News

Energy crisis: minister denies Kwasi Kwarteng lied over Treasury claims

A minister has sought to play down splits between government departments over support for firms struggling with fast-rising energy prices, denying that the business secretary had lied and blaming a spat between the Treasury and business department on “unnamed sources”.

In extraordinary events on Sunday, after the business secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, said he was consulting the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, about what help could be offered, Treasury sources openly rejected this and accused Kwarteng of “making things up”.

Asked if this meant Kwarteng had lied, the Home Office minister Damian Hinds said: “Of course not.”

Hinds, who also defended Boris Johnson’s decision to go on holiday to Spain for the week, told Sky News: “These unnamed sources stories come out from time to time. The fact is, government departments, government ministers, talk to each other the whole time, and of course with an issue like this, with these rising global prices and business having to grapple and deal with it to make sure they break even and can make a margin, of course that is something that the business secretary – and of course the energy secretary – is going to be totally focused on.”

Many businesses, particularly those with high energy needs, have expressed alarm at the pace of increase in energy prices, warning they could affect production. Some have said the businesses department did not seem aware of the extent of the crisis.

However, after pressure from businesses, which said they were likely to be forced to suspend production if costs remained high, he had promised to examine their suggestions and ask the Treasury to consider some of their demands, including a cut to green levies and a request that the energy regulator, Ofgem, replicates the network tariff discounts offered to competitor industries in the EU.

Gareth Stace, the director general of UK Steel, which represents the sector, said companies wanted parity with trading conditions experienced by EU competitors. “We’re asking very much the same, because when government says, ‘We’re not going to do any bailouts’, that’s not what we’re asking for,” Stace said.

“What we’re asking for is, ‘Hey, government, we’ve been telling you for a decade that your policies add something like £55m that we pay in the UK, as the steel sector, that our competitors in, say, Germany don’t pay.’ Historically that puts us at a competitive disadvantage.”

He called on Johnson to “bang ministerial heads together, take control and remember that if he does nothing, then his levelling-up ambition will be left in tatters”.

The prime minister is on holiday this week, reportedly staying at a luxury villa in the south of Spain owned by Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative former MP who Johnson made a peer and kept on as a government minister after he lost his Commons seat.

Hinds defended the timing of the holiday, telling Sky: “When is the right time? I think it is important that people do have an opportunity to be with their families to have some relaxing, unwinding,

“But I wouldn’t want to overstate the amount of unwinding and relaxing you get to do as prime minister because, as I say, you are constantly in touch, you are constantly being briefed and you remain in charge of the government.

“What is important for the rest of us actually, for the whole country, is that the prime minister does get to have some family time, does get to have a break.”

News

SERAP sues Wike, Govs over failure to account for N5.9t, $4.6b loans

Osun Election: Take Responsibility, End Impunity For Vote Buying Now, SERAP Tells INEC

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, has filed a lawsuit against Nigeria’s governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Mr Nyesom Wike, over their failure to account for N5.9 trillion and $4.6 billion loans obtained by their states and the FCT, and to publish copies of the loan agreements, including details and locations of projects executed with the loans.

The suit followed the disclosure last month by Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State that the immediate past administration of Nasir El-Rufai left $587m, N85bn debt and 115 contractual liabilities, making it impossible for the state to pay salaries.

In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/592/2024 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja, SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the governors and Wike to account for N5.9trn and $4.6bn loans obtained by their states and the FCT and to publish copies of the loan agreements, location of projects executed with the loans.”

SERAP is also asking the court to direct and compel the governors and Mr Wike to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission [EFCC] and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission [ICPC] to investigate the spending of all the loans obtained to date by their states and the FCT.

In the suit, the organization is arguing that, It is in the public interest to grant the reliefs sought. Nigerians have the right to see and scrutinise the loan agreements and know the details of how the domestic and external loans obtained by the governors and FCT minister are spent.

According to SERAP, “Opacity in the spending of the loans obtained by the governors and Mr Wike would continue to have negative impacts on the fundamental interests of the citizens.”

The suit filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Kolawole Oluwadare, Kehinde Oyewumi and Ms Valentina Adegoke, read in part: “States and the FCT should be guided by transparency and accountability principles and proactively account for the loans obtained and publish copies of the loan agreements.

“Widely publishing copies of the loan agreements and spending details of the loans obtained would ensure that persons with public responsibilities are answerable to the people for the performance of their duties in the management of public funds.

“State governors and Mr Wike cannot hide under the excuse that the Freedom of Information Act is not applicable to their states and the FCT. The legal obligations to publish the information sought are also imposed by the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

“According to Nigeria’s Debt Management Office, the total public domestic debt portfolio for the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory is N5.9 trillion. The total public external debt portfolio is $4.6 billion.”

However, no date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

News

Ukraine President, Zelenskyy on Russia’s wanted list

Ukrainian president says defense is at a ‘turning point’

Russia has placed the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list.

The state news agency, TASS reported that the Russian Interior Ministry database showed Zelenskyy was on a wanted list but gave no further details.

This was as Russia opened a criminal case against Zelenskyy.

Responding, Ukraine dismissed the report which it described as evidence of Moscow’s “desperation”.

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry said Russian President Vladimir Putin was himself subject to arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant.

The statement said: “We would like to remind you that unlike the worthless Russian announcements, an International Criminal Court warrant for the arrest of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on suspicion of war crimes is quite real, and subject to implementation in 123 countries.”

According to the ministry, the Russian announcement was “evidence of the desperation of the Russian state machine and propaganda, which can think of no other way to attract attention”.

In February 2022, Russia had issued arrest warrants for a number of Ukrainian and other European politicians.

Russian police in February put Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Lithuania’s culture minister and members of the previous Latvian parliament on a wanted list for destroying Soviet-era monuments.

News

NDLEA smashes int’l drug syndicate, seizes Loud consignments, arrests 5 members

.…. Intercepts 4,752kg cannabis concealed in gas tanker in Abuja, nabs ex-convict with assorted illicit drugs in Osun

Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have smashed an international drug syndicate with networks in parts of Nigeria, South Africa and Thailand.

No fewer than five members of the cartel were arrested in a two-weeks intelligence led operations in Lagos, Abia and Anambra states following the seizure of their illicit drug consignments at the NAHCO import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.

The unravelling of the drug cartel started on Sunday 20th April when their cargo of four big suitcases arrived the NAHCO shed on an Airpeace airline flight from Johannesburg, South Africa.

After days of close monitoring and investigation, the first suspect, Umeh Chisom Peter was arrested on Wednesday 24th April after he showed up to pick two of the suitcases containing Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis owned by a Thailand based member of the syndicate, Obum Michael.

The consignment of four parcels was concealed in false bottoms of the two suitcases, while the four suitcases contain a total of 17.6 kilograms Loud and drug candies.

Another member of the syndicate, Mrs. Chiwendu Uche Ugbe whose South Africa based husband, Aloytus Uche Ugbe sent some of the consignments, was traced to Anambra state where NDLEA officers arrested her on Saturday 27th April while attempting to collect the drug parcels sent to her by her husband.

Two other suspects: Onyejakor Francis Chimezie and Naaji Valentine Chukwukere, with links to the cartel were also arrested in parts of Lagos on Monday 29th April.

Their arrest led to another operation in Abia state where Mrs. Chinazo Osigwe was arrested when she was to pick up some of the parcels containing Loud and drug candies sent by her husband, Osigwe Chidiebere Anthony who is equally operating from South Africa.

Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on stop and search operation along Abuja-Abaji highway on Wednesday 1st May intercepted a 40-ft gas tanker marked RBC 77XG and upon a thorough search discovered 511 jumbo sacks of cannabis sativa weighing 4,752kg concealed in the gas tank compartment of the truck.

The consignment was loaded into the tanker in Ondo state and meant to be delivered in Abuja for further distribution.

Four suspects: Efe Abel Mikel, 39; Ebigide Cyril, 29; Ejechi Monday, 41; and Friday Benson Chukwudi, 39, have been arrested in connection with the seizure.

While two suspects: Aminu Umar, 25, and Anas Umar, 22, were arrested with 207.1 kilograms of cannabis sativa in their house at Unguwan Rimi, Basawa, Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna state on Monday 29th April, Bashir Umar, 35, was nabbed at Ladanai, Hotoro area of Kano on Friday 3rd May with 194 bottles of codeine syrup.

In Osun state, NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 1st May arrested an ex-convict, 51-year-old Suleiman Usman who is currently facing trial for another drug offence at the Federal High Court Osogbo.

At the time of his latest arrest at Okinni town, Suleiman was found in possession of 4.4grams of Cocaine, 28.5kg of cannabis sativa, 20 tabs of rophynol weighing 6.2grams and 812 pills of tramadol.

The following day, Thursday 2nd May, NDLEA operatives at Agbara checkpoint, Seme border, Badagry Lagos intercepted a Toyota camry car marked KJA 825 FT conveying 113 jumbo parcels of cannabis with a total weight of 64kg. The driver, Charles Amoni, 45, was promptly arrested.

In Bauchi state, NDLEA operatives on patrol along Bauchi-Jos road on Monday 29th April arrested Clement Chukwuka, 39, with 595 bottles of codeine; 38,260 pills of opioids such as tramadol, rohypnol and diazepam, while another suspect, Friday Ibochi was nabbed at NDLEA check point, Aloma junction, Otukpa, Benue state on Tuesday 30th April with 66 blocks of cannabis weighing 33kg.

In the same vein, 42-year-old Ifeanyi Stanley was arrested with 12kg of same substance at Swali Jetty, Yenagoa, Bayelsa state.

With the same vigour, the various commands of the Agency across the country
continued with the War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy campaign in the past week. Some of them include: WADA sensitisation lecture for students and teachers of Ekimogun Community Grammar School, Bolorunduro, Ondo East LGA, Ondo state; students of Lafenwa High School (Senior), Abeokuta, Ogun state; students of Sky Brain International School, Enugu Ezike, Enugu state; intending Muslim pilgrims on dangers of illicit drug trafficking, Katsina state and WADA advocacy visit to Olobaoke of Oba Oke land, Oba Adam Iyiola Bamidele Yusuf and his chiefs, Osun state as well as WADA advocacy visit to Lagos state First Lady, Dr. Mrs. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu.

While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, FCT, Kano, Kaduna, Osun, Seme, Bayelsa, Bauchi, and Benue Commands of the Agency for their outstanding feats in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts in all the commands across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.