Today's Headlines: Don’t Wage War With Niger, Northern Leaders, No Rift Between Obasanjo And I—Olowu
Don’t wage war with Niger, Northern leaders warn Tinubu
The Northern leadership under the aegis of Arewa Consultative Forum, has warned President Bola Tinubu to avoid going into war with Niger military junta.
Source: Punch papers
The group gave the admonition while calling for a dialogue to resolve the issue in a statement issued by its General Secretary, Murtala Aliyu, on Friday. According to ACF, military deployment and intervention to phase out the coup plotters in the Niger Republic will not guarantee peace and stability in the ECOWAS sub-region.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that ECOWAS directed the closure of land and air borders between member states against the Niger Republic over a military coup d’état that removed democratically elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, from office. The Authority of Heads of State and Governments of ECOWAS, which Nigeria chairs also issued a seven-day ultimatum to the military in Niger Republic to restore the ousted President. In the following development, Tinubu also wrote the Senate to seek military intervention on the Niger military junta if they are recalcitrant in a bid to capture them and restore democracy in the ECOWAS country.
No Rift Between Obasanjo And I — Olowu
The Olowu of Owu kingdom in Abeokuta, Ogun state, Oba Saka Matemilola, on Friday said there is no rift between him and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Source: Daily Trust
Obasanjo, the Balogun (Chief Warrior) of Owu kingdom has been absent from events organized by the kingdom, fueling rurumorhat the ex-president may not be happy with the emergence of Oba Matemilola as the 14th Olowu. Obasanjo was part of the kingmakers that selected Oba Matemilola, but he was absent from the coronation ceremony of the monarch in 2022.
The former President was said to have traveled out of the country during Matemilola’s coronation. However, there were speculations that Obasanjo backed another contestant to the stool and it was not Matemilola who emerged as the monarch a year ago.
Niger: Use of force, last resort – FG
The Federal Government said the use of force would be the last resort should the coup plotters in the Niger Republic refuse to surrender.
Source: Punch papers
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Adamu Lamuwa, stated this on Friday at a briefing session on the current political situation in Niger Republic and the ECOWAS sub-region, organized by the ministry for the diplomatic corps. On July 26, 2023, the democratically elected President, Mohamed Bazoum, was illegally detained by the military coup led by General Abdourahamane Tchiani.
On July 30, 2023, ECOWAS, led by its Chairman and Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, decided on sanctions against the coupists in Niger who toppled Bazoum last week. In addition to a one-week ultimatum to restore constitutional order and the suspension of financial transactions with Niger, ECOWAS decreed the freezing of “all service transactions, including energy transactions.”
Delta Assembly Staff Jailed For Receiving Double Salaries For 4 Years
A staff of the Delta State House of Assembly, Mr. John Adjeke Akpoghene, has been sentenced to two years imprisonment over N14.5m salary fraud. Akpoghene was charged by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the Delta State High Court, Asaba.
Source: Leadership
The ICPC made this known in a statement on Friday. The convict was arraigned before Justice Onome Marshal-Umukoro of the Delta State High Court Asaba, for receiving double salary from the Delta State House of Assembly and Ughelli South Local Government Area.
The statement read: “Counsel to ICPC, Mrs. S. Chibuzor, had told the court that the convict fraudulently received the total sum of N14,525,550 as double salary, over four years from the State Assembly and the local government council.” “He committed the offense while working as a state civil servant and a supervisory councilor with Ughelli South Local Government Area simultaneously.”
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