General
CNPP Tasks INEC to Stay Impartial in Edo Governorship Election
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been charged to remain neutral in the governorship election in Edo State, which took place on Saturday, September 21, 2024.
Collation of results has started but the electoral umpire has yet to announce a winner of the exercise amid allegations of over-voting and other electoral malpractices,
In a statement on Sunday, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) stressed that INEC must ensure the sanctity of the electoral process in the exercise.
The group said the commission must safeguard the trust of Nigerians by prioritising the integrity of the process, warning against manipulation or undermining democracy in the state.
“As Edo State citizens have exercised their right to vote, it is crucial that INEC remains impartial and transparent during the collation of results,” a part of the statement signed by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mr James Ezema, said.
“INEC must not allow itself to be used to scuttle democracy in Edo State under any circumstances,” the organisation noted in the statement.
It expressed concerns over “the feelers we are getting from Edo State,” saying they “confirm a deliberate ploy by one of the big parties who are mouthing the support of Mr President and insisting on changing the results and the figures already on the INEC Portal. Mr President must call them to order.”
With the Ondo State governorship election on the way, the CNPP stressed the importance of INEC demonstrating its commitment to conducting credible elections to restore confidence in the electoral process after the questionable 2023 general elections.
“We call on all stakeholders, including political parties, candidates, and security agencies, to prioritize peace and decorum during the collation process,” the CNPP said.
“Let us work together to strengthen Nigeria’s democracy by allowing citizens to freely choose their leaders,” it added.
The CNPP’s call to action comes as Nigerians watch closely to see if INEC will deliver on its promise of free, fair, and credible elections.
Business Post reports that the two leading candidates in the poll are Mr Asue Ighodalo of the state’s ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Mr Monday Okpebholo of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Federal Ministry of Youth Development has expressed its readiness to support 150,000 young Nigerians with N110 billion.
The Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Mr Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this on Thursday in Kano at the launch of the five nationwide enlightenment campaigns on government policies, national values and identities, security awareness and disaster preparedness.
He said over 600,000 students have so far benefited from the N59 million disbursed under the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) scheme.
The director general, who was represented by Mr Williams Dogo, Director, Legal Services of the agency, said that NELFUND was available to all qualified Nigerians in public tertiary institutions, noting that the sensitisation programme, with the theme Nationwide Sensitisation on Five Thematic Areas, was designed to deepen citizens’ knowledge of government initiatives.
The NOA boss explained that the campaign would highlight the presidential directive on flood mitigation, which provided for the release of N3 billion to each state in 2024 for drainage clearance and relocation of vulnerable communities.
He said that 700 schools had been renovated nationwide as an intervention to improve learning facilities in rural areas, stating that more than 15,000 new security personnel had been deployed nationwide to address diverse security challenges.
“It is our intention to carry out security awareness campaigns reaching no fewer than three million Nigerians in each state through media engagements, advocacy visits to traditional and religious leaders, rallies at markets and motor parks, as well as town hall meetings,” he said.
On national values, he said that reorientation campaign would focus on patriotism, unity and campaigns against extreme graduation practices that contradict cultural norms, adding that the campaign would also familiarise Nigerians with the current national anthem, which was changed by President Bola Tinubu.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Nigerians will have to cough out more money to obtain their international passports because the Nigeria Immigration Service has increased the fees.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Public Relations Officer of the agency, ACI AS Akinlabi, it was disclosed that the new fees would take effect from Monday, September 1, 2025.
It was disclosed that the 32-page passport with a validity of five years will now to for N100,000 and the 64-page 10-year passport is now N200,000.
The immigration explained that the upward review of the prices was “to uphold the quality and integrity of the Nigerian passport.”
“The review which only affect passport application fees made in Nigeria,” it stressed, adding that, “Nigerian passport application fees made by Nigerians in the Diaspora remain unchanged at $150 for 32-page with 5-year validity and $230 for 64-page with 10-year validity.”
“The service reiterates its commitment to balancing quality service delivery with the need to ensure Passport services are accessible to all Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Thursday returned to Nigeria after travelling to Japan and Brazil for official functions.
He landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja in the early hours of today almost two weeks after he left the country through same route.
He was received by senior government officials, including the Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike; the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu; the Governor of Kaduna State, Mr Uba Sani; the Governor of Imo State, Mr Hope Uzodinma; and the Deputy Senate President, Mr Barau Jibrin; among others.
Before heading to Japan for the Ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD9) in Yokohama from August 20 to 22, the President, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr Bayo Onanuga, he had a stopover in Dubai.
Mr Tinubu precisely travelled out of Nigeria on Thursday, August 14, 2024, for the two-nation trip to Japan and Brazil.
After leaving Japan, he zoomed to Brazil to woo investors and held talks with the Brazilian leader, Mr Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
He was able to convince the country’s petroleum firm, Petrobras, to return to Nigeria after it left a few years ago. He also helped to enable a direct flight from Brazil to Nigeria.
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