Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, said on Wednesday that the recent total National Grid Collapse is too much for the Nigerian people to bear, saying it is becoming embarrassing.
Atiku while stressing that the grid collapse on Wednesday is the 6th time it has happened in 2022, proposed an advanced strategy for funding infrastructure which will lead to creating a conducive environment for investors to come in and stabilise the power sector.
“Due to the priority that I place on the power sector upon which the successes of other sectors are hinged, I am proposing innovative financing of infrastructure that will involve the facilitation of a review of the financial, legal, and regulatory environment to promote private investment in power, among other sectors.
“I’ll promote the incentivisation, with tax breaks, a consortium of private sector institutions to establish an Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) to primarily mobilise domestic and international private resources for the financing and delivery of large infrastructure projects across all the sectors of the economy.
“The IDF will have an initial investment capacity of approximately US$20 billion,” Atiku promised.
Additionally, the PDP Presidential candidate said he will cause the creation of an Infrastructure Development Credit Guarantee Agency to complement the operation of the IDF by de-risking investments in infrastructure to build investor confidence in taking risks and investing capital.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova
Maria Zakharova said that the main reason for the lack of such contacts is the destructive policy of US President Joe Biden’s administration, “which set the defeat of Russia in Ukraine as its goal”
Moscow and Washington have no contacts on Ukraine, all discussion of the topic is reduced to technical issues, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing on Thursday.
“There are no official Russian-American contacts on Ukraine. Technical issues are discussed at the level of our diplomatic missions, embassies in Moscow and Washington. These are technical problems and issues,” she said.
Zakharova said that the main reason for the lack of such contacts is the destructive policy of US President Joe Biden’s administration, “which set the defeat of Russia in Ukraine as its goal.”
“The American administration has forbidden its Kiev underlings to even think about negotiations with us, forcing us to fight to the last Ukrainian. Accordingly, under these conditions, how can we talk to the United States of America? Then they will have to accept and acknowledge reality on the ground. But for now there is no point. We proceed from the actions, statements and concrete steps that the United States is taking in this direction,” the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday revealed that only 378,639 of the 1,761,338 who wrote the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations scored 200 and above.
This was disclosed by the Registrar of JAMB, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, during the 2022 policy meeting.
JAMB had earlier revealed that an Ekiti indigene attained the highest score during the 2022 UTME examinations conducted by the board.
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 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”.
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Wednesday, disclosed that over N80 billion has been expended on the establishment of King David University of Medical Sciences located in Uburu, Ebonyi State.
The goverrnor,speaking during a courtesy visit to the Executive Secretary of Tertiary Education Trust Fund, TETFund, Arc Sonny Echono, in Abuja, also solicited for a take-off fund for the university.
“We are soliciting for take off fund. That university; we have sunk over N80 billion in it. If it is done by any other agency, I am sure that N150 billion cannot do it. I am not boasting about that,” he said.
He also stated that his reason for the visit was to congratulate the executive secretary for the new job which was based on his exemplary job to the country, adding that his appointment as the TETFund boss will bring huge transformation to the Fund.
“I am here to congratulate my brother for there promotion based on the job he has done for the country and to thank him for the exemplary public service.
“Whenever you call him, he picks and it is not because I am governor. The ordinary people are passing through a lot of challenges and if they can’t get, at least, they should get hope and the only way they can get hope is when you respond to them because you are answerable to them.
“I say to him to do everything he can to fast track projects because of the issue of prices in the market and he has started to address that and I am very happy about that,”he said.
The governor,”Having work in the ministry of works, I know it is top priority for him. There is no price that is constant in this country within the period of 60 days so since he has started, it means we will definitely succeed.”
“I am also here to thank him for the work he is doing in the new seven universities, which one is in my state. The President graciously named the university after me. I am here to say thank you to him. We also have interventions for the university.
“Before I could ask,the executive secretary had written a letter requesting that the university come up with proposal. That is how it ought to be. Before now, you have to beg and wait and the project of one year, will take up to two years. It shouldn’t be so. I am very happy with what they are doing for us and what they will still do for us,” he said.
Responding, the executive secretary commended the governor for the many transformation he has brought to the state, adding that the governor has become a standard bearer for measuring public service.
“I want to make bold to say that the executive governor of Ebonyi State is one governor the whole country is proud of,seeing the transformation that has taken place in the state. We all know what the state was in years of its standing, both within the Southeast and even the entire country. That’s one of the disadvantaged states in terms of infrastructure and educational facilities.
“But with the transformation that we witnessed under the leadership of his excellency, everybody is taken a cue. It has become a standard bearer for measuring public service and even the delivery of the dividend of democracy as it is captured,”he added.
He added that the president was impressed with the structure put in place by the governor in the new Medical Sciences University.
President Joe Biden on Thursday will announce his plan to reduce gun crime, outlining during a trip to Pennsylvania how his administration would spend the $37 billion in his 2023 budget request to “support law enforcement and crime prevention,” according to a White House fact sheet and senior administration officials.
Biden’s “Safer America Plan” details for the first time how the funding in his 2023 fiscal year budget proposal would be used to fight crime. The proposal, which does not include an allocation of existing funding, still requires congressional approval.
The proposed plan, according to the officials and fact sheet, would help police departments hire and train an additional 100,000 police officers, invest $3 billion to clear court backlogs, establish a new $15 billion grant program for cities and states over the next decade to help them prevent violent crime and “ease the burden on police officers by identifying non-violent situations that may merit a public health response or other response.” It would also invest an additional $5 billion in community violence intervention programs.
Additionally, the plan aims to take “additional commonsense steps” to reduce the proliferation of firearms through proposals, including increasing funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and urging Congress to pass legislation to strengthen background checks and ban assault weapons.
During his Thursday remarks, Biden will drive a “clear contrast” with congressional Republicans as he outlines how he and Democrats have “funded the police and taken action to fight crime while congressional Republicans have opposed these efforts at every turn,” according to one senior administration official.
Italy's Prime Minister Mario Draghi looks on during his address to the lower house of parliament ahead of a vote of confidence for the government after he tendered his resignation last week in the wake of a mutiny by a coalition partner, in Rome, Italy July 21, 2022.
Italy’s Prime Minister Mario Draghi looks on during his address to the lower house of parliament ahead of a vote of confidence for the government after he tendered his resignation last week in the wake of a mutiny by a coalition partner, in Rome, Italy July 21, 2022.
Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi submitted his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday, plunging the European Union’s third-largest economy into fresh political turmoil.
Draghi’s resignation comes after several key parties in his coalition — the powerful 5-Star movement, the largest party in the country’s coalition government, center-right Forza Italia and the far-right League — boycotted a confidence vote in the government Wednesday night.
Mattarella, who accepted the resignation, is scheduled to meet with the speakers of Parliament on Thursday afternoon, the presidential palace said in a statement. The next step is to call for a snap election.
Last week, Draghi first tendered his resignation after the 5-Star movement withdrew its support in a parliamentary confidence vote on a package designed to tackle Italy’s cost-of-living crisis. Draghi had previously said that he would not lead a government that did not include 5-Star.
That resignation, however, was rejected by Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella, who urged him to stay and find a solution.
On Thursday, the FTSEMIB, Italy’s main stock market, was down more than 2.5% after the country’s government was left on the brink of collapse.
Former Chelsea star, Glen Johnson has urged the Blues to splash out the cash in a bid to sign West Ham star, Declan Rice this summer.
Johnson, who spent four seasons at Stamford Bridge, wants the Blues to make more investments and lure Rice from West Ham.
In a chat with Genting Casino, Johnson stated that will help bring stability to Chelsea’s midfield.
“I think Chelsea should go all out for Rice before the deadline,” Johnson told Genting Casino.
“Everyone knows they are interested in Rice…and I find it strange that it is taking so long.
“Rice’s impact at West Ham is huge. No team wants to lose their best player. He’s the main man and is the key to everything they do, but I think we all know the clock is ticking for his time being at West Ham,” he said.
Chelsea have already brought in the likes of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly and are still active in the transfer market.
The Middle Belt Movement for Justice and Peace, MBMJP, yesterday raised concern over the steady slide in the value of the Nigerian currency, lamenting that at an exchange rate of about N630 to a Dollar, the All Progressives Congress, APC, led administration is superintending the shameful crash of the Naira due to poor economic policies.
The MBMJP in a statement by the Convener, Joe Bukka, among others, said “The value of a country’s currency tells a lot about the strength of that country. That is why we are insisting that this government cannot justify what it has done to the value of the Naira which is our symbol of strength.
“It is certainly unacceptable that our currency is miserably low in value under the watch of this government, exchanging for as low as N630 to a Dollar. Who could have imagined that this would be our fate after seven years of an administration that inherited an exchange rate of one Dollar to N197.
“As a result of the very poor economic judgment of this government, millions of Nigerians are passing through the worst economic crunch anyone can think of and there is no end in sight. Even smaller neighbouring countries that looked up to Nigeria for survival are now better of. That is how bad our situation in this country is under the watch of the APC le
“It is sad that today life has become brutish, the average Nigerian cannot feed, unlike the situation before 2015. Today in this country the life of the Nigerian has become worthless because bandits and armed herders are roaming our communities abducting and killing innocent Nigerians at will.
“Our citizens who were kidnapped by these marauders have been abandoned to their fate and left to die in the custody of their abductors because in the estimation of our leaders the life of a Nigerian is worth nothing.”
“Our children who are supposed to be in school are wasting their youthful years at home because of the strike by university teachers and workers and the government does not care because the children of our leaders are all schooling overseas. That is the sad reality we are living with but we know that this will certainly not last forever.”
A renowned lawyer and diplomat, Justice Osai Ahiakwo has condemned yesterday’s allegation that the national ruling party, All Progressives Congress, APC, hired some persons who adorned themselves in different cassocks of Christian leaders to grace the unveiling of Alhaji Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno State, as Bola Ahmed’s presidential running mate.
Ahiakwo said the action portrayed the political atmosphere as ludicrous, adding that they were attempting to reduce the Christian faith to ridicule.
He said the persons were not Christian leaders but impostors, stressing that both the sponsors and the hired ones would face God’s wrath.
Also, two top clergymen, including the Bishop of Anglican Communion, Calabar Diocese, Professor Nneoyi Egbe, as well as the General Secretary of Brotherhood of the Cross and Star College of Bishops, Archbishop Mike Ntuk expressed shock and utter disappointment over the development.
Ntuk said, “It is indeed a very sad development. It shows absolute disregard for God. It is extremely embarrassing.
“Why did they not chose to embarrass Muslim leaders by hiring Imams in their regalia to such event? It shows the depth some political leaders can descend in the course of their desperation for power. It really is a shame the quality of leadership and deceit we are throwing up. Unfortunately, God is a Nigerian and He’ll meet them when they least expect and pull away the carpet from under their feet..”
On his part, the Anglican Communion Bishop said, “They have registered themselves for God’s judgement. Except they, including those that hired them to confess and repent, they are facing condemnation.”
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has proposed a solution to the continued collapse of the national grid.
Atiku proposed innovative financing of infrastructure in the power sector.
He said the financing would involve the facilitation of a review of the financial, legal, and regulatory environment to promote private investment in the power sector.
In a post on his Facebook page, Atiku wrote: “I am reliably informed that there was a total National Grid Collapse at precisely 12:23pm today. This is one collapse too many. It is the 6th time this is happening this year alone.
“Due to the priority that I place on the power sector upon which the successes of other sectors are hinged, I am proposing innovative financing of infrastructure that will involve the facilitation of a review of the financial, legal, and regulatory environment to promote private investment in power, among other sectors.
“I’ll promote the incentivisation, with tax breaks, a consortium of private sector institutions to establish an Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) to primarily mobilise domestic and international private resources for the financing and delivery of large infrastructure projects across all the sectors of the economy.
“The IDF will have an initial investment capacity of approximately US$20 billion. In addition, I’ll cause the creation of an Infrastructure Development Credit Guarantee Agency to complement the operation of the IDF by de-risking investments in infrastructure to build investor confidence in taking risks and investing capital.”
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...
