Senior Pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa
A popular Nigerian cleric, Pastor Adewale Giwa has lashed out at the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for allegedly hiring “unknown” bishops during the unveiling of Kashim Shettima as his running mate.
Pastor Giwa, who is the Senior Pastor of the Awaiting the Second Coming of Jesus Christ Ministry, Akure, Ondo State, emphasised that with the step taken by the party, it is a signal that APC will lose the forthcoming 2023 presidential election.
While lamenting the killings and kidnappings in the country, Giwa emphasised that with the development, no one will support the party to retain power in 2023.
The Pastor, who stated this on Friday, added that Nigerians were now wiser and would do the needful at the polls.
“Hiring unknown Bishops is the beginning of APC failure. That is the beginning of their failure. They deceived Nigerians in 2015 and they are planning to deceive Nigerians again.
“You can see how God has exposed them through the pretence by hiring unknown and disgruntled political thugs to act as Bishops and Pastors.
“I want to believe that Nigerians are no longer fools. They can differentiate the real men of God from fake ones.
“No true man of God will support the administration of APC. Should we talk of the senseless killings of Christians? Kidnapping? And economic hardship?
“APC can only rely on rigging or vote buying in order to win. Aside that, if elections are to the free and fair, Nigerians cannot vote for the APC. I can assure you.”
Amid a projection by the Federal Government to spend a whopping sum of N6.7tn on fuel subsidy next year and a major shortfall in government oil revenue this year, economic and energy experts have predicted tougher days ahead for the economy, states and Nigerians.
The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, had on Thursday released the four-month fiscal report of the economy during a public consultation on the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework/FSP.
“Crude oil production challenges and PMS subsidy deductions by NNPC constitute significant threat to the achievement of our revenue growth targets, as seen in the 2022 Performance up to April,” Ahmed said.
“Bold, decisive and urgent action is urgently required to address revenue underperformance and expenditure efficiency at national & sub-national levels,” she noted.
Economists and petroleum experts projected that Nigerians, state govts and the economy would experience tougher days ahead going by the numbers.
The gross oil and gas federation revenue for the first four months of 2022 failed to meet the expected target, falling from N3.12 trillion to N1.23 trillion, representing a 39 per cent performance, according to the Overview of 2022 Fiscal Outcomes and Update on 2022 Federation Revenue Performance presented by the finance minister.
Ahmed said the subsidy projection was based on business-as-usual or reform scenarios, noting that the first scenario assumed that subsidy would be retained and fully provided for.
The second scenario, she said, assumed that subsidy would remain up till mid-2023 based on the 18-month extension earlier announced, but only N3.36 trillion would be spent.
Both scenarios, however, contained opportunity costs in relation to net accretion to the federation account and deficit, she noted.
She said despite higher oil prices, oil revenue underperformed due to significant oil production shortfalls arising from oil production shut-ins resulting from pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft; and high petrol subsidy cost due to higher landing costs of imported products.
She further said that the amount available for distribution from the Federation Account was N1.52 trillion within the first four months of the year.
Of this amount, she said, the Federal Government received N802.50 billion, while states and local governments got N407.04 billion and N313.81 billion respectively.
“Federal, State and Local governments received N107.67 billion, N358.90 billion and N251.23 billion respectively from the VAT Pool Account.”
She said as of April 2022, FGN’s retained revenue was only N1.63 trillion, 49 per cent of the prorata target of N3.32 trillion.
She said the Customs collections (made up of import duties, excise and fees, as well as federation account special levies) trailed target by N76.77 billion (25.42 per cent).
“In the MTEF, real GDP growth is projected at 3.75% in 2023, from a revised projection of 3.55% for 2022. Growth is expected to moderate to 3.30% in 2024 before picking up to 3.46% in 2025,” she said.
On the other hand, inflation rate is projected to average 17.16 per cent in 2023, up from the revised average of 16.11 per cent for 2022, she said.
“Upward pressure on prices is expected to be driven by the current and lag effect of the global price surge due to the Russian-Ukraine war, domestic insecurity, rising costs of imports, exchange rate depreciation, as well as other supply-side constraints.”
She said overall, fiscal risks were somewhat elevated, following weaker-than-expected domestic economic performance and structural issues in the domestic economy.
Ahmed noted that revenue generation remained the major fiscal constraint of the Federation, stressing that the systemic resource mobilisation problem had been compounded by recent economic recessions.
Director-General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Chinyere Almona, in a recent statement, said Nigeria must identify corporate, physical, intangible, human assets, determine their worth, and make plans to repurpose or redevelop idle ones.
Almona stressed the need to break government monopoly in the infrastructure sector (railway, pipelines, power transmission) in order to attract investors to commit equity funds into them.
Experts predict
A former Chairman of the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria and Managing Director/CEO of 11Plc, Mr. Tunji Oyebanji, said, said the development would worsen the economy.
He said, “Life would obviously be tougher for Nigerians. One of the things in the report also said we are now spending more on debt servicing than we are getting as revenue. You don’t need a rocket science because if that was a company or an individual, you will be extremely worried about that person’s financial status. So, it’s the same thing with the country.
“NNPC can still fund subsidies on behalf of the federal government. Only that government will be a client and they will have agreement, there will be terms and conditions . It’s just that unlike before, the NNPC was just funding subsidies, now, it has to be done on a contract basis , and the federal government will pay for its services. It’s definitely not a good thing to use all revenue to service debts, and those debts are coming from subsidies. It’s a potential danger for the country.
He added, “My worry is that what we were avoiding- the suffering and inflation that we were avoiding by not removing the subsidy will now be worse, because if we get to a point where we find it difficult to service our debts, what it means is that our lenders will charge us more interests because they know we don’t have money. Their interest will be much higher, with less revenue to pay salaries. So, from a financial standpoint, it’s not good news for Nigeria.”
On his part, an economic expert and seasoned academic at the University of Uyo, Professor Akpan Ekpo said government would face an uphill task sourcing money to fund the proposed subsidy.
Ekpo said, “It’s a tall order. The NNPC being privatised is, as you know, they will pay dividend to shareholders, which is still the government in a way. It’s just that it won’t feature in the monthly sharing formula; but eventually, some money will go to the Federal Government because they will pay dividend to the Federal Government.
“This is why we have been saying that this subsidy thing is very unfortunate. Firstly, if the refineries were working, at least we would have produced for the domestic market. All our forex is used to import refined products. Maybe they may have to rearrange their priorities and cut down on expenditure. They should do what economists call expenditure switching.
“They can remove subsidy gradually, but not in one swoop. Definitely, it’s a tall order. I hope they don’t resort to borrowing to pay for subsidy because that will be dangerous.”
He added that states would have to create structures that will enable them to boost internally generated revenue as the proposed fuel subsidy would inevitably gulp a significant fraction of funds which would otherwise be allocated to State and Local Governments.
An economic expert at the Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, Dr Olusegun Vincent said, “It doesn’t mean well for Nigerians at all, to be spending so much on fuel subsidy. There is lack of transparency around the subsidy regime and the system that governs subsidy in the country. There is a whole lot of economic inefficiencies.”
The scholar also criticised government’s worrisome debt profile, noting that “it is unsustainable and we are all going to suffer.”
He added, “Currently, the total amount of government spending on debt servicing is actually more than the total revenue of the government. That constitutes part of expenditure. When you add subsidy to that, clearly we are headed towards a major problem.”
Also speaking, Professor Sheriffdeen Tella of Onabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun, said subsidy had been one of the tools which the present government has used to ruin Nigeria’s economy.
Tella further queried the source from which the Federal Government would raise the funds.
He said, “Where did the NNPC get the money from? The money is supposed to be part of the federal allocation. What they have simply done is to use our commonwealth for those in the NNPC. They have been spending the Federal Government money as if it were their private money. NNPC is one of those organizations that don’t give account of their budgets for approval by the national assembly.”
States, FG
The Chairman Forum of Commissioners of Finance and Benue State Finance Commissioner, David Olofu has berated Federal Government for proposing N6.7tn to petroleum subsidy in 2023.
Speaking on the phone with one of our correspondents on Thursday, Olofu regretted that the arm of government responsible for checking the executive excesses had for a long time abandoned it’s oversight functions.
The finance forum boss asked rhetorically if the money is to be used for forthcoming elections by the APC-led government, stating that such an amount would not only cripple states but also the federal government.
He said, “That is election money the Federal Government is looking for, or else, how can they say they want to spend N6.7 trillion on subsidy. It shows that Nigeria is sick and need blood transfusion
“There are elected officers at every level of government from local, State and federal in the country and we have 360 House of Representatives and 109 senators who are saddled with the responsibility of checking the expenditure of the federal government.
“Are they not having oversight function over federal institutions and if they do not see anything wrong with the subsidy payment of N6.7 trillion. “In a country where we have over 80 million people living in abject poverty, then, we need to rethink the type of democracy we are practicing, because, democracy guarantees check and balance and if our democracy can not guarantee this, it does not worth it.”
Olofu added, “Do you know no of kilometers of roads, railway lines and waterways N6.7 trillion can construct? How much is it to dredge river Benue and Niger and build ports along down to coastal region of this country?
“In other countries what they do to develop other sectors is to make sure that the three major means of transportation are fully developed.”
Olofu, who said that the nation path to growth would continue to be a mirage as long as federal government neglect it’s infrastructure to, adding that if the nation can expend a trillion naira on infrastructure, “ there will be a great turn around”.
While he stated that petroleum subsidy was not sustainable, Olofu said that both states and federal government would be crippled by payment of such huge amount on subsidy.
“It is not only going to cripple states but also the federal government, it so, everybody is in a deep mess. It is just that federal government has the latitude, I mean multiple options available to it, so it is difficult to notice.
“It is just like a fat man, when fat man is hungry you won’t know because he is fat. Federal government is also suffering from what is happening in the country,” Olofu sai
NACCIMA fears
The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture has urged economic policymakers to take urgent actions with regard to fixing Nigeria’s economic challenges to prevent the economy from sliding into recession.’
NACCIMA President, John Udeagbala, stated this on Thursday during the Chamber’s state of the economy press conference in Lagos.
The Chamber noted that the economy had now surpassed the highest rate of inflation ever recorded of 18.17 per cent in March 2021.
According to Udeagbala, the high rate of unemployment in Nigeria was of major concern to the Organised Private Sector, considering that the 33.3 per cent rate of unemployment often quoted, was a statistic that was two years old and did not take into full consideration the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Europe on the Nigerian labour market.
He said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, to provide some context, we start this briefing by expressing our grave concern about the state of the economy as we acknowledge the positive growth statistics published by the National Bureau of Statistics for the Second Quarter of the year, 2022.
“Our concern is based on the possible false sense of security that this statistic may create, as the second quarter of 2022 may not fully capture the supply and value chain disruptions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“We, therefore once again, urge policymakers to take urgent action to avoid economic recession.”
On Nigeria’s growing debt profile, Udeagbala said it was now very obvious that the current levels of debt were unsustainable, as the International Monetary Fund projected that by 2026, all of Nigeria’s revenue would go to servicing debt.
“As we consider that the National budget is heavily skewed towards recurrent expenditure that is largely unmet by the estimated government revenue, we counsel all levels of government to consider other sources of funding, such as leveraging public-private-partnerships for tax credits spread over time. The economy cannot run based on increasing the number of taxes borne by the private sector, as we have witnessed by recent laws passed by the National Assembly, and we advocate policies that systematically and consistently increase the tax base in terms of the volume of production or the number of taxpayers.”
The NACCIMA president further stated that the power sector was of keen interest to the private sector as it was continually plagued by grid collapse resulting in the instability of power generation, distribution and supply. The alternative source of energy obtained from the oil and gas sector, he said, represented a significant portion of production costs for the private sector.
He added that the impact of the electioneering processes on the Nigerian business community was key and significant for the growth of the economy and that the association would ensure that it engaged candidates at all levels and would organise policy dialogue meetings to discuss the challenges facing the business community and obtain their positions on these matters.
An elder statesman and second Republic Minister of Aviation, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, has said cabals in Aso Rock are preventing President Buhari from making rightful decisions in the management of the country’s affairs.
Amechi said a series of letters he had written to Buhari on the state of affairs in the country, including that of Nnamdi Kanu, were not delivered to the President. العاب ماكينات قمار
The elder statesman stated these in his Ukpor country home in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Thursday.
Amechi recalled that when he led a delegation of Igbo elders to Buhari and requested him to release Kanu to the Igbo elders on political grounds, Buhari himself agreed and demanded that they should go and put the request in writing.
He said, “The people around the President are not allowing him to make rightful decisions and that is why the country is in a bad shape at the moment, but God is raising a new generation of leaders.”
He lamented that he was shocked and still remains shocked that after writing the letters and sending it across to Buhari for his perusal and immediate action, nothing has been heard about it till date, which suggested to him that the President may have been forced not to take action on the letters by the same cabals who had sworn that Kanu would not be released.
He also recalled that shortly after Kanu’s arrest, he wrote an application to pay a visit to Buhari but the same cabals did not show him the application until somebody met Buhari in Paris, France and asked him whether he saw the application and he said “no”.
He, therefore, urged Buhari to demand the letters from his aides, swallow his pride, ignore the antics of the cabals and act on them appropriately.
According to him, the Igbo elders, led by his humble self have assured him that Kanu’s release will not only douse tensions but also restore normalcy in the country, just as the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua handled the Niger/Delta issue and secured the country from further chaos during his regime.
Amechi also expressed sadness over the poor state of affairs in the country, saying that as the last surviving second republic elder statesman, he cannot continue to watch as things continue to decay.
He described the 2023 general elections as an election that is capable of determining the continuous existence of the country and must be given every attention it deserves.
Amechi said, “As I lie down in my bed, meditating and navigating the quiet sea of 94 years, tears rolled down my cheeks that my President, a man who has so much regard and respect for me will be diverted not to trust me and grant me the one single request which I made in my capacity as about the only surviving co-founder of this great country, which is the release of Kanu.”
On the state of affairs, the 94-year-old patriot said a third force is springing up which appears that God now wants to openly act and save the country from anarchy.
He said, “To me, the two most potent and current issues in the country now are the coming presidential election and the growing spate of insecurity in the country.
“On the elections, I am no longer a politician but I cannot keep dumb when I see the country which I gave my whole youth and blood to co-found being pushed to an irretrievable pit of disintegration and anarchy.
“Since the operation of the military imposed constitution in 1999, two major political parties have ruled the country and both parties have goofed in the selection of their presidential candidates and their running mates. bwin شركة The nation has sunk into the stinking catacomb of corruption, looting, religious and tribal bigotry.
“It would appear that the emergence of Peter Obi and Datti Baba Ahmed ticket is an opportunity which God has given to the long suffering people of Nigeria to save and take back their country which has been economically and politically raped for many years. العاب للايفون ”
On the Muslim-Muslim ticket, he said, “The position is this bad for the poor Christians now that we still have Muslim/Christian presidency. You can imagine what will happen if Nigeria is said to have elected a Muslim/Muslim presidency in 2023.”
The President Muslim and Christian Love Foundation, Bishop Ugochukwu Ugokwe Prince has said there is nothing wrong with Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, saying God can use it to fix Nigeria.
He spoke at the unveiling of Sen. Kashim Shettima on Wednesday in Abuja as the running mate to the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
Tinubu a Muslim from Southern Nigeria had recently announced Shettima his running mate, a Northerner of same faith.
The one-faith ticket has attracted wide condemnation from a section of Nigerians who believe that there should be a balancing between the two dominant religions in the country – Islam and Christianity even in political office.
Bishop Ugokwe however believes there is nothing wrong with the ticket combination as God can use even pagans to rescue Nigeria.
“This country, we don’t need to bring war, if it comes it will consume everyone. God can bring a pagan, God can bring a pastor, God can use anybody to fix Nigeria, God can bring any tribe, God can bring any religion to fix Nigeria.
“It’s not about religion, it’s not about Muslim-Muslim, it’s not about Christian-Christian, religious leaders have spoilt us for too long, how many pastors did religious leaders help in this country?
“Religious leaders, religious leaders, how many times did they organise a peace summit, reconciliation summit, we should stop preaching hatred. We should preach peace, if Nigeria scatters, everybody will suffer it,” he said.
A 21-year-old man, Haruna Musa, was on Tuesday night caught having sex with a mentally ill woman at Angwan Gwari Kwamba in Suleja LGA of Niger State.
Before the suspect was whisked away by the police, he was seen in a footage made available to our reporter by a witness, John Daniel, saying he had not yet penetrated before the screams of the woman alerted people.
Musa, who was found with wraps of substances believed to be Indian hemp, blamed his action on drunkenness and a curse from his village, but that what lured him to her was that she was naked.
He said, “If not for the security men, maybe I would have had sex with her. I don’t know what came over me. Please forgive me. I am just 21years. I had a lot of things on my mind. My problems are bigger than me. I have nobody to help me.”
The law stipulates life imprisonment for Musa if found guilty since a mentally unstable woman cannot give consent for sexual intercourse.
Chairman, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Bukhari Bello, has appealed to appointing authorities, particularly President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint the next Corps Marshal within FRSC rather than individuals outside the commission.
He spoke in Abuja Thursday at the first Corps Marshal’s valedictory lecture.
He said the outgoing Corps Marshal, Boboye Oyeyemi, had performed extremely well hence the need to appoint someone from the corps to build upon what he had achieved.
“Another giant strides taken and executed by Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi is the affordable housing and land for the staff of the corps as part of the welfare scheme instituted under the FRSC Housing Cooperative Society, which is also unparalleled during his watch,” he said.
Oyeyemi said the digital driver’s licence would become operational soon.
He also said efforts were towards increasing the enrolment rate on National Driver’s Licence (NDL) by providing mobile kits to be deployed to applicants of the NDL with ease.
Oyeyemi expressed hope that in line with the realities of climate changes and Nigeria’s resolve to become carbon net zero by 2050, FRSC would transit to electric powered vehicles for both administrative and operational duties.
He said he was called the last man standing because he was the last of the seven people employed to start FRSC in Oyo State with Prof. Wole Soyinka as first chairman.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi says the 100 million Nigerians living in poverty make up his political structure.
Despite a strong support base on social media, Obi’s presidential campaign has been criticised for lacking real-life structure.
Critics of the former Anambra governor have said without a nationwide grassroots support base, his chances of winning the 2023 presidential election would be slim.
Reacting on Thursday after meeting with Samuel Ortom, governor of Benue, Obi said all underprivileged Nigerians are his supporters.
“I have said it before when people talk about structure, that my structure [is] the 100 million Nigerians living in poverty. That’s five million people unemployed.
“Those people who are finding it difficult to live. Nigerians are here today spending over 100% of their money on feeding, that is my structure. And above all, the most important structure is the Almighty God.”
Also speaking, Ortom said the objective to salvage Nigeria must trump party politics, adding that he believes Obi is qualified to take the helm of affairs of the nation.
“Where we are today, we must work towards working together to ensure that we rescue Nigeria and rebuild it. I think Peter Obi’s credentials are very clear and everybody knows,” he said.
“If God decides that it’s him, then nobody can stop him. If God decides it’s somebody else, nobody can stop him. This is a welcome development, and I believe he will reach out to other presidential candidates of other political parties.”
The House of Representatives yesterday mandated its Committees on National Security and Intelligence, Interior, Reformatory Services, Defence, Army, Airforce, Navy, and Police to investigate the causes, dimensions, and effects of the recent attack on Kuje Prison in Abuja.
It also urged the Federal Government to implement the recommendations of the National Security Summit organized by the leadership of the House of Representatives in 2021.
The resolutions followed the consideration of a motion, titled “Need to Investigate the Terrorists Attack on Nigerian Prisons, Kuje” presented by Sha’aban I. Sharada at plenary.
Moving the motion, Sharada recalled that on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, terrorists attacked the Nigerian Medium Security Prison, Kuje, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The lawmaker also recalled that on Wednesday, July 6, 2022, the Minister of Defence, Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi, retd, while on an assessment visit to the scene of the incident, stated that over 600 inmates, including 64 Boko Haram suspects, out of about 994 inmates accommodated in the prison, escaped.
“The President expressed disappointment over the embarrassing development and directed a comprehensive investigation to address the situation.
“The development makes the country and the Federal Capital Territory, in particular, vulnerable and under the fear of attacks, risk intimidation, and all sorts of threats due to a large number of criminal escapees in the country.
“The enormous resources expended by the federal government towards ensuring the realization of public security and welfare of its citizens.”
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, on Thursday, approved cut-off marks for universities and polytechnics in the country.
The decision was taken after a heated session comprising officials from JAMB, the Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission, and the National Board for Technical Education among others.
For the polytechnics, 120 cut-off mark was approved while 140 was approved for universities.
ABN TV had earlier reported that the JAMB registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, at the 2022 policy meeting revealed that only 378,639 of the 1,761,338 who wrote the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scored 200 and above.
While giving further statistics of the 2022 examination, Oloyede noted that 378,639 scored above 200; a total of 520,596 candidates scored 190 and above; 704,991 scored 180 and above; 934,103 scored 170 and above; 1,192, 057 scored 160 and above.
Speaking further, Oloyede noted that the board allowed candidates with awaiting results to register for the 2022 UTME.
“JAMB allowed awaiting results candidates to register and sit for the 2022 UTME. These candidates can’t be considered for admission on awaiting result status. They must present their O’level results on the board’s portal before the commencement of admissions”.
Ikechi EmenikeFederal High Court Umuahia division on Thursday barred the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC from accepting and publishing the name of High Chief Ikechi Emenike as governorship candidate of APC in Abia.
In a suit number FHC/UM/CS/98/2022 the plaintiffs, Ugochukwu Okoroafor Okoro and Egwu Cliffor Chukwudi told the court that Emenike emerged through an irregular process.
The duo, chieftains of APC told the court presided over by Justice E.N Anyadike that they were supposed to be delegates in the primary election that produced Ikechi as governoship candidate but were excluded.
They insist that there was no delegate election, wondering how Emenike emerged as candidate.
Also joined in the suit as defendants are All Progressives Congress APC, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu the national chairman of APC.
The plaintiffs are asking INEC not to accept or publish the name of Ikechi Emenike as the APC governoship candidate in Abia.
At the report of service and further mention on Thursday, the presiding judge ordered the parties to maintain status quo pending the determination of the substantive suit.
By this order, INEC is restrained from accepting and or publishing the name of Ikechi Emenike as the APC Gubernatorial candidate for ABIA State Pending the determination of the suit.
Ahead of the 2027 General Elections, the Abia State Deputy Mayors Forum, comprising all Deputy Mayors across the state’s 17 Local Government Areas has...
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