You can’t scuttle our efforts – Nwosu dares APC, Tinubu

African Democratic Congress (ADC), past chairman, Ralph Nwosu doubles down on allegations about attempted inducement, insisting, efforts by the  government to scuttle opposition shall fail. He vowed that no offer or inducement from the Tinubu administration would deter the party from opposing efforts to turn Nigeria into a one party state. Speaking on Arise TV Prime Time, Wednesday night, Mr Nwosu asserted, “And that is why we have audaciously, and we will continue that process, to audaciously oppose anything that will make Nigeria to become a one party system under APC. It happened in Lagos, it cannot happen nationally.”  Nwosu who is the founder and pioneer chairman of the ADC firmly asserted that the presidency under Bola Ahmed Tinubu had deployed various strategies to torpedo efforts of the coalition to adopt and retool the party. He doubled down on his previous claim that the government made offers aimed at inducing him to decline coalition efforts to use ADC as the led opposition party. Read Also: I was Offered Three Ministerial Slots to Decline Use of ADC as Coalition Party, ADC’s Ralph Nwosu Says Apart from financial inducements, he mentioned that agents of the Administration offered him ministerial slots. Even though he would not mention names of those making the offers, he challenged a Presidential Spokesman, Daniel Bwala who called him out for making the claims. “Bwala, I wish you would come out and say why Elias, Godwin and Mohammed, they are doing in big hotels, being protected by government, the people paid police.” He continued: “They are still carrying the cards of ADC. But the government has used them to scuttle the things we’re doing.” The saboteurs Nwosu alleged that these individuals were being used to file court cases to halt the coalition’s progress.  “They have used them to go to court to say that they don’t agree with the things we’re doing. Therefore, it should be stopped. And they are being protected. We have pictures and we know where they are.” “There are people in APC who feel that if we offer this, and they feel it’s too small, we just up it… But this time they failed,” Nwosu averred. Please Read: ADC Crisis Deepens as Ousted Nwosu Expels Kachikwu, Seven State Chairmen He alleged that some of these subterranean moves were also woven around Mr Dumebi Kachikwu, ADC presidential candidate in the 2023 general election. He accused Kachikwu of receiving funds to derail the coalition. “He has been the number one agent that is collecting resources from anywhere and funding the process to derail what we are doing as far as consolidating our coalition is concerned.” Affirming Kachikwu’s expulsion from the party from the party, Nwosu said, “We had ADL, which our NEC organised, and we recalled those people. And in our NEC yesterday, we pardoned them of everything. But Dumebi Kachikwu… we said for him, we don’t want him anymore.”   Sound leadership Despite all the odds, Nwosu is optimistic that the party and the coalition of individuals and political parties aggregating under the ADC would wither the storm. He mentioned one of the sources of his confidence as the choices they have made so far in their leadership recruitment exercise. “One of the biggest call that the coalition has made, choosing someone like David Mark and Governor Aregbesola, critical,” he enthused. “We’re just praying that everything will continue going well.… all the ideas that the new leadership has will work out well moving on,” he concluded.

Bill Mandating government officials’ children to attend public schools Set to be transmitted to National Assembly

A private bill seeking to prohibit government officials from sending their children to private schools and also using private hospitals, both within and outside Nigeria, is set for transmission to the National Assembly for legislative action.  The bill Proposes that public officials “shall patronise public education system for the education of his/her child or ward at nursery, primary, secondary and first-degree university levels.” The bill, sponsored by the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress in the 2023 election, Dumebi Kachikwu, also proposes that “No public officer shall patronise any private hospital within or outside the country for the treatment of any sickness or disease for himself, spouse, child or ward, no matter how grievous or life-threatening or debilitating the disease or sickness confronting the public officer, spouse, child or ward may be or appears to be, provided that where it is established that the public health institution in Nigeria may not be able to treat such sickness or disease, owing to lack of necessary materials or personnel.” It further proposed that where public health facilities cannot take care of the ailment of a public official or their family members “such a public officer may, on his own expense, upon the express permission granted therefore by the Senate, seek treatment in private hospitals within or outside Nigeria.” Furthermore, it proposed that “No public officer shall enroll or register his child or ward in any private school within or outside the country for the purpose of acquiring education at nursery, primary, secondary and first-degree university level.” A copy of the bill titled, “A Bill for an Act to place restriction on certain activities of public officers and directors of specialised businesses and for other matters connected therewith,” was made available to newsmen on Sunday. Speaking on the bill, the sponsor of the bill, Kachikwu, said, “The bill also proposes that civil and public servants are not allowed to have police escorts or protection except when a competent court has ruled that a threat to life exists and the police protection is for a maximum period of three months renewable for a period of one month by the order of a court. “Only the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker, governors, their deputies, Speakers, Speakers and Deputy Speakers and state Houses of Assembly and the Chief Judges of the different courts shall be entitled to police protection. “This also applies to directors of companies that require a government license, permit or lease to operate such as banks, telecom companies, oil and solid mineral mining companies, broadcast houses.” Section (1) (i) of the proposed law reads, “The objective of the bill is to promote patriotism among public officers by encouraging public officers to patronise public education system and public health institutions for the education of their children and healthcare services. “To promote confidence in the public education system and the public health system as public officers driving the sectors would devote time, energy, intellect and resources in providing efficient and effective education and healthcare service delivery for the citizens. “To ensure that directors of specialised businesses patronise public education system and public health institutions for the education of their children and healthcare services with a view to preserving foreign exchange earnings of the country and build confidence in the nation’s education and healthcare delivery system.” Under general restrictions, the bill provides that “No public officer shall travel by air for any official assignment within the country except it is proven that restriction of such a travel by air shall impact the national security and well-being of Nigeria,” and any public officer who violates this provision or “who has a generator or borehole in his house or