NEWS
Muslim-Muslim ticket winning option for Tinubu – APC Chieftain
An All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Ondo State, Mr Alex Kalejaiye, has defended the party’s presidential standard bearer, Bola Tinubu’s choice of Sen. Kashim Shetima as his running mate, ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The News Agency Nigeria (NAN) reports that Tinubu had, on July 10, unveiled Shetima, a former two-term governor of Borno, as his vice-presidential candidate, with the decision generating mixed reactions from Nigerians.
Kalejaiye, in a telephone interview with NAN on Thursday in Okitipupa, Ondo State, said that by picking Shetima, Tinubu had only explored the available option, based on his political calculation on wining the presidential election.
Kalejaiye, who is also the APC Spokesman in the state, said that Tinubu must have gone through serious consultations with an array of Christian political friends, ardent supporters and allies before settling for the former Borno governor.
He noted that a few months ago, the initial clamour was for power to shift to the South, which, he said, APC had acceded to.
“It behooves the candidate to look at the array of eminently qualified party stalwarts from the North and pick the one he believes can assist him in winning the presidential election.
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“Many people have curiously refused to demonstrate understanding over the matter. And it is simple; a politician will always explore avenues open to him in his political calculations, all aimed at winning election.
“This is exactly what happened in 1993 when the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola opted for Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe as his running mate and this was without any objection from any quarters on the choice of Muslim-Muslim for the election.
“Before him, the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, contested on a Christian-Christian ticket with Chief Philip Umeadi and nobody raised any eyebrow,” he said.
According to him, even though some people had expressed displeasure with the option, the party will continue to educate its members, supporters and Nigerians in general on the why it is the choice, given the present circumstance in the country.
Kalejaiye described APC as a disciplined party that would not take Nigerians for granted, urging people to look beyond the Muslim-Muslim ticket but focus on the quality of the running mate and his readiness to team up with him to provide good governance.
The APC chieftain expressed optimism on the party’s chances at the poll, owing to its formidable structure and intimidating membership, with high degree of stability in terms of internal rancour.
“It is my candid opinion that we should give it to Tinubu that he must have taken that decision in the overriding interest of Nigeria.
“We all agree that he has the vision, capacity, exposure and the requisite experience to lead the country,” Kalejaiye said.
NEWS
Adeleke Approves Adeyemi’s Appointment As Chairman, Governing Council, Osun State College of Education
Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has approved the appointment of Akinyele Sarafa Adeyemi, as the new Chairman of the Governing Council of the Osun State College of Education, Ila Orangun.
This was detailed in a statement in Osogbo on Friday by Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed.
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According to Rasheed, Adeyemi replaces Dr Peter Babalola who resigned his appointment after a controversial tenure at the College of Education.
He stated that “Adeyemi who holds a first and Masters degrees in Education from the University of Ibadan is a retired principal of the Federal Girls College, Ipetumodu.”
It was gathered that the swearing in ceremony for the new Council Chairman holds by 10am on Monday at the EXCO lounge.
The Committee on Consequential Adjustments in Salaries for Civil Servants has confirmed that the newly approved minimum wage will be implemented starting July 29, 2024.
This was disclosed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) issued at the conclusion of the committee’s meeting in Abuja on Friday.
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The MoU reads, “The National Salaries, Incomes, and Wages Commission (NSIWC) will prepare and release the necessary salary templates for other consolidated salary structures. The implementation date for the new wage will take effect from July 29, 2024.”
The committee, comprising 16 members, was set up to oversee the execution of the National Minimum Wage Act of 2024. This legislation raised the country’s minimum wage from ₦30,000 to ₦70,000.
Among its key responsibilities, the committee is tasked with negotiating salary adjustments across various sectors and developing a template for implementing the newly approved wage structure.
With the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popular in the streets as petrol, hovering around approximately N1000-N1300 per litre, concerns are mounting about the viability of fuel subsidies in Nigeria.
Energy policy analyst, Adeyemi Adeoye, has underscored the critical role of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) in this issue, shedding light on who bears the subsidy costs.
He shared his views on TVC News on Friday.
Biztellers reports that the pump price of petrol has risen from below N200/litre at at May 29, 2023 to around N1300/litre as at September 20, 2024, with little variations depending the part of Nigeria, consumers are buying from.
Read More: Fuel Pricing Should Serve Public Interest, Not Profit — Yemi Adeoye
He stated, “Only the NNPC can engage in negotiations of this nature. Their partnership with the Dangote Refinery gives them leverage to negotiate from a position of strength.”
Adeoye highlighted that while the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and other marketers lack significant influence over prices, the Dangote Refinery prioritizes profitability.
According to him, this makes the NNPC’s negotiations vital, as they are legally required by the Petroleum Industry Act to ensure fuel availability across the country and prevent long queues at gas stations.
Adeoye said, “It is only NNPC that could have gone into that type of negotiation because NNPC is coming to the table from a position of strength because they have a partnership with the Dangote Refinery, and they have other businesses they are supplying crude to, so they can come and say, ‘Look, this has to be this way.’
“The IPMAN and the other marketers cannot do that because Dangote is a profit-making organization; it is not a charity organization. So, the only thing that is important to the Dangote Refinery is to make a profit, which is the same thing that is important to any business.
“So, the NNPC went into these negotiations because it also understands that it is the last resort. In terms of fuel distribution in the country, NNPC is mandated by the Petroleum Industry Act to make sure that there are no queues in the country. So, even if they don’t want to do it, the law mandates NNPC as the supplier, the last resort, to make sure that there is petroleum product across Nigeria.
“That negotiation is such that NNPC took all the calculations in and said, ‘This is a fair pricing that we know we can withstand.’
“Because what NNPC was paying out, which you might call a subsidy or under-recovery, NNPC was paying the difference on behalf of the government, which is under the directive of the president, who has also said he wants to see this situation totally resolved.
“That was why he directed the NNPC to make sure that crude oil to the Dangote Refinery is sold in Naira, because NNPC produces the crude in dollars, and it has to be sold to the Dangote Refinery in Naira, which is good faith.” he added
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