Today's Headlines:Senate, JNI Reject Military Action Caution Tinubu; Nigeria'll Rise Under Tinubu–Dapo Thomas

Senate, Sultan Group Reject Military Action, Caution Tinubu

Photo Credit:Vanguard papers

The Senate and the Jama’atu Nasril Islam, JNI, led by the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, have asked the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and President of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, and other leaders of the region to tread with caution in addressing the political quagmire in Niger Republic following the sack of the democratically elected administration of Mohamed Bazoum.

Rising from a closed-door session that lasted about two hours to discuss the letter sent by Tinubu on the decisions taken by the regional body, the Senate, yesterday, condemned the coup d’etat in Niger but asked ECOWAS and its leaders to deploy political and diplomatic options to resolve the political impasse.

Tinubu had, on Friday, written the Senate intimating it about the coup in the neighbouring country and proposed military action and other sanctions against the juntas by the ECOWAS.

The Senate and the JNI made their positions known as the seven-day ultimatum given by West African leaders for the military in Niger to reinstate President Mohamed Bazoum drew to a close, even as analysts said both sides have crucial decisions to make.

Last Sunday evening, the regional bloc, headed by Tinubu, said the junta had a week to restore constitutional order or face the possible use of force.

Nigeria’ll Rise Under Tinubu–Dapo

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A former Senior Special Assistant on Policy Formulation and Programmes to President Bola Tinubu when he served as the governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, Dr Dapo Thomas, shares with MUHAMMED LAWAL his expectations from the Tinubu presidency

Many Nigerians have described some of Tinubu’s economic policies since assuming office as inflicting hardship on the people, do you agree with those who said things could have been done differently?

If you go through the history of subsidy under the military and civilian administrations, it has never gone well with the people. They were always against it. There was never a time an attempt was made to remove subsidy that did not result in rioting. Surprisingly, people have given him the necessary support, hoping that things will get better and based on his credibility when he was in Lagos. It is in his character to always take care of the poor. There is no way we can start seeing the results now. He has suspended the five per cent excise tax on telecoms and others. This means we are approaching a level where we will begin to see the effect of this policy.

Many people have admitted that subsidy could go, but its removal without palliatives has plunged many people into poverty. Was it right to remove it before strategising on palliatives?

This is like a case of the chicken and the egg, and the narrative about which comes first. It is a matter of style and approach. On what basis or framework will the Nigeria Labour Congress use to arrive at compensatory or commensurate palliatives if he had introduced the palliatives before the removal of subsidy. If palliatives had been introduced when fuel was selling for about N200, what happens if the marketers raise fuel price to N500, the current price? Will you come back to do another palliative? Now that we know the average cost per litre, that can be used as a framework for palliatives.

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Ministerial List: Blame South-East Leaders Not President Tinubu

Photo Credit:Daily Post

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Enugu State, Mr Osita Okechukwu has absolved President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of any blame in the nomination of only five people from the South-East as members of his cabinet.

Criticism has trailed Tinubu’s ministerial list, with some South-East leaders accusing him of marginalising the zone.

While the South-East was given its statutory five slots out of the 48 nominees, other zones got extra slots

But answering questions from journalists in Enugu on Sunday on the perceived shabby treatment meted out to the South East, Mr Okechukwu, a foundation member of APC quipped that without holding brief or defending Mr President, “instead of blaming him, we should rather blame our so-called South East APC leaders.”

Okechukwu, the Director General of Voice of Nigeria, (VON) said: “As you are aware, I am not a President Tinubu’s apologist; however we must be diligent in our analysis by adopting pragmatic analysis.

Wake Not Our Sleeping Sword Lightly_FFK

Photo Credit:Vanguard papers

Over the last two days, my Whatsapp has been flooded and telephone inundated with an overwhelming number of vexatious, malevolent, irritating and nauseating video clips of Nigerien, Burkinabe and Malian soldiers marching and chanting war songs against our great country Nigeria whilst being applauded and egged on by ecstatic French-speaking crowds who are reigning curses on our beloved homeland and our President and burning our flag.

Surely even the most unpatriotic Nigerians find it hard to stomach this impudent affront from a bunch of wild and excitable protesters that are little better than slavish monkeys, camel jockeys and desert rats.

Yet let me try to be civil in this piece and contain my rage.

I am glad to take note of the fact that one of our most highly respected former Heads of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar and one of our most reverred traditional rulers and Royal Fathers, His Eminence, Sultan Sa’ad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, have been asked by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and ECOWAS to act as peace envoys to our troubled neighbour Niger Republic, in an attempt to bring an end to the impasse that has been brought about by the removal from power and abduction of their democratically-elected President and the imposition of military rule.

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