Headlines

President Bola Tinubu will address the nation in a broadcast on Sunday, August 4, 2024, at 7:00 am.

Television, radio, and other electronic media outlets are enjoined to plug into the network services of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) for the broadcast.

The broadcast will be repeated on the network services of the NTA and the FRCN at 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm on the same day.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

August 3, 2024

The Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, has called for calm after protests in the state turned violent, resulting in the looting and vandalization of public and private properties.

While addressing newsmen on Friday, the Emir urged youths to desist from looting and vandalizing properties, stating that such actions are not in the interest of the people and the state.

He expressed sadness over the loss of lives and the destruction of important buildings, including the Kano Printing Press and the ICT Hub of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), which was due to be commissioned the following week.

The Emir emphasized that the destroyed properties belong to the people of Kano, and that the losses will have to be borne by the community. He noted that the Kano Printing Press, which was burnt down, was a valuable resource that could have been used for human development projects.

He also lamented the vandalization of the multi-million naira ICT Hub, which would have benefited the youths of Kano by providing training in computer appreciation and other skills.

The Emir appealed to the public to avoid buying stolen goods and encouraged those who had looted items to return them to their rightful owners.

Finally, he prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives and property during the protests.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa, in a press conference in Abuja on Friday said that the Nigerian military may intervene to control looting and crisis in the ongoing hunger protest.

Musa said, “We are supporting the police all through. We are just on standby. The police are doing a good job; they are handling the situation for now.

“Unless it breaches beyond what they can handle, then the military will step in. The military is on standby and we are watching day and night.”

The CDS noted that while he’s aware of the “grievances” of the protesters on the challenging economic difficulties in the country, he urged them to show some understanding to the Federal Government.

Musa appealed to Nigerians to be united during these trying times and also cautioned against the vandalisation of property and looting.

“So, we want to call on all Nigerians to understand the government. If you have grievances, which I know people have, a lot of challenges here and there, and it is not only in Nigeria alone; everywhere in the world is facing one economic or security crisis or the other. And so, it is important to understand that we are not alone.

But what we can do is not allow criminals and individuals that have lost out to take advantage of this to destroy our country. We should realise that these destructions, monies have to be used to replace them so that we can move forward.

“We know we are challenged as a nation but we know we will overcome working together as Nigerians… Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem to our country,” he said.

He warned that the military will be professional in its conduct and ensure the prosecution of anyone caught looting and/or stealing, saying, “We will take action and the action we will take, we will take it professionally. Anyone that is caught will be taken to court and will be dealt with.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reportedly begun the sale of bags of rice worth forty thousands naira to only public servants in the Federal Capital Territory.

According to a circular seen by LEADING REPORTERS today, each civil servant is entitled to one bag while two civil servants can share one accordingly.

Picture of the circular attached below:

48 hours after the demonstration of the #EndBadGovernance protest across the nation, President Bola Tinubu is yet to address the protesters.

According to report, over #500bn worth of properties were reported destroyed and 17 persons were allegedly killed by security personnel across the country.

The protesters listed 12 demands
which seeks to address various socio-economic and political issues plaguing the nation.

The demands include:
Revert petrol pump price to N100/litre, Combat insecurity and hunger
Close all IDP camps and resettle the campers, Total electoral reform
Independent probe into the electoral budget of N355 billion.

Immediate release of ENDSARS protesters still in detention
Implementation of living wage (minimum wage of N300k)
Compulsory free education from primary to secondary school.
Children of public school holders must attend public schools in the country.

Government must patronise made-in-Nigeria goods.
Transition to unicameral legislation.
Judicial and constitutional review among others.

Despite the protests which has gearnred reactions all over the country, the president has refused the address the nation as suggested by tweeps.

Turkey on Friday blocked access to the Instagram social media network, the national communications authority said without explanation.

This is coming after censorship accusations against the United States-based company by a high-ranking Turkish official.

The BTK communications authority said in a post on its website that “instagram.com has been blocked by a decision on the date of 02/08/2024,” without adding further details.

Many users living in Turkey complained on the X platform that they couldn’t refresh their Instagram feeds, an issue verified by AFP journalists.

The Turkish presidency’s communications director Fahrettin Altun on Wednesday hit out at Meta-owned Instagram, accusing the platform of “impeding people from publishing messages of condolence for the martyr Haniyeh.”

Ismail Haniyeh, the political chief of the armed Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and a close ally of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was killed in Tehran on Wednesday in an attack blamed on Israel.

“This is a very clear and obvious attempt at censure,” Altun said on X.

According to Turkish media, there are more than 50 million users signed up to Instagram in Turkey, out of a population of 85 million.

The decision sparked mockery on other social media networks such as X.

A meme showing a congested metro station with the tagline: “X when Turks wake up to find that Instagram is blocked,” began trending on the platform.

“Instagram is blocked in Turkey, life is over,” wrote user tweeting as #CringeOfMaster alongside a picture of a grieving man.

Others mockingly asked Instagram users where they could see their doctored images now.

This is not the first time that Turkish authorities have blocked access to social media sites.

Wikipedia was blocked between April 2017 and January 2020 over two articles that alleged a link between the presidency and extremism.

That caused shock in a country where Erdogan’s government is often accused of attacking civil freedoms due to the amount of online information that became inaccessible.

In April, Facebook owner, Meta, suspended its Threads social network in Turkey following a decision by authorities to prevent it from sharing information with Instagram.

Youths hiding under the guise of the #EndBadGovernace protest broke into the Digital park of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) in Kano, vandalizing the property and carting away with millions worth of equipment, including computers and furniture.

This news was disclosed in an interview with Channels Television by Dr. Bosun Tijani, the minister of Communication, Innovation and Digital Economy.

When asked to estimate the value of the vandalized facility and the looted equipment, the Minister stated that the loss to the attack runs into millions if not billions of Naira, as the property was damaged and about 150 laptops and desktops were stolen. 

He however, noted that a private company in Kano had indicated interest in renovating the vandalized facility.

The Minister, however, noted that the vandalization of the facility would not impede the future plans for the Kano ICT Park as the Ministry is already getting support to make sure the park is renovated for your use.

Shehu Atiku Abubakar, the son of the former Vice President and current opositon leader, Atiku Abubakar was spotted among the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters in Lagos, adding a high-profile presence to the movement.

The #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest gained widespread attention and momentum through online campaigns, sparking concern among Nigerian authorities who feared a potential escalation into violence, similar to the recent protests in Kenya that forced the government to withdraw newly introduced taxes.

Lagos residents turned out in large numbers to protest what they describe as “bad governance,” with demonstrations taking place at Ojota, Ikeja Underbridge and Lekki despite stern warnings from government officials and a heavy police presence, particularly at the Lekki Tollgate.

While major roads, including the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, were largely deserted earlier in the day, Ojota became the epicentre of the Lagos protests.

The government had designated Ojota as the official protest site, prompting many demonstrators to walk from Ikeja Underbridge to the Gani Fawehinmi Park in Ojota.

Reports from social media platforms indicate that the police have been actively discouraging protests in other parts of Lagos, including Badagry, where officers reportedly told demonstrators to relocate to Ojota or face consequences.

One user shared their experience, stating, “We were peacefully protesting in Badagry when the police interrupted us, demanding we go to Ojota if we want to protest. They also threatened to deal with us if we refused to leave”

In a dramatic turn, a protester was seen undressing as a symbolic act to draw attention to the dire situation many Nigerians face. The protest at Ojota has also seen confrontations between demonstrators and counter-protesters, leading to tense scenes as both sides clash over the future direction of the country.

The impact of the protests is being felt across Lagos, with many shops shuttered in anticipation of unrest. Traders who managed to open their stalls reported little to no foot traffic, reflecting the widespread disruption caused by the ongoing demonstrations.

A 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Dutsinma Local Government Area by the Katsina State Government.

According to a statement issued on Thursday in Katsina by Alhaji Abdullahi Garba-Faskari, the secretary to the state government, the decision was made to address the current security situation in the area.

According to him, the government under the acting governor, Malam Faruq Jobe, has also banned unusual gatherings and all types of protests across the state.

He explained further that the decision followed an emergency State Security Council meeting convened on the report of breakdown of law and order in some parts of the state as a result of the nationwide protest.

“The acting governor had earlier received a group of Civil Society Organizations who were on a peaceful demonstration at the Government House and pledged to deliver their messages to the appropriate authority.

“However, later government received reports that some miscreants had hijacked the protest and unleashed their ulterior motives of shopbreaking, looting, and vandalisation of public and private properties.

“Therefore, the government found it necessary to impose these measures to safeguard people’s lives and properties in the state,” he said.

According to him, people are therefore warned to remain calm and law-abiding, as the security agencies have been directed to arrest any individual or group of persons for violating the orders.

He said that the acting governor has appealed to the people in the state to continue with their legitimate activities within the free movement period.

Kastina becomes the fourth state to declare a curfew since the start of the protest. Other states which imposed