Fuel Price Hike: Civil Society Groups Protest In Edo, FG Calls For Patience

Carrying placards with several inscriptions, the Edo civil society groups also rejected the proposed N8,000 palliative by the Federal Government following the removal of the petrol subsidy.

Civil society groups under the aegis of the Edo Civil Society Organizations have taken to the streets of Benin City, the state capital, in protest against the recent hike in fuel prices.

They walked through some major streets and condemned the increase and the high cost of governance in Nigeria.

The protesters claim the cost of governance is high in Nigeria. 

 The protesters are piqued by what they described as an increment in the price of petrol amid penury.

One of the protesters.

According to them, the new National Assembly members are made to share huge sums running into billions of naira to improve their working conditions while the downtrodden groan under the new fuel regime. 

Carrying placards with several inscriptions, the Edo civil society groups also rejected the proposed N8,000 palliative by the Federal Government following the removal of the petrol subsidy. 

FG Calls For Patience

New SGF George Akume (L) in a handshake with President Bola Tinubu after his swearing-in on June 7, 2023, in Abuja.

The protest comes almost two months after President Bola Tinubu declared the subsidy era gone. Since the development, the price of the commodity has increased from around N900 per litre to between N600-N700 across the country.

While the Federal Government says the move is in the best interest of the country, critics argue it will plunge the country into crisis.

In the wake of the move, the Federal Government proposed an N8,000 palliative for Nigerians but later said it would review it after a wave of backlash.

It also called for patience and said measures were being worked out to ease the pains occasioned by the subsidy removal. 

“As a government, we have heard your cries about fuel price increases, and be rest assured, we are working round the clock to normalize and bring solutions that ease the pain,” the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume, said late Sunday. “Our job is to give you the quality of life you deserve when you wake up. So far, we are on course.”

Already, some state governments, notably Bayelsa, have rolled out vehicles to aid movement.

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JUST IN: Two Immediate-Past Commissioners in Kano Confirmed Dead

Two former commissioners in Kano State, who served during the immediate past administration of Abdullahi Ganduje, have died. 

POLITICS NIGERIA reports that Alhassan Muhammad Dawaki, the former commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, died on Friday after battling a brief illness. He was 79 years old and left behind wives and 15 children.

Barrister Zubaida Damakka, the former commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, died in Abuja on the same day after a brief illness. She was 55 years old and left behind three children and a husband.

Their funeral prayers took place in Kano on Sunday according to Islamic rites.

Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in a statement expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. He described Dawaki as a “prominent figure and well respected personality” whose sudden departure had left a void in the hearts of many.

The governor also prayed for the strength and resilience of the grieving families, wishing them solace during the difficult period of mourning.

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#EndSARS: No body taken from toll gate, says Lagos govt

• Mass burial is for victims of violence, state clarifies  

The Lagos State government has debunked reports of a planned mass burial for casualties of the 2020 #Endsars protest. 

from the Public Procurement Agency’. 

Ogboye maintained that the 103 bodies were picked up after the violent #EndSARS protests and other clashes at Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of the state, as well as a jailbreak at Ikoyi prison.

There was a letter from the Lagos State Government Public Procurement Agency, ‘Letter of No Objection – Mass Burial for the 103, the Year 2020 ENDSARS victims’, permitting the burial of the victims.

But Ogboye accused mischief makers of misinterpreting the letter to misinform the public, stir public sentiment and cause public disaffection against the Lagos State government.

The statement reads: “It is public knowledge that the year 2020 #EndSARS crisis that snowballed into violence in many parts of Lagos recorded casualties in different areas of the state and NOT from the Lekki Toll Gate, as being inferred in the mischievous publications.

ALSO READ: Leaked Memo Shows Lagos Govt Approved N61m For Mass Burial Of 103 ENDSARS Victims

“For the records, the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes at Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State, including a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.

“The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-gate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, no body was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident.

“While the Lagos State government would not have dignified the mischievous elements peddling such news with a response, we consider it appropriate to set the records straight and draw the attention of well-meaning citizens to the antics of some unscrupulous elements who are bent on disrupting the peace and tranquillity of Lagos with distorted news and half-truth about the letter.

“In the aftermath of the #EndSARS violence, the Office of the Chief Coroner invited the public, through adverts and announcements who had lost loved ones or whose relatives had been declared missing between October 19 and 27, 2020, from various clashes as mentioned above, to contact the department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), to help with identification of these casualties deposited in state-owned morgues. Relatives were to undergo DNA tests for identification purposes. It is important to state categorically that nobody responded to claim any of the bodies.

“However, after almost three years, the bodies remain unclaimed, adding to the congestion of the morgues. This spurred the need to decongest the morgues – a procedure that follows very careful medical and legal guidelines in the event that a relative may still turn up to claim a lost relative years after the incident. Decongestion of our public morgues is a periodic and regular exercise approved by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to free up space in mortuaries that have a large number of unclaimed bodies.”

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Leaked Memo Shows Lagos Govt Approved N61m For Mass Burial Of 103 ENDSARS Victims

In response, the Lagos State Ministry of Health confirmed the letter, but insisted that details in the documents were being misconstrued. 

A leaked memo addressed to the Lagos State Ministry of Health indicating that the State Government approved N61,285,000 for the mass burial of 103 persons identified as 2020 EndSARS victims has gone viral on social media, sparking outrage. 

 The memo dated July 19, 2023, captures steps for the processing of funds after approval by the governor. Earlier, a Ministerial Tenders’ Board Meeting reportedly sat over the recommendations of the Procurement Planning Committee, after which no objections were raised to the award of the mass burial contract to a funeral service provider.

The five-paragraph leaked memo also directs that relevant taxes and deductions are remitted by the approved company.

In response, the Lagos State Ministry of Health confirmed the letter in a statement on Sunday evening, but insisted that details were being misconstrued. The state government argued that the victims were from incidents of violence that occurred in the aftermath of the EndSARS protests.

READ ALSO: #EndSARS: No body taken from toll gate, says Lagos govt

There has been controversy over the number of deaths recorded during the EndSARS protest, resulting in the governor setting up an inquest led by Justice Doris Okuwobi.

Since the protest in 2020, both the Lagos Government and the Federal Government have consistently denied any mass killing during the EndSARS protests.

The memo is coming over two years after the widespread protest across the country.

The Lagos Government has yet to comment on the leaked memo.

Thousands of Nigerians across the country took to the streets to protest police brutality and called for far-reaching reforms, particularly with regard to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the police.

The weeks-long protests, which gained international attention, culminated in the controversial shooting of protesters at the popular Lekki Tollgate in Lagos, one of the rallying points for those who partook in the demonstrations.

However, the Lagos State Government, in its response to the memo, maintained that the victims to be buried were not from the Lekki Tollgate shooting.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Olusegun Ogboye, said the Lagos State Environmental Health Unit (SEHMU) picked up bodies in the aftermath of #EndSARS violence and community clashes.

The areas cited included Fagba, Ketu, Ikorodu, Orile, Ajegunle, Abule-Egba, Ikeja, Ojota, Ekoro, Ogba, Isolo and Ajah areas of Lagos State. Ogboye added that there was also a jailbreak at Ikoyi Prison.

“The 103 casualties mentioned in the document were from these incidents and NOT from Lekki Toll-gate as being alleged. For the avoidance of doubt, no body was retrieved from the Lekki Toll Gate incident,” the statement read.

See a copy of the leaked memo below:

©ChannelsTv

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20 killed in Ore tanker fire

About 20 persons including three children and a pregnant woman have been roasted to death after a tanker exploded at Ore, Odigbo Local government area of Ondo State. 

The fire was said to have been ignited by a spark from a phone held by one of the persons scooping fuel that spilled from the tanker. The expectant mother was said to have brought N100,000 to buy fuel from the fallen tanker.

An eyewitness who gave his name as Cyriacus said they were inside the church when the tanker fell and spilled its contents on the road. 

Cyriacus said some persons rushed to scoop fuel despite being warned by their clergy.

“We were inside the church when we heard that tanker fell. The rain was also falling. People were taking fuel when fire started after a spark from a phone. “Three children died and we have counted over 15 bodies. A pregnant woman that wanted to buy the fuel also died. The money is still with her.”

Ondo Police spokesman, Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, said a probe has been launched.

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Tuition fees hike: NANS threatens protest

• Ministry blames ex-President Buhari for increase 

 The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prevail on the management of federal universities across the country to jettison their plan to increase school fees and levies paid by students. 

But the Federal Ministry of Education said the new school fees regime for unity colleges was reviewed by former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.  

NANS gave the warning in a statement by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Giwa Temitope, at the weekend. 

The national students’ body said the fee increment by the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, which was announced last Friday; the planned fee hike by other federal universities across the country and federal government colleges, showed what it called insensitivity to the plight of most Nigerians who are going through difficult times. 

The statement reads: “It is most ridiculous that the government will be introducing fee increment without thinking of rescuing the over 133 million Nigerians out of multi-dimensional poverty they are in.” 

“To us, an increment in school fees will complicate the poverty conditions of most parents and students, and it will increase the number of out-of-school children in the country.

“Before now, some students could not afford the fees and various other levies. Because of that, many of them dropped out of school. What would now happen to students, who are sponsoring themselves and their parents, who have more than one child in school?

“As an association, we believe that the Nigerian government has what it takes to massively fund education and make it accessible, if there is a political will.

“In fact, the student loan that was introduced by the Federal Government is nothing but a sham and a bait to lure Nigerian people into accepting increment in fees payment.

“Beyond the fact that the terms of the loan are ridiculous, history has taught us that not every applicant will be considered.

“And even if all were to be considered, that does not justify fee increment in an economy like ours with a high unemployment index.” 

Some documents obtained yesterday from the Federal Ministry of Education in Abuja showed that the new school fees regime was approved by the immediate past Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, under ex-President Buhari.

A source in the ministry, who spoke in confidence, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the fees were reviewed across board and not only for JSS 1 pupils.

The source said the uniform was added because of adulterated uniforms procured by parents for their children.

READ ALSO:  FG Increases Unity Colleges’ Fees From ₦45,000 To ₦100,000

He said this was done to ensure uniformity in dressing, adding that tuition fees in government unity colleges were free while the pupils would pay for other things, such as textbooks, uniform and feeding, for boarding students.

“The news trending now about a hike in school fees was reviewed by the last administration.

“If you check the date on the circular, it was before President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office and we released it in May to sensitise parents.

“So, the increase is insignificant, as projected in the media. Truth be told: we don’t charge school fees. Which school will you put your child in and feed him or her for three months with N30,000?

“The overheads in the school system is very poor. They just released money for April two weeks ago. So, it is the money that students pay that is used to augment some things in the school,” the source said.

In 2020, the Federal Government charged N15,000 as boarding fee for new students, bringing the total fee to N50,500.

The government also reviewed the boarding fee to N30,000 in May, thereby bringing the total fee to N100,000.

For returning students, the Federal Government charged N48,500 as total fee in 2020 as against N47,000 in 2023 for boarding students.

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