Eze, told the court that Fani-Kayode was not in court due to health issues. Imo lawmaker defects from PDP to APC JUST IN: Abbas, Kalu, 30 lawmakers meet with Adamu He informed the court that a medical report and a letter seeking the leave of the court to vacate the two dates were already in the court’s file. EFCC Counsel, Zinat Atiku, confirmed the development and said the prosecution’s hands were tied as to how to forge ahead. However, the judge frowned on the repeated absence of the defendant, noting that the last time he was in court was November 4, 2022. The judge cited a series of excuses that had been tendered by the defendant for Fani-Kayode in court to face his trial. Justice Abike-Fadipe, consequently threatened to issue a bench warrant against him if he fails to show up at the next adjourned date. The judge also frowned on the prosecutor for lack of diligence in the prosecution of the case, noting that anti-graft could withdraw the matter it was not ready to prosecute it.

  The Indigenous People of Biafra, on Wednesday, threatened that should its detained leader, Nnamdi Kanu, “fall in the hands of Nigeria, then Nigeria and her leaders will fall in the hands of Biafra.” In a statement by its spokesman, Emma Powerful, the pro-Biafran group said it was disappointed in the United Nations, European Union, African Union and ECOWAS for keeping silent while its leader continued to be detained for almost two years by the Federal Government. The group accused the Supreme Court of bias in the handling of Kanu’s case, saying the apex court was conspiring with the Federal Government, which “wants our leader to die in detention,” given his ill health. “It is also possible that the DSS has given him (Kanu) a slow-acting poison, which is why his health keeps deteriorating to eventually kill him. “In what we consider a conspiracy to kill our leader, the Nigeria Supreme Court, the constitutional court refused to entertain an appeal from Kanu’s lawyers over his deteriorating health. Instead, the apex court gave a wicked long adjournment of four months in the case of an innocent man that appeal court Justices have discharged and acquitted. “In all these human right and court abuses, there seems to be a conspiratory silence among international organisations and her affiliate human rights organisations. “As the health of our leader continues to deteriorate and the Federal Government refuses to obey lawful orders and the world maintains this criminal silence, IPOB will do all within our power to ensure that our leader does not die in detention. Freedom for Kanu is the freedom of the entire black race. Kanu is not a criminal. He is not a terrorist, nor has he been associated with Nigeria treasury looting, which Nigerian politicians are known for. “We are telling the international community and African Union in particular not to blame IPOB for whatever becomes the aftermath of Nigeria’s continuous disobedience to both local and international laws in the case of Nnamdi Kanu now. “We want the world to understand that IPOB is peaceful but understands our right of self-defence. The gentleness of a tiger should not be taken as cowardice. Those who make peaceful revolution impossible make violent revolution inevitable. Our prayers are that the Nigerian government will do the needful on time because if our leader falls in the hands of Nigeria, then Nigeria and her leaders will fall in the hands of Biafra,” IPOB said. When one of our correspondents asked the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, for comments, he declined to speak on the issue.

  The Federal Government says Nigerians can now request their commercial banks issue them with a debit card that doubles as their national identity card. Prof Isa Pantami, Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja. He said this issuance comes at no cost. Pantami stated that the approval was obtained at the meeting of the Federal Executive Council, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. He said the approval followed a memo from the National Identity Management Commission allowing banks to print multipurpose debit cards that double as National identity cards. The Minister explained that” It is going to be a form of multipurpose card where it will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other hand, either Mastercard, Visa or any other kind of card.” According to Pantami, although the NIMC Act 2007 only mandates Nigerians to have a National Identity Number and not necessarily a printout card, demands for cards have swelled nonetheless. “As in the NIMC Act 2007, section 27, what is mandatory for our citizens and legal residents is the acquiring of the National Identity Number, not the card. However, the card is optional. “But many citizens, particularly those living in rural communities, always go to NIMC offices complaining that they need the card at hand, even though it’s optional. “To make it easier, NIMC last year, we introduced a smart ID card you can download from NIMC app. It is just a smart card. You don’t need to have it physically, but that is becoming difficult for our people living in rural communities.” To ease the difficulty, Pantami said NIMC had partnered with the Central Bank of Nigeria ”so that citizens who are interested in having a card at hand can easily go to the relevant banks.” According to him, the bank is permitted to print the card along with either a Mastercard or Visa card. ”It is going to be a form of multipurpose card that will serve as your national identity card on one hand and also your bank card on the other. And based on the agreement, it is without any additional costs on our citizens. “So when you apply for a card at your bank, you can indicate that ‘I want this card to be multiple purposes where it will serve as my bank card and also my national identity card’. ”Both of them are going to be printed on the same card and it is going to serve the same purposes without any additional costs.” The Minister disclosed that NIMC and the CBN signed a nondisclosure agreement to protect the privacy and confidentiality of card applicants. He assured of the privacy and confidentiality of card users. Pantami further stated that, when a person requests for the card, the bank will need to connect to the NIMC through their database. He said that afterwards, the bank verifies the person’s details which must be in tandem with the record in the NIMC database. Then, the card will be printed immediately for the user. The Minister also said that FEC also approved a memo proposing the deployment of an automated system to integrate NINs with individual SIM cards. The system, he noted, would consolidate the implementation of the NIN-SIM linkage. He said, “As we all know that previous administrations made efforts to verify NIN and SIM starting from 2011 without success. ”In February 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the implementation of the policy and the revised version of the policy was also launched and unveiled by Mr. President on May 6, 2021. “As it stands today, the NIN and SIM policy registration is being implemented. In order to consolidate the implementation. “The Nigerian Communications Commission came up with a proposal that will enhance the implementation of the policy and bring many more benefits to it.” Pantami said the automated system would sanitise the database and ease the process of SIM replacement for Nigerians or legal residents.

  The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Wednesday, raised its benchmark lending rate to 18.5 per cent, from 18 per cent, in an aggressive push to contain the nation’s inflationary pressure. The CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced this Wednesday after the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting that began Tuesday. Mr Emefiele while addressing journalists at the end of the two-day meeting in Abuja, said the committee voted to keep the asymmetric corridor at +100 and -700 basis points around the MPR.   He also disclosed that the MPC voted to keep the Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) at 32.5 per cent while the Liquidity Ratio was retained at 30 per cent. “Ten members voted to raise the MPR by 15 basis points and one member by 25 basis points, and all members voted to keep all parameters in constant,” Mr Emefiele said. The CRR is the share of a bank’s total customer deposit that must be kept with the central bank in the form of liquid cash, while the bank’s liquidity ratio is the proportion of deposits and other assets they must maintain to be able to meet short-term obligations.   In January, the MPC raised its benchmark lending rate from 16.5 per cent to 17.5 per cent in a sustained push to control inflation and ease pressure on the naira. Similarly, the CBN, during the last MPC in March, raised its benchmark lending rate to 18 per cent in an aggressive push to contain the nation’s inflationary pressure. Last week, the annual inflation rate of Africa’s largest economy rose to 22.22 per cent in April from 22.04 per cent in the previous month. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said the April 2023 inflation rate increased by 0.18 per cent compared to the March 2023 headline inflation rate.

  A report has revealed that the British Special Air Service and the European country’s other special forces have carried out operations clandestinely in Nigeria and 18 other nations for the past 12 years. This was corroborated by an incident in 2012 when a group of SBS commandos attempted and failed to rescue a Briton and an Italian held by an Islamist group in Nigeria. The British SAS also engaged in covert operations in Algeria, Estonia, France, Oman, Iraq, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Cyprus, Pakistan, Somalia, the Philippines, Russia, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen and most recently Sudan.   The UK Special Forces provided non-combat support during French military action against jihadi groups in Mali. They also trained Nigerian, Moroccan, and Cameroonian soldiers and collated intelligence threat assessments in response to rising instability in the Sahel region. According to the Guardian UK, the elite military units do not possess the UK ministers publicly certifying their operations, thus, they operate covertly.   But, based on media leaks, a research organisation called Action on Gun Violence has compiled a list of their operations from 2011, the AOAV added in a May 23, 2023 report titled, “Britain’s Special Forces on service in at least 19 countries since 2011”. It provides the impression that the prime minister and defence secretary frequently send personnel of the SAS, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment on dangerous operations, usually when Britain is not at war. Special forces have been particularly active in Syria, with reports of them entering the country in 2012 to help rebel groups fighting against President Bashar al-Assad. They are also reported to have been sent in 2013 to identify military targets in advance of a bombing campaign that MPs ended up voting against. But because of the fixation with secrecy, Matt Tonroe, a member of the SAS, was officially identified as a member of the Parachute Regiment when he was murdered in Syria in 2018. It was later discovered that he had actually been killed by his US colleague’s grenade, not an improvised explosive device.   Although Britain is not an official participant in the conflict, 50 members of the UK special forces were mentioned as being present in Ukraine earlier this year in leaked Pentagon documents. The numbers for the US and France were listed as being 14 and 15, respectively. Nevertheless, their goal was left unstated. The lengthy list of deployments, according to the report’s authors, happened despite a lack of control. Even though special forces can be deployed without the Commons’ consent and are not subject to parliamentary committee investigations, etiquette requires that MPs vote to authorise a war. After a terrorist massacre of 38 people, including 30 Britons, at a beach hotel in Tunisia in June 2015, it was once claimed that former British prime minister, David Cameron, had granted the SAS “carte blanche” to arrest or assassinate Middle Eastern Islamic leaders. “The extensive deployment of Britain’s Special Forces in numerous countries over the past decade raises serious concerns about transparency and democratic oversight,” said Iain Overton, the executive director of AOAV. “The lack of parliamentary approval and retrospective reviews for these missions is deeply troubling.”   At the time, current defence secretary and Tory MP Ben Wallace commended the military effort. The operation, according to the Ministry of Defence, also included troops of the Royal Marines, the RAF, and the Parachute Regiment, although it omitted special forces. Special forces routinely take part in both exfiltration and hostage rescues.

  The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned one Apostle Uchechukwu Samuel before an Enugu High Court for fraud. The clergyman was arraigned before Justice H.O. Eya on Tuesday. He was arraigned on a seven count charge bordering on stealing, conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense. He pleaded ‘not guilty’ when all the charges were read to him. In view of his plea, the prosecution counsel Ani Ikechukwu Michael asked the court to fix a date for trial to commence. The court admitted the defendant to bail and adjourned till July 4 and 5, 2023 for hearing.