Mahmood Yakubu: INEC Has No Candidate In Elections

 The Independent National Electoral Commission has said that it will not support any candidate or political party in the forthcoming elections, as it is only interested in the electoral process.

The INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, said this when he addressed Supervisory Presiding Officers for the 2023 general election in Abuja, according to a video on the Commission’s Twitter handle on Sunday.

Yakubu also urged election officers on neutrality.

He advised them not to see their job as a service to INEC but to the country as a whole in which they are equal stakeholders.

“INEC is not a political party. INEC has no candidate in the election. Our commitment is to the process and we will make sure that the process is what we say it should be so that the choice made by Nigerians will determine the outcome of the process,” he said.


Yakubu described the work of the SPOs as critical to the success of the 2023 general election, urging them to uphold the integrity of the process.

“You are the people who supervise those who will work at the most important level, the Polling Unit level. That is the only place where voting takes place.
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“The collation officers at the polling units level are collating results from the PUs. When collation officers at the PU go to the local government level, they are collating results from the PUs.

“When it goes to the state level they are collating results from the PUs and when they come to Abuja, where we collate the presidential result it would have passed through all these processes.

“So, by the time the results come to Abuja, Nigerians would have known the outcome of the election,” he said.

Yakubu added, “Our responsibility is simply to collate.”

He said the training was going on simultaneously in all states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The INEC boss said the training was a further reassurance to Nigerians of the Commission’s readiness to conduct election on February 25 and March 11. 

DSS Invites Fani-Kayode Over Alleged Coup Plot By Atiku

 The Department of State Services, DSS, has invited a spokesperson of the Bola Tinubu/ Shettima Campaign Council, Femi Fani-Kayode over claims that the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar met with some Service Chiefs and was planning a 'Coup'.

Confirming his invitation on Social media on Monday morning, FFK wrote; "3 days ago, on the day that I tweeted about newspaper reports alleging that Atiku was secretly meeting with Army Generals,I got a text message from someone who claimed to be DSS asking me to report to them on a matter of national security.

"I dismissed the invitation because it was vague and I was not sure whether it really came from the DSS. In any case I had no intention of going anywhere unless I was formally invited. To my surprise I received a formal letter from them to report to their office without fail 2 days later, which was yesterday evening. I put a call through to them & was advised to take the matter very seriously & report to them on the stipulated day and time otherwise the worse may happen."

"I found it interesting that a call came from one of Atiku's dogs dogs for me to be arrested by the security agencies yesterday and had it not been for the fact that the DSS had actually sent a text to me two days earlier I may have thought that they were acting on the instructions of what can only be described as a hopeless and desperate presidential candidate, opposition party and PCC who are clutching at straws, drowning fast, seeking to silence those that give them sleepless nights, shivering in despair and staring defeat in the face in the upcoming presidential election."

"Clearly the DSS were not influenced by Atiku and were simply doing their job by inviting me on a matter that needs explanation and clarification and for a thorough interrogation. And of course being a responsible and law abiding citizen I will present myself before them accordingly Unlike cowards like Emefiele, Atiku and their strange bedfellows I do not fear my own shadow and neither do I shiver and shake when I am invited by the security agencies. I always honor their invitations when properly invited because that is the right and proper thing to do."

"This is all the more so when it touches and concerns matters of national security which I take very seriously & when it involves agencies like the DSS who are professional and thorough in their methods and approach. I have nothing to hide and consequently I will present myself before the DSS this morning as I have been asked to do."

"I maintain my utter contempt for Atiku & the vermin that are around him & no matter what happens to me today or at any other time, know that as long as there is life in me I will oppose the darkness & evilhat they represent. I am used to arrest, interrogation, detention, prosecution and so much more and have suffered these indignities on many occassions over the last 15 years."

"I have no fear: nothing moves me and only death can silence me. The most important thing now is not what happens to me but rather achieving the noble quest to ensure the election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as our next President. That is the mission that we must focus on because that is the only way to save our country. I hope that I will be at liberty & free to continue to play my role in that quest but if I am not and I am detained indefinitely or till the election is over so be it. In such circumstances be rest assured that I will be praying fervently for Asiwaju's victory from the inside."

El-Rufai: I No Longer Believe In The Circle Around Buhari

 

The Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai has again come hard on the presidency, saying he no longer believes in the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Recall that sequel to the recent cash policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the governor had raised the alarm that some elements in the presidency were working against the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

The governor, who vowed that those in Tinubu’s camp would defeat the cabals, said they would be unmasked in due time.

Speaking with Channels TV last week, El-Rufai alleged that some persons in the presidency who backed another aspirant during the APC primary election were using Buhari to actualize their plans.

Similarly, in an interview with Premium Times, the governor declared that though he still believes in Buhari, he no longer trusts those working around him.

“I believe in Buhari, I still do and I will never stop, but I no longer believe in the circle around him and the quality of decisions and actions coming out of that leadership,” El-Rufai said. 

Hit-And-Run Driver Kills Woman On Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway

 A hit-and-run driver on Sunday killed a middle-aged woman (name unknown) near Ifo Police Station on the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

Mr Adetunji Oyebola, the Ifo Divisional Commander, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps, TRACE, in Ogun, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria in Ota, Ogun State.

Oyebola said that the incident occurred in the early hours of Sunday.

“The driver of the unidentified vehicle knocked down a woman (pedestrian) immediately after the Ifo Police Station inbound Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway.

“The corpse of the victim had been taken to the mortuary at Ifo General Hospital, Ogun, by the TRACE personnel in collaboration with the Ifo Local Government health officials,” he said.

Oyebola implored motorists to desist from excessive speeding and reckless driving to avoid mishap on the road.

He also advised pedestrians to always exercise patience while crossing to prevent being knocked down by vehicles.

Cash Crunch: Rural Dwellers Resort To Trade By Barter

 Amidst the scarcity of both new and old naira notes in the country, residents of rural communities have adopted the ancient trade by barter to survive, Daily Trust reports.

Petty traders of perishable goods have also opened a ledger for their customers who are unable to pay for what they buy, hoping that they would sort it out when the cash crunch improves.

Nigerians are experiencing scarcity of the naira following the introduction of the redesigned N200, N500 and N1, 000 notes by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which fixed February 10 as the deadline to phase out of old notes before some governors dragged the federal government to the Supreme Court that temporarily stopped the process of declaring the old notes illegal tender.

Borno, Yobe villagers resort to barter, Niger’s currency  

Villagers in Buhari and Damasak towns in Yusufari and Mobbar local government areas of Yobe and Borno states have resorted to trade by barterand using Niger’s CFA franc to transact businesses as naira notes cease to exist in the areas in the last two weeks.

These villages are far into the desert, bordering Diffa Province in Niger Republic.

Residents of the towns said they were already benefiting from the telecommunication and hospital services of the neighbouring country.

One of the residents, Modu Buhari, told our correspondent that a week before the earlier old currency swap deadline lapsed, many people that had reasonable cash deposited the money into their relative’s accounts to avoid losing them.

He said the account owners promised to help them withdraw the new notes to continue with their businesses.

“Unfortunately, we are in the third week now but the relatives still couldn’t withdraw the cash.

“Last week, some of us went to Gaidam with our grains and livestock to sell in exchange for cash for our daily spending, but we got into trouble instead.

“The buyers said they would only pay through bank transfer and none of us have bank accounts.

“In fact, we became stranded because the driver did not have money to refuel the car back home as he was waiting for us to sell our goods and settle him.

“Luckily, one of our customers stood for us before the car was refuelled and we returned home. We are stuck here; nobody goes anywhere.”

He said the situation was worse in adjoining villages because provision stores were forced out of business.

“To get condiments is now a problem. Oil, seasoning, detergent, rice, sugar, salt, matches and other essential items are not available because traders don’t have the cash to buy them,” he said.

He said people in villages had resorted to trade by barter.

“Initially, we would just ask if someone had what you wanted and he would gladly give it to you, but as the situation persisted, we started the exchange of foodstuffs and condiments amongst ourselves, which for now, has brought succour to many of us,” he said.

Another resident of the village, Mohammad Barama, told our correspondent that some residents and traders in border villages started using Niger Republic’s currency (CFA franc) to transact business.

“This has eased our suffering. Unfortunately, we are totally neglected by the Nigerian government; no one considers the kind of hardship we would go through if this policy continues,” he said.


Trade-by-barter becoming popular in South too

Daily Trust observed that traders in most neighbourhood markets in Lagos, the commercial hub of Nigeria, have decided to sell their goods on credit to customers owing to the scarcity of the old and new naira notes. Petty traders dealing in perishable goods are the most affected.

“We have decided to open debtors’ books for our customers. This is a neighbourhood market and we know customers who will pay when they have the naira notes,” Kafilat Ebiseni, a trader at Oto market, Agbara area of Lagos, said.

Ebenezer Ayantunde, who sells plantain at a neighbourhood market at the Ijoko area of Lagos, said he had to sell out the goods at a cheaper rate before they would get spoiled.

“I had no option but to sell the plantain at a reduced rate because it was almost ripe. I don’t have a bank account but I know the people that bought them. I was also lucky to get N1, 000 from one of them, who promised to pay the balance later.

“I needed N1, 000 to take home to my family,” he said.

In Bayelsa State, rural dwellers have adopted the oldest form of commerce by exchanging goods for goods owing to the scarcity of naira notes in their communities.

Daily Trust gathered that most residents in the rural and coastal communities exchange goods such as fish with garri, yam and pepper, among others, to have what to eat.

According to a local fisherman in the Ayama-Ijaw community, Austin Ebiere, since there was no money in circulation and customers hardly buy his fish, he rather used the fish for other food commodities with others who might not have the cash to buy.

He said, “It is a strategy for survival. They told us that the old naira note would not be used by the end of January, so we found a way and deposited what we had at the bank, but after the extension of the deadline, we could not even remove our money from the bank again.

“That’s why we think that instead of dying of hunger, let us use what we have to survive – if you have garri and I have fish, we can exchange part of it so that both of us will have garri and fish. Even if you want to drink it, it is better than eating fish alone.”

He lamented that there was no bank in the community, noting that they always travelled to the state capital, Yenagoa to access banking services.

“You can see how frustrating it would be if you used the little money you had to pay for transport down there and at the end of the day you would not be able to withdraw your money,” he said.

Another resident from Agu community in Yenagoa Local Government Area, Kingsley Taribowei, said that due to the scarcity of naira notes, he exchanged the plantain he planted at his farm with other food items to survive.

He said, “This is better for us because we use the little cash we have to pay bills while we source what we eat around our neighbourhood here.

“Our prayer is that this current situation would not lead to a crisis in Nigeria. People are really suffering.”

A civil rights activist, David-West Bekinwariy David, said that people were passing through hardship due to difficult procedures in getting their money.

He urged the government to intervene for the good of the masses.

He wondered why people could be rich in the bank and poor at home due to the policy of the CBN.

He said, “If those of us in urban areas can find it difficult getting our money, be it at Point of Sale (POS), Automated Teller Machine (ATM) or even at banking halls, imagine what those in rural areas are passing through. They are really suffering.”

Meanwhile, the CBN has been using agents to drive its cash swap policy in Bayelsa communities to ensure availability of the newly redesigned notes to rural communities.

The apex bank, which recently made arrangements with super agents, as well as mobile money operators, to swap the old N200, N500 and N1, 000 for the new redesigned notes under the policy, said they would sanction any operator that hoards the new naira notes.

According to the apex bank, they were expected to swap up to N10, 000 per person, while amounts above N10, 000 would be treated as deposits, an initiative aimed at increasing circulation of the new naira dominations, particularly in the rural areas.

A manager at the CBN, Abuja branch, Mr Nweke Jude, during a visit to commercial banks in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital to monitor compliance, said the critical part of the assignment was to actually assess the newly introduced cash swap policy introduced by the CBN to ensure that ordinary people and the under-banked, especially in rural areas, would also have access to new notes through super agents and the banks.

Nweke said the goal was to reverse the trend of having much currency outside the banking sector stashed in houses and other areas, which has impacted negatively on the economy, causing inflation in the process

We Are Heartbroken: Chrisland Schools React To Whitney Adeniran's Death

 CHRISLAND PRESS STATEMENT 

The management and staff of Chrisland Schools Limited, with a deep sense of loss, announce the death of our precious student, Whitney Adeniran; whose painful exit occurred on Thursday, February 9th, 2023.

We are heartbroken and distressed. Whitney was one of our Day students who opted not to participate in the inter-house sports match past for reasons we were not very sure of. However, on discretion, we respected her decision to err on the side of caution, because on the 20th of January, 2023, it is in our records that she had complained about a not-too-buoyant health and we immediately contacted her parents. Her father, Mr. Michael Adeniran, came to the school to take her home. We emphasized to her parents to take a critical look at her.

It is instructive to state, that Whitney slumped in public view and not under any hidden circumstances, whatsoever. Our immediate response was to take advantage of proximity to first-aid, by identifying the nearest medical facility to take her to, where the Doctor on duty, administered oxygen and every aid possible on her. 

Even as her family made funeral plans for her immediate burial, we differed politely and reiterated the need to establish a scientific verification of the underlying cause of her death, as mandatorily required in circumstances like this. We immediately notified regulatory stakeholders and agencies to allow for a comprehensive evaluation and assessment of the developments. 

In spite of the compelling imperatives to fill any information gaps in public space, we stopped short of making any media sensation out of this, because the deceased in question, was a minor and is deserving of our unqualified respect. We also prioritized according respect to the privacy of the family and were with them consistently, to mourn together. This is a painful loss for all of us.

As parents, we feel the deep pain of this loss and our thoughts and prayers, are continually with the family and friends of our beloved Whitney.

As we continue to uphold the sobriety of this moment, we resist any urge to join issues on her treasured memory, in media trends.

As we await the outcome of an independent post mortem process, we remain unwaveringly committed to supporting the family at this critical moment and pray fervently for the fortitude to bear her painful loss. 

Signed,

Chrisland Schools Limited.

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