Ex-President Jonathan calls for violence-free elections
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has enjoined Nigerians to be patriotic, peaceful, and display true sportsmanship as they exercise their civic rights to vote.
Jonathan made the call in a message to Nigerians released by his special adviser, Ikechukwu Eze, in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said that in recent times, West Africa and a few other nations on the continent have witnessed a crisis of democracy that led to unconstitutional changes of governments, which derailed their democratic quest for peace and development.
He said that Nigerians must not allow elections to be a source of violence and anarchy.
“We must desist from the temptation of yielding to those desirous of making our communities and states theatres of conflicts for their selfish ends.”
“Let us realise that the primary purpose of democracy is to uphold the freedom and dignity of citizens and deploy the instruments of governance towards advancing and improving the well-being of our people.
“We should strive to consolidate the gains we have recorded in our democracy in the last two decades by ensuring that the elections are peaceful, just, and fair,” Jonathan said. (NAN)
FG projects N29trn revenue from reopened oil wells
The Federal Government of Nigeria said it is projecting a revenue of N29 trillion from reopened drilling facilities in the Niger Delta. The reopened crude oil wells, where these drilling facilities are, are expected to produce an estimated 2.1 million barrels of oil daily.
The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission in Abuja on Tuesday, backed up with relevant data, said that about 900,000 barrels of oil are expected to be produced daily from those reopened wells in the short term, while sustained intervention could result in 1.2 million barrels of oil daily in the medium and short term.
This effort would boost the revenue base of the nation, with about 2.1 million barrels of oil produced daily or 63 million barrels monthly.
With the current price of Brent at about $83 per barrel, the government is expected to generate about $5 billion monthly.
Be wary of fake news as elections draw near, CSMR tasks Nigerians
In a statement signed by Tunde Akanni, an associate professor of journalism and pioneer of the Lagos State University (LASU) Digital Media Research Centre (DMRC), and Akin Olaniyan, executive director of DMRC, on Tuesday in Lagos, the Centre for Social Media Research (CSMR) urged Nigerians to be careful of fake news being used to distort political communication as the country heads to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president.
CSMR is a Lagos-based specialised media concern with a flair for the digital conduct of Nigerian citizens, organizations, and others on issues of public interest that affect Nigerians, especially nationally and internationally.
Its public interventions are based on skillful research based on relevant methods derived from thorough and ethical consideration.
CSMR noted that disinformation and misinformation, popularly referred to as “fake news,” had distorted political communication in the run-up to the election as supporters of major candidates in the presidential election competed to outdo themselves.
It said, “Nigerians need to be careful about purported endorsement by paid influencers who take their unsuspecting followers for a ride by publicly canvassing support for candidates while disguising their actions as borne out of any political ideology or a genuine belief in the Nigerian project.”
Afenifere leader meets Atunluse group, canvasses votes for Peter Obi
Pa Ayo Adebanjo, the leader of Afenifere, a Yoruba socio-cultural group, has appealed to Nigerians to vote for the candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, in Saturday’s presidential election.
Adebanjo made the appeal when he hosted the leadership of the Atunluse Initiatives, a socio-cultural and political group, on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to the Afenifere leader, the country is in a difficult period and requires someone like Obi to help it out.
He said it was the responsibility of every Nigerian to fight for its freedom.
“We don’t have money to fight them, but we must do everything legitimately to free ourselves.
“Because we agreed that we would be sharing the elective position between the North and the South, the South-West had their share under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, and it went back to the North under Umaru Yar’Adua.
“Goodluck Jonathan also did his own from the South South and it went back to the North; now that it’s coming back to the South, it should be given to the South-East in the name of equity, justice, and fairness,” he said. (NAN)
Crude oil remains under pressure
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) held recent declines to trade around $76 per barrel on Wednesday, remaining under pressure ahead of the release of the Federal Reserve’s latest minutes that may provide clues on the direction of interest rate hikes in the US.
Russia has recently announced plans to cut output by 500,000 barrels a day in March, or about 5 percent of total production, in retaliation to Western sanctions.
Still, the US plans to impose more penalties on Russia for the invasion of Ukraine, with measures that could target Russia’s energy sector. This is expected to impact greatly on the supply side.
On the demand side, the IEA and OPEC raised their forecast for 2023 oil demand growth, citing higher consumption from China. (Trading Economics)
