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Release your academic records to public or risk lawsuit – Group tells Atiku, Obi

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Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi

Release your academic records to public or risk lawsuit – Group tells Atiku, Obi

On Thursday, a group under the aegis of Beta Naija urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to end his “chase of shadows” over President Bola Tinubu’s transcript and academic records from Chicago State University (CSU).

The group, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Mustafa Ahmed Tijani, and Director General, Etinosa Igiebor, argued that the political terrain has been overtaken by the former Vice President’s needless and ultimately fruitless drama in his attempt to “turn facts on their heads and seemingly empty the Atlantic Ocean with a spoon.”

The statement partly reads;

We expect him (Atiku) to busy himself with how to prove that he won the February Presidential Election at the Supreme Court, rather than this fishing expedition he is currently on. Instead of proving that he won the election, he is busy spending his fraudulently earned dollars on expensive lawyers to prove a matter that is not in doubt at all.

It is laughable that people with questionable track records both in public service and private practice are on the chase of President Tinubu, whose academic, administrative prowess, and leadership capacity have been proven both locally and internationally.

Just so we are clear, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not seeking admission into Atiku Abubakar’s privately-owned university, which only came into existence after his time in office as Vice President. So, one wonders what he intends to do with the President’s transcript and certificate at this time. In any case, should Atiku Abubakar be in a generous mood, he may want to extend a free admission offer to members of his own party, as he only needs to look to Osun State to find a worthy beneficiary of such unsolicited generosity.

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However, we are glad that the matter has been laid to rest as Caleb Westberg, the University Registrar at CSU, said in a deposition and under oath, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is a graduate of CSU and was issued a certificate after graduating from the school with honours.

His words, I see that he said the same person he (Atiku Abubakar) ran against is now the President of Nigeria, the Bola Tinubu who attended Southwest College and took accounting courses. The Bola Tinubu who attended CSU also took accounting courses. I see the address indicated for Bola Tinubu. It’s not far from CSU (campus).

I looked at the whole record in making the determination that the Bola Tinubu who is the president of Nigeria today is the same person who attended CSU. The entries’1952’ and ‘1954’ could have been made in error. The person who attended Southwest College is the person who attended CSU. The courses taken by Bola Tinubu at Southwest and CSU are consistent.

Right after the entry ‘F’, the social security number (SSN) entered indicated in the Southwest transcript is the same as the one that was indicated in CSU records. That is one of the indicia that we use to identify students. A social security number is a unique identifier.”

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Now that the matter is rested and dollars have been put to shame, we must leave them to their flight of fantasy and return to reality. Nigeria dearly needs governing and it is only right that we allow the man Nigerians willingly gave the mandate to lead to do just that. While the President has not been distracted in the least and has even been doing wonders in the assignment Nigerians gave to him, we must do our best to not add to his already arduous job.

Meanwhile, we are concerned about how Atiku Abubakar, who claims he attended the Royal School of Hygiene in Kano, ended up as a Master’s Degree holder. We are also at a loss as to why Peter Obi, who claims to have graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, is unwilling to parade said transcript and academic records…

Let it be on record that we have before now written privately to both the Presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party counterpart, Mr. Peter Obi, to release their academic credentials to the public and there was no response from either party. We are hereby issuing another public call with a Seven (7) day ultimatum for compliance.

Failure to do so will see us asking our lawyers, who are waiting in the wings, to institute a case against them in a court of competent jurisdiction to demand the release of the academic records of both the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his Labour Party candidate, Mr. Peter Obi.

The case before the Supreme Court is a logical one and not an emotional affair. If they want to win, they must prove beyond every reasonable doubt. Anything aside logic will amount to a waste of time.

We urge Nigerians to continue their support for the President’s administration. We are mindful of the current challenges, and we are quite hopeful that the tide will change, and the country will blossom again.

Release your academic records to public or risk lawsuit – Group tells Atiku, Obi

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Rivers crisis delayed my administration’s take-off – Fubara

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Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara

Rivers crisis delayed my administration’s take-off – Fubara

Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara yesterday confessed that the political crisis in the state distracted his administration and real governance started only three months ago.

But he said that despite the initial delay, his administration’s project and service delivery record has surpassed the achievements of some of the past governments.

Fubara, who is currently locked in a protracted standoff with predecessor Nyesom Wike, spoke at Ngo town during the inauguration of the Andoni section of the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road project, in Andoni Local Government Area.

He said one of the challenges requiring the immediate attention of his administration is the low ranking of the state in health service delivery, citing recent statistics.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Nelson Chukwudi, quoted him as saying the challenge would be handled appropriately.

“I was in Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting on Wednesday, and we were given an update from the chart on medical position of all the states. It was in zones,” Fubara said.

“You won’t believe that in that chart, everything that has to do with enrollment, even the level of facilities that is on the ground in that assessment, Rivers State was classified as below benchmark. It is a pity.

“It is not something that just happened in a day. It is not something that just happened within my time in government. No, no. It is a statistics collated over a period of time.

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“So, it means when we tell you that our target is education, healthcare and agriculture, we didn’t make any mistake.

“We might have done other things, but those key areas have not been adequately attended to. And we promise our people this afternoon that by the special grace of God, in the next six months, there will be a total change in the health sector of Rivers State.”

He expressed satisfaction that the Ogoni-Andoni-Opobo Unity Road project has been successfully delivered at last, having been initiated by former governor Peter Odili.

Fubara said that his driving principle remained putting the people first and vowed not to renege on the promise of internal roads that he made to Andoni people during campaigns.

The governor directed the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, to liaise with Monier Construction Company (MCC) to do scoping for commencement of reconstruction of Ngo internal roads and new contract for extension of the road to Oyorokoto Town.

He said: “”I know that if it is this road, we are already done with the road. The politicking of the road is already done. I don’t want to politick on this road anymore.

“I want to say here that we need to develop our own, and if we have to do it, we have to do it ourselves. So, I promise my people that we are going to do more jobs, more connecting roads for the Andonis by the special grace of God.

“I remember when we came for campaign we did promise our people that when you support us, we are going to give you the internal roads. And by the special grace of God, the Andonis gave us their support, and the election was won.

“A lot of people were thinking that this place would be empty today. Some people had other plans. But to the glory of God, we are getting natural support.

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“People that we didn’t pay money are here to say that they are identifying with this government and appreciate what this government is doing.

“For that alone, I want to direct the Permanent Secretary to immediately liaise with the contractor to ensure first, that the internal roads in Ngo, and connecting this road to Oyorokoto is immediately awarded.”

Fubara urged the people to have good faith in the administration of President Bola Tinubu, and appealed for their total support to the Federal Government so that it could continue to undertake life-changing programmes that would trickle down to the state and local government areas.

He said: “I am also aware that we have issues in the other communities in Andoni. Some of them are flooding issues, which is even the more critical issue.

“I know of a place called Oronija. They are having very serious erosion and flood issues, and other places. We are going to do something about it. It is my promise to my dear people today.

“I also want to say in this gathering, please, support the government at the centre. I am happy when our leader was mentioning the activities of the oil companies here, and said that there is no interruption. I was impressed by that.

“It shows that we are contributing positively, and we understand the meaning and importance of peace. So, let me enjoin you: continue to show this good faith, and be a good host.

“In the governance of this country, the success of the centre is the success of the sub-national. And when the sub-national succeeds, which is the state, the local governments will succeed. And when the local governments succeed, it means more projects, more life-changing activities will be seen in your domain.”

In his welcome address, the member representing Andoni-Opobo/Nkoro Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, Awaji-Inombek Abiante, said the road is less than 30km long but regrettably took three different contractors to deliver it after 24 years.

Abiante explained that this was the first time since the dawn of the current democratic dispensation that the Andoni people would gather for an inauguration of a development project within Ogbolo land.

Rivers crisis delayed my administration’s take-off – Fubara

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Nigeria will stop fuel importation by June – Dangote

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Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the CEO of Dangote Group

Nigeria will stop fuel importation by June – Dangote

Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest person, has announced that Nigeria will cease importing petrol by June.

Speaking at the Africa CEO Forum Annual Summit in Kigali, Dangote revealed that his refinery will commence production next month, meeting Nigeria’s petrol needs and eliminating the need for imports.

“Right now, Nigeria has no cause to import anything apart from gasoline and by sometime in June, within the next four or five weeks, Nigeria shouldn’t import anything like gasoline; not one drop of litre,” he said.

The refinery will also produce diesel, aviation fuel, and other essential products, making Africa self-sufficient in these commodities.

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With a capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the refinery will meet the demands of West Africa and beyond.

Dangote emphasized that the refinery will not only focus on petroleum products but also produce polypropylene, polyethylene, base oil, and linear benzyl, raw materials essential for producing detergents and other products.

This will reduce Africa’s reliance on imports and make the continent self-sufficient in these critical products.

Dangote expressed his optimism that within three to four years, Africa will no longer need to import fertilizers, as his refinery will produce urea, potash, and phosphate, meeting the continent’s needs.

The refinery’s second phase is set to begin early next year, further expanding its operations and impact on Africa’s energy landscape.

Nigeria will stop fuel importation by June – Dangote

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Olanipekun, Yayale, Elechi, Yusuf Ali, others named higher institutions’ governing council chairmen

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Olanipekun, Yayale, Elechi, Yusuf Ali, others named higher institutions’ governing council chairmen

President Bola Tinubu’s administration has unveiled a list of appointees to the governing councils of 111 federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.

Notable figures among the appointees include former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Attahiru Jega; Senior Advocates of Nigeria Wole Olanipekun, former Bauchi governor, Isa Yuguda, and Yusuf Alli.

Others are former National Universities Commission Executive Secretary, Peter Okebukola; and labour activist, Issa Aremu. The individuals have been selected to lead the councils of various academic institutions across the country.

The announcement follows a recent ultimatum issued by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which demanded the Nigerian government address issues such as the alleged illegal dissolution of university governing councils and the continued use of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) for salary payments.

The Federal Ministry of Education responded by assuring that these concerns were being handled and that the list of council members would be released soon.

The appointments, signed by Permanent Secretary Didi Walson-Jack of the Federal Ministry of Education, include five representatives each for 50 universities, 37 polytechnics, and 24 colleges of education.

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Specifically, Attahiru Jega has been appointed Chairman of the Governing Council of Usmanu Danfodio University, Sokoto. Wole Olanipekun will chair the University of Lagos, while Yusuf Alli takes on the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta.

Peter Okebukola will lead the University of Port Harcourt, and Issa Aremu will head the Federal College of Education (Technical) in Keana, Nasarawa State while Yuguda will chair the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN).

Furthermore, former Senator Joy Emordi will lead Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education in Owerri; and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Yayale Ahmed, will head the council of Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria.

Adamu Rasheed, the immediate past Executive Secretary of the NUC, has been appointed to the Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo in Benue State.

The new governing council members are scheduled for inauguration and a retreat on May 30 and 31 at the National Universities Commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

In June 2023, President Tinubu dissolved the governing councils of several key government agencies and higher education institutions, a move that sparked criticism from various stakeholders. They argued that the University Miscellaneous Act grants universities and their councils autonomy to self-regulate.

Olanipekun, Yayale, Elechi, Yusuf Ali, others named higher institutions’ governing council chairmen

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