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Seun Kuti addresses assault claim, denies beating wife
The singer has denied involvement in domestic violence.
In a recent Instagram live session, the Afrobeat star dismissed rumours that he engages in violence, emphasising the respect and mutual understanding within his marriage.
Responding to the speculations that emerged after a video showed him instructing his wife to return to their vehicle, Kuti clarified his stance on the matter.
He dismissed the notion that his wife complies out of fear, stating, “My wife is not scared of me. Trust me, if you know anybody that knows us, I’m the one that’s scared of my wife. But my wife respects me.”
The singer addressed those spreading the rumours, attributing their actions to jealousy and the inability to comprehend a healthy and communicative relationship between a husband and wife.
He defended himself, saying, “The most important rumour I must dispel is the one they said that I’m beating my wife.” He continued, “That Seun can talk to his wife and she would listen to him. That is what you all celebrities do.”
To further prove his point, Kuti provided an example of his relationship with his daughter.
He proudly stated, “Even my daughter, Adara, I have never spanked her before. She will be ten in December. In her nine and half years she has been alive, she can never say Seun, her father has beaten her before.”
Seun Kuti, born Oluseun Anikulapo Kuti, is a Nigerian musician, singer, and the youngest son of the legendary Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.
Seun Kuti recently made headlines when he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer, according to authorities. However, he has since been released from police custody and has embarked on a European tour.
Credited to: Pulse.ng
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AFRINITY PRODUCTION WISHES YOU HAPPY NEW MONTH
May this fresh chapter of the year bring you joy, success, and new opportunities. May your days be filled with laughter, love, and beautiful moments. Embrace the possibilities ahead and make this month extraordinary. Wishing you a month filled with happiness and blessings. Happy New Month!
Rassie Bah put up a fantastic performance in her comeback
Rassie Bah known as the Iron Lady is an household name in the movie industry but she has been away for years which many of her fans were so eager to see her on the silver screen. She made a statement about her comeback few weeks ago and this was what the Iron Lady said………….
Rassie Bah: it’s been a while though but I’ll soon join the film family to help my colleagues where I meets them but I would be doing films that are educative to the girl child and women in the society. So any project I would be doing on my own I’ll be project of such nature.
Rassie Bah made her comeback in a short film titled STRANGE a movie produced by Ibrahim Bangura known as Blessing Jay. Her Co actor was Michael Alvin Jay Samai one of Sierra Leone most talented uprising actors. Guys be on the look for the STRANGER.
SLPP SENDS SIGNAL TO THE MAIN OPPOSITION APC AS THE EASTERN PART OF FREETOWN GOES GREEN
His Excellency The President, Julius Maada Bio and Her Excellency The First Lady Fatima Maada Bio , continues the reelection campaign in the eastern part of Freetown at the Pa Morlai Field in Calaba Town Freetown.
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Fuel Scarcity: Osun Govt Threatens To Seal Stations Hoarding Petrol
The state government said the deliberate hoarding of petrol by the fuel dealers has caused untold hardship on the people of the state.
“Any fuel station found guilty of hoarding fuel to create artificial scarcity shall be sealed off and operators prosecuted for crime of economic sabotage,” the governor said in a statement on Tuesday by his spokesman, Olawale Rasheed.
The fresh fuel scarcity in the country followed the inaugural pronouncement by Nigeria’s new President, Bola Tinubu who said on Monday that the era of subsidy payment on fuel has ended.
“Fuel subsidy is gone,” Tinubu declared in his inaugural speech at the Eagle Square on May 29 after he was sworn in as Nigeria’s 16th President.
The former Lagos State governor said the 2023 Budget made no provision for fuel subsidy and more so, subsidy payment is no longer justifiable.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has since backed Tinubu on the removal of fuel subsidy.
Fuel queues have since resurfaced across the country since the presidential pronouncement as Nigerians forage for the premium product.
In its warning to marketers, the Osun State Government said the deliberate hoarding of PMS by the fuel dealers within the state as a result of Tinubu’s statement has caused unnecessary hardship on the people of the state.
“This deliberate action is not only inhumane but unpatriotic and will not be allowed by the government. To this end, the Special Monitoring Team on fuel scarcity set up by His Excellency, Governor Ademola Nurudeen Jackson Adeleke headed by the Chief of Staff, Hon Kazeem Akinleye is still effective and shall not condone any form of economic sabotage.
“As from today, 30th May 2023, the Committee shall begin special monitoring of all the filling stations across the state in collaboration with law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders,” the statement partly read.
By Kayode Oyero (Channels Tv)
PHOTO NEWS: Amaechi, Abure, Datti, Others Spotted As Otti Is Sworn-In As Abia Governor
inaugural ceremony was graced by distinguished guests, creating an atmosphere of importance and significance.
Among the notable attendees were the highest echelons of the Labour Party, led by the esteemed Julius Abure.
The presence of key figures such as the National Women Leader, Dudu Manuga, National Treasurer, Oluchi Opara, National Youth Leader, Prince Kennedy Ahanotu, and National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, added prestige to the event.
The LP Vice Presidential Candidate, Datti Ahmed, also joined the gathering.
Notably, the ceremony attracted prominent personalities from various spheres. The renowned Rotimi Amaechi, the former governor of Rivers State and former Federal Minister of Transportation, accompanied by his wife, Judith, added to the distinguished crowd.
The esteemed former Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi II, graced the occasion with his presence.
Senators Chris Adighije, Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe, and Sam Ohuabunwa, demonstrated their support and involvement.
Furthermore, the presence of esteemed individuals such as Former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe, Former Governor of old Imo State, Gen Ike Nwachukwu, and Former Governor Theodore Orji, along with his wife, added an air of wisdom and experience to the event. Notably, Theodore Orji’s son, Chinedum Orji, who also serves as the Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly, was in attendance.
Credited to : Igbo TV facebook
President Bio visits site of the fallen centuries old Freetown Cotton Tree
Sierra Leone Telegraph: 26 May 2023:
Sierra Leone’s most globally recognised and iconic landmark – the Freetown Cotton, succumbed to heavy rains and ferocious winds two nights ago. With only its stem now standing proudly as if taking its final bow before leaving the stage, after centuries of battering from the monsoon rain and dry harmattan winds, questions are now being asked about the future of the site.
The centuries old Freetown Cotton Tree was an historic monument, gifted by nature to the hundreds of freed Trans-Atlantic Slaves who arrived on the shores of Sierra Leone from USA, Canada, the Caribbean, and mid Ocean, following the abolition of slavery.
The new arrivals to the shores of Sierra Leone in an area christened – “the Land of the Free” – FREETOWN, became known as the Krios. Thousands of acres of land – “the Land of the Free” – bought by the British colonial government from local chiefs for the settlement of the new arrivals became home to the Krios.
A new Sierra Leone was born with the arrival of the Krios and the creation of Freetown the capital of the nation, and the Cotton Tree – at the heart of the capital.
With its roots and branches representing all the diverse people, cultures and languages of Sierra Leone, the death of the Freetown Cotton Tree has left behind not only its stem standing but questions about the country’s political and economic future.
Survived by over 7 million people, the Freetown Cotton Tree has not only witnessed generations of political leaders that have come and gone but has served as the only living thing standing right next to the seat of power – just yards away from the country’s Law Courts Building – to have witnessed centuries of human rights abuses, poor governance and bad leadership that have brought so much misery to the people of Sierra Leone – a country classed as one of the poorest in the world.
But as the saying goes – “where there is life, there is hope”. And this was poignantly captured yesterday on social media by Idris Elba who said this about the fallen Freetown Cotton Tree: “This is very sad. The roots remain. Sierra Leone.”
Speaking just hours after the Cotton Tree had fallen, President Bio said: “The iconic Cotton Tree has fallen due to the heavy downpour of rain in our capital this evening. A great loss to the nation. It was regarded as a symbol of liberty and freedom by early settlers. We will have something at the same spot that bears testament to the great Cotton Tree’s place in our history. All voices will be brought together for this.”
Yesterday, the President went to the site as though to pay his last respect to a fallen hero. After his visit, President Bio said: “Today, I visited the site which has hosted our historic Cotton Tree for over two centuries in the centre of Freetown. It was a surreal sight to behold as I walked past the fallen Big Cotton Tree.
“The Cotton Tree is engrained in the rich cultural heritage of Freetown. To preserve this legacy for future generations, the relics of the fallen Cotton Tree will be taken to the National Museum by the Monument and Relics Commission. The preservation efforts will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs to serve as a reminder of our shared heritage and history.
“For us, the Cotton Tree wasn’t just a tree, it was a connection between the past, present and the future and we must strive to immortalise it. We also take solace in the knowledge that when a tree falls naturally due to extreme weather, a new life spring forward.
“Thank you to all the patriots who came out in solidarity. I implore all Citizens to respect the rich cultural heritage of the iconic Cotton Tree by applying restraint to tamper or demolish the fallen Tree. Together, we will preserve the legacy of unity, freedom and liberty of our iconic Cotton Tree.”
Credited to: www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/
Power sector: Nigerians beam hopes on Tinubu as Buhari govt fails
The inauguration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday heralds a new era for the country after an unsuccessful attempt by the immediate past President Muhammadu Buhari to break the jinx facing Nigeria’s power sector.
In 2015, when Buhari assumed power, he promised to revamp Nigeria’s transmission, distribution and generation subsectors of the power industry.
Eight years later, he exited the seat of power, leaving the sector unchanged.
According to data by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency, NERC, available power generation capacity stood at 4,712.34MW in the First Quarter of 2022.
The Nation had continued to hover around the generation capacity of 4,000MW to 5,000MW in a country with over 200 population. Meanwhile, of the generated electricity capacity, the Electricity Distribution Companies, DisCos, could only absorb less than 3, 802MW per day in July 2022. However, Nigeria needs a massive 25,000–40,000 megawatts (MW) of power supply.
Challenges in Nigeria’s Power Sector
The challenges in Nigeria’s power sector cut across the transmission, distribution and generation sectors.
The continued collapse of the National grid had characterised the power sector in the eight years of Buhari’s administration. On 15 May, the grid collapsed for the 99th time since 2015.
DAILY POST reports that in May 15, 2023, the national grid dropped to 221MW out of over 4,500MW routine available capacity. Accordingly, of over 16 active plants in the country, only three were on the grid at the time; Omotosho was on the grid with 132.90MW, Omotosho NIPP was also on the grid with 78MW, while Rivers IPP was on the grid with a generation of 10MW.
Since privatising the power sector in 2013, the national grid has collapsed 130 times.
In a report by NERC, the national grid collapses in 2015 were 10. That rose to 28 in 2016, while 21 cases were recorded in 2017. NERC listed the cases in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 as 13, 11, four and four, respectively. Last year, the grid failed seven times, among others that the commission did not capture.
As a solution to addressing the challenges in the power sector, Buhari’s government in 2020 launched the $2.3 billion Siemens deal, dubbed the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), to unlock Nigeria’s electricity generation to 25,000 MW in six years; however five years down the line, the project has not impacted the industry.
The challenges led Buhari into cabinet reshuffling, the Minister of Power- Babatunde Fashola, who served from 2015 to 2019 (when the Minister of Power was removed from his portfolio) and given to Mammah Saleh (August 2019 to September 2021) and Abubakar Aliyu whose tenure ended on Monday. However, despite the efforts of Buhari and his men, the sector continued to suffer setbacks.
Speaking with DAILY POST on Monday, the President of Network of Energy Reforms Nigeria, Nigeria Consumer Protection Network, Mr Kunle Olubiyo, stated that the power success had failed on all fronts under the Buhari administration.
He said electricity tariffs were increased by 500 per cent in the eight years of Buhari’s government without a commensurate improvement in the quality of services to consumers.
“Between 2016-2023, there was about a 500 per cent increase in electricity tariff without a corresponding increase in power generation, transmission, and distribution via the national electricity grid.
“Power sector’s failure in maximising the inherent potentials of the sector was largely due to failure of institutions and overbearing political interferences in the day to day business operations of the sector, resulting in a decline in power supply to Nigerians in the most unprecedented and embarrassing manners.
“In the years under review, there were largely pronounced failures of regulatory institutions in charge of enforcing market rules, extant operational rules and general failure of enforcement of regulatory framework”, he stated.
Also, Bode Fadipe, Global Power & energy sector policy analyst, said Buhari had not significantly impacted the Nation’s power sector.
He decried that the state of things in the market had remained convoluted under Buhari.
He noted that most of the challenges Buhari met in 2015 were eminently available after his exit on Monday.
“For operations, the Buhari administration did not depart remarkably from what it met on the ground. The state of things in the market continued to remain convoluted.
“From generation to distribution, the challenges that the administration met when it took over power in 2015 – three years into the privatisation were still visible even in the administration’s twilight.
“The number of grid system outages, the inability of the Siemens project to address operational issues and bring the necessary succour to end users of Electricity, the takeover of 6 of the DisCos (Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Ibadan, Benin & Port Harcourt) by financial institutions for lending delinquency, the notice of withdrawal of the licence of Kaduna DisCo, the periodic threat by generation companies to withdraw their service, the disturbing silence from the regulator even with the new policy direction provided by the 1999 Constitution are all indicators of a market that requires more than a mere glance by an administration that came on the mantra with a mountainous promise to make a difference within the Constitutionally allowed time to make a change”, he stated.
Similarly, Mr Joseph Eleojo, an energy expert, reiterated that nothing changed in the power sector under Buhari’s government except the increase in electricity tariffs.
He noted that Buhari’s administration only paid lip service to electricity generation in Nigeria.
“Foremost, nothing has changed in the electricity sector despite the so-called reforms. The generation has not crossed 6,000 Megawatts for a Country of over 200m people since the Military regime.
“What has changed in the electricity sector? He just increased tariffs without corresponding service. The Buhari Government only paid lip service to electricity generation”, he said.
Can Tinubu break the jinx in the power sector?
Tinubu, during his inaugural speech on Monday, had promised that his administration would undo the many challenges facing the country’s power sector.
He said, “Electricity will become more accessible and affordable to businesses and homes alike. Power generation should nearly double, and transmission and distribution networks should be improved. We will encourage states to develop local sources as well”.
The specifics of how Tinubu would achieve the above feat in the power sector have remained to be determined.
It was not all bad during Buhari’s government as it completed the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam, 40MW Hydropower Station and Associated 132KV Switchyard, Transmission Line and Distribution Substation located in Taraba state, 50 megawatts (MW) Maiduguri emergency power project and other projects.
Olubiyo advised Tinubu to review the entire gamut of the power sector.
According to him, the privatisation project of the country’s power sector had failed to achieve its desired outcome, hence the need for a drastic turnaround.
“The incoming administration should review the entire gamut of the power sector privatisation in its present state, which has failed to achieve the desired results despite huge investments.
“Electricity is a major enabler for job creation, industrialization, sustainable growth and development. The need for the incoming administration to get it right with electricity can not be over-emphasised,” he said.
Eleojo said Tinubu must prioritise electricity generation and distribution if he must succeed on the economic front.
He stated that Tinubu must undertake drastic reforms beyond rhetoric.
He particularly advised that the privatisation of the DisCos should be reviewed and the national grid disbanded.
“The incoming administration should make electricity generation and distribution its number one priority. It should carry out more drastic reforms, review the privatisation process of the DisCos and disband the national grid.
“Let private estates, local governments and other interested entrepreneurs generate and distribute electricity without getting a licence from NERC. The guidelines and regulations of NERC are one of the major bottlenecks to power generation in Nigeria”, he stated.
On his part, Fadipe said Tinubu’s government must walk the talk on the subnational government taking advantage of the liberalised power sector.
The government must intentionally kick the ground running in the transmission, distribution and generation sectors.
“It is also vital that the Tinubu administration takes deliberate steps to work with subnational governments to exploit the liberalised power sector.
“It is very important because if the national government provides that technical support, the subnational governments may be able to take advantage of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution.
“The Tinubu administration also needs to look very closely at the principal regulator of the sector to exorcize from it what is called the 1st Born Syndrome. Frequently, 1st borns are usually timid with a yes sir mentality. 1st borns are more managers than leaders. They are often quiet with an intention not to rock the boat.
“We have seen this syndrome in the principal regulator of the market. The regulator needs to lead the market from the front. A sector that is ten years old should have become stronger and better by now with a steady climb into higher altitudes. Unfortunately, we are still dealing with take-off issues in the market.
“As tantalising as it seems, asking for scrutiny of projects executed in the last 8 years will be distracting. That notwithstanding, past managers must be held accountable for their deeds as soon as there are discoveries”, he stated.
Like other past administrations, Tinubu’s government has started with hope and expectations; certainly, Nigerians are optimistic that the rhetoric would translate into fundamental changes required to curb the menace in Nigeria’s power sector.
Credited to: Dailypost.ng
As Tinubu Takes Oath as Nigeria’s 16th President Today
Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will today make history as he will be sworn-in as the 16th president of Nigeria in Abuja. In this report, Adedayo Akinwale takes another look at Tinubu’s 80-page Action Plan to transform the nation.
In October, 2022, the Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu launched an ambitious 80-page Action plan tagged Renewed Hope 2023. The document encapsulated his plan to transform Nigeria if elected the president.
As fate would have it, Tinubu was declared winner of the February 25, 2023 presidential poll having polled 8,794,726 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Atiku abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6,984,520 votes and Peter Obi of the Labour Party who came third with a total of 6,101,533 votes, while Rabiu Kwankwaso of the NNPP came fourth with 1,496,687 votes.
Nevertheless, Nigerians are not new to political parties’ manifesto. The 15th president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, did the same. But one thing has been constant like a northern star, the more documents the politicians launch, the country has been repeatedly worse off at the end of their tenure.
In the case of Buhari, if at all he had any policy document, the best such policy document did was to bring Nigeria’s economy to its knees, while poverty conveniently resides in Nigeria and unemployment rate in the country has been awarded a Nigerian citizen. It’s a kind of affliction that Nigerians do not pray for it to rise a second time.
Without sugarcoating it, due to past ugly experiences, Nigerians are not really enthusiastic about any policy document of any politician or administration. They are just ready to roll with whatever policy each administration brings.
However, having survived the eight-year rule of Buhari, Nigerians will be willing to see how Tinubu hopes to transform the country, build on the successes of Buhari, if any, and reverse, most importantly the negative economic indices, while improving on the country’s security architecture, as well as reducing the unemployment rates.
Security
Expectedly, in the 80-page document, Tinubu promised to establish highly trained and disciplined anti-terrorist battalions to tackle insecurity in the country.
The president-elect said the military units would be better equipped with tactical communications gear and new vehicles to give them a greater communications and mobility advantage over criminals, bandits and terrorists.
Tinubu assured that his government would reduce the country’s dependence on imported foreign military equipment by ramping up domestic production of basic and essential military hardware and equipment, including small arms and ammunition.
He said: “Highly trained and disciplined anti-terrorist battalions (ABATTS) with special forces units will be created. Their objective shall be to seize the strategic and tactical initiative, in the hands of terrorists, kidnappers and bandits.
“We will further modernise our Armed Forces by ensuring that our weapons systems (land, sea and air) are capable of addressing current and anticipated security threats in the modern world. This shall also mean the recruitment of people who possess the technical skills required for today’s military.”
The president noted that the Police Force would be repositioned to deliver on its primary duties of community policing and maintaining law and order through crime fighting and prevention; while police personnel would be freed from extraneous duties such as VIP security and guard duties.
He explained that VIP Security and provision of security for government buildings, installations and other critical assets will be transferred to the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). The NSCDC shall be evaluated and reformed to be better integrated with our internal security apparatus.
Tinubu explained that his government would implement measures to eliminate attacks on vital national infrastructure, saying this would be known as Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Plan.
He added that integral to this effort would be the deployment of modern technologies, tools and equipment to end crude oil theft, prevent vandalization of national assets, and reduce, to the barest minimum, environmental pollution of the Niger Delta.
According to him, his government would combine increased aerial surveillance over land and sea with other cutting edge technology that would provide instant notification of intrusions or disruptions of oil pipelines and related installations.
He said such technology would also be deployed to monitor power stations, transmission and distribution networks, sea and airports, rail transportation, telecommunications and. other vital infrastructure.
Economy
In the document, Tinubu hinted that the budgetary procedure would be reviewed. He explained that budgetary custom based on the country’s annual budget and fiscal policies largely on the dollar value of projected oil revenue, not only artificially restrict the federal government’s fiscal latitude, it also unduly attracts the nation’s attention towards a single source of fiscal revenue to the detriment of others.
To him, to achieve optimal growth in the long term, government must wean itself from this limitation, adding, “A more efficient fiscal methodology would be to base our budgeting on the projected level of government spending which optimises growth and jobs’ without causing unacceptable levels of inflation. As part of this prudent growth-based budgeting, we will establish a clear and mandatory inflationary ceiling on spending. However, we must break the explicit link between naira expenditure and dollar inflows into the economy.”
Tinubu also said his government will limit foreign debt obligations emphasising that government can protect exchange rates, guard against inflation and preserve foreign currency reserves by limiting exposure to large debt obligations denominated in foreign currency.
He added that his administration will engage in extraordinary prudence in contracting debt in foreign currency. He emphasised that the policy will be such that new foreign currency debt obligations would be linked to projects that generate cash flows from which the debt can be repaid.
The president said, “Where possible, we shall limit such foreign currency denominated debts to essential expenditures that cannot be adequately addressed by either naira denominated expenditures or debt obligations.”
Job creation
He further promised that his administration will provide sufficient jobs with decent wages; revive manufacturing industries, generate, transmit and distribute sufficient and affordable electricity; manufacture, produce and market good quantities of the essential goods and services; export more and import less to strengthen the Naira; make food available and affordable; modernise and expand public infrastructure.
This, he said, his administration will achieve by building on the foundation laid by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
He added, “Based on our unshakable faith in our people and standing on the foundation established by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, we shall: Build a Nigeria where sufficient jobs with decent wages create a better life for all and a future of promise for our youth.
“Revive our manufacturing industries and place Nigeria back on the path of industrialisation and job creation. Generate, transmit and distribute sufficient, affordable electricity to give our people the necessary power to drive their businesses and brighten their homes. Power is key to unlocking the potential of our national economy.
“Manufacture, produce and market increased quantities of the essential goods and services we require. Nigeria shall be known as a nation of creators, not just consumers.
Export more and import less in order to earn more foreign exchange and strengthen the Naira.
“Deliver food security and affordability by continuing to prioritise agriculture and assist farmers and other players in the agricultural value chain through enlightened policies that promote productivity and guarantee robust incomes. Modernise and expand public infrastructure to stimulate economic growth at an optimal rate,” among others.
As the administration of Tinubu officially takes off today after being sworn-in by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola at the Eagle Square in Abuja, Nigerians are hopeful it will be a new dawn.
Credit to: www.thisdaylive.com
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