Federation Account Allocation Committee says it shared N655.93bn among the three tiers of government in April 2023.

The figure represents a decrease of N58.7bn compared to the N714.63bn shared in March 2023.

FAAC disclosed this in a communiqué issued at the end of its latest meeting in Abuja on Thursday.

The allocation shared for April is consistent with the pattern of declines throughout this year.

The total amount includes gross statutory revenue, Value Added Tax, Augmentations from Forex and Non-oil Mineral Revenue, and electronic money transfer levies.

The Federal Government received N248.81bn, the states received N218.31bn, and the local government councils got N160.6bn, while the oil-producing states received N28.22bn as derivation (13 per cent of mineral revenue).

It was also noted that the gross revenue available from the Value Added Tax for the month of April 2023 was N217.74bn, with the cost of collection taking N8.71bn, and the rest was shared among the Federal Government, States and Local Government Councils.

The breakdown showed “From that amount, the sum of N8.71bn was allocated for Costs of Collection and the sum of N6.271 given for Transfers and Refunds. The remaining sum of N202.76bn was distributed to the three tiers of government of which the Federal Government got N30.41bn, the States received N101.38bn, Local Government Councils got N70.97bn.”

For the Gross Statutory Revenue, N497.46bn was received, with N18.79bn as the Cost of Collection and a total of N114.02bn for Transfers, Refunds and Consultancy fees.

The remaining balance of N364.65bn was shared with the Federal Government (N180.66bn), States (N91.63bn), and LGCs got (N70.65bn), while Oil Derivation (13 per cent Mineral Revenue) got N21.72bn.

The communique added that N15.12bn from the electronic money transfer Levies was distributed to the three tiers of government.

The breakdown for EMTL showed “the Federal Government received N2.18bn, States got N7.26bn, Local Government Councils received N5.08bn and the sum of N0.61bn was allocated to Costs of Collection.”

It added, “The Communique disclosed an Augmentation N50bn from Forex Equalization, which was shared as follows; Federal Government received N22.92bn, the States got N11.62bn, the sum of N8.96bn allocated to Local Government Councils, while N6.5bn given to Derivation (13 per cent of Mineral Revenue).

“Also, N24bn Augmentation from Non Mineral Revenue was shared accordingly. The Federal Government got N12.64bn, the States received N6.41bn, while the Local Government Councils got N4.94bn.”

It was noted that Petroleum Profit Tax, Companies Income Tax, Oil and Gas Royalties, Import and Excise Duties and Value Added Tax all decreased considerably, only Electronic Money Transfer Levy increased albeit marginally.

It added, “The balance in the Excess Crude Account as at May 18, 2023 was $473,754.57.”

Punch

As the Dangote Refinery begins operations next week, the supply of 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to the facility is going to commence, Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, announced on Thursday.

Kyari, who disclosed this at the ongoing 4th Nigerian Oil and Gas Opportunity Fair in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, also urged all stakeholders to join the national oil company in growing crude oil and gas production in Nigeria.

He said the NNPCL, which had 20 per cent stake in the refinery, was ready to meet its crude supply obligations to the facility, stressing that with the coming on stream of the refinery next week, the national oil company “wll be supplying 300,000 barrels of crude oil per day to Dangote.”

He was quoted in a statement as saying, “We want to address the energy challenges so that industrialisation can come to the country. 48 per cent of all revenue that comes to the government comes from the oil and gas sector and we are in a very good position to support the growth of the economy.”

Dangote Refinery, established by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, is scheduled to be inaugurated on May 22. The inauguration would be done by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The 650,000bpd facility, estimated to worth over $19bn, is an integrated refinery project under construction in the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos, Nigeria. It is expected to be Africa’s biggest oil refinery and the world’s biggest single-train facility.

The company, on its website, said the refinery would meet 100 per cent of the Nigerian requirement of all refined products and also have a surplus of each of these products for export.

“Dangote Petroleum Refinery is a multi-billion dollar project that will create a market for $21bn per annum of Nigerian crude. It is designed to process Nigerian crude with the ability to also process other crude,” the firm stated.

The announcement of the planned inauguration of the facility on May 22 had also elicited excitement and expectations among Nigerians, industry operators, government officials and other stakeholders.

“We are optimistic and excited to know that the refinery is set for the inauguration, considering the humongous benefits that it is going to have on not just the oil sector, but on the Nigerian economy,” the National Public Relations Officer, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Ukadike Chinedu, had stated.

“With the coming on board of the Dangote Refinery, we believe that Nigeria will say goodbye to PMS scarcity, as well as the poor supply of other petroleum products,” Ukadike stated.

Punch

National Population Commission (NPC) says it has spent about N200 billion for the preparation of the 2023 population and housing census.

Speaking at a breakfast meeting on Thursday, Nasir Kwarra, executive chairman of the commission, said the money spent was part of the N800 billion expected from the federal government as the total budget for the conduct of the population census.

Kwarra said the money included the cost of more than five years of preparing for the exercise.

He said the cost of conducting a digital census was high as the commission would be procuring equipment and data needed for the exercise.

He said about one million personnel have been recruited to conduct a credible and acceptable digital census.

“It is important to sustain the tempo of the preparation for the census. The focus of the commission is to lay a foundation for future censuses,” Kwarra said.

He assured the public of the commission’s commitment to ensuring a credible census.

Also speaking, Inuwa Jalingo, census manager, said the commission worked hard to conduct a digital census.

Jalingo added that the commission was prepared to ensure a robust quality dashboard and data for the exercise.

In April, President Muhammadu Buhari directed that the census be postponed. The exercise was billed to take place across the country between May 3 and 5.

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, who announced the postponement in a statement, said the new date for the census would be determined by the incoming administration.

The Cable

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the dissolution of the board of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, in a statement on Thursday, said Buhari also approved the appointment of James Akintola as the board chairman of FERMA to succeed Tunde Lemo.

Adesina said Lemo had earlier voluntarily stepped down from the position.

“Other members of the old board have their terms renewed,” the statement reads.

“Lemo conveys his appreciation to President Buhari for the opportunity given him to serve the country.”

The new FERMA chairman had occupied a corresponding position in many states before his new appointment.

Akintola had been senior special assistant, infrastructure in Ogun state and consultant to the Kwara government on infrastructure.

He was the special adviser on infrastructure in Oyo and executive chairman of Lagos state public works corporation, among others.

Akinola holds a Bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Lagos, and an MSc in the same field from Obafemi Awolowo University.

Established by an act of the national assembly in 2002, FERMA commenced operations in 2003. It has two operational departments (east and west). Each of them is headed by an executive director.

The operations department is charged with the responsibility of road maintenance across the country.

The Cable

National Chairman of Labour Party, Julius Abure, and three other national executive members, on Thursday, announced their return to the party secretariat.

The development is coming one month after they were barred by Hamza Muazu of Federal High Court in Abuja from parading themselves as national officers of the party.

The judge ruled that Abure; his National Secretary, Farouk Ibrahim; National Organising Secretary, Clement Ojukwu and one other, should no longer be given recognition as party executives.

The order was granted in an ex parte application argued by James Ogwu Onoja, in which he informed the court the affected national officers allegedly forged several documents of the FCT High Court to carry out unlawful substitutions in the recently-held 2023 general elections.

According to him, such documents included receipts, seal and affidavits of the court, which he claimed the party officials used to carry out criminal activities.

However, addressing journalists at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, Abure announced the official return of all suspended national executive members to the secretariat following motion for stay at the Court of Appeal.

He dismissed reports that the Labour Party has been factionalised, despite the fact that Bashiru Apapa had taken over as acting National Chairman with Abure’s suspension.

The Abure and Apapa factions clashed on Wednesday at the Presidential Election Petition Court in Abuja where the Labour Party and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, are challenging the emergence of Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress as winner of the February 25 presidential election.

Speaking on Thursday on his return, Abure said, “It has become imperative for me to address this press conference to properly put the legal issues surrounding the leadership of the party in proper perspectives. It is pertinent to state categorically that Labour Party has no faction. It has only one leadership and that leadership is the National Working Committee led by myself, Julius Abure.”

Punch

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russian forces in retreat near Bakhmut, Ukraine and Wagner say

The Ukrainian military and Russia's Wagner private army both reported further Russian retreats around the city of Bakhmut on Thursday, as Kyiv pressed on with its biggest advance for six months ahead of a planned counteroffensive.

Ukrainian troops near the front line said Russia was bombarding access roads to slow the Ukrainian assault, which has shifted momentum after months of slow Russian gains in Europe's deadliest ground combat since World War Two.

"Now, for the most part, as we have started to advance, they are shelling all the routes to front positions, so our armoured vehicles can't deliver more infantry, ammunition and other things," said Petro Podaru, commander of a Ukrainian artillery unit.

Ukraine's military said troops had advanced in places by more than a mile. Its forces had been on the defensive for half a year, weathering a huge offensive by Moscow that saw only slow gains.

"Despite the fact that our units do not have an advantage in equipment ... and personnel, they have continued to advance on the flanks, and covered a distance of 150 to 1,700 metres (1.1 miles)," military spokesperson Serhiy Cherevatyi said in televised comments.

Ukraine's gains have been accompanied by a deepening public split within Russia's forces between Wagner, which has led the Bakhmut campaign, and the regular Russian military.

The blasted ruins of Bakhmut, described by both sides as a "meat grinder", would be Moscow's only prize for its huge winter offensive that failed elsewhere along the front.

Kyiv says it has launched local advances around Bakhmut as a prelude to an upcoming big counteroffensive that it hopes will turn the tide against Russia's 15-month-old invasion.

Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says his forces inside Bakhmut itself are still advancing, on the cusp of pushing Ukrainian troops out of their last foothold in the built-up area on the city's western outskirts.

But he accuses commanders of Russia's regular forces of abandoning ground north and south of the city, raising the risk of troops inside being encircled.

"Unfortunately, units of the Russian Defence Ministry have withdrawn up to 570 metres (1,880 feet) to the north of Bakhmut, exposing our flanks," Prigozhin said in his latest voice message on Thursday.

"I am appealing to the top leadership of the Ministry of Defence - publicly - because my letters are not being read," Prigozhin said, addressing Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

"Please do not give up the flanks."

The Russian defence ministry has acknowledged some withdrawals from positions near Bakhmut over the past week but denies Prigozhin's assertions that flanks are crumbling, or that it has withheld ammunition from Wagner.

FALLING INTO 'THE MOUSETRAP'

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Russia had pushed reservesinto Bakhmut and battles had raged in its northern and southern suburbs all day. But the Russians had been repelled and her forces had advanced, by her estimate by about a kilometre in some areas.

"We are buying time for certain planned actions," Maliar said on her Telegram channel. Reuters could not confirm her account.

Kyiv says its tactic around Bakhmut is to draw Russian forces into the city, so as to weaken Russia's front line defences elsewhere ahead of Kyiv's planned counterassault.

"Wagner troops climbed into Bakhmut like rats into a mousetrap," Oleksander Syrskyi, commander of Ukraine's ground forces, told troops at the Bakhmut front in video he released this week on social media.

"Using the principle of active defence, we resort to counteroffensive actions in some directions near Bakhmut. The enemy has more resources, but we are destroying his plans."

With Kyiv's counteroffensive looming, Russia has resumed missile and drone strikes across Ukraine this month after a near two-month lull. Waves of attacks now come several times a week, the most intense pace of the war.

On Thursday, air raid sirens sounded overnight, black smoke filled the sky over Kyiv and one person was reported killed in the southern city of Odesa. Ukraine said it shot down 29 of 30 incoming missiles. Moscow claimed to have hit military targets.

Russia has also been experiencing attacks and explosions both in Ukrainian territory it controls and in Russian territory near the border. Officials in Russian-occupied Crimea reported a freight train had been derailed overnight by "interference". Kyiv never confirms any role in incidents there.

On the diplomatic front, leaders of the G7 group of big developed countries were meeting in Japan where they are expected to unveil tighter measures to close off Russia's opportunities to bypass financial sanctions.

U.S. President Joe Biden and Japan's Fumio Kishida met for talks in Hiroshima, aiming for closer cooperation in the face of both an unpredictable Russia and ascendant China.

A U.S. Senate aide and a defence official said on Thursday the Pentagon had overvalued U.S. equipment it sent to Ukraine by around $3 billion, an error that opens up the possibility of more weapons being sent to Kyiv.

On Wednesday, Moscow agreed to a two-month extension of a deal safeguarding exports of Ukrainian grain from Black Sea ports despite the war. Russia had threatened to abandon the deal unless it received additional guarantees protecting its own grain and fertiliser exports.

However, a Ukrainian official said the corridor had not yet resumed, while Russia said more progress was needed to advance its interests.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Ukraine has ‘five months left’ to impress US – FT

Ukraine has five months to demonstrate some “advances” to the US and other Western backers, to convince them of its plans for the conflict with Russia, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, citing several European and American officials.

Washington is entering an election cycle and has to show that the massive military support the US and its allies have been providing to Ukraine has not been in vain, the paper also said.

“It is important for America to sell this war as a successful one, as well as for domestic purposes to prove that all of those aid packages have been successful in terms of Ukrainian advances,” a European official told the FT.

The polls show that public support for Ukraine is waning in the US, and President Biden’s administration has to show that the tens of billions of dollars it spent on assistance for Kiev made a major difference on the frontlines, the media outlet said.

According to FT sources, Washington believes the next five months are critical to the outcome of the conflict. “If we get to September and Ukraine has not made significant gains, then the international pressure on [the West] to bring them to negotiations will be enormous,” another source told the FT, on condition of anonymity.

September will see the UN General Assembly and G20 leaders’ summit take place one after another. Both events could be used to make the warring parties sit down at a negotiating table, FT said.

Western military support for Kiev is also about to reach its limits, the sources warned. “The message [to Kiev] is basically that this is the best you’re going to get,” a European official told the paper. “There’s no more flexibility in the US budget to keep writing checks, and European arms factories are running at full capacity.”

The US continues to be Ukraine’s biggest backer when it comes to arms supplies. Washington’s allies are concerned about its capacity to maintain that support and expect it to decrease in 2024 amid a US presidential election. “We can’t keep the same level of assistance forever,” a European official said, adding that the current level of support might be sustained for a year or two but no longer.

** US wants to ‘freeze’ Ukraine conflict – Politico

The administration of US President Joe Biden is reportedly considering ‘freezing’ the conflict in Ukraine for the foreseeable future, instead of pushing for the country’s victory, according to sources cited by Politico on Thursday.

Three serving and one former US official told the outlet that a long-term low-intensity stand-off was currently being discussed in the White House.

The former official compared the possible scenario to how the Korean War of the early 1950s ended in an armistice. There was no formal peace agreement, with both Pyongyang and Seoul claim sovereignty over the entire Korean Peninsula and a demilitarized zone separating the two parts.

“A Korea-style stoppage is certainly something that’s been discussed by experts and analysts in and out of government,” the source said. “It’s plausible, because neither side would need to recognize any new borders and the only thing that would have to be agreed is to stop shooting along a set line.”

The benefits for the US would be that a frozen conflict would be less costly for Western nations and draw less public attention, and consequently less pressure to assist Kiev, the outlet explained.

Ukraine would still be allied with Washington and continue switching its military to NATO standards, as it seeks to join the bloc someday.

The ‘Korean scenario’ for Ukraine drew media attention in January, after Aleksey Danilov, the secretary of the country’s national security council, claimed in an interview that Moscow had sent a top official to European capitals to promote it.

The Kremlin denied the reports and claimed Danilov may have mistaken a Ukrainian politician surnamed Kazak for his namesake in the Russian government, whom he identified as the messenger.

Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, argued that Danilov’s words were meant for “domestic consumption,” so that the Ukrainian government could measure the public reaction to it. The Russian official mused that “being split is the best-case scenario,” for Kiev, under the circumstances.

Moscow called NATO’s expansion in Europe and its creeping takeover of Ukraine without its formal accession as one of the key reasons for sending troops against its neighbor. The conflict, Russia has maintained, is part of a US proxy war against it, in which Ukrainians serve as cannon fodder.

** Russian forces wipe out Ukrainian arms, ammo depots with precision weapons

Russian forces hit Kiev’s large foreign equipment and armament depots and army reserves with seaborne and air-launched precision weapons, destroying substantial weapon and ammunition stockpiles during the special military operation in Ukraine, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov reported on Thursday.

"Last night, Russian forces delivered multiple strikes by seaborne and air-launched long-range high-precision weapons against large foreign armament and equipment depots and enemy reserves. The goal of the strikes was achieved. All the designated targets were hit. The strikes destroyed considerable stockpiles of the Ukrainian army’s armaments and ammunition and thwarted the advance of reserves to the areas of combat operations," the spokesman said.

Russian forces eliminate 60 Ukrainian troops in Kupyansk area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 60 Ukrainian troops, two armored vehicles and a howitzer in the Kupyansk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Combat aircraft and artillery from Russia’s western battlegroup struck the enemy units in areas near the settlements of Novomlynsk and Kotlyarovka in the Kharkov Region, the spokesman specified.

"The enemy’s losses in that direction in the past 24 hours totaled 60 Ukrainian personnel, two armored combat vehicles, two motor vehicles and a D-20 howitzer," the general reported.

Units of the Russian army’s 138th and 27th motorized infantry brigades neutralized two enemy subversive/reconnaissance groups by their active operations, the spokesman added.

Russian forces destroy over 75 Ukrainian troops in Krasny Liman area

Russian combat aircraft and artillery struck Ukrainian army units in the Krasny Liman area, destroying over 75 enemy troops in the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Krasny Liman direction, operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery from the battlegroup Center inflicted damage on the Ukrainian army’s personnel and equipment in areas near the settlements of Ploshchanka and Kuzmino in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

In all, "over 75 Ukrainian personnel, a tank, four armored combat vehicles, two pickup trucks and a D-30 howitzer were destroyed" in that direction in the past 24 hours, the general reported.

Russian forces eliminate two Ukrainian subversive groups in LPR

Russian forces eliminated two Ukrainian subversive groups in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Units of the 98th air assault division eliminated two subversive/reconnaissance groups near the settlement of Chervonaya Dibrova in the Lugansk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian forces destroy 200 Ukrainian troops, mercenaries in Donetsk area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 200 Ukrainian troops and foreign mercenaries in the Donetsk area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"The enemy’s losses in that direction amounted to 200 Ukrainian personnel and mercenaries, a tank, three armored combat vehicles, five motor vehicles and two Gvozdika motorized artillery systems," the spokesman said.

Russian assault teams continue battles for Artyomovsk

Russian assault teams continued battles for Artyomovsk in the Donetsk area with the paratroopers’ support over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"In the Donetsk direction, the assault teams continued the battles for the liberation of Artyomovsk with the active support of Airborne Force units. Operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery from the southern battlegroup struck the enemy manpower and equipment in areas near the settlements of Chasov Yar and Bogdanovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

During the last 24-hour period, aircraft flew seven sorties in that area. The battlegroup’s artillery accomplished 72 firing objectives, the general specified.

Kiev suffers 150 casualties in southern Donetsk, Zaporozhye areas

Russian forces killed and wounded roughly 150 Ukrainian troops and destroyed two enemy artillery guns in the southern Donetsk and Zaporozhye areas over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

Aircraft and artillery of Russia’s battlegroup East struck the Ukrainian army units near Ugledar in the Donetsk People’s Republic, the spokesman specified.

"The enemy’s losses amounted to 150 Ukrainian personnel killed and wounded, five motor vehicles, a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile launcher, an FH70 howitzer and a US-made M777 artillery system," the general reported.

Russian forces destroy 35 Ukrainian troops in Kherson area

Russian forces destroyed roughly 35 Ukrainian troops and an armored vehicle in the Kherson area over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Over 35 Ukrainian personnel, an armored combat vehicle and three motor vehicles were destroyed in the Kherson direction in the past 24 hours as a result of damage inflicted by firepower," the spokesman reported.

Russian combat aircraft down Ukrainian Su-24 frontline bomber in DPR

Russian combat aircraft shot down a Ukrainian Su-24 frontline bomber near Slavyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Fighter aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Su-24 plane near the settlement of Slavyansk in the Donetsk People’s Republic," the spokesman said.

Russian air defenses down Mi-8 helicopter in Ukraine operation

Russian air defense forces shot down a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter, intercepted four HIMARS and Uragan rockets and destroyed 11 enemy drones over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a Ukrainian Air Force Mi-8 helicopter near the settlement of Novopavlovka in the Zaporozhye Region. During the last 24-hour period, they intercepted four rockets of the HIMARS and Uragan multiple launch rocket systems," the spokesman said.

In addition, Russian air defense systems destroyed 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles in areas near the settlements of Pologi and Romanovskoye in the Zaporozhye Region, Gorlovka, Peski, Blagodatnoye and Volodino in the Donetsk People’s Republic, Nikolayevka, Novovodyanoye and Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, the general specified.

Russian forces strike 68 Ukrainian artillery units in past day

Russian combat aircraft struck 68 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions and destroyed a US-made counter-battery radar over the past day, Konashenkov reported.

"During the last 24-hour period, operational/tactical and army aviation and artillery of the Russian group of forces struck 68 Ukrainian artillery units at firing positions, manpower and military hardware in 97 areas," the spokesman said.

"In the area of the settlement of Krivaya Luka in the Donetsk People’s Republic, an AN/TPQ-37 counter-battery radar was obliterated," the general reported.

In all, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 428 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 234 helicopters, 4,208 unmanned aerial vehicles, 423 surface-to-air missile systems, 9,218 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,100 multiple rocket launchers, 4,843 field artillery guns and mortars and 10,284 special military motor vehicles since the beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, Konashenkov reported.

Reuters/RT/Tass

Witnesses recount gunmen's raid on church in Sudan's capital

Over four terrifying hours last weekend, masked gunmen affiliated to one of Sudan's warring factions raided one of Khartoum's oldest churches, opening fire at church officials as they searched for cash, gold and women, two witnesses said.

The raid was one of many targeting homes, factories, banks and places of worship that residents have often blamed on the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been battling the army across greater Khartoum over the past month.

RSF fighters have spread out through many residential areas as the army has targeted them with air strikes and heavy artillery. Police have disappeared from the streets, leaving locals at the mercy of armed fighters and gangs.

The RSF, which denied responsibility for the raid on the Mar Girgis (St. George) Coptic church, has said in statements its troops are working to protect civilians, and that those committing abuses are criminals who have stolen RSF uniforms.

The attack at the church in the Masalma neighbourhood of Omdurman, across the Nile from Khartoum, began shortly before midnight on May 13.

The witnesses described the attackers as in their late 20s, with at least one non-Arabic speaker. They wore scarves across their faces leaving only their eyes uncovered, and mismatched clothing including some items of RSF uniform, the witnesses told Reuters by phone.

The gunmen sprayed bullets at a priest, nuns, and sextons, wounding five of them, said the two witnesses, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisals.

"They shouted, 'Where is the gold? Where is the money? Where are the dollars?'" one witness said. They also insulted the church leaders and workers saying, "You are Egyptians, sons of dogs", calling them infidels, and telling them to convert to Islam.

Just over 5% of Sudan's 46 million population is estimated to be Christian, split into 36 denominations, according to data from the Pew Research Centre and the Sudan Council of Churches.

Sudan's Coptic church is part of the Egyptian Coptic church headquartered in Cairo.

PRIEST THREATENED WITH DAGGER

During the attack, the assailants led the priest to his house at gunpoint and menaced him with a dagger, before seizing a safe that held gold and cash and stealing a car, the witnesses said.

They also vandalised the church offices and a sanctuary for Bishop Sarabamon, the top Coptic Church leader in Sudan, who was present during the attack and beaten with a chair and sticks but not recognised by the gunmen.

The church had an annex with elders and orphan girls, some of whom were hidden as the attack was unfolding.

The warring parties blamed each other for the attack. The army accused the RSF, while the RSF said in a statement that an "extremist" group affiliated with the army was responsible.

On Tuesday an Anglican church in Al Amarat district in Khartoum, which has seen heavy fighting, said it had been raided and "occupied" by RSF forces who stole a car and broke the doors of the church offices.

"We don't know what happened to the rest of the church's possessions," Ezekiel Kondo, archbishop of the Episcopal Anglican Church of Sudan, said in a statement on Facebook.

RSF fighters have also entered the Coptic church of the Virgin Mary in Khartoum, forcing staff to leave, according to a church employee familiar with the incident and social media posts by activists.

The RSF did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Anglican and Virgin Mary churches.

On Thursday, the same gunmen who attacked Mar Girgis returned to raid the apartments used by its priests, according to one of the witnesses who shared photos showing smashed doors, a broken safe, and scattered clothes and personal belongings.

Despite the repeated raids, the witness said he believed what happened was due to the general turmoil engulfing Sudan, not driven by sectarianism.

"I don't believe they are targeting the Christians as much as it's all chaos, chaos, chaos," he said. "They stormed houses of the Muslims as well. They are looting and stealing."

Reuters

Two presidents in the last 24 years provide interesting examples of how to relate with the National Assembly. And between the two, the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, can decide how to model his relationship with the 10th National Assembly.

The first example is President Olusegun Obasanjo. He was not only head of the executive branch, he was leader of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the de facto head of its Board of Trustees. But it didn’t end there. Obasanjo was also, in a manner of speaking, head of the legislature. 

That may sound like a misnomer in a presidential system of government. But that misnomer was the norm. Among his lesser misdemeanours, Obasanjo orchestrated the removal of three Senate presidents in four years and used five in his eight-year tenure. 

In the famous case of the rather fiercely independent Chuba Okadigbo in 2000, for example, the former president executed his removal, in typical Tom-and-Jerry fashion, by literally swallowing Okadigbo whole the day after he ate a meal of pounded yam at the opening of the new Abuja home of the former Senate president.

Whether it was the Senate or the House of Representatives, Obasanjo kept real or potential adversaries on a leash by lining their path with banana peels, the euphemism for a web of corrupt enticements which they often overcame by yielding to.

A decade and a half after he left office as president, the hallways of the National Assembly still echo with the voices of Obasanjo’s fallen political adversaries. A number of them retaliated by pocketing bribes and still denying the former president his third term ambition.

The second example, President Muhammadu Buhari, is on the other extreme of Executive-Legislature relationship. As soon as he assumed office, Buhari barricaded himself in the Villa. He assured those who had worked for his electoral success that he was for everyone and for no one, leaving them feeling duped.

The consequence of his curious ambivalence was a National Assembly where the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) got in bed with the defeated PDP and became both the ruling party and the opposition party at the same time. 

The question of which option worked better is hardly meaningful without considering the context of each dispensation. The dominant party in the Obasanjo years was the PDP, which controlled 21 states in the first four years, with 59 of 109 seats in the Senate and 206 of 360 in the House of Representatives, closely followed by the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Alliance for Democracy (AD).

Also, after decades of military rule, the system was still evolving and largely in its experimental phase. Politicians were relatively new and inexperienced. There was no liaison between the executive and legislative arms. Obasanjo, a former military head of state with a pretty long list of enemies after his imprisonment, could not resist the temptation of behaving like a petty village headmaster. 

A desire to avenge and vindicate himself believing that it was his patriotic duty to do so, made him wield powers for which he would be bitterly criticised as lacking in democratic temperament. 

But Obasanjo being Obasanjo, he did not mind imitating a low-grade version of Otto von Bismarck’s philosophy, that the business of Nigeria’s redemption at the time – restructuring, corruption and a pariah economy – required bloody noses and a hand of iron.

By the time Buhari was elected eight years later, the landscape had changed somewhat. Yet, Buhari’s hands-off approach was dictated just as much by the relatively mature political landscape as by his complicatedly insular, almost abdicatory political style.  

Tinubu is a different matter altogether. A former senator and state governor, he would be the only president in four since 1999 that combines legislative and executive experiences. His deputy, Kashim Shettima, also has the same credentials, as does party chairman Abdullahi Adamu. 

On paper, therefore, a decision about how to define the incoming government’s relationship with the legislature shouldn’t be too difficult. But as we have seen in the last few weeks, it is easier said than done. 

The conflicting statements between Shettima on the one hand, and Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo, along with Adamu and the rank-and-file on the other, show that the ruling party is split right down the middle on how to fill the positions of presiding officers.

The highly fragmented composition of the legislature which does not give the ruling party a comfortable majority, feeding off the bitterly contested elections, has put Tinubu in a tight spot. But an even bigger headache for him is that the problem is being fomented from close quarters inside his own party.

Both arms of the National Assembly – the Senate and House of Representatives – are engulfed in the leadership crisis, but the lower house is in the eye of the storm. The real battle is not only being fought here, it’s here, also, that the trade-offs could be made.

Tinubu confidant and outgoing Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, does not want his deputy, Idris Wase, to succeed him. On the other side is another Tinubu confidant and three-time Rep, Abiodun James Faleke, who is not only pro-Wase but also locked in a battle with Gbajabiamila to become chief of staff.

The pro-Wase group, which also includes Akeredolu, argue that it is unfair and unjust to give nothing to the Northcentral, which accounted for the third largest block vote, while handing the Northwest two presiding posts in the National Assembly.

If the current arrangement stands – and it’s improbable – then it would be the first time in 24 years when one zone would have two presiding officers. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal defied his party to emerge Speaker in 2011, upsetting the PDP’s zoning arrangement.

In the wider zoning of party offices, the same tardiness dogged the APC with the current Speaker, and the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, coming from the same zone. Yet, neither VP Namadi Sambo (who is from the same zone with Tambuwal) nor Osinbajo (from the same zone as Gbajabiamila) was a presiding officer of the National Assembly.

It’s a danger that a party which has barely recovered from the Muslim-Muslim ticket controversy can barely afford: the prospects of two presiding officers from the same zone sitting over a joint session of the National Assembly.

But who will bell the cat? Party chairman Adamu is in a weak position, further weakened by his love of his own position. His cautious response that his party didn’t consult widely enough before the NWC’s announcement was a token of self-preservation. He spoke through zipped lips.

The truth, which he lacked the courage to say, regardless of the fact that he is also from the Northcentral, was that the lopsidedness was ill-advised and ought to be reviewed. Saying it as it is might have once again brought him in the firing line of Northwest hawks in his party who want him removed. But after a successful election, what else does he have to lose?

The Northwest which played a significant role in the emergence of a Southern presidential candidate in the APC because it was the fair and right thing to do, cannot hold the same party at gunpoint for a reward that is both unfair and wrong. 

It doesn’t make sense and certainly can’t be on the basis that it gave the president-elect the highest vote, when the region has remained the country’s largest vote bank in the last six major electoral cycles, irrespective of who was elected president. With seven states, unlike other zones with an average of six states each, the Northwest enjoys numerical advantage. 

It does seem like after overcoming multiple and multi-faceted ambushes to emerge president-elect, the trap by members of Tinubu’s inner circle – often the most problematic – may yet again require careful and considered attention. As it was with Obasanjo and Buhari, how he handles this moment could significantly define his years in office.

** Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP

There are plenty of frameworks you can use to make better decisions. Jeff Bezosuses the two-way door rule to identify reversible decisions and embrace a bias towards action.

Southwest Airlines founder Herb Kelleher used the one-question rule to add clarity the decision-making process.

Science can also help you make better decisions. You can leverage your circadian rhythm. You can the power of experience-based intuition.  You can even sleep on a decision (as long as you get a good night's sleep.)

Problem is, most frameworks won't necessarily help you make good decisions when your willpower reserves run low. When temptation trumps determination.  When your emotions work against you, not for you and you struggle to stay whatever course you've chosen. 

See two employees arguing at the end of a long day and it's tempting to ease past and hope the problem goes away.

Walk out of your third meeting in a row to find a note about a customer complaint and it's tempting to save that call for tomorrow. Hear your alarm go off at 6 a.m. and it's tempting to hit snooze and skip your morning workout.

When you aren't at your best, whether mentally or emotionally or physically, immediacy typically wins.

Unless you apply Suzy Welch's 10-10-10 Rule.

The 10-10-10 Rule

The framework is simple: before you make a decision, ask yourself three questions:

• 10 minutes from now, how will I feel about this decision?
• 10 months from now, how will I feel about this decision?
• 10 years from now, how will I feel about this decision?

It's easy to feel pretty good about a decision ten minutes from now, especially if instant gratification or conflict avoidance is involved.

Taking a longer-term perspective gets your "future self" involved: Your goals, your dreams, the kind of person you want to be and re-establishes – when you need it most – continuity between "today you" and 10 months and 10 years from now, you.

Research shows that re-establishing that perspective will instantly help you make better decisions.  One study shows that people with greater "present-future continuity" tend to exercise more.

Another study shows they tend to be more financially prudent and more likely to save money. Another shows they tend to behave more ethically, both personally and professionally.

In fact, this study shows the degree of continuity you feel with your future self can actually predict your overall life satisfaction and well-being 10 – yep, 10 – years later.

As the authors of the study write:

When people are better connected to their future selves, they have an enhanced ability to recognize the consequences of their present-day decisions on their future selves.

And that's going to help them put the brakes on these behaviors. 

The more connected you feel to your future self, the more likely you are to consider emotions you will feel later, not just now, like regret or guilt.

Take an interpersonal issue between two employees. Ten minutes from now, walking away will still feel good.

Ten months from now, when the bickering has escalated and spread to the people around them – as it always does – you'll wish you had dealt with the problem. Ten years from now, at least a few of your employees will still remember the example you didn't set... and will follow that example. How will that feel?

What you do today builds the foundation for what you will become. Who you will be in 10 months and in 10 years, is the result of every decision you make – and action you take – today.

Because consistency, not intensity, produces long-term results, the choices you make and actions you take will either work for or against the goals and dreams you have for future you. 

And how, someday, you will feel about yourself.

If you want your future self to be kinder, smarter, fitter, more successful, wealthier, more generous – whatever you hope your future self to be – apply the 10-10-10 rule to the choices you make.

Because who you will be 10 months from now and 10 years from now, starts with what you decide and do, today.

And every day from now on. 

Inc