Nigeria is withholding $812m unrepatriated airline funds, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said. This is as Africa’s most populous nation is topping the list of five countries that account for 68 per cent of the total blocked funds worldwide. IATA disclosed this in a statement on Sunday by its Director-General, Willie Walsh, adding that the airlines’ funds blocked from repatriation globally have increased to $2.27 billion in April 2023. The other four countries are Bangladesh, Algeria, Pakistan, and Lebanon. According to the statement, unrepatriated funds increased by 47 per cent from $1.55 billion in April last year. It warned that rapidly rising levels of blocked funds are a threat to airline connectivity in the affected markets. The breakdown of the funds in some regions shows that a total of $812.2 million is withheld in Nigeria, while $214.1 million is trapped in Bangladesh. The authorities of Algeria, Pakistan, and Lebanon are blocking the repatriation of $196.3 million, $188.2 million, and $141.2 million, respectively, the association added.   Walsh called on governments to find lasting solutions to the situation to ensure aviation companies sustain connectivity. “Airlines cannot continue to offer services in markets where they are unable to repatriate the revenues arising from their commercial activities in those markets. Governments need to work with industry to resolve this situation so airlines can continue to provide the connectivity that is vital to driving economic activity and job creation,” Walsh said. He also ​​​​​urged governments to abide by international agreements and treaty obligations to enable airlines to repatriate the funds arising from the sale of tickets, cargo space, and other activities.

  At least seven Guinean schoolgirls drowned Sunday after a pirogue — a long wooden vessel — they were travelling in capsized, the education minister said. The girls were crossing the Niger river in the northeast of Guinea in West Africa to take high school entrance exams that begin on Monday. “We are struck by this bad news that seven students lost their lives,” the minister for literacy and pre-university education, Guillame Hawing, told journalists on a visit to the region to launch the exam period. Mamadi Keita, a security officer, told AFP his half-sister was among those who died. “She and her classmates went to the other side of the Niger river for the first tests for their entry exam into their seventh year” of school. “They boarded an overloaded pirogue which sank under the weight of passengers and goods,” he said in tears over the telephone. A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP the death toll was provisional, and that the search for more bodies was still underway. AFP

  Residents of Enugu State have defied the state government’s directives on the Monday compulsory sit-at-home order issued by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), as roads, schools, banks, markets and other public places were completely deserted. The state governor, Peter Mbah had on June 1 declared “no more sit-at-home in Enugu,” effective Monday, June 5, asking individuals and corporate organisations to ensure full-scale business activities in the state. Mbah stated that his government would be ready to engage in dialogue with people who have genuine grievances so as to foster lasting peace and security in Enugu State, adding that the order dwindles creativity and productivity of the people. It is not uncommon for residents in the state to wake up to stories of the untimely death of some who disobeyed the unauthorised sit-at-home order. It is however not clear if commercial activities will pick up before noon. Economic Impact The governor’s ban on the sit-at-home order came last Thursday with a call on President Bola Tinubu to release IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu. After his first security council meeting with the heads of all the security agencies at the Government House, Enugu State, Mbah told journalists that the sit-at-home declared in the South-East to press for Kanu’s release had impeded economic activities. “Consequently, from Monday, June 6, 2023, there will be no observance of any sit-at-home in all nooks and crannies of Enugu State,” he said on Thursday. Governor Mbah noted that his “government will enforce this with all the powers at its disposal”. While assuring stakeholders of dialogue, the governor urged Enugu residents “to take back our sense of industry, pride of place and re-enact our glorious past. By heeding this call, you would have set us on the path of actualising our mandate”. The ban was received the support of the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Most Rev. Godfrey Onah; the Anglican Archbishop of Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma; and the Enugu State Association of Presidents-General of Town Unions

  A High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has sentenced the presiding pastor of a new generation Church, Chidiebere Okoroafor, to death by hanging for multiple murders. Pastor Okoroafor, who is the General Overseer of the Altar of Solution and Healing Assembly based in Oyigbo, Rivers State, was standing trial for killing his choir mistress, Orlunma Nwagba, who he allegedly impregnated. He was also facing murder charges for the killing of Orlunma’s friend, Chigozie Ezenwa, and her 11 months old baby girl, Cresabel, on December 11, 2017, in the Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State. The trial judge, S.O Benson, in his judgement said the evidence and confessional statements from the pastor showed that he committed the crime. Justice Benson said the prosecution proved the case of murder against the cleric and ordered he should be Killed by hanging him on his neck until he is dead or should be injected with a lethal injection which also kills faster. Our correspondent reports that the women had visited the pastor’s house in Oyigbo for a discussion on the said pregnancy when he tricked them into a bush and allegedly committed the act in two different locations. Men of Rivers State Police Command had on December 17, 2017 arrested Pastor Okoroafor following an alarm raised by Chigozie’s husband over the killing of three people in two different locations in Oyigbo LGA. Speaking to newsmen outside the courtroom, the prosecution counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, Precious Ordu, expressed happiness over the judgement. While noting that the prosecution had received several threats in the course of the trial, Ordu said expressed delight that justice has prevailed convict. “This will serve as a deterrent to all those who intend to commit the same offence because it is justice for all.” Ordu thanked the International Federation of Women Lawyers, who brought up the case before the state took over. On his part, Counsel to the defendant, Dr Innocent Ekwu, said he and his team will appeal the judgement, saying the court ‘misconceived the law’ Ekwu stated, “The court held that there was no eyewitness, not even one throughout the trial. The court also held that there was no circumstantial evidence linking the fellow to murder. “But that the court convicted him of murder on account of his confessional statements. “We, as counsel to the defendant, have decided to appeal the case. We are going to file our notice of appeal as quickly as possible because we have grounds on which we believe that the defendant did not commit the offence. “And that the trial court misapprehended the facts and also misconceived the law.”

  Petrol prices have almost doubled across fuel stations in Benin Republic after it was announced that subsidy would be removed in Nigeria, the BBC is reporting. Petrol from Nigeria is regularly smuggled into neighboring countries including Cameroon, Ghana, Benin Republic and as far as Sudan. The broadcasting company quoted sources to have said the product is being sold for 700 CFA or 800 CFA in Benin Republic — up from a previous price of 450 CFA. Smuggled petrol — popularly called kpayo – which means “unoriginal” in Goun, a native language – is cheaper than fuelling up at stations, according to local media reports. On Monday, in his inaugural speech, President Bola Tinubu said the petrol subsidy regime was over. “On fuel subsidy, unfortunately, the budget before I assumed office is that no provision is there for fuel subsidy. So, fuel subsidy is gone,” the president had said. Following Tinubu’s comments, huge queues resurfaced at filling stations in some parts of Nigeria — a situation the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) blamed on panic buying. On Friday, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) issued a five-day ultimatum to the federal government to revert to the old price of petrol or face a nationwide protest Presently, a federal government delegation is in a meeting with representatives of organised labour at the presidential villa, Abuja, over the removal of subsidy on petrol. The NLC didn’t make the meeting. The meeting comes five days after a first meeting with the new government on the same issue ended in a deadlock.

  STRONG Indications have emerged that the aspiration of former Minority leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for the Senate presidency is shaking as supporters are said to have reduced tremendously. It was gathered yesterday that support for the former governor of Akwa Ibom State for the Senate presidency of the 10th National Assembly may have finally hit the rocks because more senators reportedly dumped his camp for Senators Abdul’aziz Yari and Osita Izunaso-led Senate Democratic Caucus, SDC.   Recall that the All Progressives Congress, APC, had announced the endorsement of Akpabio and three others for the topmost positions in the National Assembly. While Senator Akpabio from South-South was endorsed for Senate presidency, Senator Jubrin Barau from North-West was chosen as Deputy Senate President, just as Tajudeen Abass, North-West was picked as speaker of the House of Representatives and Kanu, South-East, deputy speaker. Their choice by the party did not, however, go down well with some members of the party, especially those aspiring for the position of presiding offices in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. Consequently, protests, condemnation and strong criticisms across the country trailed the development. It was also gathered that as of yesterday afternoon, Senator Akpabio was left with less than 30 senators, while the Yari/Izunaso-led camp swelled to over 50 between Thursday and yesterday morning. From the statistics taken at the last outing of the two camps held simultaneously at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel and the Destination by Gidanka respectively, 21 senators-elect attended the Stability group of Akpabio, while 57 physically attended the Yari-led group meeting, with apologies from 16 other senators-elect who could not attend in person. It was also gathered yesterday morning that at least four of the senators-elect that attended Akpabio meeting have shifted camp and alliance to the SDC camp of Yari and Izunaso. The four senators are from South-South and South-West. With this, the Yari/Izunaso-led group, made up of senators-elect from the six geo-political zones of the country, now has over 60 senators-elect in their camp, a clear majority in the 109-member Senate. Even with the 57 senators-elect that physically attended the meeting at Senator Izunaso-owned Destination Hotel office, the group has already secured more than the 55 votes required to produce the Senate president. In what is now seen as a calculated move by the powers behind the two camps to determine the strongest force in the emerging Senate, the simultaneous meetings of the two camps have now confirmed the actual strength of the competing tendencies. It appears that Senator Akpabio may be losing out for Senator Abdul’aziz Yari or the other leading aspirant in his team, Senator Osita Izunaso. The abysmal attendance of senators-elect at the Akpabio-led camp meeting inTranscorp Hilton was said to have embarrassed the highly respected former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, who was invited there as an observer. Chief Osoba was said to have left the meeting highly disappointed.

  THE Senate has indicted the Office of Accountant General of the Federation over its refusal to repay short term loans given to Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, from special funds accounts totaling N910 billion. It uncovered this after investigation by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, led by Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Edo South, following the submission of 2017 Auditor General’s report. According to the query, the loans and debts arose from Special Funds Accounts totaling N910,039,557,742 and showed that the balance remained unpaid throughout the year, though they were designed to be short term. In its response, the Office of the Accountant General claimed that several letters were written to the then Minister of Finance to authorize the settlement of the loans granted against allocations of various MDAs. The AGF office further said it had requested the minister to include the loans repayment in 2017 budget. Urhoghide’ committee observed that there was continous abuse of the special funds by the executive as the withdrawals were continually made for political expediency outside the purpose for which the funds were meant . The report read: “ There is continous abuse of the special funds by executive as the withdrawals are continually made for political expediency outside the purpose for which the funds were meant.” The Senate, therefore, ordered that all outstanding loans be recovered by the Accountant General of the Federation and evidence of recovery presented to the Auditor General and Senate Public Accounts Committee within 60 days . Meanwhile, the Senate, after considering the report, directed the Executive Chairman of Imo State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, to account for money paid to companies not financially capable, contrary to requirement of extant rules. The chairman of the board failed to appear before the committee to defend the allegation of payment without due process.

  A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Plateau state, Samuel Kwamkur, on Sunday cautioned former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, not to set Nigeria on fire with his utterances Kwankur, who is a former National Director of the Christian Association of Nigeria, stated this at a press conference in Jos on Sunday. He was reacting to statements allegedly credited to the former Kaduna governor in which he allegedly told his audience before handing over to his successor that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna had been successfully replicated in Nigeria and that it shall continue. El-Rufai, he alleged, equally told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they”(Christians ) tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceived ‘them’ that it was not for religious dominance when in reality, the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance. He alleged that in the video containing the speech which has gone viral on social media, El-Rufai further said that the victory of Bola Tinubu had silenced the Christian Association of Nigeria, adding that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending not only in Kaduna State but in Nigeria at large But Kwankur, while reacting to El-Rufai’s outburst, expressed disappointment at the utterances of the former governor, noting that the classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus us’ meant that the former governor cannot be exonerated from “the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna”. Kwankur said he was surprised that El-Rufai who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation had turned himself into a “confirmed religious bigot with a hidden agenda to destroy the country using religion”. He advised El-Rufai not to use his utterances to mislead Nigerians into thinking that President Bola Tinubu’s electoral victory was purposely to islamise Nigeria and nothing else. The former National Director of CAN said “Ordinarily, I have heard Islamic clerics preach that Tinubu’s Muslim/ Muslim ticket is in furtherance of an Islamisation agenda, and despite that, I am one of those who contributed in discouraging Christians and Nigerians from accepting such as true because I believed in the antecedents and character of His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu but hearing from a political leader like El-Rufai, a close associate of Tinubu and Shettima, an active participant in the campaign who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation confirmed that there is a hidden agenda to be mindful of. “In the said address, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai spoke like one of the religious bigots that have been working underground to set the nation on fire. Amongst his ill-motivated statements which I can only paraphrase for now, El-Rufai confirmed that he is a leader of the Islamic terrorist group operating in the Sambisa forest albeit disguising himself as a governor in a complex nation like Nigeria” “Firstly, El-Rufai in his speech, wondered why he should give ‘them’ a deputy governor when most of ‘them’ cannot vote for his party. That he calculated and discovered ‘we’ can win an election without ‘them’ hence why give ‘them’ a deputy? From El-Rufai’s classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ versus ‘us’ one needs no angel to tell you that he cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna. Secondly, Mallam El-Rufai went further to state that Islamic dominance of government in Nigeria will bring peace, Justice and fair play. He assured the gathering that he will sustain an Islamic-dominated government for 20 years and unending. “This outburst reiterates his extreme fanaticism and displays his ignorance of what constitutes justice, equity and fair play. Discrimination, ethnic profiling and all genocidal attempts to consume a race or religion constitute injustice and are recipes for anarchy and crisis. “Thirdly, he told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they” tried to ask questions on why the Muslim/Muslim Ticket, he deceives ‘them’ that it is not for religious dominance but in reality the tickets both nationally and at the state level were for Islamic dominance. “He boasted that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna has been successfully replicated in Nigeria and it shall continue. He said further that the victory of Asiwaju has silent the Christian Association of Nigeria. “The question is: is it only Muslims that voted for Asiwaju? Who voted for Atiku and Peter Obi? I guess it was only Christians! How could a sitting governor, former minister of the Federal Republic and a potential key government appointee be this callous and insensitive? I recall in one of my visits to a friend in Kaduna, he expressed his views about Mallam El-Rufai”s involvement in the killings in Kaduna and I kept arguing that he should be given the benefit of the doubt, but watching El-Rufai address the Muslim Umma, I have no doubt in my mind that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is one of those behind the unending religious crisis and insecurity in Nigeria.” Continuing, the former CAN official added “For the record, Christianity does not practice deception as a principle or mode of operation. The Holy Bible admonishes Christians to say the truth at all times. Christians are also taught unconditional love regardless of religion, region and background. In the Christian faith, the Holy Book frowns against religious discrimination and dominance. The definition of Justice, equity and fairness is hinged on providing platforms for the involvement of all regardless of their population, religion and tribe. “We also believe that God is the giver of life and power; he gives to whoever He wishes and takes it at the time He so wishes. Hence boasting of any sort is an open challenge to

  Monday 05 June 2023 Subsidy: NLC shuns FG meeting, electricity workers back strike I never assaulted my wife – Ondo deputy gov FG To Consider TUC’s Demands, Set Up Committee To Review Minimum Wage FG Has Solution For Impact Of Subsidy Removal – Oshiomhole Subsidy: Sanwo-Olu Begs NLC To Abort Planned Strike Former Lagos Federal Lawmaker Emerges Imo LP Deputy Gov Candidate 10th Assembly: Tinubu To Meet Opposition Lawmakers-Elect Probe Missing $2.1bn, N3.1trn Subsidy Payments Or Face Legal Action, SERAP Tells Tinubu Sit-At-Home: Bishops Onah, Chukwuma, Town Unions Back Mba NDLEA Destroys Three Tonnes Of Skunk In Edo Forest, Seizes 76.9kg Loud From Canada Subsidy: NLC shuns meeting with FG; TUC seeks pay rise Bandits kill scores in Zamfara, abduct over 30 girls 10th NASS: Vote with discretion, Ohanaeze Ndigbo tells federal lawmakers Support for Akpabio’s Senate presidency shaky, number of supporters dwindle Senate indicts AGF over failure to recover N910bn short-term loan to MDAs I’ll Be Servant-Leader, Delta Gov Assures Residents NNPC terminating crude oil swap contracts, says Kyari Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…