TOP STORIES: President Tinubu holds first security meeting with Security Chiefs in Aso Rock.
… Gives Service Chiefs New Security Template.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has warned the service chiefs and heads of other security agencies against working at cross purposes under his administration.
He charged them to work together in a coordinated manner to achieve one single purpose of tackling the challenges of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, oil theft, sea robbery and piracy among others.
The National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, told reporters after the first meeting the president had with security and intelligence chiefs at the State House, Abuja, yesterday.
The meeting lasted over two hours.
The NSA said Tinubu also demanded frequent consultations and timely actions on reports at the meeting of the general security appraisal committee. Monguno said Tinubu told heads of security and intelligence agencies that he would not tolerate incidents of oil theft. He said the president also said his administration would embark on reforms of the security architecture.
Monguno said: “The president has revealed that in moving this country forward, he needs the security agencies to redouble their efforts. And he’s also pointed out that his own philosophy is one of contemporary security measures dealing with the requirements of the time.
“He has made it very clear that he will not accept a situation in which our fortunes keep declining. And his own trajectory is that national security has to be coordinated, there has to be wherever, whatever it says whether it is a basket system, but there must be a clearing house.
“All agencies must work to achieve one single purpose. Working at cross purposes and colliding with each other is not something that he will condone.
“He has made it very, very clear that all the security agencies must comply with the demands of coordination, with the demands of frequent consultations and also timely reports which must be acted on.”
He added: “Having been briefed by the participants of the meeting, Mr. President, addressed prevailing issues confronting the nation in terms of insecurity and also mentioned his own philosophy towards dealing with national security issues.
“He (Tinubu) appreciated the armed forces and intelligence agencies and the wider paramilitary agencies for the work they have been doing in the past couple of years. Their sacrifice, their loyalty and he also paid tribute to those who died defending this country, from the great, big menace of terrorism, insurgency, banditry, oil theft, sea robbery, piracy, etc.”
“He is going to embark on a lot of reforms in terms of our security architecture, he is going to take a closer look at our misfortunes in the maritime domain, focusing particularly on the issues of oil theft that is not going to tolerate. Wherever the problem is coming from, it must be crushed as soon as possible.”
The NSA said the president told the security chiefs of his determination to build on gains made so far, reverse misfortunes and turn the tide in favour of the country. He said Tinubu noted that Nigeria should not be on its knees struggling while other countries were walking and achieving greater heights.
He said: “He (Tinubu) has already mandated the security agencies to come up with a blueprint as far as he knows, as far as it’s concerned, he doesn’t have the luxury of time. And whatever changes will be made have to be done as soon as possible.
“The president has also decided that whatever ventures the armed forces are going to be engaged in, they must carry along those operatives in the theatre. They must be well fed, well kitted, motivated and given all that they require.
“President has said clearly that he will do whatever is within his powers to enable the operational elements but the intelligence agencies must also make their work easy for them by providing the type of intelligence that they require to carry out the assignment.”
While speaking, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said the security chiefs had received new instructions on how the president wanted security to be pursued, assuring the team was already inspired to carry out the new tasks
“The meeting went very well. What we’ve done is to give the President, Commander-in-Chief, the situation of the security across the country and even beyond our borders of what the current situation is.
“We also got a mandate from him as to how he wants the security disposition across to be. “So we have left Mr President fired with that mandate and to realign our intervention to fit, not just the expectation of Nigerians, but with the mandate that Mr President has given to us”, he said.
Among those who attended the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, are the Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor; Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Farouk Yahaya; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo; the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao, and the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba.
Others were the Director-General of the Department of State Service (DSS), Yusuf Bichi; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
IGP Elevates 31,465 Inspectors, Rank And File.
In his commitment to enhancing the development of the police force, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, has implemented a comprehensive promotion plan aimed at recognizing deserving police officers based on their competence, qualifications, and length of service.
As a result of this initiative, a total of 31,465 policemen has been promoted under his leadership which includes 24,991 officers promoted from Sergeants to Inspectors, 194 from Corporal to Sergeant, and 6,280 from Constable to Corporal.
The IGP urged the newly promoted officers to display greater enthusiasm in upholding the fundamental principles and values of modern policing. He expects them to carry out their responsibilities diligently and in accordance with the existing laws.
Also, he extended his congratulations to two Assistant Inspectors-General of Police who have been honored with national awards. AIG Aishatu Abubakar, mni, has been conferred with the prestigious Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) award, while AIG Olofu Tony Adejoh has received the esteemed National Productivity Order of Merit Award (NPOM) from the National Productivity Centre, Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, with the approval of the former President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
The Inspector-General of Police encouraged th senior officers to leverage their wealth of experience and well-deserved national recognition in carrying out their duties in service to the nation.
No Plan To Protest Against Fuel Subsidy Removal – NLC.
The Nigeria Labour Congres (NLC) has denied media reports that there is a plan to hold any nationwide protest against the removal of fuel subsidy which has led to a hike in the price of petrol.
Ajaero stated that the organized labour has not scheduled a protest for Friday, adding that the union is only holding a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting tomorrow to deliberate on the subsidy removal.
He said though the NLC was outraged by what it described as a mindless price increase that is intended to bring untold hardship to ordinary Nigerians, the congress is not planning any protest for now.
The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to stories circulating in the social media space claiming that the Nigeria Labour Congress would commence protest action tomorrow (Friday, June 2nd) against the increase in the pump price of PMS.
In as much as we are outraged by this mindless price increase which is intended to bring untold hardship to ordinary Nigerians, we have no plan to start any action tomorrow.
“What we do have for now are organ meetings slated for tomorrow, Friday, June 2nd, 2023 to deliberate on the price issue. We promise to keep Nigerians informed on our next line of action after our meetings.
“In light of this, we advise the public to disregard these stories. They did not emanate from the Congress.”
Tinubu’s daughter declares self Iyaloja General of Nigeria.
Barely two days after her father’s inauguration as Nigeria’s president, Folashade Tinubu-Ojo has declared herself the Iyaloja-General of the country.
Ms Tinubu-Ojo, the Iyaloja of Lagos markets, also crowned herself the first daughter of Nigeria.
Iyaloja is a Yoruba word that translates to “Mother of the Market” in South Western states. It is an elective position commonly used to refer to market leader.
Every market has a male and a leader known as Babaloja and Iyaloja, respectively.
Among the leaders, a general leader is chosen hence the title, Iyaloja-General.
Tinubu-Ojo, 47, had held the position of Iyaloja-General since 2013, when she took over from her grandmother, Abibat Mogaji, whoicurrent president’s mother.
Tinubu-Ojo stirred angst when she updated her Twitter bio to read, “This is the official handle of the Iyaloja General of Nigeria. The First Daughter of the FRN” on Monday.
Her updated Twitter bio is a far cry from the previous administration, where the president’s children were not visible. Even the ‘Office of the First Lady’ was not recognised.Created in October 2022, the Twitter handle already has over twenty-two thousand followers.
As the first child of the president, having lost her elder brother, Ms Tinubu Ojo is a member of the first family.
The first family is an unofficial title which draws its etymology from pop culture and became popular in 1962 after American comedian Vaughn Meader released his comedy album, ‘The First Family’.
Going by reactions, many seem to believe that Ms Tinubu-Ojo, by announcing herself as the First Daughter of Nigeria, may be getting some other monetary inducements.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Iyaloja of Lagos launched her latest project, Friends of Iyaloja Initiative, which she said will channel her experience, connections and human resources towards supporting her father’s administration.
“I shall be focusing on Youth & Women Empowerment, empowering people with Special Needs, empowering the vulnerable and several other programs aimed at affecting the lives of Nigerians, especially, those in the grassroots
“We shall partner with other notable NGOs with track records of excellence in the Key areas. We shall also seek collaborations with several governmental agencies, ministries and parastatals created to serve Nigerians in areas that pertain to our operational cycle,” she wrote.
Her newly updated bio, however, did not go down well with Nigerian Twitter users who have not failed to air their opinion on the matter.
Fayemi in EFCC net over alleged N4 billion fraud.
The Immediate past governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, yesterday, submitted himself to operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Fayemi is currently undergoing intense questioning at the Ilorin office of the commission. A source told The Guardian that Fayemi arrived at the EFCC facility at about 10 a.m. and was grilled over issues of corruption while serving as governor of Ekiti State.
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The source revealed that the commission is interrogating the former governor over allegation of N4 billion misappropriation during his tenure as governor of Ekiti State.
EFCC Spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, who confirmed the development in a telephone chat with The Guardian, said the former Ekiti State governor was with the commission but did not comment further.
Uwujaren said: “Yes, it is true, he is with the commission.”
Kyari: Tinubu Has Directed Palliatives Be Put in Place to Cushion Effect of Subsidy Removal.
On same day, Kyari said during an interview on ARISE News Channel that the adjustment in petrol pump price was not fixed. He stressed that prices would continue to change in reaction to market forces in the coming weeks. But organised labour, under the aegis of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), said it was still weighing the situation in the aftermath of the petrol price increment.
NLC said it would not hesitate to take all necessary actions within the ambit of the law to protect the interest of Nigerian workers and the masses.
NLC disclosed that as part of moves to galvanise action against the government policy, the union would hold an emergency National Executive Council (NEC) meeting today in Abuja, to decide on appropriate steps to take over the massive increase in fuel price.
In Edo State, Edo Civil Society Organisations (EDOCSO), yesterday, blocked a section of the busy Benin/Lagos highway in protest against the increase in petrol pump price. The protest, which also took place at different locations in the state, obstructed vehicular movement.
However, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) called on the federal government not to be distracted by the tricks of those it described as discredited self-serving labour leaders and unscrupulous oil marketers who would seize every opportunity to undermine government’s good intentions. But global human rights body, Amnesty International, advised that the removal of fuel subsidy must not exacerbate poverty in the country.
The House of Representatives at plenary yesterday, stated that with the petroleum subsidy removal, the federal government should forthwith suspend all Direct Sales Direct Purchase (DSDP) contracts. The House said NNPC should act according to the provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) in order to ensure that the country was not short-changed in production, lifting, and sale of crude.
The development followed the announcement by Tinubu during his inaugural address on Monday that fuel subsidy was “gone”. Tinubu promised to re-channel the expected savings to education, health and other sectors.
NLC had expressed displeasure over the new pricing template, describing it as vexatious. Furthermore, Kyari, while speaking with the APC NWC members, noted that NNPC could not continue to be the sole importer of petrol in the country.
The GCEO said, “There is a gradual process now of making a flexible and single exchange rate regime. Everyone will be able to have access to foreign exchange and there is a transition going on now and the NNPC cannot continue to be the sole importer. We know that this is going to vanish and the market will stabilise this.”
On the rehabilitation of the four national refineries, Kyari said, “There is an on-going process of rehabilitation and one of the refineries will come on stream this year. The second will come on stream next year and the third will come in 2025.” The NNPC boss said it was very obvious that the country could no longer afford the subsidy payment and it had to be removed.
Source: Thisday.
Tinubu to meet APC Governors over Appointments, NASS Leadership.
President Bola Tinubu is set to convene a meeting today with governors from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The meeting, reportedly scheduled to take place at the State House, will be led by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, recently elected Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum.
This gathering marks the first official meeting between President Tinubu and the APC governors since his inauguration earlier this week.
Among the attendees, nine governors are newly elected, while the other 11 are returning to their positions.
A reliable source familiar with the planned meeting revealed that the agenda would cover topics such as the selection of National Assembly leadership positions, ministerial appointments, and the overall direction of the government.
It is understood that many of the governors, who have already identified preferred candidates from their respective states, will seize this opportunity to present their choices to the president.
President Tinubu has pledged to ensure the inclusion of all stakeholders in his government formation process.
Additionally, discussions are expected to touch on the current state of affairs following the removal of fuel subsidy.
It is anticipated that the president will share his administration’s strategies for addressing the effects of the subsidy removal, considering that petrol prices have surged to as high as N750 per litre nationwide.
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