Osun Former Commissioner Omowaiye Distributes Free Fuel To Motorcycles In Ilesa

 In a bid to arrest the unbearable hardship experienced by commuters in Ilesa metropolis owing to the fuel scarcity, concerned stakeholders within the ancient town have called for calm, peace from residents, assuring that the situation will soon be resolved.

Spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in Osun, Engr Oluremi Omowaye gave the assurance in a statement issued this evening. Engr. Omowaiye, who had facilitated free distribution of fuel to Commercial Motorcyclists said he made the move to ameliorate the suffering the riders are going through by sourcing for it from neigbhouring towns, due to unavailability of petrol by filling stations in Ilesa.

The immediate past Osun commissioner for works and Transport said the Presidential candidate of APC in the forthcoming February 25th election, Asiwaju has promised to tackle all bottlenecks and unresolved encumbrances in the oil sector to ensure availability and affordability when he assumes office by God's grace, we believe him and that's why I'm doing this as his disciple to preach his gospel, using this avenue to canvass for support for him.

Engineer Omowaye said the free fuel distribution which took place under strict supervision of security agencies and safety agencies where over four hundred motorcyclists benefitted from the gesture has no political undertone, adding that he has been doing same in the past.

He used the opportunity to appeal to independent marketers and filling station owners in Ilesa to reopen for business, while we continue to appeal to the FG, "Ilesa case is so peculiar such that okada riders demonstrated three days ago, and all filling stations remained under lock and key which heightened the scarcity, I have to set mercenaries in motion to source for petrol in a neighbouring town to achieve the free distribution we are doing today", he said.

Also speaking, an opinion leader in Ilesa, Barrister Femi Onigbogi sued for peace saying the issue will soon be a thing of the past very soon.

Appreciating the gesture, the Osun state chairman of Motorcycle Transport Union of Nigeria (MTUN), Comrade Adebayo Tajudeen thanked Engr Omowaye for his usual support for commercial motorcyclists and called on them to always remain law abiding.

Meanwhile, Engr. Omowaiye has said it will be the turn of tricycle operators tomorrow while another tranche of motorcyclists will benefit on Monday.

Mock Accreditation: Low Turnout, BVAS Functioning Well

 Mock accreditation conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission is currently ongoing in the Federal Capital Territory.

The INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said the commission had taken delivery of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines for the election which had been tested to ensure its functionality, hence the need to conduct a mock accreditation of voters as done in Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections.

The INEC chairman also noted that 12 polling units had been designated in each state of the federation and four in the Federal Capital Territory on the equality of the country’s 109 senatorial districts for the exercise.

Our correspondent who visited one of the four designated polling units, Bwari Sarki in Bwari Ward in Bwari Area Council on Saturday, observed that was a low turnout of registered voters as of the time of filing this report.

The Assistant Presiding Officer, George Abedo, who spoke to our correspondent said voters are not aware of the mock exercise.

Abedo said, “There is really a low turnout of voters. Maybe voters are not aware of this exercise. So far, 28 voters have been verified.”

Our correspondent watched as the BVAS captured the fingerprints and faces of registered voters without any issue.

In another polling unit, Phase I/Site I, in Usuma Ward in Bwari, there was still low voter turnout.

Speaking to our correspondent, the INEC official who spoke in anonymity said, “You saw us telling some people to go back home. This is because we were instructed to attend to those whose names start with A-D.

“To be honest, the turnout is low.”

Speaking on the functionality of the BVAS, she said, “The BVAS is working very well. Those who came here just as you saw earlier were allowed to vote.

“The BVAS verified their Permanent Voter Cards and got their image and the pictures came out clearly.”

Suleiman Tambaya: Gunmen Invade Kaduna LP Candidate's House, Kill 2

 Gunmen on Friday night invaded the residence of the Kaduna State Labour Party’s (LP) House of Representatives candidate for Lere Federal Constituency, Suleiman Tambaya. 

They killed two persons

Polls: Presidency Backing Atiku — Wike

 GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike on Friday maintained his claim that a cabal in the presidency is backing Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for this month’s presidential election.

Wike at Ibaka Town, Okrika Island for a PDP campaign rally for Okrika Local Government Area of Rivere state also faulted the chaotic naira currency change as anti-people and needs President Muhammadu Buhari’s reconsideration on the policy implementation.

He argued that Atiku and supporters’ recent boast that they do not need the G-5 governors to win election was informed by the assurance of victory a cabal in the presidency has given the PDP presidential candidate.

According to him, “They (Atiku and supporters) have been given assurance, but this election is not going to be based on that cabal assurance. It is on the people’s assurance.

“Whether you like it or not, you must need Rivers state. If you don’t need Rivers State you must fail. If you say you don’t want us, you’ll fail. There is no two ways about it.”

In reservations about the new currency policy, the Rivers governor said, “This policy is anti-people. The new Naira note is not there. Even if I have money in my account, I cannot get N10,000. I cannot go and buy fuel. Who is losing? Is it not the masses? Is it not the people?”

Accusing those advising the President on the new naira note of not meaning well, Wike noted, “You’re merely fighting against the poor people. Mr President, I know the pressure, but please since two of us are going the same time, this policy, it has nothing to fight corruption at all.

“It has nothing to fight politicians. This policy is aimed to suffer the people who elected us to govern over them. Our business is not to make the people to suffer. We all know how to fight corruption. We all know how to fight politicians. This particular one , it does not come in at all.

“I know Mr President has good intention, but there are these people who believe they know more than everybody, they go and put the country in total chaos and that is what we are suffering now.

“I have never seen anywhere in this world where you change money within six months and say no more use of old money. It doesn’t work. It takes time and you have to prepare. Look at our economy, look at the rural areas, the level of illiteracy in the country.

“Can you imagine the problem you’re causing for us. As we are here, the level of insecurity will increase. We can’t get security agencies money any longer for them to use and pay those who are in the field. Even the CIA they carry cash for operation. Even NIA, they carry cash for operation. But here, we can’t even give our security One Million Naira.”

Sir Siminialayi Fubara, Rivers PDP guber candidate, said his administration, when elected as governor, will work to sustain the existing peace in Okrika, complete any on going project it may inherit, and provide more development projects to them.

BVAS Rejects Voter With Disfigured Face In Anambra

 The long-awaited INEC Mock Accreditation Exercise has officially kicked off in Anambra state.

INEC officials, including the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Queen Agwu, were seen early on Saturday morning setting about in readiness for the exercise.

Dr Agwu’s first point of call was the PU 001 ,at Demonstration Primary school ward, Agu Awka.

At the Ward, some voters were being accredited as the BVAS was working optimally.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner also visited Amawbia 1,NYSC Pavilion, where it was discovered that only a few Voters had turned up for the accreditation as at 10:30AM.

There, also, a dramatic scene was to play out as the BVAS could neither identify the face nor read the thumbs of one male voter.

As it turned out, the man had been normal at the time he registered for his PVC; but thereafter, he was involved in an accident which ended up disfiguring his face and thumbs.

In a swift reaction to the incident, Dr Agwu promised to report the case to the Commission’s headquarters.

President Buhari Got "False Intelligence" From CBN - Ajuri Ngelale

 The senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on public affairs, Ajuri Ngelale, has faulted the implementation of the naira redesign policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) led by Godwin Emefiele. 

He also alleged that the apex bank led by its governor, Godwin Emefiele had failed to feed the president with the realities on the ground.

Speaking in an interview on TVC News, Ngelale said Nigeria is witnessing a period of displeasure in line with the faulty circulation of the new naira notes across the country. He said: 

"At this point, it is obvious to everybody that the implementation of the naira redesign policy has been faulty, to say the least. 

"We are witnessing massive amounts of discontent, we are seeing situations where our people are left camping outside overnight in ATMs hoping for the injection of new cash into those ATMs. We are seeing people on the streets boxing each other out trying to walk themselves through the doors of banking halls hoping to access the new naira notes." 

While stating that the intention behind the redesign of the naira notes has been good, Ngelale said its implementation has been a colossal failure.

He said that the naira redesign policy is a good one and well accepted according to Nigeria's plan for a digital economy but the process has not been duly implemented in line with the laid out plan. 

He added: "What we are working to do is to ensure that Mr. President is given effective and true information and the report that has been given by the Central Bank of Nigeria that they have adequately supplied all banking branches in Nigeria with a sufficient amount of the new naira notes is absolutely false.

It is evident at this point and of course, Mr. President being the pro-people defender of the masses... did the right thing when the intelligence reached him that he was getting false intelligence from the Central Bank and was to extend the deadline from January 31 to February 10."

Nigerians have been urged to remain calm and patient with the transition of the phase of the new naira notes. The plea was made by the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, following the challenges faced by Nigerians in accessing the naira notes.

Godwin Emefiele said hiccups are always expected in situations like this but will surely be overcome.

Peter Obi Worried Over Fuel Shortages, Scarcity Of New Naira Notes

 The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi has called on authorities in the country to do whatever necessary to ease the pains of Nigerians over fuel shortages and the new naira notes scarcity. 

In a statement issued on Thursday and made available to journalists, Obi said that he had been travelling around the country on the campaign trail, meeting and engaging Nigerians of diverse ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds, that the unified experiences they recounted was one of untold suffering. 

“Yesterday, Datti Baba-Ahmed and I with our team were in Sokoto and Jigawa States, and today (Thursday) we were in Zamfara and Kebbi States. As I have travelled across Nigeria, engaging with as many citizens as possible, the feedback is that Nigerians are suffering terribly. 

“Top on the mentions are the biting fuel shortages and the scarcity of the new naira notes. Nigerians, especially women and the youth, are impacted negatively by the lingering shortage of both essentials to regular daily living in our country. 

“These shortages are dehumanising Nigerians, even more than they have already been, by a series of ineffectual governments who failed to serve the interest of the people.

“I am worried about the impact these shortages are having on the lives of Nigerians and small businesses, which are a significant force in our economy,” Obi said. 

He, therefore, called on the authorities and bodies in charge to take practical intervention steps to create systems that would serve the people and resolve the crises. 

He added that Nigerians had already suffered enough, and the twin crises of fuel shortages and the unavailability of the new naira notes could have been avoided if leaders were competent and compassionate. 

“It’s time that the authorities, relevant agencies and organisations realise that they exist for the people and not the other way round. 

“I am calling on the governments at all levels to intervene in these crises and ensure that the interest and well-being of Nigerians are placed on the front burner, ahead of any other interest group. 

“Nigerians don’t deserve this kind of experience," Obi concluded.