OMOH! IT IS 9 YEARS AGO ALREADY🥹

November 22, 2015, feels just like yesterday. I was just a young junior secondary school student in Akwanga, full of curiosity and a budding interest in politics, both at the national level and Kogi State

The 2015 Kogi State gubernatorial election was a showdown between Captain Idris Wada and Prince Abubakar Audu ... I still vividly remember catching a glimpse of Prince Audu in 2015 during the APC/AlMakura Gubernatorial Mega Rally in Central Pilot school Akwanga. Even though I couldn’t get close to him because of the heavy security around the VIP canopy, I was confident it was him It was a surreal moment for me, a young boy far from home but already captivated by the politics of Kogi

Back then, APC was still a relatively new party, but I had already fallen in love with its ideology. As the November 2015 Kogi election drew closer, the political tension in the air was palpable. Social media was buzzing with complaints about the incumbent, Governor Idris Wada, and there was so much hope that Audu would bring the change the people desperately needed

I closely followed the APC primaries on August 30, 2015. When the results came in, Audu secured 1,009 votes while Yahaya Bello, a surprising new contender, scored 703.... The numbers were impressive, but Audu’s victory felt inevitable... I believed he was the right man for the job, and from my little corner in Akwanga, I prayed for his success

Fast forward to election day, November 21, 2015. I watched it live on Channels TV as Prince Audu stepped out to cast his vote, dressed elegantly in his signature attire. Excitement filled the air – APC was on the verge of making history in Kogi State But, oh, the struggle of following updates! NEPA’s light was as unreliable as ever, and I had to rely on my trusty Nokia Express Music to stay connected , flipping between Facebook and 2go for live updates... Here, I don't know Twitter yet

Then came November 22, 2015, the day that began with so much hope but ended in heartbreak. As collation results trickled in, APC was leading, and victory seemed assured . But suddenly, the unthinkable happened. News broke that Prince Abubakar Audu had passed away🥹 "Oh are you sure? This must be fake news,” I thought. Just yesterday, we watched him vote on TV. It couldn’t be true! But as the hours passed, the devastating confirmation came... The man who was on the verge of making history was no more

That Sunday turned black for Kogi State and Nigeria as a whole. The dream was shattered, and the loss was immeasurable

Today, nine years later, we still remember Adoja Prince Abubakar Audu for his service, his leadership, and the hope he gave to Kogi people.

May his soul continue to rest in perfect peace. Ameen

During the G20 Summit in Brazil, President Tinubu expressed his support for the inauguration of the Global Alliance to Combat Hunger and Poverty.

Tinubu characterized the partnership as crucial in the international battle against hunger and poverty.

He delivered this remark on Monday during the opening session of the 19th G20 Leaders Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He said, “This bold and visionary step underscores Brazil’s leadership in addressing one of the most urgent and persistent challenges facing our world today.

“The creation of this Alliance marks a significant milestone in our global efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty, and it also sends a powerful message of solidarity to vulnerable populations around the globe.

“By fostering collaboration between governments, international organisations, and civil society, this initiative offers a comprehensive approach not only to addressing immediate needs but also tackling the structural causes of hunger and poverty.

“These goals are at the core of Nigeria's development agenda, and the Alliance offers a platform to accelerate progress towards them.

“By collaborating with international partners, Nigeria aims to leverage best practices, innovative solutions, and financial support to enhance its efforts to combat poverty and hunger. The endorsement reinforces Nigeria's role as a key player in global efforts to promote sustainable development and improve the quality of life for all its citizens.

“The Security Council should expand its permanent and non-permanent member categories to reflect the world’s diversity and plurality. Africa deserves priority in this.

“The Security Council should expand its permanent and non-permanent member categories to reflect the world’s diversity and plurality better.

“Africa deserves priority in this process, and two permanent seats should be allocated to it with equal rights and responsibilities. Nigeria stands ready and willing to serve as a representative of Africa in this capacity.”

In a statement delivered by Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, President Tinubu remarked that the G20 has evolved into a progressive international institution that champions reform-oriented multilateralism.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) reports an alarming incident where armed individuals stormed the construction site of its 330/132/33kV transmission substation in Obajana, Kogi State. This distressing event took place on the night of November 12, 2024, around 11:55 PM.

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) has expanded its train operations on the Abuja-Kaduna route, increasing the number of services from four to six during weekdays, specifically from Monday to Friday.

On Wednesday in Lagos, Ben Iloanusi, the acting Managing Director of the Corporation, affirmed this through a statement.

The declaration was endorsed by Yakub Mohmood, who serves as the Deputy Director of Public Relations at the NRC.

“A trend analysis over a five-month period revealed a significant increase of 22 per cent in the number of new passengers registering on the ticket platform to use the Abuja-Kaduna service.

“This signifies a surge in the number of Nigerians turning to the use of train services as a comfortable, reliable and safe option of commuting.

“NRC has observed similar trends on the Lagos-Ibadan, Warri-Itakpe and Port Harcourt-Aba routes and efforts are already ongoing to beef-up services along these routes as well.

“Our valued customers are encouraged to use NRC ticket platforms online to take advantage of the increased services and shun patronage of ticket racketeers.”

The GCEO of NNPCL, Mele kyari highlighted that Nigeria currently lacks energy security. He pointed out that half of the population remains without access to electricity, and 70 percent do not have access to clean fuel.

He said, “Today, when we say energy security, the thing that comes quickly to people’s mind is the availability of PMS, I think energy security is not about PMS. It’s beyond this. As a country today, we all know that over 50 per cent of our population doesn’t have access to electricity. Over 70 per cent of our population doesn’t have access to clean, good fuel. This is very true, all of us have said it over and over in the last three to five years.

“Have we taken any specific steps to close that gap in terms of having access to electricity and also access to clean fuel? I believe that substantial work has been done. And without mincing words, NNPC is left with the cross and we are humbly carrying it, proudly carrying it as NNPC Limited.”

Kyari emphasized that the oil and gas sector was never designed with the intention of prioritizing energy supply to the domestic market, stating that this was not its foundational purpose.

He added, “Every investor here, and of course the landscape is changing, don’t mind the fact that things are changing, but every investor here is here to produce oil or gas, export and make money. This is the reality. We as NNPC are left with the cross of making sure that this is made domestically available. That speaks to the availability of products for processing in the domestic market, provision of finished products in the domestic market, and also delivering gas into the domestic market.”

NNPCL halts N24 trillion in fuel imports and sources directly from Dangote refinery.

Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, revealed this information on Monday during the current conference hosted by the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationists in Lagos. The conference is focused on the theme ‘Addressing the Nigerian Energy Trilemma: Energy Security, Sustainable Growth, and Affordability.’

He said, “Today, NNPC does not import any product, we are taking only from domestic refineries.”

Kyari refuted the claims suggesting that the NNPC was undermining the operations of the Dangote refinery.

“The point is very far from it and I’m going to speak to it straight. We are very proud part-owners of Dangote refinery, no doubt about it. We saw an opportunity that there is a clear market for at least 300,000 barrels of our production; we know that as time moves on, people will start struggling to find markets for their production.

“It will happen, It’s already happening. Oil is found, as you know, in many unexpected locations across the world and people have choices. Therefore we saw an opportunity to log supply to the domestic refinery, not just Dangote but any other refinery that operates in the country, so it was a very informed business decision.

“Therefore, from day one, we knew that it is to our benefit to supply crude oil to the domestic refinery, so we don’t need to be persuaded; we don’t need anyone to talk to us, there is no need for any pressure from the streets for us to do this. We are already doing this.

“We should never forget that Nigerian crude is ’Lamborghini crude’, if we choose that every product that we have in this country must come from domestic production, then we must deal with pricing. Otherwise, out there in the global market, everybody buys Nigerian crude and blends it with dirtier crude to process, a lot of you will confirm this. So, no one takes Nigerian crude except one or two refineries that I know. Straight processing of Nigerian crude, nobody does this, because you do have a gap in value if you do this.

“Therefore, as a country, and I believe this strongly also, that we must process all the crude that we produce in the country to the optimum. You can do intermediate products and sell to the market, you are still adding value. You don’t have to sell gasoline that is coming from Nigerian production.

“You can do something different so you can process it domestically, but it’s going to be high quality. As we all know and it’s very clear in the media that we are selling high-quality products, that’s very true but you need not do this. You are driving a Keke-Napep and you want Lamborghini fuel, you do not need it. So, the quality issue is a relative thing, it’s by geography, by location, and we will do everything possible to make sure that we domesticate this.

“Today, NNPC does not import any product, we are taking only from domestic refineries. But I also know that we are working jointly with the government to make sure that we manage the issue around prices if we have to source all our supply from the domestic market. It will be an issue and we are already resolving it. I can confirm that substantial work has been done and this will no longer be an issue.”

IPMAN said that the arrangement to procure PMS directly from Dangote Refinery could lead to a reduction in fuel prices.

At a press conference held on Monday in Abuja, Abubakar Garima, the National President of IPMAN, made this announcement after convening with the National Working Committee of the association.

He clarified that the Dangote refinery has required IPMAN to directly source PMS, AGO, and DPK for subsequent distribution to IPMAN storage facilities and sales points. This updated agreement with the Dangote refinery aims to guarantee a consistent and uninterrupted supply of PMS products throughout Nigeria at a reasonable price.

He said, “That this new arrangement with the Dangote refinery will ensure a steady and ceaseless supply of PMS products all over Nigeria, at an affordable rate for Nigerians also.

“All IPMAN members should fully support the Dangote refinery, as it’s the ideal thing to do considering the monumental benefits of backward integration and the medium to long-term impact it will have on the Foreign Exchange markets in Nigeria.

“IPMAN members nationwide should rely on the Dangote refinery and Nigerian rfineries for their white products, as this will translate into ensuring more job opportunities in Nigeria, as well as signify total support for President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

Mr. Taiwo Oyedele, the Chairman of the Presidential Tax Reform Committee, has sounded a warning that if state governments are permitted to collect value-added tax (VAT), it could lead to significant harm for businesses and a decline in the economy.

Oyedele noted that a comparable strategy was tried in the 1980s with sales tax; however, the sub-national governments were unable to generate considerable revenue from it.

He said, “By 1999, we were writing the constitution because we now have the 4th Republic. But what we did was to just replicate the 1979 Constitution.

“In 1979, there was no VAT. So, there was no VAT in the 1979 Constitution.

“However, by 1999, we had implemented VAT for about five years. And it was becoming our top revenue tax. How on earth did we forget to put it in the 1999 Constitution? “Because it wasn’t stated in the 1999 Constitution, lawyers will state to you that it’s a residual matter.

“Because it’s a residual matter means it belongs to the subnational. That’s why Rivers State and Lagos State have been to court and won.

“If we get a judgment from the Supreme Court today, it will tell you that VAT should be collected and administered by the states. That will be chaotic.

“States will collect less, businesses will suffer, the economy will retrogress.

“On balance, the new reform is meant to treat everybody equitably. Try to get us out of the impression that when you start doing VAT at state level, you make so much money, which is not the case.

“In fact, today, the VAT on imports and international services is actually more than the VAT we collect in Nigeria, within our jurisdiction.

“And that amount that is collected from international services and import VAT is not attributed to any state. It goes into the pool and is shared.

“So, today we shared VAT between and among states based on derivation, 20 per cent; based on equality, 50 per cent; and based on population, 30 per cent we are proposing that correct derivation and share, 60 per cent based on derivation, 20 per cent based on population and 20 per cent based on equality.”

President Bola Tinubu warmly congratulates President Donald Trump on his successful re-election as the 47th President of the United States of America.

President Tinubu is eager to enhance the relationship between Nigeria and the United States, particularly in light of the intricate challenges and opportunities presented by today's global landscape.

“Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” the president said.

The FG has overturned an 18-year standard for admissions in tertiary institutions.

The recently appointed Minister of Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has eliminated the 18-year age requirement for admission to higher education institutions across the nation.

The minister emphasized that there will be no change in the federal government’s decision to nullify more than 22,700 degree certificates acquired by Nigerians from certain "fake" universities located in neighboring Togo and Benin Republic.

On Tuesday, Alausa addressed the media during his first ministerial press conference currently taking place in Abuja.