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The All Progressives Congress (APC) 2023 senatorial candidate for Benue South, Comrade Daniel Onjeh, has commended Governor Hyacinth Alia, over what he termed the honest, fair and equitable distribution of the palliatives released by the Federal Government to cushion the effects of the policy on fuel subsidy removal.

Onjeh spoke in Otukpo, while supervising the continuation of the distribution of FG palliatives in Benue South.

Onjeh, who stated that he was in Otukpo to supervise the activity to ensure the palliatives get to the targeted indigenes of Benue South, said the gesture was an initiative of the President Tinubu-led Federal Government, which Governor Alia has painstakingly implemented across Benue State to the benefit of its teeming citizens.

“Governor Alia a Governor of the people, with the people and for the people. There has never been a bountiful distribution of palliatives in Benue State as being done under his watch. This noble activity today is a clear demonstration of this fact, and just one amongst the several other channels that were used for the distribution,” Onjeh stated.

While the relief materials distributed at the event were 1000 bags of corn and 300 bags of rice, all weighing 50 kg valued at N65million; Onjeh stated that the beneficiaries were the less privileged, the widows, the orphans, the poorest of the poor as well as the vulnerable members of the society.

The distribution, according to Onjeh, transcends political boundaries, as members of all parties and even the non-partisans, benefitted equitably from the largesse.

“In fact, Governor Alia carried the entire Benue along in the distribution of the palliatives,” stated Onjeh.

The former Chairman, Governing Board of PRODA, Enugu, reminded the gathering that in his message of appreciation to the Benue South people for their support during the last general elections, he informed them that he would continue to promote and serve their best interests in any capacity he finds himself in the future; adding that the current assignment was one of such opportunities, and he intends to discharge the mandate given to him by the State Governor diligently and optimally.

Onjeh further informed the motley crowd of excited beneficiaries at the venue of the distribution that he was reliably informed that the Federal Government has also released well over N150m to each federal legislator, to enable them procure additional palliatives for distribution to the masses in their various constituencies during the yuletide season.

Onjeh further noted that while some federal legislators may take the full credit for such palliatives, others are not even magnanimous enough at heart to judiciously use the all funds released by the Federal Government to purchase the relief materials while there were those that only ensure that the palliatives get to their families, friends and political associates, to the exclusion of the teeming masses that truly deserve the relief.

“We hope some selfish politicians and public office holders will not hoard such palliatives in secret warehouses across the country, with the ignoble intent of using them to entice voters during their next political campaigns as was done with COVID-19 palliatives,” Onjeh stated.

He asked the National Assembly members distributing palliatives to their constituents to also do well to tell the citizens exactly where they got the support for the palliatives from as that will encourage the citizens to be patriotic enough to support Mr. President in his policy drive and policy direction.

According to Onjeh, in the subsidy regime, only a few people were benefitting at the expense of the generality of Nigerians.

Onjeh stated that as soon as the Federal Government had given an indication of its policy direction, it behooves every political actor to be patriotic and loyal enough to the cause, so that Nigeria can get it right.

He added that if all the palliatives released so far by the Federal Government were truly getting to the masses, and in the full measures released, the suffering across the land would have been tremendously alleviated.

He further advised the Federal Government that in releasing such palliative funds to federal lawmakers or political office holders in the future, it shouldn’t be a carte blanche but a bold tag should be placed on it.

“The details of what should be done with the funds should be spelt out, so that even the average electorate can be aware of what to expect, and therefore be able to hold their elected officials to account,” Onjeh advised.

On the importance of the removal of fuel subsidy, he stated that the money that will be saved in the process will help to advance our national infrastructure, to aid our development in the area of building more road and rail networks, power plants to boost electricity supply, and other social amenities that would boost local production and attract more direct foreign investment into the country in the long run.

The former student activist and President of NANS advised the people not to be deceived by the antics of egocentric public officials who may wish to take full credit for the palliatives released to them during the yuletide season, adding that the relief materials actually belong to the people; having been released by the federal government; and the public officials were only discharging the mandate of conveying the items to the right people at the grassroots.

A Japan Airlines jet was engulfed in flames at Tokyo’s Haneda airport on Tuesday after a possible collision with a Coast Guard aircraft.

The airline said all 379 passengers and crew had been safely evacuated, Reuters reports.

Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the aircraft erupt in flames as it skidded down the tarmac despite feverish efforts by rescue crews to control the blaze.

The Coast Guard said it was investigating the possibility that one of its aircraft collided with the passenger jet.

Five out of the six crew of the coast guard aircraft are unaccounted for, while one escaped, public broadcaster NHK reported.

A spokesperson at Japan Airlines said the aircraft had departed from Shin-Chitose airport on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Haneda has closed all runways following the incident, a spokesperson for the airport said.

President Bola Tinubu has suspended Mrs Halima Shehu, the National Coordinator and chief executive of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA).

The president approved Shehu’s suspension with immediate effect and ordered her replacement.

According to reports, her replacement is Dr Akindee Egbuwalo, who will be in the position of acting capacity for now.

This action comes merely three months after her confirmation for the appointment by the Senate.

Shehu worked as the National Coordinator of the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, using her banking and career expertise to see to the digitalisation of the programme.

The former banker worked at the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development from 2017 to 2022.

The Nasarawa State Police Command has confirmed the abduction of Safiyanu Isa-Andaha, Chairman of Akwanga Local Government Area of the state, by gunmen.

DSP Ramhan Nansel, Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in the state, confirmed this to the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lafia.

The police spokesperson said they got information that the chairman and one other person were abducted around 8:30 pm in Ningo village of Akwanga LGA.

He also said Umar Nadada, Commissioner of Police in the state, had mobilised personnel to go after the hoodlums and rescue the chairman and one other person who were kidnapped unhurt.

“The police, in collaboration with other security agencies, are currently on the trail of the kidnappers to ensure the release of the council chairman and the other victim,” he said.

Nansel, therefore, urged members of the public, especially people from villages in the area, to provide the police with useful information that would lead to the rescue of those abducted and the arrest of the perpetrators.

Mr Haruna Kassimu, Special Adviser (SA) to Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and close associates of the LG boss, also confirmed the incident.

The SA said the LG boss and one Adamu Custom were kidnapped at Ningo village of Akwanga around 8:30 pm on Monday.

President Bola Tinubu has signed the N29.7 trillion 2024 appropriation bill into law at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday, January 1, 2024.

President Tinubu signed the budget document earlier approved by the National Assembly hours after he arrived in Abuja from Lagos where he spent the past week on holidays.

Leading reporters report that the 2024 budget is N1.2 trillion higher than what he proposed to a joint session of the National Assembly on November 29, 2023.

The President had pegged the budget deficit for the 2024 fiscal year at N9.18 trillion.

“The N9.18 trillion deficit is lower than the N13.78 trillion deficit recorded in 2023 which represents 6.11 per cent of GDP,” Tinubu had said.

The deficit will be financed by new borrowings totalling N7.83 trillion, N298.49 billion from Privatisation Proceeds and N1.05 trillion drawdown on multilateral and bilateral loans secured for specific development projects.”

He also emphasized the need to maintain the January-December implementation cycle saying: “Our goal is to ensure that the Appropriation Act comes into effect on January 1, 2024,”

On Friday, December 29, 2023, the Senate increased the 2024 budget by N1.2 trillion, moving the budget from N27.5 trillion to N28.7 trillion.

According to the report submitted by the Appropriation Committee led by Senator Solomon Adeola, aggregate expenditure was pegged at N28,777,404.073.861; statutory transfers at N1,742,786,788,150; recurrent expenditure at N8,768.5330,852; capital expenditure at N9,995,143,298,028 and GDP at 3.88 per cent.

Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue State yesterday  granted pardon to 12 inmates in Correctional Centre in the state, as part of the New Year celebrations.

The release of the inmates was based on the recommendation of the Benue State Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy headed by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Fidelis Mnyim.

The action of the governor was in line with the powers granted him by Section 212 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

He explained that the aim was to decongest the facility housing 525 of  those convicted and awaiting trials.

The governor directed the Commissioner, Mr Fidelis Mnyim to increase the number of members of the advisory council, to hasten processes for effective administration of Justice.

While admonishing the released inmates to be of good behaviour as they step out of prison to integrate with the society, the governor charged them to make use of the skills acquired while in custody to better their lives.

“Give your society the very best. And as for the gentleman whose dismissal has been converted to termination of appointment, don’t take any elements of life for granted. Demonstrate your newness into your society,” he said.

Alia added that the act of mercy was premised on his administration’s desire to offer the best to people of the state even as he worried that most of the inmates were quite young persons who ordinarily shouldn’t be anywhere near the prison.

“I will make provision for better welfare for you here but this shouldn’t be home for you, I am quite shocked to see the faces of many young people here where there are a total of 525 inmates including 25 females – one with a baby, others who came in with pregnancy,” the governor said.

Earlier, the Commissioner, Mnyim intimated the governor that the 8-man committee did a thorough scrutiny of the inmates before making the recommendation.

He pledged to do his best in changing the narrative in the judicial system of the state.

Mnyim further disclosed that the released inmates were from Makurdi, Otukpo and Gboko correctional facilities.

The State Comptroller, Nigeria Correctional Service, Mrs. Mary Oche acknowledged the efforts of the government in ensuring that the inmates do not stay in the Correctional centre more than necessary.

She stated that the governor has graciously given transportation fares to the inmates to get to their respective destinations and enjoy the New Year with their loved ones.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has assured Nigerians that things will improve in 2024.

The cleric, while reeling out his prophesies for 2024 during the crossover night service on Sunday at the Redemption City along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, however, said things would first get worse before getting better.

He said, “For Nigeria, the wind is already blowing. The wind is blowing.

“Everything God is saying is centred around that little sentence. The wind is blowing; include in your prayers that the wind will blow you well.

“Things will get worse before they get better. Things will get a little hotter before it gets better.”

The clergyman further predicted that individuals starting from humble beginnings could witness significant advancements by mid-year

President Bola Tinubu has once again assured Nigerians that the economic hardships occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy will soon be over.

Tinubu noted that every one of his steps and decisions taken since his assumption of office on May 29 have been in the interest of the country.

Leading Reporters gathered that the President, during his inaugural address at Eagle Square, Abuja, shortly after he was sworn in as the 16th President of Nigeria, announced the removal of fuel subsidy, saying “Subsidy is gone.”

Justifying his decision, he maintained that the fuel subsidy had to end because the country could not maintain it.

He added that the trillions of naira spent yearly to sustain the subsidy were meant to better the healthcare and transportation sector, schools, housing, and national security, among others.

However, Nigerians bemoaned the effect of the removal of the subsidy as food prices and the cost of living skyrocketed.

But to relieve and ease the burden on the citizens, the President assured citizens that the framework for palliatives to remedy the effects of fuel subsidy removal was being worked out, noting that the decision was in the best interest of the country, especially in guaranteeing future prosperity.

While acknowledging the hardships presently faced by the citizens, Tunubu, in his 63rd Independence Day Anniversary speech, urged Nigerians to endure the present difficult times as it is needed for a better future.

In his New Year message on Monday, the President urged the citizens to remain unbowed as tough times never last.

He said, “Though the past year was a very challenging one, it was eventful in so many ways. For our country, it was a transition year that saw a peaceful, orderly and successful transfer of power from one administration to another, marking yet another remarkable step in our 24 years of unbroken democracy.

“Everything I have done in the office, every decision I have taken and every trip I have undertaken outside the shores of our land, since I assumed office on 29 May 2023, has been done in the best interest of our country.

“Over the past seven months of our administration, I have taken some difficult and yet necessary decisions to save our country from fiscal catastrophe. One of those decisions was the removal of fuel subsidy which had become an unsustainable financial burden on our country for more than four decades.

“Another was the removal of the chokehold of a few people on our foreign exchange system that benefited only the rich and the most powerful among us. Without a doubt, these two decisions brought some discomfort to individuals, families and businesses.

“I am well aware that for some time now the conversations and debates have centred on the rising cost of living, high inflation which is now above 28% and the unacceptable high under-employment rate.

“From the boardrooms at Broad Street in Lagos to the main streets of Kano and Nembe Creeks in Bayelsa, I hear the groans of Nigerians who work hard every day to provide for themselves and their families.

“I am not oblivious to the expressed and sometimes unexpressed frustrations of my fellow citizens. I know for a fact that some of our compatriots are even asking if this is how our administration wants to renew their hope.

“Dear Compatriots, take this from me: the time may be rough and tough, however, our spirit must remain unbowed because tough times never last. We are made for this period, never to flinch, never to falter. The socio-economic challenges of today should energise and rekindle our love and faith in the promise of Nigeria. Our current circumstances should make us resolve to work better for the good of our beloved nation. Our situation should make us resolve that this new year 2024, each and every one of us will commit to being better citizens.”

Tinubu disclosed that for seven months now, there have been ongoing measures to revive the economy, noting that it only needs to be accelerated to be delivered across the nation for relief.

On power supply, he added that during COP28 in Dubai, he and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, reached an agreement to hasten the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project which will ensure constant supply to homes and businesses.

“Having laid the groundwork of our economic recovery plans within the last seven months of 2023, we are now poised to accelerate the pace of our service delivery across sectors.

“Just this past December during COP28 in Dubai, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and I agreed and committed to a new deal to speed up the delivery of the Siemens Energy power project that will ultimately deliver a reliable supply of electricity to our homes and businesses under the Presidential Power Initiative which began in 2018.

“Other power installation projects to strengthen the reliability of our transmission lines and optimise the integrity of our National grid are ongoing across the country.

“My administration recognises that no meaningful economic transformation can happen without a steady electricity supply. In 2024, we are moving a step further in our quest to restart local refining of petroleum products with Port Harcourt Refinery, and the Dangote Refinery which shall fully come on stream.”

To ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, he said, “We will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops. We launched dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State last November under our National Wheat Development Programme.

“In this new year, we will race against time to ensure all the fiscal and tax policies reforms we need to put in place are codified and simplified to ensure the business environment does not destroy value. On every foreign trip I have embarked on, my message to investors and other business people has been the same. Nigeria is ready and open for business.

“I will fight every obstacle that impedes business competitiveness in Nigeria and I will not hesitate to remove any clog hindering our path to making Nigeria a destination of choice for local and foreign investments.

“In my 2024 Budget presentation to the National Assembly, I listed my administration’s 8 priority areas to include national defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, investment environment optimization, human capital development, poverty reduction and social security. Because we take our development agenda very seriously, our 2024 budget reflects the premium we placed on achieving our governance objectives.

“We will work diligently to make sure every Nigerian feels the impact of their government. The economic aspirations and the material well-being of the poor, the most vulnerable and the working people shall not be neglected. It is in this spirit that we are going to implement a new national living wage for our industrious workers this new year. It is not only good economics to do this, it is also a morally and politically correct thing to do.”

Orba Market, located at Orba community in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, was gutted by fire on New Year’s eve.

The affected area, according to a resident Chigbo Odegba, are stores where foams, gallons, drinks, provisions and other materials are being sold.

“It started around midnight,” says Chinyere Eze, a resident. “Millions of naira lost. It is a pity because the shop owners were not around. All the goods in the affected shops were destroyed. It is a sad New Year for us. The incident occurred along Obollo road.”

The Chief Fire Officer of the state, Engr Daniel Ohaa, confirmed the incident. He said the state Fire Service operatives deployed two trucks that quenched the fire.

He said, “It was a midnight fire incident. We got the information, and our office in Udenu responded swiftly, and extinguished the fire from destroying more property. Much was destroyed, and much saved.

“It’s fortunate that we have an office close to Orba. It was significant for the rescue operations. We thank residents that contacted us, and I commend our operatives that responded swiftly.”

Property worth N34.6m was on Saturday destroyed by a fire outbreak in Ilorin, Kwara State.

The incident which involved a diesel-carrying tanker occurred at Magaji Aare quarters, Idi- Ape area of Ilorin metropolis.

Leading Reporters gathered that the valve of the tanker carrying 22,000 litres of diesel had opened, causing diesel to gush out forcefully and consequently ignited fire.

The spokesman of Kwara State Fire Service, Hassan Adekunle confirmed the incident in a statement.

He said: “On December 30, 2023, at approximately 10:47 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service swiftly responded to a fire emergency at Magaji Aare quarters, Ajegunle, in the Idi-Ape area of Ilorin East local government. The firefighters, equipped with their fire appliances, arrived promptly to face a blazing diesel tanker containing 22,000 litres and with registration number MUS 916 YF.
“The situation escalated as the tanker’s valve opened, causing diesel to gush out forcefully. Undeterred, the firemen, demonstrating their exceptional firefighting skills, called for additional support, and another fire appliance quickly joined the effort. After a relentless hour of collective effort, the dedicated team successfully extinguished the raging fire.

“Upon investigation, the tanker driver revealed to the Fire Service media team that the fire originated from the pumping machine used to syphon diesel for the ‘Collo site’ mast, which serves all networks.

“The community’s cooperation played a crucial role in enabling the firemen to work efficiently and effectively in overcoming the challenging situation. Unfortunately, the ensuing fire resulted in damage to two shops and a football viewing centre.

“Total estimated property saved is N145.2m and total estimated property lost is N34.6m.”