Peace Accord I signed with Jonathan contributed to peaceful polls in 2015—Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday said that the peace accord he signed alongside Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and other presidential candidates ahead of the 2015 general election contributed largely to the peace that accompanied the aftermath of the polls.

The president said this during the signing of the peace accord agreement led by the former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, at the State House. The president, playing host to the National Peace Committee, declared, “You may recall that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and I signed the first National Peace Accord before the 2015 elections. It is my conviction that it contributed significantly to the peaceful outcome of the 2015 election”.

He urged all the signatories to the 2023 election peace accord and their supporters to abide by its content and spirit.

He noted that the signing of the First National Peace Accord by presidential candidates in the 2023 election, earlier at a separate event on Thursday, was directed at committing political parties, aspirants, and their supporters to conduct their campaigns in a peaceful manner, devoid of ethnic, religious coloration and any form of hate speech that could affect the upcoming elections.

Read also: Osinbajo urges sustainability of Buhari’s MSME legacy

Lagos suspends RTEAN activities

The Lagos State government on Thursday suspended all activities of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in the state with immediate effect.

The state government’s announcement comes after some factional members of the association engaged in a brawl in the Iyana Iba and Lagos Island areas of the state. A clash that left several people wounded and some people hospitalized.

The government, while pronouncing the suspension of the union, said that the move was to prevent further escalation of violence and fulfil one of the state government’s cardinal objectives under the T.H.E.M.E Development Agenda.

The governor said that the decision was necessary after “some pockets of violence” were recorded in Ojo and Lagos Island on Wednesday.

A 35-man Caretaker Committee has been constituted to take over the activities of the Union.

Insecurity: Anambra Govt. suspends tricycle, shuttle bus unions

The Anambra State Government on Thursday announced the suspension of tricycle and shuttle bus unions in the state. According to the state government, the suspension is part of the state’s efforts to combat rising insecurity.

NAN, reported that the suspension is contained in a statement issued by Paul Nwosu, the Commissioner for Information, which was made available to the press on Thursday.

Nwosu stated that the government’s action followed security reports that indicted most of the operators of the affected unions for being behind the breakdown of law and order in the state.
He argued that leadership tussles within the unions were also causing conflicts and disruption to the peaceful movement of residents of the state.
Nwosu further stated that there were conflicts arising from different people and entities claiming to be the appropriate authority to unionise tricycle and shuttle bus operators or their owners.
He added that tricycle owners had openly rejected the claims by the so-called union leaders, contending that the unions were not working for them.
“In light of the above, and in order to forestall a total breakdown of law and order, the State Government hereby suspends all tricycle and shuttle bus unions with immediate effect for six months,” he stated.
Nwosu added that the suspension would remain until further investigations and harmonisation of the unions were completed.

Oil rises towards $90 as OPEC+ considers output cut

Oil prices firmed on Thursday, erasing earlier losses, on indications that OPEC+ might cut output, though a stronger dollar and weak economic outlook kept a lid on gains.

According to Reuters, the Brent crude futures rose 52 cents, or 0.6 per cent, to $89.84 a barrel by 1027 GMT and U.S. crude futures rose by 52 cents, or 0.6 per cent to $82.67.

Leading members of OPEC+ have begun discussions about an oil output cut when they meet on Oct. 5, two sources from the producer group said.

One source from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) said a cut looks likely but gave no indication of volumes.

Reuters also reported this week that Russia is likely to propose that OPEC+ reduces oil output by about 1 million barrels per day (bpd). 

Hurricane Ian also provided price support; about 157,706 bpd of oil production was shut down in the Gulf of Mexico as of Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.  

Russia set to annex four Ukraine regions with Kremlin ceremony

Putin plans to annex more of Ukraine on Friday, a strategy that will almost certainly further isolate Russia and attract additional sanctions from the international community. Some even suggest that allies like China may reconsider their support for the Kremlin.

It is expected that the annexation by Russia will attract more military, political, and economic support for Ukraine to strengthen their resolve to win the seven-month old war.

According to Reuters, the annexation would come just days after voters supposedly approved Moscow-managed “referendums” that Ukrainian and Western officials have denounced as illegal, forced and rigged.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that four regions of Ukraine — Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia — would be folded into Russia during a Kremlin ceremony attended by President Vladimir Putin, who is expected to give a major speech. The event was believed to be at 3pm Moscow time (NZT 1am Saturday).

Peskov said the regions’ pro-Moscow administrators would sign treaties to join Russia in the Kremlin’s ornate St. George’s Hall.

In an apparent response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called an emergency meeting Friday of his National Security and Defense Council.

The US and its allies have promised to adopt even more sanctions against Russia than they’ve already levied against it and to offer millions of dollars in extra support for Ukraine as the Kremlin duplicates the annexation playbook it followed when it incorporated Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.

Ukraine repeated its vows to recapture the four regions, as well as Crimea. For its part, Russia pledges to defend all its territory—including newly annexed regions—by all available means, including nuclear weapons. This is according to the Associated Press.