Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 elections, has formally declared his support for the nationwide hunger protest.

 

 

Obi made the declaration after a meeting with Abia State governor Alex Otti, on Sunday.

 

He, however, advised that the protests should be conducted legally and peacefully.

 

Obi said: “Protest is a constitutional right in Nigeria. I urge the protesters to act lawfully and civilly, demonstrating that we are a nation governed by law.

 

 

“The economic situation is tough, and it’s crucial to listen to the grievances of the people.

The true sponsors are the hunger and hopelessness felt by the youth. We must acknowledge and address these issues.

 

“When they talk about sponsors of the protest, I always say the sponsors are very simple. It’s hunger and hopelessness among the youth, so we all have to listen to what Nigerians are going through.

 

 

“What I will say to the security agencies is that they should ensure they manage the situation again within the law.

 

“We should not strive to be over-bearing. It should be something that we will do within the law. There is nothing wrong. Protest is allowed globally. People also protest in my house.

 

“It is for us to listen to those who are protesting. Why are they protesting? Engage them. That is what governance is all about. There is nothing wrong with that. I was Governor for years and people protested.” (GBN)

 

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HomeGeneral NewsPlanned protests may cause daily loss of N400bn to nation – CPPE

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Planned protests may cause daily loss of N400bn to nation – CPPE

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Updated on July 28, 2024

 

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Lagos, July 28, 2024 – The proposed nationwide protests may cause estimated daily loss of N400 billion to the nation if not properly managed.

 

 

The Centre for Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) said this in a statement on Sunday.

 

According to the statement issued by its Director- General, Dr Muda Yusuf, the protests portend grave dangers for the economy which is already in a very fragile state.

 

It said the consequences of such a huge loss for the country and the citizens would be very severe as there is high risk of shut downs and disruptions in major sectors of the economy.

 

 

“These include trade and commerce, manufacturing, entertainment, transportation, logistics, financial services, hospitality industry, agriculture, aviation, ICT, and construction sectors.

 

“This is in addition to risks to lives and properties of innocent citizens and corporate bodies. Safety of government assets are also at risk.”

 

The CPPE commended the Inspector General of the police for acknowledging the rights of the citizens to protest and offering to protect the genuine protesters.

 

 

“We plead with the organisers of the protests to cooperate with the police to make the planned protests peaceful and orderly. It is in the overall interest of all for this to happen.

 

“Peacefulness of a protest does not detract from the potency of its messaging.

 

“The protest organisers should not offer a platform for elements in the country who have criminal intents and whose agenda is to inflict pains on innocent citizens and corporate organizations and destruction of public assets. We cannot fix a problem by promoting such negative tendencies.”

 

 

The CPPE also advised that the duration of the protests should be short, possibly one day.

 

“Experience has shown that the chances of protests degenerating into chaos and anarchy increases with the duration of the protests.

 

“Prolonged protests create opportunities for hoodlums, miscreants and other criminal elements in the society to build momentum to unleash mayhem and destruction on the country.

 

 

“Over 90% of employed Nigerians are in the informal sector. Employees in this space are dependent on daily income and any disruption to their economic activities beyond 24 hours could snowball into a major social unrest. This underlines the country’s vulnerability to prolonged protests.”

 

The CPPE advised the government to expeditiously implement its economic stabilisation plan to ease production costs and ultimately reduce inflationary pressures.

 

 

“Trade costs are still prohibitive and needs to be drastically reduced across board in a manner that would not undermine domestic production.

 

“High cargo clearing cost is a major factor driving inflation which needs to fixed urgently.

 

“ Revenue drive should be managed in a manner that does not impose additional pressures on citizens and corporate bodies.

 

 

“There is also an urgent need to prioritize fiscal frugality and transparency in public sector in all tiers and across all levels of government coupled with appropriate signaling and messaging that reflect current economic conditions.

 

“These are essential to earn the confidence of the generality of the people,” CPPE said. (GBN

Popular oil mogul and politician, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah is reportedly dead.

 

The Anambra Senator was said to have passed on in London.

 

He died at the age of 52.

 

Ubah, who joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, a few months ago, was billed to seek the party’s ticket ahead of the Anambra State governorship election.

 

 

 

Details of his demise are still scanty as of the time of filing this report.

 

This is coming just few days after the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu passed on

It was gathered that the incident occurred last Thursday in Oba-Oke, located in the Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State.

 

 

 

A 50-year-old herbalist, identified as Kehinde Ganiyu, has been arrested by the Nigerian police for killing his friend, Emmanuel Collins, on a sick bed in connection with a money ritual.

 

It was gathered that the incident occurred last Thursday in Oba-Oke, located in the Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State.

 

Parading the suspect on Friday, the Osun Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, disclosed that the suspect slit the throat of his friend to make ritual soap for internet fraudsters known as “Yahoo boys.”

 

According to Opalola, “On July 18, 2024, at about 3pm, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Oke-Odo Division in Osogbo was informed that a Ghanaian man named Emmanuel Collins, approximately 35 years old, was killed by an unidentified individual at around 2:30pm on the same day.”

 

“Police detectives acted swiftly, and their investigation, guided by intelligence, led to the arrest of Kehinde Ganiyu, a close friend of the deceased. Ganiyu has confessed to committing the crime.”

 

She explained that police operatives recovered four blood-stained knives, a pot of black soap, a traditional tray known as ‘Opon Ifa’, a wooden box, two sponges, and various local charms.

 

In an interview with reporters on Friday, July 26, Ganiyu admitted to murdering his close friend and using his throat to create ritual soap.

 

“I am a herbalist and farmer. I used to perform rituals for individuals involved in internet fraud, but they are the ones who bring human parts.”

 

He said, “I went to visit my friend, Emmanuel Collin, because he was ill. While he was in bed, I took a knife and cut his throat. I used the body part to make ritual money soap for Yahoo boys.”

 

“Following my friend’s passing, there was widespread panic in the Oba-Oke community within Olorunda Local Government Area of Osun State. He was laid to rest, and I attended the burial to offer my condolences and support to the others.”

 

The suspect added that while he was at the burial site, he felt a strong pang of guilt over the death of his friend, which made him uneasy.

 

“People began to notice my behaviour and grew suspicious. This raised concerns, leading to a police investigation that ultimately pointed to me. I was arrested, and the police uncovered that I was responsible for his death,” he added

Former President of the United States Barrack Obama has announced his support for Kamala Harris’s presidential bid.

 

 

Obama made the announcement in a post on X on Wednesday.

Earlier this week, Michelle and I called our friend @KamalaHarris. We told her we think she’ll make a fantastic President of the United States, and that she has our full support. “At this critical moment for our country, we’re going to do everything we can to make sure she wins in November. We hope you’ll join us,” he wrote

The Nigerian government has scheduled an emergency meeting on Wednesday in response to a planned nationwide protest slated for August 1, 2024.

This is according to a circular signed by the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, Richard Pheelangwah, dated July 23, 2024, titled, ‘Planned Nationwide Protest.’

 

It read, “I am directed to invite you to attend a meeting with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation on the above subject slated as follows: July 24, 2024, Time: 10 am prompt, Venue: Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation Conference Room.”

 

The meeting comes after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu through the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris pleaded with Nigerians to halt the planned protest.

 

In an interview with state house correspondents on Tuesday, the Minister said Tinubu’s administration needed more time to execute people-oriented programs.

 

“On the issue of the planned protest, Mr President does not see any need for that. He asked them to shelve that plan and he has asked them to await the government’s response to all their pleas,” he said.

 

Meanwhile, the planned protest comes amid the spiraling hardship in Nigeria as core inflation and food inflation increased to 34.19 percent and 40.87 respectively.

 

The implication has continued to impact on prices of commodities as the purchasing power of Nigerians shrinks.

 

Nigerians had insisted on the protest despite the recent approval of the N70,000 minimum wage and its passage on Tuesday by the Nigerian Senate.

 

The protest was inspired by the month-long protest in Kenya which saw citizens demanding the reversal of the Finance Act and other anti-policies by the Kenyan Government

United State President, Joe Biden has stepped down from the presidential race. Biden has also endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as Democratic presidential nominee

 

In a statement on Saturday, Biden said it is his intention to seek reelection as president, but his decision to quit the race is in the interest of his party and country.

And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling the duties as President for the remainder of my term”, his statement said.

Speaking further, Biden said: “My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term.

 

“My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best decision I’ve made. Today I want to offer my full support and endorsement for Kamala to be the nominee of our party this year. Democrats — it’s time to come together and beat Trump. Let’s do this”.

The Lagos State government has announced the launch of its on-street parking scheme, set to begin in October.

 

The scheme will introduce hourly charges for cars parked on designated streets.

A notice from the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA), dated July 19 and signed by Head of Operations Ayokunle Akinrimisi, was addressed to the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) branch chairman.

 

The notice also mentioned that measures will be taken against indiscriminately parked cars.

 

The notice stated, “I am directed to inform your revered organization that the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) will be commencing its on-street parking scheme at designated streets within the Lagos State metropolis.”

 

It further stated, “Vehicles parked on designated streets by the church and its members will be charged hourly, and indiscriminately parked vehicles will be enforced upon accordingly.”

 

LASPA emphasized that compliance with the directive is expected from law-abiding organizations.

 

However, the notice did not specify the exact fee to be charged.