Folarin Kehinde

The supreme court has dismissed the suit seeking the disqualification of Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima as presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A five-member panel of the supreme court held on Friday that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lacked the locus standi to institute the suit.

The panel said the PDP is not a member of the APC.

The PDP had claimed that Shettima’s nomination as Tinubu’s running mate was in breach of the provisions of sections 29(1), 33, 35, and 84(1)(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The opposition party argued that Shettima’s nomination to contest the position of vice-president and Borno central senatorial seat — at the same time — contravened the law.

The outgoing governor of Abia State, Mr Okezie Ikpeazu is making last minute move to use the judiciary to obstruct the swearing in of the gubernatorial winner of the March 2023 elections, Alex Otti of Labor Party to pave way for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Okechukwu Ahiwe.

This is following a judgment by a Kano Federal High Court Judge, Justice Mohammed.N. Yunusa who gave an order cancelling the elections that brought in LP candidates in Kano which spiralled to Abia State candidates.

Yunusa was once suspended by the National Judicial Council in July 2016 and also alleged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for judicial bribery.
The Kano judgment has been appealed by the leadership of the Labor Party and Otti.

We gathered that a female Judge in Abia was again approached to give another judgment nullifying Otti’s candidature but she told them that it is impossible in law to give such orders.

Our source stated that they are currently in Sokoto State, allegedly led by Ikpeazu’s former Chief of Staff, ACB Agbazuere. They have slept in Sokoto for two nights shopping for a judge that will give an order stopping the inauguration of Alex Otti.

An Independent National Electoral Commissioner (INEC) Federal Commissioner who spoke on condition of being unnamed stated that no judgment brought can stop the inauguration of any governor when a superior court has been appealed to.

He noted that they have received court papers from LP showing that the Kano judgment has been appealed and cannot do anything until the Appeal Court decides.

The United Kingdom has slammed restrictions on student visa routes in a bid to cut net migration, a statement on Tuesday announced.

The policy restricts students from Nigeria and other countries from bringing family members on all but postgraduate research routes.

The government also banned people from using a student visa as a backdoor route to work in the UK, noting that net migration was over 500,000 from June 2021 to June 2022.

It reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy which supports the economy through the contribution students can bring to the UK.

The government has also made clear that the terms of the graduate route remain unchanged, announcing the new reforms affecting students starting from January 2023.

The UK promised to work with the higher education sector to explore alternative options to ensure the brightest and best students can continue to bring dependents.

Furthermore, to prevent misuse of the visa system, students will be stopped from switching from the student visa route to work routes until their studies have been completed.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, has told the planet to be ready for a disease deadlier than COVID-19.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave the warning on Monday while unveiling a new global scheme to spot and track the most dangerous pathogens during an annual meeting of its 194 member states in Geneva, Switzerland.

Speaking with the World Health Assembly forum on the threat of a new public health crisis that could not be kicked ‘down the road’, Tedros stated that despite the darkest days of the pandemic being consigned to history, a doomsday COVID-19 variant with the power to send the world back to square one could still spawn.

The threat of another variant emerging that causes new surges of disease and death remains. And the threat of another pathogen emerging with even deadlier potential remains,” he said.

Although, no specific diseases were named. But ‘Disease X’ — a place-holder given to a devastating pathogen not yet discovered — is on the UN agency’s list of pressing threats.

Dr Tedros’ comments come weeks after WHO declared that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern. Instead, the virus is now considered an ‘established and ongoing health issue.

President Muhammadu Buhari, the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, Faure Gnassingbé of Togo, Mahamat Déby of Chad, Macky Sall of Senegal and Mohamed Bazoum of Niger are set to commission Africa’s largest 650,000 Barrels Per Day Dangote Refinery, today, Monday in Ibeju-Lekki Lagos.

Also, President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will grace the occasion, and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who will not be physically present, will present his goodwill message virtually.

The epoch-making event is expected to transform Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

The new Refinery owned by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote can meet 100% of the Nigerian requirement for all refined products (Gasoline, 53 million litres per day; Diesel, 34 million litres per day; Kerosene, 10 million litres per day, and Aviation Jet, 2 million litres per day) and also have a surplus of each of these products for export.

As of the time of filing this report, all the 36 state governors and most of the governors-elect, ministers, senators, and captains of industries in Nigeria and others from outside the country, global oil traders, top international bankers, international multilateral agencies have indicated their readiness to grace the ceremony.

The Chairman of the Presidential Transition Council and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, has said the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima, will be honoured with the Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic and Grand Commander of Order of the Niger respectively on May 25.

He also said there would be the handover of transition documents to Tinubu and Shettima on the same day.

Similarly, he said the former president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta, would deliver the inauguration lecture.

The lecture titled, “Deepening Democracy for Integration and Development” is billed to hold on Saturday, May, 27.

Mustapha spoke while reeling out activities lined up for the May 29 handover ceremony.

Other activities are The Regimental Dinner in honour of the Commander in Chief at the Armed Forces Officers Mess slated for May 23; Valedictory Federal Executive Council Meeting Council Chambers at Presidential Villa on Wednesday, May 24, 2023; Public Lecture and Jumaat Prayer at the National Mosque on Friday, May, 26; Children’s Day Parade and Children’s Party on May, 27 and Inter-denominational Church Service at the National Christian Centre on May 28.

Also, Inauguration Dinner/Gala Night at the State House Conference Centre is billed for May 28; On Monday, May 29, 2023, Inauguration Parade/Swearing-In will be held at Eagle Square.

There will also be a Post Inauguration Luncheon strictly for the President with brother Presidents, Heads of Government, and his guests at the State House Banquet Hall on May 29.

Mustapha disclosed that the theme for the inauguration is “NIGERIA: Better Together”.

He said, “The upcoming event is historically significant to this great nation and the international community, particularly Africa because of the democratic values and lessons in nationhood. For these reasons, we have chosen, ‘NIGERIA: Better Together’, as the theme for the 2023 transition.

I am delighted to inform you that May 29, 2023, will mark the 7th consecutive democratic transition of power in Nigeria and on that day, we shall all be ushering in the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Borno has emerged as the best-performing state in primary healthcare delivery in the country and took home on Wednesday night, the sum of $1.2 m.

The flagship programme, a leadership challenge, is aimed at revamping the Primary Health Care Under One Roof policy in Nigeria through the commitment of State Governors to Primary Healthcare Funding.

For the feat, Borno State got $700,000 for emerging as the best-performing state overall and $500,000 for emerging winner in the Northeast in the best-performing zonal awards category.

The Zonal winners who got $500,000 each included Kwara, Jigawa, Rivers, Ondo, and Ebonyi States for North-Central, North-West, South-South, North-West and South-East respectively.

The first runner-ups in each zone got $400,000 each and comprised the Federal Capital Territory for (North-Central), Bauchi for North-East, Zamfara for North-West, Abia for South-East, Edo for South-South and Ogun for South-West.

Speaking at the event held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, a representative of the United Nations Children’s FUND, Christian Munduate said 13 states got prices totaling $6.1 million, in recognition and honour of “The exceptional leadership of Governors who have made significant investments in Primary Health Care across the country.

According to her, the awards carry not only prestige but also huge significance given the positive impact made by the states in the lives of their people.

According to Munduate, the award came into being in November 2019, “Where the Nigerian Governors were hosted in Seattle by visionaries Bill Gates and Alhaji Aliko Dangote. This historical gathering led to the creation of the primary healthcare leadership challenge.

“This initiative is organised by the Nigerian Governors Forum, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, and UNICEF, with the generous support of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Aliko Dangote Foundation.

“The challenge aimed at enhancing Governors’ commitment to human capital development and primary health care, mobilize state resources, promote accountability and also to innovate for gender-specific health outcomes,” she said

On the honours, she added that “These awards highlight the value placed on progress made towards primary health care and will be used by the winning states to further strengthen their existing efforts and initiatives for primary health care.

“The Governors being recognized today have not only excelled but have also become shining examples for others to follow.

Their achievements will be celebrated not only through public recognition, but also through personnel commendation by distinguished individuals, such as the Vice President, the Ministry of Health, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Aliko Dangote Foundation”, she said.

The UNICEF Country Representatives said the vision behind the investment is not unconnected with the need to make primary healthcare accessible to women, girls, and children in Nigeria “Improve the leadership oversight management and delivery of essential health services at the sub-national level where there are building blocks for enhancing an overall health outcome.”

She continued: “The 36 executive governors of Nigeria, under whose leadership we stand today (Wednesday) have a unique opportunity to accelerate progress and to create lasting challenges.

The federal government has threatened to hire ad-hoc doctors with salaries of the striking resident doctors.

The Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, gave the hint during a Channels Television programme.

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) began a five-day warning strike, on Wednesday, over unmet demands.

The association is, among other things, demanding increment in the Consolidated Medical Salary Structure to the tune of 200 per cent of the current gross salary of doctors; new allowances included in its letter to the Minister of Health on July 7, 2022, on the review of CONMESS; payment of the 2023 Medical Residency Training Fund; payment of salary arrears and consequential adjustment of the minimum wage.

Ngige said the striking resident doctors were crying wolf.

He also said the NARD was disrespectful to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), which was already negotiating with the government on its behalf.

“The resident doctors are part of NMA. They are young doctors in training. So if the NMA is negotiating on their behalf as the parent body, what these young people (resident doctors) are doing is disrespecting the NMA. They are crying wolf when there is none,” he said.