Tempers are high as convention begins to choose Nigeria presidential candidate

Tempers are high as convention begins to choose Nigeria presidential candidate

Key players in the Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) seem not to be united on the mechanism of electing a presidential candidate of the party for the 2023 general election.

There are indications that tempers are high because whoever emerges from 13 remnant aspirants will lead the party into next February’s election against Atiku Abubakar of the main opposition party. 10 aspirants have been disqualified.

The Nigerian law does not allow one person to rule more than two tenures of 4 years each. Therefore, President Muhammadu Buhari is not allowed to stand after serving two terms of office.

More than 2000 delegates are expected to vote, according to earlier information from the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The convention comes a day after gunmen killed dozens of worshippers in the south-western Ondo state. The attack at the St Francis Catholic church in the town of Owo highlights the worsening insecurity under the APC, which Nigeria’s next president will have to confront.

That, high unemployment and rising inflation are expected to be the main election issues.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmed Lawan, former Lagos governor Bola Tinubu and Rotimi Amaechi, until recently a transport minister, are the favourites to be chosen as the APC candidate.

The APC emerged as a coalition of major political parties from northern and western Nigeria in 2013 and managed to seize power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015.

The party was re-elected into power four years later and has since consolidated its reach across Nigeria, winning several local parliamentary seats and taking onboard defecting governors in southern Nigeria.

Some senior party members, including President Buhari, have been pushing for a consensus candidate to avoid a vote at the convention that might split the party.

Mr Buhari told the party’s governors last week that he expected “reciprocity” from them at the convention in choosing his successor, which many have interpreted as his desire to impose a candidate on the party.

Powerful northern APC governors last week said they supported a southern candidate to succeed Mr Buhari, who is a northerner, in continuation of a controversial agreement to alternate power between northern and southern Nigeria.

Nigeria: Abuja Agency says no staff is CONVID-19 Positive

Nigeria: Abuja Agency says no staff is COVID-19 Positive

Nigeria’s tax organisation headquartered in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has denied report in the media that one of its staff has tested positive to coronavirus.

A Nigerian newspaper has reported exclusively that a staff of the revenue body contracted the virus in the United Kingdom. The unconfirmed report added that two more persons were also confirmed positive by doctors.

But the FIRS in a statement on Saturday clarified the situation as follows: “The Service can confirm that a member of staff who went to pick his wife from the airport following her return from a trip abroad is currently and voluntarily observing the Federal Government advisory of self-isolation alongside his spouse at the couple’s home since Monday”, it noted.

The statement read: “The attention of the Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr. Muhammad Nami and the Management of the Service has been drawn to the fake news making the rounds on Social Media that a member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19.

  The Service hereby states unequivocally that no member of staff at the FIRS has tested positive to COVID-19 as being peddled on Social Media.

  The Service can confirm that a member of staff who went to pick his wife from the airport following her return from a trip abroad is currently and voluntarily observing the Federal Government advisory of self-isolation alongside his spouse at the couple’s home since Monday.

  Both husband and wife have not visited any FIRS offices or events since the wife retuned to Nigeria last Sunday.

 More importantly, both husband and wife have only been in self-isolation for five days and have NOT tested positive to Covid-19.

  Before now, all FIRS offices have taken necessary precautions to protect both Staff and our esteemed taxpayers from Covid-19 through such safety measures as social distancing, temperature testing, disabling of the biometric sign in, and provision of hand sanitizers for staff and visitors to our offices nationwide as advised by the Federal Ministry of Health.

  Members of the public are therefore advised to discountenance the claim that an FIRS official has tested positive to Covid-19.

 For emphasis sake, it is a FAKE NEWS. Fake news kills. Do not spread fake news”, it said.

AfDB House in Abuja, Nigeria

AfDB Interventions Pulled Nigeria Out of Recession—Adeshina

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Akinwunmi Adeshina has said the Bank’s intervention in Nigeria was the factor that helped pull the country out of recession.

Adeshina stated this in Abuja, Nigeria today while opening the bank’s Country Office building in Abuja, promising that the Bank will increase investment in Nigeria from $6bn currently, to $8bn by 2019.

 Adeshina, who was Agriculture Minister in Nigeria till 2015, said that the Bank would continue to strongly support Nigeria, which he said is the largest shareholder of the bank. According to Dr. Adesina, the bank’s current investments is spread over 73 projects.

 He said “The AfDB strongly supports Nigerian and always will. You can tell by the level of our investments in Nigeria to the tune of $6 billion. “From our perspective, our investments can only increase as we expect the levels to reach $8 billion by 2019.

 “Permit me Mr, President to state that our marriage is stable And dependable. The Bank was there for Nigeria when the country faced economic downturn from the recession.

 “I said at the time that Nigeria was too big to fail. The AfDB is not a fair-weather partner. We were there when it mattered most- for a partner in time of need is a great partner indeed. The AfDB approved and disbursed Budget Support of $600 million to Nigeria, as it faced its worst recession in decades. Our support goes beyond money. It demonstrates our strong commitment to stabilize Africa’s largest economy.

“The crucial and timely intervention of the AfDB was what helped Nigeria to come out of the recession. The Bank will not relent in supporting Nigeria in critical areas to boost growth, diversify the economy and create jobs.

 “These include: support for youths in agriculture, SMEs, and the financial sector. We will accelerate support for infrastructure and the energy sector.

 “Our investments are structures around high five priorities. Light and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa and improve the quality of lives of the people of Africa”, Adeshina said.