POLITICS
PDP Consensus Candidate Will Oust APC from Power- Saraki
FROM TAYESE Mike Yenagoa
Former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said that the quest by some presidential aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to form a united force is for the party to take over power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Dr. Saraki said this informed their decision to advocate for a consensus candidate among the aspirants.
The presidential hopeful spoke on Monday while briefing journalists alongside his co-aspirants, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Senator Bala Mohammed, Governor of Bauchi State, after a closed-door meeting with Governor Douye Diri at the Creek Haven Government House in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
Saraki stressed that as an opposition party, the PDP cannot wrest power from the APC if it is not united.
According to him, the interest of Nigeria superseded their individual ambitions and that was why they embarked on the mission to consult the Bayelsa governor and other critical stakeholders on how to reach a consensus on the flagbearer of the party in next year’s presidential election.
Describing the PDP as the only hope to rebuild and reposition the country, the former Senate President noted that Nigeria was in bad shape and needed to be salvaged from the bad governance of the APC.
He said despite the propaganda by the ruling party, Nigerians were going through difficult times under the APC and that the only solution is for the PDP to retake power at the centre.
According to him, “We are here to intimate the governor on our efforts to have a consensus candidate. As you all know, three of us have indicated interest to run on the platform of the PDP. We have been going around talking to the leaders of our party.
“The governor of Bayelsa is not only a leader but a key stakeholder who has a role to play in the 2023 election.
“The country, despite the propaganda of the APC, is in a very bad shape. It is only the PDP that can rebuild it and give it the direction that it needs. To do that, we talk about the country not being united. You can not lead the country when you are not united.
“We all have individual ambitions but what we have come to accept and believe in is that the interest of Nigeria is far bigger than individual interests. That is why in the last three weeks we have been moving round the country, letting our leaders know that a consensus approach should be used to pick any of us.
“Our appeal to Nigerians is that we feel your pains, the hardship and insecurity. That is why our ambition is to return this country to PDP and make your lives better.
“We have come to seek your support as we approach 2023. We have spoken very well and feel encouraged by the governor’s words. Let us start now in building those blocks that will ensure that PDP will make Nigeria a better place.”
He thanked Governor Diri for the warm reception and for his words of encouragement.
Governor Diri, urged the PDP to forge a united front if the party wants to win the forthcoming election.
He insisted that the party must not be factionalised as a result of individual ambitions but rather come together to pursue the common purpose of winning the 2023 presidential election.
The Bayelsa helmsman, who promised to work for the success of the party at the polls, commended the aspirants for putting their individual interests aside for the good of the party.
His words: “There is no other way than unity of purpose of the PDP. We must realise that we are an opposition party. We are not a party in power and cannot afford to be factionalised and fractionalised due to individual ambition.
“Thank God for implanting this in the minds of these senior citizens of our great party.
“I think this is the first time in Nigeria that presidential aspirants are coming together to talk about the unity of the party and forge a way forward.
“One thing that I will assure you is that the state chapter here is prepared to work assiduously for the unity of our party, to take over the reins of governance and give to Nigerians what we were giving them before the destruction of the country by the party in power.”
POLITICS
Poverty, Behind Deadly Stampedes Across Nigeria, says Falana
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, on Sunday attributed the deadly stampede that claimedmore than 105 lives in stampedes during food and cash distribution events to “poverty-induced neoliberal economic policies” and “criminal negligence.
”In a statement released on Sunday, Falana, who chairs the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond ASCAB, demanded justice for victims of the tragic events, saying, “These tragic events are a national shame, the victims were not just statistics but human beings driven to desperation by systemic poverty and the gross incompetence of those entrusted with their safety.
”On December 21, 12 people died and 32 others were injured in Okija, Anambra State, during a scramble for rice distributed by a philanthropist.
On the same day, a stampede at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Maitama, Abuja, resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals, including children, as over 3,000 people jostled for palliatives.
Just two days prior, on December 19, 35 children lost their lives in a stampede at a Christmas funfair at an Islamic High School, Basorun. in Ibadan, Oyo State.
“The loss of these innocent lives is heart-wrenching,” Falana lamented.
“It underscores the indignity that poverty imposes on our people.”
Falana also criticized the elite for their treatment of the poor during such events, stating, “No member of the elite invites others to lunch by throwing the food,” and condemned what he termed “class prejudice” in the distribution of humanitarian aid.
He also announced plans to mobilize lawyers to pursue civil suits against the organizers of these events.
“We will ensure survivors and families of the deceased are adequately compensated,” Falana affirmed. “Those responsible for these avoidable tragedies must be held accountable.”
POLITICS
2025 budget: LP Chieftain Lauds Tinubu for Diving Priority to Security, Others
Dr Ayo Olorunfemi, National Deputy Chairman of the Labour Party (LP) ,has commended President Bola Tinubu for giving priority to security and other key sectors in the 2025 Appropriation Bill .
Olorunfemi gave the commendation while speaking with newsmeon Thursday in Lagos.
NAN reports that the President had on Wednesday presented the N47.
9 trillion 2025 Appropriation Bill , christened “Budget of Restoration, Securing Peace and Rebuilding Prosperity” , to a joint session of the National Assembly .The President listed highlights of the 2025 budget allocations to include: defense and security: N4.91 trillion; infrastructure: N4.06 trillion; Health: N2.
48 trillion and Education: N3.52 trillion.Reacting , Olorunfemi described security as an enabler of development.
He called on the President to ensure proper implementation ,saying budgets had always been well-crafted but usually lacked monitoring and implementation.
“There is nothing that can happen if there is no security. This is good if the budget is properly utilised for the purpose.
“Our problem is not about policies and budgets, it is about monitoring and implementation.
“There is nothing wrong in bringing a budget proposal forward in terms of expectation, what we want to do, how we want to do it, and how much we want to spend.
“Now, the most important thing is the implementation,, budgets in Nigeria have always been properly crafted,” the LP boss said.
Olorunfemi called on the President to build strong institutions to prevent sabotaging of his policies.
“If this government wants to do anything, it must wake up to the responsibility of monitoring policies and ensure severe penalty for anyone who attempts to sabotage such policies.
“We need institutions that no one will be able to interfere with. We must allow these institutions to work, that is what we expect.
“Once we have strong institutions, most of our problems are solved,” he said.
He also called on the President to take steps to address the problems experienced by Nigerians in the banking sector.
Olorunfemi decried the inability of many Nigerians to get cash at bank’s Automated Teller Machines and the high charges paid to get cash from Point of Sales (POS) operators.
The LP boss also urged the President to devise ways of ending multiple taxations and high fuel price, describing them as major causes of hardship .
Recalled that the President said that the budget was a demonstration of government’s commitment to stabilising the economy, improving lives and repositioning the country for greater performance.
He also said the budget sought to consolidate the key policies instituted to restructure the economy, boost human capital development, increase the volume of trade and investments and bolster oil and gas production. (NAN)
POLITICS
Atiku hails Ndimi’s Oriental Energy on commissioning of first FPSO
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
The former Vice President of Nigeria and PDP Presidential flag bearer in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar has congratulated the Chairman of the Nigerian Independent producer, Oriental Energy Resources (OER), Muhammadu Indimi, on the successful completion and commissioning of the Okwok Field’s Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel/platform in Dubai.
In a statement in Abuja by his Media Office in Abuja on Wednesday, the Former Vice President described the commissioning of the FPSO as one of the most gladdening news coming out from the upstream subsector of Nigeria’s oil industry in recent times.
“The vessel’s deployment at the Okwok field is expected to significantly increase Nigeria’s crude oil output, contributing to the government’s revenue growth and economic development objectives,” he said.
According to Atiku, “This is the first FPSO entirely funded by an indigenous Nigerian company and this landmark achievement being championed by OER showcases the rising capability of Nigerian firms in conceptualising and successfully executing complex projects in the nation’s upstream oil industry.
The successful building and commissioning of the FPSO marks a significant step toward enabling an indigenous oil and gas company to independently develop a marginal oil field.
This development marks an important milestone for Nigeria and its indigenous energy sector, he said.
“No doubt, this latest investment would boost economic growth, generate job opportunities for Nigerians, and ensure steady growth and development of not only the oil sector but the nation’s economy in general.”
He described Indimi as a man who so much believes in the capabilities that exist in the Nigerian oil and gas industry.
“From onset of his foray into the nation’s oil sector, his vision of standing out as a player of reckon in the nation’s upstream oil business has been top-notch,” he said.
As he said, Oriental Energy’s significant investment in the oil sector has set a new standard in local investment and operational excellence in the nation’s oil business, benefiting both the company and its partners.
The 40,000 barrels per day capacity facility constructed by the Singaporean firm HBA Future Energy will commence sailing to Nigerian waters beginning February 2025 for hook-up on the Okwok Oil Field. Production is expected to commence on the oil field in the first half of next year.
Okwok Oil Field, discovered by ExxonMobil in 1967, is located in Oil Mining Lease(OML) 67, in 31 metres water depth in shallow marine, southeast offshore Nigeria with estimated recoverable reserves of 45 million barrels. OER has an ongoing multi-well drilling campaign on the field that commenced in October 2023.