Great Emma's Blog

 Sanni Onogu, Abuja   THE Senate has said Nigeria needs N400 billion for the maintenance of 35,000 kilometers of Federal roads across the country. It described the N38 billion earmarked for road maintenance in the 2021 budget estimates as paltry compared to the serious maintenance required on the nation’s Federal roads. This is even as the National Assembly Joint Committee on Appropriation said it was working hard to submit a harmonised report on the N13.08trillion 2021 budget proposal on December 3. The Chairman of Senate Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Gershom Bassey (Cross River South), decried the poor budgetary allocation for road maintenance in the 2021 Appropriation Bill while addressing reporters on Friday in Abuja. The senator explained that road maintenance in Nigeria, where road transportation is mostly used for the movement of people, goods and services across the country, could only be effectively carried out with about N400 billion e...

Good morning Nigeria, welcome to Naija News roundup of top newspaper headlines in Nigeria for today Monday, 30th November 2020 1. Blackout As National Power Grid Collapses Again Some part of Nigeria was on Sunday thrown into total darkness at 11: 00 am as the nation’s power grid collapsed again. Naija News reports that the grid, which is being managed by the federal government-owned Transmission Company of Nigeria (TUC), has continued to suffer system collapse over the years amid a lack of spinning reserve that is meant to forestall such occurrences. The latest collapse of the national grid was disclosed on Sunday afternoon by two of the power distribution companies in the country, Kaduna Electric and Eko Electricity Distribution Company. 2. Sports Minister, Sunday Dare Denies Asking For 81 Million To Cut Grass Nigeria’s Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Sunday Dare, has denied reports that he says his ministry needs N81 million to clear and cultivate grass at the Abuja Stad...

By Samuel Omojoye   The morning after the night when protesters at Lekki toll gate were supposedly massacred by the Nigerian Army, the BBC News hour programme interviewed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu around 6am on whether he invited the army and who gave orders that unarmed protesters be shot. The governor confirmed that he invited the army but that they were supposed to arrive later than the time they came. Did he order the shooting of protesters? “I am not the C-in-C,” he said, adding that the army does not take orders from him. He was then asked if he knew who the people that did the shooting were and he replied, “from the videos I’ve seen, it was the army”. Later at a press briefing, apparently after having some intel, the governor announced that there were no fatalities. Note also that the army had already tweeted “fake news” earlier in the day when the social media was awash with videos of soldiers in an armoured tank, shooting sporadically in a direction and scores of vid...

By Emeka OMEIHE   When Mamman Daura, cousin to President Buhari recently called for the jettisoning of rotational presidency for the most qualified in the 2023 election, many smelt a rat. Daura had while speaking on a BBC Hausa service program said: “this turn by turn, it was done once, it was done twice and done thrice…it should be for the most competent and not someone who comes from somewhere”. He dismissed calls for power shift arguing that it was time for Nigerians to unite and go for the most qualified. Those conversant with political events in the country were taken aback by Daura’s position not necessarily because of the substance of the issue canvassed but the quarters it emanated from. It was not surprising that the advocacy was read as an attempt to test the ground for the possible dumping of the zoning principle by the ruling All Progressives Congress APC. And when this is paired with the cacophony of voices from sections of the north on the same issue, suspicions...

By kayode idowu   Indications emerged last week that the official universe of the United States had finally come to terms with the win by former Vice President Joe Biden in the 3rd November presidential election in that country and the inevitability of his taking over power on 20th January, 2021 from President Donald Trump. Since Biden won the election three weeks earlier, Trump had – unlike what was known of American electoral culture – refused to concede the poll and allow formal transition to Biden White House. He plied conspiracy theories that the election was fraught with fraud and pursued multiple lawsuits across U.S. states to overturn results announced in favour of Biden. As at late last week, he had lost more than three dozens of those suits while many key states had certified Biden’s victory, even after some obliged vote recounts. In effect, the president-elect held comfortably to his 306 electoral votes over Trump’s 232 (270 are needed to win the presidency) and an e...

Femi Macaulay   Logically, a gentlemen’s agreement should mean that the involved parties know what it means to be a gentleman. The argument that Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), should choose its presidential candidate in 2023 based on an alleged gentlemen’s agreement implies that the party’s leadership understands what it means to be a gentleman. Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola recently claimed there was an agreement within the APC that its presidential candidate in the next election would be chosen based on a zoning arrangement.  This is expected to favour presidential aspirants from the South after President Muhammadu Buhari’s two-term tenure which is viewed as a northern era.  Power rotation is designed to allow the North and South to rule the country in alternation. It is unclear where the said agreement was reached, and who was involved.  But a former chairman of the party in Lagos State, Henry Ajomale, was repor...

Akinloye Oyeniyi   SIR: It is no more news to all concerned stakeholders in critical sectors of Nigerian economy, that an unwarranted and unprovoked illegality of transferring Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading PLC (NBET) from the Ministry of Power to Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, without amendment to the Act from which its establishment was rooted. Likewise, it is also in the open that the National Assembly and relevant stakeholders are working strenuously to undo the illegality. The unlawful transfer of NBET from the Ministry of Power to Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, is a clear breach of Electric Power Sector Reform Act 2005 and other allied subsidiary legislations. The power sector is a critical sector in any economy, and the Ministry of Power is the ministry charged with responsibility of providing power across the country and in discharging this mandate, it is guided by the provisions of the laws provided under National Electric Power Policy (NEPP) ...

Fredrick Nwabufo   SIR: The farm is a place of sowing and reaping, and the unlikeliest haunt of the grim reaper. But at least 43 citizens who went harvesting on their farm in Borno on Saturday had their souls harvested by the emissaries of hell – Boko Haram. How many more will have to die before President Muhammadu Buhari is stirred to do the most expedient thing regarding the failed service chiefs? In December 2018, Boko Haram insurgents pulled a blitzkrieg on military formations in Baga, Borno State, sacking the headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force and taking over the place (briefly). The group steadied its onslaughts on military formations, killing many soldiers, weeks after. At least, 18 soldiers were killed in an ambush on Maiduguri road on December 26, 2018, in one of Boko Haram’s mortal offensives. The group also persisted in inflicting attritive damages on the civilian population in the Northeast. The killings and destruction never let up; in fact, they...

Idris Mohammed   SIR : My condolences to the families and relatives of the 43 slaughtered farmers in Zabarmari village in Jere Local Government of Borno State by the deadly Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday November 28. It goes without saying that this government has failed to discharge its primary responsibility of securing the lives and property of the citizens. This month alone, bandits not only ransacked a whole village in Gudu in Sokoto, over 40 worshippers were abducted in their mosques. In fact, northern Nigeria is fast becoming another Somalia. Recall that the Sultan of Sokoto, Ahaji Saadu Abubakar III described the region as the worst place to live. His warning is not only timely, it aptly captures the state of the mindless bloodletting due to insecurity in the region. Farmers are not able to go near to their farms, let alone cultivate their field. Villagers are made to pay levy and taxes to the bandits before they can access their farms just as people are forced to s...

Our Reporter   THE Federal High Court in Abuja has vacated an ex-parte order against Peace Global Satellite Communication network and its Managing Director, Livingstone Oreye. The order empowered AMCON’s receiver-manager to take possession of the properties belonging to Oreye and his wife, which include their residence and hotel at Omole Estate, Lagos. The court held that the ex-parte order was obtained without jurisdiction. The court further held that AMCON’s lawyer moved the motion on March 9 despite a pending appeal at the Supreme Court served on the claimant on February 14. Oreye had petitioned the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions over the seizure of his properties by AMCON. Read Also:  Kano, Hisbah courting extremism Oreye said he borrowed N178million through his companies, Peace Global and Peace Hotels Limited, in 2004 to fund a telecoms investment. He said he repaid N162 mil...

Our Reporter   NO fewer than 500 people in Onigbongbo, Lagos have received free health tests, treatment and drugs during this year’s Rotary Family Health Days. They were tested and treated for various ailments such as malaria fever, blood pressure, toothache, HIV, hepatitis and those affecting the eyes. Many also went home with free drugs and eyeglasses. Past president of the Rotary Club of Onigbongbo, which hosted the events, Terry Moore described the turnout as encouraging. He said health is one of the focal areas of Rotary International. He thanked Rotary International District 9110 for solely sponsoring the programme aimed at boosting the health status of Nigerians. He advised Nigerians to embrace such opportunities by Rotary, saying that they are free and that early detection of some diseases prevents sudden deaths and complications. He also thanked the government and the community for giving Rotary the platform to hold the programme. Read Also:  Rotary Club honou...

Precious Igbonwelundu   THE Italian government has reiterated its commitment to collaborate with Nigeria on  improved maritime security. This pledge was made by the Deputy Head of Italian Mission to Nigeria, Tarek Chazli in Lagos at the end of a three-day joint sea exercise held by the Nigerian and Italian Navies. The exercise codenamed, SHARK SHIVER was held between November 24 and 26 within Nigeria’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).  It was aimed among other things, to strengthen bilateral relations between both countries as well as support the Nigerian Navy’s efforts to eradicate piracy, other maritime crimes from the Gulf of Guinea (GOG) region. Chazli, who led members of the Italian diplomatic community from Abuja to receive Italian Navy Ship, FEDERICO MONTENEGRO at the Fairway Buoy after the exercise, said he was pleased the vessel had prior to the joint exercise, carried out several anti-piracy interventions in the region. “I recall one in front of the waters ...