We prefer Jonathan as President to Diri’s VP in 2027 —Group
Photo Credit: Vanguard
ASABA—THE Niger Delta Integrity and Justice, NDIJ, has expressed a preference for Dr Goodluck Jonathan as President to Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, as Vice-President in 2027.
The group, in a statement, appreciated the call on Atiku Abubakar to pick the Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, as his Vice-Presidential Candidate in 2027.
Describing the remarks by the Diri’s Angel that the Bayelsa governor would make a good pair for Atiku as a good observation, the group however, said there was a different plan for the Niger Delta region in 2027.
The group in the statement by its Secretary, George Miriki, said the region would no longer continue to play the second fiddle in the governance of the country by working to produce only a vice president.
He said: “Our agenda for 2027 is to produce the President. In as much as we appreciate Diri and his closeness to Atiku, we will work against shortchanging the Niger Delta in 2027.
“We want to produce the President and our mission is to ensure that the Niger Delta completes its term of eight years at the Presidency. ‘
The statement noted that “This time, we are coming stronger with the argument of allowing Jonathan to complete his tenure for the region.
“Instead of producing a vice-president in Diri, we will prefer a president in Jonathan. He is still loved. And with his global appeal, we believe he will succeed”.
Fuel scarcity looms as depots raise petrol price to N720/litre
Photo Credit: Punch
Fuel scarcity is gradually surfacing in Lagos and other parts of the country as private depot owners hiked the ex-depot price of petrol from N630 to N720 per litre.
This came as fuel scarcity deepened in Abuja and the adjoining states on Sunday with some filling stations dispensing PMS as high as N900/litre.
Our correspondents report that a number of filling stations in Lagos, Ogun and some states have run out of stock as they refused to buy high-priced fuel from the private depots.
Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents on Sunday, the National Vice President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Hammed Fashola, said many filling stations did not open for business because they had no fuel in their tanks.
He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which is the sole importer of petrol at the moment, should explain to Nigerians what was happening with the product.
“Those that shut their stations do not have fuel to sell. When you don’t have fuel, you cannot open your station. That is the problem. You know the NNPC is the sole importer of this product. I think it is in the best position to tell us what is actually going on.
“Currently, independent marketers cannot buy what the private depots are selling. They are selling fuel between N715 and N720 per litre. How much will marketers sell the product? Look at the cost of bringing it to their depots; with transportation and other depot expenses, it will be too costly for them. That is why the stations are shut down. Some marketers refuse to go and buy because they know the masses cannot afford high-priced petrol in this economy. That is the situation for now,” the IPMAN leader stated.
Nigerian govt released N1.23tn for capital projects in Q3 2023
Photo Credit: Daily Post
The Nigerian Government released N1.23 trillion to 17 ministries to execute capital projects in the third quarter of 2023.
This is according to the Budget Implementation Report for Q3, 2023 released by the Budget Office on Sunday.
The figure showed that 75.4 percent of the N5 trillion was allocated for capital expenditure in the 2023 budget
Accordingly, from the N1.23 trillion cash backing in the referenced period, MDAs utilized N962.87 billion.
On a sectoral analysis, a breakdown of the report showed that the Ministry of Defence got the highest allocation for capital projects with a cash backing of N189.39 billion but it utilized N180.69 billion leaving a balance of N9.3 billion.
This was followed by the Ministry of Works and Housing with a total cash-backed allocation of N178.62 billion.
It however utilised N118.65 billion leaving a balance of N57.97 billion.
The release of funds to MDAs for capital expenditure as of the third quarter of 2023 was done in tranches based on availability of resources and government priorities.
Data from the OAGF on 2023 capital performance for MDAs as of 30th September 2023 showed that a total of N1.23tn was released to MDAs and cash-backed for 2023 capital projects and programs.
Council of Imams warns against downgrading Sultan
The Council of Imams and Ulama in Kaduna State has decried the alleged assault on the Sokoto Sultanate and reaffirmed its unwavering support for the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, the revered symbol of Islam in Nigeria.
The council’s Secretary, Dr Yusuf Arrigasiyyu, stated this at a press briefing monitored in Kaduna by the News Agency of Nigeria, on Sunday.
The Muslim Rights Concern had raised concerns about an alleged plan by the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, to depose the Sultan of Sokoto.
Reacting to the alarm, Vice President Kashim Shettima, at a North-West Security Forum, warned that the Sultan of Sokoto represented an idea that must be jealously guarded and projected for the nation’s growth.
The Sokoto State government, however, denied the allegation.
The state flayed MURIC for what it described as a alarm and also advised Shettima to always cross-check his facts before commenting on sensitive national matters.
A few days after, the Sokoto Emirate Council Amendment Bill scaled first and second readings in the state House of Assembly.
Photo Credit: Google