It’s better I forget existence of Buhari govt for my sanity sake – Wole Soyinka

 Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, has claimed he avoids talking about President Muhammadu Buhari, for the sake of his sanity.

Soyinka stated this while answering questions on Kaftan TV.

He described the new Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan standard gauge train as marvelous and long overdue.

Speaking onboard the new train, Soyinka said he would not like to talk about Buhari government because he imagined it does not exist.

When asked whether the new train was a plus to Buhari, he replied, “I don’t want to talk about Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

“I think it is best for my sanity just to avoid that overall question.

“I can take bits and pieces of Nigeria’s present predicament, but I think for one’s sense of balance, one must forget the existence of the Buhari administration.”

- DAILY POST

Suspected gunmen kidnap another farmer in Oyo

 

Some suspected gunmen have kidnapped another farmer in Oyo State.

DAILY POST gathered on Tuesday that the gunmen on Monday kidnapped one Mr. Monsuru Aderoju, at Oke Agbede area of Igangan, a town in Ibarapa geo-political zone of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the kidnap of Aderoju, who is a cassava farmer is coming less than three weeks after the abduction of a farmer along the old Ibadan/ Oyo Road in Ibadan.

The abduction of Aderoju is coming two days after the killing of Mr. Sherifat Adisa, a petroleum dealer who owns Subawah petroleum and two children as well as the kidnap of a medical doctor in Ibarapa North Local Government Area.

Some suspected gunmen have kidnapped another farmer in Oyo State.

DAILY POST gathered on Tuesday that the gunmen on Monday kidnapped one Mr. Monsuru Aderoju, at Oke Agbede area of Igangan, a town in Ibarapa geo-political zone of the state.

Our correspondent gathered that the kidnap of Aderoju, who is a cassava farmer is coming less than three weeks after the abduction of a farmer along the old Ibadan/ Oyo Road in Ibadan.

The abduction of Aderoju is coming two days after the killing of Mr. Sherifat Adisa, a petroleum dealer who owns Subawah petroleum and two children as well as the kidnap of a medical doctor in Ibarapa North Local Government Area.

Our correspondent gathered that no fewer than five people have been kidnapped in the state in the last three weeks.

It was gathered that among the five people kidnapped in the last three weeks are a woman kidnapped at a Quarry site in Moniya, a farmer kidnapped along old Ibadan/Oyo road, Mrs. Jimoke Oludele-Babalola, an elder sister to Mr. Sunkanmi Babalola, member representing Egbeda State Constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, a medical doctor in Ibarapa North Local government area and Aderoju who was kidnapped on Monday.

DAILY POST gathered that out of the five people kidnapped in the last three weeks, only one of them, Mrs. Jimoke Oludele-Babalola has been released. 

Convener of Igangan Development Advocates, Mr. Oladokun Oladiran confirmed the kidnap of Aderoju on Tuesday.

Oladiran said that Aderoju popularly known as Alhaji Monsuru was trailed to his home at Oke Agbède in Igangan, where he was kidnapped Monday evening.

He said, “Monsuru Aderoju by name was kidnapped by unknown strangers suspected to be the now entrenched Fulani kidnapping circus on Monday evening.

“He resides at Oke àgbède Igangan. The Business tycoon supplies cassava, married with one wife and 2kids.

“After he finished 8pm Muslim prayer and decided to go home, according to the information from the reliable source, two of the kidnapper attended the same prayer session.

“However, their strange faces only generated some suspicion and the saga unfolded. They were not thought to be threat. They must have trailed him home and carried out their evil act.

“The state is too bureaucratic about this, there are times you throw away the garb of unnecessary bureaucracy to save lives.”

Efforts by DAILY POST to get reaction from Public Relations Officer of the state Police command, Mr. Olugbenga Fadeyi proved to be abortive.

Calls put through to his mobile number were not answered while a text message sent to him has not been replied as at the time of filing this report on Tuesday.

- DAILY POST

DMO: Nigeria owes World Bank, IMF, AfDB $31.98bn

 

The Debt Management Office (DMO) says Nigeria took loans worth $31.98 billion from World Bank Group, International Monetary Fund (IMF), African Development Bank (AfDB) Group and others as of September 2020.

This is contained in the September 30, 2020, debt stock report recently released by the DMO.

According to the report, Nigeria has an outstanding $10.74 billion loan to be paid to the International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD); organisations under the World Bank Group.

The document shows that Nigeria owes the IMF $3.45 billion and owes $2.24 billion to Africa Growing Together Fund and African Development Fund; entities of the AfDB Group.

The country also owes four international lenders namely the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA); Islamic Development Bank (IDB); International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD); and European Development Fund (EDF) $298.12 million.

Nigeria also owes five countries (China, France, Japan, India and Germany) $4.07 million; accounting for 12.74 percent of the nation’s external debt.

According to the report, these include: $3.26 million to the Export Import (Exim) Bank of China; Agence Francaise Development ($502.38 million); Japan International Cooperation Agency ($78.20 million); Exim Bank of India ($37 million) and Kreditanstalt Fur Wiederaufbua ($193.26 million).

Nigeria also holds $10.86 billion in Eurobonds and $300 million in diaspora bond.

Featured image: Patience Oniha, director-general of the Debt Management Office

- THECABLE

Nigerian govt. dragged to UN over detention, “torture” of Sowore

 Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent a complaint to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention over the “detention, torture and other ill-treatment of journalist Omoyele Sowore and four other activists.”

Omoyele Sowore, Juwon Sanyaolu, Peter Williams, Emmanuel Bulus and Damilare Adenola were on Monday ordered to be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre pending the consideration of their bail applications on Tuesday (today).

The order was given by a Magistrates’ Court in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, following their arrest on New Year’s Eve for holding a protest against bad governance.

However, SERAP in a statement on Tuesday by its deputy director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said the detention of the activists constitutes an arbitrary deprivation of their liberty because it does not have any legal justification.

In the complaint dated 4 January 2021, SERAP said: “The Working Group should request the Nigerian authorities to withdraw the bogus charges against Mr. Sowore and four other activists, and to immediately and unconditionally release them.”

According to SERAP: “The arrest, continued detention and torture and ill-treatment of Mr Sowore and four other activists solely for peacefully exercising their human rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly is a flagrant violation of the Nigerian Constitution, 1999 (as amended) and international human rights law. They are now facing bogus charges simply for exercising their human rights.”

SERAP also called on the Working Group to “initiate a procedure involving the investigation of the detention, torture and bogus charges against Mr Sowore and four other activists, and to urgently send an allegation letter to the Nigerian government inquiring about the case generally, and specifically about the legal basis for their arrest, detention, torture and other ill-treatment, each of which is in violation of international human rights law.”

SERAP is also urging the Working Group to “issue an opinion declaring that the deprivation of liberty and detention of Mr Sowore and four other activists is arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international human rights law. We also urge the Working Group to call for their immediate and unconditional release.”

SERAP added that “We urge the Working Group to request the Nigerian government to investigate and hold accountable all police officers and security agents suspected to be responsible for the unlawful arrest, continued detention, and torture and other ill-treatment of Mr Sowore and four other activists.”

SERAP also asked the Working Group “to request the Nigerian government to award Mr Sowore and four other activists adequate compensation for the violations they have suffered as a result of their unlawful arrest, arbitrary detention, torture and other ill-treatment.”

SERAP also argued that: “A detention is arbitrary when it is clearly impossible to invoke any legal basis justifying the deprivation of liberty. Article 9(1) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which confirms the right to liberty and freedom from arbitrary detention, guarantees that no one shall be deprived of his liberty except on such grounds and in accordance with such procedure as are established by law.”

The complaint addressed to Mr. José Guevara Bermúdez Chairman/Rapporteur of the Working Group, read in part: “The Human Rights Committee has interpreted this right to mean that procedures for carrying out legally authorized deprivation of liberty should also be established by law and State parties should ensure compliance with their legally prescribed procedures.”

“Pursuant to the mandate of the Working Group, the “Manual of Operations of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council” and the publication “Working with the UN Human Rights Programme, a Handbook for Civil Society”, SERAP, a non-governmental human rights organization, can provide information on a specific human rights case or situation in a particular country, or on a country’s laws and practices with human rights implications.”

“SERAP therefore argues that the case adequately satisfies the requirements by which to submit an individual complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”

“SERAP is therefore seeking an opinion from the Working Group finding the continuing detention of Mr Sowore and four other activists to be arbitrary and in violation of Nigeria’s Constitution and obligations under international law.”

“Accordingly, it is hereby requested that the Working Group consider this Individual Complaint a formal request for an opinion of the Working Group pursuant to Resolution 1997/50 of the Commission on Human Rights, as reiterated by Resolutions 2000/36, 2003/31, and Human Rights Council Resolutions 6/4, 15/18, 20/16, and 24/7.”

“SERAP respectfully requests the Working Group to initiate the procedure involving the investigation of individual cases toward reaching an opinion declaring the detention of Mr Sowore and four other activists to be arbitrary and in violation of international human rights law. To this end, SERAP will pursue the regular communications procedure before the Working Group in order to have the ability to provide comments on any response by the Nigerian government.''

“On the midnight of 1st January 2021, Mr Sowore and four other activists were arrested by the officers of Nigeria Police Force, particularly men dispatched from Apo Division, Abuja, at the #CrossoverWithProtest, a planned procession across the country on New Year Eve. They were reportedly subjected to severe torture and other ill-treatment, and Sowore was left with bruises in his nose and all over his body in an apparently the use of excessive force by the police officers''

“Sowore and four other activists were arraigned at the Magistrate Court in Wuse Zone 2 on Monday, 4th January, 2021 on three charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful assembly, and attempting to incite others. Sowore denied all the charges, but the Magistrate ordered that he, alongside other activists, be remanded in Kuje Prison. He was denied access to his friends and family for days. The authorities have also refused to provide him with medical attention despite overt marks of torture and other ill-treatment he reportedly suffered.”

- PM NEWS

Second wave: One in five persons tested in Nigeria has COVID-19

 

One in five persons tested for COVID-19 in Nigeria is positive, according to official data.

Data from the World Health Organisation (WHO) compiled here show that the country’s positive rate jumped from 4.2 percent to 21.3 percent in the last month.

• What is COVID-19 positivity rate? It is the percentage of all coronavirus tests that are positive. In other words, the higher the positive tests, the higher the positivity rate.

As of December 3, only 4.2 percent of all coronavirus tests — or roughly one in 25 samples — in Nigeria returned positive.

But as the second wave sweeps across the country, so is the number of positive cases rising.

The WHO data show that the positive rate stood at 21.3 percent as of January 3, a steep rise in the number of positive diagnoses.

WHAT DOES A HIGH POSITIVITY RATE IMPLY?

When a country’s positivity rate for the coronavirus is high, experts believe this indicates how widespread the virus is in the community.

It could also mean that the number of total tests being carried out is too low.

According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, “a higher percent positive suggests higher transmission and that there are likely more people with coronavirus in the community who haven’t been tested yet.

“A high percent positive means that more testing should probably be done—and it suggests that it is not a good time to relax restrictions aimed at reducing coronavirus transmission … a high percent positive can indicate it may be a good time to add restrictions to slow the spread of disease.”

Nigeria has had a chronic testing problem since the pandemic, with less than one million tests carried out so far, unlike South Africa that has tested over 6.7 million samples.

Data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) situation reports shows the country’s testing capacity still hovers between 35,000 and 45,000 weekly.

- THECABLE

Politicians can’t seize power in America – Joe Biden

 

United States’ president-elect, Joe Biden, has maintained that politicians cannot seize power in the country, because power has to be given by the people.

“In America, politicians can’t assert, take, or seize power. It has to be given by the American people. We can’t ever give that up.

“The will of the people must always prevail,” Biden tweeted on Tuesday.

The 78-year-old Democratic candidate emerged winner in the November presidential election.

Biden’s comment comes as Georgians take to the polls for two closely-watched US Senate runoffs.

The polls could shape the first years of the new Democratic presidency.

US President, Donald Trump and Biden are in Georgia for the battle of the Senate seats.

For nearly 20 years, Georgia had voted reliably Republican in the presidential election and Senate contests.

- DAILY POST

Nigerians in trouble: FG hikes electricity tariff again

 The Federal Government has given Nigerians bitter pills to swallow in the New Year with the reported hike in electricity tariff again.

This is coming two months after the government forced on Nigerians increase in tariff, with crazy bills being clamped on the people in the name of estimated bills.

Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, is said to have given the nod for the hike in tariff, taking effect from January 1, 2021.

The commission was said to have announced the tariff hike in the December 2020 minor review of the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO) and Minimum Remittance Order, according to The Punch.

NERC chairman, Sanusi Garba is said to have signed the MYTO giving effect to the hike in tariff, superseding the previous hike order.

According to the commission, the increase in tariff was necessitated by the 14.9 per cent inflation rate rise in November 2020 and foreign exchange of N379.4/$1 as of December 29, 2020.

The commission also cited available generation capacity, the United States inflation rate of 1.22 per cent and the Capital Expenditure of the power firms before the tariff was raised, as reasons for the increase in electricity tariff.

- PM NEWS