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Soldiers opened fire, on Thursday, when suspected hoodlums hijacked trailers loaded with foodstuff in the Suleja Area of Niger State.

Alhassan Abdullahi, a witness, told our correspondent that many trailers coming from Abuja and heading for Kaduna were blocked by the hoodlums who burnt tyres on the road.

He said many bags of food stuffs, especially rice, were stolen before soldiers arrived the scene.

“It took intervention of soldiers who arrived the scene and started firing gun shots in the air to scare the hoodlums away. But even with that, many of them went away with bags of rice and cartons of spaghetti and other food items.”

“We learnt commercial motorcycle riders are also planning a protest. They would have done it since yesterday but we didn’t know what stopped them,” he said.

The development comes amid the nationwide hardship that has triggered protests in different parts of the country.

Details later…

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said that the state will resume a 25% reduction on public transportation in the state.

In a live media chat with journalists on Thursday, the governor said, “Almost immediately from this weekend, we’re throwing back a 25% reduction on all public transportation.

“We’re working with the various unions to ensure that we also can support them. But on our BRT, our trains, our ferry services, we’re going to begin to enjoy that almost immediately from this weekend.

“I’ve given an instruction, so they are working on the logistics for that.”

The Lagos State Government, in a bid to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal, slashed the costs of transportation of all state-owned transport systems by 50 per cent in August 2023. It was, however stopped in November, 2023.

The Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has denied procuring 800 tractors with the state’s palliative funds.

There have been reports and insinuations making the rounds that the state government has utilised part of the palliative funds it received from the Federal Government to procure tractors instead of distributing them to the targeted beneficiaries.

But in a statement on Thursday, Soludo’s Press Secretary, Christian Aburime, insisted that the claims were entirely “false” and “without merit”.

Aburime said one of the support initiatives the Soludo administration has offered farmers in the state, is the distribution of 1,100,000 hybrid coconut and palm seedlings to over 100,000 households, igniting the hope of lifting many out of poverty.

He added that this was done out of budgetary allocation to agriculture, and not with any palliatives fund.

The statement read in part, “The attention of the Anambra State Government has been drawn to a fake news story circulating online, claiming that Soludo utilised part of the state’s palliative funds to procure 800 tractors, which were subsequently distributed to farmers free of charge.

“We wish to categorically state that these claims are entirely false and without merit.

“Instead, one of the support initiatives the Soludo administration has offered farmers in the state is the distribution of 1,100,000 hybrid coconut and palm seedlings to over 100,000 households, igniting the hope of lifting many out of poverty. This was done out of budgetary allocation to agriculture, and not with any palliatives fund.

“Anambra State Government under the leadership of Soludo has always been committed to transparent and accountable governance, with a primary focus on the well-being of its citizens, particularly farmers.”

He added that the administration operates within the bounds of fiscal responsibility and prudent financial management, adding that any insinuation suggesting otherwise is baseless and misleading.

“We urge the public to disregard such fake news and refrain from spreading misinformation that may convey wrong impressions among the populace.

“The Anambra State Government remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance for the benefit of Ndi Anambra,” the statement added.

In a bid to alleviate economic challenges faced by residents, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced a new working arrangement for civil servants in the state.

Under this directive, civil servants in levels 1 to 14 will operate on a three-day workweek.

During a live media chat, ‘Sanwo Speaks,’ the governor made this announcement, where he outlined measures to ease economic burdens on Lagosians.

He said the new working schedule is expected to provide relief and flexibility to workers while addressing economic challenges.

He, however, noted that workers in the teaching sector will maintain the traditional five-day work schedule.

To ensure their smooth transition, he pledged additional transport support for them.

Sanwo-Olu said the move is part of the state government’s commitment to adapting to the evolving economic landscape and prioritizing the welfare of its workforce.

He added that by allowing for a more flexible work arrangement, his government aims to balance maintaining productivity and easing the strain on workers.

Amid the economic hardship in the country, Abuja-based human rights lawyer, Pelumi Olajengbesi, has urged Nigerian billionaires to come to the aid of hungry Nigerians by making donations similar to their generosity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

In a statement on Wednesday, Olajengbesi noted that there is hunger in the land which may grow into public disturbances if not checked.

He said, “Our dear country is going through one of the toughest times in history, economically, no thanks to the policies of the new government.

“Multinationals are exiting the country, thousands of jobs lost.

“There is hunger in the land. And as the saying goes, ‘a hungry man is an angry man’, hence, the protests spreading over the country as demonstrators express displeasure over the hardship in the land”.

He further likened the current hardship in the country to the coronavirus pandemic four years ago that saw the philanthropic gestures of billionaires such as Aliko Dangote, who collaborated with the Central Bank of Nigeria to lead the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19.

“It’s time for our billionaires and respected business moguls in the private sector to step in and provide succour for our teeming citizens, just like they graciously did during the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has opted out of the planned nationwide strike proposed by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).

This was contained in a statement by the Vice President of the TUC, Tommy Etim, on Thursday.

Etim blamed the decision to pull out of the planned strike on what he described as “lack of decision making”.

He emphasized on the need for collective agreement between labour unions before reaching a decision to embark on a protest.

Meanwhile, the NLC has rejected the advice of the Department of State Services (DSS) to shelve the nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28.

I’m a statement on Wednesday evening, NLC president described the advice as unsolicited adding that it would proceed with the protest the hardship currently being faced by most Nigerians.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of DCG Kemi Nanna Nandap as the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS).

Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesman, who announced this in a statement on Wednesday, said the appointment is effective from March 1, 2024.

“DCG Nandap takes over from Mrs. Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, whose term in office expires on February 29, 2024.

“Before her appointment as Comptroller-General, Nandap was the Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the Migration Directorate of the Service.

“The President anticipates that the new Comptroller-General will deepen the ongoing reforms in the service and create a robust mechanism for efficient and dedicated service delivery to Nigerians, as well as strengthen the nation’s security through proactive and effective border security and migration management.”

The leadership of the organised labour on Wednesday took a swipe at the Department of State Services (DSS) over its warning that the movement should shelve its proposed protest billed to hold February 27 and 28.

The secret police had earlier counseled the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and its counterpart from Trade Union Congress (TUC) to rescind their decision, saying the plea was in the interest of the country.

But reacting to the DSS’ warning, the president of NLC, Joe Ajaero, said the secret police should not blackmail the organised labour and arrest those that want to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis and by extension, widespread violence as claimed.

Ajaero said history would not forgive the labour movement and its leadership if it sits idly and allows the current hardship to continue festering due to non-chalant attitude of the Nigerian government and its officials.

The labour leader, who described the forthcoming action as “peaceful protest against unpardonable cost of living”, added that the Congress would not fold its arm while Nigerians continue to live in penury.

“We are concerned by the unsolicited advice of the Department of State Security to shelve our planned protest against the unprecedented high cost of living in spite of the indescribable suffering in the land, spiralling inflation, deepening poverty and the Naira at an exchange rate of N1,900 to the US Dollar.

“According to the Service, the planned protest should be shelved “in the interest of peace and public order”, pre-supposing that the action is intended to be violent and disruptive even when we have a history of peaceful protests.

“More worrying is the new role the Service has assigned to itself, the chief spokes person of the government.

“According to the Service, “It is common knowledge that all levels of Government are striving to ameliorate the prevailing economic condition and as such, should be given a benefit of the doubt, So far, appropriate authorities are working assiduously with a spectrum of stakeholders to fashion out modalities to address the current difficulties”.

“We are equally worried that although the “Service is aware that some elements are planning to use the opportunity of the protest to foment crisis and by extension, widespread violence”, and yet have not executed the arrest of these elements.

“We are equally intrigued by the innuendos of the Service, their philosophy of “peace” and wild allegations and we want to reassure them that no one loves this country more than us and on our honour, we would never do anything that will compromise its sovereignty or security.

“Having said this, we would not have ourselves blackmailed or lied against by the Service. Our protest is a peaceful one against the unpardonable cost of living of which the unserviced personnel of the Service are also victims. We cannot fold our hands and pretend all is well. That will be a grievous conspiracy that history will not forgive.”

The Police has released the national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure, who was arrested on Wednesday in Benin city, the Edo State capital.

According to the Police, Abure was arrested over a petition accusing him of attempted murder and conspiracy to commit dangerous harm.

The Police also accused Abure of illegal possession of firearms.

Speaking after his release, Abure said: “No struggle to liberate a country comes easy. Many countries of the world where freedom fighters have fought for the emancipation of the people suffer injustice, suffer prosecution and it is what is happening to me and my other colleagues since after the general election.

“After the general election, they have tried to instigate crisis in the party, they tried to bring false accusations against us. They have come to talk about forgery at a time, when it did not work, they came with embezzlement.

“Any person that is aggrieved within the party, they go and instigate them to write petition and to make trouble. And the irony is that the police even act on those things (but) at the end of the day, they will find out that those things are false.

“Yesterday, we were making arrangements for the primaries and of course the police swamped on us, arrested us over what I would not want to discuss now because investigation is going on and therefore, I do not want to preempt them.

“But I must state clearly that following several interventions, they have graciously released me on bail,” he added.