President Bola Tinubu has sacked Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON).

This was announced in a statement issued by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Presidential spokesman, on Tuesday night.

According to the statement, Alhaji Jalal Ahmad Arabi, former permanent secretary of Aso Villa, is the new CEO of the commission.

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“The President has directed the outgoing Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Commission, Alhaji Zikrullah Kunle Hassan, to proceed on 3-months pre-retirement leave as provisioned by Public Service Rule (PSR) 120243 with effect from October 18, 2023, leading to his eventual retirement from service on January 17, 2024.”

“The new Chairman/CEO of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Jalal Ahmad Arabi, will assume office in acting capacity on October 18, 2023, and will continue to serve in substantive capacity for a fresh term of four years, beginning on January 17, 2024.

“President Bola Tinubu has also approved the dissolution of the Board of NAHCON. The President expects that the new NAHCON leadership will serve in reverence of Allah and with utmost adherence to the precepts of service according to the Holy Qur’an,” the statement read.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu as chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who announced this in a statement, on Tuesday, also said Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu was appointed as the new Secretary of the commission.

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Ngelale said the appointments were subject to confirmation by the senate.

“In exercise of powers conferred on the President as established in Section 3(6) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and in furtherance of the Renewed Hope mandate to reform key institutions and invigorate Nigeria’s war on corruption, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new management team for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), pending Senate confirmation:

“Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu — Chairman / Chief Executive Officer, ICPC

“Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu — Secretary to the Commission, ICPC

“The new Chairman of the ICPC is nominated for confirmation by the Nigerian Senate, following the President’s approval of the outgoing Chairman’s request to proceed on pre-end of tenure leave beginning on November 4, 2023, ahead of the expiration of his tenure on February 3, 2024.

“The position of Secretary to the Commission does not require Senate confirmation and, therefore, by the directive of the President, the appointment of Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu as Secretary of the Commission takes immediate effect.

“Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu has embarked upon many far-reaching reforms as the Attorney General of Jigawa State since September 2019 and holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in Law. He was also named as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria-designate in October 2023.

“Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience and has served meritoriously in the public service as a Member of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission and Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council.

“The President implores the new management team of the ICPC to always be above board as they discharge their duties without fear or favour concerning all matters before them.”

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Ahmed Galadima Aminu as the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF).

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Presidential spokesman, announced this in a statement on Tuesday.’

He said the appointment is for a term of four (4) years in the first instance.

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“The new Executive Secretary / CEO of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund has most recently served as the General Manager of the Education and Training Department at the Petroleum Technology Development Fund.”

“His appointment trails the application for retirement submitted by the outgoing Executive Secretary / CEO, Bello Aliyu Gusau, to proceed on 90 days of pre-retirement leave beginning on September 26, 2023.

“The President has directed the new Executive Secretary / CEO of the PTDF, Ahmed Galadima Aminu, to serve in an acting capacity until he commences his fresh term of four (4) years in office, beginning on December 26, 2023.

“The President wishes the new PTDF Executive Secretary / CEO well in the discharge of his duties.”

The Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to personally address the general public on disputes surrounding his alleged forged certificate.

Obi made the call when he visited Kano State to condole with thestate and family over the demise of Sardauna Dutse and former Minister of Internal Affairs, late Bello Yusuf Maitama, who died at the age of 76 last Friday.

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The former governor of Anambra said Tinubu ought to have addressed the public to clarify issues raised with regards to his certificate as the issue bothers on him and his person and not others speaking on his behalf.

According to him, “For me, what is important is that leaders must earn public trust and if you chose to serve the public, you always avail yourself to explain to the public when there is issue of dispute. And you must do so personally. You can’t outsource it because is about you. And is you that people voted for.

“The country must be built on character, integrity and trust. That is the foundation. And obeying the rule of law. We have a law, so if the law requires you do this, there is a dispute, you come and clarify it personally,” the LP Presidential flag bearer, Obi insisted.

On why he was in Kano, Obi said, “I was here to condole the family of Late Bello Yusuf Maitama who was the very respected son of Kano and Nigeria who serve this country as the Minister of Internal Affairs. That is my purpose of being here. And we continue to pray that may Almighty Allah forgive his sins and Grant him eternal rest,” he prayed.

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir Lawal, said in Abuja on Tuesday that the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Peter Obi, won the February 25 presidential election and not Bola Tinubu as declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Lawal, a close ally of Tinubu, asserted that available factual data as aggregated from several independent sources indicated that Obi got the majority votes while Atiku came second in the election.

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According to him, Tinubu came a distant third in the number of votes scored.

In a strongly worded statement he issued on Tuesday, Babachir Lawal said: “I have resisted the temptation to engage in the contemporary political discourse since the May, 2023 election faux pas.

“I did this for two reasons; the first being that as an active player in the drama, I needed time to analyze and digest the data that led to the outcome(s) so I could arrive at an informed decision; the second, being that the rainy season had just set in and it was necessary that I focused my attention on my farms which are the mainstay of my livelihood.

“The current topical issues for political discourse and inquiry are whether or not Bola Tinubu won the presidential election and/or that he was apriori, qualified to participate in the election given his murky bio data as is now being publicly unveiled daily in an avalanche.

“My answer to the first inquiry is that regardless of whatever INEC or Appeal Court said or did, Bola did not win the election.

“Right from the start of the campaigns, Bola knew he was not going to win the election in a free and fair contest so he decide to go by all means.

“Available factual data as aggregated from several independent sources indicate that Obi got the majority votes while Atiku came second. Bola came a distant third in the number of votes scored.

“My answer to the second inquiry is that given the now unfolding deluge of uncomplimentary information about who or what he actually is, ordinarily, sound ethics and morality should have convinced him to voluntarily excuse himself from participation in the election.

“But this, notwithstanding, I believe he still has time and opportunity to save himself this public humiliation and embarrassment to his person, both locally and internationally by resigning so that he can give more attention to his health.

“After all, no one knows about the truism of these severely embarrassing and humiliating exposures about his person than the man himself.

“Leadership is all about integrity; sound pedigree, trustworthiness and the ability to unite and instil hope and confidence in the people one seeks to lead. In these qualities, most Nigerians are in total agreement that Bola has them in very very short supply indeed.

“But now, six months down the line, the chicken has come home to roost as Nigerians have come to the realization that we have not got what we deserved politically.

“Confusion and despondency is now all over the nation as no one trusts the government to do what it says it will do.

“No one trusts the leader; and no one trusts appointees who are appointed as rewards for their roles in the election or who had in the past helped him in his life.

“Bola the President and his group are now in government and are in full control of Nigeria’s vast resources and opportunities. They are enjoying their offices while Nigerians languish in insecurity, poverty and hopelessness.

“During the campaign, Bola mouthed some platitudes about competence; but we are so far yet to see it reflected in his political appointments. It seems more like he is rewarding people who supported him to get the Presidency at all cost.

“This band of appointees that Bola is assembling into his government don’t care about Nigeria at all.

“Fuel prices will continue to gallop upwards until only they can afford it; the Naira will continue to race downhill in a free-fall until only they can afford anything in the market; insecurity will continue its escalation until every community in the nation is consumed by it.

“Just to mention a few of these appointees: take insecurity for example, what do you expect an accountant to do as Minister of Defense?

“Was he not that one who was governor while Bello Turji et al freely terrorized Zamfara State? What about his CBN Governor with a CV; a one-time Chairman of a little-known bank employing 300 people in less than 12 branches clustered in the South South and South East regions?

“Is there any doubt left as to his lack of qualification and experience for the job than that his first policy statement was to remove foreign exchange restrictions for the importation of 43 agricultural and related products?

“Certainly, Nigerians are in for a short thrift. The people running the government do not care a hoot about the Nigerian people; their cronies are the petroleum industry players while some are the banking system players so a free fall of the Naira and an unregulated upward movement of oil prices both work for more profits for them.

“By the way, has anyone noticed the intolerance for free speech and dictatorship that is creeping upon us? Has anyone noticed the actions of the National Broadcasting Commission, NBC,of late?”

We have only one state in Nigeria with a functional airline. It is arguably one of the best in the country.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the state had a poverty rate of 28% when the airline was launched in 2019. Today, the poverty rate is 71%, showing that there is no direct or substantial impact of airline ownership on poverty reduction.

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The other airline that existed in one of the southeast states operated for less than a year after its launch.

In September, Aviation Industry Stakeholders held a conference in Abuja to discuss the challenges besieging airlines in the country ranging from policy to infrastructural, and safety inadequacies. The high interest rates on loans, the forex crisis, dozens of charges by the government, and high costs of operations in Nigerian airports hamper airline profitability in the country, despite the potential for an increase in passenger traffic over the next decade.

In Enugu State, 63.1% of our population live below the poverty limit (NBS, 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index Survey). This means that over 2.6 million people live below $1, N775.75 (Exchange rate at the Import/Export window, October 16, 2023) a day, and have little access to food, basic health, education, and sanitary infrastructure.

#EnuguAir is not the answer to their daily hunger. If the State continues in the direction as shared by the Commissioner of Transportation, Obi Ozor, a few days ago, it will be a case of placing the cart before the horse and expecting progress.

The data and our economic and fiscal conditions are not in favour of high-profile projects at the expense of basic human survival and dignity. While the establishment of a storage and processing facility will facilitate export revenue from farm produce, the transportation can be achieved in partnership with existing airlines.

It is also worth noting that in September, the United States travel advisory included Enugu State on the list of places to avoid in Nigeria for reasons of crime, kidnapping, and armed gang operations. Investors will only come to a place where they feel safe. Channelling resources into a state-owned airline will be a misplaced priority when the state faces more immediate dangers and challenges.

The state needs solutions that address immediate challenges, ensure security, build trust with the people, and pave a path for progressive and sustainable projects.

Available funds and public-private partnerships should be directed at urgent investments to ensure food security, reliable water supply, healthcare, power supply, schools, teacher training, skills and entrepreneurship development, and sanitary and road infrastructure.

While exact data is unavailable for road transport in Enugu State, the National Bureau of Statistics shows that road travel accounts for about 90% of the transport sector’s contribution to the national GDP. Air transport accounts for 6 to 7%. The ratio will be similar at the sub-national level.

This is not surprising. With airfare at N130,000 for a round-trip to Enugu, minimum wage at N30,000 per month, and an unemployment rate of 31.16% (NBS, 2020 survey), more individuals will embrace a cheaper, albeit more arduous and time-consuming road transport as a preferred travel option.

The available data and economic reality of the majority of our citizens support the prioritization of road infrastructure development in budget and economic planning.

Highfalutin projects and captivating headlines without direct improvements in the human condition are not a viable economic development strategy.

We must prioritise our people.