‘This Is Very Risky’ – APC Chieftain Rejects Muslim-Muslim Senate President, Speaker

The National Vice Chairman (North West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has kicked against the emergence of a Muslim-Muslim Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Naija News reports that the senator representing Kano North, Jubrin Barau; Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu; former Minister of Niger Delta and senator-elect for Akwa Ibom North-West District, Godswill Akpabio and Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, and a few other lawmakers have begun moves to emerge Senate President. While Idris Wase, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Tajudeen Abbas, Benjamin Kalu, and others are eyeing the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives.

In a statement on Tuesday titled “APC and Tasks of Negotiating 10th NASS Leadership,” Lukman urged the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee (NWC) to be more aggressive in driving the process of negotiating leadership of the 10th National Assembly. The controversial politician warned that the emergence of the same faith leadership might destroy the electoral viability of the ruling party in future elections.

He called on political stakeholders to take a cue from the power-sharing formula adopted in 1999 when former President Olusegun Obasanjo held sway. Lukman said: “As a party, it would seem that APC has relapsed to 2015 mode of allowing elected National Assembly members to proceed with the business of constituting leadership of the 10th National Assembly in an unregulated manner.

“This is very risky, not just for APC, but for the country. Given that as a party, we contested the 2023 elections with a Muslim-Muslim ticket of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Sen. Kashim Shettima, unregulated contest for leadership of the 10th National Assembly could produce another Muslim as Senate President.

“In fact, there is also a high probability that a Muslim could also emerge as Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives. “At a time when irrationality has become overbearingly manifest in the politics of the country, it is quite frustrating for many members of the APC NWC that as leaders mandated to provide leadership in managing affairs of the party, we have become onlookers in matters that we should be directing. This must be urgently corrected.”

 

Source: Naija News

 

 

Emefiele, CBN given two-week ultimatum to make cash available to Nigerians

NLC and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have extended the ultimatum issued to CBN to make cash available in banks by two weeks. The two unions had earlier threatened in a one-week ultimatum to picket all branches of the CBN beginning from March 29 if President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime and the CBN did not end the nationwide cash crunch.

NLC president, Joe Ajaero, told a news conference in Abuja that the decision to extend the ultimatum was reached after consultations with affiliate members of both unions and their national executive councils. He said reports from state branches of the two unions indicated partial compliance by the CBN with the Supreme Court judgment to make cash available in banks.

“We agreed that we have to monitor this compliance for the next two weeks to establish whether it is sustainable. CBN rushed to move money to commercial banks, but some of the banks are getting empty again. Queues are returning to some of them,” stated Mr Ajaero. He added, “It will be very naive of the NLC to hurriedly call off the action. We would want to loosen up for another two weeks, however. The NLC and TUC have decided to allow March 29 to pass without any picketing but to watch for the next two weeks.”

He explained that “after two weeks from today, the NEC of the two organisations will meet to decide whether the CBN has fully complied and whether its compliance is sustainable to drive the economy.” The NLC president said committees had been set up at the national and state levels of the two organisations to monitor the level of compliance by the banks. He also observed that some banks did not comply with the CBN directive to operate at the weekend.

“We equally wish to advise the CBN to play its regulatory role because it can sanction banks that are not compliant as Nigerians have suffered so much,’’ Mr Ajaero said. TUC president Festus Osifo corroborated Mr Ajaero’s submission that the labour unions had agreed to sustain the push in the next two weeks to ease the hardships of Nigerians.

“With reports that came from the states, there had been some level of compliance, but some banks refused to comply or refused to open, and they did not open at the weekend,” stated Mr Osifo. “We call on the CBN to encourage them to sustain the availability of cash as the confidence in the system has been eroded. The CBN needs to do much more. It needs to supply much more money into the economy.”

Source: Peoples Gazette/ NAN

 

 

39 passengers die in Niger, Bauchi, Kebbi auto crashes

39 deaths has been recorded in ghastly crashes across cities in Nigeria.

No fewer than 24 persons died in a gastly motor accident on Bida-Mokwa Road, Niger State on Monday. This came as tragedy struck also on Monday in Dass Local Government Area of Bauchi State as four persons died in an auto crash. Also, 11 persons were confirmed dead in a motor accident on Bunza/Maidahini Road in Bunza Local Government Area of Kebbi State, while three persons sustained injuries.

The Niger State accident occured around 10:10p.m. at Etsu-Woro village in Lavun Local Government Area of the state. It waa gathered that the luxury bus involved in the accident was carrying about 87 passengers, who were said to be travelling from Zaria to Lagos.

The Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, Niger State, Mr. Kumar Tsukwan, who confirmed the incident to journalists in Minna, yesterday, said his men rushed to the scene within eight minutes of receiving the report of the accident. He said: “The truck was carrying 84 people with goods and it was a lone accident. Seventy four of the victims were males, six females and seven children. Forty five sustained injuries, including 39 males, three females and three children while 10 others survived without any injury.”

He noted that the victims were immediately evacuated to general hospital Kutigi for prompt medical attention while the corpses were also deposited at the Kutigi hospital mortuary. Speaking on the Bauchi State crash, Mr. Yusuf Abdullahi, Sector Commander, FRSC, in Bauchi State, said five other persons sustained serious injuries. He said the lone accident involved a green commercial Ford Galaxy vehicle with nine passengers on board.

He said: “Nine persons were involved in the crash and they were eight male adults and one female adult. Four male adults lost their lives on the spot, while five others, four male adults and one female adult sustained injuries.” Abdullahi, who attributed the crash to a burst tyre and loss of control, said it occured at 10.30 a.m. He said it took the corps barely 15 minutes to arrive at the crash scene to clear the site. The sector commander said both the injured and the corpses of the deceased were taken to the General Hospital, Dass for treatment and confirmation. He advised motorists to always be conscious of traffic rules and regulations while plying the roads.

 

Source: Vanguard