Headlines

Nigeria has attracted over $14 billion from President Bola Tinubu’s visit to India.

This was made know during Tinubu’s outing at the Nigeria-India economic roundtable in India

According to the pledges made by different investors , Indorama Petrochemical Limited pledged a new investment of $8 billion U.S. dollars in the expansion of its fertilizer production and petrochemical facility in Eleme, Rivers State, while Jindal Steel and Power Limited, one of India’s largest private steel producers, committed to investing $3 billion in iron ore processing and steel development in Nigeria.

As well, a Indian firm, Bharti Enterprises which is a major first-generation corporation in India with interests in telecom, space communications, digital solutions, insurance, processed foods, real estate, and hospitality, expressed its commitment to invest an additional $700 million in Nigeria, with work set to begin immediately.

This followed series of discussions with President Tinubu on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India.

Similarly, the Founding President of SkipperSeil Limited, Mr. Jitender Sachdeva announced that, following President Tinubu’s personal intervention, he is investing $1.6 billion U.S. dollars in the establishment of twenty 100MW power generation plants across the states of Northern Nigeria, amounting to 2,000MW of new power within the next four years.

Also the finalization on a new $1 billion U.S. dollar agreement to bring the Defense Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) to 40% self-sufficiency in local manufacturing and production of defense equipment in-country by 2027 through a comprehensive new partnership with the Managing Arm of the Miltary-Industrial Complex of the Indian Government.

The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal has begun hearing the petition filed by Peter Obi, the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.

Leading reporters recalls that Obi is alleging that Tinubu was disqualified from contesting the election by reason of the double nomination of his running mate, Kashim Shettima, in more than one constituency in one election cycle.

He also alleged that Tinubu was ineligible to contest the election because he was fined $460,000 in the United States.

In addition, Obi is alleging that the non-upload of results of the election from the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machines to the INEC Result Viewing portal (IREV) resulted in blurred results from INEC with 18,088 polling unit results and votes cast by 2.55 million voters. He submitted that he was the only candidate with the majority of lawful votes cast and the 25 per cent required in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) under Section 134(2) of the Nigerian Constitution.

Speaking after the judges took their seats, Justice Haruna Tsammani, Chairman of the five-member panel, told the court to be patient because “judgement is a bit lengthy”.

The tribunal is expected to give its verdict on the petition today.

Former Vice president and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Abubakar Atiku and his counterpart in the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi are conspicuously absent at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal where judgment in their petitions are to be delivered.

Apart from Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, no notable politician from the PDP is in court.

However, Labour Party was represented by Julius Abure, the national chairman of the party.

LEADING REPORTERS could not immediately ascertain the reasons for their absence as Atiku’s media director, Mr Paul Ibe did not respond to phone calls put across to him.

At the time of this report, the Tribunal members led by Justice Haruna Simon Tsammani have arrived to deliver judgment in the three petitions

Justice Tsammani has ordered that judgment in the petition of Peter Obi and Labour party be first delivered.

The long-awaited judgement day is here. There is tension, anxiety across Nigeria.

Leading reporters recalls that hours after the Presidency issued a statement, on Sunday, September 3, to disclose that President Bola Tinubu will be travelling to New Delhi, India, for the G-20 Summit, the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal, PEPT, finally announced that it had set a date to deliver judgement in petitions filed against the outcome of the 2023 presidential election.

Interestingly, the PEPT said the judgement delivery would be televised live.

Tinubu will not be in the country when the tribunal decides whether to affirm his victory, or nullify it, as requested by Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, and the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, who filed separate petitions to challenge the result declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, after the February 25 presidential poll.

It could be a coincidence that the tribunal fixed the judgement on a date the President would be away from the country but Nigerians are waiting with bated breath for the Justice Haruna Tsammani-led panel to deliver its verdict.

The 2023 presidential election was one of the most keenly contested, and fiercely disputed since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999 and the anxieties that surrounded the polls has heightened as the tribunal gets set to announce its decision today, Wednesday.

The newly inaugurated National Council on Nutrition (NCN) has been urged to prioritise innovation and research in its quest to significantly transform the nation’s nutritional landscape by the Vice President, Kashim Shettima.

Shettima made the call on Tuesday in his keynote remarks at the inauguration of the new National Council on Nutrition at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, “I wish to appeal to all members to prioritise innovation and research in the field of nutrition. We must embrace technology, leverage digital solutions, and invest in research and development to discover sustainable and scalable solutions for our nutrition challenges.

“This aligns with our pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage. By harnessing the power of innovation and making prudent investments, we can fundamentally transform the nutritional landscape in Nigeria, creating lasting and meaningful change.”

The vice president and chairman of the council stated though there are challenges to the actualisation of set targets and goals, “we must collaborate to enhance nutrition governance, ensure the widespread availability of nutritious food, champion optimal infant and young child nutrition, and bolster nutrition education and awareness campaigns.

“While funding is undeniably crucial, we must also prioritise streamlining processes, implementing practical strategies, and fostering genuine collaboration to overcome the hurdles before us.”

“A healthy nation isn’t just a happier one; it’s also safer. This underscores the necessity of our gathering here today. This occasion is not only to emphasise that the quality of what we consume is just as important as the quantity but also to renew our commitment to understanding the connection between food and human security,” Mr Shettima added.

On the composition of the NCN, the vice president said it is “a testament to the priority accorded to nutrition of every Nigerian in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s agenda for food and nutrition security in Nigeria.”

He said “the council being inaugurated today stands ready to foster political determination and the utilization of our resources to eradicate malnutrition. This is our realistic pathway towards attaining the objectives outlined in the National Policy on Food and Nutrition.

“I am, therefore, confident that the diverse assembly of stakeholders within this council will facilitate comprehensive multi-stakeholder engagement, encompassing various sectors such as health, agriculture, social protection, and more, as well as spanning across different levels of government.”

The VP acknowledged the support of stakeholders in the private sector and the UN system, noting that “we are truly fortunate to have partners who offer their technical, subject matter, and financial expertise to support the government’s efforts in addressing this pressing challenge.”

Earlier in his remarks, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu, said the inauguration of NCN will ensure further consolidation on the successes already recorded in the sector,

The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on Tuesday, had vowed to clear all passport backlogs within the next two weeks, adding that there is no excuse for passport delay in Nigeria.

Speaking on Channels Tv on Tuesday, September 5, he stressed that he is in talks with service providers and the Nigeria Immigration Service to digitise and decentralise the process of fresh passport issuance and renewal.

Noting that clearing of all backlogs shouldn’t take more than two weeks, the minister said owning the green passport is a right of every Nigerian and not a privilege.

” After clearing these backlogs, no Nigerian should wait for more than two weeks,

According to him, “It’s a right and not a privilege. Nigerians want that right to be actually theirs, not by somebody offering you your right.”

He said it is not excusable for any Nigerian to be treated with disrespect because of passport application, adding, “What Nigerians want to see is solutions and that is what the President has constantly told us… No excuses.

“In line with the directive of Mr. President, it can no longer be business as usual. We have critically analysed all these scenarios – from the point of going online to fill out the form to the point of payment, to the point of picking a date, to the point of biometrics, to the point of issuance of passports.We understand the service providers involved and we have been able to see one or two things to put right,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu has arrived in New Delhi, the Indian capital for a six-day office visit, during which he will attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit and other engagements.

The President arrived in the Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi alongside some senior government officials, including ministers and presidential aides. He thereafter proceeded to a meeting with Mr. Gopichand Hinduja, the Chairman and CEO of the Hinduja Group of Companies, a conglomerate with a total asset portfolio exceeding $100 billion U.S. Dollars.

This was disclosed in a statement by the Special Adviser to the President, Ajuri Ngelale, saying the meeting began around 8:00 p.m. local time.

“We are here for business. I am here to personally assure our friends and investors that there is no bottleneck that I will not break. Nigeria will become one of the most conducive places on earth to make good profits and create lasting jobs,” Tinubu was quoted as saying.

“With my support, there is nothing standing in your way of enjoying the unrivalled opportunities presented by our massive market and the ingenious & hardworking nature of the Nigerian people. We are open for business.”

On his part, the Hinduja Group Chairman told the President that he was a living witness to his landmark effort as Governor of Lagos in turning a coastal erosion and water encroachment crisis into a massive free trade zone where industry now thrives. This, he said, was partially responsible for his excitement to partner with Nigeria’s new President to create win-win prosperity for Nigeria’s talented population.

“We believe in you as a leader who has done this before. You know what the challenges are. You know how to fix them. We are going to make investments into the billions of dollars under your leadership, because we see you are already addressing the systemic problems.

“I am ready now to sign an MoU and to begin execution. You tell me who to liase with and we will get to work immediately, particularly with respect to bus and automobile manufacturing in Nigeria, amongst other areas,” the industrialist said.