NEWS
Kachikwu begs ASUU to call off strike
…tells Nigerians to unite against inept leaders in 2023
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) party Presidential Candidate, Mr. Dumebi Kachikwu, has urged on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to put an end to their industrial action to enable students in tertiary institutions that have been at home in the last five months return to classes and continue their education.
Kachikwu made this call in his State of the Nation address at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BOT) meeting of the ADC in Abuja.
He urged Nigerians not to allow religion, ethnicity and language to divide them ahead of the 2023 general elections.
He also called on medical doctors in the country to stop leaving the country abroad and allowing the healthcare system in the country to continue to degenerate.
He said: “Do we let ourselves be killed? Do we wait for the next rain of bombs on our cities? Do we wait for the next calamity? Please look around you and understand that all is not well with us.
“Nigerians are hungry, Nigerians are suffering, and Nigerians are afraid. This is the hill before us. We must understand that we must first have a country before we can talk of elections. Who will save Nigeria? Who will save Nigeria from her government? Who will save Nigerians from Nigerians? You.
“Today we must reset. Today we must chart a new course. Today we must choose to fight for Nigeria. Today we must fight for ourselves. Let us look within us and find the courage to start again.
“We must take our country back from these evil men. We must resist all invaders. We must defend our lands, our cities, our country, block by block.
“This is our patriotic duty. No longer will we let religion, tribe and tongue divide us. Those who have destroyed our country are from all tribes, tongues and religions so we must not be deceived. They are in the minority. We are in the majority. We have suffered and endured for too long and we must endure for a little while longer.
“They will induce you. They will make promises. They will say they have changed. They will threaten you. They will beat you. They will incarcerate you. Whatever they do to you just endure because in a little while, in a short time, in the near future, our small voices, our small actions, our small protests, our small plans, our small groups will become a mighty rescue mission to save our nation.
“You must endure. We must endure. Architects and town planners form groups in your communities. Create the masterplan of the community you envision for your city. Engineers come together in your different cities and design the infrastructure we need. Design the power grids we need. Start with the design. Start with the plan.
“Lawyers, civil society groups, men and women of good will, contribute your quota to a new and better constitution that divides us rather than the corrupt one that now divides us.
“Lecturers go back to classes. You have sacrificed before. Sacrifice one more time for the sake of our children. This government can’t afford to pay your demands. They are broke.
“They can’t give what they don’t have.
Please go back to classes and save the future of our children. Our medical personnel are leaving the country in droves, and nobody cares. Who will staff our hospitals? Who will treat the sick?
“Are we going to leave our healthcare to quacks? No. We must take a stand for Nigeria today. It is the right thing to do.”
Kachikwu further bemoaned the degenerating security situation in the country and called on Nigerians to rise up and take their country back in 2023.
He added: “Several months ago, when I announced my intention to run for the highest office in the land, I was clear within me that it was a suicide mission.
“I knew what was at stake. I was not in any doubt about the capabilities of those in the better-known parties. I expected the hound dogs would come after me.
“I was prepared to be imprisoned. I was prepared to even be killed in the process, but I was not fazed because I knew that the real threat was not any of those.
“No. The real threat was the tens of millions of Nigerians who had only known abuse all their lives.
“People whose normal was the abnormal.
People who couldn’t trust anyone who promised change because President Buhari had shown us all what change was. People who were affected by the Stockholm Syndrome. They love their captors and prefer them to those who will try to save them.
“Some of my family, friends, colleagues and business associates are also affected by this syndrome and most would say to me they didn’t believe Nigeria could be salvaged.
“Most of them had given up on themselves and on Nigeria. They didn’t give me or my rescue mission any chance.
“I remember trying to galvanise young Nigerians to run for office because I believe you must walk your talk. Don’t just complain, do something. Be the change you desire.
“Most of them just laughed. Most people I encountered on this journey believed that the only reason for them to embark on this mission was money.
“They believed that I had to incentivise them to join the rescue mission. Most felt there was nothing like patriotism so they would rather go for me, myself and I.
“This was my reality every day. Extremely discouraging. How do you help those who don’t know they are in need of help? As I toured media organisations and heard them all asking me questions that suggested they believed only the two better known parties had a chance, I pondered at the fate of my country.
“If most people have given up, then who is going to be part of this rescue mission? Who will save Nigeria? The answer is simple, you. I refuse to give up on you. I refuse to give up on Nigeria. Our nation might have failed but we will rise again.
“As long as I have breath in me, I will keep on speaking, I will keep on nudging, I will keep on prodding you. One man at a time, we will build a formidable rescue army.
“We will rebuild our country, we will revive our economy, we will protect our citizens, we will secure our borders and we will defend our land.
“I don’t care about what this government has done, I care about what we need to do now. Time is not on our side, but God is on our side. Forget about 2023 and start today.
“Raise your voices, speak up and don’t be cowed. Our nation is blessed with the people who can make this the greatest nation in the world, and you are one of those people.
“Join this rescue mission and let’s start changing Nigeria one person at a time, one street at a time, one city at a time and one state at a time.
“We will rescue Nigeria. It is our goal, it is our destiny, it is our mission. Remember, the rescue starts with you.”
He insisted that the present political leaders have lost focus, saying it will take the collective efforts of the masses to vote them out of office ans vote in a new team ready to change the current abysmal narratives.
He said: “Under the Buhari administration, Nigeria has witnessed unprecedented calamity second only to the Nigeria civil war. From Taraba, Kogi, Niger, Abuja, Katsina, Zamfara, Borno, Sokoto, Kaduna, Ondo, Imo, Anambra, tales of woe.
“The streets of Nigeria flows with the blood of the innocent. Many a mother is weeping. Many a wife in sorrow. Many families left to mourn quietly and helplessly.
“In all this, no one has lost his or her job. No Minister, National Security Adviser or President has resigned. The shame of a nation. Who did this to us? We reduce the dead to nomenclature such as scores killed, dozens killed, hundreds killed.
“Don’t we know they have names?
They had dreams, ambitions, aspirations. They had loved ones. What needs to happen before we know Nigeria is a failed state? Who needs to die again?
“Which school needs to be attacked? Who needs to be kidnapped before we realise that this administration has nothing more to offer?
“Beyond the killings and kidnappings, we also have to contend with a failed economy.
READ ALSO: Senate promises resolve impass between ASUU,FG
Tens of millions unemployed and underemployed. ‘Yahoo’ and the trade in human parts are now accepted as industries in our nation.
“The naira is 612 to the dollar today. Our farms are untended as terrorists rape, maim and kill our farmers while our government looks the other way.
“Five months of fuel scarcity in some cities like Abuja, diesel at an all time high of N800 a litre and the middle class who are the engine room of every society just wiped out overnight.
“Our children are at home as government and ASUU fritter away their future. I can spend the next 24 hours talking about the failures of this government, but they are all too familiar to us all.
“How did we get here? How did we let our nation descend to this abysmal level? How did we fail on multiple levels with our eyes wide open?
“Didn’t we have any constitutional safeguards? What is the role of the parliament when the executive fails? What is the role of the media when the government fails? What is the role of society when you have a failed government?
“What is your role? It is important that these questions are asked and answered. We can’t run away from this. We can’t run full throttle towards the 2023 general elections when we don’t know if we will have a nation in six months. This is the crux of the matter.
“How much more can this nation take? How much more can the Nigerian people take? When does the abuse stop? When do we say no more?
“The most painful part of our collective suffering is that we are too afraid to say anything. The media operate in fear of having their licences suspended or revoked.
“The opposition parties dread that invitation from the security agencies when they speak out of turn. The people remember the forgotten victims of the END SARS protest, so they stay silent in the face of despair, disillusion and abuse.
“Who will save the Nigerian people? Who will save us from ourselves? Because we must accept that we all have a role to play in this mess. Silence in the face of tyranny is not an option. An emasculated parliament is not an option.
“A weakened judiciary is not an option. Abandoning Nigeria for other countries is also not an option.
“We also know that this President will never resign and that he will never be impeached by this weak assembly. So, what are our options as a people?
“As I prepared to make this speech today, certain media organisations declined to cover me. They were worried that I would say something about the government that would affect them.
“There is no society in the world that can survive with a cowed and cowardly media. None. When the parliament fails, when the executive fails, when the judiciary fails, when society fails, the media must never fail.
“For if they were to fail then all hope is lost. The media must arise and shine at a time like this. Your country needs you. My dear Nigerians all hands must be on deck. This ship will run aground if we don’t act fast.
“The poor and hungry we ignore today will eat us tomorrow. The terrorists we pamper today will kill us tomorrow. The religion we introduce into politics today will divide us tomorrow.
“The politics and politicians we avoid today will govern us tomorrow. The hatred we incubate today will destroy us tomorrow. We can’t run away from these truths. Let us act now to save Nigeria. Let us speak with one voice.
“Don’t let them divide us. Don’t let them change parties and deceive you. Don’t let them change logos and deceive you. If they have been there, then they have done that. Get rid of them.”
President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that the much-awaited initial public offering of the Dangote Refinery will open within the next 10 to 12 days.
Dangote disclosed this on Friday while speaking with investors and analysts in Botswana, according to Reuters.
The $20bn Lagos-based refinery is expected to raise about $5bn through the IPO, which could become the largest public offering on the African continent.
ALSO READ: Dangote Investments are Catalysts for Africa’s Economic Growth – AFC
Dangote said the planned listing would support the group’s ambition to further expand the refinery’s capacity.
He said, “Our dream is that we want to make sure we double the capacity of the refinery… which will take us to 1.4 million barrels per day. The IPO will open in the next 10 to 12 days.”
The refinery, currently Africa’s largest, reached its full designed capacity of 650,000 barrels per day in February. It has since pushed production beyond that level, reaching 700,000 barrels per day during testing.
The IPO is part of a broader expansion strategy by the Dangote Group.
Dangote also disclosed that Dangote Cement is expected to secure a secondary listing on the London Stock Exchange, potentially in October, in a move aimed at giving the company access to a wider pool of international investors.
The businessman further confirmed plans to establish a new refinery on Kenya’s coast in partnership with East African governments.
The proposed refinery is expected to supply refined petroleum products to Kenya and neighbouring countries while helping reduce the region’s dependence on fuel imports.
Construction of the Kenyan facility is expected to take up to three years and would represent the Dangote Group’s biggest refining investment outside Nigeria.
The planned refinery IPO and expansion projects underline Dangote Industries’ growing ambitions to strengthen its position in Africa’s energy and industrial sectors.
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has raised the alarm over reports that some young Nigerians are resorting to selling their kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million to cope with the country’s worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Atiku made the remarks in a statement on Friday, expressing concern that economic hardship was pushing young Nigerians towards increasingly desperate measures simply to survive.
SEE MORE: 2027: ‘Do I Look 80’ — Atiku Fires Back at Critics Over His Age
He described the reported development as “frightening,” stressing that young Nigerians should be using their talents, ideas and creativity to build better lives rather than being forced to consider selling their body organs.
“Young people should be selling dreams, ideas and innovation, not their body organs,” Atiku said.
According to him, the rising cost of essential goods and services, including food, transportation, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity, has placed enormous pressure on Nigerians.
He blamed the economic direction of the administration of President Bola Tinubu for what he described as the worsening hardship confronting citizens.
“In Tinubu’s Nigeria, almost everything required to live with dignity is becoming more expensive by the day: food, transport, rent, school fees, medicine and electricity,” he said.
Atiku said the reported sale of kidneys for as little as ₦1.7 million was evidence that the crisis had moved beyond ordinary economic hardship.
“When young Nigerians begin to see their kidneys as emergency savings, we are no longer talking about ordinary economic hardship. We are talking about desperation at its most frightening,” he added.
The former vice president noted that Nigeria already has laws prohibiting commercial organ sales and organ trafficking.
However, he argued that enforcement alone would not solve the underlying poverty and desperation exposing vulnerable Nigerians to exploitation.
“Laws alone cannot cure the poverty and desperation that make vulnerable young people easy prey for criminal networks,” Atiku said.
He called for economic reforms that would have a direct impact on the living conditions of ordinary Nigerians, including measures to make food and transportation more affordable, improve access to healthcare and create decent employment opportunities.
Atiku further urged the government to pursue policies capable of restoring hope among young Nigerians.
“Our young people should be selling their ideas, talents and innovation to the world and not their kidneys for ₦1.7 million just to survive at home,” he said.
His comments come amid reports of alleged organ sales and a police investigation into an alleged organ-harvesting and human-trafficking operation involving four suspects, including two nephrologists.
Atiku described the situation as a disturbing reflection of what he called the “human cost” of Nigeria’s cost-of-living crisis.
The Presidency has clarified that President Bola Tinubu is not on trial in the United States, describing the ongoing legal proceedings involving records linked to him as a civil dispute over access to government documents.
The clarification was made by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, amid renewed attention to the case before the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.
According to the Presidency, the matter arose from requests submitted under the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for records relating to Tinubu.
SEE MORE: No Gov’t Reprisal for Criticism — Tinubu Assures Journalists
“For clarity, the matter is a civil records-disclosure dispute under the United States Freedom of Information Act. It is not a criminal case against President Tinubu, nor has the court found him guilty of any criminal wrongdoing,” the Presidency stated.
The government explained that Aaron Greenspan submitted FOIA requests to several US government agencies in 2022, seeking records relating to the President.
After some agencies withheld certain records or declined to confirm or deny their existence, Greenspan commenced Civil Action No. 23-1816 before the US District Court for the District of Columbia in 2023.
The court subsequently permitted President Tinubu to participate in the proceedings as an intervenor.
The Presidency said some of the agencies invoked the “Glomar defence”, a legal position that allows US government agencies, under certain circumstances, to neither confirm nor deny the existence of particular investigative records.
It added that the court subsequently granted summary judgment in favour of the CIA, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, Department of State, Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service, effectively removing them from the proceedings.
However, aspects of the case involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration remained subject to further consideration.
The Presidency further disclosed that the FBI and DEA had produced 399 pages of records in compliance with court orders, although portions of the documents were redacted under exemptions provided by US law.
According to the government, the plaintiff challenged the agencies’ decision to redact parts of the documents and sought their release without the redactions.
The FBI and DEA, through the US Department of Justice, opposed the request, citing legal protections covering certain categories of information.
The Presidency said some of the records relate to grand jury proceedings, which are protected from public disclosure under US law.
It also cited protections covering information connected to certain court orders authorising pen registers or trap-and-trace devices, as well as documents protected by attorney-client and attorney-work-product privileges.
The Presidency’s clarification comes amid heightened political debate ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, with opposition figures continuing to scrutinise the President’s past and administration.
The government, however, maintained that the US proceedings should not be misrepresented as a criminal trial against Tinubu, stressing that the case concerns the disclosure and withholding of government records.
Dangote Reveals Date for Much-Awaited Refinery IPO
‘Young Nigerians Now Selling Their Kidneys to Survive’ — Atiku Raises Alarm
NGX N-Zero Begins Corporate Climate Baseline Assessments
2027: Obi Has No Chance Against Tinubu Without Opposition Alliance — Okonkwo
Unlocking Africa’s Upstream Lies in Stronger Partnerships – Oando
Presidency Clears Air on Tinubu’s US Court Case
Trump’s Family Unveils New Cryptocurrency Platform
Senate Denies Receiving Petitions Against Tinubu’s Ambassadorial Nominees
Dangote Cement Lights Up Benue Host Communities With CSR Initiatives
Reps Recommend 3-year Jail Term For Aviation minister
Tems Sets New Record On Billboard Hot 100 Chart
