Category: Nigeria

One of the tasks for the polity towards 2023 is how to source for President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, one who has capacity, and drive to heal the country’s ailments – rising insecurity, troubled economy and national cohesion.
 
Major parameters for the search are: geo-political issues, age, state of health, capacity/integrity and religion.
 
Although, some pundits have said zoning and religion should not be listed as conditions, the counter argument is that the north cannot finish eight years at a stretch and still want to occupy the Presidency.
 

Recent development in All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) indicate the likelihood of the two parties coming down south. The PDP’s choice of new national chairman, Senator Iyocha Ayu, from North-central, while only northern aspirants have so far shown up for 2023, it does not represent what will eventually. Those who have paraded posters at the PDP convention are merely testing the waters. Even in APC, the Young Turk in Kogi, Gov. Yahaya Bello, who has not hidden his desire to occupy Aso Villa, will need to convince APC stakeholders that he has all the requirements for the job. He needs to know that forming a national government requires far more than it takes to manage the Confluence State.

At the end of the day, the game should return to the Southwest, where there is no shortage of men and material to contest a national election. Names have been mentioned, for instance, national leader of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President, Professor, Yemi Osinbajo, Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, and Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, even though they are all keeping quiet and reasonably so.
 
Recently, the chairman of APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala-Buni, met separately with some Southwest leaders behind closed-doors, but the details of the meeting have not been disclosed. However, Secretary General of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, told The Guardian that the discussion was simply about Nigeria and its future.
 

Watchers of political events in the Southwest say it’s up to the zone to put its house in order and decide what to do with 2023. They say that the political family Tinubu has put together over the years is good enough to influence political support across the country.
 

They urged the APC leadership in the Southwest to close ranks as it did in 2015 when it was crucial to present a vice presidential candidate for the party. At that time, the Leader, Tinubu, was the first choice in every ramification, except for the religious factor, which marred his pairing with candidate Muhammadu Buhari, a fellow Muslim. And so, the lot fell on Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, while others in the line up – Fayemi and Fashola, were later given ministerial appointments.

In 2023, should the criteria for selecting and pairing of candidates include religion, it will mean that a southern candidate has to balance the ticket with a northerner of opposite religion. Should the north demand a southern Christian to pair with northern Muslim, the Southwest must creatively sort it out as it managed a similar scenario in 2015.

Watchers expect the process to be seamless. With recent events and mutual distrust across the country, it appears the Muslim/Muslim scenario of 1993, when the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) produced the late MKO Abiola and Ambassador Babagana Kingibe, two Muslims, cannot fly in 2023.
 
At present, only the pro-Tinubu Southwest Agenda 2023 (SWAGA) is making ‘audible’ noise about 2023, having gone round the country to market his candidacy.
 
In terms of capacity, some political observers are convinced that Tinubu can turn Nigeria around, the way he did for Lagos State when he was governor from 1999 to 2007. He selected a good team, well spread across Southwest and beyond, with which he made a mark.
 

Despite his frail posture, having gone for medical vacation in the UK, his followers have not given up on him. They say Tinubu still has so much to offer the country.

As for Vice President Osinbajo, some groups are also marketing his potential for 2023. They say the Law Professor has discharged himself very well. 
 
His admirers say he stands a fair chance, should the party desire a Christian southerner who is tested and can be trusted. Although, he may not have a separate political structure, but his movements during the 2019 re-election campaign showed he has capacity engage voters.

His House-to-house campaign method yielded results, especially with social investment interventions. He was not only available, he was also visible, to the extent that immediately Buhari won his second term election, there were attempts to diminish the VP’s efforts, as his oversight and supervisory role on National Emergencies and the SIP’s were tampered with.

An average grassroots voter would always want to remember Osinbajo for the Trader Money they benefited from. It is also to his credit that the few times he stepped in as acting president, when his Principal was away, there was always some natural peace experienced across the country. 
 
In terms of capacity to rule Nigeria, he took a lot from Tinubu, under whom he served as commissioner for Justice and Attorney General for eight years.
 
The governor of Ekiti State, Fayemi is another powerhouse of ideas available for the Southwest to present. 
The former Minister of Solid Minerals Development is very mobile, as he is at home with a cross-section of Nigerians on core matters of growth and development of the country. As a civil society person, he has a nuanced knowledge of international development and how the country should engage at critical times, especially now.
 
His handling of affairs of governors of the Federation has equally broadened his perspectives on national as well as regional challenges. 
 
He made use of this opportunity when he addressed the northern elite at the Arewa House Forum on October 30. On that occasion, he spoke on: ‘Unfinished Greatness – Towards a More Perfect Union in Nigeria’, and assured all that the notion that the amalgamation of southern and northern Nigeria 1914 was a mistake, was wrong, rather, he said what Nigerians need to do is to conquer “the demon of mutual suspicion and distrust that has poisoned Nigeria’s politics and subverted its will to forge the necessary consensus crucial to marching confidently towards our destiny as a great nation.”

Babatunde Raji Fashola is one man the motley crowd of Lagos has come to see as their friend or foe. Friend, when he governed them with uncommon passion, and foe, when he refused to tell them lies. He didn’t suffer fools gladly and was harsh when he needed to be harsh. Getting the job was what was uppermost to him and less the politics of it. For that reason, he is hardly in contention for grassroots space and hierarchical displays.
 

And this is the reason some party members are enamoured of him but are quiet about it, waiting for an opportunity when a fair chance is available to select future leaders.
 
His experience in Lagos is a lifetime of examples to draw from. He confronted insecurity and social menace in places like Oshodi, where others preferred to tread with caution and political correctness. Should his party agree to deal with the demons of insecurity in high and low places, they needn’t look far. And if the consensus is to search for a southern Muslim to pair with a northern Christian, they needn’t search too far. 

SPEAKING on the issue on putting the right leg forward as far as 2023 is concerned, the Secretary General of Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), Dr. Kunle Olajide, said there is no reason to doubt the capacity of any of the names that have been projected so far, while more are out there in the zone.
 
He said the unfortunate thing is that the present constitutional arrangement does not enhance performance. He is worried that no matter how good the leader may be, especially if he is from the South, he is already disadvantaged.
 

He said that is why the Yoruba are not that keen about the presidency but total restructuring of the polity to give every region the needed autonomy and space to develop at their pace.
 
The Chairman Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG), Wale Oshun, said it is not appropriate to discussing the weaknesses and strengths of possible Southwest contenders on the pages of the media now. “The fact is the Southwest is the most organised region, at least now, to present Buhari’s successor in 2023. With that, we should first put our house in order to see who is the best to support.”
 
The President Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum, Mr. Akin Malaolu, said his concern is overall well being and survival of Yoruba nation and not the ambitions of individual political actors.
 
According to him, “We don’t want a situation where any of the contenders will enter into any behind-the-scene agreement with hegemonic power brokers that would turn a candidate into a puppet president at the end of the day.”

Outgoing Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis on Thursday said he had formally submitted his resignation to the president following defeat in last month’s elections.

Czech President Milos Zeman this week had already named Petr Fiala, the leader of the centre-right Together alliance, to form a new government.

“This morning our government has submitted its resignation,” Babis said on Twitter.

The resignation is valid once it has been accepted by Zeman, who has remained in hospital with liver problems since October 10 — the day after the vote.

Babis, a populist billionaire, will remain in a caretaker role until a new government is sworn in.

The Together alliance also this week sealed a coalition deal with a centrist two-party alliance.

This larger grouping holds 108 seats in the newly-elected 200-seat lower house of parliament.

The Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member with 10.7 million inhabitants is grappling with a surge in Covid-19 infections and a sharp rise in energy prices.

Acknowledging Nigeria’s market size despite continued drag in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, the AfCFTA secretariat has stated that achieving the trade objectives is incomplete without Nigeria implementing the protocols.

Almost one year after the implementation of the AfCFTA commenced, Nigeria is yet to unveil guidelines and implementation strategy for the trade deal, raising concerns for the organised private sector.

The Secretary General, AfCFTA, Wamkele Mene, while speaking at the Africa Day of the Lagos International Trade Fair (LITF) themed, ‘Boosting intra-African trade’, noted that without Nigeria, the implementation of the AfCFTA would be incomplete.

Though he lauded the efforts of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, he said the potential of the AfCFTA market expansion is supported by market capacity to boost trade volumes and increase GDP growth per capita, while maintaining that market liberalisation will encourage SMEs to contribute to global supply chains.

Wamkele asserted that intra-African exports are projected to increase by 81 per cent, offering West Africa the opportunity to expand with a combined GDP of $3.85 trillion.

“AfCFTA will bring trade protection, investment protection and liberalisation of trade to compete and establish efficiency in the regional and global supply chains while eliminating red tapes and simplifying customs procedures,” he added.

He noted that the AfCFTA has the potential to increase Africa exports by $560billion, while boosting the productive capacity of exportable goods in the manufacturing sector.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI) also expressed confidence in the intra-regional trade agreement, adding that the AfCFTA has the capacity, network and technology transfer to facilitate the integration of African economies into a large market.

LCCI president, Toki Mabogunje, admitted that AfCFTA without doubt, has the potential to accelerate the socio-economic development of the African continent stressing: “We are of the firm belief that a well-implemented AfCFTA will stimulate economic growth through linkage opportunities in trade, commerce, and industry to generate job opportunities, and help to facilitate the economic diversification of African economies. “

“While the take-off of AfCFTA should be lauded, much work remains undone as critical parts of the agreement are yet to be finalised. Several key issues need to be addressed including, schedules of tariff concessions, schedules of service commitment, rules of origin, investment, competition policy, and intellectual property rights in the AfCFTA agreement.”

She pointed out the need to address critical issues such as resolving the issues around rules of origin, establish special economic zones, create value addition, conclude pending negotiations, resolve incidences of trade protocol violation and create a sound legal framework to Support the Implementation of AfCFTA.

“There are concerns about the adherence of participating countries to the protocols within the AfCFTA framework. Africa’s trade narrative, as we all know, is characterized by trade malpractices – smuggling, unilateralism, and violation of trade protocols.

“Within the context of developing nations, economic integration creates a trade diversion risk in which trade shifts from a lower-cost producer outside the continent to a higher-cost producer in the African continent”, she added.

The Chairman Trade Promotion Board, Gabriel Idahosa said the Africa Day is an opportunity for networking, trade partnership development, and promotion of intra-African trade, adding that it is an effective platform that supports the vision of AfCFTA in creating the much-needed awareness towards achieving the key mandates of the agreement.

When Chisom Obinna Onyeke, popularly known as JaySnths, entered the University of Abuja to study political science, he thought that after his graduation he would settle down as a political scientist. But he was orchestrated by divine providence to settle down for a career which he knew how to do best since childhood.

JaySnths was four years old when he started playing musical instruments at his parents’ church. His commitment as a keyboardist in the place of worship further enriched his talent and it came as no surprise when he was appointed musical director of a choir group years later.

His music career, however, took a new turn in Abuja in 2015 when he moved from being a sought-after keyboardist and bassist, to become one of the most notable producers in the Nigerian music industry.

JaySnths’ love for music was what he needed to make a career for himself, a path that has since turned into a goldmine for him.

“If I am not doing music, maybe, I’ll be working in an oil company or a reputable organization. I don’t like stress,” said JaySnths.

“I believe in making one’s passion one’s profession. Since I have a deep love for music I decided to make it a career. It is fun being paid for what you are passionate about,” he said during an interactive session with journalists recently.

Through his expertise on the job, he has made and impacted a lot of mega stars who have benefited immensely from his work in the Nigerian music industry. Today, JaySnths is one of the most sought-after producers in the country.

He has produced many hit songs which include Teni’s ‘Case,’ ‘Wait’ and ‘Power Rangers.’ He was also behind ‘Daz How Star Do’ by Skiibii, ‘Ozana’ by Hotkid, ‘In a Fix’ by Ice Prince and Mr Eazi, ‘Doh’ by Victor AD, and ‘Obiaato’ by Kuami Eugene, among others.

JaySynths, who has gone through a lot to horn his skills in music and sound engineering, said creativity brought him to where he is today, adding that “every day, I try to create something iconic. That improves and sharpens me enough. I have learnt lots of lessons, but the biggest one is being unique and relevant, or else you will be forgotten.

“I am able to stand tall today because of my continuous evolution and experimentation with new sounds. This is a perpetual engagement to which I have no intention of abandoning anytime soon,” said JaySynths.

Despite operating in a competitive and tough environment as Nigeria, JaySynths, who is married to a former beauty queen, Christy Daniels, was nominated for the 2020 SoundCity MVP Award in the African Producer of the Year category. To his credit, JaySynths won the Naija Gbedu Achievement 2021 award.

Speaking on what needs to be done to take Nigerian music to the next level, JaySynths wants a synergy to exist between musicians and producers, adding that a good working relationship with mutual respect will promote rapid development in the industry.

“Musicians should take producers more seriously. We actually should be the richest in the music industry but we are always not regarded. But I’m sure that would change soon,” said JaySnths, who was recently involved in philanthropic work, visiting the Osu Children’s Home in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday reported 64 new coronavirus cases in eight states and the FCT, as Kaduna led the chart with 23 new infections.

The NCDC disclosed this on its website on Wednesday morning, the new figure, which is higher than the 52 cases recorded a day earlier, raised the total infection in the country to 212,829.

The Nigeria Public Health Agency said that there were eight new fatalities on Tuesday as the death toll in the country stood at 2,914 in total.

It added that a total of 204,335 recoveries had been recorded so far in the country, since the beginning of the pandemic.

The agency added that with Kaduna leading the daily tally on Tuesday, the FCT followed closely with 13 cases while Plateau came third with eight cases and Bauchi reported seven.

Lagos State reported five while Rivers-four, Bayelsa and Jigawa recorded two each as Kano reported one case.

It said that the country currently had 5,598 active coronavirus cases, while a total of 3,392,457 blood samples had been tested since the pandemic began.

The agency added that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continued to coordinate the national response activities.

• The Kaduna state government has been accused of trying to restrict the preaching of Christianity in its domain
• The accusation was made by the Benue state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Rev. Akpen Leva
• The association stated that the move was thwarted initially, but the state government has reintroduced the plan

Makurdi – The Benue state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) on Tuesday, November 9 kicked against a bill to regulate preaching of Christianity, which it said is already signed into law in Kaduna state.

The Benue state chairman of CAN, Rev. Akpen Leva, told a news conference in Makurdi that it is devastating that man would conspire to enact anti-God legislation to regulate the activities of Christianity.

He described the law as been

“Injurious to the church, not only in Kaduna state but Nigeria and the world in general.”

The New Telegraph newspaper quoted him as saying:

“It is a deliberate attempt to attack the church. The government of Kaduna state came up with the idea but the wide condemnation it received indicated that it was aborted and forgotten only for it to resurface and subsequently signed into law.

“The law is not popular and cannot be allowed to stay. I want to believe that the law is against God. It baffles any right-thinking person in Nigeria and elsewhere that preaching would be regulated.

“How can you regulate God? How can you call God to order? The law cannot function in a secular state like Nigeria.

“I strongly believe that the national leadership of CAN cannot fold its arms to watch the implementation of the law that is anti-God but I beg to add my voice that the national leadership of CAN should take up the matter with the Kaduna state government with alacrity.”

CAN accuse Sheikh Ahmed Gumi of working with armed bandits

The Christian body recently accused Kaduna-based Sheikh Ahmed Gumi of emboldening bandits and their activities.

Imo state CAN chairman, Rev. Eches Divine Eches made the allegation in an interview with journalists in Abuja.

Eches advised the government to caution the Islamic cleric, saying Gumi’s utterances have made bandits bolder in promoting their evil acts in the region.

Sheikh Gumi opens up on the outcome of his negotiation with bandits

Earlier, Sheikh Gumi called on the Nigerian government to grant amnesty to the armed bandits wreaking havoc across northern Nigeria.

The cleric who was recently at the forefront of the negotiations with bandits said those he met in the past have repented.

Gumi added that the process of “sitting down with” other bandits was stalled by “authorities” who do not want it.

Source: Legit.ng News

PRNigeria has refuted claims in a recent media report that questioned its integrity and called the online newspaper ‘a military apologist for propaganda’.

The website has published news on military losses, successes, arrest/elimination of terrorists, attacks on personnel, civilians and towns by Boko Haram and Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP).

In reactions to PRNigeria’s report on the killing of notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, Premium Times reported that there was no evidence that the bandit has been killed and questioned the platform’s credibility.

But the editor-in-chief of PRNigeria Yushau Shuaib on Monday said the outfit enjoys a good rapport with traditional and legacy media, covering public relations, crisis communication and intelligence analyses.

Shuaib stressed that its investigative and independent reports are not financed by the military.

He said: “After Premium Times mentioned PRNigeria and Daily Nigerian as breaking the news on Dogo Gide’s death, they quoted one of their sources thus: ‘No reputable media organisation has reported the killing of Dogo Gide so far and no one has quoted any security source, so we assume he is not dead.’

“Another claimed that the report by PRNigeria ‘is military propaganda.’ Also, another source, claimed that: ‘Mr Gide joined the Jumu’at prayers in Babbar Doka, in Dan Sadau district.’”

The Editor stressed the independence and uncompromising stance of PRNigeria on investigative and exclusive reports.

Shuaib said apart from winning international laurels on crisis communication due to uncompromised relationships with industry stakeholders, its security reports are not “financed bankrolled by the military”.

“We urge Premium Times, as one of the most respected investigative media platforms on the African continent, to kindly undertake a fact-check on this with the military establishment; especially in the last six years.

“While our practice does not discourage other parties from seeking to verify our fact-based news releases, we usually appreciate when this is done with the utmost professionalism and in a manner that’s sensitive to the integrity we have attained in the work we do.

“The publisher of Desert Herald, who had visited the enclaves of most of the bandits and their leaders and has numerous photo and video evidence from the past, also confirmed the killing of Gide after PRNigeria.

“It is worrisome that egocentric information peddlers, who cannot back their statements up with concrete evidence in a way that fundamentally contradicts the releases of PRNigeria, are often sought by respected media houses and taken as gospel truth.

“As the Most Creative PR agency worldwide in 2020, we have never compromised our positions through unethical practices. We are so passionate about the national interest that we published our latest Book ‘101 Fake News on EndSARS’.

“In an age of irresponsible information dissemination, the book exposes the antics of enemies Nigeria’s corporate existence – rumour mongers, hate-speech merchants etc. It detects how several media houses goofed woefully by publishing fake reports on EndSARS, but later withdrew such from their platforms.

“While we appeal to fellow media houses to be wary of vested interests on security matters, who may have other motives that are not patriotic or altruistic, they should equally exercise caution on reports that could ‘de-market other platforms,” Shuaib noted.

A fallout of the Anambra governorship election is that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Andy Uba has become an object of ridicule, his credibility bashed.

Fortunately, Uba has no political opponent to blame for his mockery. He contrived it himself, in collusion with Governor Dapo Abiodun

On 26 June, 2021, Uba claimed to have won 230, 201 votes from APC members in the primary election, conducted by Abiodun.

With the votes credited to 13 other candidates, the APC recorded 348,630 voters in the primary election.

The voters were understandably members of the party on its register.

Five months after, the election held on 6 November.

Andy Uba was thoroughly thrashed by Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the candidate of APGA, the ruling party in the state. .

Uba with his 230,201 primary electors, ended up not second, but third in the contest, with around 42,942 votes.

You then wonder, where were Uba’s supporters, who overwhelmingly gave him the ticket in June.

Did they vote APGA or PDP? If you believe this, you will believe anything.

The truth is that those voters did not exist in the first place. They were ghosts, fictionally created.

The APC does not have anything near 348,630 members in Anambra that took part in the primary.

Remember the cry of the losers: there was no primary election ever held by the APC in the state.

But this cry was muffled as the party upheld what is now clearly a fictional result submitted by Dapo Abiodun electoral committee.

Without any iota of contradiction, the committee simply wrote the figures and allotted the votes whimsically.

Politicians play this game often, lying insistently about an election that did not hold and votes that were never cast.

INEC conduct of the election has now confirmed what the other APC candidates complained about.

Indeed the entire number of votes in the highly contested election in the state will be slightly higher than the 230,000 recorded by Uba in June, even with the make-up election held in two councils today.

• APGA wins 18 local councils, PDP, YPP take one each • No election in Ihiala LGA – Collation Officer
• I was tear-gassed, locked in toilet, signed Orumba North LGA result under gunpoint, says INEC official
• APC seeks cancellation of poll • How resilience, determination of electorate won Anambra polls
• Situation Room alleges vote-buying, non-payment of security personnel for election duty

Former governor of Central Bank and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has secured majority of results declared in the votes cast in Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election. Soludo was, however, not declared the winner of the election yet due to the suspension of election in Ihiala Local Government Area.

The results of the election were formally announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the state collation centre in Awka, yesterday.

The APGA candidate won in 18 of the 21 local government areas of the state. One local government was won by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Valentine Ozigbo, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Ifeanyi Ubah, also won in one local government.

However, the collation officer for Ihiala said at the INEC collation centre that elections did not hold in their local council.

While Soludo leads his closest challenger, Ozigbo, with over 52,000 votes, Ihiala local government alone has over 148,000 registered voters.

At exactly 12: 15a.m. this morning, the election was thus declared inconclusive to allow for rerun elections in the outstanding local government where elections did not hold.

INEC announced postponement of the election in Ihiala following alleged irregularities discovered in most communities in the council. The announcement was made during collation yesterday by the officer in charge, Ahmadu Umar.

The election has been rescheduled to hold on Tuesday, November 9, as Umar warned troublemakers to steer clear of all venues where the election will hold in the council.

According to Umar, there were 148,407 registered voters in the council, yet there was no election in the council area on Saturday due to activities of some politicians who tried to rig the election.

Anambra Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Mr. C. Don Adinuba, had alleged that a politician in the area and his group had tried to rig the election. He noted that some of the hoodlums have been arrested by security agents in the area.

INEC collation officer for Orumba North, Dr Michael Otu, a lecturer of Commercial Law at the University of Calabar, said elections did not hold. He stunned stakeholders at the collation centre when he denounced the result he signed.

He said he did not believe in the result. He accused the electoral officer that was supposed to work with him of collaborating with some people to scuttle the election results in the area.

Addressing the Returning Officer, Prof. Florence Obi, at the centre, Otu described his experience as very pathetic, thanking God for being alive.

“To be very frank, I want to categorically and unequivocally tell you that there was no election in the best of my knowledge and with the evidence I am going to buttress herein,” he said.

According to him, the total registered voters in 18 registration areas is 93,608. A drama ensued when he stated that though he collated the figures, he didn’t believe in it because he signed the results under duress.

“I was tear-gassed. I was locked in the toilet, until a policeman smuggled me out. I could not even go out to ease myself. They were monitoring me up and down. At a point, I saw that my life was in danger, so, I have to sign the results they prepared.

“93,608 is what we collated, although I signed this document under duress, I don’t believe in it. It is not my will,” he added.

In addition to signing the result under duress, the collation officer also cited security threats and alleged violence as reasons why election did not hold in his domain.

Responding to the allegation, the electoral officer who did not give her name, accused the returning officer of not knowing anything about collating election results.

“This man here has said so many things against me. But I observed that he has no experience in collating election results. This man does not know his left from his right. The result is full of mutilation. He does not know the difference between conducting election and collating results.”

Prof. Florence Obi said she was told about the crisis in the local government area. “This is the only local government I had a distress call from and I had to call the commissioner of police and told him that the lives of my staff are in danger,” she said.

Earlier, a Supervisory Presiding Officer reportedly carted away 41 results sheets. The Returning Officer in Idemili South Local Government Area, Dr Gabriel Othong, made this known while presenting results at the collation centre.

He said the whereabouts of the INEC official and result sheets were unknown, adding that 41 of the 42 result sheets for 89 polling units were “carted away.”

Othong, who is from the University of Calabar, Cross River, noted that there was no election in Oba Ward 1, Oba Ward 11, and Akukwu ward all in Idemili South Local Government Area.

The Returning Officer explained that electoral officials were not deployed in some of the polling units due to cases of gunshots. He said: “One of the SPOs carted away 41 result sheets out of the 42 result sheets meant for the 89 polling units in the affected wards. “Over 40, 000 voters were not able to vote in the affected areas due to the development.”

The agent of the APC, Chief Ebere Obiakor, said election held in those places but the results were not collated, but the collation agent of the PDP, Dr Alex Obiogbolu, countered the position of the APC agent, saying there was no election in any of the affected places.

HOWEVER, the Anambra chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has called for the cancellation of the election in the state. APC said the election was a fraud and accused the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, and APGA of manipulating the process.

State chairman of the party, Chief Basil Ejidike, in a statement, said they would resist the rigging. He said: “What is happening in Anambra is never an election but big time electoral fraud and malpractice. We want the whole world to hear our voice that we will never accept the outcome of the Anambra gubernatorial election.

“The candidate of APGA and the sitting governor manipulated the whole electoral system and we will resist it.
“Ndi Anambra wants an APC governor and there’s nothing anyone can do to deny them that opportunity. We virtually won in all the local councils but Obiano and Soludo through instrumentality of corrupt-minded INEC officers subverted the whole process in favour of APGA.

“We want INEC to cancel the election and fix a date for a fresh election devoid of manipulations and malpractices. But if INEC goes ahead to announce the results, we will definitely challenge the election process in court up to Supreme Court. Nobody can intimidate us.”

ONE factor that stood strong and contributed to the success of the election was the resilience and sheer determination of the electorate to take their destiny in their own hands.

Prior to the election, there were heightened fears that it may not hold following threats by secessionist groups as well as insecurity created by killings and kidnappings, which marred political programmes and campaigns of various political parties.

Apart from the cancelled one-week sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), the Biafra National Guard (BNG) on the other hand, vowed that the election would not hold; just as lateness in arrival of electoral materials and malfunction of their facilities affected the process.

While it also became difficult to hold open campaigns, following attacks on supporters found with branded party vehicles and attires, the development led to several calls for the postponement of the process.

But the election on Saturday defied the predictions of bookmakers who feared it would be fraught with violence, apathy and other activities associated with processes of such nature, as it turned out to be one of the most peaceful and orderly exercises held in recent times. The people turned out in sizable numbers and conducted themselves orderly, not minding the heavy presence of armed security officials scattered in the state.

MEANWHILE, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said it received reports of widespread vote buying by political party agents during the election.

Contrary to pronouncement by police authorities that security agents on election duty had been remunerated, Situation Room noted that some of the security personnel stated during interaction with election observers that they had not received their allowances for election duty.

Situation Room Convener, Ene Obi, who made this known in a statement yesterday in Abuja, said: “Some of the specific instances include sale of votes for amounts ranging from N1,000 and N6,000 at various locations.

“However, this was being carried out very discreetly in some Polling Units (PUs), while in others, the vote buying was done in full glare without prevention from security personnel.

“Nevertheless, voters in a particular polling unit in the state rejected an inducement of N5,000 per vote. Situation Room commends the courage of these voters. For this, we say a big well done to Ndi Anambra.”

Obi, however, noted that the election was generally peaceful against the background of potential violence rhetoric leading up to it, even though there were pockets of disturbances.

On Bi-Modal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS), she stated: “Reports from field observers indicated widespread malfunction of this technology, as it failed to authenticate voters’ fingerprints and detect faces.

“This was the case in 59 per cent of the PUs observed, with a minimum of five minutes to accredit one voter in 65.8 per cent of the PUs observed.

“Furthermore, some of the ad-hoc staff experienced levels of difficulty in operating the machines. In some locations, the machines were working rather slowly and took as long as 10 minutes or more to accredit a single voter. This severely stalled the accreditation and voting process.”

“Situation Room notes that INEC ad-hoc officials in some instances gave priority to Persons With Disabilities (PWDs), elderly persons and pregnant women in most of the polling units observed. However, some of the PUs were not accessible to some categories of PWDs.

“On presence, conduct and welfare of security officials, at this time, Situation Room notes that security officials were present at most of the polling units visited. The security agents were relatively civil in their conduct within and outside polling units.”

Obi called on the resilient people of Anambra to remain calm and law abiding as the election runs its course.

“We call on INEC to ensure the peaceful and transparent conclusion of this election. Situation Room also calls on security agencies to continue to maintain law and order through the remaining phases of this exercise,” she added.

Makeup is used by women all around the world to enhance their beauty.

Makeup can be used to cover a scar, blemish, wrinkle, or any other skin concern. The makeup industry is worth billions of dollars globally and because of this, there are lots of counterfeit brands out there trying to get a piece of the money. Counterfeiters pay no heed to consumers’ safety and flagrantly ignore safety laws and regulations. The high rates of influencer marketing through social media has no doubt played a crucial role in the high demand for brand name makeup products. Everybody wants the newest thing for the cheapest price possible and unfortunately, some people are capitalising on this desire by selling fake versions of popular cosmetic products.

Nigeria is not spared from this issue as well. In 2019, the Director-General of NAFDAC announced in a press statement that the agency confiscated fake cosmetic products worth 60 million from a warehouse in Lagos.

Let’s take a look at some of the dangerous ingredients found in counterfeit cosmetics

Lead – Research shows that counterfeit cosmetics can contain up to 19 times the recommended amount of lead. Health effects include reproductive issues, and organ system toxicity within the kidneys, liver, sensory organs, and the cardiovascular system. It causes miscarriages in pregnant women too.

Mercury – This can lead to nervous system toxicity, as well as immune and respiratory toxicity. 

Aluminium – Aluminium-based compounds vary in their toxicity. Some are linked to neurotoxicity, developmental and reproductive toxicity as well as cancer. 

Bacteria –A common type of bacteria that has been found in counterfeit cosmetics is E. Coli (Escherichia coli) which can cause severe diarrhoea, kidney failure and anaemia.

Cyanide – This ingredient is most harmful when inhaled.

Paint Stripper – This is found in counterfeit mascara and can cause swelling to the eyes which can potentially cause long-term damage to the eyes.

Symptoms and negative effects of using counterfeit makeup 

Eye infections – This happens when the makeup applied near and around the eyes causes irritation and inflammation. If you notice this whenever you use a specific makeup, chances are it could be a counterfeit product.

Allergic reactions – If any of your allergic reactions are triggered, it could be because a specific ingredient is being used but not included in the packaging label.

Skin rashes – One of the most common symptoms of counterfeit makeup, inflammation is a serious occurrence. At first, you may notice red skin, overtime you will notice discomfort in the area as well as dry or peeling skin.

Swollen lips – If you notice your lips become swollen or puffy, it could be a reaction to a harmful chemical or ingredient in the makeup. 

Chemical burns – Chemical burns can occur after using a faulty or fake product for so long or can happen as an immediate reaction.

Long-term health problems – Exposure to harmful ingredients being applied to your face can increase the chances of high blood pressure, infertility, and other serious health complications.

How to spot fake makeup products

Do Your Research: Whenever you’re browsing the internet or at the store looking through makeup products, browse with your phone and search for reviews on the product.

Question cheap prices: If some prices are too good to be true on a particular item, chances are they are. If the price is significantly selling far lower than usual, then you should think twice. Authorised vendors usually never knock off more than 20-30% on prices.

Inconsistent labels: Crosscheck for any misspelt words, uneven fonts and terms of the labels with the one found on the manufacturer’s website.

Assess the packaging quality: Fake makeup can usually be identified by its inferior packaging quality. Also, look out for products that look like they have been tampered with or are extremely different from how they should. 

Know your ingredients: Knowing your skin and certain ingredients can also help as you can identify any ingredients that are out of the ordinary for certain makeup products. 

Even if the product is legitimate and selling from an authorised seller, formula changes in ingredients from the manufacturer can affect your skin.

Do a Skin Patch Test: Lastly, if you’ve already purchased a product and suspect it may be counterfeit, do a skin test before using it on the face or other parts of the body. If you notice signs of a reaction or the skin appears irritated, do not use the product. Certain products may also pass a skin patch test but irritate the face.