News

More hardship as bread scarcity hits Kaduna, Katsina, Kano

Published

2 months ago

July 10, 2024

By Francesca Hangeior

It is a tale of woes as an acute scarcity of one of Nigerians’ most popular staple foods, bread, has hit Kaduna, Katsina, and Kano States.

Checks by the News Agency of Nigeria correspondents revealed that the most-favoured staple was now as scarce as petrol or the highly-prized precious metal, Gold.

It was observed that whereas the commodity was very hard to come by, its prices have hit the roof.

Many of the residents could no longer afford the staple and, as such had turned to other not-too-cheap alternatives like noodles, millet porridge, and bean cake, as well as bread and beans, among others.

The prices of the commodity have also been increased by between 20 to 40 per cent.

Many shop owners and consumers have vehemently lamented the obnoxious development, appealing for urgent action to redress the ugly trend.

One of the bakers, who craves anonymity, told journalists in Kaduna, ”It is not that we are on strike, but we have had to stop production since 1st July 2024.

“This unfortunate development was necessitated by the scarcity of wheat flour and its high cost, as well as sugar, oil, and other additives.

“For instance, in June, we were buying a 50kg bag of flour for between N53,000 to N55,000, has regrettably skyrocketed to between N67,000 to N70,000.

“How can we produce bread and also break even under this precarious situation?“

Some bread sellers and consumers in Kaduna State decried the scarcity of bread around the state metropolis, saying that it had affected their businesses and daily lives.

A tea and bread seller, Haidar Basiru, said he usually buys 100 loaves of bread but due to the ongoing paucity, he was able to get only 30 loaves, which had finished already.

”The bakeries are saying they are on strike due to a hike in flour and sugar. This development has seriously affected our businesses as we usually operate in the mornings and evenings.

“But, from the look of things, we may not come out in the evening due to bread shortage. In fact, most of my colleagues operating around this axis in Kasuwan barci have not opened today, “he said.

Similarly, Mrs Kafayat Sadiq, a provisions seller, stated that she couldn’t get bread to stock in her shop since Tuesday, saying that her supplier had complained of the high cost of flour.

A resident, Abdullahi Muhammad, said, “I went to the shop in the morning to buy bread, which would be eaten as breakfast in my house but unfortunately, I couldn’t get it.

”I had to buy spaghetti for the children to eat and go to school since there is no bread; I hope the issue will be alleviated soon.”

A resident of Funtua, Funtua Local Government Area of Katsina State, Aliyu Idris, said that the prices of bread have also gone up in the state.

He said, ”For instance, a loaf of bread that was selling for between N 200 before now goes for N 400. This has affected all the sizes of the bread.”

Idris also stated that tea sellers and shop owners were now finding it very hard to get the commodity for sale to their customers.

In Kano State, a resident also corroborated the scenarios in Kaduna and Katsina States, saying, “A loaf of bread formerly selling for N600 before now goes for N 800.

”Also, a loaf of sliced bread that was selling for n 1200 before is now selling for N 1600,” Haruna Salisu said.
Fuel scarcity: Products distributed by ships to fastrack onshore stock – NMDPRA
Fuel-scarcity

In a bid to address the ongoing fuel scarcity in parts of the country, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has revealed that fuel products are being transported by ships to depots across the nation to expedite distribution.

The Chief Executive Officer of NMDPRA, Farouk Ahmed, disclosed this to journalists after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja.

Ahmed explained the recent disruptions in fuel supply were due to safety concerns caused by rough seas, which suspended ship-to-ship transfer operations, and flooding in Lagos, which hindered truck loading and movement.

Despite these challenges, Ahmed assured that the country has a 20-day fuel sufficiency, comprising 12 days offshore and eight days onshore.

He emphasied that the authority is working to transfer the offshore stock to onshore depots, which will alleviate the scarcity.

The movement of fuel products by ships to depots in other parts of the country is expected to fast-track the buildup of onshore stock, ensuring a comfortable supply of fuel nationwide.

“Obviously offshore, there were a lot of soil and destabilization and it was very difficult to continue our STS, that is shipping operations in terms of ship-to-ship transfer because of safety. So the ship-to-ship transfer operations were suspended because of the volatile nature of the high sea at the time.

“So those two days of delays, because of safety reasons, created that gap and that gap manifested. On top of that as well, there were floods in Lagos that disrupted truck loading and truck movement because of the floods so the trucks were now more like held back”.

“I did briefed Mr. President just now that we have like 20 days sufficiency; 12 days offshore and about eight days sufficiency of onshore, but what is important is to translate the offshore to onshore and that’s why I must mention it to you earlier that the movement of shipping to other parts of the country will fast track the onshore build up of the stock and once we have the stock in onshore spread across the various depots in the country, then you’ll see a lot of comforts coming in,” Ahmed said.

News

SEE 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala in the race for The White House

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The race for the United States Presidency has reached a fever pitch. As the US presidential election draws close, the financial backing of billionaires has become a defining factor in the campaigns of leading candidates.

Donald Trump, the Republican party candidate and Kamala Harris, who took the baton from President Biden for the Democratic party, continue to rally the support of some of America’s wealthiest, drawing powerful endorsements from influential figures in the country seeking to shape its future.

Elections are run with money, and political parties and their candidates require a lot of it to run successful campaigns. This process is supported by the high and mighty who donate good money towards the government they wish to see in power. These funds cover a range of expenses, including advertising, staffing, travel, and organising events.

From business partners to friends, acquaintances and wealthy individuals who want to see the tide turn in their favour, here are 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala as the next US President.

Billionaires supporting Donald Trump
1. Elon Musk
Perhaps being Donald Trump’s biggest fan on X, which he now owns, the world’s richest man Elon Musk could also be Trump’s loudest supporter. In July, the founder worth, $250.8 billion announced plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee, called America PAC, backing former President Donald Trump’s presidential run.

2. Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon is the wife of Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE. McMahon, who is currently worth $3.1 billion had made up to $16 million in donations to Trump groups to support his election campaign. She chairs the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policy Institute, serving on the board of Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group.

3. Diane Hendricks
“I know how hard it is to build a company from nothing,” she said. “And we need a president who understands that too,” Diane Hendricks, called America’s richest self-made woman, said on stage at the Republican National Convention in her home state of Wisconsin last month. Forbes says that the $20.9 billion-worth entrepreneur has already pumped $6 million into groups that support him.

4. Andrew Beal
American banker and businessman, Andrew Beal gave more than $4 million to Trump committees and other GOP groups in 2020. The $12.2 billion- valued investor is now betting on Trump again, putting $1.8 million behind Trump’s 2024 ticket.

5. Kelcy Warren
Kelcy Warren, the billionaire in energy has been fond of Trump. Warren had given $100,000 to help elect him in 2016, then dropped more than $11 million in 2020. This time around, he has given about $6 million to support Trump’s campaign. Warren’s Energy Transfer is best known for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump helped expedite in one of his first acts in office.

6. Elizabeth Uihlein & Richard Uihlein
Liz and Dick Uihlein are among the Republican party’s most generous donors, giving tens of millions per cycle. The couple have donated $5 million to trump groups according to Forbes. In 2021, the duo celebrated Trump’s “America First” trade policies and called out publicly-held companies for being “too concerned about their stock share price.”

7. Phil Ruffin
Ruffin is a significant Donald Trump donor, as well as his business partner and close friend. His donations to Trump’s PACs and committees have reached $3.3 million so far this cycle, surpassing his combined donations from the last two elections.

8. Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer is one of the largest apartment developers in Los Angeles, with nearly 13,000 units in the greater L.A. metro area. Palmer is a major financial backer of former president Donald Trump, donating some $16 million to his campaigns and PACs from 2016 to 2022. This year, he’s up to $3 million. The developer is worth $3.1 billion.

9. J.Joe.Ricketts
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, poured $3 million into a Republican anti-Trump group back in 2016 with his wife. They have given a combined $2 million to Trump groups so far this time around, betting against Kamala.

10. Jimmy John Liautaud
Since Jimmy John sold the majority of his business to a private equity firm, he has gotten more involved in politics, as has his wife Leslie. She backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 and John joined her this year, giving $2.8 million to Trump groups so far.

Billionaires supporting Kamala Harris
1. Mark Cuban
The billionaire Shark Tank star and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks is one of the Democrats’ most valuable supporters. Valued at US$5.4 billion according to Forbes, Cuban, who is known to have attended a Joe Biden fundraiser, has retweeted various posts about Harris’ campaign, and signed the “VCs for Kamala” pledge.

2. Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman has been a long-time Democratic donor and wasted no time backing Harris after Biden dropped. In January, he poured $2 million into a super political action committee (PAC) for Biden’s campaign. The former CEO, worth $2.5 billion plans to open a fundraiser for Harris and has been reported to push Netflix chairman Reed Hastings to donate US$7 million to a PAC supporting the current Vice President.

3. Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, and OpenAI investor has backed Harris to win the elections in November following the withdrawal of President Biden, who he hosted a fundraiser for in May. Worth $7.2 billion per Forbes, the entrepreneur has donated to Super PACs in support of Harris.

4. Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca made early bets investing in Twitter and Uber through his venture capital firm Lowercase Capital. Now he’s making bets of Kamala Harris to be the next US president after donating to Biden’s campaign before he dropped out. Sacca noted that he and his partner Clay Dumas have “invested millions of dollars and countless hours helping build organisations and companies that we think have the best shot at giving blue candidates an edge in a game that is rigged against them.”

5. Eric Schmidt
Worth $22.5 billion per Forbes, the former CEO of Alphabet has given $1.6 million to Future Forward PAC, a Democratic super PAC, and $1.16 million to the Biden Victory Fund.

6. Dustin Moskovitz
Moskovitz, who helped to launch Facebook (now Meta Platforms) in 2004, gave up to $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund before he dropped out of the race. Now, he has directed his attention to Kamala who goes against the same opponent, Trump.

News

IG Orders Redeployment Of FCT, Rivers, Delta CPs

Published

3 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, to FCT command.

The shake-up also affects the Delta State Police Command, with CP Abaniwonda Olufemi being reassigned to the Rivers State Command.

In his place, CP Peter Opara who was recently posted to the FCT command, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Police for Delta State.

The Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Thursday, said the redeployment was to ensure effective policing in the affected states.

He said, “The Inspector-General of Police in an effort to strategically emplace a Police Force well efficient for effective policing, has ordered the immediate redeployment of the Commissioners of Police of Rivers State Command, Delta State Command, and the Federal Capital territory.

“The order covers the redeployment of the CP Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Disu as the new CP FCT; CP Delta State Command, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi as the new CP Rivers State Command and CP FCT, CP Peter Opara as the new CP Delta State.”

Adejobi also said the IG, in accordance with the approval of the Police Service Commission, has deployed four CPs to Lagos, Abia, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom States.

He said, “In addition, following the approval of the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police has also deployed four CPs as Commissioners of Police for Abia, Lagos, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom State Commands.

“The deployment includes the posting of CP Danladi Nda to Abia State Command, CP Olanrewaju Ishola Olawale to Lagos State Command, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, FDC to Ebonyi State Command and CP Festus Eribo to Akwa-Ibom State Command.

“The posting of these strategic managers reflects the mission of the Inspector-General of Police to strategically reposition the Police Force and ensure maximum utilization of human resources available to the Force. “

He stated that the IG urged the CPs to be innovative and ensure personnel are diligent in their duties.

Adejobi said, “The IGP has, however, urged the new CPs of State Commands to ensure diligence in the discharge of their lawful duties and adopt innovations that could mitigate security challenges in their respective areas of responsibility. He further encouraged them to key into the police reform plans, which will help the progress of the Nigeria Police Force and the growth of the country in general.”

News

Credible Intel Indicates Tinubu’s Defence Minister Matawalle Involved in Banditry – Zamfara Gov Alleges

Published

4 hours ago

September 19, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has made a startling disclosure, alleging Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Bello Matawalle, of involvement in banditry in the North-West region.

Speaking during an interview on TVC’s Politics Tonight on Wednesday night, Lawal cited credible information suggesting that his predecessor, Matawalle, played a significant role in the ongoing security crisis.

From all the information we’re getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry issue,” Lawal stated. His comments come as northern Nigeria continues to grapple with relentless bandit attacks, particularly in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states. This is not the first time such allegations have been raised against Matawalle. In July, notorious bandit leader Kachallah Bello Turji had made similar accusations, claiming that the former Zamfara governor had been supporting terrorism in the region. Turji, in a video statement, maintained that Matawalle was involved in the rising wave of violence, an allegation that stirred significant controversy. However, Matawalle has consistently denied these claims. His media consultant, Deyemi Saka, labelled the accusations as unfounded and baseless, dismissing them as attempts to tarnish the minister’s reputation. Despite this, Turji and now Governor Lawal remain firm in their assertions, keeping the spotlight on Matawalle’s alleged connection to the banditry crisis.

The accusation against a high-ranking government official comes at a time when northern Nigeria is plagued by severe security challenges, with banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism escalating in various states. The federal government’s response to these claims and the overall situation remains to be seen.