“Thirteen” out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria have threatened to withdraw from the February 25 and March 11 general elections in Nigeria over the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
At a briefing by a coalition of chairmen of political parties on Monday, the “13 parties” commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the redesign of the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.
The parties said they won’t be interested in the elections if the new deadline of February 10, 2023 is shifted as demanded by some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The “13 parties” also knocked the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara State Governments for heading to the Supreme Court to get court injunction to extend the deadline for the validity of three old notes.
The National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Kenneth Udeze, who briefed the pressmen, said,
We hereby announce that at least 13 out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria will not be interested in the 2023 general elections and indeed we shall withdraw our participation from the electoral process if this currency policies are suspended or cancelled or if the deadline is further shifted.
The CBN on October 26, 2022, announced its plan to redesign the three banknotes. The President subsequently unveiled the redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes on November 23, 2022, while the apex bank fixed a January 31 deadline for the validity of the old notes.
Read Also: Naira Redesign Will Have Negative Effect On Poor Nigerians, Economic Activity — World Bank Cautions CBN
Inclusion Advocates, Stakeholders Brainstorm Over 2027 Polls, Urge More Female Folks to Join Politics
By Alex Reports
Abuja, April 24, 2024 (NAN) Some women led by Gender Strategy Advancement Initiative and SheForum Africa, both NGOs on Wednesday gathered in Abuja to discuss how to secure more political position for the women folks come 2027 General election.
The gathering which was tagged “The Godmother’s mentorship series” was also aimed at mentoring young female Nigerians to stand up for their rights in the realisation of gender equality as part of the article of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Ms Inimfon Etuk, founder, SheForum Africa stated that there is no point waiting until 2027 before the female folks could start galvanizing themselves for the realisation of gender equality in the country political arena.
According to her, her organisation has come to the understanding that no group can do it alone in building Nigeria to the desire of many.
She said that SheForum Africa aim is all about leveraging on strength of members, other individuals and organisations to move things on in the country, adding that the NGO not only dwells on gender equality but other things.
“No one person, no one organisation can do it alone; we all know there are a lot of target right now globally, there is the United Nations 2030 target for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Part of the SDG goals is gender equality, there is also goal which talk about partnership, our target in Nigeria is surrounded by the achievement of democratic dispensation by 2027.
Managing Political Disappointments: Lessons From Akwa Ibom – Lifestyle Nigeria
An impressive collection of dignitaries gathered at the Worship Center, Uyo, on Wednesday for a thanksgiving service to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Akwa Ibom State governor, Pastor Umo Eno. There were songs, prayers and speeches from many, but it was Mrs. Ekaette Unoma Akpabio, wife of the Senate President, who surprised the crowd the most with her profound philosophical rendition.
One after the other, she recognized the dignitaries and had something nice to say about them. Gov. Eno; former Governor Udom Emmanuel; former President Goodluck Jonathan; political leaders, clergies, business leaders and traditional chiefs were all present. Gaily dressed women added a peculiar hue to the colourful event. When she got to the immediate past governor of the state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel, Mrs Akpabio went spiritual and philosophical, drawing both laughter and applause from the audience.
‘’I am here to represent our leader, our father, the father of Gabriel Udom Emmanuel’’, she said, referring to her husband, adding, ‘’and by extension, I am the mother of Gabriel Udom Emmanuel’’. There were laughs and applause. In 2015, Gov. Akpabio invited Udom Emmanuel, then an executive director at Zenith Bank, into partisan politics and made him governor of the state in a typical Nigerian succession politics. She continued, ‘’I want to thank you, your excellency, our immediate past governor, Gabriel Udom Emmanuel, for propelling us to go to the center. If you had not propelled us; if you had not moved, Akwa Ibom people would not have been at the position they are today. So, I greet you Sir. God ordered your footsteps’’.
Mrs. Akpabio was essentially recalling the frosty relationship between her husband and Mr. Udom Emmanuel, and how that turned out to a blessing for Akpabio. She was therefore grateful that God used Udom Emmanuel to ‘’propel’’ her husband out of Akwa Ibom politics into national politics. Now, soon after Udom Emmanuel succeeded Akpabio as governor, the relationship between the two broke down, something not uncommon in our politics. Akpabio had contested and won election to the senate in 2015, and so, the two men managed to keep their rancour from public knowledge for the first two or three years. In August 2018, Senator Akpabio decamped from the PDP to the APC, leaving his godson, Gov. Udom Emmanuel in the PDP. A big political turmoil erupted in the state, leading to Akpabio’s failure to win a reelection to the senate in the 2019.
He became minister in 2019 and the political gulf between the two widened more and more. In 2023, he contested again for the senate, telling Akwa Ibom people that he would be the Senate President if he won. He won and, to the surprise of many, became Senate President, under APC while Eno became governor, succeeding Udom Emmanuel, under PDP.
Things now began to work differently. Eno discarded politics of war and quarrel, and reached out to Akpabio and others in APC, creating a never-seen-before political harmony in the state. Last year, Eno attended Akpabio’s inaugural ceremonies as senate president and since then, has been very deferential of the senate President. Akpabio has also reciprocated the gestures from the governor and yesterday, his wife represented him at the celebration to mark the birthday of Gov Eno. This rearrangement of the contours of politics in the state therefore afforded Akpabio’s wife the opportunity to go spiritual yesterday.
Mrs Akpabio’s assertion that it was Udom Emmanuel who ‘’propelled’’ her husband to return to the senate and eventually become senate president is therefore correct, and reflects the depth of her spirituality. It’s a testament to an adage that says that when one door is closed, another is open. If Akpabio and his successor had not fallen out, maybe he would still have remained in the PDP and would not have become Senate President. The quarrel catapulted Akpabio to seek relevance in national politics. It is a classic case of turning a disappointment into a blessing. An English adage says that. ‘’If life gives you a lemon, turn it into a lemonade’’. My own favourite saying which I have on my WhatsApp profile is, ‘’If you stumble on the dance floor, make it part of the dance’’. The Bible expresses it differently. ‘’And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good…’’ (Romans 8:28).
I was very pleased to hear Mrs. Akpabio, a devout Catholic, express her thoughts in this spiritual context. She had come to understand that her husband’s fight with his successor was his stepping stone to a higher responsibility. That’s why she told Udom Emmanuel yesterday, ‘’God ordered your footsteps’’. Many people have their own experiences of how personal disappointments have turned out to be a blessing. I have mine.
Telcos Hint At Price Increment For Data And Voice Services
Telecommunications operators in Nigeria have stated that they have not increased their service rates for over 11 years and are overdue for price increments.
Lifestyle Nigeria reports that the Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and the Association of Telecommunication Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) jointly released a statement on Thursday, highlighting that the telecommunications sector is the only industry that has not reviewed its prices despite the country’s rising inflation rate and other economic realities that warrant increment.
They have attributed the delay in price increments to regulatory limitations that prevent them from setting prices appropriately.
“ALTON and ATCON respectfully reiterate that telecommunications infrastructure development requires substantial investments in network expansion, maintenance, and technology upgrades,” the statement reads.
“Despite the adverse economic headwinds, the telecommunications industry remains the only industry yet to review its general service pricing framework upward in the last (11) years, primarily due to regulatory constraints.
“For a fully liberalized and deregulated sector, the current price control mechanism, which is not aligned with economic realities, threatens the industry’s sustainability and can erode investors’ confidence.
“ATCON and ALTON call upon the government to facilitate a constructive dialogue with industry stakeholders to address pricing challenges and establish a framework that balances consumers’ affordability with operators’ financial viability.”
Furthermore, the operators called for government action to address telecommunications industry challenges such as taxation, regulations, right of way (RoW), charges, inadequate power supply, and infrastructure vandalism.
