Who Is In Charge Of NNPC Mega Filling Station in Awka? Anaenugwu

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July 14, 2024

Something is really wrong with Nigeria . Everything is designed to frustrate the ordinary people . What works in other Countries seems unworkeable here . This is really unfortunate! Is Nigeria cursed or are we really the cause?

NNPC Mega Filling Station as Government retail outlet is primarily created to guarantee products supply to the market as well as price moderation.

I have noted over time that the NNPC Mega Filling Station in Awka is operating below the expected capacity ,perhaps because of Nigeria factor . Instead of Nine fuel pump points servicing the public , one can only see 3 functional machines dispensing fuel ,thereby forcing customers to maintain a long queue,waiting for hours to buy fuel at NNPC price of N600 .

The questions we should ask ;

Who is supervising the operations of NNPC Mega Filling Stations in the State ?

Why is the entire fuel pumps not working ?

Is there product scarcity?

The above questions should be addressed urgently as Nigeria is making simple things look complex . I am of the opinion that a litre of fuel should not be sold to Nigerians above N150. Cartels backed up by corporate rules have hijacked upstream,midstream and downstream sectors of oil and gas business of Nigeria against the interest of Nigerians . It is only the people that will set themselves free from these heartless economic saboteurs.

Ndubuisi Anaenugwu is the Ambassador General of GGM

Tinubu Playing Deadly Game With Nigerians – Afenifere Leader

By

bvichannel1

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July 14, 2024

Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, has accused President Bola Tinubu of hatching a grand conspiracy against Nigeria’s democracy following the Supreme Court judgment that granted financial autonomy to local government areas.

A statement signed by the leader of the group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and its National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, said the ruling has done incalculable injury to the Nigerian state.

The statement is entitled: “Tinubu and the Grand Conspiracy Against Democracy and True Federalism in Nigeria.”

According to the statement, “Afenifere views the judgment of the Supreme Court in the case filed by the Federal Government on the so-called local government autonomy as a sheer judicial conspiracy in cahoots with the Tinubu administration against the Nigerian state and its foundational principles of federalism.

“Rather than interpret the constitution to uphold its elementary but overriding federal principle, which recognizes only a two-tier federal structure of the central government and federating states, the Supreme Court played to the gallery and wittingly allowed itself a most retrogressive declaration that the power of the government is portioned into three arms of government, the federal, the state and the local government.

“For the avoidance of any doubt, Afenifere makes bold to say that in line with its negotiated basis of existence, Nigeria is a “Federation consisting of states and a Federal Capital Territory”. as affirmed by Section 2 (2) of the 1999 constitution.

“While Afenifere frowns at corruption and misuse of public funds at levels of government, it condemns in most unmistaken terms the subjugation of the states and their constitutional roles, including the local government system, to the whims and caprices of the federal government by any means including obvious manipulation of the federation account as in the present case.”

The group said that the 1999 constitution, which, in spite of its flaws, gives life and power to the Supreme Court, provides in Section 162 and particularly subsection (6) that each state shall maintain a special account to be called “State Joint Local Government Account” into which shall be paid all allocations to the local government councils of the state from the Federation Account and from the government of the state.

Gov Alex Otti Activates Cooperative Scheme To Empower 10,000 Businesses

By

bvichannel1

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July 12, 2024

In fulfillment of our campaign promises, we are pleased to announce the official disbursement of a ₦1,000,000,000 Interest-Free Revolving Loan. The initiative aims to empower 10,000 Nano and Small Scale Entrepreneurs across the 184 wards in the 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Abia State. Through the scheme, the State Government will provide essential financial support to entrepreneurs, fostering business growth and economic development.

The Abia State Cooperative Support Scheme has been set up to address the financial difficulties faced by small-scale business owners in both rural and urban communities. Our focus is on enhancing business awareness at the grassroots level, recognizing that this approach is crucial for combating endemic poverty and addressing our worrisome unemployment rate. The selected beneficiaries for this batch include farmers, petty traders, and artisans from various parts of the state.

Our model emphasizes productivity, job creation, and poverty reduction. Beyond the current beneficiaries, our target is to directly impact approximately 100,000 businesses over the next thirty-six months. We remain optimistic that today’s recipients will diligently repay their loans, enabling others to benefit. Additionally, we aspire to expand our reach beyond the set target, potentially collaborating with international partners and donor agencies to broaden opportunities.

To ensure effective ownership and control of the scheme, we have strategically leveraged community-based cooperative societies for loan disbursement. Members must understand the consequences of deliberate loan defaults; a depleted resource pool affects the chances of other members benefiting.

The scheme aligns seamlessly with our strategic development agenda. We are committed to improving the welfare of our citizens at the grassroots level. Our administration rejects a scenario where a select few monopolize community resources while the majority wallow in poverty.

Special thanks to stakeholders and Hon. Ishmael Onuoha, the Coordinator of the scheme, and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Cooperative Societies, for their hard work in ensuring the success of the initiative.

Customs confiscates 85 drums, 795 cans conveying 36,875 litres of petrol to Cameroon

By

Adamma Ikeogu

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July 12, 2024

The Adamawa/Taraba Area Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has seized 85 200-litre drums of petrol being illegally conveyed to the Republic of Cameroon.

The command also seized 795 25-litre jerry cans of the same product found concealed on a bush path at the Sahuda section of the Nigeria-Cameroon border.

The Customs Area controller of the Adamawa/Taraba Area Command, Comptroller Garba Bashir who called a news briefing Friday at the area command headquarters of the NCS in Yola, disclosed that a Carina E with a hidden compartment loaded with petrol was intercepted along the Girei-Wuro Boki axis of Adamawa State.

According to him, the foregoing seizures were made from the 29th of last month to date.

He added that within the past six weeks in all, the Area Command has recorded 17 cases of seizure of various items with an aggregate duty value of N36.9 million.

The customs area controller explained that smuggling of petrol out of Nigeria thrives because of high demand in the neighboring countries.

“In spite of the PMS subsidy repeal, smuggling from Nigeria into the neighboring countries flourishes. This is due to strong fuel demand and steeper prices in adjacent countries such as Cameroon, Nigeria, and the Benin Republic,” he said.

He vowed however that his command has been strengthening its capabilities and carrying out operations to counter every move of smugglers, adding, “We will continue until we bring smuggling down completely.”

VIDEO: Tragedy In Jos As School Building Collapses Killing Many, Injuring Scores

By

Adamma Ikeogu

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July 12, 2024

Activities at Saints Academy and its immediate environment in Busa Buji, Jos North, were disrupted on Friday morning when the school’s two-story building caved in on students and their teachers.

The collapse trapped more than 70 pupils, witnesses said, transforming a peaceful educational environment into a scene of chaos.

Panicked and desperate residents quickly descended on the scene to provide help as screams for help rent the air. They were joined by emergency workers to battle the rubble to rescue those trapped underneath.

So far, 12 people have been pulled out dead while dozens of others injured in the collapse have been rushed to nearby hospitals.

Some of those who have been rushed to the hospitals are in urgent need of blood transfusions as the hospitals battle to treat them. 26 people are receiving treatment at one of the hospitals, Our Lady of Apostles Hospital, where some of the victims were taken and four bodies have also been moved to the hospital’s mortuary.

The Bingham Hospital has received seven bodies and is providing medical care for 16 injured people.

Thirty-four injured persons are being treated at the Plateau Specialist Hospital; two of them sustained spinal cord injuries.

Meanwhile, rescue efforts are ongoing at the scene which is filled with the wailing of sirens from ambulances and and despairing parents eager to find out the fate of their children.

The Joint Security Task Force Operation Safe Haven has mobilized five vans and thirty soldiers to support the rescue efforts.

Emergency workers, supported by volunteers, security personnel, and members of the Red Cross, are using excavators to rescue pupils still trapped under the rubble.

Rescue operation is underway as security agencies and rescue operators battle with excavators to rescue students and teachers buried under the rubble.

The number of casualty figures has yet to be ascertained.

Source: Channel Newspaper

Just IN: CBN sells $122.671m to 46 authorised dealers

By

Adamma Ikeogu

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July 12, 2024

The Central Bank of Nigeria has commenced sales of forex to Bureau De Change operators after a four-month hiatus .

This was after the apex bank confirmed forex sales of $122.67m to 46 authorized dealers on Friday.

A statement signed by the Bank’s Director in charge of Financial Markets, Dr Omolara Duke, said the new release is part of the bank’s determination to promote stability and reduce market volatility in the foreign exchange market.

The statement read in part, “The Central Bank of Nigeria has sold the sum of $122,671,000 to 46 authorized dealers in its determination to promote stability and reduce market volatility in the foreign exchange market.”

Last month, The President Association of Bureau De Change Operators of Nigeria, Aminu Gwadebe, told The PUNCH that the apex bank had suspended supply to the BDCs since March and was moving towards a complete liberalization of the foreign currency market, which would not require its intervention.

He said, “The BDC window has been suspended by the Central Bank of Nigeria since around March or so. The last time we were funded I think was around March.”

This forex sales break allowed the naira to depreciate further to N1554/$ at the official market on Thursday.

Earlier this week, Nigeria’s external reserves increased yet again, reaching $35.05 billion as of July 8, 2024.

This is the first time it has crossed the $35 billion ceiling under the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

Source: Punch Newspaper

Nigeria’s Public Officials Received ₦721bn Bribe In 2023 – UN, NBS

By

Adamma Ikeogu

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July 12, 2024

A newly released report by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS) in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC), has said Nigerian public officials received nothing less than ₦721bn as bribes in 2023.

The result was based on a survey conducted with the UNODC.

According to the report “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”, published by the NBS on Thursday, the ₦721bn paid in bribes amounted to about 0.35 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

According to the survey, the average cash bribe was ₦8,284, an increase from an average of ₦5,754 in 2019.

“According to the 2023 survey, the average cash bribe paid was 8,284 Nigerian Naira. While the nominal average cash bribe size increased since 2019 (from NGN 5,754), this does not account for inflation. The inflation-adjusted average cash bribe in 2023 was 29 per cent smaller than in 2019 in terms of what could be bought with the money.

It said public officials were more likely to demand bribes while private sector actors included doctors in private hospitals, which increased from 6 per cent in 2019 to 14 per cent in 2023.

Despite this rise, bribery in the public sector remains about twice as high, with public sector contact rates also being twice as high as those in the private sector.

In 2023, 27 per cent of Nigerians who interacted with a public official paid a bribe, a slight decrease from 29 per cent in 2019. Including instances where bribes were requested but refused, over one-third of interactions between citizens and public officials involved bribery.

Similarly, the report shows a growing trend of Nigerians refusing to pay bribes. In 2023, 70 per cent of those asked to pay a bribe refused at least once, with the highest refusal rates in the North-West zone at 76 per cent. All regions recorded refusal rates above 60 per cent. This indicates that Nigerians are increasingly standing against corruption.

Source: Channel Newspaper

BREAKING: Corp members escape death as NYSC hostel collapses in Ekiti

By

Adamma Ikeogu

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July 12, 2024

Some Corps members deployed to Ekiti State narrowly escaped death on Friday morning when the wall of the female hostel of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp collapsed on them.

The corp members recuperating in the clinic inside the orientation camp were said to have been rescued by their male counterparts who retrieved them from the rubbles.

One of the sources said: ”Yes the wall of one of the female hostels collapsed this morning (Friday) . It was the bathroom wall which caved in when they were planning to take their bath.

” But thank God, people rushed down there to retrieve them from the rubbles. They have been stabilized at the clinic and they will get further medical treatments.”

An official of the NYSC who spoke on anonymity confirmed the incident, saying only two corps members were affected and recuperating in the camp’s clinic.

He said there have been persistent calls by the leadership of NYSC in Ekiti State for the renovation of the dilapidated hostels but all the calls proved abortive.

He called on parents and guardians not to panic over the incident, adding that it had no serious negative impact on the corps members.

The corps members are in the camp for the three-week compulsory orientation camp for those posted to the State.

Source: Nation Newspapers

Just In: Nigerian Labour Congress Insists on N250k Minimum Wage

By

Queen Madu

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July 11, 2024

Comrade Joe Ajaero, President of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), reaffirmed the demand for a N250,000 minimum wage, despite ongoing discussions with the Federal Government.

During a meeting held on Thursday, the Federal Government and the Organised Private Sector proposed a minimum wage of N62,000. However, labour leaders, led by Ajaero, maintained their stance on a N250,000 minimum wage.

President Bola Tinubu has indicated the need for further consultations with various stakeholders before presenting the new minimum wage bill to the National Assembly.

Following the meeting at the presidential villa, Ajaero emphasized that the discussions were not negotiations but initial dialogues. He confirmed that the talks would continue next week.

Trade Union Congress (TUC) President, Festus Osifo, also attended the meeting and noted that both sides had the opportunity to present their views, though he refrained from disclosing specific details of the discussions.

The labour leaders plan to return to their constituents for further consultation before resuming talks with the government.

More to follow……

(Skblogs)

Kenyan Just In: President Sacks all his Cabinet Ministers

By

Queen Madu

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July 11, 2024

Kenya’s under-fire President William Ruto has dismissed with “immediate effect” all his ministers and the attorney-general, following the recent deadly protests that led to the withdrawal of an unpopular tax bill.

The president said the move came after “reflection, listening to Kenyans, and after holistic appraisal of my cabinet”.

He has said he will now consult widely in order to set up a broad-based government.

The dissolution of his cabinet does not affect the deputy president, who can’t legally be fired, and the prime cabinet secretary who is also the foreign affairs minister.

He has not indicated when he will name a new government.
In the meantime, he said, he will consult “across different sectors and political formations and other Kenyans, both in public and private”.

The dramatic move is highly unusual, coming less than two years after he took office.

The last time an entire cabinet was dissolved was in 2005 when then President Mwai Kibaki did so shortly after losing a referendum over a new constitution.

Mr Ruto has been under pressure from Kenyans who have continued holding anti-government protests and demanding more accountability from government, even though he agreed to withdraw his controversial tax rises.

Some of the protesters have been calling for the president to go.
Last week, Mr Ruto announced a number of austerity measures across various government agencies.

He also ordered a freeze in proposed pay rises for members of his cabinet and parliament following a public outcry.

(Akelicious)