Monday brief: 'Heaven won’t fall if another Northerner is elected President in 2023'
+ Buhari goes to New York & A weekend of crime
* The Naira/Dollar rate was calculated by averaging buying rates from several Nigerian FinTech startups.
Good morning.
As the popular saying goes, it’s another week, another opportunity to be world-class and do world-class things.
Lots of people actually did well on last week’s quiz. So I had to rely on MiniWebTool’s Random Name Picker to select the winner. And the name that popped up was Opeyemi Olugbemiro. Congratulations, man. If you didn’t win, don’t sweat it. We’ll have another quiz on Friday.
Meanwhile, don’t forget to share this briefing with anyone you think might benefit.
So, to today’s business:
‘Heaven won’t fall’
Spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has criticised the notion that the 2023 presidency should be zoned to the South.
Chairman of the Southern Governors’ Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu had on Friday said the next President must hail from the South. “If my president – President Buhari — has been in office for eight years, it can’t be from the North. The next president must come from the South,” he said.
But while not eliminating the possibility of a Southern president, Baba-Ahmed, giving a keynote address at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the North cannot be threatened or intimidated.
Quote: “We will lead Nigeria the way we have led Nigeria before, whether we are President or Vice President, we will lead Nigeria,” Baba-Ahmed said. “We have the majority of the votes and the democracy says vote whom you want. Why should we accept a second-class position when we know we can buy forms and contest for first class and we will win?”
Electoral Act: PDP Governors have reiterated the need for the electronic transmission of election results to be guaranteed in the amendment of the electoral act, ahead of the 2023 polls.
Lives Lived: One of the contestants of the 2019 Presidential election and a former CBN Deputy Governor, Obadiah Mailafia, has died at 64. He was a vocal critic of the Buhari administration. He once claimed that a Northern Governor heads Boko Haram. A group has raised suspicions of foul play in his death.
Femi Fani-Kayode: The former Minister of Aviation has been described by some members of his new party, the APC, as an individual with a “venomonous nature.”
President Buhari goes to New York
President Muhammadu Buhari has departed Abuja for New York in the United States, where he is expected to address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on September 24.
Accompanied to New York by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami; and Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, the President is expected back on Sunday.
The President is also expected to be confronted by Yoruba Nation agitators who have been protesting at the United Nations headquarters since last week.
Dotting the Ts: Before departing the country on Sunday, President Buhari directed the incorporation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
He also approved the appointment of the new company’s board with Senator Ifeanyi Ararume as Chairman.
National Borrowing: Meanwhile, the Presidency has been explaining how the federal government will spend the new $5 billion loan requested last week. Some of it will be used to improve access to education, agriculture services, and rail infrastructure.
Related: The Presidency last week reportedly summoned the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, over procurement irregularities and sophisticated corruption within the national oil company.
INEC office set ablaze in Enugu
For the third time this year, an office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was torched by arsonists in Enugu State.
In a statement, INEC said “all movable election materials had been evacuated” before the latest attack and that there were “no casualties.”
“The identity or motives of attackers are unknown while the incident has been reported to the Nigeria Police Force for investigation,” the election body added.
More crime: In Anambra state, three police officers were shot dead and their operation vehicle set ablaze in Onitsha by gunmen suspected to be IPOB members. Meanwhile, in Imo state, a student was killed while others were kidnapped in Okigwe Local Government Area.
Kogi State: Two worshippers were kidnapped and another killed when gunmen attacked a church in Kabba.
And more crime: Furious residents in one Sokoto community set ablaze six suspected bandits said to have been involved in the killing and abduction of innocent citizens.
Security moves: The second batch of six A-29 Super Tucano aircraft ordered from the United States is now en route to Nigeria and is expected to arrive around September 24.
Good news: Another batch of ten students from the Bethel Baptist Secondary School has been released. About 121 of the students were kidnapped on July 5, but up to 100 have since been released; 21 students remain in captivity.
What else is happening?
Osun State: Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has ordered compulsory Covid vaccination for all public servants in the state.
Striking doctors: The National Industrial Court on Friday ordered striking resident doctors to resume their duties with “immediate effect” but the National Association of Resident Doctors said it will appeal the ruling. Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, on Sunday asked the doctors to reconsider their position.
Explainer: Amid threats by the Central Bank, abokiFX, a foreign exchange information platform, has temporarily suspended the publishing of rates, writes Techcabal’s Michael Ajifowoke.
Justice: The National Judicial Council has recommended the appointment of six chief judges in the Federal Capital Territory and five other states.
Ike Ekweremadu: The former Deputy Senate President believes a political solution can be reached to ensure the release of detained IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu.
#EndSARS: As the anniversary of the October 20 Lekki Toll Gate shootings looms, the Lagos state judicial panel has suspended its sittings indefinitely to enable it “look through all the detailed testimonies of so many witnesses” of the tragic incident.
Climate: A Nigerian renewable energy company is among the 15 finalists for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize for environmental innovation. Reeddi is building a solar-powered energy capsule that makes electricity affordable and accessible in rural communities.
National heroes: The Nigerian Football Federal (NFF) is scheduled to honour the Super Falcons’ class of 1999 at an awards ceremony in Lagos today.
And that’s it for this amazing Monday morning. Don’t forget to share this briefing with your friends and loved ones.
See you tomorrow.