Governors on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) say they will back whoever President Muhammadu Buhari endorses to become national chairman of the party.

Atiku Bagudu, governor of Kebbi and chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), said this on Wednesday after the governors’ meeting with Buhari at the presidential villa.

According to the zoning formula approved by the president, Abdullahi Adamu, former governor of Nasarawa, has been approved as the consensus chairmanship candidate for the party.

Speaking with journalists, Bagudu said Buhari prefers consensus, adding that as such, the governors will support same.

“Mr. President has always urged consensus for all positions because consensus is in accordance with the democratic tenets, once you have leaders who are established, who are working towards the same goal,” he said.

“We might have our individual differences but on the principle of ensuring that we get leadership that will hit the ground running, we are united. And to that extent, we will support any process that will lead to consensus and the emergence of leaders without the need for election.

“Today, we all briefed Mr. President and included on that is the issue of distributing political party offices to the respective zones and our support for Mr. President’s endorsement of the candidate for the national chairman of the party.”

...highlights 5 priority areas

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has formally declared to run for the office of the Nigerian president in 2023 under the platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former vice president, who made the declaration at an elaborate event at the International Conference Center (ICC), in Abuja, also vowed to hand over at the end of his tenure to the younger generation.

The event which witnessed the presence of many dignitaries was hosted by Adamawa State governor, Umaru Fintiri.

Abubakar, an indigene of Adamawa State, clinched the ticket of the opposition party in 2019 but was defeated by incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari.

To clinch the PDP ticket in 2019, he defeated other aspirants such as a former senate president, Bukola Saraki, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, former Kano governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, amongst others.

Abubakar is expected to compete for the ticket with Tambuwal, Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi and other PDP presidential aspirants.

Plans

The former vice president while reeling out some of the plans he has for the country vowed to hand over to a younger generation if elected.

He also said he intends to focus on five key areas which he listed as unity of Nigeria, security, economy, education and devolving more resources and powers to the federating units.

“Since the civil war, the unity of Nigeria has never been threatened as it is today. Nigerians are losing hope in the oneness of this country. My fellow Nigerians, I am the unifier that is coming to bond the broken union.

“We will open doors for dialogue to hear the grieving voices of all Nigerians. Under my presidency, there will be a new Nigeria, where everybody has an equal voice and is heard.

“Throughout my life, I have never looked at Nigerians as divided people. In my eyes, all Nigerians are the same. When I see you, I don’t see Yoruba or Hausa or Igbo or Fulani or a northerner or southerner; when I see you, I only see a Nigerian, and I expect the best from you.

“All Nigerians are equal and should be seen and treated equally. There is no unity without justice and fairness. That is why I will deliver leadership of justice and fairness,” he said.

Abubakar accused the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) of failing to live up to its responsibilities of protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians which he said will be his top priorities.

“The APC administration has failed in its fundamental responsibility of protecting the lives and properties of Nigerians. The most significant human right is the right to life, which has not been protected under the APC administration.

“Our military forces are fighting on the front lines without equipment and morale. That is not fair.

“If we get into power, we will increase the welfare of all security forces. We will use modern technology and intelligence to combat insecurity.

“We will also increase the number of personnel for our security agencies.

“Why security? Because national security is the first sign of a functional government, and where it does not exist, we must not blame those who threaten it. We can only blame a government that allows it to be threatened. And if I am elected as your President, insecurity is one thing I will not tolerate,” he said.

He also vowed to secure the rural communities to boost agricultural activities.

The White House has quietly assembled a team of national security officials to sketch out scenarios of how the United States and its allies should respond if President Vladimir Putin of Russia — frustrated by his lack of progress in Ukraine or determined to warn Western nations against intervening in the war — unleashes his stockpiles of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, the New York Times has reported. 

The Tiger Team, as the group is known, is also examining responses if Putin reaches into NATO territory to attack convoys bringing weapons and aid to Ukraine, according to several officials involved in the process. Meeting three times a week, in classified sessions, the team is also looking at responses if Russia seeks to extend the war to neighboring nations, including Moldova and Georgia, and how to prepare European countries for the refugees flowing in on a scale not seen in decades.

Those contingencies are expected to be central to an extraordinary session in Brussels on Thursday, when President Biden meets leaders of the 29 other NATO nations, who will be meeting for the first time — behind closed doors, their cellphones and aides banished — since Putin invaded Ukraine.

Just a month ago, such scenarios seemed more theoretical. But today, from the White House to NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, a recognition has set in that Russia may turn to the most powerful weapons in its arsenal to bail itself out of a military stalemate.

NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, underscored the urgency of the preparation effort on Wednesday, telling reporters for the first time that even if the Russians employ weapons of mass destruction only inside Ukraine, they may have “dire consequences” for people in NATO nations. He appeared to be discussing the fear that chemical or radioactive clouds could drift over the border. One issue under examination is whether such collateral damage would be considered an “attack” on NATO under its charter, which might require a joint military response.

The current team was established in a memo signed by Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, on Feb. 28, four days after the invasion began, according to the officials involved in the process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive planning. A previous iteration had worked for months, behind the scenes, to prepare the U.S. government for the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.

That team played a central role in devising the playbooks of deep sanctions, troop buildups in NATO nations and arming the Ukrainian military, which have exploited Russian weaknesses and put its government and economy under tremendous pressure.

Stoltenberg, sounding far more hawkish than in the past, said he expected “allies will agree to provide additional support, including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to help Ukraine protect against chemical, biological, radiologic and nuclear threats.”

As Biden flew to Europe on Wednesday, both he and Stoltenberg warned of growing evidence that Russia was in fact preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

These are questions that Europe has not confronted since the depths of the Cold War, when NATO had far fewer members, and Western Europe worried about a Soviet attack headed into Germany. But few of the leaders set to meet in Brussels on Thursday ever had to deal with those scenarios — and many have never had to think about nuclear deterrence or the effects of the detonation of battlefield nuclear weapons, designed to be less powerful than those that destroyed Hiroshima. The fear is that Russia is more likely to use those weapons, precisely because they erode the distinction between conventional and nuclear arms.

Jack Reed, Senator (Rhode Island Democrat) who heads the Armed Services Committee, said on Wednesday that if Putin used a weapon of mass destruction — chemical, biological or nuclear — “there would be consequences” even if the weapon’s use was confined to Ukraine. Reed said radiation from a nuclear weapon, for instance, could waft into a neighboring NATO country and be considered an attack on a NATO member.

“It’s going to be a very difficult call, but it’s a call that not just the president but the entire NATO Council will have to make,” Reed told reporters, referring to the governing body of the Western alliance.

“The bottom line is this is a NATO decision,” Reed said. “It won’t be the president’s decision alone. I don’t think he’d want to take action unilaterally.”

One major issue the Tiger Team is looking at is the threshold that could prompt the alliance to use military force in Ukraine. Biden has made clear that he is enormously reluctant to to do so, fearing that direct confrontation with Russia could escalate the conflict beyond control. “That’s World War III,” he noted recently.

A second team of officials, also created by Sullivan’s Feb. 28 memo, is looking at long-term opportunities for the United States to improve its geopolitical position as a result of Putin’s invasion. Inside the White House, it has become an article of faith that the Russian leader made a huge strategic error — one that will diminish Russia’s standing, cripple its economy and alienate potential allies for years. But it is early in the conflict, other officials caution, and that conclusion may prove premature.

The immediate concern is what Putin may do next — driven by a desire to rescue a failing military effort or re-establish his credentials as a force to be feared.

Officials believe the chances that Putin will resort to detonating a nuclear weapon are small. But Russia’s steady stream of reminders that it has its arsenal at the ready, and could use it in response to anything it perceives as an “existential threat,” has put Washington on high alert.

Biden will take up with allies “how to deal with the rhetoric and the commentary coming out of Russia on this whole question of the potential use of nuclear weapons,” Sullivan told reporters on Wednesday.

Russia-Ukraine War: Key Developments

“We haven’t seen anything that’s made us adjust our posture, our nuclear posture, but it is of course something we will have to continue to stay in close consultation with allies and partners on, as well as communicate directly to the Russians.”

Several officials said the White House and Pentagon have had some tension over how much detail the Defense Department is willing to share on its highly secretive war planning — especially concerning responses to any use of nuclear weapons — even in the classified setting of the Tiger Team. (The term has been used for many years to describe an emergency task force inside the National Security Council.)

A U.S. official said Biden remained adamant about keeping American forces out of Ukraine. But the official said the administration believed it would be misguided not to closely examine the thresholds, if any, under which the president would reverse himself, or to be prepared to deal with the consequences of the use of weapons of mass destruction.

A senior administration official said any use of a “small” tactical nuclear bomb by Russia — even inside Ukraine and not directed at a NATO member — would mean that “all bets are off” on the United States and NATO staying out of the war. But when pushed, the official declined to lay out the responses under discussion.

The official said American and NATO intelligence communities had not seen any activity by Russian military officials that suggested preparations to use a nuclear weapon. But he said that during internal discussions, administration officials were urging caution, because there was more at stake than just Ukraine.

If Putin did strike a NATO country intentionally, he would not only bring the force of the military alliance to bear on Russia, but also probably find himself facing NATO troops inside Ukraine, Artis Pabriks, Latvia’s defense minister, told reporters traveling in his country this month with Gen. Mark A. Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

“He will get Article 5,” Pabriks said, in a reference to the NATO pledge that an attack on one alliance member is an attack on all.

“If he gets that, basically that would also make us involved in Ukraine,” Pabriks said, adding: “He has no way out of that. So I don’t think he should be so stupid.”

Senator Angus King of Maine, an independent and a member of the Senate Intelligence and Armed Services Committees, visited the Polish-Ukrainian border over the weekend, meeting with officials from allied countries, visiting a refugee processing center and talking with Ukrainians. King said that as Russian forces struggle to make headway, Putin could try to strike a diplomatic agreement, intensify his bombardment of Ukrainian cities and level them, or lash out against the West with a cyberattack.

“The fourth is escalate to de-escalate, which is a tactical nuclear weapon,” King said, using the term for a Russian military doctrine in which it would employ a nuclear weapon as a warning — and then negotiate.

Reuters reports the Kremlin on Wednesday said any possible contact between the Russian military and NATO forces could have grave consequences, after Poland last week said peacekeepers should be sent to Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Poland’s idea was reckless and extremely dangerous.

“Any possible confrontation between our troops and NATO forces could have clear consequences that would be hard to repair,” Peskov told reporters.

Lauretta Fagbohun, Ogun

Ahead of the 2023 General Elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it has successfully captured about 85,600 new registrants with a deployment of INEC Voter Enrolment Device (IVED) in all the 236 wards across the 20 Local Government Areas of Ogun State. 

Speaking at the first media conference held by the newly deployed INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner to Ogun State, Niyi Ijalaiye, noted that the registration figure was abysmally low before taking over.

He said, only 22,167 new registrants were captured before his assumption of office but now over 63,000 new registrants were captured between February and March, 2022. 

While giving statistics of INEC registration, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, explained that registers of new voters captured between January 3rd and March 22nd, 2022 would be displayed at INEC Local Government Area Offices in the 20 Local Government Areas for claims and objections in accordance with the Section 19 (i) of the Electoral Act 2022 (as amended) 

He clarified that the claims and objections would enable the public assist INEC to identify ineligible registrants such as foreigners and Nigerians who are less than 18 years on the list as the claim and objections exercise would run between Monday, 26th March and 1st April  2022.

Thousands of admirers thronged the streets on Wednesday as a former Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, visited his ancestral homestead at Oje Compound in Isote, Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State.

The colourful event was organised by Gateway Movement in conjunction with the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF). 

The event featured the disbursement of scholarship awards to several indigent students from Sagamu Local Government Area in different tertiary institutions in the country.

Daniel, an APC chieftain is running to represent Ogun East Senatorial District at the National Assembly.

The ex-governor’s carnival-like visit to his kinsmen electrified Sagamu metropolis and its environs on Wednesday. 

A huge crowd of supporters and jubilant residents filled the streets to catch a glimpse as well as cheer the former governor. 

Many of them spoke glowingly about Daniel, recalling his various landmark achievements in the state during his eight-year tenure, and praying for the actualisation of his senatorial bid in 2023. 

On his part, the former governor thanked his kinsmen for their invaluable support over the years and promised not to betray the trust and confidence reposed in him. 

''We have come a long way. It's been 11 years that we left government and we thank God for the journey so far. Today, I have come to pay homage and seek your blessings and support. Although campaign has not yet started, but we will come back once campaigns start,'' he said.

He emphasised the need for Nigerians to make intelligent decisions and right choices when exercising their civic duty to vote in next year's elections. 

Daniel assured the people of effective representation that would attract viable and people-oriented projects not only to Sagamu but also other parts of Ogun East senatorial district. 

The event featured the disbursement of scholarship awards to several indigent students from Sagamu Local Government Area in different tertiary institutions in the country. 

Also, Daniel presented a new car to a middle-aged man, Ademola Adewale Omogbolahan, whose vehicle got burnt about three weeks ago when the former governor visited Omu Ijebu, his maternal ancestral home, in Odogbolu Local Government Area of the state. 

In his brief remarks, Omogbolahan appreciated Daniel for his kind gesture and prayed God to reward him. 

Established in 2001, the GFF is the charity arm of the former governor through which the lives of thousands of citizens have been touched over the years.

Kaduna State Government has said no fewer than 34 persons, including two soldiers, were killed in the Sunday night attack on Agban Kagoro in Kaura Local Government Area of the state by bandits according to Punch.

The state Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, said four locations of Tsonje, Agban, Katanga and Kadarko, all within the Kagoro Chiefdom were attacked on Sunday night.

Aruwan said over 200 houses and 32 shops were burnt during the attack while three vehicles and 17 motorcycles were vandalised.

He added that seven persons sustained injuries during the attacks and were currently receiving medical attention in an undisclosed hospital.

According to him, the 24-hour curfew slammed on Jema’a and Kaura Local Government Areas in the wake of the attack, was still in force, adding that the curfew was still essential to check further breakdown of law and order in the areas.

The Commissioner quoted the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to have condemned the attack just as he condoled the families of the victims as well as the military high command for the death of the two personnel.

Aruwan identified those killed during the attacks to include, Angelina Aboi, Godiya Iliya, Peace Iliya, Stephen Emmanuel, Patrick Pius, Gwamna Ishaya, Philip Joseph, Godwin Latong, Aba Chawai and Nancy Luka.

Others, he said, are Sophia Luka, Hosea James, Daniel Sofa, Geoffrey Ado, Bala James, Henry Dauda, Augustine Iliya, Irmiya Michael.

They are Murna Luka, Monday Buki, Reuben Kumai, Zilien Gudak, Anita Dauda Kawai, Rifkatu Dauda Kawai, Titi Bawa, Jacob Yayock, Samuel Ufui, Silas Bulus, Victor Ayuka, Jummai Yunana, Sunday Tachio and Hope Luka.

The Commissioner said, “Security agencies have reported to the Kaduna State Government that after search operations and detailed checks, 34 people have been confirmed dead following Sunday’s attack in Kaura LGA.

“According to the report, four locations were attacked by unidentified assailants: Tsonje, Agban, Katanga and Kadarko, all within Kagoro Chiefdom of Kaura LGA.

“Two military personnel were among the 34 killed, with local residents making up 32 casualties.

“One Abigail Joshua, from Adan community, is currently missing.

“Furthermore, over 200 houses and 32 shops were burnt in the attack. Three vehicles and 17 motorcycles were vandalised.”

Representative of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, on Tuesday met with police officers in the Ogun State Command over a threat to embark on strike by the junior officers as reported by Daily Trust.

Some aggrieved rank and file in the Nigeria Police Force, according to reports, threatened the strike, over poor salary, lack of sophisticated weapons to fight crime, bad condition of their barracks, failure to provide uniforms, among others.

It was gathered that the Police IG had begun meeting with the police officers nationwide over the looming strike.

The IG represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of South-West zone, Johnson Kokumo, on Tuesday, held a meeting with police officers in Ogun command as part of moves to avert the crisis.

The meeting was scheduled to hold in both Ogun and Lagos Commands on Tuesday.

The DIG who arrived the state police command, Eleweran, Abeokuta at 1:22pm, met with the policemen behind closed doors after an open address where he and the Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole, gave remarks.

While addressing the officers, Kokumo urged the command to observe and obey the law and respect the rights of the citizens.

Kokumo also reminded the corps of their duties as the lead security agency in the country saddled with the responsibility of protecting the citizens.

He said, “As officers, we have to observe and obey the law. We have to ensure we use our power with confine of the law.

“Conduct yourself professionally. Let there be a healthy respect of the rights of the citizens we are to protect.

“We want to see a Nigerian Police Force that is people friendly, professional and that has respect for the rights of the citizens. The public will then see us as their friends when we do these.”

Earlier, Bankole assured the DIG of complete loyalty to the Nigerian police force adding that the command will be professional in discharging its duties.

He said, “I want to assure you that no member of this command will involve in any form of planned strike action.

“I am sure I am speaking the minds of the officers who are here including the generality of the member of the Nigerian police force, Ogun State command.

“We must assure you and we also want you to take this message to the inspector general of police that our loyalty to the Nigerian police force is total 100 per cent.

“We will continue to be dedicated to our duty, we will continue to be loyal to the federal republic of Nigeria and the Nigerian police force. We will continue to be dedicated to the Nigeria Police Force.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has said the newly built international terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport in Lagos will create 3,000 direct and indirect employment jobs for Nigerian youth.

Buhari said this as he commissioned the new terminal on Tuesday.

“This improvement will increase airport operation and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum. With a positive multiplier effect by creating 3,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for our youth,” Buhari said.

Also, the president said the terminal will increase inflow of foreign direct investment and exponential growth in the Growth Domestic Product (GDP).

According to the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s unemployment increased to 33.30 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020 from 27.10 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

However, in the long-term, the unemployment rate in the country is projected to trend around 32.00 percent in 2022 and 30.00 percent in 2023.

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote opened a 3-million-tonne fertilizer plant at a cost of $2.5 billion on Tuesday to target African and foreign markets even as the war in Ukraine has driven up prices for natural gas, a key ingredient for making urea.

Dangote said exports from the plant will go to Brazil, which relies heavily on Russia for imports of fertilizer. Shipments will also go to the United States, India and Mexico, he said at the launch.

Fertilizer prices have been rising at a time when planting usually picks up around the world, especially after Russia, the world's biggest exporter of fertilizer, invaded Ukraine last month. The war has also disrupted shipping.

The plant, commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari and located at the Lekki Free Zone in Lagos State, is designed to produce 3 million tonnes of urea per year and supply all the major markets in sub-Saharan Africa.

Many in Nigeria hope the Dangote plant will help alleviate chronically low crop yields in Africa's most populous country, partly due to insufficient access to fertilizer.

Agriculture accounts for 20% of Nigeria's gross domestic product, with crop production contribution the highest with the farming subsector.

However, low fertilizer production and the high cost of importing fertilisers has reined in seed production. Fertilizer consumption in Nigeria ranks below its African peers.

According to the World Bank, Nigeria consumed around 20 kg of fertiliser per hectare of arable land in 2018, compared with 73 kg in South Africa and 393 kg in China.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has barred the use of its foreign exchange for fertiliser imports as part of a raft of controls aimed at boosting domestic production.

Other producers in Nigeria include Notore, which has the capacity to produce 500,000 metric tonnes per annum of urea, and Singapore-owned Indorama Eleme Petrochemicals Ltd, which plans to double its annual output of urea fertilizer to 2.8 million tonnes.