John Tsoho, the chief judge of the federal high court (FHC), has reassigned the case of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), back to Binta Nyako.

On September 24, Nyako recused herself from the case after an oral application made by Kanu.

“I hereby recuse myself and remit the case file back to the chief judge,” Nyako had said.

However, Tsoho has reverted the file to Nyako on the ground that Kanu’s application must be brought formally before the court through a motion on notice.

It is expected that the application must also be served on the prosecution (attorney-general of the federation).

At the last court session on Tuesday, Kanu directly told Nyako that he no longer had confidence in her handling of his trial.

Facing the judge, Kanu said: “My lord, I have no confidence in this court anymore and I ask you to recuse yourself because you did not abide by the decision of the supreme court.”

“I can understand it if the Department of State Services (DSS) refuses to obey a court order, but for this court to refuse to obey an order of the supreme court is regrettable.

“I am asking you to recuse yourself from this case.”

Although the prosecution urged the court to proceed with the trial, Nyako said she would go with extricating herself from the case.

Nyako said she would be sending the case file back to the chief judge for reassignment and further necessary actions.

BACKGROUND

Kanu has been in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) since he was re-arrested in Kenya and extradited to Nigeria in 2021.

He has been standing trial on a seven-count charge bordering on treasonable felony.

In 2017, the court granted Kanu bail on the charges filed against him by the federal government.

However, the court revoked the bail and issued a bench warrant for his arrest after he failed to present himself as required.

In April 2022, Nyako struck out eight of the 15 counts in the charge.

The remaining seven counts were also quashed by the court of appeal on October 13, 2022, with the judge ordering Kanu’s release.

However, on October 28, 2022, the court of appeal granted a stay of execution on its verdict discharging Kanu after the federal government filed an appeal at the supreme court.

In March, Kanu was denied bail. In May, his bail request was again turned down.

The Cable

The Nigerian Electricity Distribution Company (NERC) has stated that revenue generated by the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) increased by 48 per cent in the second quarter of 2024.

The increase was due to the hike in electricity tariff for Band A customers which NERC stated was necessitated due to the rising cost of electricity generation that would have pushed the federal government’s subsidy payment to over N2trn by the end of the year.

The regulator in its second quarter report stated that the DisCos revenue moved from N291.62bn in the first quarter of 2024 to N431.16bn in the second quarter.

The report added that the N431.16bn revenue collected represented 79.31 per cent of the N543.64bn that was billed to customers.

It stated that the revenue collection performance of all DisCos indicated that Ikeja and Eko disCos recorded the highest collection efficiencies of 94.67 per cent and 88.03 per cent respectively. Conversely, Yola DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency of 55.67 per cent. 

The report added that the federal government paid N380.06bn as subsidy due to the absence of cost-reflective tariffs across all DisCos.

It said the subsidy is an average of N126.69bn per month which is 52.51 per cent of total invoice payable to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) invoice.

“The total subsidy obligation of the government was reduced by N253.24bn from N633.30bn.

“The significant decrease in the subsidy obligation of the FGN is a result of the policy directive of the government to implement reviews of tariffs charged to Band A customers while the tariffs for Band B-E customers remain frozen at the rates payable since December 2022,” NERC said.

It added that remittances made by the four international bilateral customers being supplied by GenCos in the NESI made a payment of $9.81m against the cumulative invoice of $15.60m issued by the Market Operator for services rendered, translating to a remittance performance of 62.88 per cent.

“The domestic bilateral customers made a payment of N1.29bn against the cumulative invoice of N1.99bn issued to them by the MO for services rendered in 2024/Q2 translating to 65.07 per cent remittance performance.

“It is, however, noteworthy that some bilateral customers (both domestic and international) made payments during 2024/Q2 for outstanding MO invoices from previous quarters. Cumulatively, the international bilateral customers paid a total of $16.65m; Transcorp-SBEE and Mainstream-NIGELEC have made payments towards all outstanding invoices from previous quarters.

“Similarly, the MO received N1.3bn from the domestic bilateral customers towards outstanding invoices from previous quarters; Mainstream Energy Solutions has made payment towards all outstanding invoices from previous quarters.”

Daily Trust

Hezbollah forges new command for crucial ground war after heavy Israeli blows

Hezbollah is preparing for a long war of attrition in south Lebanon, after Israel wiped out its top leadership, with a new military command directing rocket fire and the ground conflict, two sources familiar with its operations said.

Hezbollah has been diminished by three weeks of devastating Israeli blows - most notably the killing of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Friends and foes alike are now watching how effectively it resists Israeli troops that have crossed into Lebanon with the stated aim of driving it away from the border.

The Iran-backed group still has a considerable stockpile of weapons, including its most powerful precision missiles which it has yet to use, four sources familiar with its operations said, despite waves of airstrikes that Israel says has severely depleted its arsenal.

Hezbollah's command was disrupted for the first few days after Nasrallah's Sept. 27 assassination until Shi'ite militants established a new "operations room" 72 hours later, the two sources - a Hezbollah field commander and a source close to the group - told Reuters.

Nasrallah was killed, along with other Hezbollah leaders and an Iranian commander, when Israel located and bombed his deep bunker below Beirut.

The new command centre has kept functioning despite subsequent Israeli attacks, meaning fighters in the south are able to fire rockets and fight according to centrally issued orders, according to the sources, who asked not to be named in order to discuss sensitive matters.

A third source, a senior official close to Hezbollah, said the group was now waging a war of attrition.

Avraham Levine, an analyst with Israeli think-tank Alma, said it should be assumed Hezbollah was "well prepared and waiting" for Israeli troops and that it was no easy target.

"The fact that the chain of command has been damaged does not take away the ability to shoot Israeli communities or try to hit" Israeli forces, Levine told Reuters, describing Hezbollah as "the same powerful terror army we all know."

Fighters have the flexibility to carry out orders "according to the capabilities of the front," the Hezbollah field commander said, described the new command as "a narrow circle" in direct contact with the field. It is rare for a Hezbollah field commander to speak to international media.

He said the new command operates in total secrecy and gave no further details about its communications or structure. Hezbollah has not named a new leader after Nasrallah, with the most likely successor also killed. The Shi'ite group's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said this week he supported ceasefire efforts, but said the group's capabilities were intact.

Another source familiar with Hezbollah's operations said the group's dedicated, fixed-line phone network was "essential" to current communications. Sources have said the network survived attacks on the group's communications in September.

A statement this week signed by the "operations room of the Islamic Resistance" said fighters were resisting incursions and "watching and listening" to Israeli troops where they least expect it - an apparent reference to concealed Hezbollah positions. The statement, the first public acknowledgment of the existence of a new command, did not name its members or say when and in what context it was established.

Hezbollah's media office did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication, which included a detailed summary of the information provided by the field commander and other sources. After this story was published, Hezbollah's media office said in a written statement that the part of Reuters' story "attributed to a Hezbollah field commander is completely false" and that there are "no sources in Hezbollah".

Asked about the situation in Lebanon, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) referred Reuters to previous public statements.

TUNNEL WARFARE

Israel announced on Oct. 1 that ground forces had entered southern Lebanon, initially with commando units, followed by regular armoured units and infantry units. Reservists from the 146th Division are now on the ground, the military said on Tuesday, bringing to four the number of divisions on Lebanese soil.

Israel has not said how many soldiers are on the ground, but an Israeli division usually consists of more than 1,000 fighters.

The troops are fighting close quarters battles with Hezbollah units, Israel says. Twelve Israeli soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon or north Israel since the start of the operation, it says.

Hezbollah possesses an extensive tunnel network in southern Lebanon, both the group and Israel say. The tunnels grew after the group's 2006 war with Israel, according to a 2021 report by think-tank Alma. Israel estimates they extend for hundreds of kilometres.

The Hezbollah field commander said the tunnels "are the foundation of the battle". Hezbollah had toiled for years to build them, he added. "Their time has come," he said.

Israel's military has released video footage it says shows deep tunnels captured by its soldiers. One video released on Oct. 5 appears to show an underground room equipped with fixed line telephones. Reuters could not verify the date or location of the footage.

The source close to Hezbollah said the tunnels detected by Israel were built for its Radwan special forces units to one day enter the Galilee region of northern Israel. The source said Israel did not know the full extent of the tunnels.

DOWN BUT NOT OUT

Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King's College London, said Hezbollah's capabilities had been degraded but it was still able to fire rockets with intensity onto Israel while keeping their ballistic missiles as weapons of last resort.

Hezbollah says it has stepped up fire in recent days.

Prior to the latest conflict, the World Factbook of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency said Hezbollah possessed upwards of 150,000 missiles and rockets.

The two sources said Hezbollah had chosen not to use its most potent rockets - including precision guided missiles - to keep something in reserve for a long war and to avoid giving Israel a pretext to widen its strikes to Lebanese infrastructure, such as Beirut airport, roads and bridges.

The third source said the group had not targeted Israel's cities, such as Tel Aviv, with its most powerful weapons because such a move would give Israel a reason to hit Lebanon even harder.

There is no doubt Israel has inflicted enormous damage on Hezbollah. In September, thousands of booby-trapped communications devices used by Hezbollah members were detonated - an attack for which Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

Beginning Sept. 23, Israel dramatically escalated airstrikes, claiming to have destroyed tens of thousands of Hezbollah rockets mostly in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Beirut's southern suburbs.

Israeli officials have said that the fact that Hezbollah has been firing 100-200 missiles and rockets a day on average and not the thousands expected, shows significant weakening.

Estimates have varied about the scale of Hezbollah's losses, with one Western diplomat saying prior to Nasrallah's killing that up to 25% of the missile capacity had been lost. Reuters has previously reported that Iran had offered to restock its ally, but faced challenges in supply routes.

The Israeli military says it has killed hundreds of Hezbollah fighters, including most of the senior command of the Radwan special forces.

The United States, which deems Hezbollah a terrorist group, said deputy leader Qassem's call on Tuesday for a ceasefire showed it was on the back foot.

GUERRILLA TACTICS

In one deadly engagement last week, concealed Hezbollah fighters attacked Israeli troops as they advanced in the area of Odaisseh, a village in the south, just after Israel had pounded it with artillery and airstrikes, the source close to Hezbollah said.

The Hezbollah fighters used mines and Russian-made Kornet anti-tank missiles in their ambush - the types of weapons used against Israeli forces in a war in southern Lebanon in 2006.

The source appeared to be referring to an incident in which the Israeli military said five soldiers from a commando unit were killed and five others severely wounded in a gunbattle on Oct. 2.

The Israeli military declined to give details beyond its already published statements. That same day, two other soldiers were killed in a separate incident announced by the Israeli army.

Israel says it aims to secure the return of tens of thousands of people who evacuated northern Israel after Hezbollah began firing rockets a year ago in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.

Lebanese authorities say Israel's offensive has uprooted more than 1 million people in Lebanon - predominantly members of the Shi'ite community from which Hezbollah draws support.

Mohanad Hage Ali of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center said he expected Israeli forces to advance. "The question is how costly will Hezbollah make it for them?"

The south is steeped in symbolism for Hezbollah. The group was founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the early 1980s, in part to fight an Israeli invasion. It subsequently battled Israel's years-long occupation.

"Fighting Israel on the ground is Hezbollah's bread and butter," said Krieg.

"This is what they have trained to do and most of their defences on the ground were designed" for, he said.

He said Hezbollah wants to send a clear message to Israel, but also to its constituents in Lebanon and allies in the Iran-backed Axis of Resistancethat it is still intact and "can inflict considerable harm" on Israel's forces, he said.

Reuters

WESTERN PERSPECTIVE

Russia launches 4th aerial attack in a week against Ukraine's grain-exporting Odesa region

Russia's Vladimir Putin held talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday in Turkmenistan, where the two leaders hailed their countries growing economic ties and similar views on world affairs, an entente viewed with concern by the United States.

At odds with Washington and the European Union over Russia's war in Ukraine, something he casts as part of a wider existential struggle against an arrogant and self-interested West - Putin is keen to deepen ties with what he calls the Global East and Global South.

Putin, whose country is hosting a summit of the BRICS nations in Kazan on Oct. 22-24, invited Pezeshkian to come to Russia on an official visit, a proposal the Iranian leader accepted according to Russia's state RIA news agency.

"Economically and culturally, our communications are being strengthened day by day and becoming more robust," Pezeshkian was cited as telling Putin by Iran's official IRNA news agency.

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"The growing trend of cooperation between Iran and Russia, considering the will of the top leaders of both countries, must be accelerated to strengthen these ties," he said.

In a later report from Dubai, Russia's TASS news agency quoted the Iranian president, in a video issued by his office, as saying the two sides had agreed to boost cooperation in a number of areas.

"Our talks with the Russian president lasted about an hour. And we talked again about agreements that we have concluded," the report quoted him as saying.

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"We have constructive interaction. We agreed to speed up the completion of projects in the gas sectors, in road and rail construction, desalination and other projects linked to energy, petrochemicals and electricity."

Pezeshkian last month committed his country to deeper ties with Russia to counter Western sanctions. The two countries say they are close to signing a strategic partnership agreement, something Pezeshkian said on Friday he hoped could be finalised at the BRICS summit in Russia later this month.

[1/5]Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher... Purchase LicensingRights Read more

The United States regards Moscow's growing relationship with Tehran with concern. It has accused Iran of supplying Russia with ballistic missiles for use in the conflict in Ukraine, something Tehran has denied.

NEW WORLD ORDER EMERGING, SAYS PUTIN

Russia says cooperation with Iran is expanding in all areas.

"We actively work together in the international arena, and our assessments of current events in the world are often very close," TASS cited Putin as telling Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the conference in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat.

Pezeshkian, according to IRNA, noted that Iran and Russia had significant complementary capacities and could assist each other. "Our positions in the world are much closer to each other than to others," he was quoted as telling the Russian leader.

Pezeshkian said earlier that Israel should "stop killing innocent people", and its actions in the Middle East were backed by the U.S. and EU. Russia has also criticised Israel, which says it is protecting its own security, for bombing civilian areas.

Putin was cited by TASS as telling Pezeshkian that economic ties between Moscow and Tehran were on the up.

In comments released by the Kremlin earlier on Friday, Putin told the conference in the Central Asian country that a new world order was being formed and that new centres of economic growth and financial and political influence were emerging.

Russia supported "the broadest possible international discussion" on the emerging multipolar world and was open to discussing it within various fora, including the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Eurasian Economic Union, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and BRICS, said Putin.

RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE

Russia delivers 38 strikes at Ukrainian energy sites, military airfields over week

Russian forces delivered 38 strikes by precision weapons, including Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at Ukrainian oil and gas and energy sites and military airfields over the week in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday.

"On October 5-11, the Russian Armed Forces delivered 38 combined strikes by precision weapons, including Kinzhal air-launched hypersonic ballistic missiles and attack unmanned aerial vehicles. The strikes targeted oil and gas and energy sites providing for the operation of Ukrainian military-industrial enterprises, and also military airfield infrastructure. In addition, the strikes hit production workshops and storage facilities of naval drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, fuel depots, ammunition and materiel warehouses and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian army units, nationalist formations and foreign mercenaries," the ministry said in a statement.

AP/Tass

Silicon Valley CEOs and UBI-advocates and others have warned us for a while now that artificial intelligence would soon be part of work. But only recently has it come into clearer focus how and to what scale. 

Reading my colleague Renée Onque’s article, I learned of a new way that AI is being utilized at hospitals like Tampa General: to take notes in doctors offices. So-called “ambient AI” records and transcribes what’s said and then compiles an organized report for the physician. 

Practitioners won’t have to frantically type notes during your next visit or update medical charts into the wee hours of the morning, says Nishit Patel, the vice president and chief medical informatics officer at TGH. “If we can mitigate the risks thoughtfully, this will be one of the most important, transformative moments from a health-care delivery perspective,” says Patel.

But not all doctors are enthused. AI can have “hallucinations,” notes Nathaniel DeNicola, a board-certified OB-GYN in southern California who runs his own private practice. “In my experience, it seems to make up references sometimes,” he says. “Like it’ll say something about a study, and then I go to check it, and the study doesn’t exist.”

I have many questions about the process myself. How would the doctor’s office ensure accuracy? Are human physician assistants going to be obsolete soon? 

People expect a certain amount of confidentiality at the doctor. Would ambient AI break that agreement? 

I’m not sure how I feel about AI yet. The swift implementation of products like this make it clear that artificial intelligence will likely be a staple of everyday life, though. It might not matter so much that I'm comfortable with it as much as that I get used to it.

CNBC

A Brazilian woman who dedicated her life to catching her father‘s killer managed to finally bring her family peace by catching the runaway criminal to justice 25 years after the murder.

On February 16, 1999, Givaldo José Vicente de Deus was shot and killed after a heated argument at a bar in the Brazilian city of Boa Vista. He had got into an argument with one Raimundo Alves Gomes over a debt of 150 Brazilian reals (the equivalent of $29 in 1999) that Givaldo reportedly owed Gomes. At one point, the latter walked out of the bar for a few minutes, then came back in with a gun and shot the father-of-five in the head at point-blank range. Gomes fled the scene and although an arrest warrant was issued in his name, he was never caught. Givaldo’s grieving family never gave up hope of bringing his killer to justice, and his eldest daughter, who was only nine at the time of his death, dedicated her life to catching Gomes.

[Gomes] left behind a broken family, with five children, and our mothers had to fight hard to raise us. This event could have led us down other paths, but our mothers always taught us to follow the right path,” Gislayne Silva de Deus told Brazilian news outlet Nova1.

As the eldest of five children, Gislayne had to help her mother take care of her younger siblings and also do chores around the house, but she never neglected her studies. Her father had always encouraged her to study hard and was always ready to help her with her homework, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. She put in the work and dreamed of one day bringing closure to her entire family by catching her father’s killer.

At age 18, after graduating high school, Gislayne was accepted into law school and became a licensed lawyer seven years later. However, in 2022, she gave up on her law career in order to become a police officer, and two years later, on July 19, 2024, she passed the exam and was officially appointed as a State Police investigator. She immediately requested a position in the Homicide Division, which gave her an opportunity to pursue Raimundo Alves Gomes.

In 2013, Gomes was sentenced to 12 years in prison for the killing of Givaldo José Vicente de Deus, but since he had never been apprehended after the crime, the sentence was never carried out. His lawyers appealed the decision in 2014 and 2015, but both appeals were rejected by the High Court of Justice. The most recent arrest warrant for Gomez was issued in 2019, so the statute of limitations runs out in 2031, meaning that the faster Gislayne could find Gomes, the more time he would have to spend behind bars.

On September 25, just two months into her career as a police officer, Gislayne Silva de Deus fulfilled her dream of bringing her father’s killer to justice, after a long 25 years. She and her team found him hiding on a farm in the Nova Cidade region near Boa Vista and arrested him.

“When I saw him at the police station, I made a point of telling him who I was and that I had been responsible for carrying out the arrest warrant,” Silva de Deus said. “I shared the news with my family, and everyone felt a great sense of peace and justice. We waited a long time, and even though we were in disbelief, we managed to reach this moment. I cried with relief because after so long, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.”

Gislayne’s story and her dedication to honoring her father and bringing her family peace touched the hearts of millions in Brazil and the whole of South America since the news was first reported last month.

Oddity Central

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, on Thursday, mocked President Bola Tinubu over the president’s handling of the fuel subsidy removal.

Atiku, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate who lost to Tinubu in the 2023 election called Tinubu “T-Pain”, a veiled reference to the pain Nigerians are going through as a result of the president’s economic policies.

The nickname, coined by a China-based schoolteacher and social media critic, Dan Bello, is used to mock the president for some of the hardships caused by his administration’s policies.

In the past couple of months, Bello has released several parody videos to mock the president, using derogatory names such as “Tulumbu, T-Pain” and others.

The names have become very popular, particularly on X.

However, there is a possibility that Tinubu, who claims not to check social media, has not seen the names given to him.

Atiku, in a post on his verified X account, has now popularised the use of the president’s nickname.

In the post, Atiku criticised the president for what he called a “haphazard and disingenuous approach” to managing the subsidy removal.

“The haphazard and disingenuous approach of the current administration to fuel subsidy management has been the reason we are in this current economic crisis.

“As things stand, there will be no let-up in the escalating inflation rate, which is drowning the material well-being of Nigerians. It is even more worrying that T-Pain is undisturbed by the hardship in the country,” the post read.

Fuel Subsidy Removal

During the presidential campaign last year, Atiku also promised to remove the petroleum subsidy regime if elected. Similarly, Peter Obi, the Labour Party candidate, pledged to remove the scheme if elected.

However, Tinubu has faced criticism over how he announced the end of the petroleum subsidy, declaring “fuel subsidy is gone” at his inauguration as president on 29 May 2023.

Since the announcement, the cost of petrol has risen from less than N200 per litre to over N1,000 per litre, leading to high inflation, which has significantly increased the cost of living.

Tinubu, currently in the UK on vacation, also faces criticism over his government’s extravagant spending amid the economic hardship in the country.

The government’s decisions to spend $150 million on a new presidential jet, N21 billion on the construction of a residential building for the vice president, and the purchase of luxury vehicles for government officials have been described by many as insensitive.

However, the president, officials of his administration and some members of the National Assembly repeatedly tell Nigerians to be patient, saying the reforms would yield positive results in the end.

PT

Oluremi Tinubu has said her husband, President Bola Tinubu, should not be blamed for the current economic hardship in Nigeria.

Nigerians have been groaning under economic hardship since the removal of fuel subsidy which pushed the pump price of petrol from N198 to N1,030.

Tinubu announced an end to subsidy during his inaugural address on May 29, 2023, saying the policy was standing in the way of Nigeria’s progress.

But while speaking at the Palace of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday, the First Lady said the Tinubu administration is still very young.

The wife of the President was in Ife to inaugurate hostel and a 2.7 kilometer road donated to Ọbafẹmi Awolọwọ University, (OAU), Ile Ife, by the Ooni of Ife and named after her.

She said, “We are just 18 months into our administration; we are not the cause of the current situation; we are trying to fix it and secure the future.

“We know that subsidy has been removed, but with God on our side, in the next two years, Nigeria will be greater than this. Those who attempted removing subsidy before could not see it through. But with your prayers in the next two years, we will build a nation for the future.”

The president’s wife added that her husband is not greedy, thanking God for making him to emerge as Nigeria’s number one citizen.

“We give glory to God for our status, myself and my husband, we are not greedy but we thank God for what God has done for us. It is not common for rich people to get to this seat but I am grateful to God, we can not disappoint Nigeria and with the help of God, we are getting to the promised land in no distant time,” she said.

The First Lady who disclosed that she graduated from OAU 41 years ago donated N1 billion to the university for its development and advancement.

While speaking, the Ooni of Ife lauded the Wife of the President for serving as role model to young ones since her days as First Lady of Lagos State.

The traditional ruler said, “I have been a keen admirer of Mrs Oluremi Tinubu as a young man eking out a living in Lagos. One of my major attractions was the New Era Initiative especially as it concerns the One Day Governor in Lagos that is totally detribalised and provided opportunities to young secondary school boys and girls to become Governor in Lagos State. This has been a milestone and major inspiration for the younger ones to aspire and prosper.”

PT

The pan-Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has condemned what it describes as the growing abuse of federal power in Rivers State, specifically targeting the ongoing political crisis surrounding local government elections in the state. In a press release issued by the group’s deputy leader, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, and its national publicity secretary, Justice Faloye, Afenifere warned that the actions of the federal government and its key institutions threaten the very foundation of democracy in Nigeria.

Afenifere expressed dismay at the federal government’s involvement in Rivers State’s political affairs, particularly accusing the government of disrupting the local government elections. “We condemn this deliberate effort to destroy democracy in Nigeria,” the statement read. The organization pointed out that President Bola Tinubu has failed to rein in federal forces that have allegedly undermined state governance in Rivers.

Afenifere criticized both the judiciary and the Nigeria Police Force for their roles in exacerbating the crisis. The statement accused the judiciary of interfering in the electoral process and the police of neglecting their duty to protect the peace. “The two institutions are complicit in the crisis in that state,” the group declared, emphasizing the dangers of this federal overreach.

Nyesom Wike’s Influence and Power Play

The socio-political group also linked the turmoil in Rivers State to former governor Nyesom Wike, who is currently the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). According to Afenifere, Wike has manipulated federal power to sabotage the current Rivers State Governor by attempting to control local governments, a strategy the group called “undemocratic.” Afenifere claimed that Wike, backed by federal resources, has used his loyalists to set local government offices on fire across the state in pursuit of his personal ambitions.

The group condemned Wike’s alleged threat to “burn down any state that doesn’t conform to his personal dictates,” stating that his actions were made possible by the federal government’s support. Afenifere called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to stop lending the police force to what they termed a “sabotage of the country’s democratic process” by federal actors.

Federal Overreach in Local Government Administration

Afenifere further alleged that the federal government’s involvement in Rivers State’s local elections was part of a broader agenda to centralize power and undermine federalism. The organization criticized the Tinubu administration’s attempts to take over local government finance and electoral administration, calling it a veiled strategy for “state capture.”

“The local governments are the pillars of the states, which if taken over will render state governors irrelevant,” Afenifere warned. They compared this federal overreach to foreign colonial powers taking over Nigerian states under the guise of better governance. The group added that while state governors may be criticized for mismanagement, control over local governments should remain within the states’ purview, as dictated by federalism.

Call to Reject the Local Government Autonomy Bill

Afenifere urged citizens, particularly state assemblies, to reject the Local Autonomy Independent Electoral Commission Establishment Bill 2024, which is currently being pushed through the National Assembly. The organization warned that passing the bill would allow the federal government to impose local government chairmen, leading to the establishment of a one-party state controlled by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

“This bill is a blueprint for state capture,” the statement read, alleging that Tinubu’s actions in Rivers State are a preview of his plans to dominate all 774 local governments across Nigeria, as he has done in Lagos State over the past 25 years.

In conclusion, Afenifere reiterated its call for the decentralization of power from the federal government, arguing that only such a restructuring can guarantee true democracy and efficient governance in Nigeria. The group emphasized that the current centralization of power threatens the nation’s democratic fabric, and urged all Nigerians to resist any move toward a one-party dictatorship.

The statement underscored that the protection of Nigeria’s democracy lies in preserving the autonomy of state governments and their local administrative units, as envisioned in the country’s federal structure.

Oil prices jumped about 4% on Thursday on a spike in U.S. fuel use before Hurricane Milton barrelled across Florida, Middle East supply risks and signs that demand for energy could grow in the U.S. and China.

Brent <LCOc1> futures rose $2.82, or 3.7%, to settle at $79.40 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose $2.61, or 3.6%, to settle at $75.85.

In the U.S., the world's largest oil producer and consumer, Hurricane Miltonbarrelled across Florida, where about a quarter of fuel stations sold out of gasoline and where the storm also knocked out power to more than 3.4 million homes and businesses.

"Closures of several product terminals, delayed tanker truck deliveries and disrupted pipeline movement will likely be affecting supplies well into next week given broad based power outages," analysts at energy advisory firm Ritterbusch and Associates said in a note.

"This vast uncertainty across Florida petroleum infrastructure generally has supported gasoline values," Ritterbusch said. U.S. gasoline futures were leading the energy complex higher, closing up about 4.1% on Thursday.

Crude benchmarks spiked earlier this month after Iran launched more than 180 missiles against Israel on Oct. 1, raising the prospect of retaliationagainst Iranian oil facilities. With Israel yet to respond, crude benchmarks have eased once more and remained relatively flat through the week.

But investors remained wary, given Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant promised that any strike against Iran would be "lethal, precise and surprising."

Iran is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and produced about 4.0 million barrels per day of fuel in 2023, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).

Iran is backing several groups fighting Israel, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and the Houthis in Yemen.

In Lebanon, Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday night killed 11 people and wounded at least 48, Lebanon's health ministry said, as a Lebanese security source said at least one senior Hezbollah figure was targeted in the attacks.

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In Yemen, the Houthis said they targeted vessels in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean. The Houthis have launched attacks on international shipping near Yemen since last November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Gulf states, meanwhile, are lobbying Washington to stop Israel from attacking Iran's oil sites because they are concerned their own oil facilities could come under fire from Tehran's allies if the conflict escalates.

DEMAND IN THE U.S. AND CHINA

In a move that could boost oil demand in the world's second biggest oil consumer, China published a draft law aimed at promoting the development of the private sector, the country's latest step to boost investor confidence amid an economic slowdown.

In the U.S., markets grew more confident the Federal Reserve would cut interest rates in November after data showed an increase in weekly jobless claims and an annual rise in inflation that was the lowest since February 2021.

"The battle between the U.S. jobs numbers and the inflation data with regards to the outlook for Fed policy remains unresolved ... our base case remains 25 (basis point) rate cuts in November and December," analysts at ING, a bank, said in a note.

After hiking rates aggressively in 2022 and 2023 to tame a surge in inflation, the Fed started to lower interest rates in September.

Lower interest rates decrease borrowing costs for consumers and businesses, which can increase economic growth and demand for oil.

Reuters