October 2024 – Page 17

Post Date : October 18, 2024

FG, States, LGs Share N1.298 Trillion September 2024 Revenue

A total sum of N 1.298 trillion September 2024 Federation Accounts Revenue has been shared to the Federal Government, States and the Local Government Councils. The revenue distribution was announced at the October 2024 meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), in Abuja. According to a statement by the of Press and Public Affairs in the Office of the Accountant General, Bawa Mokwa, the N1.298 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N124.716 billion, distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N543.518 billion, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N18.445 billion, Exchange Difference revenue of N462.191 billion and Augmentation of N150.000 billion. A communiqué issued by the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) indicated that total revenue of N2.258 trillion was available in the month of September 2024. Total deduction for cost of collection was N80.993 billion while total transfers, interventions and refunds was N878.946 billion. According to the communiqué, gross statutory revenue of N1.043 trillion was received for the month of September 2024. This was lower than the sum of N1.221 trillion received in the month of August 2024 by N177.426 billion. Gross revenue of N583.675 billion was available from the Value Added Tax (VAT) in September 2024. This was higher than the N573.341 billion available in the month of August 2024 by N10.334 billion. The communiqué stated that from the N1.298 trillion total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received total sum of N424.867 billion and the State Governments received total sum of N453.724 billion. The Local Government Councils received total sum of N329.864 billion and a total sum of N90.415 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue. On the N124.716 billion distributable statutory revenue, the communiqué stated that the Federal Government received N43.037 billion and the State Governments received N21.829 billion. The Local Government Councils received N16.829 billion and the sum of N43.021 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue. From the N543.518 billion distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue, the Federal Government received N81.528 billion, the State Governments received N271.759 billion and the Local Government Councils received N190.231 billion. A total sum of N2.767 billion was received by the Federal Government from the N18.445 billion Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL). The State Governments received N9.222 billion and the Local Government Councils received N6.456 billion. From the N462.191 billion Exchange Difference revenue, the communiqué stated that the Federal Government received N218.515 billion and the State Governments received N110.834 billion. The Local Government Councils received N85.448 billion, while the sum of N47.394 billion (13% of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting States as derivation revenue. The Federal Government received N79.020 billion, the State Governments received N40.080 billion and the Local Government Council received N30.900 billion from the N150.000 billion Augmentation. In September 2024, Oil and Gas Royalty, Excise Duty, Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) and CET Levies increased considerably while Value Added Tax(VAT) and Import Duty increased marginally. Petroleum Profit Tax(PPT), Companies Income Tax(CIT) and others recorded significant

Post Date : October 18, 2024

EXTRA: Tinubu Aware Nigerians Are Suffering, Moves Around FCT At Night – Senator Kalu

Senator Orji Kalu says President Bola Tinubu is aware of the country’s fluttering economy, moves at night to feel the pulse of the people and is taking steps to address the challenges facing Nigeria. “The president himself knows that Nigerians are suffering and hungry. He is a street person; he knows the street very well,” Senator Kalu said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today. “The president some nights uses his car to go around and know what is happening in Abuja here. The president goes around with one or two cars and sees what is happening. He is not a president that is locked up in the room.” The country’s inflation figures hit 32.7 per cent in September 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Since the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira by the Tinubu government, the cost of basic items has moved beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians. ‘Almost Everywhere’ But Senator Kalu argued that the moves were “very courageous” of Tinubu and that the economic hardship is not peculiar to Nigeria. He said the country is also battling from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic which grossly affected the global economy. “The pressure of COVID-19 has not gone,” he said. “Let me be honest with you. I know things are not the way they are supposed to be,” the Abia North lawmaker added. “The economy has not been so friendly; the atmosphere has not been so friendly. But this economic problem is going on almost everywhere in the world.” Senator Kalu said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) which he belongs to is doing well in repositioning the economy. “They are trying to reform the economy. They are trying to bring back the economy where it is supposed to be.” Nigerians have repeatedly accused members of the National Assembly and the ruling class of being insensitive to the plight of the people, claiming they live in affluence despite the state of the economy. The Abia North lawmaker, however, says the lawmakers have no official vehicles. “I am in the Senate and a lot of things are said about the Senators and I sit there quietly and watch, and most of these things are not true. All I know is that committees get vehicles, no lawmaker is given any vehicle,” the Senator said.

Post Date : October 18, 2024

Kenya Senate votes to impeach deputy president

The Kenyan senate has voted to impeach Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. The lawmakers voted Thursday evening despite a plea from Paul Muite, Gachagua’s lawyer, to postpone the proceedings. According to Muite, Gachagua was hospitalised after falling very sick hours before the vote was set to hold. Amason Kingi, the senate speaker, said Gachagua had until 5pm local time to show up. The lawmakers impeached the vice president after his health kept him away from the hearing. The 59-year-old becomes the first deputy president to be impeached in Kenya’s history. At least 53 senators voted to uphold the first charge. Gachagua, who faced 11 charges, was impeached on five counts. The charges include ground one of shareholding, ground four of undermining the independence of judges, ground five of the National Cohesion and Integrity Act 4, ground six of crimes under the National Cohesion Act, and ground nine of gross misconduct (public attacks on the national security intelligence service). In June, Gachagua blamed the head of the intelligence agency for not properly briefing President William Ruto and the government over the magnitude of mass protests against unpopular tax hikes. The vice president’s action was seen as an act of undermining the president. In total, 281 MPs voted in favour of the ouster motion against 44. One MP abstained from voting. “DP Gachagua ceases to hold office,” Kingi said after the vote. If Gachagua does not petition the vote in court, the impeachment paves the way for the nomination and subsequent replacement by Ruto, who has yet to publicly comment on the development. The impeached deputy president has repeatedly insisted that the proceedings were a “political witch hunt” and vowed to defend himself.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

Israel Kills Hamas Chief Sinwar In Gaza

Israel announced on Thursday the killing of Hamas chief YahyaSinwar, mastermind of the October 7 attack, calling his death a “heavy blow” to the Palestinian group it has been fighting for more than a year. The Israeli military said that “after a year-long pursuit”, troops “eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organisation, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip” on Wednesday. Hamas has not confirmed his death. People dance and wave Israeli national flags as they celebrate the news of the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, in Jerusalem on October 17, 2024. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)“Today evil has suffered a heavy blow,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. While the war was “not over yet”, Netanyahu said Sinwar’s death was an “important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas”. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said in a statement that Sinwar was a “mass murderer… responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7”, while President Isaac Herzog hailed the killing of the militant leader behind “heinous acts of terrorism”. Israel accuses Sinwar of masterminding the deadliest attack in Israeli history, and had been hunting him down since the start of the Gaza war. He rose through the ranks of the Palestinian militant group to become first its leader in Gaza, then its overall head after the killing in July of political chief Ismail Haniyeh. Israel’s announcement on Sinwar comes weeks after it assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in a massive strike in Lebanon, where the Israeli military has been at war since late September. ADVERTISEMENTA slew of other Iran-backed militant commanders have also been killed in recent months. With Hamas massively weakened more than a year into the Gaza war, Sinwar’s death could deal a seismic blow to the organisation. US President Joe Biden, whose government is Israel’s top arms provider, said: “This is a good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world.” “There is now the opportunity for a ‘day after’ in Gaza without Hamas in power, and for a political settlement that provides a better future for Israelis and Palestinians alike.” Calls for hostage releaseIsraeli military chief Herzi Halevi said that “we are settling the score with Sinwar, who is responsible for that very difficult day a year ago”, vowing to keep fighting “until we capture all the terrorists involved in the October 7 massacre and bring all the hostages home”. Israel’s Katz said Sinwar’s death could “lead to a new reality in Gaza, one that is without Hamas”. The Israeli military earlier said it was checking whether Sinwar was one of three militants killed in an operation in Gaza, with an Israeli security official telling AFP that a DNA test was conducted. Israel has been at war with Hamas since the October 7 attack, which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 42,438 people, the majority civilians, according to data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which the UN considers reliable. Following the attack, Netanyahu vowed to crush Hamas and bring home all 251 hostages seized by militants in their cross-border onslaught. Ninety-seven remain in Gaza, including 34 Israeli officials say are dead. Israeli military historian Guy Aviad, a Hamas expert, said Sinwar’s killing was “a significant event… but it’s not the end of the war” in either Gaza or Lebanon. The “Hamas movement still rules the Gaza Strip” and its militants may still harm Israeli hostages who are in “grave danger”, Aviad told AFP. Campaign group the Hostages and Missing Families Forum urged the Israeli government and international mediators to leverage “this major achievement to secure hostages’ return”. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock separately called on Hamas to release all hostages. Netanyahu, in a video statement, also said Palestinian militants should free the hostages if they want to live. “Whoever lays down his weapon and returns our hostages — we will allow him to go on living,” he said. Multi-front fightingIsrael has expanded the scope of its operations to Lebanon, where Hamas ally Hezbollah opened a front against Israel by launching low-intensity cross-border strikes that forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes. Israel on Thursday launched strikes on the south Lebanese city of Tyre, where the militant group and its allies hold sway. The military said five soldiers were killed in combat in southern Lebanon, taking to 19 the number of troop deaths announced since Israel began raids into Lebanon last month. In Lebanon, the war since late September has left at least 1,373 people dead, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures, though the real toll is likely higher. Israel also issued evacuation warnings for civilians in parts of Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley, a Hezbollah stronghold, where the official National News Agency reported strikes late Thursday. The war has drawn in other Iran-aligned armed groups, while Tehran on October 1 conducted a missile strike on Israel. Israel has vowed to retaliate, sparking concern that what is already a war on multiple fronts could morph into an all-out regional conflict. In northern Gaza’s Jabalia, two hospitals said Israeli air strikes on a school sheltering displaced people killed at least 14 people. The military reported that it had hit militants. As Israel has intensified operations in northern Gaza and issued new evacuation orders, UN human rights chief Volker Turk on Thursday warned that any “large-scale forcible transfer” could constitute a war crime. Some 345,000 Gazans face “catastrophic” levels of hunger this winter after aid deliveries fell, a UN-backed assessment said. Nearly 100 percent of Gaza’s population now lives in poverty, the UN’s International Labour Organization said, warning that the war’s impact on Gaza “will be felt for generations to come”. AFP

Post Date : October 17, 2024

INEC Shuns Obi Faction, Recognizes Abure As LP Chairman

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has recognised Julius Abure as Chairman of the Labour Party (LP). In a letter addressed to Barrister Abure and Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, Secretary of the Commission, Mrs Rose Oriaran- Anthony, invited them to the fourth consultative meeting with the political parties, on Thursday in Abuja. A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday October, 8, 2024 declared that the 2024 Labour Party national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, in March as valid, constitutional and in line with all laid down laws in Nigeria. While delivering judgement, Justice Emeka Nwite compelled INEC to grant due recognition and all privileges to the Labour Party’s National Working Committee led by Abure. Speaking to the media after the meeting with INEC, the National Secretary of the Labour Party, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim, said though the party was unjustly excluded from previous engagements, he was satisfied that INEC had obeyed the court order and that the party has now resumed seat amongst the other 18 political parties. He also said with this development, the party is set for the rest of the political activities including the Anambra governorship election as announced by the INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu. “With the issue of leadership now completely resolved, I urge every member of the party to rally round the Abure leadership. What transpired is only a family affairs and we will as a family work towards restoring confidence to the party and every aggrieved or misled member of the party.” “Labour Party will come back stronger but we need everyone to join in the process of rebuilding the paper. It is a no victor nor vanquish situation. We are all winners. The party is however supreme and every member must work towards achieving set targets of the party,” Ibrahim said.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

1,100 mpox deaths recorded across Africa – CDC

Some 1,100 people across Africa have died from mpox, the African Union’s health agency said Thursday, warning that the epidemic was “going out of control” without further action. In all, 42,000 cases have been recorded in Africa since January, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said, with cases reported for the first time in Zambia and Zimbabwe. This brings to 18 the number of African countries where mpox has been officially detected this year, it said. “Mpox is going out of control if we don’t act,” Africa CDC head Jean Kaseya told an online media briefing. “I’m so sad to say we now have more than 1,000 deaths due to mpox, as you can see this week, week 40, we have 1,100 deaths reported in total.” The majority of deaths have been in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak, which launched a vaccination drive earlier this month. But Kaseya said that across the continent there were still “more new cases week after week”. “Eighteen countries is too much, we cannot continue like that,” he said. Kaseya once again urged international partners to step up and called for them to immediately release funds pledged to combat mpox. “We want now to see concrete action on the ground to stop this outbreak,” he said. Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is caused by a virus transmitted to humans by infected animals but can also be passed from human to human through close physical contact. It causes fever, muscular aches and large boil-like skin lesions, and can be deadly.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

Students Set Provost’s Residence Ablaze Over Alleged N23m Extortion

Irate students at the College of Health Sciences and Technology in Jega, Kebbi State, have set the residence of Provost Haruna Saidu-Sauwa on fire and vandalized his vehicle. The protest erupted over allegations that the college management extorted N23 million from students regarding index registration for 250 graduating students. According to a source within the college, the controversy originated from a newly introduced public health programme, initially affiliated with Reproductive Health and the Public Health Association of Nigeria. The college merged the programme with the Environmental Health Department to secure certification, leading to a demand for an additional N65,000 from each student for index registration, on top of the N30,000 already paid. Accusing the management of extortion, the students responded violently by stoning vehicles and setting the provost’s residence on fire. College staff fled the scene in fear before security personnel arrived. Kebbi Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, stated that further details will be provided once information from the Divisional Police Officer in Jega is available. The college’s mission to produce skilled healthcare professionals is now under scrutiny as the ongoing crisis raises concerns about its commitment to ethical standards.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

Anambra governorship election holds Nov. 2025- INEC

The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced that the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025. The commission’s chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made the announcement during a consultative meeting with political parties on Thursday in Abuja. Yakubu noted that the formal notice for the election will be published on November 13, 2024, in line with the requirements of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates that the notice for any election be issued no later than 360 days before the election date. “As you are aware, the last governorship election in Anambra State was held on 6th November 2021. “By the effluxion of time, the governorship election is due next year. “Consequently, the Commission has approved that the 2025 Anambra State Governorship election will hold on Saturday 8th November 2025,” the chairman stated. The schedule for party primaries has been set from March 20 to April 10, 2025, while the candidate nomination process will open on April 18, 2025, and close on May 12, 2025. Political parties are expected to begin their public campaigns on June 11, 2025, and campaigning will end at midnight on November 6, 2025. The election will take place in all 5,720 polling units across Anambra State, and INEC will soon upload the full timetable and schedule of activities on its website and social media platforms. The INEC boss stated “In compliance with the mandatory requirement of 360 days, the formal notice for the election will be published on November 13, 2024. Party primaries will be held from March 20, 2025, to April 10, 2025. “The candidate nomination portal will open at 9.00 am on April 18, 2025, and close at 6.00 pm on May 12, 2025. The final list of candidates will be published on June 9, 2025. “Campaign in public by political parties will commence on June 11, 2025, and end at midnight of Thursday 6th November 2025. Voting will take place in all the 5,720 Polling Units across the State on Saturday 8th November 2025. “In the coming weeks, the Commission will provide details of other electoral activities, including the registration of new voters, transfer of voters, and the replacement of lost or damaged PVCs,” he explained. Meanwhile, as preparations for the Ondo State governorship election continue, Yakubu provided updates on the election, which is set to take place in 29 days. The commission has completed 10 of the 13 scheduled activities, including the release of the voters’ register to political parties. The collection of Permanent Voter’s Cards in Ondo State commenced on October 17 and will continue until October 29. He emphasised the need for political parties to align their timetables with INEC’s schedules to ensure seamless preparations and avoid last-minute rushes for both the Ondo and Anambra elections. “I urge political parties to use the INEC timetable to come up with your timetable and schedule of activities to enable us to work together and plan better for the deployment of personnel and resources for the monitoring of your party primaries and campaign activities. “By doing so, you will avoid the last-minute rush with the attendant inability to meet deadlines,” he advised. In his remarks, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yusuf Dantalle, called on INEC to ensure transparency and efficiency in the upcoming Ondo State governorship election. Dantalle expressed concerns over the current state of the nation, highlighting the growing disillusionment among Nigerians due to the rising cost of living and political tensions, which have led to a decline in voter turnout. He called for improved voter education and mobilization ahead of the Ondo election, urging political parties to focus on issue-based campaigns. “IPAC will lead from the front in voter mobilisation as a major stakeholder and urges political parties and their candidates to imbibe issue-based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness. “The commission is required to put its act together, provide adequate electoral materials, and test run its BVAS and IReV portal to avoid undue technical hitches and glitches that will cast doubt on the integrity of the election. “The issue of the late arrival of election materials to some polling units must be addressed to reinforce confidence in the polls,” Dantalle said. He also urged INEC to address concerns over logistical issues, such as the late arrival of election materials and technical glitches with the BVAS and IReV portals, to prevent any doubts about the integrity of the process. He emphasised the need for effective communication during the collation of results to avoid any perception of manipulation, as seen in past elections. In a bold call for reform, Dantalle reiterated IPAC’s demand for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions, describing the elections conducted by the state bodies as a “deliberate assault on the nation’s democracy.” He proposed that INEC should take over the responsibility of conducting local government elections across the country, arguing that SIECs are often used by state governments to “coronate” ruling party candidates. The Ondo election is scheduled for November 16, 2024.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

REVEALED: Substandard CNG installation caused car explosion in Edo

An explosion took place on Wednesday evening at a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) station belonging to NIPCO Plc in Benin City, Edo State. FIJ learnt that a substandard CNG vehicle installation caused the explosion that occurred in the Aduwawa area of Benin City. Among the residents injured in the incident were a person who sustained eye injuries and another whose leg was cut. A source, who did not want to be named, told FIJ that a driver who shared an update on a WhatsApp platform he belonged to was in the queue waiting for his turn around 5:00 pm when he heard a huge blast in front of him. “He jumped out of his car and ran away, likewise other drivers. On getting back to the scene, they discovered that a driver who had just installed CNG in his Audi car came to fill up his tank,” the source told FIJ on Thursday. “During the process of filling, it exploded, causing serious injuries to the driver and a NIPCO staff. It was later discovered that the Audi had a substandard CNG cylinder installed in it, and it was not done by NIPCO gas,” he added. FIJ found a 41-second video of the explosion’s aftermath on Facebook, where a male resident was lamenting: Na CNG gas o, na CNG gas. Na fake one. Live in Benin. Na God save am. One person eye burst o. They don rush them go hospital. One person leg cut. Illegal connection. CNG Make anybody no do illegal [CNG installation] o. This thing is very dangerous. Another video clip on X revealed more damage caused by the same explosion. The clip showed two cars and a bus damaged by the explosion. A male speaker in the NIPCO gas station says, I dey Aduwawa o. NIPCO. Gas explosion o, gas explosion o, I dey here live o. I wan run. I wan reverse my car make I move o.Also in the footage was a man with bruises in his abdomen area, and the speaker questioned why he didn’t go with a vehicle conveying another resident, whose leg might be amputated due to the severity of the injury, to the hospital:Na the thing injure you like this? Why you no follow that motor wey carry that man commot go hospital where they wan see whether dem fit cut im leg. See your belle. Abeg, quickly carry yourself go take treatment. Make them help this man nau. Make them help this man. Where una management? Make them help this man.The main speaker claimed that NIPCO helped interested car owners convert their vehicles to CNG-powered ones. But it seemed that someone had gone to the NIPCO outlet in a vehicle with a poorly installed CNG system.He don happen!CNG gas tank explodes at Nipco CNG gas station Benin City, leaving many injured🙆🏽‍♂️ pic. X.

Post Date : October 17, 2024

Yoruba Nation agitator dies in custody

Adejumo Lateef, a member of the Yoruba Nation agitators, has died while in custody, with 27 others arraigned at the Oyo State High Court, Ibadan, on Wednesday.Officials from the Nigerian Correctional Service informed the court of Lateef’s death during the arraignment.Lateef, who was the 18th defendant, and his co-defendants are accused of invading the Oyo State Government Secretariat at Agodi, Ibadan, on April 13, 2024, to declare the sovereign Republic of Yoruba Nation. The case, with suit number I/51c/2024, is being heard by Justice K. B. Olawoyin. The defendants face multiple charges, including conspiracy, unlawful possession of firearms, unlawful assembly, treasonable felony, and treason, which are punishable under Section 37 (2) of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State, 2000. The prosecution is led by the Director of Public Prosecution, S. O. Adeoye. However, the arraignment could not proceed as many defendants lacked legal representation. While some defendants were represented by Adebola Ogungbe and Toluwase Ogundeji, two additional lawyers, Yomi Ogunlola and S. A. Sanmi, volunteered to represent those unrepresented. Several defendants indicated they would contact their families to arrange legal representation. Justice Olawoyin adjourned the case for further arraignment and hearing to November 6, 8, and 13, 2024.