Category: Press Release

BEING THE ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PASTOR UMO ENO, GOVERNOR, AKWA IBOM STATE AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE 2024 BUDGET PROPOSALS TO AKWA IBOM STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY, UYO, 21st NOVEMBER. 2024
PROTOCOL

Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members

INTRODUCTION
1.  I stand here today in this Hallowed Chamber, to fulfill a constitutional and cardinal responsibility of my Office, to present the Estimates of Revenues and Expenditure for the Fiscal Year, 2024.

2.  Let me on behalf of the Executive Arm of Government, thank you, Mr. Speaker and all the Honourable Members of this great 8th Assembly for the cooperation you have extended to me so far, as we work painstakingly to ARISE and fulfill the dreams our forebears nourished, to have a great, prosperous, united and inclusive State.

3. Mr. Speaker, and the Honorable Members, this is a little emotional for me, because this is the first time I am appearing before you, as the Governor of this Land of Promise. I want to thank God and our good people, our great Party, the PDP, the Campaign Council headed by His Excellency, Chief Assam Assam, the Fathers in- faith and indeed the entire Evangelical community in the State, the various groups, for the support they gave me, leading to my overwhelming victory at the March 18th, 2023 gubernatorial polls.

4.   Let me thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, Commander-in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for being a father to all and The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Distinguished Senator Godswill Obot Akpabio CON for pledging to support us across party line to succeed. Let me again thank and celebrate my political father, His Excellency, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, CON, for seeing in me, what others may not have seen. Permit me also to acknowledge all the formers Governors especially, Former Governor Obong Arc. Victor Attah. Let me on behalf of the Government and people of Akwa Ibom State once again wish him a Happy Birthday. Together, we will ARISE and raise our State to such an enviable level that would be the pride of this Nation and indeed the black world. We have the will, we have the resolve, we have the passion and God is with us

5. Let me again congratulate the new Honorable Members and the returning ones and to pledge our readiness to work collaboratively with you all, without rancor or acrimony. As co-leaders in the service of our dear State and our people, I know that we may have some disagreements once in a while.  I plead that, whenever such issues may arise between us, we should endeavor to resolve them, with open heart, candor and brotherly disposition. We must remain resolutely committed to serving our people, ensuring sustainable development and raising our standard of living.

6. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, our governance philosophy is predicated on the five critical pillars of development that are expressly captured in our ARISE Agenda: Agricultural Revolution, Rural Development, Infrastructural Maintenance, Security Management and Educational Advancement.

7. So far, we have hit the grounds running and in a little over five months, we have translated the vision in practical and measurable terms. We are ready to ignite agricultural revolution, and a practical demonstration of this, is the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Songhai Farms, the internationally renowned farm operators and the subsequent trip we undertook to their facilities in Porto-Novo, Benin Republic.

8.  The first of such model farms is set to start operations in Nsit Ubuim, (being the first local government area that had provided us over fifty thousand hectares of land.) I urge other local government council chairmen to expedite the process of donation of lands for our laudable program in Agriculture.

9. I thank those that have already concluded on this issue. We want to ignite agricultural revolution and ensure food security for our people through the provision of our staple food at affordable prices and for export. We also are determined to invest heavily in our blue economy and improve the living standards and financial success of our fishermen. We recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy for the establishment of Ibom Fish City, an ambitious project aimed at maximizing our comparative advantage in blue economy.

10.  We are constructing model primary schools which will rank amongst be the best in the nation. The first of such is currently ongoing at the Christ the King School, on Wellington Bassey Way. We will replicate this model in all the ten Federal Constituencies and eventually to all the 31 local government areas. We believe the foundation for enduring education starts at the primary level and the environment we expose our kids to, will make the difference in their later educational pursuits.

11. Education still remains free and compulsory at the primary to secondary levels.  We are confident, with the inviting and conducive environment we are providing through the model schools, complete with the free uniforms, books and shoes there will be huge increase in our enrollment rates. We are continuing with the payment of WAEC fees and subventions to the tertiary institutions. We are offering bursary to students of tertiary instructions after proper certifications may have been done. We have also released One Hundred Million Naira to support physical challenge students in tertiary institutions.

12.  Our determination to open up our rural areas remain deep and abiding. We want to bring governance closer to the people and we hope to achieve this, by improving further the living conditions of our rural dwellers. We will continue to construct access roads, which already we have started, in Nsit Ibom/Ibesikpo Asutan, Ikot Ekpene and Oron Local Government areas respectively. We will extend this, to other parts of the State. The campaign promise I made to construct Ndiya Street, in Udua Akpan Andem, has been fulfilled, within the first 100 Days of this Administration. Dakkada Oil Palm is being restructured as I speak, we have gotten seedling for this great project. We have started the One Project per One Local Government, We have also secured funds to construct lodges for Local Government Chairmen, the first of this will be flagged-off in December in Eket, Social Register is to be lunch very soon, we have also set up monitoring and Evaluation Team that is domicile in Governor’s Office to ensure that Project are executed according to specification. You may have already read that I have authorized the payment of additional one month salary in December bringing it to thirteen months. This is to bring Christmas cheers to our Civil Servants and very soon we will lunch AKWAGIS.

13. To maintain our status as one of the safest States in the Nation, we have created a full-fledged Ministry of Internal Security and Waterways and the Neighborhood Watch program we have initiated, will provide jobs to over Five Thousand youths and also help protect our assets in communities across the State. Ibom Air continues to growth phenomenally. We are receiving the first of the ten brand new Air buses from first week of December, we have met all obligations in this regard.

14.  We are blessed with world-class road network in this State, and we want to expand on this and ensure robust maintenance culture. Work is also ongoing with the Primary Healthcare Centers in Ibesikpo Asutan, Akai Ubuim in Nsit Ubium, in Urue Offong Oruko. We will soon have ambulance services in all the Local Government Areas as well as homes for the elderly.

15. Since we came in, over 5.3 billion Naira has been released to pay gratuities to retired primary school teachers, Local Government and State Civil servants. You will agree with me, that this, has been a great move and we thank our people for the outpouring of commendations we have received so far. We have also release funds for payment of leave grants. We are committed to paying down the backlog of gratuities to the best of the resources available.

16.  I am a man of peace, and everything I have done, since I came in, has been in fulfillment of what I had stated in my inaugural speech that I will reconcile our people and lessen the poisonous political atmosphere in our State. We are one, and politics will not divide us and I hope our leaders will join me in ensuring that, we do not manufacture non-existent issues to gain political mileage.

REVIEW OF THE PERFORMANCE OF 2023 BUDGET

17.  Mr. Speaker, a total of ₦850.000 billion was approved for 2023 Fiscal Year with a total recurrent expenditure of ₦394.315 billion and the capital votes of ₦455.685 billion. The breakdown is as follows:

i) Recurrent Expenditure  –    ₦394.315
ii) Capital Expenditure    –          ₦455.685
TOTAL              –                          ₦850.000

18. As at September, 2023, the total recurrent revenue collected was N326.420 billion representing 80.5% of the prorated approved provision for the period (January – September). The sum of N62.082 billion was realized from other capital Receipts excluding recurrent surplus. This represents 26.8% of the prorated approved provision for the period.

A total of N135.681 billion was spent on Capital programmes within the same period which represents 39.7% of the prorated provision for the period. Our Capital Budget Expenditure is described in Details in the Budget Implementation Report, which has been prepared to facilitate your consideration of the Draft 2024 Budget.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2024 BUDGET
19. The 2024 Budget, which is christened “ARISE BUDGET FOR GROWTH AND EXPANSION”, is predicated on an oil benchmark of $73.96 per barrel at a production rate of 1.78 million barrels per day with an estimated exchange rate of ₦700 /US$, in line with the National Budget benchmark projections.
The National GDP has been projected at 3.76% growth rate with National inflation rate of 21%.

THE 2024 BUDGET SIZE
20. Government has proposed a total budgetary outlay of N845.632 billion for the 2024 Financial Year as against the approved revised provision of N850.000 of 2023 representing a decrease of 0.5% from the 2023 revised budget.
This is made up of:
Recurrent Expenditure     –       N352.917 billion
Capital Expenditure         –       N492.715 billion

Total                              –    ₦845.632 billion

STATE GOVERNMENT REVENUE ESTIMATES

21. The total projected Recurrent Revenue for 2024 is estimated at ₦561.000 billion as against the approved revised provision of ₦540.850 billion representing 3.7% increase in revenue projection for the year 2024.
The breakdown is as follows:
Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)                 –        ₦60.000 billion
Statutory Revenue                                            –       ₦55.000 billion
Derivation Revenue                       –       ₦280.000 billion
13% Derivative Revenue Arrears  – ₦51,000 billion
Exchange Gain, Augmentation and others           –       ₦60.000 billion
Excess Crude                   –       ₦10.000 billion
Value Added Tax (VAT)   –       ₦45.000 billion
Total                                 –    ₦561,000 billion

RECURRENT EXPENDITURE
22. For the 2024 Fiscal Year, Recurrent Expenditure which is proposed at ₦352.737 billion is made up of:
i.) Personnel Cost                                         –       ₦85.431 billion
ii.) Overhead Cost                                       –       ₦141.286 billion
iii.) Social contribution & Benefit
(Pension & Gratuity)                           –       ₦41.500 billion
iv.) Grant, Contribution & Subsidies           –         ₦1.500 billion
v.)   Others                                                                –        ₦83.200 billion

Total Recurrent Expenditure                      –  ₦352.917 billion

CAPITAL EXPENDITURE          
23. The total Capital Receipts and Expenditure for the year 2024 is estimated at N492.715 billion as against the approved revised provision of N455.685 billion for 2023. A total projected Capital Receipts shows that N208.083 billion will be transferred from the Consolidated Revenue Fund, while the balance of N284.632 billion is to be realized as follows

i.) Opening Balance from 2023 account                 –   ₦60.000 billion
ii.) Direct Credit Substitute/Receivable
Discounting Facility/Internal Loan        –   ₦164.632 billion
iii.) External Bank Loan                                           –   ₦20.000 billion
iv.) Grants                                                               –   ₦21.000 billion
v.) Ecological Fund                                                   –   ₦5.000 billion
vi.) Reimbursement from Federal Govt. on Roads     –   ₦2.000 billion
viii.) Other exceptional Income                                – ₦10.000 billion
ix.) Stabilization Account                                   –       ₦2.000 billion
Total                                             –  ₦492.715 billion

SECTORAL ALLOCATION
25. The sectoral allocation of the total budget outlay of N845.632billion for the year 2024 is presented as follows:

S/NO. SECTOR ALLOCATION
N (Billion) PERCENTAGE OF ALLOCATION (%)
1 Administration 174.448 20.6
2 Economic 538.881 63.7
3 Law and Justice 15.780 1.9
4 Regional 0.449 0.1
5 Social 116.074 13.7
Total 845.632 100.00

The Honourable Commissioner for Finance will as usual provide additional details on the sectoral allocations tomorrow Wednesday 22nd November, 2023.

2024 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
26. To realize the year 2024 Budget objectives, the following strategies shall be adopted by the State Government:

Partner with foreign investors to invest in the relevant and key sectors of the State economy and undertake robust human capital development.

❖ Widen the industrial base of the State through rapid industrialization and investment activities by providing enabling environment for the private sector to thrive. This is to enhance the availability of goods and services for domestic use as well as for export.
❖ Achieving at least 10% increase in IGR by eliminating evasion in payment, wastages and leakages in collection and expenditure and developing tourism potentials.
❖ Stimulate the Agricultural and Agro-allied industries to boost production of local farmers to ensure food sufficiency for local consumption, exports as well as the provision of raw materials for the industries.
❖ Expand and maintain infrastructure and services in Health-Care Delivery at Primary and Secondary levels and to safeguard the State against any further public health emergencies after COVID-19 pandemic.
❖ Improve service delivery in the Education sector, with emphasis on culturally, morally and technologically based education.
❖ Continue to empower women and youth through capacity building, empowerment, skill acquisition and elimination of gender discrimination practices.
❖ Enhance delivery of qualitative and prompt service by public servants, through effective intra and inter MDAs collaboration by digitizing operations
❖ Provide recreational and sporting facilities to increase life expectancy, boost sports development and ensure improved performance of the State representatives at Local, National and International sporting competitions.
❖ Strengthen performance monitoring mechanism with central coordinating unit at the Ministry of Economic Development.
❖ Improve fiscal transparency and accountability in all MDAs with emphasis on cost effectiveness in all programs and projects of government.
❖ Adopt the principles of cost minimization and waste reduction in all government expenditure.
❖ Promotion of cultural and sports tourism to earn more foreign exchange for Akwa Ibom State.

The Honorable Commissioner for Finance, will as usual provide additional details on the sectoral allocations.

CONCLUSION

27. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, thank you very much for your kind attention. Once again, let us celebrate and thank God Almighty for His mercies and goodness towards us. It is by His mercy that we will achieve all these lofty and noble goals enumerated in this Budget as we march gingerly into The Golden Era of our growth and development.

28. I therefore, crave your kind and expeditious approval of these estimates, so we can galvanize our people to ARISE and be all that God had intended us to be. We assure you of our determination to the faithful implementation of this Budget for the well- being of our people.  As, l end this address, l wishes us all good health, divine guidance, protection, joy and happiness. It is well with Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria and all of us.

29. Thank you and God bless you. Akwa Ibom ARISE!

FALSE PUBLICATION BY DAILY POST ON NATIONAL BLACKOUT

The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby states that the publication by Daily Post alleging that the Head of Public Affairs of TCN said that there will be a national blackout is false and totally misleading.

The statement is mischievous and baseless as TCN, through the Public Affairs Head, did not make such statement.

We hereby note that the nation’s grid is intact and supplying bulk electricity to distribution load centers nationwide.

As at when issuing this statement, the TCN National Control Centre Osogbo which controls bulk power transmission nationwide, is actively operational.

We would appreciate that reports are made with a sense of responsibility not just to cause panic.

Signed
Management.

I wish to congratulate you, on behalf of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, for a well-deserved resounding victory at the governorship election held in Imo State on Saturday, November 11, 2023.

In the past three and a half years as the Governor of Imo State, you have made a very impressive progress in the area of infrastructural development. You equally made remarkable progress in education, health and youth development. Above all, the project for the dredging of Oguta Lake to the Atlantic Ocean which Imo State Government under your leadership is executing in partnership with the Nigeria Navy is indeed a beacon of hope to all the people in the South East of Nigeria who are anxiously expecting commercial and industrial transformation of Igboland.

By this election in Imo State, all the five states of the South East have got democratically elected Governors.

It is the desire of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide to collaborate with the Governors to ensure that the Southeast and indeed the entire Igboland is transformed to create opportunities for our young men and women to realize their innate potentials to the best of their abilities.

God bless Imo State!
God bless Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide!!
God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!!

CHIEF DR. E. C. IWUANYANWU,CFR; OFR;MFR; FNSE; FNICE; FNIST; GCSI KSC.
(Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo),
President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide

In line with global best practices, the Nigeria National Office of the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) wishes to inform the general public, and all its stakeholders, that it has concluded plans to migrate its WASSCE for Private Candidates Examination Diets from Paper and Pencil Test to Computer Based Examination (CBE).

PRESS RELEASE

The Renewed Hope administration of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,His Excellency Sen. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR is set to make a historic mark in road Infrastructure revolution in Nigeria. This was revealed by the Hon. Minister of Works, His Excellency, Sen. Engr Nweze David Umahi, Con during the flag-off of the emergency repair of the Third Mainland bridge, Lagos on the 8th day of November, 2023. The Hon. Minister during the event reiterated the determination of the President to turn around the accumulated ugly conditions of the Nigerian roads particularly the Federal Highways.

2. Speaking on the essence of the emergency repair of the Third Mainland Bridge, the Hon. Minister said that the conditions of the bridge superstructure and other elements including the loops and ramps connecting the bridge were bad and required urgent maintenance to serve the road users better. ” This is yet another milestone in the actualization of the Renewed Hope agenda of the Divine President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration which among other things is aimed at the total repositioning of the road and bridge infrastructure in Nigeria and to bring succour to road users who have suffered the effects of the decayed infrastructure over the years,”

3. The Hon. Minister recalled that the immediate past administration had awarded a contract for the comprehensive repair of the loops and ramps connecting to the Third Mainland bridge at the total cost of N6,278,063585.58. But the Renewed Hope administration of Mr President upon coming on board observed that the intervention was for a limited scope as it would not address the problems created by the extra layers of asphalt on the bridge deck of about 150mm thickness that occurred as a result of previous overlays which constitute extra dead load on the bridge.”

4. According to the Hon. Minister, “it therefore became imperative to expand the scope of works as awarded to accomodate the additional works and quantities of work items needed to restore the integrity and serviceability of this very important bridge” Hence, the need to expand the scope of the contract which is now “awarded to Messrs CCECC Nig Ltd in the sum of N21,047,430,431.71.

5. The Hon Minister who used the opportunity to thank the President of Nigeria for approving the repair of over 260 Federal Roads across the nation also reiterated his Ministry’s commitment to quality and timely delivery of road and bridge infrastructure in Nigeria, pointing out that under his watch, the road users will not suffer discomfort and inconveniences because of road repair.He maintained that his Ministry’s target is to emeliorate the sufferings of road users and give them the best comfort anyone can get in advanced countries of the world.
On his own part, the Lagos State Governor who was represented by his Deputy, His Excellency, Dr Femi Hamzat assured the Hon Minister of Works of a robust partnership in the road revolution agenda of Federal Government, as far as Lagos State is concerned. He praised the initiative of the Federal Government in tackling the deficiencies in road Infrastructure across the nation.

The Governor also assured road users of adequate traffic management within Lagos State and adequate traffic plan during the festivities. The Governor thereafter performed the flag-off ceremony at the instance of the Hon. Minister of Works.

6 Repair works on the four ramps on the Third Mainland bridge started in earnest on the 6th day of November,2023 and is expected to be completed on or before 13th December,2023. The work of the major carriageway of the bridge will commence on 15th January,2023

Hon. Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji
Chief Press Secretary to the Hon Minister of Works. 8th November,2023

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of twenty (20) qualified Nigerians to serve as Federal Commissioners in the National Population Commission (NPC) with nine current Federal Commissioners being appointed to a second term in office:

(1) Hon. Emmanuel Trump Eke — Abia

(2) Dr. Clifford Zirra — Adamawa — Reappointed

(3) Mr. Chidi Christopher Ezeoke — Anambra — Reappointed

(4) Barr. Isa Audu Buratai — Borno — Reappointed

(5) Bishop Alex Ukam — Cross River

(6) Ms. Blessyn Brume-Ataguba — Delta

(7) Dr. Jeremiah Ogbonna Nwankwegu — Ebonyi

(8) Dr. Tony Aiyejina — Edo — Reappointed

(9) Mr. Ejike Ezeh — Enugu — Reappointed

(10) Mr. Abubakar Damburam — Gombe — Reappointed

(11) Prof. Uba Nnabue — Imo — Reappointed

(12) Ms. Sa’adatu Dogon Bauchi Garba — Kaduna

(13) Dr. Aminu Ibrahim Tsanyawa — Kano

(14) Hon. Yori Afolabi — Kogi

(15) Hon. Olakunle Sobukola — Ogun

(16) Hon. Temitayo Oluseye Oluwatuyi — Ondo

(17) Sen. Mudashiru Hussain — Osun — Reappointed

(18) Ms. Mary Ishaya Afan — Plateau

(19) Mr. Ogiri Itotenaan Henry — Rivers

(20) Mr. Saany Sale — Taraba — Reappointed

The President charges the new and returning NPC Federal Commissioners to successfully implement all measures taken by his administration to produce and effectively appropriate accurate population data with which lasting solutions to Nigeria’s socio-political and economic challenges can be conclusively developed and executed.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
November 8, 2023

Remarks at a Press Conference by Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, Con, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party on The Supreme Court Judgment of 26th October, 2023 On the 2023 Nigeria Presidential ElectionHeld in Abuja, FCT, on Monday, 6th November, 2023.

Protocols,

1. Fellow countrymen and women. Gentlemen of the Media, Good day and welcome to this press conference.Kindly permit me to make some brief remarks on the recent ruling of the Supreme Court, the highest court in Nigeria.

2. About a fortnight ago, I was traveling abroad on a prior scheduled engagement when I received the notice that the Supreme Court would give judgment on Thursday 26th October 2023 on our challenge of the ruling of the Presidential Election Petitions Court (PEPC). That judgment has since been delivered as scheduled. The leadership of the Labour Party has already pronounced its position on the judgment.

3. As someone who has previously benefited from the rulings of the Supreme Court on electoral matters, I have, after a period of deep and sober reflection, decided to personally and formally react to the recent judgment as most Nigerians have. Because we are confronted with very weighty issues of national interest, I will speak forthrightly. As students young lads at CKC, Onitsha, we were taught values and admonished to always; “choose the harder right, instead of the easier wrong.”

4. Setting legal issues aside, the Supreme Court exhibited a disturbing aversion to public opinion just as it abandoned its responsibility as a court of law and policy. It is, therefore, with great dismay that I observe that the Court’s decision contradicts the overwhelming evidence of election rigging, false claim of a technical glitch, substantial non-compliance with rules set by INEC itself as well as matters of perjury, identity theft, and forgery that have been brought to light in the course of this election matter. These were hefty allegations that should not to be treated with levity. More appalling, the Supreme Court judgment willfully condoned breaches of the Constitution relative to established qualifications and parameters for candidates in presidential elections. With this counter-intuitive judgment, the Supreme Court has transferred a heavy moral burden from the courtrooms to our national conscience. Our young democracy is ultimately the main victim and casualty of the courtroom drama.

5. Without equivocation, this judgment amounts to a total breach of the confidence the Nigerian people have in our judiciary. To that extent, it is a show of unreasonable force against the very Nigerian people from whom the power of the Constitution derives. This Supreme Court ruling may represent the state of the law in 2023 but not the present demand for substantive justice. The judgment mixed principles and precepts. Indeed, the rationale and premise of the Supreme Court judgment, have become clearer in the light of the deep revealing and troubling valedictory remarks by Hon. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, (JSC) on Friday 27th October 2023.

6. In disagreeing very strongly with the ruling of both the Presidential Petitions Court (PEPC) and the Supreme Court on the outcome of the 25th February 2023 Presidential election as declared by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as democrats who believe in the rule of law, we recognize that the Supreme Court is the end stage of the quest for legal closure to the matter. As a party and as candidates, Datti and I have now exhausted all legal and constitutional remedies available to us. However, this end is only another beginning in our quest for the vindication of the hope of the common man for a better country. After all, sovereignty belongs to the people! If only for historical purposes, it behooves us to place our disagreement with and deep reservations about this judgment on public record.

7. We have long been aware of how weak national institutions have negatively affected our democracy. This year 2023 has been quite remarkable and revealing. INEC has displayed incompetence in the
conduct of its statutory duty. The judiciary has largely acted in defiance of constitutional tenets, precedents, and established ground rules. Political expediency has preceded judicial responsibility. A mechanical application of technicalities has superseded the pursuit of justice and fairness. Both INEC and the Supreme Court as the referees, respectively shifted the goalposts in the middle of the game.

8. Where the value and import of the recent Supreme Court ruling ends is where our commitment to a New Nigeria begins. Our mission and mandate remain unchanged. From the very onset, our mission has been more about enthroning a new Nigeria. It is a new nation where things work, where the country is led from its present waste and consumption orientation to a production-driven economy. Our commitment is to a nation anchored on the principles of prudent management of resources to quickly pull millions out of multidimensional poverty, ensuring transparency and accountability in the equitable distribution of opportunities, resources, and privileges. In the new Nigeria, we aim to address all unmet needs by showing compassion for all those left behind by the present system.

9. Going forward, we in the Labour Party and the Obidient Movement are now effectively in opposition. We are glad that the nation has heard us loud and clear. We shall now expand the confines of our message of hope to the rest of the country. We shall meet the people in the places where they feel pain and answer their needs for hope. At marketplaces, motor parks, town halls, board rooms, and university and college campuses, we all carry and deliver the message of a new Nigeria. As stake holders and elected Labour Party officials, we shall remain loyal to our manifesto.We will continue to canvas for good governance and focus on issues that promote national interest, unity, and cohesion. We will continue to give primacy to our Constitution, the rule of law, and the protection of ordered liberties. We will offer the checks and balances required in a functional democracy and vie robustly in forthcoming elections to elect those who share our vision of a new Nigeria.

10. Given our present national circumstances, there is a compelling need for a strong political opposition. We shall, therefore, remain in opposition, especially because of the policies and the governance modalities that we in the Labour Party campaigned for, especially reducing the cost of governance, moving the nation from consumption to production, reducing inflation, ending insecurity, promoting the rule of law, guaranteeing the responsibility to protect, and stabilizing the Nigerian currency; are clearly not the priorities of the present administration nor is it interested in achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

11. If there is one thing that has immensely gladdened my heart in the course of the struggle of the past 18 months, it is the passionate desire of our people, especially our young people from across ethnic and religious divides, to construct a new and restructured Nigeria that will work for all Nigerians. That goal remains my guiding light and abiding inspiration.

12. Finally, I thank all Nigerians who believed in what is now only a revolution postponed. We deeply appreciate the unalloyed non-partisan moral support millions of youth and ordinary Nigerians across ethnic, religious, and geopolitical divides have continued to give to Dr. Datti Baba-Ahmed and me.

13. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Nigerians who have supported this mission from the onset. We salute the leadership and members of the Labour Party, the Obidient Movement, the Obi-Datti Presidential Campaign Council, Nigerians in the Diaspora, Support Groups, and all people of goodwill who worked diligently and hoped for the realization of the beginnings of a New Nigeria in this election cycle.

14. Nigerians who supported our cause have done so out of patriotism and their sincere conviction that our nation requires and deserves dedicated and visionary leaders who will lead Nigeria toward a brighter future. The energy and dedication of Nigerian Youths and the Obedient Movement have been simply amazing. I appreciate and salute them! I want to assure them that this is not the end of our journey; but in fact, the beginning. Nigeria heard you. The world has taken note and will not forget so easily. We shall endure, persist, until we get to our destination because a new Nigeria is our destination. A destination not an event.

15. We thank, in a special way, our legal team. We also thank our elder States-Men, whose wise counsel were immeasurable To them, we wish to state unequivocally that this judicial outcome – an obvious misrepresentation of substantial justice – has by no means foreclosed the realization of a new Nigeria that is Possible.

16. On a personal note, I take personal pride and express gratitude to those who share our vision; and who have also exhibited rare courage to challenge the nefarious system, the genuineness of individuals’ identities and their defining and qualifying particulars up to the highest extent allowed by law. Nigeria holds out hope of infinite possibilities leading to our desirable greatness. I remain consistent in my belief in the possibility of a new Nigeria built on character competence, capacity, compassion, integrity, and respect for the rule of law based on justice and fairness.

17. God bless us all. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, CON

Presidential Candidate of Labour Party.
Obi –Datti Campaign Organization Office Abuja, FCT. Monday 6th November 2023.

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has received with a rude shock the passing of yet another Igbo Titan, a humanist, erudite scholar, bridge builder, the summary of virtues, a dentist of global renown, community leader, publisher, former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide and the Iyase of Okpanam, Dr. Sylvanus Olisanye Ebigwei, DDP, FMCGDP, PhD, MON.

Dr. Ebigwei served as the President of Aka Ikenga Lagos, an Igbo Think Tank and later as the Vice President General (VPG) under Chief Nnia Nwodo as the President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide. Throughout his tenure as the VPG, Chief Ebigwei’s wise counsel, moral authority, audacity of intellect, dispositional humility and nobility radiance were irresistible and disarming; and at the NEC meetings, Nwodo would cast a look at Ebigwei to solicit his validation at any critical juncture.

Furthermore, Dr. Ebigwei decried the inanity of double standards, identity crises and ethnic ambivalence that have pervaded the Igbo of the South South extraction of Nigeria. On page 218 of his book: The History of Okpanam People and Culture, Ebigwei stated that the “Delta Ñorth, known as Anioma people are basically Ndi Igbo”. He informed that the word, Anioma is a product of Igbo consciousness; and that the across-the-Niger Igbo held a meeting and adopted the word, Anioma. He explained that Anioma is an acronym derived from the first alphabets of the administrative divisions that comprise the Delta North; namely, “A” for Aniocha, “N” for Ndokwa, “I” for Ika and “O” for Oshimili; and that the prefix MA was added by Chief Dennis Osadebe, the former Premier of the Midwest of Nigeria, to form the word Anioma, meaning the “Beautiful Land”.

Ebigwei lamented that the likes of Dennis Osadebay, Chief Orewa of Ika, Amadi Emina of Ebu, Col Joe Achuzia, Chief Isa, Chief Dafe, Ambassador Raph Uwechue, Chief Ochonogor, Obi Nosike Ikpo of Ibusa, etc were firm and unequivocal about their Igboness; and would turn in their graves over the recent developments, where a split personality with Igbo name, language and culture would prefer to deny his identity for a genealogical rootlessness, porridge mendacity and chameleon mentality.

Ebigwei had reminisced with a deep emotional substantiation, the formidable Igbo solidarity that enabled Chief Dennis Osadebey to clinch the position of the Premier of the multi-ethnic Midwest Region in the First Republic and many other feats. Ebigwei regretted that it was “after the civil war in 1970 that many persons from Anioma started to distance themselves from their original ethnic identity….for political survival”.

Ebigwei was an exemplary Anioma who detested wobbling personalities and remained steadfast to his roots until Friday, November 3, 2023 when he departed to meet his Ancestors.

The President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR; OFR; CFR; FNICE; FNSE; KSC (Ahaejiagamba) is devastated on hearing the sad news. The Igbo Leader expressed dismay over the close chain of catastrophe; Chief Joel Kroham, Prof George Obiozor, Prof. Joe Irukwu, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, Elder Dr. UK Kalu and now Dr S. O. Ebigwei. Ahaejiagamba remarked with sadness, that a big vacuum is created in Anioma with the loss of Ebigwei.

Born January 8, 1943, Sylvanus Olisanye Ebigwei attended St Patrick’s College Asaba and left as the best graduating HSC student in 1966. He proceeded to the College of Medicine, University of Lagos where he studied dentistry; Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria, for a specialist programme; University of Florida, Gainsville, among others. He served as the Chairman, Governing Council, Nnamdi Azikiwe University University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi; Chairman, College of Dental Technology & Therapy, Enugu; Chairman, Post Graduate Medical College of Nigeria; Chairman, African Chess Federation; amongst others.

Chief Iwuanyanwu sends his condolences to the wife, children and the immediate family, the traditional ruler and the Okpamam Community and the good people of Anioma over this irreparable loss. He takes solace in the fact that Dr. Ebigwei was accomplished in several fields and passed on a fulfilled man.
While we urge the Anioma to accept with serenity the inevitable reality for all mortals, we request the Almighty to grant the soul of Dr. S O Ebigwei an eternal rest in his bosom.

E-Sign

Dr. Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia;

National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide.

EFCC PRESS STATEMENT

In line with the newly-reviewed procedures on arrest and bail of suspects by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Mr. Ola Olukoyede has directed that sting operations at night time be stopped in all the Commands of the EFCC.

He gave the directive in Abuja on Wednesday, November 1, 2023 in reaction to the arrest of 69 suspected internet fraudsters by operatives of the Ibadan Zonal of the Commission in Ile-Ife, Osun State. Already, many of the suspects duly profiled by the Command have been released, while profiling of suspects yet un-released will be completed, without further delay.

The Commission wishes to assure the public that it will not relent in its adherence to the rule of law, in the exercise of its mandate.

Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
November 1, 2023

I have observed with dismay the nonchalant attitude shown by the youths of the South East of Nigeria towards the ongoing recruitment exercise for General Duty Constables of the Nigeria Police Force.

The available information shows that Kaduna State is leading in the on-line application into the Police Force with 20,259 while Anambra State trails last with a mere 541 applications. Others include Ebonyi State with 737; Abia State, 966; Imo State, 999; and Enugu, 1036.

The lack of interest by the Igbo youths towards the Nigeria Police Force is disturbing because, it is only by enlisting in the Police Force that offers the unique possibility of becoming a senior police officer in the future.

I hereby call on the South East Governors led by His Excellency, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, CON; the Chairman, South East Council of Traditional Rulers led by HRH, Ambassador Lawrence Agubuzu, CFR; the States President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo; the Chairman, Association of South East Town Unions led by Chief Emeka Diwe; the Clergy and the various Igbo groups and social movements to use their various structures to sensitize the Igbo youths to embrace the opportunity provided by the ongoing recruitment exercise.

E-Sign.

Chief Engr. Dr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, MFR; OFR; CFR; FNICE; FNSE; KGC

(Ahaejiagamba Ndigbo)

President General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide

Being text of a World Press Conference on the Presidential Election Petition Judgement by Atiku Abubakar, GCON, Waziri Adamawa, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999-2007) and Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2023 Election, at the PDP Headquarters in Abuja on Monday, 30th October, 2023.

Protocol.

Gentlemen of the Press.

Someone asked me what I would do if I lost my election petition appeal at the Supreme Court. In response, I said that as long as Nigeria wins, the struggle would have been worth the while. By that, I meant that the bigger loss would not be mine but Nigeria’s if the Supreme Court legitimizes illegality, including forgery, identity theft, and perjury.

If the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, implies by its judgment that crime is good and should be rewarded, then Nigeria has lost and the country is doomed irrespective of who occupies the Presidential seat. If the Supreme Court decides that the Electoral umpire, INEC, can tell the public one thing and then do something else in order to reach a corruptly predetermined outcome, then there is really no hope for the country’s democracy and electoral politics.

Obviously, the consequences of those decisions for the country will not end at the expiration of the current government. They will last for decades. I am absolutely sure that history will vindicate me. We now know what the Supreme Court has decided.

At critical points in my political life, I always ignored the easy but ignoble path and chosen the difficult but dignified path, the path of truth, of morality, of democracy and rule of law.

I always chose freedom over servitude, whatever the personal discomforts my choice entails. When I joined politics, the critical challenge was easing the military out of power so that civilian democratic governance could be restored in Nigeria. It later became a very defining struggle, and, as one of the leaders of that struggle, I was targeted for elimination.

In one incident, nine policemen guarding my home in Kaduna were murdered in an attempt to assassinate me. I was also forced into exile for nine (9) months. In addition, my interest in a logistics company that I co-owned was confiscated and given to friends of the military government. As Vice President in the civilian government that succeeded the military, I, again at great personal cost, chose to oppose the extension of the tenure of the government beyond the two four-year terms enshrined in our constitution.

In response to the official backlash against me, I instituted several cases in the courts, which led to seven landmark decisions that helped to deepen our democracy and rule of law. At the current historic moment, the easier option for me would have been to fold up and retreat after the mandate banditry perpetrated by the APC and INEC.

But I went to the Nigerian courts to seek redress. I even went to an American court to help with unravelling what our state institutions charged with such responsibilities were unwilling or unable to do, including unravelling the qualifying academic records of the person sworn in as our President and by implication, hopefully who he really is.

I offered that evidence procured with the assistance of the American Court to our Supreme Court to help it to do justice in this case. I give this background to underscore that what we are currently dealing with is bigger than one or two presidential elections and is certainly bigger than Atiku Abubakar. It is not about me; it is about our country, Nigeria. It is about the kind of society we want to leave for the next generation and what kind of example we want to set for our children and their children.

It is about the reputation of Nigeria and Nigerians in the eyes of the world. We showed incontrovertible evidence that Bola A. Tinubu was not qualified to contest the Presidential Election because he forged the qualifying academic certificate, which he submitted to INEC. In fact, a simple check of Tinubu’s past records in its possession would have shown INEC that Tinubu broke the law and should not have been allowed to contest the election.

We showed irrefutable evidence of gross irregularities, violence, and manipulations during the elections. We showed incontrovertible evidence that INEC violated the Electoral Act and deliberately sabotaged its own publicly announced processes and procedures in order to illegally declare Tinubu elected. The position of the Supreme Court, even though final, leaves so much unanswered.

Even the rebuke by retired Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad is a confirmation from within the apex court that all is not well with the Supreme Court. The court and indeed the judiciary must never lend itself to politicization as it is currently the norm with nearly every institution in Nigeria. By the way, the strong rebuke of the apex court by the revered Justice, who had meritoriously served for more than four decades, should not be swept under the carpet.
The alarm raised by Justice Muhammad and recently, former INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, offer Nigerians an explanation into why the electoral and judicial system have become the lost hope of the common man.

Judges are no longer appointed based on merit but are products of the interplay of politics and nepotism. Worse still, the appointment of electoral officials has also been hijacked by the ruling party as seen in the latest nomination of Resident Electoral Commissioners where card carrying members of the ruling party and aides to politicians in the APC are being appointed into INEC. When two critical institutions like the court and the electoral commission are trapped in an evil web of political machination, it becomes next to impossible for democracy to thrive.

As a stakeholder in the presidential election of February 25, I, along with other well-meaning Nigerians have done my bit in ensuring that our democratic process enjoys the privilege of full disclosure of the character deficiencies of the current political leadership. I also believe that even if the Supreme Court believes otherwise, the purpose of technology in our electoral system is to enhance transparency and not merely as a viewing centre. We have to move with the world and not be stuck in time.

Implications of PEPC and Supreme Court judgments

I leave Nigerians and the world to decide what to make of the Supreme Court’s unfortunate decision. But here’s my take. The judgments of the PEPC and the Supreme Court have very far-reaching grave implications, including the following:

One is the erosion of trust in the electoral system and our democracy. Nigerians witnessed as the National Assembly changed the electoral law to improve transparency in the process. Of particular importance was the introduction of modern technology to help eliminate the recurring incidents of electoral manipulation, particularly during the collation of results. Nigerians and the world also witnessed as the leadership of the INEC, especially its Chairman and National Commissioner for Voter Education reassured Nigerians on national television multiple times that the use of that technology would be mandatory.

Yet that same INEC undermined the use of that technology during the elections and collation process and declared as winner someone who clearly did not win the Presidential election. They then went further to take sides in the courts in a dogfight to defend their illegality. Who would convince the millions of Nigerians to vote in future elections after they suffered endlessly on queues to register to vote, to collect PVCs and to vote, based on INEC’s assurances only to see their votes stolen and given to someone they did not vote for?

When people lose trust and confidence in elections, democracy is practically on life support. And by affirming and legitimizing the continued lack of transparency in our electoral system the courts are continuing to usurp the rights of voters to elect their leaders. The other grave implication is that contestants in Nigeria’s elections should do whatever is necessary to be declared the winner. That includes identity theft, impersonation, forging of educational and other documents, perjury, and violence.

And, as they do so, they should ignore whatever the law says and whatever assurances from the leadership of the electoral umpire about what the law says and what they would do in compliance. And they would do so knowing that our courts would approve of their behaviour or at best pretend not to take any notice of it. The third is that if you are robbed of victory, do not bother going to court for redress because your glaring evidence of the robbery will be ignored in favour of the mandate bandit.

Also, your lawyers, however distinguished and accomplished, may be ridiculed by the judges who may also go out of their way to make even a stronger case for the so-called “winner” than even their own lawyers were able to do. These are clearly self-help strategies and actions bereft of the law and constitutionalism. Only lawlessness and anarchy will result from such, with violence, destruction and implosion and loss of our country likely to follow.
I believe that we still have a small window to prevent these from happening. I still believe that we can rescue this country from the strange imposters that have seized it illegally and are holding it by the jugular. Let me caution that the leaders of those African countries that have completely collapsed into chaos never came together one day and agreed to collapse their countries. Rather their countries collapsed because of the incremental and compounding individual and collective utterances and actions of those leaders.

Nigerians know more about the person sitting in office as their President and how he got there, and the dangers that it portends for them and the country. It is for them, especially the younger generation whose futures are to be shaped by that man, to decide what they want to do with the knowledge.

Now, let me give a historical perspective to the constitutional evolution that gave birth to the 1999 Constitution. In the build up to the current democratic dispensation, agitation was rife amongst members of the political class and a large number of civil society bodies to envision a constitution that would operate a democracy in a functional order after the nasty military regimes. These agitations and necessities of the circumstance of that time led to the convocation of the 1995 Constitutional Conference, which I was privileged to be a part of, alongside other prominent political actors.

The Constitutional Conference was expected to create the frameworks upon which a new constitution would be built in order to make the dreams of a democratic society. A number of far-reaching reforms and recommendations were made, which drew from our past experiences and aimed at safeguarding the new constitution from the mistakes of the past.

One such headline recommendation was the concept of rotational presidency anchored on the principle of 6 years single term among the 6 geopolitical blocks. Even the notional idea of delineating the country along geo-political blocks was a creation of the 1995 conference. Another thematic recommendation at the conference was that the Federal Capital Territory should be given the democratic opportunity to elect for itself a mayor who shall emerge from popular franchise. These two recommendations were part of the landmark reforms that were submitted to the military government that convoked the Constitutional Conference.

However, and rather disappointingly, the government that midwifed the current democratic dispensation and enacted what is now known as the 1999 Constitution, expunged these two recommendations from what eventually became the body of legislation to govern our fledgling democracy.

As for me and my party this phase of our work is done. However, I am not going away. For as long as I breathe I will continue to struggle, with other Nigerians, to deepen our democracy and rule of law and for the kind of political and economic restructuring the country needs to reach its true potential. That struggle should now be led by the younger generation of Nigerians who have even more at stake than my generation.

So, let me make a few proposals that I believe will help. We can urgently make constitutional amendments that will prevent any court or tribunal from hiding behind technicalities and legal sophistry to affirm electoral heists and undermine the will of the people. Our democracy must mean something; it must be substantive. Above all, it must be expressed through free, fair and transparent elections that respect the will of the people.

Firstly, we must make electronic voting and collation of results mandatory. This is the 21st century and countries less advanced than Nigeria are doing so already. It is only bold initiatives that transform societies.

Secondly, we must provide that all litigation arising from a disputed election must be concluded before the inauguration of a winner. This was the case in 1979. The current time frame between elections and inauguration of winners is inadequate to dispense with election litigations.

What we have currently is akin to asking thieves to keep their loot and use the same to defend themselves while the case of their robbery is being decided. It only encourages mandate banditry rather than discourages it.

Thirdly, in order to ensure popular mandate and real representation, we must move to require a candidate for President to earn 50% +1 of the valid votes cast, failing which a run-off between the top two candidates will be held. Most countries that elect their presidents use this Two-Round System (with slight variations) rather than our current First-Past-the-Post system.

Examples include France, Finland, Austria, Bulgaria, Portugal, Poland, Turkey and Russia, Argentina, Brazil, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Namibia, Mozambique, Madagascar and even Liberia where a run-off is expected to hold in the coming days.

Fourthly, in order to reduce the desperation of incumbents and distractions from governing and also to promote equity and national unity, we need to move to a single six-year term for President to be rotated among the six geo-political zones. This will prevent the ganging up of two or more geo-political zones to alternate the presidency among themselves to the exclusion of other zones.

INEC should be mandated to verify the credentials submitted to it by candidates and their parties and where it is unable to do so – perhaps because the institutions involved did not respond in time – it must publicly state so and have it on record.

A situation where a candidate submits contradictory credentials to INEC in different election cycles and the electoral umpire accepts them without question points to gross negligence, at best, or collusion to break the law by the leadership of the INEC, at worst. The submission of contradictory qualifying documents by a candidate as well as those found to be forged or falsified should disqualify a candidate even if the falsification or forgery is discovered after the person had been sworn into office.

The burden of proving that a document submitted to INEC is forged should not be on the opposing candidates in the election. It is never the responsibility of an applicant for a job to prove that the person who eventually got the job did so with forged documents.

In addition to these proposed constitutional amendments, the Electoral Act should be amended to provide that, except where they explicitly violate the Constitution and other laws, the rules and procedures laid down by the electoral umpire and made public for the benefit of the contestants and the voters will be treated as sacrosanct by the courts in deciding on election disputes.

A referee cannot be allowed to set the rules for the game only to change or ignore them when one side has scored a goal or is about to win the match. We must restore confidence in our electoral system which the current leadership of INEC has completely eroded and undermined. Also, we need well-thought out provisions in the legislation and regulations to reform the judiciary, including the introduction of an automated case assignment system; transparency in the appointment of judges; a practice directory that stresses that the goal of judges in election cases should be to discover and affirm voters’ choice rather than disregarding voters’ choice for the sake of technicalities.

There should also be publicly available annual evaluation of the performance of judges using agreed criteria. By improving the transparency of the electoral process and reducing the incentives to cheat, in addition to transparency in the appointment of judges and other judicial reforms, the number of election petitions as well as corruption in the judiciary will be significantly reduced. More importantly, we would have succeeded in taking away the right to elect leaders from the courts and return it to the voters to whom it truly belongs.

Gentlemen of the Press, I thank you profoundly for listening. May God bless you, and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.