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I Will Be Your Listening President, Tinubu Tells Edo Residents

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Bola Tinubu, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has assured the people of Edo state that he will be a “listening president” if elected.

According to a statement by Tunde Rahman, head of Tinubu media office, the APC presidential candidate said this on Sunday at a town hall meeting in Edo state.

Tinubu also said under his leadership, Nigeria will pipe gas to Europe and compete with Russia.

He also criticized Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and urged the people of Edo to “take back” their state from PDP government.

“Edo, take your state back. First of all, let us forge unity. Let’s find the way where they say there is no way,” he said.

“We must rescue Edo state. I am ready to work with you. Take lanterns, go from house to house. Don’t get angry; anger does not solve problems. Disappointment is an energizer for me. You disappoint me, I work harder. You betray me, I don’t get angry; I ignore you.

“The reason is because you are not my God and you are not my creator. My mother taught me if you are sad, I will share your sorrow with you, if you are happy I will rejoice with you. If you are poor, I will share the little I have with you.

“You see PDP, they are scattered; they don’t know the road. Atiku does not know how to lie again except falsify lie upon lie. Atiku cannot hold serious job for Nigeria.

“When they were privatising Aluminium Smelter Company at Ikot Abasi and privatising NITEL, I was negotiating Free Trade Zone in China. I negotiated Lekki Deep Seaport in Singapore and it is the deepest sea port now in West Africa. Edo people are extremely smart. You can do the job.

“Count on me at the federal level. I will be your listening president. Vote for me. Prosperity is here. When you put down ballot paper in the box, say it is for creating jobs. I will create jobs for you because you are not lazy.”

On the constant criticism of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, he said the opposition party should be ignored.

“People who can’t give power to Nigeria say they want to come back. In only eight years, APC put the rail back,” he said.

“We are putting refineries back and we will produce for you. They can abuse Buhari from morning till night, he does not hear their abuse. Abuse him, rail he provided, second Niger Bridge he provided, Lagos-Ibadan expressway he provided. Benin-Ore port will be done so that you don’t need to come to Lagos to clear your goods.

“We must now begin to make use of all our nation’s endowments. Greater industrialization is a vital aspect of this. Through the production of more and better goods, we shall improve our standard of living, provide workers with a living wage, and establish businesses that will drive our national economy for generations.

“Our industrial plan shall encourage the establishment of new manufacturing concerns across the country. We see a future in which Nigeria is known as a nation that produces high-quality goods worthy of export to anywhere in the world.”

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Lagos Government Pays N1.5bn WASSCE Fees For 58,000 Students

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58,000 pupils will be registered for the 2024 West African Senior School Certificate Examination this year, with the state government spending N1.5 billion, according to Tolani Alli-Balogun, Commissioner of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education.

In announcing the ministry’s efforts to mark the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office, the commissioner made this statement on Thursday.

On May 29, 2023, Sanwo-Olu took the oath of office for a second term as governor, vowing in his inauguration speech to disappoint the people of Lagos.

The commissioner, who spoke at the state secretariat, said, “The administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu has never defaulted on the payment of WASCCE fees of all public school SS3 students in the four years of Governor Sanwo-Olus’s first term in office. The state government paid over N4.2bn between 2020 and 2023 to keep our promise of full payment of the West African Senior School Certificate Examination fees.

“In the current school year (2024), the governor has approved the sum of N1,571,076,000 as registration fees and other cost for 58,188 SS3 students writing the West African Senior School Certificate Examination.”

Last year, the West African Examination Council, which conducts WASSCE, noted that it had concluded plans to begin computer-based examinations in 2024.

It released the results of the first-ever CBT exam, 2024–First Series, in March this year.

The analysis of candidates’ performance showed that out of the 8,139 candidates that sat the examination, 3,424 candidates representing 42.07 percent obtained credit and above in a minimum of five subjects (with or without English Language and/or Mathematics).

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Dana Air Has Been Flying With Unhealthy Status, We’ll Audit All Local Airlines — Aviation Minister Keyamo

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Festus Keyamo, minister of aviation and aerospace development, says Dana Airline has been flying with an unhealthy status for a while now.

In an interview on Channels television on Thursday, Keyamo said that an audit report completed by his predecessor verified the airline’s unhealthy status and that internal reports from two years ago demonstrated that Dana Air was unfit to operate.

He also stated that the airline’s repeated incidents prompted him to call for a suspension.

Replying to the criticisms that trailed the suspension, Keyamo said he never wrote to the airline but instructed the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to do so.

“Before I came into office, I am sure you have heard consistent incidents involving perhaps Dana Airline, to mention a few of them. I am sure you heard that, at a point, on approach to the runway, the door flew open,” the minister said.

“I am sure you know that popular incident. Who are the engineers that are supposed to look at this? Who are the engineers that are supposed to check for the safety of the aircraft and its parts?

“There are also incidents involving one or two of its aircraft at different times, consistent. Of course, after the fatal crash of Dana, the other time that killed Nigerians.

“There were internal reports before I came in under my predecessor about a series of infractions by Dana Airline and the conclusion was that they were not healthy enough to fly but they went into the skies after such a report. What they did, how they did it before they told them to start flying again, we don’t know.

“While we argue back and forth about who has power and who doesn’t have power, the point is that the flying public is at risk, and if any tragic incident happens, it is the minister that would be called to resign. Nigerians will not spare the minister.

“For me, the last thing I want to happen to me as minister of aviation is to have blood on my hands. I mean the blood of innocent Nigerians as a result of either the negligence, deep complicity or corruption of those who are supposed to be regulators of the aviation industry.

“As minister, my job is to supervise them and to ensure that they carry out their duties. My duty is not to regulate. For those quoting the law, they should know that I know the law more than them.”

Speaking on the irregularities in the aviation sector, Keyamo said “there is deep complicity within the system”, stressing that the cleansing process would start and continue until they are resolved.

The minister said if the aircraft in the country’s aviation sector are not properly checked, then there will be “flying coffins” in the air.

He said beyond the suspension of Dana Air, the NCAA would carry out a comprehensive audit of all local airlines in the country to guarantee the safety of passengers and the health of the civil aviation industry.

On April 24, Keyamo directed the NCAA to suspend the operations of Dana Air after one of its aircraft veered off the Lagos airport runway on April 23.

Reacting to the suspension, the Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART) said it was unlawful for the minister to direct the NCAA to suspend an airline, urging the minister to respect the autonomy of the regulator.

Describing the directive as “external interference”, the aviation group advised the minister to focus his efforts on policy issues that positively impact the airline industry.

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American International School Writes EFCC, Seeks To Refund $760k Of Yahaya Bello’s Children School Fees

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been requested by the American International School of Abuja (AISA) to furnish “authentic banking details” in order to reimburse the tuition fees paid for the children of Yahaya Bello, the immediate former governor of Kogi state.

Bello is accused of using funds from the Kogi state government to pay $720,000 in advance for the education of five of his children.

The kids attend the school and are enrolled in grades 2 through 8. In an effort to apprehend Bello regarding an alleged N80.2 billion scam, EFCC agents besieged his Abuja home on April 17.

While the operatives were at the house, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, arrived at the property and reportedly whisked Bello away.

In a letter addressed to the Lagos zonal commander of the EFCC, the school said the sum of $845,852 has been paid in tuition “since the 7th of September 2021 to date”.

AISA said the sum to be refunded is $760,910, because it had deducted educational services already rendered.

“Please forward to us an official written request, with the authentic banking details of the EFCC, for the refund of the above-mentioned funds as previously indicated as part of your investigation into the alleged money laundering activities by the Bello family,” the letter reads.

“Since the 7th September 2021 to date, $845,852.84 (Eight Hundred and Forty Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty Two US Dollars and eighty four cents) in tuition and other fees has been deposited into our Bank account.

“We have calculated the net amount to be transferred and refunded to the State, after deducting the educational services rendered as $760,910.84. (Seven Hundred and Sixty Thousand, Nine Hundred and Ten US Dollars and Eighty Four cents).

“No further additional fees are expected in respect of tuition as the students’ fees have now been settled until they graduate from ASIA.”

The school said it will draw the attention of the anti-graft agency if there are any further deposits by the Bello family.

In a statement signed by Greg Hughes, AISA also said “Ali Bello contacted the school on Friday 13 August 2021 requesting to pay the family school fees in advance until the students graduate from High School”.

The EFCC has since declared Bello wanted with the NIS placing the ex-governor on a watchlist.

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