Abdurrahman Ahmad Katsina

1. Amidst the current crisis trailing the naira redesign and distribution, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he would need one week to take a major decision. A statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu on Friday, said Buhari’s request is sequel to a meeting he held with members of the Progressive Governors Forum.

2. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, yesterday expressed concern over the difficulty experienced by Nigerians across the country in getting the new naira notes. The VP who spoke on Friday in Abuja when he met with some players in the FinTech space to explore possible ways of mitigating the hardship, said Nigerians need cash now.

3. The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organization has alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), Presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the one behind the naira scarcity. PDP alleged that Tinubu’s camp diverted cash meant for distribution.

4. The Enugu State Police Command has arrested two male suspects possessing, transacting, and selling counterfeited redesigned N1,000 notes within a council area in the state. The suspects were in possession of counterfeited 180 pieces of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s redesigned N1,000 notes.

5. Facts emerged on Friday that terrorists killed 41 guards and injured two others in an ambush on Thursday in the Bakori Local Government Area of Katsina State. A statement on the incident by the spokesman for the Katsina Police Command, SP Gambo Isah, on Friday confirmed the incident.

6. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said it is not considering a deadline extension for the phasing out of the old Naira notes. Emefiele, who disclosed this at a briefing in Lagos, appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience noting that the gains of the policy outweigh the initial challenges.

7. Residents of Uvwie and Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, on Friday took to the street to protest the lack of access to the naira. The protest, which broke out a few hours after an angry demonstration in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, forced some banks to suspend activities.

8. The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said he would be done with at least 80 percent of his restructuring agenda for Nigeria within the first six months of taking office. Atiku said this at the grand finale of the Atiku-Okowa and Nigerians in Diaspora Working together to Fix Nigeria meeting, held in Abuja on Friday.

9. The Imo State Police Command on Friday said the gunmen who killed the president of the customary court, Nnemeka Ugboma, at Ejemakwuru, Oguta local government area in the state, last Thursday were five in number. The State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Henry Okoye, disclosed this to newsmen in Owerri.

10. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday said its Lagos Zonal Command had taken over the probe of an actress and cosmetologist, Oluwadarasimi Omoseyin for alleged new naira notes policy violation. The anti-graft agency said items recovered from Omoseyin at the point of arrest include a Range Rover and iPhone mobile devices.

11. CBN, This Cash Squeeze Is Squeezing Nigerians

The biting scarcity of the new naira notes which has led to the rationing of currency notes in the country should be a grave source of worry to the monetary authorities. Nigerians are exasperated and frustrated as most ATM terminals across the country are not dispensing. The situation has become so dire that there are reports of women in labour dying due to the inability of their loved ones to make cash deposits in the hospitals. 

Only yesterday, placard-wielding civil society groups marched through the streets of Lagos, demanding that the redesigned Naira notes be made available. It is clearly the failure of leadership that has now brought the country to this sorry pass. Those pushing the citizenry to the wall must be wary of the social unrest which a pushback can cause, particularly in this election season.

It has become so bad that residents of border communities in Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Adamawa and Kwara states have now resorted to CFA franc which is the legal tender in eight West African countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo. This is happening in Nigeria even though Section 2 of the CBN Act makes it clear that the naira is the currency of payment for the domestic supply of goods and services in Nigeria. 

Nigerians living in these border communities switched to CFA franc following the increasing rejection of the old Naira notes coupled with their inability to access the new naira notes. Should the people then be blamed for finding a way out of a chaotic cash squeeze?

12. Buhari Seeks 7 Days To Decide On Naira Resigned

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The APC Governors met with President Buhari at the council chamber of the State House, Abuja to discuss the naira redesigned policy.

The Governors of the ruling party during the meeting appealed to President Buhari to allow both the old and new naira notes to co-exist to ease the suffering of Nigerians.

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai while addressing newsmen in the Hausa language disclosed that the governors requested the meeting.

He, however, stated that President Buhari did not decline or approve the request.

Reacting to the request of the Governors, Buhari asked the Governors to give him seven days to decide on their demands.

President Buhari in a statement released through his media aide, Garba Shehu on Friday said Buhari’s request for one week to think is the sequel to a meeting he held with members of the Progressive Governors Forum at the State House.

Buhari gave indications that he would within seven days resolve the cash issue affecting Nigerians following the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to change some old naira notes to new notes.

13. El-Rufai Speaks On Osinbajo’s Position Amidst ‘Aso Rock Elements’ Working Against Tinubu

Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed claims that Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, is among the ‘Aso Rock elements’ working against the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

El-Rufai had claimed a few days ago that there are some cabals within the presidency who wants the party’s flagbearer, to lose the forthcoming election, however, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed debunked the allegation.

El-Rufai in an interview on Arise TV said that the people he was referring to are northerners who failed to plant their presidential candidate as successor to President Buhari.

He insisted that Osinbajo, who also contested the APC presidential primaries was not among the ‘Aso Rock elements’ as widely reported in some news platforms.

Speaking on the Naira redesign, the governor said the decision to change the currency close to the election was inappropriate.

14. New Naira Policy: ‘Our Business Is Not To Make The People Suffer’ – Wike Tells Buhari

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has added his voice to the calls for the review of the naira swap policy introduced by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Governor Wike on Friday told President Muhammadu Buhari that the policy does not in any way fight corruption or vote buying as intended but has brought untold hardship on Nigerians.

Speaking during his address at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally in Okrika Local Government Area (LGA), Rivers State, Governor Wike reminded President Buhari that the business of governance does not include inflicting hardship on the people.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in December 2022, rolled out re-designed N200, N500 and N1,000 notes and set a deadline for Nigerians to replace their old notes with the new notes.

However, the scarcity of the new notes has brought anguish and pain to Nigerians.

Amidst the development, the federal government said its intention was not to bring hardship on Nigerians but to curb vote buying, tackle corruption, counter holders of illicit funds, and fight other vices.But Wike on Friday said the policy does not have anything to do with fighting corruption but is making the masses suffer.

15. NBC Slams N2 Million Fine Each On Arise News, TVC

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has slammed a fine of N two million each on Arise News and TVC for alleged breach of national broadcasting codes.This revelation was contained in a letter addressed to both media platforms by the NBC Director General, Balarabe Ilelah, on February 3, 2023.

According to the NBC boss, both outfits are expected to pay their fines two weeks after they receive the letters or the sanction would be increased.

The commission claimed that both media outfits breached the following sections of the Code: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 4.2.2 (g); 4.2.2 (g); 4.3.1(e); 5.3.3 (c); 5.3.3 (e); 5.3.3 (f); and 5.5.1 (b).

The agency also alleged that TV News was allowing unfair and unbalanced comments to be broadcast on its station, adding that the trend has become a thing to worry about as it has become their style.

The NBC observed that the alleged unprofessional broadcasts by TVC include the Joint media Directorate of the APC Presidential Campaign Council press briefing where Festus Keyamo said “Obasanjo and Atiku run a criminal enterprise, an empire of fraud in Abuja…” and alleged that some goons of Atiku Abubakar were planning to eliminate Michael Achimugu, a whistleblower.

TVC News was also faulted for not giving equal news coverage to other political parties in all their news.

The letter sent to Arise News, NBC as well claimed that the platform breached the following sections of the code: 1.10.4; 3.1.2; 3.3.1(e); 5.3.3 (e); 5.3.3 (f); 5.5.1 (b); 5.5.1 (d); and 5.5.6.

16. IGP Orders Arrest, Prosecution Of Nigerians Selling, Abusing Naira

The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Baba Usman Alkali has ordered his operatives to arrest and prosecute all individuals engaged in the sale or abuse of the Naira notes issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This was made known in a statement on Friday by the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi.

He disclosed that the IGP’s directive was given to Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Criminal Investigations Department and the Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Force Intelligence Bureau to place officers and men of the Department and the Bureau across the nation on high alert.

According to the Police spokesperson, the order was in furtherance of the Federal Government’s policy and drives to uphold the provisions of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, and dignify Nigeria’s currency.

17. APC Governors Make Demand From President Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met with Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) in Abuja.

Earlier reported that the meeting between the governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the President is being held at the council chamber of the State House, Abuja.

The APC Governors during the meeting appealed to President Buhari to allow both the old and new naira notes to co-exist to ease the suffering of Nigerians.

This is coming days after the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele stated that the old notes would seize to be acceptable starting from February 10th, 2023.

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Friday disclosed that the governors made the request when they met with President Buhari in Abuja.

According to El-Rufai, President Buhari did not decline or approve the request.

El-Rufai, who spoke to some journalists in Hausa language on Friday, said that while the CBN. mopped up over N2 trillion of the old notes, it printed only N300 billion, which he said is not enough.

18. Even If You Put A Knife In My Neck, I Will Not Change – Wike Gives Update On PDP Crisis

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) can’t win the 2023 presidential election without the support of the G5 Governors.

Speaking on Friday during the party’s campaign rally at Okrika Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, Wike declared that even if a knife is put to his neck, he won’t change his mind until the PDP does the right thing.

Addressing the party supporters during the PDP’s campaign rally, Wike said those thinking a cabal within the presidency would help them win have been disappointed already.

He called on the PDP national leadership to reach out to the G5 Governors because regardless of what some others might have assured them, they need the aggrieved Governors to win elections.

The G5 Governors comprising Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) have vowed not to support the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar except the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu resigns from his post and is replaced by a southerner.

19. Ex-Minister Fires Buhari For Not Endorsing Tinubu, Says APC Candidate Not Responsible For FG’s Failure

Former Minister of Communications Adebayo Shittu has slammed President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to openly endorse the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The former Minister, who served under Buhari from 2015 to 2019, stated this while speaking on “Focus Nigeria,” a programme on the African Independent Television (AIT), on Thursday.

Speaking, Shittu stated that Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, is not part of Buhari’s administration failure.

According to the member of the Presidential Campaign Council of APC, Buhari must take responsibility for the policies of his administration.

He said: “Tinubu is a member of the APC, but he is not part of the Buhari government.

“They are making Tinubu a victim of a policy he has no idea of. The government does not report to him, and he doesn’t give instructions to the president.

“It’s not fair to say that because Tinubu helped install people in the government, then he should take the blame for their failure.”

20. DSS Source Gives Update On Nnamdi Kanu’s Health, Exposes IPOB Leader’s Plan

The detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, is reportedly getting good treatment in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

The allegations had emerged claiming that the pro-Biafra agitator was being denied access to his doctors, not well fed and treated poorly, leading to the deterioration of his health.

But a source told The Nation that the reports were false and aimed to tarnish the image of the service.

According to the source, the DSS always complies with standard operating procedures in the discharge of its duties.

The DSS source said: “He has his own health condition, like everyone else who is either managing one thing or the other. As we speak, he is hale and hearty.

“He is even given the food of his choice at his request. Whatever he wants, whether pounded yam and various kinds of soup, rice, yam, vegetable soup, pepper soup, afang soup, and others. Whatever he asks for is provided for him and he is well taken care of.”

21. Osinbajo laments naira scarcity, urges banks to deploy agents to rural areas

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday expressed concern over the hardship faced by Nigerians due to the scarcity of the new Naira notes.

22. Ex-SGF, Babachir Lawal, alleges Buhari not in charge of govt, praises Peter Obi

A former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, on Friday alleged that President Muhammadu Buhari was not in charge of his administration.

23. CBN rules out another extension of deadline for Naira swap

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, on Friday ruled out further extension of the deadline for the naira swap in the country.

24. Oyo gov, Makinde, suspends campaign over fuel, Naira crisis

The Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has announced the suspension of his campaign activities over the unending fuel and new naira-note crisis in the country.

25. IGP orders arrest, prosecution of sellers, abusers of new Naira notes

The Nigeria Police has ordered for the arrest and prosecution of people found selling or abusing the new Naira notes across the country.

26. External reserves fall to $37.01bn, as foreign investors stay on sidelines

The external reserves fell in January 2023, extending its downward movement from the year before, as foreign investors remained on the sidelines.

27. Ecobank delays fourth quarter 2022 result

Ecobank Transnational Incorporated has said it will delay the release of its fourth quarter 2022 Unaudited Financial Statements.

28. Gunmen attack APGA governorship candidate in Ebonyi

Gunmen on Thursday the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) governorship candidate in Ebonyi State, Bernard Odoh, in Okpoto, Ishielu local government area of the state.

29. Police confirms killing of 41 vigilante members in Katsina attack

The Katsina State Police Command on Friday confirmed the killing of 41 members of local vigilante groups in Katsina State.

30. Ronaldo expresses excitement after scoring first Saudi league goal

Cristiano Ronaldo, a forward for Al-Nassr, expressed his happiness at scoring his first goal for the team.

 *#TakeResponsibility*

 *©️ Abdurrahman Ahmad Katsina.*

 *+2348036958490*

 *4th February, 2023.*

This day in History

2004

June 05

On June 5, 2004, Ronald Wilson Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, dies, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease. Reagan, who was also a well-known actor and served as governor of California, was a popular president known for restoring American confidence after the problems of the 1970s and helping to defeat communism.

Born on February 6, 1911, Reagan, who was nicknamed Dutch as a youngster, was born and raised in several small towns in Illinois. Despite a disadvantaged upbringing—his father abused alcohol and had trouble holding jobs—Reagan was a popular and outgoing student. He served as president of his high school’s student council and stood out at football, basketball, and track, as well as acting in several plays. During the summer, he worked as a lifeguard, reportedly saving 77 people over six years.

After high school, Reagan enrolled at Eureka College, a small, Christian, liberal-arts school in Eureka, Illinois, from which he received a scholarship. There, he continued to show athletic prowess, playing football and swimming, as well as honing his skills in his two future pursuits: acting and politics. Reagan—then a Democrat—served as Eureka’s student-body president and acted in the college’s theater productions.

In 1932, Reagan graduated from Eureka with a degree in sociology and economics and found a job as a radio sports announcer. He worked in radio for five years, before going for a screen test in Los Angeles while in California to cover the Chicago Cubs’ spring-training camp. Warner Brothers offered the future president a seven-year contract, but asked him to use his given name Ronald instead of Dutch in the movies.

Although he never became an A-list star, Reagan spent 20 years in Hollywood and appeared in more than 50 films and several television programs. His oft-used nickname as president, The Gipper, came from his turn playing Notre Dame football star George The Gipper Gipp in the 1940 film Knute Rockne: All American. In 1940, Reagan married actress Jane Wyman. The couple had two children: Maureen, in 1941, and Michael, whom they adopted in 1945. Reagan and Wyman divorced in 1949.

Although Reagan did not serve combat duty in World War II because of his poor eyesight, he began active duty in 1942 and made training films for the military until his discharge in 1945. Politically, it was during the 1940s that Reagan gradually became more conservative and also became involved in the country’s burgeoning anti-communist movement. In 1947, he testified to the controversial House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), naming elements in Hollywood that he felt were allied with communist causes. Later that year, he was elected president of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), a position he held from 1947 to 1952 and again from 1959 to 1960.

Through the course of his work with SAG, Reagan met Nancy Davis, an actress who looked to Reagan for help when she was incorrectly labeled a communist sympathizer. As he had done for others, Reagan assisted her in clearing her name. The couple also began a lifelong romance and was married in 1952. Their two children, Patricia and Ronald, were born in 1953 and 1959, respectively.

After registering as a Republican in 1962 and campaigning for Barry Goldwater in his failed 1964 presidential campaign, Reagan decided to run for governor of California in 1966. He won handily, despite his lack of experience. His plan for California foreshadowed the one he ultimately brought with him to the national stage: lower taxes, cuts in spending and an end to “big government.” Despite the student protests and forced tax hikes that occurred during his first term, he ran again and was easily re-elected in 1970. Just 18 months later, he announced his unsuccessful candidacy for president at the Republican National Convention. In 1975, he left office in California and ran again for the Republican presidential nomination, losing in a close race to Gerald Ford.

In 1980, Reagan ran yet again and won the nomination, choosing George H.W. Bush as his running mate. Running on a platform of small government, a stronger military and tax cuts, Reagan appealed to an American public frustrated with inflation and foreign policy problems, like the Iran hostage crisis. He won, and at age 69, became the oldest man to be elected to the office. A talented and practiced public speaker, Reagan’s personal charm, warm manner and optimistic message endeared him to many Americans. He was re-elected in 1984.

Just 69 days after taking office, Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley after giving a speech at a hotel about one mile from the White House. After surgery to remove the bullet, which had lodged near his heart, he recovered quickly, which added to his image as a strong leader. Throughout his two terms in office, Reagan pursued his trademark economic program, Reaganomics—a supply-side economics theory that involved drastic cuts to both taxes and spending. At the time, and increasingly in the intervening years since his presidency, Reagan drew criticism for ruthlessly slashing social programs while building up a huge deficit with massive military expenditures. He is also criticized for his partiality to business interests, removing many regulations on big business that he felt were impeding growth, as well as authorizing the firing of striking air-traffic controllers in 1981.

It was his campaign to end the Cold War, though, that defined the Reagan presidency for many Americans. His plan was to use an unprecedented military buildup to negotiate arms-reduction treaties from a position of strength. During a visit to Germany, he famously urged then-Soviet Premier Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall. By 1991, the wall was torn down and the Soviet Union Reagan had once referred to as an evil empire was no more. While many credit Reagan for this historic turn of events, and it is certain he played a significant role, others point to internal problems in the Soviet Union for its ultimate demise.

Reagan’s foreign policy included military interventions in Lebanon, Grenada and Libya, which had mixed results. He is also known for backing anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua and authorizing a secret CIA military operation there in the early 1980s. This led to the Iran-Contra scandal, in which it was found that illegal arms sales to Iran were used to fund the administration’s support of Nicaragua’s Contra rebels. No evidence was ever found to suggest that Reagan himself or Vice President Bush broke the law. Despite the scandal, George H.W. Bush succeeded Reagan to the presidency in 1988.

Known as the Great Communicator, Reagan left the Oval Office as one of the most popular presidents in history, retiring to his California ranch, Rancho del Cielo. His announcement in 1994 that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease was greeted with great sadness by many across the country. He wrote, in an open letter to the American people, “I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

He lived out the rest of his days on the ranch, with his wife Nancy, who remained devoted to him to the end. He was buried at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.

Author: History.com

Our Reporter

A veteran nollywood actor Jim Iyke has announced that he has quit christianity and converted to Islam.

According to him he made the decision after reading books in depth and clarifying many things.

This comes after he recently shared his experience dating a Muslim lady disclosing it ended because of their religious differences.

The veteran actor in the video called for the abolishment of religious sentiments, saying many people are still experiencing it to date.

He added that people could co-exist peacefully despite their different views about life, religion, politics, among others.