An aircraft belonging to Dana Air has skidded off the runway in Lagos State. Details about the incident are still unclear as of the time of filing this report.; however, a source confirmed to our correspondent that no casualties were recorded. Details soon…

  Tuesday 23 April 2024 IGP Kicks Against State Police, Proposes Merger Of FRSC, NSCDC We Can’t Have Adequate Security Without State Police – Jonathan Nigerian Law Professor Shot Dead Atiku Visits Ningi, Says NASS Shouldn’t Be Tool In The Hands Of Oppressive Govt Reactions As FG Shuts Down Chinese Supermarket Discriminating Against Nigerians Tinubu Embarks On Fresh Overseas Trips Bobrisky Files Notice Of Appeal, Challenges Conviction FG To Ramp Up Power Capacity To 6000MW By 2024 Yearend Tribunal Reserves Judgement In Sylva’s Petition Against Diri, Others Kenyan Police Reportedly Arrest Binance Executive Who Fled From Nigeria Kano Judge Reverses Self, Vacates Order Suspending Ganduje Alleged ₦8.5bn Fraud: Court Frees Ex-NIMASA DG, Akpobolokemi Army Dismisses Two Personnel Over Alleged Theft At Dangote Refinery 60 Arrested Over Greek Police Officer’s Sport Riot Death FG: Minimum age for varsity admission still 18… parents pushing their wards too much FG to sell DisCos managed by AMCON, banks in next three months Prosecution of Yahaya Bello not in conflict with Kogi court order, says EFCC Cardoso ordered to appear before Kogi guber tribunal on Tuesday Okuama-Ewu: Help, we’re dying in forest, displaced residents beg Oborevwori Tin-can Customs surpasses Q1’24 revenue target by 139% Strange illness claims 8 lives in Sokoto, 208 cases identified Police, Ogun govt on trail of killers of Babcock varsity lecturer Naira rebound: Rice falls to N67,000 in Lagos, Abuja, cheaper at borders Amotekun arrests man who cons hospital patients, flees with money meant for tests, treatment Foreign cash fuelling illegal mining, terrorism in Africa, says Tinubu Gains of IMF/World Bank meetings, by finance ministry Visit a newspaper stand this morning, buy and read a copy for yourself…

  The Federal Government yesterday vowed to sell off the five electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) as blackout persists. A $200m non-performing metering contract awarded since 2021 has been revoked by the Federal Government. Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu said banks and the Asset Management Company (AMCON), which have been managing these DisCos, having taken over because of the failure of the management to repay loans, lack the technical capacity. The sale to reputable technical power operators is expected to be completed within three months, he added. Those affected are Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) under the management of the United Bank of Africa (UBA), Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company and Kano Electricity Distribution Company manage by Fidelity Bank, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC) is under the AMCON management.   Investors hold 60 per cent of shares in the DisCos. The Federal Government holds the remaining 40 per cent. Blackout has persisted in most states with DisCos blaming low allocation from the national grid and gas shortages to generating companies (GenCos) as the causes, among others. Consumers are lamenting that the epileptic power situation has worsened since January. Adelabu spoke while hosting the Senate Committee on Power at his office in Abuja. He said that the energy distribution assets are technical and should be managed by experts. He informed the committee that tough decisions on the DisCos have become necessary because the entire Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) fails when they refuse to perform. According to him, the ministry will prevail on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to revoke underperforming licenses and change the management board of the DisCos if necessary. Adelabu said: “On distribution, very soon you will see that tough decisions will be taken on the DisCos. They are the last lap of the sector. If they don’t perform, the entire sector is not performing. “The entire ministry is not performing. We have put pressure on NERC, which is their regulator to make sure they raise the bar on regulation activities. “If they have to withdraw licenses for non-performance, why not? If they have to change the board of management, why not? “And all the DisCos that are still under AMCON and banks, within the next three months, they must be sold to technical power operators with good reputations in utility management. “We can no longer afford AMCON to run our DisCos. We can no longer afford the banks to run our DisCos. This is a technical industry and it must be run by technical experts.” The minister also noted that it has become necessary to reorganise the DisCos for efficiency. He stressed that Ibadan DisCo is too large for one company to manage. Responding to the decision to resell the DisCos, a member of the committee, Senator Isah Jibrin, alleged that some of the operators have stripped the assets of the DisCos they took over in 2013. He insisted that the operators of any revoked DisCo must be compelled to fix the assets as they were prior to handover. Adelabu said the Federal Government mobilised a company named Messr Zigglass with $200 million (N32 billion) to supply three million meters, but that the firm is yet to deliver. “If you held N32 billion for these years, where is the interest?” he asked. According to him, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that the contract be revoked. He said the government will bridge the current eight million metering gap in the next four to five years. The minister noted that the funding is coming from a seed capital of N100billion and N75billion. He added that the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) is coming to the aid of the ministry with the fund. Adelabu blamed issues in the industry on uncompleted projects, urging the committee to approve funds for the completion of over 120 projects across the country. He also noted that the frequent grid collapse was due to a lack of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). Committee chairman, Senator Eyinaya Abaribe, said the ministry had been complaining about SCADA procurement in the last 12 years without addressing it. Senator Danjuma Goje, a member of the committee and a former Minister of Power, told Adelabu that nothing has changed in the sector. Senator Lalong, commenting on the company that abandoned a project after collecting $200 million since 2021, said people must be punished for their crimes to serve as a deterrent to others. Senator Osita Ozunaso called for the cancellation of the DisCos licenses, stressing: “DisCos are the problem.” Senator Neda Imasuen said since the present managers of the power sector have failed over the years, the government should hand them over to new ones or even foreigners.

  Five children have reportedly died of suffocation inside an abandoned vehicle in the Albishiri area of Minna, the Niger state capital. The children were said to have gone missing on Sunday morning before they were found dead at about 6 p.m. on the same day. Sources in the area said one of the children was the child of the owner of the car while another one was the child of a neighbour. The remaining three were siblings, belonging to one Abdullahi Etsu of Etsu-tasha, from the Albishiri area. In a statement on Monday, Wasiu Abiodun, police spokesperson in Niger, confirmed the incident. The police spokesperson said the children were between the ages of five and 13. Abiodun said the children were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle in the area. “On 21/4/2024 at about 6.30 pm, based on information received at Kpakungu Div, five children of about 5-13 years of age were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle with Reg No. GO 778 ABC at Albishiri area of Minna,” the statement reads. “They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle, while their bodies were later removed by the various Parents, as Police visited the scene. “However, the owner of the vehicle was invited for questioning, as the unfortunate incident is under investigation.”

  President Bola Tinubu will, on Tuesday, leave Abuja for the Kingdom of the Netherlands on an official visit. Presidential Spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale in a statement in Abuja said the visit is on the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. As part of the official visits President Tinubu will also proceed to attend a special World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting scheduled for April 28-29 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. However, according to Ngelale, while in the Netherlands, President Tinubu will engage in high-level discussions with the Prime Minister, as well as hold separate meetings with His Royal Majesty, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Kingdom. The Queen is the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development (UNSGSA). “While in the Netherlands, the President will participate in the Nigerian-Dutch Business and Investment Forum that will bring together heads of conglomerates and organizations in both countries to explore opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, especially in agriculture and water management towards innovative solutions for sustainable farming practices. “There will also be extensive discussions with the Dutch officials on port management operations for which they have world-renowned expertise,” he said. “At the World Economic Forum meeting, which focuses on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, President Tinubu and his entourage will use the opportunity of the gathering of over 1,000 leaders from business, government, and academia to engage in discussions in furtherance of his Renewed Hope Agenda for the country. “The President will be accompanied by some ministers and other senior government officials,” Ngelale said.

  The naira on Wednesday depreciated further to N1,260 per dollar at the parallel section of the foreign exchange (FX) market. The latest figure represents a 2.44 percent drop from the N1,230 per dollar traded on April 19. Currency traders, known as bureau de change (BDC) operators, quoted the buying rate at N1,230 and the selling price at N1,260 — leaving a profit margin of N30. At the official window, the naira depreciated to N1,234.49 against the dollar on Monday — a 5.51 percent decline from the N1,169.99/$ traded on April 19. The local currency traded at a high of N1,295 and a low of N1,051, according to FMDQ Exchange, a platform that oversees official FX trading in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), on April 20, said it is doing everything possible to achieve a stable FX rate. Speaking during a press conference held at the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank Group, Yemi Cardoso, CBN governor, said the regulator is also working to ensure the exchange rate finds its adequate price discovery level. “Again, to be honest, I think we should expect that there will be increases here and there, ups and downs and even from what you’ve reported yesterday, from what I gather, the naira has begun strengthening overnight,” he said. He added that the local currency will continue to appreciate against foreign currencies.

  A yet-to-be identified passenger onboard Delta Air Lines’ Atlanta-Lagos flights reportedly died midair on Monday. The PUNCH learnt that she died due to a health emergency that occurred midair, approximately three hours before the flight’s scheduled arrival in Lagos. Although a decision was made by the crew to proceed to Lagos, it was learnt that heavy thunderstorm in the area forced the pilots to divert the plane to Lome, Togo. The flight took an additional delay in Lome due to refueling and the weather, according to some persons close to the development said. The Delta Air Lines’ A330-200 aircraft had 215 customers onboard. However, the flight later landed safely in Lagos, approximately eight and a half hour after the scheduled time. The flight was initially scheduled to arrive by 10am on Monday. It was learnt that the passengers received compensation. Delta Air in a statement apologised for the inconveniences, adding that the airline regretted any difficulty or delays caused to its customers’ travel arrangements during the flight. The statement read, “Delta flight 54 ATL-LOS has landed safely in LOS after an onboard customer medical situation and subsequent diversion to LFW due to weather. We sincerely apologise to our customers for the inconvenience and delay in their travel plans.” Meanwhile, some passengers and Nigerians made comments on social media about the flight. @samson_Goddy posted a tweet on X stating that his flight was delayed and that two medical emergencies occurred, including the death of a woman in midair. He noted that the passengers were forced to make an emergency landing in a different country after the aircraft ran out of fuel. He wrote, “My Delta flight from Atlanta to Lagos was scheduled to land at 10am, but arrived at 6pm or later. “So we had two health emergencies: a lady died on the flight midair, we ran out of fuel and were forced to do an emergency landing in another country, and we were grounded for 5+ hours. Responding to questions on X about the incident he added, “Yes, oh, one woman died like that three hours after we left. I think it was a heart attack, because there was a doctor onboard. But I overheard something similar.” Reacting to the incident, @BayoAdesosu also stated that the airline should openly address the incident by releasing a statement and displaying its landing records.

  Controversial cross-dresser and socialite, Idris Olanrewaju Okuneye, popularly known as Bobrisky, has filed a notice of appeal challenging his conviction on a four-count charge of Naira abuse. In his Notice of Appeal filed by his lawyer, Bimbo Kusanu, Bobrisky is asking the court to set aside the six months imprisonment sentence imposed on him and replacing same with the option of a fine of N50,000 (Fifty Thousand Naira) on each of the counts against him. On April 12, 2024, Justice Abimbola Awogboro of the Federal High Court, Lagos had sentenced Bobrisky, to six months imprisonment without an option of fine for abusing the Nigerian currency. The judge while sentencing the convict, said the judgment would serve as a deterrent to others that are fond of abusing and mutilating the Naira. On April 5, Bobrisky had pleaded guilty to the four-count charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the court.   In his Notice of Appeal, however, the appellant stated that the trial court imposed the maximum sentence on him despite having no previous record criminal of conviction and when there were options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the ACJA. He submitted that the sentence imposed by the trial court is punitive contrary to the mandatory provisions of the ACJA on sentencing. The Appellant also stated that the judge did not consider his positive antecedent of not wasting the precious judicial resources of the trial court when he pleaded guilty to the charge. He further stated that the Appellant honoured the invitation of the Respondent (the EFCC) on the first invitation during the investigation leading to the charge. Part of the decision of the lower court complained of are “The sentence of the Lower Court that imposed maximum penalty of six-months imprisonment without option of fine on the Appellant who is a first time convict without previous record of criminal conviction. “The Learned trial Judge erred in Law and in facts by his imposition of the maximum sentence of 6 Months imprisonment terms against the Appellant without option of fine contrary to the provisions of Section 416(2) d of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act of 2015 (“ACJA”) that prescribed the mandatory guidelines on the trial Court on imposition of sentencing after criminal conviction of a first time offender as the Appellant. “The trial Court imposed the maximum sentence on the Appellant who has no previous record criminal of conviction when there are options to impose a lesser sentence by the provisions of the ADCJA. “The Sentence imposed by the trial Court against the Appellant is punitive contrary to the mandatory provisions of the Law (ACJA) on sentencing The Appellant has suffered miscarriage of Justice by the maximum sentence imposed by the learned trial Court. “The reasons adduced by the learned trial Court for the imposition of maximum punishment on the Appellant which is essentially on what foreigners think of abuse of Naira,is perverse and is out of tune with the reality of what the trial Court should have been considered to impose maximum punishment on the Appellant. “The intendment of the provisions of the Central Bank Act 2007 that the Appellant was charged with is for Nigerians not to tamper with Naira and not what nationals of foreign countries view about tampering with Naira. “The trial Court did not consider the positive antecedent of the Appellant who did not waste the precious Judicial resources of the trial Court when he pleaded guilty to the Charge. The Appellant honoured the invitation of the Respondent-Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the first invitation during the investigation leading to the charge”. “The trial Court failed to exercise his discretion judiciously and judicially in sentencing the Appellant. which has occasioned miscarriage of justice against the Appellant.” Consequently, he urged the court to set aside the 6 months maximum imprisonment sentence imposed on him and in its place impose fine of N50,000 ( Fifty Thousand Naira) on each of the counts against the Appellant.