City Crime
More Groups Protest Yar’Adua’s Absence
Some Civil Society groups and non-governmental organizations have stage a peaceful protest in Lagos over the delayed return of President Yar’Adua from medical treatment abroad.
Led by human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, the groups averred that the president’s absence was a breach of the constitution as he failed to officially handover to Vice President Goodluck Jonathan.
Some of the protesters carried placards reading, ‘Umaru go” we are tired of your absence”. Mr Falana while condemning the prolonged absence of the president also said the group are demanding for constitutional and electoral reforms.
Some of the groups which participated in the protest include United Action for Democracy (UAD) and the Nigeria Democratic Liberty forum, which is also planned a similar protest in the United States of America.
Meanwhile, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed has met with the leadership of the Senate behind closed doors over the state of health of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.
Alhaji Ahmed who refused to speak to reporters shortly after the meeting said it is only the Senate that has the right to brief journalists over the president’s state of health.
Also, chairman of Senate Committee on Information, Senator Ayogu Eze confirmed the meeting but refused to comment on the health of the president.
Senator Eze said the Senate would only give out information at the right time and therefore urged Nigerians to be patriotic at this period.
The senate ha summoned the SGF to brief it on the president’s health after a motion raised by Senator Ike Ekweremadu was adopted by the House earlier.
Sir (Dr) George Ogan, chairman of the occasion and former Commissioner for Health, Rivers State (right) conferring with the Rivers State Sports Commissioner, Hon Boma Iyaye, during the inauguration of Nigerian.
The embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Lamidi Apapa has alleged that the presidential candidate of the party, Peter Obi and the party’s suspended National Chairman, Julius Abure, on Wednesday, sponsored thugs against him (Apapa) at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, venue of the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC.
Apapa was reportedly mobbed by some angry youths who were at the court to witness proceedings in the petition that Obi filed to challenge the outcome of the presidential election that held on February 25.
Speaking on the development, in an exclusive interview with The Tide source on Wednesday, the factional National Publicity Secretary of the party, Abayomi Arabambi, said he was surprised that this was how Obi, Abure and their supporters intended to come at them.
He said, “They attacked some police. They were fighting with press men. It was the security operatives that saved us. They came there to kill today (Wednesday) and we will definitely petition the police.”
When asked to provide evidence, Arabambi said, “We have the video now, the man that removed the cap of Apapa, we know him. We know them. We know all of them.
“We were together in the court when they started attacking us. Are they not Obidients, are they not shouting Obidients, shouting: Thief Thief on us!”
“It shows the character of who that man is. He can not even govern a local government,” he added.
The spokesperson of the Labour Party, has, however, insisted that they will petition the Inspector General of Police over the incident.
After an additional week in the United Kingdom, where he had gone to attend the coronation of King Charles III, President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to Nigeria.
The President’s aircraft touched down at 4:45 pm yesterday, at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja from where he was flown to the Presidential Villa in a chopper.
President Buhari left Nigeria on May 3 for the UK to participate in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III and his Queen Consort, Camilla, of the United Kingdom.
He was initially billed to return to Abuja within the week but had to extend his stay for an additional week to enable him to honour an appointment with his dentist.
Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, announced Buhari’s decision to stay another week in London in a statement.
“President Muhammadu Buhari will be in London, United Kingdom, for an additional week, at the behest of his dentist, who has started attending to him.
“The specialist requires to see the President in another five days for a procedure already commenced.
“President Buhari had joined other world leaders to attend the coronation of King Charles lll on May 6, 2023,” the statement said.
Buhari is expected to hand over the reins of power to his successor and political ally, Bola Ahmed Tinubu on May 29th.
Already the Presidential Villa is taking a new shape as the maintenance officers are effecting necessary repairs of the seat of power.
Hyde Energy Limited, a global petroleum-trading company with a downstream network in Nigeria, has revealed plans to relaunch Luminor, one of the company’s automotive lubricants.
The Chief Executive and founder of Hyde Energy, Olademeji Edwards, disclosed this recently at a media parley held in Lagos.
Hyde Energy operates across the value chain of the energy industry, and deals with the importation of petroleum products, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), Gasoil, Dual Purpose Kerosene (DPK), Jet Fuel, Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG), automotive lubricants, and Naphtha.
Speaking with the press, Mr. Olademeji said in the next six months, Hyde Energy would be performing a relaunch of its Luminor brand and other products.
“The Hyde Luminor brand is a fantastic brand and has infiltrated the hearts of a few Nigerians.
“We launched that particular lubricant in 2017, and in our first year we sold five thousand litres in a quarter; today we are doing almost three thousand litres in a month, which is not a lot compared to other companies.
“But in the next six months, we are performing a relaunch of our products. We are going launching new labels, new bottles, and a new winning strategy coming into Lagos.
“We have not really been popular in Lagos; we have mostly been operating in the Southeast, Abuja, East and Calabar, which is where we get most of our volumes.
“But you will be hearing more and more of the Hyde Luminor brand going forward in weeks and months ahead, and we will enter into partnership with key people that would help us penetrate the market, and work with stockiest, so they can enjoy and know about us”, he said.