Temporary PVC đ
Hi! Itâs Us!
Weâre excited to see you, too!
A Lagos-based lawyer has asked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate Ikeja Electric Plc officials over alleged disconnection and incorrect billing. Arrest them abeg. These electricity bills are eating into my enjoyment funds.
While we were awayâŚ
COVID: Guardian NG reports that Nigeria has recorded over 18,000 COVID cases from inbound travellers since January 16. Please mask up, and if you havenât, get vaccinated đˇ
Over 3,604 people have died from Nigeriaâs recent Cholera outbreak
The Government has lifted Nigeriaâs Twitter ban- some say its because they need social media for electoral campaigns
Lagos state exonerated the Dowen College students (Favour Benjamin, Edward Begue, Ansel Temile, Kenneth Inyang and Micheal Kashamu) who allegedly killed 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni Jnr by bullying him to death. An autopsy report from the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital claims he died from preexisting medical conditions. However, a private hospital Sylvesterâs parents hired said he had internal injuries and poison. However, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) have rejected Lagosâ ruling and hired a lawyer to that effect.
In this weekâs news
Wike offers a solution to the soot crisis
Latest on the yet-to-be-passed electoral Act
Tinubuâs battle against PVCs
Politicians politicking
Any idea who VP Osibanjo was referring to when he said Nigeria would âdefeat the evil forces contesting for its soulâ? Idk.
2023 general elections are fast approaching, and campaigning has begun.
One of our more âaffluentâ presidential aspirants, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is eager to see people vote, so he has begun his PVC registration campaign earlier than most.
At an event over the week, Tinubu reminded people to renew their Permanent Voterâs Card (PVC) because the old ones have âexpiredâ. He advised listeners to spread this ridiculous news to their friends and community.
After callouts from social media, news outlets and some of his opponents, he walked it back and apologised for the misinformation.
If youâre 18+ and donât yet have a PVC or have lost yours, please get one. If you already have one- there is no need to renew. The P in PVC stands for âpermanent.â
Latest update on the electoral bill
The Senate is still working on passing the electoral bill. The latest hiccup is the Presidentâs concern about the mode of conducting primary elections.
Break down
Primary elections are carried out within political parties to choose who represents them in the polls, and there are two ways theyâre conducted: direct and indirect.
Direct is when everyone in the political party votes, while indirect, the party members choose a rep to vote on their behalf. The current bill allows for direct mode.
But the President proposed allowing direct, indirect and the addition of consensus candidates. So hopefully, they will pass the bill once this clause is agreed upon and amended, they will (hopefully) pass the bill.
Oil is one hell of a drug
The black soot crisis is rising again in Rivers State and the entire Niger Delta region.
Hospital studies and reports indicate that over 20,000 residents have developed lifetime health issues like respiratory ailments, heart conditions, and reproduction.
Doctors also predict that if nothing is done to stop the Soot, more people will experience aliments and drop the mortality rate.
The Government is finally ready to do something about it
The identified causes of the recent increase are illegal refiners and bunkers, and the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says heâs going to get rid of them.
Wike says the Government has received a list of illegal refineries from local government leaders, and he will provide financial support needed to âhire bulldozers and swamp buggies to clear the sitesâ
He also promised to provide security while the destruction is happening.
But people claim that the police are in on it and the police command have been preventing the community leaders from destroying the illegal setups destroying their community.
Obvs the police command says its a lie
In other parts of the Niger Delta security agents of Operation Delta Safe have uncovered and destroyed 39 illegal refining sites, 91 cooking ovens, 24 reservoirs, 17 large dugout pits and 96 storage tanks in the last 2 weeks
The agents have also killed over 37 suspected terrorists and arrested 17 others.
Meanwhile, Nine oil thieves caught with N200million worth of stolen crude oil in 2015 might be charged with only N2,000 fine each
Premium Times reports that the prosecutor who originally charged the thieves with life sentence presented a counter of N2,000 each
Judge Okon Abang believes the defence schemed with (cough bribed cough) the prosecutor and thatâs how they came to this watered-down sentence
He noted that charges are supposed to be amended âto strengthen and enhance the case of the prosecutionâ, but that is the case, âI am seeing for the first time where a charge is amended to give the defendants soft landingâ
The Nigerian Navy arrested thieves during a patrol of the offshore Forcados/Escravos, Ogulaha, Delta State, on November 11, 2015.
Theyâre being held in prison in Owerri, Delta State until they pay the paltry fine and meet other conditions to be totally free
Speaking of petrol... NEC committee recommends N302 per litre as fuel price from February. Petrol price is currently between N162 and N165 per litre in Nigeria. Yikes (The Cable)
Power and impropriety
Premium Times reports that Nigeriaâs Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi, has awarded a major maritime contract to a company that was sacked in Mali and DR Congo
The company, Frabemar UK Ltd has been hired to handle the countryâs International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN), along with MedTech and Rozi International
According to documents sourced from the two countries, Frabemarâs contracts were terminated and the company was charged for corruption.
Did the Nigerian Government conduct any background checks before hiring them for a security-sensitive contract? Unclear
Latest on Nnamdi Kanu
A State High Court in Umuahia, Abia state ordered the Nigerian government to pay IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu N1 Billion for violating his human rights. This is referring to the incident where the military invaded Kanuâs Abia state home in 2017.
On the ongoing âstate enemyâ trial, the court pled âno commentâ because that isnât their jurisdiction. Kanu is still in detention.
Terrorism
Soldiers attached to Asa, Ukwa West council, Abia State reportedly committed arson in the Owaza community over the death of their colleagues.
The soldiers were stationed in the community to manage the oil theft and illegal refineries.
Sources told Vanguard that people suspected to be oil thieves killed two soldiers. They also stole guns and burnt the soldiersâ patrol van.
In retaliation, the soldiers burnt entire homes and shops. Witnesses say they also âtook over Owaza and all the neighbouring areas of Obuzor Asa, Umudobia to Obehie, Uzuaku, Okohia to Owazaâ
People left their homes in fear because they felt terrorised by the soldiers.
Speaking of people terrorising endangered communities and minors they were hired to protect (TW: Rape and suicide)
Abdulmalik Mohammed Tanko, the principal of Noble Kids Academy in Kwanar Dakata in Nassarawa kidnapped and killed a 5-year-old student
According to law enforcement, Abdumalik stole Hanifa Abubakar while she was on her way home. They arrested him when he was on his way to pick up the ransom
Abdulmalik asked the parents for N6million and promised to return her after ransom was paid. He told the police he poisoned her after she recognised him. The police say they found parts of her body scattered around the school
In Borno, an IDP camp worker named Huzaif Adam raped Aisha Umar, a IDP in Borno State. Aisha killed herself as a result of the trauma
Vanguard reports that Adam is a serial rapist who lures his victims, including Aisha, by hiring them to clean his apartment. Why is he still allowed to work at the camp? Why isnât he in prison?
In Kebbi
On Friday, over 16 people, including 3 police officers, were confirmed dead in a terrorist attack in the Danko Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State (Premium Times)
Possible actual 5g problem?
The global aviation industry says 5G network service might be a flight risk. Chief Executive Officers of major airlines in the US said that the 5G signals risk interfering with safety equipment pilots rely on to take off and land in inclement weather. (Premium Times)
Other news
200 killed and 200 kidnapped in Niger between 1-17 of January (Premium Times)
The House of Representatives is investigating 178,459 arms and ammunition in the Nigeria Police Force since 2019 (The Nation)
As part of measures to curb excessive informal levies in bus parks and on major highways, the Lagos state government is introducing a general daily levy of N800 on all non-state hired bus drivers from Feb. They say once thereâs a central collector, itâll be less likely for other agents to collect fees under the governmentâs name (Vanguard)
Buhari claims that the CBNâs Agric-focused loan program will soon start to cut the price of rice back down (Premium Times)