APA – Lagos (Nigeria)
The report that the Defence headquarters on Monday debunked allegations in an online media organization claiming that the Presidential Guards Brigade has been put on high alert following suspicious movements around the seat of power, indicating fears of coup plot is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Monday.
The Vanguard newspaper reports that the Defence headquarters on Monday debunked allegations in an online media organization claiming that the Presidential Guards Brigade has been put on high alert following suspicious movements around the seat of power, indicating fears of coup plot.
A statement by the Acting Director of Defence Information, Brigadier Gen Tukur Gusau said, “The attention of the Defence Headquarters has been drawn to a malicious and unfounded article published online (Not Vanguard) on 25 February 2024 claiming that the Guards Brigade has been put on high alert following unusual movements, leading to suspicion of a coup plot in Nigeria.
“The publication also asserted amongst other things that the suspicion prompted emergency meeting involving President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Staff to the President and Commander of the Guards Brigade.
“The Defence Headquarters wishes to categorically state that the allegation is totally false.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the Guards Brigade has been statutorily assigned the responsibility of protecting the seat of power (The Presidency) and by extension the Federal Capital Territory and its environs.
“Hence, it is to be noted that the Guards Brigade has always been on high alert in order to effectively executive its assigned tasks.
“It will be recalled that the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa had in various fora reiterated the unalloyed commitment of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to the protection and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria.
“Therefore, the Defence Headquarters strongly condemn this unsubstantiated assertion which is just a figment of imagination of the publisher and enjoins members of the public to disregard it.”
The newspaper says that ahead of the planned nationwide strike by Nigeria Labour Congress, (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, (TUC) ,65 Civil Society Organisations have pulled out, saying the strike might stir up anarchy and cause more hardship on citizens.
The Civil Society Organisations under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organisations Forum also warned against going the way Sudan went, and called for dialogue with the Federal Government.
“Any attempt to embark on a nationwide strike during these critical period of hunger and harsh economy could be hijacked by hoodlums and criminal elements, who have been waiting for the slightest opportunity to unleash terror; disrupt public peace, loot business premises and markets,” the CSOs said.
On February 16, the NLC had announced a nationwide protest scheduled for February 27 and 28, over the failure to implement the agreements reached on October 2, following the removal of the fuel subsidy.
This decision followed the conclusion of a 14-day ultimatum issued to the federal government regarding the widespread hardship.
The Coalition of the CSOs which disclosed this in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Buba Ibrahim Mohammed and Comrade George Phillips, the Coordinator and Secretary, insisted that the strike action will only stir up civil unrest and further worsen the already bad security situation as well as damage the fragile economy.
According the Coalition, the views gathered from some of their members and citizens across the country were that the labour unions are trying to undermine the current Tinubu led administration and create a process for breakdown of law and order to score cheap political points.”
“As Civil Society Organisations, we do understand the depth of economic challenges facing the ordinary citizens, especially the workers, but we cannot fold our arms and support a move that will further damage and threaten our peaceful coexistence.”
The Punch reports that the value of the United Kingdom’s goods exports to Nigeria has decreased by 21.2 per cent or £357m at the end of the third quarter of 2023, according to the latest UK’s Department for Business and Trade factsheets on Nigeria obtained by The PUNCH.
The report stated that total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Nigeria as of Q3, 2023 was £6.7bn, an increase of 2.1 per cent or £136m from Q3 2022.
The value of trade between the two countries as of Q3, 2023 was the same as 2013 and near that of 2022, which stood at £6.9bn, which was higher than the previous nine years.
A breakdown showed that at the end of Q3 2023, total UK exports to Nigeria amounted to £4.0bn (an increase of 2.7 per cent or £104m compared to the previous year.)
“Of all UK exports to Nigeria in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2023, £1.3bn (33.6 per cent) were goods and £2.6bn (66.4 per cent) were services.
“In the four quarters to the end of Q3 2023, UK exports of goods to Nigeria decreased by 21.2 per cent or £357m in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022 while UK exports of services to Nigeria increased by 21.3 per cent or £461m in current prices, compared to the four quarters to the end of Q3 2022,” part of the report said.
The newspaper says that a group of bakers in the country, on Monday, kicked against the nationwide strike declared by some of their counterparts, starting on Tuesday.
The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria announced on February 14 that it is poised to begin a nationwide strike on February 27 unless the Federal Government honours the agreement made with the association in 2020.
It also called for the temporary suspension of all types of taxation on the bakery industry at the federal, state, and local government levels.
In a statement announcing the strike, the National President of AMBCON, Mansur Umar, said, “The Association of Master Bakers and Caterers of Nigeria have critically accessed the state of our business operation, consequently demand the liberalisation of flour and sugar importation, reduction or total removal of import duties on major baking materials such as flour, sugar, butter, yeast, etc as applicable to other commodities as have recently been done by the Federal Government and provision of concessionary forex exchange to flour millers and other stakeholders as well as reduction of tariff on imported wheat and sugar.”
The association also called for the setting up of a price control and monitoring committee as allowed by the constitution as amended and other conditions that will enhance the ease of doing business in the country.
The association’s acting National President, Edmund Egbuji, urged all members of the group not to participate in the strike.
GIK/APA