The planned disconnection of financial service provid­ers (FSP) from Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) services by telecom­munications operators has been put on hold.

Weighing the potential impact the action would have on the socioeconomic lives of the citizens, the Federal Government, at the weekend, asked telecom service provid­ers to shelve their impending suspension of USSD services over a N42 billion debt owed by banks.

The suspension order was contained in a statement signed by Femi Adeluyi, Technical Assistant on In­formation Technology to the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy.

Last week, the Associa­tion of Licensed Telecom­munications Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), in a statement, said telcos would disconnect financial service providers from USSD ser­vices from March 15 until they paid their over N42 bil­lion debt.

ALTON had explained that the service withdraw­al became necessary due to lack of agreement on a payment structure with the banks that did not involve the end-user being asked to pay.

However, in the statement on Saturday night titled, ‘Impending Suspension of USSD Banking Services Put on Hold’, the minister asked the mobile operators to abort the action.

The statement partly read, “In a bid to ensure amicable resolution of the impasse, Dr. Pantami has called for a meeting of all stakeholders, including governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC (Nigerian Com­munications Commission), the MNOs (Mobile Network Operators), and the financial institutions.

“The meeting is scheduled to hold on Monday, March 15, 2021.

“The outcome of the meet­ing will determine the next step regarding the status of the USSD financial services.”

 The moves by the rul­ing All Progressives Congress (APC) to reconcile its mem­bers ahead of the 2023 gen­eral elections appear to have hit the rocks following unresolved issues and lat­est upheavals in some state chapters of the party.

President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the APC in February 2020 named Chief Bisi Akande, the former Interim National Chairman of the party as the Chairman of the National Reconciliation Committee of the party.

The initial chairman, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, was dropped after some party members, espe­cially in Edo APC, accused him of alleged bias in the political crisis that rocked the state before the gover­norship election.

Other members of the Akande-led committee in­cluded governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello; Governor of Osun State, Gboyega Oyetola; Senate Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi; Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Idris Wase; Sen. Uma­ru Tanko Al-Makura; Sen. Kashim Shettima; Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor; Alh. Nasi­ru Aliko Koki; Sen. Khairat Gwadabe-Abdulrazaq, and Sen. Binta Garba.

Credible party sources said the committee has not achieved much since its for­mation and party members are worried that the party may go into the 2023 elec­tions more polarised than it is presently.

While some party mem­bers have blamed the out­break of the COVID-19 as a major impediment to the committee’s work, others blame the indifference of Akande to the assignment owing to the latest develop­ments in the party, especial­ly alleged attempts by some power brokers to humiliate his ally, Asiwaju Bola Tinu­bu, former governor of La­gos and the party’s national leader.

According to a credible source in the party, who was asked to compare the pace of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s Reconcilia­tion and Strategy Commit­tee led by former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and that of the ruling party, many APC members are not really feeling the impact of the reconciliatory efforts of the Akande-led committee and are calling for change.

Aside some unresolved crisis in states like Kwara, Imo, Osun, Ogun, Edo, Ondo, Zamfara, and Rivers which are being managed silently, they also cited the latest developments which led to an open confronta­tion between Governor Ab­dulRahman AbdulRazak of Kwara State and the Minis­ter of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, and the altercation between Gov­ernor Hope Uzodimma and Senator Rochas Okorocha.

He said: “As you are aware, the Akande-led com­mittee was inaugurated in February 2020.

“That was when COVID-19 outbreak started in Nigeria and this great­ly affected the work of the committee as they couldn’t do much.

“Some have said the com­mittee could have deployed the use of technology such as zoom, but we all know that in resolving crisis, that method of virtual meeting won’t be as effective as hav­ing a one-on-one meeting where the warring parties will sit together and even embrace after the issues are resolved.”

However, another party source said Akande is not really keen about the task after he and other leaders’ opinion were not sought before the party leadership embarked on the ongoing party registration and re­validation exercise.

Akande had publicly criticised the exercise as an aberration and a waste of money considering the economic situation of the country.

“Many of us in the party believe that Papa Akande is not really keen about the reconciliation exercise ow­ing to certain developments in the party.

“The first is the sidelin­ing of party leaders by the current national executives of the party, led by Gover­nor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, especially on the ongoing membership registration exercise.

“The second is also the issue of alleged attempts to humiliate his ally, Asiwaju Tinubu, over his perceived presidential ambition.

“If you remember, Akande, Chief Olusegun Osoba, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, and Dr. Abayomi Fin­nih visited the president in Aso Villa in November 2020 and many believed this was the issue they discussed, even though it was not re­vealed made public.

“The issue is the party cannot keep watching while everything is in disarray and the committee set up by the president is not doing its job of reconciliation.

“We have seen what is going on in the other party and this is a source of worry to us as 2023 is around the corner.”

In the PDP, a member of the Saraki committee said they had achieved 50 per­cent success rate in recon­ciling aggrieved members ahead of the 2023 elections.

According to him, with the support it has received from all PDP stakeholders so far, especially the Nation­al Working Committee led by Prince Uche Secondus, the committee is confident that all grey areas would be sorted out and the par­ty would be in good shape ahead of the 2023 elections.

Also speaking, Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chair­man of the PDP, has hailed the Saraki-led committee on its ongoing efforts to unite the party and return it to winning ways in future elections.

Speaking with Daily In­dependent at the weekend, George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, who hailed Saraki’s maturity in han­dling the assignment, said he was highly impressed with the fact that the for­mer two-time governor of Kwara State had been speaking truth to power without mincing words on the way to go for the party to reclaim its place of pride in Nigeria’s political are­na.

He said: “The national reconciliation committee set up by the party headed by Dr. Bukola Saraki is do­ing a very wonderful job.

He Sultan of Sokoto and the President General Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) , Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, has declared Monday March 15, as the first day of Sha’aban 1442AH.

Abubakar, made the declaration in a statement by Prof. Sambo Junaidu, Chairman, Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs, Sultanate Council, Sokoto.

“Sultanate Council Advisory Committee on Religious Affairs in Conjunction with the National Moonsighting Committee did not receive any report confirming the sighting of the crescent.

“This is for the new moon of Sha’aban 1442AH on Saturday March 13, which is equivalent to the 29th day of Rajab 1442AH.

“Therefore, Sunday March 14, will be 30th day of Rajab 1442AH.

“The Sultan has accepted the report, and accordingly declared Monday March 15, as the first day of Sha’aban 1442AH,” the statement read.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Sha’aban is the eighth month of the Islamic calendar, which comes before the compulsory fasting month of Ramadan.

Many pro-Biafra groups, at the weekend, gathered at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to form a self-indigenous government called Biafra De facto Customary Government, headed by Mujahid Dokubo Asari and other estranged associates of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) leader, Nnadi Kanu.

The new group,it was gathered, would take care of current insecurity challenges faced by the Igbo and also focus on science and technology advancements to make life easier for the people.

Head of Information and Communication for the customary government, Uche Mefor, in a statement, named George Onyibe as secretary of the organisation while Emeka Esiri would be in charge of legal matters.

In his maiden address to Biafrans, last Saturday, Asari said it was time the Igbo take their destiny into their hands and bring freedom to their people, children and generations of Biafrans yet unborn.

He said after the civil war, the resources of Nigeria were confiscated and taken over by those who have now become the masters of Nigeria.

“Today marks a great epoch in our history, a history that has been chequered with pains, sweat and our blood. We went through three years of gruesome genocide. We came out of it and became a people without direction.   

“There has been uprising in various parts of Biafra. There was the Ogoni revolt that led to the death of Ken Saro Wiwa and others.

“My comrades, how long will they tell us they must forcefully enter our land and move their animals around? How long will they tell us the acceptable legal principle of ‘Cujus Est Solum Ejus Usque Ad Coelum’ (he who owns the land, owns all that is in the land, above the land and below the land) does not apply in our case? How long will Zamfara has the right to mine its gold and other solid mineral resources and we will not have the right to our own? How long will our creeks, streams, waters, river lets belong to the omnibus Nigerian State, but we have no right to all these resources, as they belong to the Nigerian State?”

Warning the people not to accept the role of second class citizens or play second fiddle; a situation of a slave riding on horseback and master walking on foot, he stressed that all over the world, Biafrans have projected the positive image of the black race, but at home, he said, “we are nobody. In our home, we are now third fiddle. We are mere appendages to Nigeria. It is time we cut ourselves loose.

“This has formed the decision in accepting this position, this trust. I never expected it from all our brothers and sisters across the globe who gathered and said, ‘come and lead’. I hesitated, but I thank God that it is time for us to do our duty and our service to motherland. I have accepted this role; I have dedicated my life hundred percent to play this role.

“I am not your leader, I am not your master; I am just one of you. There are many of you out there who are far better than me; who are more entitled to this position than myself, who are more intelligent than me, who are wiser and have travelled and globe throttled more than me, but you saw in me some qualities that qualified me to even come near this office, I appreciate you.”

He reminded members of the cabinet that many of them may not reach the Promised Land, because the enemy, he said is ever ready to bear his fangs and laws. He, however, assured them that, “by the grace of God, for every Pharaoh, God created a Moses and for every Goliath, God created a David.