Monday, April 10, 2023 Edition

Cross section of youth participants at the ongoing National Easter Retreat of Deeper Life Bible Church Gwagwa Region in Abuja yesterday.

Hajj 2023: CSO tasks NAHCON, Airlines on service delivery

By Yunusa Abubakar with agency report

The Independent Hajj Reporters (IHR) has called on the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the 2023 Hajj carriers to ensure quality and timely transportation of intending pilgrims.

Ibrahim Muhammed, IHR national coordinator, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja on Saturday.

IHR is a civil society organization that monitors and reports Hajj and Umrah in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia.

He said transportation of pilgrims differs from the routine international or local flights

by the Airliners, especially the new entrants – Air Peace, Aero Contractors and Value Jet.

‘’Hajj is tied to the day of Arafat and the day of is not amenable to change like other worldly events that can be delayed or postponed.

‘’Airlift of Pilgrims forms the core aspect of hajj operations because Hajj takes place in Saudi Arabia as such all registered intending pilgrims must be flown to the holy land to perform the spiritual exercise,’’ Muhammed said.

He urged the selected Airliners to realise that delays would amount to denying the intending pilgrims the opportunity to perform rituals of the hajj as and when due.

He called on NAHCON to

ensure full implementations of all the service agreements with the airliners, adding that plans should be on ground to replace erring airliners.

‘’NAHCON should understand that Nigerians and Hajj stakeholders will hold them responsible if they fail to act when service providers fail in delivering their assigned responsibilities,’’ he said.

Muhammed also called on the traditional Air Carriers to avoid using one plane in carrying intending pilgrims from two or three countries during hajj operations.

‘’They should know that no one benefits when the order of the day is cutting corners, struggling to ferry Tour Operators pilgrims

within the allotted time granted to Hajj participating countries.’’

He commended NAHCON for increasing the numbers of hajj carriers for states Pilgrims and also adding a different set of airliners to ferry Tour operators’ pilgrims.

‘’Such move will create an environment for healthy competition that will be in the interests of timely airlift of Nigerian pilgrims to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 2023 hajj exercises.

‘’However, NAHCON, States Muslim Pilgrims Boards and Hajj and Umrah Operators should work together in order to streamline the airlift operations to avoid the confused mode of airlift witnessed in 2022 hajj,’’ he said.

Again, Buhari fires another MDA boss, NIPC Chief, Umar

CON, the President also mandated the most senior Director in the Commission to immediately

take over in the interim, a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said on Thursday.

Nurse Goodness Chukwumeka taking a Boy Temperature assisted by Director General, Teen Ambassador Foundation, Dr. Paul Adiwu, during the Medical Outreach Programme by Teen Ambassador Foundation, at Luvu Madaki Community, Karu LG Nasarawa

Photo: Mahmud Isa

CJN rejoices with Christians on Easter, Muslims on Ramadan

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola has rejoiced with Christians in Nigeria and in the

CDS felicitates with Christians at Easter

By Tobias Lengnam

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has felicitated with members of the Armed forces of Nigeria on the occasion of Easter celebrations.

A statement signed by Tukur Gusau, Brigadier General and Acting Director Defence Information said the CDS wishes members of the Armed Forces and their families happy Easter filled with love and joy.

“He called on all to use this period to reflect on the love of Jesus Christ for which this season is celebrated and continue to manifest Love for Country in all dispositions. He urged all to continue to pray to the Lord for more success in our operations and smooth democratic transition in the nation.

“General Irabor thanked Members of the Armed Forces for making our nation proud in various operations at home and abroad.

“The CDS also uses the festive period to appreciate the noble role played by the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the just concluded general elections which has continued to attract commendations from around the world.

“The CDS uses this occasion to once again express the loyalty and commitment of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to Mr President, C-in-C and the Constitution of the Federal Republic. We pledge to continue to respect and protect the constitution and democratic governance in the Country.”

Ramadan Timing Day 19

world over this year’s Easter celebration.

Justice Ariwoola also greeted Muslim faithful in the country for witnessing the on- going Ramadan fast.

He counselled both Christians and Muslims to use the two occasions to pray fervently for peace and tranquility to continue to prevail in the country.

The statement personally signed by the CJN reads in part “ it is with gratitude to Almighty Allah, the most gracious, the most merciful, the most benevolent for His grace at this season when both Christians and Muslims all over the globe are fasting and calling on Almighty God for protection and blessings that i express my greetings to all.

“I am using this opportunity to thank my brother Justices of

the Supreme Court of Nigeria and our supporting staff for their unalloyed cooperation since the beginning of the current legal year of the 2022/2023 which started in the mid-September, 2022.

“I want to specifically appreciate and acknowledge my brother Justices who have delivered 272 judgments in the normal civil, criminal and election related Appeal under immense pressure.

“We appreciate, adore and give glory to Almighty God who has continued to keep us all in good health.

“I wish the Christian faithful a joyous Easter and the Muslim Ummah a rewarding Ramadan and happy Eid- el- Fitr”.

The Supreme Court is in Easter and Eid-el- Fitr vacation and will resume later this month.

Zulum at Easter: Pray our Second Term outperforms first

Governor Babagana Umara

Zulum has felicitated with Christians in Borno State and the rest of Nigeria on the ongoing Easter festival.

Zulum, in his message released by his spokesman, Malam Isa Gusau, urged citizens in Borno State to pray for the full restoration of peace in the state and to also pray that the second term of his administration will be guided by God to deliver on hundreds of infrastructural projects, programmes and policies that will improve living standards in ways that will far surpass what was achieved during the governor’s first term that will soon end on May 29, 2023.

The statement reads in part:

“On behalf of the Borno State Government, I heartily felicitate with our Christian brothers and sisters in Borno and across Nigeria at this Easter season.”

“I urge security agencies to sustain their good efforts in preserving security during the festivities and far beyond.”

“I call on all celebrants to make sacrifices in reaching out to family members, friends, neighbours and other community members who might be in need of help.”

“As we round up our first term, I want to specially request that all the good people of Borno State commit our second term to prayers by devoutly asking God to guide us towards the full restoration of peace, towards the safe resettlement of citizens still displaced, towards the reviving of means of livelihoods across all communities previously affected by insurgents’ destructions and the strengthening of economies in areas less affected by attacks in all senatorial zones.”

“I also seek prayers that God guides us to undertake hundreds of meaningful infrastructural projects, programmes and policies that will fairly impact on all our 27 local government areas.”

“Above all, I seek prayers that God sustains our human efforts to be good leaders whose hearts and minds will remain overwhelmed by the sincerest desire to serve the good people of Borno State.”“I also seek prayers that God guides us to undertake hundreds of meaningful infrastructural projects, programmes and policies that will fairly impact on all our 27 local government areas.”

“Above all, I seek prayers that God sustains our hu”

(Source: Society for the Propagation of Islam Kaduna)

TIPS ON HEALTHY ‘IFTAR’

Choose lean proteins to get the benefits with little saturated fats. Include fish, skinless chicken or turkey and low-fat dairy to have as part of your iftar meal. If you’re vegetarian, you can select other protein sources such as legumes, beans and nuts.

(HealthyEating #Alarabiya.net)

Compiled

Bishop preaches hope at Easter

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Bishop Timothy Yahaya of Anglican communion, Kaduna Diocese has Easter is the beginning of eternal hope for mankind and therefore, called on Christians and all Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness against one another as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

He asserted this in his Easter massages delivered at the Saint Michaels Cathedral in Kaduna Kaduna yesterday.

According to him resurrection celebration is a time believers experienced the power of the love of God that transforms grief to joy, darkness to light, death to life.

“For each one of us faces our own cross, our own darkness, our own despair, we know there is hope. With the resurrection of Christ, we, too, are given the hope that transforms that darkness into light and that despair into hope. Even the greatest fear - the fear of death - is overcome through the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ”

The Bishop also admonished Nigerians that there is hope of better days in the Country, saying even though the country is going through turbulent the resurrection power of Christ brings hope of Security, qualitative and affordable education, Good Railway transportation and in interrupted power supply.

Bishop Yahaya advised the new elected leaders to stick to their campaigns promised because Nigerians voted for them as leaders stressing that the people are wiser and will demand for their right as at when due.

He therefore advised them urged to adopt a positive approach to governance by putting the interest of the masses above themselves.

Bishop Yahaya advised the new elected leaders to stick to their campaigns promised because Nigerians voted for them as leaders stressing that the people are wiser and will demand for their right as at when due.

He therefore advised them urged to adopt a positive approach to governance by putting the interest of the masses above themselves.

Buhari’s N320bn TETFUND grant is largest ever to tertiary institutions -BMO

The latest disbursement of N320.3 billion as intervention funds for public tertiary institutions is yet another evidence of President Muhammadu Buhari’s desire to improve higher education in the country.

The BUHARI Media Organisation said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke that the 2023 Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) disbursement to tertiary institutions is the highest in 30 years.

“If there is any administration that many Nigerians are not fair to, it is the President Muhammadu

Buhari administration which has been accused of ignoring the education sector.

“But the latest information from TETFund has once more shown how insincere many of the critics of the administration have been in their assessment.

“We have been constantly assailed with tales of poor funding of public tertiary institutions but the facts on ground have continued to put a lie to that claim as seen in the latest TETFund approvals to the schools.

“According to the TETFund Executive Secretary, the 2023 allocation to tertiary institutions is N320bn which represents the highest disbursement to the

institutions since the Fund was created 30 years ago.

“For the avoidance of doubt, each federal university is to get N1.154bn, the polytechnics get N699.3m each while colleges of education are to receive N800.8m each for 2023 alone.

“This is unprecedented and it goes without saying that there has never been a time in Nigeria’s history that public institutions of learning got this much even at the height of the various oil booms of previous administrations”, the statement added.

BMO noted that public institutions of learning got more funding in the Buhari years than at any time in the nation’s

history.

“We make bold to say with the benefit of publicly available information that yearly allocations on President Buhari’s watch to these schools have consistently been higher than previous years.

“The Buhari-era disbursement to public universities, polytechnics and colleges of education totalled N1.702tn compared to N1.249tn disbursed from the inception of the fund in 1993 to 2014.

“But that of 2023 clearly stood out, and like officials of the ministry of education we hope that beneficiary institutions would use the intervention funds judiciously”.

Easter: PDP urges Nigerians to pray for triumph of justice, new order

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to pray for the triumph of justice in the country and rekindle their hope for a new and purposeful Order that derives only from the Will of the people.

The party said this in a statement in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Hon Debo Ologunagba

The coming of Easter, at the time Nigerians are despondent over the outcome of the 2023 general elections, according to the PDP, serves as an assurance that no matter how long

falsehood and manipulation appear to thrive, the truth will surely prevail at the end of the day.

It added that that this season rekindles humanity’s assurance of victory of life over death, hope over despair, justice over injustice and the triumph of the Will of the people over the selfish and parochial scheme of an arrogant, selfish, corrupt and manipulative few.

The PDP said that it is saddened that Nigerians are again observing a celebration such as Easter in hardship, fear, insecurity and hopelessness occasioned by the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party however assured of its upmost resolve to take every lawful action in the

determination to retrieve the Presidential mandate freely given by the people to it and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar at the February 25, 2023 Presidential election “so that Nigerians can have the breath of fresh air under a purposeful leadership that they eagerly yearn for”.

According to the statement by Ologunagba, “The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) urges Nigerians to use the occasion of Easter, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to pray for the triumph of justice in the country and rekindle their hope for a new and purposeful Order that derive only from the Will of the people.

“The coming of Easter, at the time Nigerians are despondent

over the outcome of the 2023 general elections, serves as an assurance that no matter how long falsehood and manipulation appear to thrive, the truth will surely prevail at the end of the day.

“This season rekindles humanity’s assurance of victory of life over death, hope over despair, justice over injustice and the triumph of the Will of the people over the selfish and parochial scheme of an arrogant, selfish, corrupt and manipulative few.

“The PDP is saddened that Nigerians are again observing a celebration such as Easter in hardship, fear, insecurity and hopelessness occasioned by the misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

L-R: Member House of Representatives, Hon. Abubakar Sarki Dahiru, Chairman, House of Committee on Navy/Speakership Aspirant of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, Governor of Kwara State, Alh. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Defence, Hon. Abubakar Maki Yalleman, during the Speakership Aspirant visited the Governor of Kwara state with his team, at the weekend in Illorin.

Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege remains expelled from APC, Delta State EXCO insists

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has insisted that the expulsion of the Deputy Senate President and candidate of the party in the last governorship election in the state, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege stands.

This was disclosed in a communique issued at the end of an emergency meeting of the APC State Executive Council signed by Mr Webor Isaac (Chairman), Benefa Abraham (State Organizing Secretary), Uvwromonena Aghogho (Publicity Secretary) and twentythree others.

In the communique made available to journalists yesterday, the Delta State chapter of the ruling APC accused OmoAgege of series of anti-party activities including his failure to work for the President-elect and candidate of APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the election.

According to the communique, “We noted the forced efforts of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege to cause members of his ‘’kangaroo Exco’’ in his ward and State to refute his expulsion.

“The general public is hereby notified that Ovie Omo-Agege’s

•Accuses him of working for Peter Obi, instead of Tinubu

expulsion stands and he remains expelled.

“Senator Ovie Omo-Agege did not support the Presidentelect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the National Convention that produced the candidate. Indeed, he collected monies for Logistics and used it for other aspirants.

“During the campaigns, Ovie Omo- Agege and his boys worked for Peter Obi. He entered into an alliance with Labour Party to work for Labour for President and for Labour to work for him (Ovie Omo-Agege) during his Gubernatorial election.

“In fact, Ovie Omo-Agege did not believe that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will win the Election.

“All Omo-Agege’s campaign posters had Peter Obi and he never mentioned Bola Tinubu during his campaigns”, the Delta State chapter of APC stated.

The party however, unanimously, expressed their overwhelming vote of confidence and unalloyed loyalty to President Mohammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Abdullahi Adamu (CFR).

The party also congratulated the President-elect, Senator

Ahmed Tinubu “as we look forward to his swearing-in”.

The emergency meeting of the State Executive council of the APC in Delta State, which was called to review the current situation in the party

CAN president urge Nigerians to look above challenges

By Albert Akota

The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Archbishop Daniel Okoh, has called on the country to look above challenges and work for the future.

with particular reference to the activities of Sennator Ovie OmoAgege, raised the alarm over what it called an illegal EXCO meeting of the party slated for April 11, 2023 by the loyalists of the Deputy Senate President.

In his Easter celebration message, which was made available to pressmen yesterday in Abuja signed by him, the Christian leader urged Nigerians to be hopeful and steadfast in their faith, despite the many challenges facing the country.

Okoh noted the difficulties that Nigerians are currently facing, including insecurity, economic hardship, and social and political unrest.

coexistence

Easter: Gbajabiamila, Wase, Minority Leader calls for love, prayer, peaceful

By Christiana Ekpa

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has rejoiced with Christians across the country on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebration.

Gbajabiamila said the period is very crucial and calls for sober reflection among Christians as it marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The speaker, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, called for peaceful coexistence among Nigerians now and always.

Speaker Gbajabiamila urged the citizens, especially Christians, to use the period to pray for a peaceful transition on May 29.

He also called for prayers for the incoming administration of President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, as well as other leaders in the country.

Gbajabiamila wished the entire Christian community

in the country happy Easter celebrations.

Also the Deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase CON called on Nigerians to show love to one another and pray for their leaders.

Wase made the call in an Easter message to the Christian faithful signed by Chief Presss Secretary, Umar Muhammad Puma.

He said since the essence of Easter was love as exemplified in the unconditional love showered on humankind by Jesus, his followers were duty bound to emulate him.

“I congratulate our Christian brothers and sisters on this spiritual and solemn occasion of Easter and wish them a joyful celebration.

“As you celebrate, I wish to advise every Nigerian to radiate love and endeavour to pray for our leaders to lead us right for the growth of our society”

“Love is the greatest and we

should radiate love in all our dealings. We should also emulate him by showing love, praying for one another and even sacrificing where necessary. If we do this, there will be tolerance, peace and all of us will enjoy this great nation”, Wase advised.

The Minority Caucus in the House of Representatives equally urged Nigerians not to lose hope but use the occasion of this year’s Easter to reawaken their trust in God and reinforce their optimism for a peaceful, united, secure and prosperous nation they yearn for.

The Caucus in the Easter massage to Christian by it’s leader, Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu charged Nigerians to focus on the essence of Easter; the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, as an eternal reassurance of God’s undying love and divine salvation to mankind.

He said the resurrection of Jesus Christ presents us the reassurance that no matter how unpleasant and painful an

adverse situation might be, with God, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

“Easter therefore offers us great lesson in the triumph of life over death, light over darkness, peace over chaos, hope over despair, prosperity over lack; a pointer that with supplications to God and unity in determination, our nation would surely overcome its current political, economic and social predicaments.

“While our Caucus recognizes that most Nigerians are hurting at this time over apprehensions that their hope of a better nation, which they expressed at various levels in the 2023 general elections is being jeopardized, we remain hopeful that the Will of the people will surely triumph at the end of the day.

“The Minority Caucus therefore urges Nigerians to remain united, law-abiding and use the Easter to show love to and encourage one another in hope of the victory of justice over iniquity in the affairs of our nation.

According to him, these challenges are not insurmountable, and that with faith and determination, Nigerians can overcome them.

“As a nation, Nigeria has faced many challenges in recent years, from insecurity and economic instability to social and political unrest.

“Christ rose from the dead and brought new life to the world, we too can rise above our challenges and start afresh,” Archbishop Okoh said in his message.

“This Easter, let us all come together and renew our commitment to building a better Nigeria.”

The Archbishop also called on Nigerians to embrace the values of love, peace, and reconciliation, which are central to the Easter message.

He urged Nigerians to work together to build a better future for all, regardless of their religious or ethnic backgrounds.

“Let us put aside our differences and come together in unity, just as Christ’s resurrection brought together people from all walks of life,” he said.

Omo-Agege

NANS to FG: Rescue two abducted Gusau females students, 10 others in Kachia now

From Ahmed Idris Birnin Kebbi

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has appealed to authorities concerned to use all possible means to rescue the females federal university of Gusau and secondary school students from their abductors.

The two female Microbiology students of the Federal University, Gusau, Zamfara and another 10 female secondary school students of Kachia LGA in Kaduna State had been in captivity.

A press release signed by the Deputy Coordinator, Intercampus Affairs of NANS Zone A Comrade Vanessa Enoch Kwere, and made available to newsmen made the appeal in Birnin Kebbi yesterday.

Kwere issued the statement after NANS delegation met with the management of the university shortly after the union’s Zonal Convention held in Jigawa recently.

She pointed out that the call became imperative in view of the fact that the abducted students were under the care of government, hence they remained the property of government.

Miss Enoch Kwere said: “We were notified of the sad news regarding the abduction of two 200 level female students of Microbiology Department, Federal University, Gusau.

“It is indeed a really heart touching incident, we had to stop by to pay a solidarity visit, to also sympathise with the institution on this incident.

“We urge the students to remain calm and keep praying for the safe return of their friends and sisters.”

According to her, the union met with the school management, including Prof. Ahmad Galadima, the Acting Vice Chancellor, who is also the current Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university; Dean Students’ Affairs, Prof. Lawal Sa’ad; Deputy Dean, Student Affairs, Dr Tagba as well as the Chief Security Officer.

Enoch Kwere said during the meeting, they discussed how the incident happened and the strategies being currently applied by the institution to rescue the abducted students.

“The meeting was presided over by the pioneer Students’ Representative Council (SRC) and President FUBK, Comrade Usman Ladan-Fakai, and

Blood Bath In Benue again, as 38 IDPs massacred by unknown gunmen

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

Over 38 persons have been murdered and 38 others seriously injured following attack on an Internally displaced persons camp in Mgbam, Nyiev Community in Udei, Guma local government of Benue State.

The attack came barely three days after 52 persons were killed in Umugidi community in Otukpo local government area by gun wielding assailants.

Peoples’ Daily gathered from the locals that the attack took place between 9pm and 10pm

on Friday. It was also learnt that majority of those killed were women and children.

District head of Nyiev Community Bernard Shawa said he lost two of his sons during the attack, adding that there had been previous attack on the day of the Presidential election on February 25, 2023 during which 12 persons were killed.

A survivor Mnenna Orkega who lost her 10 year old daughter narrated they they were asleep when they heard sporadic gun shots.

Mnnena said she attempted to

escape through the window when an assailant whose identity were not certain grabbed her child and killed her.

Speaking when he visited the scene of the incident, Governor Samuel Ortom described it as ‘unfortunate’, saying that his government will not be provoked to take laws into its hand but will remain law abiding.

He said the President should do more than to send condolence message and direct security agencies to fish out the perpetrators.

“I condemn this act. It is most

unfortunate. We are law abiding people. We will not be provoked to take arms against anyone. We will allow the law to take its course. I saw the President’s condolence message but he should go beyond this and issue orders to smoke out these herders and terrorists. You can imagine the pain of this people. People doing this are known and must be fished out. We want peace. I refuse to be provoked. How can we make progress with this type of killing? Putting blame and castigating me is not right”, Ortom said.

1000 Nasarawa communities benefit from NGO free medical outreach

By Christiana Ekpa

No fewer than 1000 persons were beneficiaries of a medical outreach by a Non Governmental Organization (NGO), Teen Ambassadors Foundation (TAF), for residents of Luvu Madaki communities and environs in Karu local government area of Nasarawa State.

The medical intervention held at the TAF Office Luvu Madaki, and offered screening and treatment for malaria, typhoid, peptic ulcer, urinary tract infections, hypertension, diabetes, skin diseases. The intervention also provided free vaccination and treatment for Hepatitis among others.

Doctors, nurses, laboratory scientists and pharmacists were on ground to offer services free of charge to adults and children

from the communities.

Director General of the Foundation, Mr Paul Adiwu, said the gesture was borne out of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of the NGO.

Adiwu said the intervention, which was meant for all classes of people, targeted at least 1000 persons.

He said, “This is our first quarter medical outreach for the year. We were here last year. We only gave medication for hepatitis patients but the vaccination was not introduced then. So we introduced the vaccination and we felt it is only right we come here so they can benefit from the vaccination. Those those that do not have hepatitis but wish to be vaccinated are free to do so. We are here to treat them on different ailments and administer vaccinations for

hepatitis.”

He said the gesture was also in the spirit of Easter and Ramadan.

Adiwu added that TAF was also into education and entrepreneurship development to deal with unemployment in the country, besides the medical outreaches.

The Medical Coordinator of TAF, Dr Samuel Munza, said the goal of the organization was to completely drive out hepatitis.

He said, “Our goal is to drive out hepatitis. We are actually vanguards towards that. We cannot do everything but we are doing our best. When we screen them, for those that are positive we have liver supplements we give to them and counsel them. For those that are negative we give them the vaccines. We give them the immunization and ask them to come for the follow

up dosage we always make it available.”

He said the medical intervention covered everyone including children.

Various beneficiaries expressed gratitude to Teen Ambassadors Foundation for the gesture.

They said it would go a long way in improving the well-being of the people and called on other organizations to emulate the gesture.

A traditional ruler in the community, Chief Salasi Ali, said, “We thank God for TAF. We appreciate this gesture for the community. We thank the DG of TAF, Dr Paul Adiwu, because so far, he is only person doing such for the community. A lot of persons needed serious medical attention. They came with this medical outreach last year and the people have been

Parish Priest of sacred heart Catholic Church Gwagwalada, Rev.fr. Samuel Tarvihi, (right), blessing the parishioners during the Easter Sunday mass in Abuja yesterday

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Commissioner of Police, Nasarawa State Command, CP Maiyaki Baba has reassured the general public, especially the family of Prof Onje Gye-wado that effort is ongoing to rescue the victim who was abducted by yet to be identified hoodlums in the early hours of Friday, as Police tactical operatives have intensified search and rescue operation.

This assurance was conveyed through a press release from DSP Ramhan Nansel, Police Public Relations Officer, Nasarawa State Command, and made available to PeoplesDaily.

According to the statement, information received by the command indicated that on

Abduction: CP Maiyaki Baba reassures safe rescue of Prof. Onje Gye-wado

7/4/2023 at about 12:30am, unknown gunmen invaded Gwagi village in Wamba LGA, broke into the residence of one Prof. Onje Gye-wado and abducted him to an unknown destination.

“Upon receipt of the information, Police operatives attached to Wamba Division swiftly moved to the scene, but the hoodlums had fled with the victim before their arrival.

“The Commissioner of Police further mobilised and deployed reinforcement comprising Police tactical teams, military, vigilante,

WHD: Group advocates increased care for older persons

Save Our Heritage Initiative (SOHI), an Abuja based Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called for increased medical care for older persons in Nigeria.

Chief Executive Officer of the group, Ms May Ikokwu, made the call in commemoration of the World Health Day while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

Commenting on the theme: “Health for All,” Ikokwu stressed the need to guarantee health equity and equality for older persons, irrespective of their social or work classes.

She said that it was time for practical implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by including older persons.

“Ageing population will have an impact on the ambition of universal health coverage.

“Because without considering the health and social care needs of the everincreasing numbers of older people, UHC will be impossible to achieve,” she said.

The Culture Advocate said: “Equally, SDG 3, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, cannot be met without transforming health and social systems”.

She called for a paradigm shift from a focus only on disease towards the provision of the integrated and personcentred care that should be known to have the greatest impact on functional ability in older age.

According to her, the transformation requires organising services to respond to older people’s diverse

levels of physical and mental capacities as well as their needs and preferences.

“Others include extending coverage of services to all older people.

She said this, “particularly those who have been in the informal workforce or who have filled caregiving roles, have very limited access to even basic services.”

Ikokwu reiterated the call for development of sustainable financing mechanisms.

She said it was imperative to protect older people and their families from undue financial burdens.

She said that it would go a long way in providing system incentives for the provision of the services older people needed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aim of World Health Day is to create awareness among people about the value of good health.

World Health Day is celebrated across the world on April 7 annually. Ikokwu reiterated the call for development of sustainable financing mechanisms.

She said it was imperative to protect older people and their families from undue financial burdens.

She said that it would go a long way in providing system incentives for the provision of the services older people needed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aim of World Health Day is to create awareness among people about the value of good health.

World Health Day is celebrated across the world on April 7 annually. (NAN)

and local hunters to complement the ongoing search to rescue the hostage hale and hearty and arrest the perpetrators of the act.

“The Commissioner of Police therefore call on anyone with useful information that will enable the Police to succeed in the rescue operation to call the following telephone numbers: 09115629178, 09067877096, 08112692680 and 08104441179”, the statement added. “The Commissioner of Police further mobilised and deployed reinforcement comprising Police tactical teams, military, vigilante, and local hunters to complement the ongoing search to rescue the hostage hale and hearty and arrest the perpetrators of the act.

“The Commissioner of Police therefore call on anyone with useful information that will enable the Police4441179”, the statement added.

CP Maiyaki Baba

Foundation advocates nationwide domestications of national youth policy

Promad Foundation, a civic tech nonprofit organisation, has called for the domestication of the National Youth Policy (NYP) 2019-2023 by the remaining 34 states for effective youth civic participation.

Founder and Executive Director of Promad Foundation, Mr. Daisi Omokungbe, made the call at a news conference to launch a Research Policy Memo on Accelerating Youth Civic participation and Development said only Lagos and Rivers have domesticated.

Omokungbe said that the research launched by Promad Foundation was with support from LEAP Africa and the Nigeria Youth Futures Fund (NYFF) in Abuja.

He said that the call for nationwide domestication of the NYP was imperative following the implementation of the foundation’s Accelerating Youth Civic Participation and Development (AYCP) project in FCT.

He said that the project was a youth component of the foundation’s Grassroots Advocacy Project (GRAB) that focused on community needs assessment for budget making, enhancing citizens’ opportunity to nominate projects that meet the needs of their communities into the budget.

“AYCP project attracted educated and mobilised youth across the six area councils for civic participation such as in the 2023 general elections, collection of community and youth need assessment data.

“They were empowered to track projects in their communities to drive participatory and accountable governance in the pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and #TheNigeriaWeWant.

“We have engaged young people at community levels and held town hall meetings, we conducted surveys on youth civic participation and development challenges through the deployment of our home-grown civic-tech needs assessment platform http://grap.org.ng.

“It targets young people mostly at the grassroots, as well as qualitative interviews among others which led to the production of this research policy memo.’’

Omokungbe said that the policy memo examined youth civic participation and development in the nation’s capital, it assessed youth related issues and grouped the findings into three major categories.

He said they were: access to economic power, civic and political participation and inclusion, and youth and

electoral violence.

He said the policy document itemized issues affecting youth civic participation in the FCT which spurred participation of youths in the 2023 elections.

“This is part of our contributions to leading new policy advocacy for young people’s inclusion and empowerment to play new roles in the Nigeria we want as a new administration will take off.’’

Omokungbe said based on the foregoing, there was need for empowerment schemes to address youth needs and priorities.

He added that youths must be at the front and centre of their budget formation adding that there should be a budgeting framework that allows youths to nominate the projects and programmes they need according to their collective priorities in the budget.

He added that young people must organise to pursue their cause and the government and leaders understand that youths are the majority and they can achieve anything they want in togetherness.

He called for the need to leave no youth behind and also called for increased funding for education and innovative programmes because a welleducated youth is important in achieving the SDGs.NAN

Easter: Uba Sani says Peace necessary for progress, development.

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Kaduna State GovernorElect Senator Uba Sani, has said Nigerians must strive to imbibe the values which Jesus Christ lived.

He stated this in his Easter massages to the people of the state yesterday.

According to him, most of the communities are in the throes of conflict and Development has been retarded, saying, Peace is the only way towards progress and development.

“Let me take this opportunity to extend my best wishes for a Happy Easter to our dear brothers and sisters of the Christian faith. I congratulate you for successfully going through the Lenten Period.

“May the good Lord reward your sacrifices, and place His holy hands upon our dear country.

“Easter is a time of spiritual and physical renewal. The Lenten Period enables the faithful to return to God through fasting, prayers and alms giving.

“It is a time for making personal sacrifices and contributing to the building of peaceful communities. We must use the opportunity provided by this period to purge ourselves of feelings of hate. We must forgive one another. We must dehumanise our communities and spread love around.

“We have just gone through a general election. We asked our people to give us their mandates to offer selfless service to them. Just as Jesus Christ lived a life of selfless service to the people, elected people must live lives of unconditional service to the people.

“If we deemphasize SELF and prioritize THE PEOPLE, we shall build more prosperous communities and our people will live happier and healthier lives.

“I thank the good people of Kaduna State for giving me their mandate. I will be a Servant Leader. I will treat our dear citizens with respect. I will be compassionate.

“Our dear state will witness sustained progress and development. All I seek is your support and cooperation. Use this Easter celebration to reflect on our journey as a state and what you can contribute to taking the state to higher heights. Everyone will have an opportunity to make his or her contribution. It is a collective endeavour.”

ADP crises deepens as party chair disowns substituted guber candidate in Kaduna

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Governorship candidate and State party chairman of the Action Democratic Party, (ADP), in Kaduna State, Yusuf Jibrin, has said the substitution or replacement of the person of Sani Sha’aban as the gubernatorial candidate of ADP did not follow due process as spelt out in section 31 of the Electoral Act.

He stated this in a statement made available to the media in Kaduna on Sunday.

According to him, he was

nominated and presented to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), as thecandidate, butt was shocked to his bone marrow when in 7th December 2022 in a hotel at Barnawa in Kaduna South Local Government, that out of desperation Sani Sha’aban conducted and arranged for a party primaries as a sole aspirant and later emerged as the Guber candidate of ADP.

Jibrin said he consulted his lawyers for advice and was told that whatever Sani Sha’aban has done is not in tandem with the

provisions of the Electoral Act and therefore its null and void.

Jibrin added that in INEC records and publications his name Yusuf Jibrin was the Kaduna State Gubernatorial candidate of ADP in the 18th March 2023 elections.

“Sani Sha’aban was NEVER on INEC list, has no locus standi and I have not given him any authority to represent me anywhere or whatsoever.

“By whatever he has done, he has actually increased the popularity of ADP in Kaduna, as a politician I recognize his

efforts and thank him for that.

“But I must warn that, we know the antics of Sani Sha’aban as a nomadic politician, he must tread with caution as not to drag the name of our party, ADP into disrepute.

“We have enjoyed good and able leadership from our National Chairman, Engr. Yabagi Sani, who has worked tirelessly in bringing the party to where it is, and any attempt by Sani Sha’aban and his sponsors to bring this down will be resisted,” the statement warned.

Gov. Bello felicitates with Christians on Easter celebration

From Yakubu Mustapha Minna

Governor Abubakar

Sani Bello of Niger state has felicitated with Christians in the state on the celebration of Easter and implored them to sustain prayers for lasting peace in the

state and Nigeria.

The Governor in his Easter message in Minna maintained that Easter is a significant celebration observed by Christians to reflect on the love and sacrifice exemplified by Jesus who is the foundation of Christianity.

He enjoined them to celebrate Easter solemnly and exhibit the virtues of love, selflessness, forgiveness, perseverance, as well as sacrifice, which are the hallmarks of the celebration.

Bello however urged Christians to use the period to pray for lasting peace and

security in the state in particular and the nation in general.

He wished the Christian faithfuls a hitch free and successful celebration and assured Nigerlites of his commitment to effective service delivery till the end of his tenure.

The Newly baptized catholic faithful during their thanksgiving at sacred heart Catholic church Gwagwalada, yesterday in Abuja,

WHD: Group advocates increased care for older persons

Save Our Heritage Initiative

(SOHI), an Abuja based NonGovernmental Organisation (NGO), has called for increased medical care for older persons in Nigeria.

Chief Executive Officer of the group, Ms May Ikokwu, made the call-in commemoration of the World Health Day while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

Commenting on the theme: “Health for All,” Ikokwu stressed the need to guarantee health equity and equality for older persons, irrespective of their social or work classes.

She said that it was time for practical implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by including older persons.

“Ageing population will have an impact on the ambition of universal health coverage.

“Because without considering the health and social care needs of the ever-increasing numbers of older people, UHC will be impossible to achieve,” she said.

The Culture Advocate said: “Equally, SDG 3, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all at all ages, cannot be met without transforming health and social systems”.

She called for a paradigm shift from a focus only on disease towards the provision of the integrated and person-centred care that should be known to have the greatest impact on functional ability in older age.

According to her, the transformation requires organising services to respond to older people’s diverse levels of physical and mental capacities as well as their needs and preferences.

“Others include extending coverage of services to all older people.

She said this, “particularly those who have been in the informal workforce or who have filled caregiving roles, have very limited access to even basic services.”

Ikokwu reiterated the call for development of sustainable financing mechanisms.

She said it was imperative to protect older people and their families from undue financial burdens.

She said that it would go a long way in providing system incentives for the provision of the services older people needed.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the aim of World Health Day is to create awareness among people about the value of good health.

World Health Day is celebrated across the world on April 7 annually. (NAN)

Alleged breach of trust: IPAC calls for removal of Adamawa’s REC

From Umar Dankano, Yola

The Management of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under the leadership of Professor Yakubu Mahmoud to remove Adamawa state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Yunusa Hudu Ari over alleged professional misconduct.

Chairman of the state Interparty Advisory council, Hon. Bello Babajo made public the

demand of the council at a press conference in Yola Thursday stressing that the council is Worried by the allegations of professional misconduct against the Resident Electoral Commissioner in charge of the (state), which compromised the electoral process.

Babajo said the press conference is necessary due to the contradictory statements over the leaked audio going round the air waves promoting bias tendencies

against the popular choice of the Adamawa electorate which must be resisted by all.

He stated that for the inconclusive election to be acceptable to all interested parties then the INEC needs to do the needful by bringing someone who is neutral and has no integrity challenge.

“Adamawa state is a peaceful state which has never experienced any political crisis in the history of political struggle, that audio

if found to be true will cause damages and setbacks in the political atmosphere in our dear state.

“We have lost confidence in Barrister Hudu Yunusa Ari as REC in our state because he is not neutral in his dealings, we therefore as a matter of importance and urgency call on the INEC Chairman to remove the commissioner and bring someone whose integrity has not been tempered with”, Babajo appealed.

Buhari joins villa faithful as Tafsir makes early closure

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday joined other worshippers at the State House to witness the early closure of the daily Qur’anic recitation (Tafsir) in view of the Imam’s impending Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia.

The recitation and commentary of the Qur’an is a daily feature of the month-long Ramadan fasting period in places of Muslim worship and the one of this year has a special meaning for the President.

This is the last time he will be officiating in the Tafsir as President and Commander-inChief bearing in mind the May 29 handover date.

As he is about to complete the two four-year terms of office in a matter of weeks, the Chief Imam, Sheikh Abdulwahab Sulaiman, turned the event into a valedictory ceremony.

He praised the President for his patience and forbearance and for his work in fighting corruption, terrorism and insurgency as well as the massive infrastructure projects he has put

in place.

The Chief Imam also lauded President Buhari for setting high standards for probity and accountability and for service to

the nation and its people with morality and integrity during his eight years in office. He said the President’s place in history was an assured one.

Prayers were said for the successful handover to the next administration under Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Senator Kashim Shettima.

North-West should produce Reps Speaker - Arewa group demands

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

Arewa Youths Integrity Forum

and the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Political Matters, Alhaji Sani Idris, have called on the National leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to zone the speakership of the 10th National Assembly to North West.

The call was coming as another northern youth group, Arewa Young Professionals in Politics (AYPP), said the Party leadership should in the interest of national unity, stability and cohesion, allow the South-East produce the next Senate President.

Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Friday, Arewa Youths Integrity Forum and Governor El-Rufai’s political aide argued that, since the South-West and North-East have produced, the President and Vice President-elect, respectively, and the North-West for obvious reasons cannot have

the Senate President’s seat, the region as the highest contributor to the APC’s victory, should have the House of Representatives speakership position.

They further argued that the position should be reserved for the most senior ranking member from the North-West, in person of Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, a fourth termer representing Zaria Federal Constituency.

According to Idris and the youth group leader, Abdulrauf Abdullahi said, “We at the Arewa Youths Integrity Forum having considered all the potential candidates for the position of 10th Speaker of the House of Representatives resolved that there is no one more deserving of this position other than Hon. Abbas Tajudeen (PhD).

“To set the records straight, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen PhD is an illustrious son of the Northwest region who hails from the Mallawa ruling dynasty of Zazzau emirate.”

He hails from Kaduna State,

and Zaria Local Government to be precise. It is on record that the Northwest region has the highest registered voters and gave the APC the highest votes in the Presidential Elections. The North West region has the most sophisticated and well enlightened voters who should not be taken for granted for future political collaborations.

“Since the region is not producing the President and Vice President nor the Senate President, it is only rewarding to allot the slot of the Speaker to Abbas Tajudeen who is the only senior ranking member from the region.

“By virtue of experience, qualification and expertise, it is a proven track record that Hon. Abbas Tajudeen is more qualified to take the Speakership position. Firstly, he is a fourth time member, secondly, he is more educated by virtue of holding a PhD degree in Business Administration and having being a university lecturer before where teaching, research and community

service are the cardinal principles, thirdly, he has been Chairman of Land Transport committee and has held membership and executive of many committee in the National Assembly since his first stint, lastly, he is an embodiment of knowledge, perseverance, honestly, initiative empathy and compassion which is the modern trait of successful leaders, they said.

“On the 10th Speakership position of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, we at the Arewa Youths Integrity Forum unanimously resolved that Hon. Muhammad Danasabe Chokali is more deserving of the highly coveted seat. This is owing to reasons of political stability and power rotations amongst others. It is a known fact that the Governorelect Distinguished Senator Uba San contested under the Central Zone of Kaduna State, which automatically guarantees the Speakership position to be allotted to Zone One since the Deputy Governor-elect is from Zone three of the state.

President Buhari with H.E. Dr. Eustaquio Januario Quibato, Outgoing Ambassador of Angola to Nigeria in State House on 6th April 2023

Easter: Be confident, believe in Nigeria, Buhari tells citizens

By Egena Sunday Ode

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to continue to be confident and believe in the country for better seasons ahead.

This admonition was contained in his Easter message to the Christendum on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebration, commemorating the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The president, in the message he personally signed, also thanked Nigerians for making the successes of his administration in security, economy, infrastructure and food sufficiency among others possible.

The message read: “I join Christians in Nigeria and around the world to celebrate Easter, which commemorates the death and

resurrection of Jesus Christ, signposting his victory over death.

“At the heart of Easter, is the triumph of light over darkness.

“It is a season that reminds us that the Almighty can turn an unpleasant situation around for good.

Recognising that Easter is about renewed hope and a glorious future, I urge all Nigerians to continue to be confident and believe strongly in our country for better seasons ahead.

“As a nation, we have gone through an election that has produced the next set of leaders at the federal and State levels.

“I commend Nigerians for believing in the process. While I congratulate those that have been elected, I acknowledge that it is the right of those who feel dissatisfied with

the outcome to seek redress. I expect them to wait patiently and allow our legal system to run its course.

“It has been a rare privilege for me to serve as your President since you gave me the first mandate in 2015 and renewed it in 2019.

“Day after day, I have been guided by the vows I took to keep Nigeria united, prosperous and secure.

“Our successes on security, economy, infrastructure, new oil frontier basins, landmark legal reforms as well as food sufficiency, among others, were possible because of the support of Nigerians.

“As we celebrate this season with our families, neighbors and communities, let us do so in love, compassion, kindness, resilience and forgiveness.”

Easter: Emulate Christ’s sacrificial life, Gov Bello

By Stanley Onyekwere

Kogi state Governor, Yahaya Bello has rejoiced with the Christian faithful on the occasion of the 2023 Easter celebration.

Bello who spoke in a special message on Friday, through a press statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Onogwu Muhammed congratulated the Christian faithful for the successful completion of the lent season which he noted was much-needed self-denial to pray for the peace of the country and wisdom for the leaders.

“I wish to rejoice with our Christian brothers and sisters all over the world on the auspicious occasion of the 2023 Easter celebrations. As we all know, Easter is marked by Christians as a joyous holiday because it represents the gratification of the prophecies and the revelation of God’s redemptive plan for the followers of Christ.

“In immortalizing the Resurrection of Jesus, Easter

also means the celebration of the defeat of death and the hope of salvation therefore, I urge all citizens to keep faith in our leaders with prayers for a greater Nigeria”, he said While urging Nigerians to remain hopeful about the nation’s progress, Bello said Easter also signifies the celebration of the defeat of death and the hope for salvation.

The governor added that just

charges Christians

as the death, and resurrection of Christ signified hope for mankind, there must be a renewal of hope for our nation in this season of great challenges.

He urged Christians to reflect on critical issues affecting the nation and to continue seeking the face of God Almighty for the country so that security, unity and peace will prevail in the overall national interest.

Bello who noted that the

2023 general elections, which will usher in new breeds of leaders across the country by May 29 represent a watershed for Nigeria insisted that all citizens who participated effectively in the process of electing leaders into the various offices must also commit themselves to pray for the smooth transmission of government, growth and prosperity of the country.

While assuring the Christian

faithful in Kogi state of the state’s commitment to a joyous celebration free of all hitches, he added that security operatives and other collaborating agencies are working together round-theclock to checkmate crime and secure the lives and properties of citizens.

He also urged all Christians who observe the season to find strength and solace in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Governor Inuwa urges prayers for Leaders, nation

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has felicitated with Christians in the state and the world over on the occasion of this year’s Easter celebration, urging them to use the occasion to pray for the newly elected leaders from the just concluded elections, and for the peace, progress and healing of the nation going forward.

In a goodwill message made available to PeoplesDaily by the Director-General, Press Affairs, Government House, Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli , the Governor Inuwa said the Easter period provides an opportunity for strengthening of unity of purpose, reinforcement of bond of brotherhood and dedication in service to God and humanity as exemplified by Jesus Christ.

He said, “Easter symbolises love, sacrifice, service to God and country as well as triumph of good over evil. We should always reflect on the lessons

and significance of the season and demonstrate the same in our lives.

“On this occasion of Easter feast, I want to enjoin our Christian brothers and sisters in Gombe State and the world over to continue to demonstrate love, promote peace and show good neighbourliness.

“I also want to urge you to remain steadfast in prayers and continue to sacrifice for the good and advancement of our dear state.”

Governor Inuwa, equally, urged all Christians to pray for the newly elected leaders at all levels for God to bless them with wisdom, understanding, discernment, and knowledge as they prepare to take the mantle of leadership next month.

“We are indeed in need of prayers as leaders and as a country, especially at this crucial moment. I am optimistic that with collective commitment, sacrifice and by turning to God through prayers we shall overcome all our challenges and

emerge stronger,” the governor stressed.

While wishing the Christian faithful a peaceful and joyous Easter celebrations, the

governor also urged Christian clerics to use the occasion to preach peace, tolerance and unity amongst the diverse people.

President Buhari

Gov Inuwa

Gov Bello

Nigerian pranksters and their expensive jokes

By Zayd Ibn Isah

Aprank is defined as a mischievous act or a practical joke played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion or discomfort. Unfortunately, pranksters have taken over the social media, playing dangerous pranks on their unsuspecting victims with reckless insensitivity.

Dr. Christian Jarret, a psychologist and author of the Rough Guide To Psychology, noted in a 2013 article that, ‘’Scientists still struggle to explain exactly what makes people laugh.’’ Well, I would advise that they come to Nigeria and conduct a proper research. In this country, we laugh for so many reasons. And that might be why we’ve been considered some of the happiest people on earth, in spite of the myriads of problems bedeviling our nation. Certainly, if there is one thing we are good at, it is the ability to turn our pains and sorrows into joy and laughter. This propensity to create jokes out of every national tragedy is the reason why we are regarded as “suffering and smiling” people. Perhaps that explains the proliferation of comedians in Nigeria, so much so that every Musa, Femi and Uche wants to be cracking ribs, if only to later smile to the bank while their audience laugh away their sorrows.

Nigerians love and respect their comedians, musicians, actors and actresses. In fact, the entertainment industry is one of the most revered industries in the country. Even our politicians recognize this. That’s why they often seek the support and endorsements of influential celebrities during electioneering campaigns. The power that certain celebrities wield in the public sphere is incredibly strong. Some of them can almost get away with anything, brushing off scandals and controversies, mostly because their fanatical followers always rise up in their defense. Surely, if the iconic but disgraced American singer, R Kelly, is given the opportunity to come back to this world for the second time, he would beg God to make him a Nigerian.

Like poetic license, comedians on stage appear capable of doing much without fearing consequences. They use foul words on their audience, beg for money and perpetrate all sorts of inanities to the laughter and implicit approval of their so-called fans. In fact, it’s a common thing for a comedian to identify someone from amongst the audience and insult them soundly. Usually, insulting someone can be viewed as an invitation of trouble, especially the sort involving fisticuffs and lasting enmity. Nothing like that

happens to the comedian, the one who makes people laugh at the expense of others. It pays to be a comedian or even a musician in Nigeria. Oloun.

Now, let’s talk about how comedy rose from a relatively unknown venture to become the 3rd largest entertainment industry in Nigeria with an estimated income of over fifty billion naira annually. You may begin to wonder, “Is it not just to concoct lies for people to laugh?” Where is the money coming from? You may not know. I will tell you. But that will be a story for another day. Until then, let us understand how this industry came to be a force to be reckoned with.

For the “Indomie generation”, whenever they are asked who is the father of comedy in Nigeria, they are quick to mention Ali Baba. Granted that Ali Baba (a.k.a Atunyota Alleluya Akpobome) is the father of modern comedy in Nigeria. But are we going to ignore the fact that beautiful acts like Baba Sala, Samanja, Gringory, Zebrudaya, PapiLuwe, Jagua, Aderupoko, etc had already laid the foundations for what is known as comedy in Nigeria today?

The amazing thing about the first generation of comedians is that they were just doing what they knew how to do best, and simply for the fun of it. Money and fame were not at the centre of their considerations. Over the years, comedy in Nigeria has transmogrified from Baba Sala’s Comic and Drama series to Usman Baba Pategi’s mock military drama series to Chief Chika Okpala’s iconic comedy series, New Masquerade, which aired from 1983 to 1993. In addition, there is also Afolabi Afolayan’s Jagua Drama titled “Prayer” to Opa Williams Night Of a Thousand Laughs, Ali Baba’s Standup Comedy and now AY Live’s Comedy Show, as well as others.

Interestingly, the advent of social media has contributed to the manner in which the scope of comedy widened in Nigeria. It has given birth to comedy skits with skit makers like Taaooma, Sabinus, Broda Shaggi, Mr. Macaroni, Sarkin Dariya, and a host of others leading the park. These skit makers have carved a niche for themselves by churning out contents on social media to their large followers almost on daily basis. And not just skit makers, but pranksters have also leveraged on these social media platforms, although their modus operandi has gone out of control and comprehension, leaving much to be desired.

A prank is defined as a mischievous act or a practical joke played on someone, generally causing the victim to experience embarrassment, perplexity, confusion or discomfort. Unfortunately, pranksters have taken over

the social media, playing dangerous pranks on their unsuspecting victims with reckless insensitivity.

However, it is worth noting that prank videos are, by no means, alien in our public space. In some countries, including the USA and Canada, they have been a part of pop culture for a while now. Popular prank shows and videos outside Nigeria include ‘Scare Tactics’, ‘Impractical Jokers’, ‘Candid Camera’, ‘Punk’D, ‘Just For Laughs Gags’ amongst others. Most of these programmes were handled by experts in media organisations and were regulated and monitored by relevant stakeholders.

But the coming of social media, a largely unregulated space, has thrown up desperate pranksters like MC Makopolo, Zfancy, TrinityGuy, Kolobo and others. In many instances, these pranksters throw caution to the winds in a mad rush to accumulate views and followers not minding the debilitating effects which their actions could have on innocent victims of their silly pranks.

I have watched a couple of these insensitive and uncouth prank videos, and instead of laughing at the victims, I always share in their emotional trauma. What if they were to be hypertensive? Wouldn’t they collapse and die in the process of being taken to the hospital? In one of the prank videos I watched, one of the pranksters walked into a shop apparently owned by a married woman, holding his private part. He begged the woman that he was seriously pressed and should be allowed to urinate inside the shop. The woman was perplexed and started shouting. Now, what if in that process the woman’s husband had walked in on them? Your guess is as good as mine.

In another prank video, one of the pranksters, Kolobo pretends to be a madman and chases people around the street with a wooden plank. What if one of his unsuspecting victims were to fall down and sustain life-threatening injuries? Eh! Also, a story was told of a woman who received a random call that her husband was with another woman. This woman ran home and met her husband with a woman, although not in an uncompromising position. However, she went ahead and began destroying things in the house, only to be told that the whole thing was a prank. The husband was surprised that his wife could get angry to the point of destroying things in the house.

Zayd Ibn Isah is the Media Assistant to the Chairman, Police Service Commission. He can be reached via isahzayd@gmail.com

Africa in emerging multipolar world

By Chubado Adama

The second edition of the summit for democracy recently took place simultaneously across five nations of the world between March 29-31 this year.The United States, Costa Rica, the Netherlands , Korea , and the Zambia co-hosted the event at a time when democracy is said to be under threat in Africa with increasing poverty that is fuelling political instability on the continent. The summit provided an opportunity for political stakeholders to brainstorm on democracy and how it can work for all citizens.

Africa’s partnerships with external partners and global actors were reportedly said to have steadily improved in the last decades . However many analysts argued that the relationships are framed from a donor-recipient relationship which is unhealthy as they seek to objectify the continent as such.The summit urged African countries to rethink its framework on multilateralism

( the process of organizing relationships between groups or more states , serving to bind powerful nations, discourage unilateralism, and give small powers a voice and influence that they could not otherwise exercise) and come out with clear agenda for its partnership with global players that will capture the priorities of its citizens.

Indeed in recent years the development in Africa has attracted increasing interest in Europe and international organizations. But among large-scale projects and competition for natural resources, some western countries and the US often offer assistance while interfering in the internal affairs of African states .

This is primarily due to the attempts to gain monopoly control over natural resource deposits on the continent which in some cases lead to conflict. Contradictions also arise between partner countries, primarily the US, Germany, Britain and France against the background of their competition for spheres of influence and access to natural

resources in Africa.

It was observed at the summit that African countries need to strengthen the role of regional organizations such as African Union, AU , Economic Community of west African States , ECOWAS, and South African development community, SADC. At the same time, the European Union, EU, and countries, led by the US should not impose their way of life and values on those states that do not want it.

There is a growing consensus among African leaders that countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Russia are opposed to neo-colonial ideology and together they form the world’s majority. At the same it is believed that the current focus on multipolarity ( the geopolitical situation that arises when several power centers balance each other out) and cooperation with Russia can provide a healthy alternative for African states including Nigeria to raise their economies to a new level. This can happen when independent governments aim at strengthening the sovereignty of their countries and the wellbeing of their peoples.

Despite the efforts of EU member states, the US, Germany, France and Britain to provide aid to African countries, Russia, given the history of Africa’s cooperation with the old Soviet Union is reportedly very comprehensive in its approach to solving problems to achieve results without shortchanging her partners. For instance the goal of African governments is to ensure the good health of their citizens by fighting against various diseases.

However some experts point out that American organizations such as USAID is not using their funds effectively to prevent health problems on the continent. But mainly use them to further their political and economic goals without offering practical efforts to combat the health problems in Africa. In such a situation critical observers say Russia could act as a partner in the field of pharmaceutical for African countries given its significant scientific and technological achievements which have been demonstrated

in the fight against diseases such as the Ebola virus and covid-19.

It is in this light that policy makers on the continent believe that Nigeria leading others need to strengthen and deepen Russian-African cooperation in various fields on bilateral and multilateral basis, primarily within the frame work of African Union, AU, and the Russia-Africa partnership forum.

Russia reportedly intends to support the independence of states through assistance in the areas of security, including food and energy security , and military- technical cooperation . Observers affirmed that cooperation between African countries and Russia could also accelerate the development of mining and use of minerals which is an important source of income for African countries.

Annual reports of NGO’S in African countries have documented unfair business practices by the countries of the EU, the US and China , including disputes over wages and contracts. Equally disputes over transparency and limited efforts to ensure animal and the environmental protection are recorded mainly in the metallurgical industries.

By intensifying the economic cooperation between Africa countries, including Nigeria as an economic leader , with the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa ), SCO(Shanghai Cooperation Organization) and EAEU(Eurasian Economic Union), could create opportunities for development and solving some socioeconomic problems on the continent.

With a population of about 1.5 billion people and almost a third of the world’s mineral resources, Africa is on the verge of becoming one of the leaders of the emerging multipolar world order defined by strong, independent and democratic multilateral institutions that would capture the priorities of their democracy.

Chubado Adama writes from Kaduna

Post election: What happens to the mandate?

By Abdu Abdullahi

The mandate phenomenon occupies the central stage of governmental activities but is less attractive for its overall effectiveness. Perhaps, we may revert to the drawing board to remind mandate carriers that in every mandate lies political compulsion and obligation. The mandate does not need a redefining much as leaders need redefining to emphasize their role expectations.

Winning an election is the ultimate aim of every politician. When people say election is won, I ask the question, which victory are we talking about? Apart from the votes cast by voters for their candidates at the polling stations, we have our electoral expectations which make up the mandate our leaders must make or mar. In a philosophical term, therefore, it is when the mandate is fulfilled that an election is really won. However, fulfilling the mandate requires that the bearers execute the working template on which basis election was fought and won. The catalogue of promises made to the electorates to woo their support will not cease to be a forgotten theme. But holistic fulfillment is something seldomly achieved by many leaders. For where? Who will prosecute them for political felony? They don’t give a damn about the non actualisation of the mandate.

Most of the elected lack the political will to form a coalition of expediency to weather the storm and win the mandate. We must shun the trend of winning the election but losing the mandate. Forget not that actualising the mandate is historically connected with divinity. It has its genesis from the antecedent of the Prophets. The Prophets of Allah had awesomely delivered on the mandate given them without necessarily resorting to pride on their choice as noble Prophets. In their prophethood, they saw a divine task which was carefully and successfully handled and administered. From this, leaders ought to draw inspiration for a successful mandate delivery,for they are the messengers of government and not the government themselves.

I only have less confidence in election if it cannot meet our collective fulfillments. But it raises our expectations and increases our democratic participation only to be disappointed by nonfunctional mandate. What else is new about election? There is always a winner and a loser. There are always complaints here and there, some real while others imagined. However, nobody raises alarm when the mandate is dislocated. Beyond election definitely, there is the burden of mandate which elected

politicians must strive to win and fulfil the essence of elections.

Although elections are in themselves a democratic heritage, value and process that enthrone leaders yet, the mandate entrust on them are often scandalized and allowed to erode its prime essentiality and functionality. We have seen regrettable situations in which the mandate is grossly scattered to favour the leader and his cronies. The people’s mandate does not belong to an individual. It is a trust for which the bearer will be accountable to both Allah and the people. The mandate is meant to improve the quality of general living but not to promote the standards of living of a few individuals.

Prior to elections, political soldiers build in our minds a strong optimism for fulfilling the mandate. But when the season of elections is over, the effects of governing mandate on the people are largely not ubiquitous. The joy of a politician, therefore, should go beyond winning an election if the mandate is not put into its proper dispensation to touch our living.Elected politicians should be mindful and responsive that they have signed a political covenant with the electorates to implement to boost their general well-being.

If we are to go solemnly by fairness, successful politicians are not those who win elections for winning sake, but they are the genius whose unflinching faith in mandate actualisation is quintessential. Reminiscence in nostalgia, the late Umaru Musa Yaradua devoted his leadership to mandate implementation even though he faulted the electoral process that brought him to power. He was a practical prototype of a mandate player who had more deep passion in impacting mandate than winning an election.

By keen observations, many politicians are jittery of losing an election but only few are timid of not fulfilling their mandate. Are we saying that politics begins and ends with election? Not at all! If we erroneously believe that politics begins and ends with election, then the mandate is a dead political entity. When an average politician always thinks of the next election, I will assume that he or she has not done well regarding his possessive mandate. But when adequately done with the mandate, the elected will naturally reflect on the next mandate and not election again, for the successful execution of the mandate will give such a leader a clear ticket of victory in the next election.

The mandate phenomenon occupies the central stage of governmental activities but is less attractive for its overall effectiveness. Perhaps, we may revert to the drawing board to remind mandate carriers that in every mandate lies political compulsion and

obligation. The mandate does not need a redefining much as leaders need redefining to emphasize their role expectations. A government that successfully showcases its mandate is unhampered by all irrational activities, policies and programs and there is a unique ability to install the mandate for desirable actions and results.

Will it be suggestive that the kind of unrivalled vigor, planning and mass resources deployed to win an election by aspirants should be on the same level when it comes to delivering on mandate? This is because over the years, the people’s mandate at all levels of governmental affairs has suffered a great set back. The best way to rank our leaders is evaluating the implementation of the mandate. Is he the type who dodges responsibility to address the growing class of the youths who are extremely ambitious and energetic, but exploited and oppressed? Is it the leader that facilitates instability in a government’s internal functioning?

We are in a democracy. We have every right to query our leaders about mandate situation because it is our mandate as well. What happens to our mandate? Among the leaders that has answers to this knocking question is President Lula Da Silva of Brazil. Hear him: ” If, at the end of my mandate, all Brazilians have the possibility to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, I will have fulfilled the mission of my life.”

Like elections, mandate can also be rigged when we are not given what rightly belongs to us in terms of devoted leadership, and we are not repaid with the same coin that we voted our leaders. In post polls situations, it is noted that mandate is not fully registered as a political and desirable element that improves quality leadership by many elected persons. A high quality leadership is only attainable when authorization bestowed upon individuals is a barometer for measuring progress.

President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s has a new campaign of government of ‘national competence’. It can be a prominent lead to actualising mandate. If competence can act very well, our mandate will not be sacrificed for incompetence. The partial or total collapse of the mandate structure is unaffordable and will not augur well for the system of democracy to thrive.

This is a clarion call to all elected politicians. Election brouhaha is over.To actually justify winning the polls, the mandate must be pursued to its logical conclusion and improve the people’s living.

Abdu Abdullahi is a Public Policy Analyst.

Corp member: The struggle to be considered

By Muhammad Bello Umar

The alawee disbursed to all serving citizens wouldn’t be enough to Carter for the needs of a corp member due to increment of price of commodity and other miscellaneous stuff, places like the Eastern and south south of the society.

The alarming situations of patriotic citizens that is trying to be petrific if not giving attention as life’s are depending on such and would devastate such nature if not taken to due consideration.

So many patriotic citizens answering the call off duty have gone along way as they strive harder to ensure that no matter what happens or it takes they would serve motherland, but the simple fact that you need to know is: do the lives of the patriotic matters,

are they considered as key important to these duty and how well treated and guided are they towards these attainment.

Some of these patriotic citizens get loss in thin air and no one even cares to create awareness of their absence, it begins to make individuals put into consideration of accepting exemption and do away with serving rather than to loose their precious life.

In acquaintance of acquiring safari knowledge, alot of criterias need to be put into rigorous analysis for assessing the ability of ensuring peaceful and mutual coexistence is attained throughout the period of service, but because of some personal opinion of the ill-educated fellows employing sentiment and making the situation look devastating to patriotic citizens serving their motherland feel different

from the original amalgamated then protectorate to now Nigeria.

The alawee disbursed to all serving citizens wouldn’t be enough to Carter for the needs of a corp member due to increment of price of commodity and other miscellaneous stuff, places like the Eastern and south south of the society.

Oh! Leaders of these four walls make a move and listen to the cry of the masses as they have a life after service to live, do the needful and create an avenue for better life after serving the motherland.

Muhammad Bello Umar writes from department of mass communication Abubakar Tatari Ali polytechnic bauchi and can be reached via: princemub28@gmail.com

What happened in Lagos was war, not election – LP’s Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

By Christiana Ekpa

The 2023 Labour Party candidate for the just concluded gubernatorial election in Lagos State, Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour, has insisted what happened in the state was a war, not a poll.

Speaking on Arise Television’s morning show on Friday, Rhodes-Vivour also said that the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must improve amid the election’s conduction.

Rhodes-Vivour said, “What happened in Lagos was a war on Lagosians no matter how they want to colour it or module the

waters.

“In Ikoyi, there were Yoruba people who were beaten and affected by thugs and hooligans that came into the place.

“Look at what happened VCG as well and the complicity of INEC as well in this process need to be taken up so that If they want to try anything next time they would do things differently, give a perception of equity, fairness and justice, not these brazing rip over democracy in Lagos State.”

The INEC had in March declared Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the winner of the Lagos gubernatorial election.

Sanwo-Olu scored a total of

762,134 to defeat the first runnerup, the Labour Party’s RhodesVivour, who polled 312,329 votes,

while Abdulazeez Adeniran of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, got 62,449 votes.

Ogun guber poll: Adebutu storms tribunal, files petition

By Musa Baba Adamu

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the March 18 governorship election in Ogun State, Ladi Adebutu, has stormed the election petition tribunal sitting in Abeokuta to file his petition.

Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the governorship election in Ogun.

Abiodun scored a total of 276,298 votes to defeat Adebutu,

who polled 262,383 votes.

But, Adebutu said the election did not reflect the wish of the masses, saying he did not lose the election.

To seek redress, the PDP candidate led a member of his legal team, Chief Gordy Uche (SAN) and party chieftains to the tribunal secretariat within Isabo court premises, Abeokuta, to formally file copies of the petition.

While Adebutu and the PDP are the first and second petitioners, respectively, the INEC, Abiodun and the APC were joined as the first, second

and third respondents in the suit.

Speaking to newsmen after filing the petition, Adebutu said, “We are here today in continuation of the pursuit of our democratic rights because we have had elections that we truly believe we have represented the people fairly, and the people have responded by voting fairly for us in an election we believe we won.

“We will continue to seek our mandate within the ambit of the law.”

Giving details of the petitions, the counsel, Uche, said it was filed on up to “four solid grounds”, hoping that the Tribunal “will do

Tribunal: INEC complies with directives, releases election materials to Ogun NNPP

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

the best.”

He said: “We have about three Senior Advocates on our team and a host of many other lawyers, who are not just in it because they are being paid, but because of the fact that they believe the mandate was stolen and they also believe this mandate can be retrieved.

“We have up to four grounds, very solid ones, but it will be sweeter when our opponent tells you the grounds.

“Our prayers are just that the right thing be done and the man who won is given the mantle of office.”

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has complied with the directive of the Governorship and House of Assembly Petition Tribunal in Ogun State to allow the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) have access to all election materials used for the conduct of the recently held election in the state.

NNPP had earlier approached the tribunal over the failure of INEC to include its name in the ballot papers used for the election. The tribunal granted the request a few days ago, prompting INEC to release the election materials to the NNPP counsels, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo and Izunya Isaac Dale, for inspection. INEC allowed the party to photocopy, scan, pay for and obtain certified true copies of all the documents used in the conduct of the governorship election.

10th Senate President should come from Kano – APC chieftain, Dansarauniya

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Achieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano and former Commissioner for Works and Infrastructural Development, Engr Muazu M Dansarauniya, has called on the party leadership to settle for a Senate President from the Northwest and Kano in particular, to create a strong base for the party in the region in the face of other opposition parties wanting to take control.

He stated this in an emergency meeting with newsmen in Kano on Thursday to dismiss calls by the New Nigeria Peoples Party spokesman and Reps-elect, Abdulmumin Kofa, who condemned allotting the Senate Presidency seat to the north as a disservice to the nation.

The APC chieftain explained that it is only democratic for the party’s leadership to ensure that the seat for the Senate Presidency comes to the northwest and to Kano, the political heartbeat of the north. He explained that the APC, despite the

votes it had contributed to the election of the president-elect Bola Ahmad Tinubu, has only one Senator, Sen Barau Jibrli, in Kano State, and any mistake of not making him the Senate President would affect the strength and control of the region by the party.

He described the call by the NNPP as deliberately geared towards seizing control of the region by disallowing the APC to have a strong political leadership like the Senate president from there.

“Why this response is very important is that I heard my friend and brother from the NNPP, Abdulmumin Jibrin Kofa, who has just been elected as a member House of Reps saying that any candidate from the North, especially Muslim North, that aspires to lead the National Assembly, especially the Senate, has no love for Nigeria.

“I want to open this discussion to clearly reveal what is behind the discussion. I believe that is unfair for a minority party to basically come in and dictate to the APC what to do.

“But very importantly, we need to

look at the motive behind this statement. We know that Jibrin is from NNPP and the NNPP leader is from Kano and Kano is the heartbeat of northwestern politics as well as northern Nigeria.

“So what they are trying to do is to strategically convince APC not to put a political leader in that space so that they can monopolize the politics of the region. We can see their plans.

“What I want to call on our leaders, especially the president-elect, to do is to look at the distribution of the political distributions as well as the contribution of the APC members to his success and also be able to consider the strategic nature of Northwestern Nigeria in terms of the outcome, not to leave this place without a key principal leadership in Nigeria that will physically galvanize support for us in the region.

“We have done very well in this presidential election. We have contributed the most votes. So you see, even in terms of reward and recognition, we have the right to say we need to have the Senate Presidency.

“The presidency has gone to our partners in the Southwest, the vice presidency has gone to our partners in the Northeast, and the largest voting block and the largest political block deserves the presidency of the Senate.

“Therefore, if NNPP people are saying that you don’t love Nigeria if you say you are giving us the Senate presidency, it is just a strategy to mobilize and have the entire Northwest to themselves, which is a very important block.

“Now we have seen how close this election has been, Northwest votes alone could have physically doubled what the rest of Nigerian votes could have given if we galvanize and institutionalize support in the region.

“So I’m calling on our leaders, the National Chairman of our party, the president-elect, to look at what the president has outlined as a government of national competence, and when we look at competence, we will not go beyond our senatorial presentation in Kano in the person of Sen Barau Jibrin,” he stated.

Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has said with legs deep in quicksand, the embattled National Chairman of Labour Party (LP), Julius Abure, clawing desperately in search of firmer ground, baselessly blames the All Progressives Congress (APC) for his sinking and dysfunctional Party.

A statement at the weekend, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka said in his irrational outburst, Abure accused the APC of colluding with police and other security agencies to invade and seize LP’s national secretariat and staging a crisis in

Labour Party should swim in own mess, leave APC out of it

that party.

According to the statement, “Total vindication of APC of any involvement in LP’s imbroglio was swiftly and categorically delivered by Mr. Abure’s successor and Acting National Chairman of LP, Mr. Lamidi Apapa, who exonerated our great Party of any interference in the party’s raging internal crisis.

“He clarified that the reported

situation at the LP headquarters was a result of a legal process arising from the orders of a Federal Capital Territory High Court that barred Mr. Abure and other national officers of the party from parading themselves as such.

“The LP’s morbid obsession with APC is unfathomable and infantile, blaming APC for all its internal woes. Mr Abure’s bogus

APC salutes Nigerians

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The All Progressives Congress (APC) felicitates with Nigerians, especially our Christian compatriots, on the occasion of Easter.

Easter is core to the Christian faith as it commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, typifying His victory over death. Significantly, too, it is the triumph of light over darkness.

In a statement issued yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, APC said “as we celebrate, we are reminded of God’s infinite capacity to turn dark clouds to silver linings, and unpleasant situations to good fortunes.

at

“We urge Nigerians to stay confident and hopeful of a brighter and more vibrant future, especially with the Renewed Hope agenda of our President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola

claim follows Mr Peter Obi’s unsubstantiated and vexatious claim that he was being hounded into exile by our party.

“To be clear, APC is not responsible for Mr Abure’s travails. He will do well to focus his thin attention and energy on dealing with the many allegations of criminal conduct of forgery and financial impropriety leveled against him by his own party

Easter

Ahmed Tinubu.

“Jesus Christ died and resurrected to unite and reconcile humankind back to God. As we commemorate this act of supreme sacrifice, it is

imperative to lend ourselves to those things that unite us as Nigerians than those that set us apart.

“Let this season of Easter also be a time to celebrate with

“While the LP continues to grapple with its myriad woes and crying wolf where none exists, the APC will stay focused and committed to forming a new government to be led by the visionary President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as he drives the Renewed Hope agenda, and consolidate on the many gains of the out-going President Buhari-administration”.

families, neighbours and friends, with selfless love, kindness, charity and forgiveness - some of the enduring virtues immanent in the death and resurrection of Christ.

Nnamani to Ndigbo: Shelve emotional sentiments, support Tinubu

By Musa Baba Adamu

Former Governor of Enugu state, Senator Chimaroke Nnamani has urged his kinsmen to shelve the emotional sentiments over the 2023 elections and support the incoming administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Senator Nnamani affirmed that Tinubu will be sworn in as President on May 29, 2023, “Our leaders and people should

join others ethnic nationalities to negotiate for accruals from the joint Commonwealth of the Nigerian as soon as possible”.

He said “In God’s time, Igbo elites will shake off the shackles of politico-visceral emotion, unreasonable petulance of her Youth and twin apathy and nonchalance of her elders”.

The Enugu East Senator stressed “Ndigbo should Join the comity of other Ethnic Nationalities of Nigeria to share equitably her

Palaver and resource accruals”.

He maintained that elections are over , “what is needed now is to support the incoming government, participate in order to be able to negotiate for dividends of democracy to our people”.

Senator Nnamani told his people to reflect on the journey so far in order to avoid the pitfalls that put them in a disadvantage position in the past.

“Days of grumbling are over. We should align with the

mainstream administration and be able to attract dividends of democracy to our people”, Senator Nnamani stated.

He believes that a Tinubu administration will be fair and just in the allocation and distribution of resources to all Nigerians irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations.

Senator Chimaroke Nnamani MD,

FACOG Chairman,

Senate Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa/NEPAD.

Speaker aspirants reject lobby for special candidate, says Gbajabiamil backs no one

By Christiana Ekpa

Speakership aspirants in the 10th House of Representative have met with the outgoing Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila to express grave concerns over alleged campaign for his choice candidate, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, member representing Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.

The aspirants who spoke during the meeting, according to investigation conducted by our correspondent, vehemently frowned at the information making rounds on the development, which they noted had caused disaffection among the parliamentarians who rallied support for the Speaker before, during and after the keenly contested election as the 9th Assembly Speaker.

When contacted to give details of group photographs made public by the Speaker’s media team on Friday evening, the officers, declined to provide an update on the meeting.

When contacted on the allegation concerning the Speaker’s preference for one of the aspirants, an aspirants, Hon. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi, member representing Panskhin/Kanke/Kanam Federal Constituency of Plateau State, denied reports making the rounds that the Speaker asked them to step down for his preferred candidate.

He said “The Speaker did not call us to ask anybody to step down, as it’s being said.

“One, there are insinuations and accusation that he is supporting one Candidate, that is Tajudeen Abbas.

“He called that meeting first to know how we are campaigning as individuals and whether we have problems among us the Aspirants which we said no, we don’t have any problem.

“Then, some of the Spirants raised an issue that Speaker’s boys are using the Speaker’s name for that Aspirant (Tajudeen Abbas) that the Speaker asked them to campaign for him.

“And it has began to create apprehension and tension.

“So, some people raised that observation for Speaker to call the attention of one of his staff that is parading himself that he’s under the instruction of Mr. Speaker to support one Candidate. That was sorted out.

“Secondly, Speaker emphasized to us that he is a Partyman and being the Speaker, he has never done anti-Party. So, he assured us that any day any time the party zoned, he will be supporting the zone that the party zoned to. This is the only that happened, so anybody that tells you anything outside that, is not true,” Hon. Gagdi, Chairman, House Committee on Navy told Parliamentary Correspondents.

When asked whether there is any communication from the APC leadership on the meeting where the zoning arrangement will be discussed, Hon. Gagdi answered in the negative.

He said: “You can’t have any

communication from the party at this time.

“The Party Chairman is out of the country on official assignment with some members of the National Working Committee.

“The President-elect is equally out of the country, everybody knows that the President-elect is in France.

“So, how will the Party sit and agree on zoning if the President-elect who has a major stake in this thing is not considered?”

He also observed that most of the stakeholders are currently in Saudi Arabia for Lesser Hajj.

Hon. Gagdi however expressed optimism that the meeting on zoning arrangement would take place as soon as the major stakeholders return to Nigeria.

“Who will sit down and talk about zoning when the Chairman is not there; the President-elect is not there, the Vice President-elect is not there; most of the Governors that have stake in zoning are equally not there?”

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Kaura Local Government Area of Kaduna State has called on security agents to take note of the threat by the Labour Party in its efforts to pursue and reclaim its mandate, alleged to have been stolen through over-voting, ballot stuffing and electoral malfeasance of its House of Representatives candidate, Gideon Gwani, in the 25 February presidential and National Assembly elections.

Addressing newsmen in Kaduna at the weekend, the spokesman of the party in the local government, Donatus Shemang, explained that the worst off is that members of the Labour Party in the local government are alleged to be threatening the legal luminary, Samuel Atung (SAN), not to defend his client (PDP) in the matter, saying that it shows how naïve, ignorant and airheaded they are.

He stressed, “Worst off is threatening the legal luminary, Samuel Atung SAN (son of the soil) not to defend his client (PDP) in this matter, which shows how naïve, ignorant and airheaded they are. It is foolhardy for LP urchins to think they can threaten anyone into giving up on this matter. For their consumption, anyone that breaches the law or is being recalcitrant against the law, will face the full wrath of the law. He will be dealt with accordingly.”

As law-abiding citizens of Nigeria, the spokesman called on all members of PDP to remain calm, assuring that the party was exploring all legal means bringing the best option to reclaim the stolen mandate the party won during the presidential and National Assembly elections in the area.

He stated that PDP declined to concede defeat after the 25th February 2023 election because of over-voting and ballot stuffing in some wards on the day of the election.

He added that the task of reclaiming the party’s mandate is a party affair and not that of Gideon Gwani as an individual, condemning the members of the

Kaura Reps seat: PDP blasts LP over alleged threats

Labour Party in the area to call on him and the party to withdraw the case filed at the post-election tribunal which is about to commence in Kaduna any time soon.

According to Donatus, “We find it awful to ask PDP and Gideon Gwani not to seek redress at the court when the election that LP candidate won was maimed by fraudulent activities in some

wards. We wish to state further that the call for our candidate to withdraw the suit against LP and its candidate is dead on arrival.

“The call lacks basis, it is empty as it is devoid of constitutional

backing. Moreover, LP in Kaura has a dual tendency, begging for PDP and its candidate to withdraw suit and at the same time insulting and blackmailing our candidate and threatening everyone.”

By Christiana Ekpa

The House of Representatives Spokesman, and member representing Bende Federal Constituency of Abia State, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, has opened up on his intention to join the race for the position of Speaker of the 10th Assembly, with a promise to ensure Parliamentary independence if elected.

The House Spokesman equally assured his Colleagues and Nigerians of his resolve to prioritize laws bothering on education, economy, economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, insecurity and healthcare and environmental sustainability, if elected as the next Speaker of the 10th Assembly.

Hon. Kalu who doubles as incumbent Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, gave the assurance during a media chat with Parliamentary Correspondents in Abuja.

While noting that Nigerians need a Speaker that has the capacity to achieve cohesion, national unity, inclusiveness that will bring everybody together for the purpose of achieving prosperity for the nation, Hon. Kalu assured that he has the capacity and competence to lead the Green Chamber having served meritoriously as the Spokesman of the 9th Assembly and other positions.

He said: “Nigerians are looking for a Speaker that will increase what I call parliamentary sovereignty where the motions, the resolutions and independence of the arm of government would be showcased better than 9th assembly had struggled because 9th assembly has maintained its independence, then we need somebody that will take the bath and sustain that independence.

“Many people say rubber stamp but we have always consciously monitored the borderline in the way we sustain this

racer free relationship with the executive., understanding the doctrine of separation of power, knowing the borderline between what is expected by the mandate of our arm of government constitutionally speaking and where the mandate of the executive starts.

“So, Nigerians are looking for parliamentary sovereignty, nigerians are looking for the speaker that will increase institutional trust. You and I will agree that the coming of the legislature appears like a strange arm of government when Nigerians have been used to the military rule - the executive and the judiciary.

“The issue becomes who is that man that will increase the credibility, the capacity, the knowledge base legislative intervention that would gladden the hearts of nigerians to begin to understand that really this is the fulcrum of our democracy.

“The institutional trust is key in the minds of nigerians and I’m a nigerian as well so, I know what all of us are looking for. Who

is coming to sustain what has been done by these builders who have started the building and had laid bricks and who would take it up from there?

The House Spokesman also assured his Colleagues and Nigerians of his resolve to prioritize laws bothering on education, economy, economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, insecurity and healthcare and environmental sustainability, if elected as the next Speaker of the 10th Assembly.

He said: “It is a Speaker that is gender sensitive that will reopen that space and begin to see reasons what they did not pass though before the president and then begin to give it the sense of belonging.

“So, prioritising education is what is in the mind of nigerians. Laws around education, laws around the economy, economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction, insecurity and healthcare and environmental sustainability.”

Enugu APC SEC members nullify expulsion, suspension of party leaders

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

Members of the Enugu State Executive Committee, SEC, of the All Progressives Congress, APC, have voided the purported expulsion as well as suspension from the party of some prominent and foundation party leaders in Enugu State.

The state secretary of the party, Robert Ngwu, had on Thursday announced the expulsion of former Governor Sullivan Chime; former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Eugene Odoh; Director General of Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu;

former commissioner for Tourism, Ozor Joe Mmamel; Special Assistant to Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Flavour Eze; and former House of Representatives candidate in 2019, Maduka Arum (aka Mama).

Those the secretary announced as suspended are: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and former Senate President, Ken Nnamani.

However, speaking on journalists, weekend, both the party’s publicity secretary, Charles Solo-Ako and the State legal adviser, Barr. Jerry Eneh said the reported expulsion and suspension of key party leaders were null and void.

Akoh described the announcement as a reckless show of brigandage, an assault on the party’s constitution and an exercise in futility.

He said that what the state party chairman, Ugochukwu Agballah and the secretary, Ngwu, did was an ambush on the rest of the State Working Committee members of the APC in Enugu State.

He disclosed that there was no petition from anybody against the leaders, nor were their different wards involved, either to have deliberated on such matter, apportioned any blame or referred any such matter to the state level of the party,

contrary to the party’s constitution.

“The state executive members of the party who raised objections at such a sudden decision were cajoled. The State Working Committee members were invited as spectators and no committee was set up to investigate the matter.

“There are levels of anti-party activities; when a state chairman dispersed members who are supposed to canvass for votes for the party and the chairman refused for the party to fill candidates that can win election in places such as Nkanu East and Nkanu west, what other form of anti-party can be worse than these?

I’ve capacity, competence to lead the Reps chamber - House spokesperson, Kalu

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo ; His Wife Dolapo ; Secretary to the Government of the Fe4deration , Boss Mustapha and his Wife Fumilayo during the 2023 Easter Sunday Service at the Aso Villa Presidential Chapel yesterday in Abuja

Revised master plan implementation, others top agenda at Q1 CMC Transcorp Hotels to build

5-star hotel in Lagos

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

Transcorp Hotels Plc will build a five-star hotel in the upmarket Ikoyi neighbourhood of Lagos, Dupe Olusola, its managing director, said on AriseTV on Thursday.

The decision is part of the broad plan to sustain postpandemic recovery after covid lockdowns tipped the hospitality firm into a brief but substantial loss in 2020.

“We are expanding to Lagos, Ikoyi Glover and this is going to be phenomenal, a five-star hotel that offers accommodation, event space, restaurant, health & fitness, everything,” she said.

The facility is planned as a 300-room hotel towering 20 storeys alongside a 21-storeyed office block, with construction cost estimated at $110 million.

Mrs Olusola said her company is also innovating to stay ahead of the competition and is building a 3,500 to 5,000-capacity event centre in Abuja (the location of its flagship Transcorp Hilton Hotel), due for delivery in the first quarter of 2024.

Transcorp Hotels counts Texas-based Hilton Hotels & Resorts as its partner. It launched a hospitality platform, Aura, in July 2021, enabling users to book to stay in accommodation across thirty states in Nigeria.

The CEO said there are over 5,000 listings already on the platform combining hotels and short-let apartments.

Meanwhile, shareholders resolved at the company’s annual general management held on Monday to sell off its 100 per cent equity stake in Transcorp Hotels Calabar Limited, which has been racking up losses for at least the last two years.

The subsidiary recorded over N1 billion in revenue for last year, the bulk of that eroded by operating costs, leading to a loss after tax of N269.3 million.

From Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the capital market community would discuss the implementation of the Revised Capital Market Master Plan, Fintech and commodities trading ecosystem roadmap as well as other matters relating to the capital market and the economy at its First Capital Market Committee (CMC) meeting in 2023.

The meeting is scheduled to hold on Wednesday April 12, 2023, virtually through Zoom with key stakeholders in the capital market in attendance on the first day, while the usual interface with the press, on the outcome of the CMC meeting, will take place the following day.

The CMC is an industry-wide committee comprising members of the SEC, representatives of capital market operators and trade groups and other stakeholders. It was primarily established to serve as a medium for the exchange of ideas among market stakeholders as well as an avenue for providing feedback to the SEC on how to continuously address challenges, improve market operations and enhance the regulatory framework.

According to the SEC, “Attendance to both events is strictly by invitation. Invited participants will be sent unique links with which to join the meeting.

“During the meeting, issues bordering on implementation of the Revised Capital Market Master Plan, implementation of the Fintech Roadmap, the

commodities trading ecosystem roadmap as well as other salient matters relating to the capital market and the economy would be discussed.”

The Commission unveiled the Revised Capital Market Master Plan (CMMP) in November 2022 which serves as a blueprint to harness opportunities to better position the capital market as the engine of economic growth and development. The SEC had previously implemented the initiatives of the 10 Year Capital Market Master Plan, which were designed to reposition the Nigerian Capital Market as an attractive investment destination and a critical facilitator of capital formation for the accelerated growth and development of the Nigerian economy.

Some of the CMMP initiatives that have been implemented include; Direct Cash Settlement, regularisation of multiple subscriptions, dematerialisation of share certificates, and the introduction of the e-Dividend Management System.

The CMMP initiatives have helped in promoting transparency, protecting investors and enhancing market confidence, while also ensuring that only fit and proper persons are allowed to operate in the capital market.

The objectives of the CMMP are also in consonance with the Federal Government’s economic strategy, focused on deepening the capital market and encouraging a private sector-led economy to drive inclusive growth.

Nigeria, ASG sign MoU to boost aviation technology

Nigeria’s Aviation Ministry on Thursday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Aviation Solutions Group (ASG), amidst ongoing efforts to raise the status of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria.

In a statement issued by James Odaudu, a special assistant to the minister of Aviation on Public Affairs, the ministry said the MoU will help NCAT in areas of competencies, training and certification in order to position the college as a regional training centre for Africa in civil aviation.

According to the statement, the MoU also has as part of its deliverables the provision of assistance to NCAT for the acquisition of three Full Flight Simulators and certification of one B737NG Full Flight Simulator.

It said ASG and its affiliates are also to provide ground handling service, Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul (MRO) and other training services for the College.

Signing the MoU on behalf of the Government of Nigeria, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Aviation, Emmanuel Meribole, described the event as a “watershed”.

He said the collaboration is expected to create new “vistas of opportunities” for the college in

particular and the aviation sector in general.

According to the statement, Mr Meribole informed the ASG management that Nigeria was the ultimate destination and hub of aviation in Africa, and any investment in the sector is an investment worth the while and not misplaced.

He further stated that the Nigerian government would continue to invest in the sector, as the collaboration with the ASG is a subset of the Aviation Master Plan envisioned by the minister or aviation, Hadi Sirika, as approved by the President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari.

In his remarks, ASG’s Business Development Executive, Vygaudas

Usackas, lauded the collaboration and assured of the readiness of the company to ensure the implementation of the MoU to the letter, the statement noted.

Mr Usackas described Nigeria as a very important country in Africa with huge potential and a ready market for aviation.

According to the statement, the official disclosed that the group had robust relationships with some domestic airline operators in Nigeria and has been offering some mutually beneficial services.

“The signing of the MoU is, without doubt, another milestone of President Buhari in the aviation sector in Nigeria,” the statement said.

From Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

BU$IN€SS

Debt servicing rose by 14.68% in 2022 – DMO

Nigeria’s debt servicing bill went up by 14.68 per cent to N3.36trn in 2022, data from the Debt Management Office has shown.

According to DMO, N2.93tn was spent on external and domestic debt servicing payments in 2021.

Recall that the DMO had earlier reported that Nigeria’s total debt stock stood at N46.25 trillion as of December 2022.

An analysis of DMO showed that the country spent $2.4bn which was equivalent to N1.07 trillion using the current exchange rate of $/N460 to service its external debt last year.

Domestic debt servicing

gulped N2.56tn in 2022, with the highest expenditures of N529.88 billion recorded in April.

Peoples Daily gathered that debt servicing under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has maintained an upward trend since 2016.

In 2016, a total of N1.23tn was spent to service the country’s domestic debts. The figure for domestic debt servicing rose to N1.48tn in 2017.

In 2018, the country’s domestic debt servicing bill rose to N1.8tn while the cost of domestic debt servicing came down a bit in 2019 to N1.69tn.

In 2020, debt servicing rose again to N1.85tn. By 2021,

domestic debt servicing rose to N2.05tn

On the other hand, external debt servicing gulped $353.09m in 2016. It went up to $464.05m in 2017 and jumped up to $1.47bn in 2018.

In 2019, the country spent $1.33bn on external debt servicing. In 2020, external debt servicing gulped $1.56bn. By 2021, it became N2.93tn.

The amount spent on external debt servicing was calculated using the CBN’s exchange rate for the year. For instance, the nairadollar average exchange rates for 2016 and 2017 were N197 and N305 respectively. It was N305 in 2018 and N360 in 2019. It closed

at N380 and N420 in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Reacting, The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed worry over the country’s debt burden, especially in the face of stunted revenue growth, the large presence of decaying infrastructure and the unsustainable burden of oil subsidy overhang.

In a statement on Thursday, the chamber said the ratio of debt service to government revenue at about 90 per cent remained alarming and unsustainable.

It said both capital and interest payments on borrowed sums exposed the country’s fiscal vulnerabilities and that the

government should, as a matter of urgency, emphasise strategies for revenue growth while blocking leakages.

The chamber further advised the government to shift focus to equity financing, divestment or shedding of its equity holdings in state-owned enterprises, real estate, and infrastructure to reduce its debt commitments and improve its fiscal situation.

Also, The International Monetary Fund warned that debt servicing might gulp 100 per cent of the Federal Government’s revenue by 2026 if the government fails to implement adequate measures to improve revenue generation.

PenCom distances self from pension association, warns retirees

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The National Pension Commission (PenCom) has distanced itself from the activities of the Association of Pension Desk Practitioners of Nigeria, ASSOPEP.

According to a press statement by the commission, PenCom said that it has no affiliation with the group.

The statement noted that ASSOPEP claims to resolve pension issues and assist retirees in securing their retirement

benefits. But PenCom warned that the claim is false and that the commission has no affiliation with the group.

“The attention of the National Pension Commission (PenCom or Commission) has been drawn to the illicit activities of the Association of Pension Desk Practitioners of Nigeria (ASSOPEP).

“The general public is kindly requested to note that the claims by ASSOPEP are entirely false as the Association has no affiliation with the pension industry nor authorization of any kind whatsoever from

PenCom,” it said.

The statement noted that Licensed Pension Fund Operators (LPFOs), who are statutorily mandated to undertake the processing and payment of retirement benefits, are not associated with ASSOPEP in any way.

The commission urged the general public to be cautious of any promise or claim made by ASSOPEP regarding pension and retirement benefits or any other matter relating to the pension industry in Nigeria.

The Commission especially strongly advises workers, retirees, pension desk officers and everyone approached by the association with claims of consulting with their Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs) and PenCom for guidance and assistance in respect of their retirement benefits to exercise caution as any interaction with the association is at the individual’s own risk.

Meanwhile, the commission said it has reported the activities of ASSOPEP to law enforcement agencies for appropriate action.

Stakeholders project inflation decline in March

From Abubakar Yunusa,ABUJA

Some experts have predicted that Nigeria’s inflation rate may decelerate marginally in March after two consecutive rise.

The Chief Executive Officer of Financial Derivatives Company, Bismarck Rewane, said during a presentation titled ‘Global Tremor but No Contagion’ at the April Breakfast Meeting of the Lagos Business School that the inflation for March 2023 will drop marginally by 0.06 per cent to 21.85 per cent.

Rewane said, “Inflation will likely fall marginally by 0.06 per cent to 21.85 per cent in March due to exchange rate appreciation, base effects and reduction in transportation costs.”

The country’s inflation rate stood at 21.91 per cent in February, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In his presentation, Rewane projected that the core inflation rate would drop to 18.54 per cent from 18.84 per cent which the NBS disclosed for February 2023, while food inflation was expected to dip to 23.83 per cent, from 24.35 per cent.

However, he claimed that the monthly inflation rate was expected to remain flat at 1.71 per cent.

According to Rewane, inflation is largely driven by money supply growth, in this case, the integration of old and new naira notes to increase currency in circulation, the appreciation of the naira at the

parallel market by 1.32 per cent to $/N745, also a significant decline had been recorded in diesel price, which dropped by 12.78 per cent to N710/per cent.

In his submission, Professor of Marketing and Faculty Director at Lagos Business School, Uchenna Uzo, agreed that the projected dip in inflation figure would be marginal and temporary.

He said, “I believe so, though it is going to be marginal for the very reasons he (Rewane) has given but also because you know that consumers now are sceptical of the banks’ ability to provide cash to them, given the cash crunch situation that we had. So, you are going to have people keeping the money that they have, not being willing to spend as before, waiting to see how the

cash supply improves.

“That is going to reduce inflation to some extent, but when things normalise a bit more, we are likely to see inflation picking up again. But I think recovery, now that the elections are out of the way, is going to come in the next coming months, gradually, as we know the policy direction of the new administration and everybody is looking for stability after months of instability.”

Professor of Economics at Babcock University, Segun Ajibola, stated that the cash crunch in the country would be the cause of the dip in the inflation rate if it happened.

Ajibola said that March was a tough month for traders and suppliers, especially of perishable goods, as they had to sell below

the cost price and this in turn would impact the inflation figure.

He called the possibility of the dip a disequilibrium that would be reversed when the economy stabilises.

“It was a tough month because of the impact of the insufficiency of cash in and around the economy. Traders and suppliers, especially of perishable commodities and commodities with very short shelf life had to sell off at highly discounted rates, some below cost, just to salvage what they could out of such produce.

“When people do not have cash, it is difficult for them to buy. To encourage people to part with the little cash that they had, the prices had to be brought down even in some cases below cost,” he noted.

Sharing his own experience on his farm, the economist revealed that he had to sell some of his farm produce at discounted rates, so they would not go bad.

“I am a living witness to the experience I had on my farm. Some produce were getting spoilt and some had to be disposed of at whatever price. It is not impossible for the inflation rate to come down but it will depend on the rate of the affected commodities. Everyone did not sell in desperation.

“If the rate eventually shows a downward trend, I doubt if it is sustainable. When the economy stabilises, when access to cash becomes fully guaranteed, we will be back to normalcy, back to the place of equilibrium. In April, and May, we will see a return to the full colour of the inflationary trend,” Ajibola asserted.

Meanwhile, Rewane, stated that the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank in the United States of America would squeeze funding for fintech startups in Nigeria.

He said, “The SVB is a major financier of tech startups and venture capital in the United States of America. The collapse of SVB and the Signature Bank crisis will squeeze and restrain funding to fintech startups in Nigeria. Nigeria’s fintech space is likely to come under pressure.”

The collapse of the US banks had led to massive sell-offs of global banking stocks as investor jitters sent the market into turmoil.

According to Rewane, the total value of fintech startup funding by Venture Capital jumped to $536.7mn in 2021 from $20.9mn in 2015 before declining to $507mn in 2022.

METRO Interview

Easter: FCT Minister preaches self-denial for greater good

By Stanley Onyekwere

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has admonished stakeholders to use this season of Easter to reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ especially on the principles and virtues of self-denial for the greater good of the society.

Bello, who gave the charge in his 2023 easter message to the FCT residents, said: “the Easter season provides us with yet another opportunity to remember and think upon the sacrifices made not just by our heroes past but also the little, everyday actions by ordinary citizens to help each other and help in building a stronger and more united community”.

He also reminded residents that the FCT was founded on the principles of unity, peace and love for the country with a strong belief that we, as a nation and a people, share a common destiny.

He equally, used the occasion to encourage everyone to pray for a smooth transition of power on May 29th, following the conduct of the 2023 elections.

According to him, residents have in the past demonstrated in so many instances that they believe in these

principles by their random acts of kindness towards one another, regardless of ethnic or religious differences.

His easter message read: “On behalf of the FCT Administration, I extend my warmest wishes to all residents of the FCT, especially the Christian faithful on the joyous occasion of the celebration of Easter.

“Let us use this season of Easter to reflect on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ especially on the principles and virtues of self-denial for the greater good of the society.

“As we celebrate with our loved ones, let us remember those who are

less fortunate, and extend a hand of kindness to them. Let us continue to show love and support to our neighbors, regardless of our differences, and work towards building a stronger and more united community

“Let us as residents of the Center of Unity remember that we are obliged, by our actions and utterances, to preach the message of unity, tolerance and peace.

“Residents have in the past demonstrated in so many instances that they believe in these principles by their random acts of kindness towards one another, regardless of ethnic or religious differences. Let us

be strengthened and encouraged by the significance of the Easter season to continue along this path.

“While working and praying for this smooth transition, let us also put our political differences aside and re-connect with friends, neighbours, colleagues and other residents and continue our quest of building a strong, virile and indivisible nation with Abuja at its center.

“Let us be assured that the FCT Administration remains committed to fulfilling its mandate of building for our country a world class capital of which we all will be proud. We however cannot do this, without the cooperation of the citizenry who are always at the heart of all our efforts.

“Let us therefore join the government as we strive to build the kind of society that we all desire. As we engage in festive activities during the celebrations, let us please, be security conscious and remain vigilant at all times.

“We should continue to imbibe the mantra of saying something when we see something and also continue to imbibe all rules regulating life in the FCT especially those that border on traffic and sanitation”.

2023 Hajj: Board declares April 21 deadline for FCT intending Pilgrims gets to balance payment

By Stanley Onyekwere

The Federal Capital Territory Muslim Pilgrims Welfare Board (FCTMPWB) has disclosed that intending Pilgrims who have made deposit for the forthcoming 2023 Hajj have till Friday 21st April to complete their payment of Hajj fare, as announced by the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) of N2,919,000.00 only.

FCT-MPWB explained that the deadline was to enable the board meet up with the deadline set by NAHCON to all states and FCT in respect of payment of Hajj fare for this year.

In a statement by its Public Relationship Officer (PRO), Muhammad Lawal Aliyu, the board added that the payment of the balance by respective Intending Pilgrims would enable the Board establish its prospective master list for the trip considering the time frame for the airlift of the Intending Pilgrims to the holy land.

Also, the board disclosed that

balancing the required amount would also enable the Board continue with other travelling arrangements as well as meet up with the deadline for the balance of payment to the NAHCON.

The spokesperson also emphasized that only Intending Pilgrims who made the complete payment of two Million, nine hundred and nineteen thousand naira by the deadline would be registered in the master list of the Board for this year’s hajj exercise.

He added that intending Pilgrims upon completion of their payment would be given the chance to choose the flight they want to join during the airlift to Saudi Arabia on first-come-first-served basis.

He also disclosed that the activities for this year’s hajj exercise would continue on Saturday 29th April and Sunday 30th April 2023 with second phase of the education and Orientation exercise at the Permanent Hajj Transit camp, Bassan Jiwa near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja.

Yemen war: Saudi-Houthi talks bring hope of ceasefire

ASaudi Arabian delegation is in Yemen’s capital Sana’a for talks with the Houthi rebel movement aimed at reaching a new and potentially permanent ceasefire.

A mediation team from Oman is also in Sana’a.

The capital has been controlled by the Houthis since they drove the Yemeni government out in 2015.

Soon after, war erupted between the Houthis and a Saudi-led coalition supporting the government.

It has continued ever since, leaving tens of thousands of Yemenis dead and some 80% of the population relying on aid.

No official confirmation has been made by the Saudi side yet, but Houthi outlets say that both the Saudi and Omani delegations are in Sana’a.

A leaked photo appears to show the Houthi leader Mohammed Ali al-Houthi shaking the hand of a Saudi official, whose face is obscured.

This has been greeted as another significant sign of the willingness of both sides to finally reach a deal that could end the war.

No named officials have commented, but there have been reports from various sources that an agreement could be signed before the end of the month.

Again, the terms of such a deal have not been made public.

But they are said to include commitments to pay the wages of public employees and reopen all ports and airports - as well as

more ambitious goals, such as rebuilding the country, the exit of foreign forces and a political transition. All of these have been stumbling blocks in the past.

This initiative is itself in parallel with a UN process, which resulted in a temporary ceasefire last year.

During the period of the truce, various confidence-building measures were able

to go ahead and those have continued, including the easing of restrictions on imports and the exchange of prisoners.

The conflict in Yemen is complex - a permanent ceasefire between the Saudiled coalition and the Houthis wouldn’t necessarily bring an end to all fighting.

Other factions, including Al-Qaeda, have their own battles still to fight.

But the proxy war between the Saudis and Iran does look like it is coming to an end - with the two regional rivals now committed to a rapprochement that will see them reopen diplomatic missions. That appears to have created the momentum for a serious drive towards ending the war, with the talks in Sana’a clearly key to its success.

Vitaly Votanovsky flees Russia after documenting a Wagner cemetery

ARussian activist who revealed details of the burials of Wagner mercenaries killed in Ukraine has left Russia.

Vitaly Votanovsky, who began documenting the deaths of Russian soldiers in Ukraine by monitoring graveyards in his home region, fled the country on 4 April after receiving numerous death threats.

He spoke to the BBC from the Armenian capital Yerevan.

Last year, Vitaly spent his 50th birthday in a jail cell.

The activist, from the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, was arrested and jailed on 24 February 2022, the day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The former Russian army officer had gone out to protest that day in clothes emblazoned with the words “No to Putin!” and “No to the war!”

Photos of Vitaly in his outfit are included in official court documents which Vitaly showed to the BBC.

“Because of that coat I got 20 days in jail!” he says.

He has painstakingly counted the graves of Russian fighters since his release

In Krasnodar, Vitaly is known not for street protests, but for documenting graves.

He was the first person to discover a now-infamous cemetery in the small village of Bakinskaya in Krasnodar Region, since known as the Wagner cemetery.

This is where the notoriously brutal mercenary group buries many of its dead from Ukraine - men who either have no relatives or whose bodies are unclaimed.

It has grown from a small village graveyard into an enormous cemetery, with several new zones to accommodate the ever-increasing number of dead. Security guards now patrol

the facility.

On Thursday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin visited the cemetery in Bakinskaya village and said he planned to turn it into a memorial “for future generations”.

The mercenary group chief admitted that the graveyard has expanded, adding “that’s the way life is”.

Vitaly started travelling around Krasnodar Region in May 2022, visiting every single graveyard to record the numbers of the fallen.

“I needed to prove to people that there was a catastrophe happening,” Vitaly tells me, “that people were dying here, close to them.

“I needed to show people that the war would affect everyone and everything.”

He painstakingly recorded the names and details of all the graves he found.

By the time he fled Russia earlier this month, his database contained over 1,300 names - which included the dead from the Krasnodar Region only.

Vitaly identified the graves of the men who had died in the war - as opposed to regular, civilian deaths - by asking local people, as well as studying the wreaths and photos on the graves.

In December 2022, the activist went to Bakinskaya to photograph graves of regular soldiers.

But while there, cemetery workers told Vitaly and his colleague that they were burying Wagner mercenaries killed in battle.

“When we were there, there were already 48 Wagner graves. Then, the next time we went, a few days later, there were 95 graves. Then 164. Then around 270,” he says.

Vitaly kept returning to document the numbers and names of the dead. I ask Vitaly if he knew who the men were. “It was obvious they were convicts and mercenaries,” he tells me.

“They were recruited from prisons. Journalists looked into the names and found out what they had gone to prison for.”

But it wasn’t just the deceased Wagner fighters at Bakinskaya cemetery that Vitaly was documenting.

He continued to monitor all the military dead at all the cemeteries in the Krasnodar region. And what he found shocked him.

“The fact is, since December 2022, Russia’s battlefield losses multiplied by several times,” says Vitaly, citing the statistics he’s collected in Krasnodar.

“Deaths have simply skyrocketed. And recently, at the cemeteries, the graves have been all mobilised soldiers and Wagner guys. There have been very few [professional soldiers].”

Several Western intelligence agencies

have claimed that the Russian army is running low on men.

Last year, President Putin announced a “partial mobilisation” in Russia - hundreds of thousands of men were drafted into the armed forces and sent to the frontline in Ukraine.

The last official death toll provided by the Russian military was in September 2022, when Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said 5,937 troops had died in Ukraine.

Estimates on total losses vary, but most US and European officials put the Russian death toll at well over 60,000.

Vitaly started getting threats many months ago.

“As soon as I made my first post about graves, the threats started. Barrages of them. I started off by saving them all, but they got so many I stopped. ‘We’ll kill you, we’ll throttle

Houthi supporters and fighters have been at war with Saudi-backed forces since 2015

Vitaly Votanovsky was arrested at the start of the war for wearing a “No to Putin!” and “No to the war!” T-shirt

Dozens killed in ‘barbaric’ Burkina Faso attacks

Some 44 people have been killed after two deadly attacks in northern Burkina Faso on Thursday, officials have said.

The twin attacks happened in the villages of Kourakou and Tondobi in the Sahel region, near the Niger border.

No group has admitted to carrying out the attacks, but jihadist violence is common in the area and officials have blamed “armed terrorist groups”.

Militant groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) are known to operate in the region.

The Lieutenant-Governor of the Sahel region, Rodolphe Sorgho, said the assailants behind the “despicable and barbaric attack” had been “put out of action”.

Other villagers were reportedly injured in the attacks, but it is unclear how many. Mr Sorgho said “actions to stabilise

the area are under way”.

One resident told the AFP news agency that “a large number of terrorists burst into the village” and that he heard gunfire all night long.

“It was on Friday morning that we saw that there were several dozen dead,” he said.

AFP has also reported that the killings were in retaliation for the lynching of two jihadists who had tried to steal cattle a few days earlier.

Thursday night’s killings happened close to the village of Seytenga, where dozens of people were killed last June.

Burkina Faso and its neighbours have faced protracted jihadist insurgencies since 2013.

Thousands of people have been killed during the crisis and more than two million have been displaced. The violence has led to significant political turbulence in the country.

The military - led by Lt Col Paul-Henri Damiba - seized power in the country in January last year, promising an end to the violence.

But he failed to stamp out the attacks, and he was removed in a second coup by Capt Ibrahim

Traoré the following September.

Capt Traoré has promised to win back territory from the jihadists, and to hold democratic elections in July 2024.

His new military chief, Col Celestin Simpore, vowed earlier this week to step up a “dynamic

offensive” to counter the jihadists.

But Capt Traoré has also requested that French troops leave the country and there has been widespread speculation that he might start working with Russian mercenaries.

From Ghana to Germany: Tracking down the owner of a lost wallet

The black, weathered, plastic wallet found on the Italian island of Lampedusa had been carried 3,500km (2,200 miles) from Ghana and then seemingly discarded.

Opening it up, Richard Opoku’s face stared back at me from the corner of his driver’s licence.

It was one of a cache of personal documents, belonging to various people, that had been gleaned over time from a site where small boats used by migrants to cross the Mediterranean had been dumped.

It had been recovered several years ago and my curiosity was piqued - I wanted to know the story behind the licence.

What had happened to Richard Opoku?

The wallet was part of a melancholy collection of lost belongings that serves as a museum to the memory of the tens of thousands who have risked their lives crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa to Lampedusa.

Lifejackets, cooking pots, water bottles, headlamps and cassette tapes are neatly arranged on the shelves and along the walls of this room just next to the island’s harbour. These everyday objects have been gathered by a group of volunteers since 2009.

“Some bring with them soil. They bring it from their country,” says Giacomo Sferlazzo, one of those behind the collection, as he holds up a small white polythene packet.

“We have found a number of these little parcels that show the bond with one’s country in Africa.”

He then pulls out a large folder full of photos, passports, driver’s licences and letters, including Mr Opoku’s document.

Volunteers on Lampedusa have been collecting and displaying the personal effects of some migrants since 2009

Nearer to Africa than Europe, Lampedusa - a tiny fishing and tourist island of about 6,000 people - has long been an arrival point for migrants and refugees seeking a new life.

Every year, thousands risk their lives trying to make their way to Europe.

In March alone, well over 3,000 people reached Lampedusa, more than double the arrivals in the same month last year.

With more than 20,000 recorded deaths

and disappearances since 2014, this stretch of the Mediterranean has become the world’s deadliest migration route.

But Mr Opoku may be among those who survived and I return to Ghana to try and pick up the trail.

I travel to the central region of Brong Ahafo, where a high number of people migrate from.

Perhaps someone here had crossed paths with Mr Opoku as they made their own journey north.

Some families are still waiting to hear from their relatives since they left many years ago.

Rita Ohenewaah is hoping for news from her husband who attempted to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Lampedusa in 2016.

She last heard from him when he called from Libya in December of that year.

“He told me he would send some money through somebody who was travelling to Ghana. He also promised to add a mobile phone and Christmas clothes for the children. He called that morning and evening. I did not hear from him again.”

Like her, it was possible that there was a wife or relative waiting for news of Mr Opoku.

Back in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, there are a series of frustrations as data protection rules and bureaucratic obstacles block me from finding out more about this man.

But finally, after months of searching - a breakthrough.

Frank Apronti of the Document Fraud Expertise Centre of the Ghana Immigration Service manages to find a phone number for a relative of the owner of the driving licence.

It is his sister who then connects me to his brother who tells me that he is still alive and living in Germany.

When I call Mr Opoku, he is shocked when I tell him that I had found his driver’s licence in Lampedusa.

It turns out that he had lost it in 2011 and never expected it to turn up again. In fact, he does not believe that I have it until I share a picture of it.

I finally travel to Germany to meet him.

On a frosty winter morning, he welcomes me into his small one-bedroom apartment, on

the outskirts of the northern German city of Bremen.

The 40-year-old now works there as a forklift truck driver.

When he was in Ghana he worked for a time as an illegal gold miner, or galamsey as they are known, to raise money for his journey. Every day these men risk their lives in insecure tunnels that sometimes cave in.

In 2009, when he decided to set off for Europe, he says he knew the risks that the journey would entail, but felt it was no more dangerous than the work he was doing in Ghana.

His travels saw him zig-zag across the region as he tried to make money to move on.

He first went to Cotonou in nearby Benin, and then to Lagos in neighbouring Nigeria, where he earned money by driving a motor scooter carrying passengers around the huge city.

From there he returned to Cotonou and proceeded north to neighbouring Niger and worked in a local restaurant for another two months.

But the journey in a vehicle across the desert from Niger to Libya was the biggest test yet. He used the money he got from working in Nigeria and Niger to pay the fare.

He was amazed at how the driver knew where to go in a place where there were no roads.

“At times you will meet a group, the whole 35 people with the driver… they’re all dead.”

Perhaps they died of thirst - he is not sure.

“Water is something like gold or diamonds on the journey. Maybe the whole day you only drink once or twice - just a small sip.”

At the Chadian border, the vehicle was stopped by criminals and the passengers stripped of their clothes and money.

Mr Opoku managed to prevent his cash from being taken by secreting it on his body.

But his troubles were not over once he reached Libya. He was kidnapped for ransom and beaten to a pulp because he was unable to reach a relative to pay. Finally, a woman who was looking for a domestic worker paid for his release.

Then in 2011, two years after he had left Ghana and in the midst of the uprising against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, Mr Opoku boarded a boat in Tripoli to make the crossing to Lampedusa.

But in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, the boat’s engine cut out. Mr Opoku and and his fellow passengers had to rely on the mercy of the wind until they were rescued by the Italian coast guard. BBC

In February this boat of migrants was rescued some 31 miles (50km) from Tunisia’s coast

Burkina Faso’s new military chief has vowed to step up efforts to counter jihadist violence in the country

N

FROM ASIA

China simulates hitting ‘key targets’ on Taiwan

China has simulated precision strikes against key targets on Taiwan and its surrounding waters during a second day of military drills.

The drills - which Beijing has called a “stern warning” to the selfgoverning island - are a response to Taiwan’s president visiting the US last week.

As the Chinese military simulated an encirclement of the island, the US urged China to show restraint.

Taiwan said about 70 Chinese aircraft flew around the island on Sunday.

Eleven Chinese ships were also spotted.

On Saturday, Taiwan said that 45 warplanes either crossed the Taiwan Strait median line - the unofficial dividing line between Taiwanese and Chinese territory - or flew into the south-western part of Taiwan’s air defence identification zone.

The operation, dubbed “Joint Sword” by Beijing, will continue until Monday. Taiwanese officials have been enraged by the operation.

On Saturday defence officials in Taipei accused Beijing of using President Tsai’s US visit as an “excuse to conduct military exercises, which has seriously undermined peace, stability and security in the region”.

On day one of the drills, one of China’s ships fired a round as it sailed near Pingtan island, China’s closest point to Taiwan.

Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council,

which runs the Coast Guard, issued video footage showing one of its ships shadowing a Chinese warship, though did not provide a location.

In the footage a sailor can be heard telling the Chinese ship through a radio: “You are seriously harming regional peace, stability and security. Please immediately turn around and leave. If you continue to proceed we will take expulsion measures.”

Other footage showed a Taiwanese warship, the Di Hua, accompanying the Coast Guard ship in what the Coast Guard officer calls a “standoff” with the Chinese vessel.

While the Chinese exercises ended by sundown on Saturday evening, defence officials in Taipei said fighter jet sorties started again early on Sunday morning.

US state department officials have urged China not to exploit President Tsai’s US visit, and have called for “restraint and no change to the status quo”.

A state department spokesperson said the US was “monitoring Beijing’s actions closely” and insisted the US had “sufficient resources and capabilities in the region to ensure peace and stability and to meet our national security commitments”.

The US severed diplomatic ties with Taipei in favour of Beijing in 1979, but it is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

US President Joe Biden has said on several occasion that the US

Maia and Rina Dee:

The funeral of two BritishIsraeli sisters killed in a shooting in the occupied West Bank is due to take place on Sunday.

Maia and Rina Dee, aged 20 and 15, were killed on Friday after their car was attacked in the north of the Jordan Valley.

Rabbi Leo Dee, their father, described them as “wonderful”.

Their mother, Leah, remains in a critical condition after surgery to remove bullets from her neck and spine.

The family live in the West Bank settlement of Efrat, its mayor has said, and moved from London nine years ago.

The car carrying the two sisters and their mother was driven off the road after being shot. The wider family were travelling in three cars for a holiday in Tiberias.

Speaking to the BBC, Rabbi Dee described his daughters as beautiful, smart and popular. He said he had not been able to sleep since their deaths.

“Every time, I had nightmares and woke up,” he said, “but the reality was worse than the nightmare, so I went back to sleep. Recurring nightmares... that’s how it went.”

He said Maia, who was

would intervene if China attacked the island, but US messaging has been murky.

At Wednesday’s meeting in California, Ms Tsai thanked US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for America’s “unwavering support”, saying it helped “reassure the people of Taiwan that we are not isolated and we are not alone”.

Mr McCarthy had originally planned to go to Taiwan himself, but opted instead to hold the meeting in California to avoid inflaming tensions with China.

Chinese state media said the military drills, which are due to run until Monday, would “simultaneously organise patrols

and advances around Taiwan island, shaping an all-round encirclement and deterrence posture”.

It added that “long-range rocket artillery, naval destroyers, missile boats, air force fighters, bombers, jammers and refuellers” had all been deployed by China’s military.

But in Taiwan’s capital Taipei, residents seemed unperturbed by China’s latest manoeuvres.

“I think many Taiwanese have gotten used to it by now, the feeling is like, here we go again!” Jim Tsai said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Michael Chuang said: “They [China] seems to like doing it, circling Taiwan like it’s theirs. I am used to it now.

“If they invade we can’t escape anyway. We’ll see what the future holds and go from there.”

Taiwan’s status has been ambiguous since 1949, when the Chinese Civil War turned in favour of the Chinese Communist Party and the country’s old ruling government retreated to the island.

Taiwan has since considered itself a sovereign state, with its own constitution and leaders. China sees it as a breakaway province that will eventually be brought under Beijing’s control - by force if necessary.

China’s President Xi Jinping has said “reunification” with Taiwan “must be fulfilled”.

Funerals of sisters killed in occupied West Bank to take place

volunteering for national service in a high school, was “wonderful, beautiful, had a lot of friends... she was very keen to do a second year of volunteering”.

Rina, he said, was “beautiful, fun, very smart, top grades in every subject, very popular with friends, sporty... very responsible, she would take responsibility for many things”.

“When it came to sweeping out the youth club floor, if other people didn’t turn up, she would be there by herself for three hours on a Friday morning, to make sure it was done,” he said.

Rabbi Dee heard news of the attack without realising his own family were involved, he said.

He called his wife and daughters, but they did not answer. He then saw a picture online of the car that was attacked.

“And we could just see one of our suitcases in the back seat,” he said. “There was a massive panic and screaming.”

He then drove to the scene. He was not allowed access but was handed his daughter’s ID card, which confirmed the worst.

Rabbi Dee has said he and his three remaining children “will get through this”.

Rabbi Mordechai Ginsbury,

from the Hendon United Synagogue in north London, said he spoke briefly with his close friend Rabbi Dee before the funerals.

“Naturally, as are we all, [he was] devastated, shocked at how just in a few moments with an act of absolute evil and madness - insanity - things can change around,” he told the BBC.

“The loss of two gorgeous daughters, and his wife now lying critically ill in a hospital in Jerusalem.

“But through the sadness there’s still that determination that he has to find any positives one can find, to try and be strong for his remaining children.”

Rabbi Ginsbury added that Rabbi Dee felt “supported and

embraced by a blanket of warmth and love” from within Israel and from people across world who had contacted him.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described the incident as a terror attack, sent his condolences to the family in a tweet naming the sisters on Saturday.

Source; BBC

A Chinese aircraft takes part in a drill around Taiwan

Maia and Rina Dee were shot as their drove from their home in the settlement of Efrat to Tiberias

By Maryam Abeeb

The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), has announced revised 2023 UTME timetable and set to hold rescheduled mock examination on Tuesday , 18th April, 2023.

Education JAMB announces revised timetable for 2023 UTME

It would be recalled that JAMB had earlier conducted its 2023 Mock-UTME on Thursday, 30th March, 2023, in 725 centres across the country.

However, the exercise ran into some technical hitches in some centres thereby denying some candidates the opportunity to sit the examination.

In a statement, the Head, Public Affairs and Protocol, Dr. Fabian Benjamin explained that the Board’s mock examination was designed for the purpose of testing its preparedness and that

of its partners for the UTME as well as give prospective candidates the opportunity to have hands-on experience of the CBT test environment.

According to him, in order to give those candidates, who were unable to sit the examination owing to no fault of theirs, the opportunity to take the examination that the mock examination had been rescheduled to hold on Tuesday, 18th April, 2023.

He noted that candidates

who were present and screened for the examination but could not sit the examination have been rescheduled to retake the mock examination on Tuesday, 18th April, 2023.

He stated that in the meantime, the result of the candidates who successfully took the mock examination on 30th March, 2023, has been released.

“Also, the Board has brought forward the conduct of its 2023 UTME which was earlier scheduled to hold from

UNICEF distributes learning materials , others to Kano schools

By Maryam Abeeb

The United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF has distributed learning materials, safety kits, and sanitary pads to 60 schools in Kano State.

The Chief of UNICEF Kano Office, Rahama Farah, during her remark at the event in Kano, explained that the distribution would help children survive, thrive and develop to fulfil their potential.

According to him, UNICEF supports the government to provide basic education, as education remains an important

pillar in helping children attain their full potential.

She noted that UNICEF has been supporting the government to address the challenge of an unsafe learning environment.

“For instance, under the Girl Education Programme, UNICEF supported the training of SchoolBased Management Committee members, teachers, and pupils in Kano and Katsina states on school safety and early warning systems.”

He noted that the education sector in Nigeria was facing several challenges, which had impacted negatively on learning.

Farah urged the beneficiaries to make the best use of the items, thereby appealing to the state House of Assembly to pass the bill on child protection currently pending before it.

The SUBEB Executive Secretary, Dr Danlami Hayyo, commended UNICEF for assisting the government in achieving its educational goals. Hayyo, who was represented by the Permanent Commissioner of the commission, Kabir Ahmad, expressed delight with the materials, promising that the distribution would be monitored and judiciously used.

Saturday, 29th April, 2023, to Tuesday, 25th April, to Tuesday, 2nd May, 2023.

“The adjustment in the date of the UTME is to accommodate some other major and critical national assignments. By so doing, the Board hopes that no citizen would be denied the opportunity of exercising their civic responsibilities.

“It should be noted that the Board does not have the liberty of shifting forward its examination as other public examinations

are billed to commence their exercises in the early part of May, 2023. Yet another factor is the need to accommodate those institutions with stable academic calendar to resume as scheduled.

“The Board will continue to partner with relevant agencies of government to ensure that its candidates get the best. It, therefore, solicits the understanding of all as it delivers on its critical mandate,” he noted.

NTIC awards finalists at 20th Maths Context

The Nigerian Tulip International College (NTIC) has awarded finalists of its 20th Annual National Mathematics Competition (ANMC) with scholarships and cash prizes.

The ANMC is the largest and yearly competition organised for math enthusiasts in Primary 5, Primary 6, and JSS 3 by NTIC in collaboration with the National Mathematics Centre (NMC).

It recognises the achievements of outstanding young mathematics minds with the ultimate goal to produce remarkable students that would lead to changes in the inventions that would shape the future of sciences in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large.

This year, about 10,000 students participated in the first round across various states while thirty two won the scholarships and other prizes.

Speaking during the prize giving and award ceremony, Fevzullah Bilgin, the

managing director of NTIC, said the school has been organising ANMC for the past 20 years as the sole sponsor of this 20th edition.

He said the aim of annual competition is to harness outstanding young mathematics minds, sharpen their rough edges and groom them to become strong and proficient in sciences.

“The Annual National Mathematics Competition is set for outstanding students, and these qualifiers have made themselves proud; brought accolades to each school they represent and their parents.

“Mathematics is a critical part of modern life, and its importance cannot be overstated. Mathematics is a fundamental branch of science that is essential for understanding and analyzing the world around us.

“It provides us with the tools to understand the world around us and make informed decisions that affect our lives and the lives of others, and this is what Annual National Mathematics Competitions

revolves around.”

Bilgin noted that the NTIC currently has more than 144 students studying in the school through ANMC scholarship scheme.

“It is worth mentioning some of ANMC’s exceptional students are; Henry Aniobi, a 2007 ANMC winner. Henry is a three-time gold winner of Pan African Mathematical Olympiad. He is also a fourtime International Mathematics Olympiad medalist worldwide.

“Ayomide Bamidele, a 2008 ANMC winner, was a National Physics Olympiad winner in 2014. He also won bronze at International Physics Olympiad in 2014 at Kazakhstan. Vincent Anioke, a 2006 ANMC winner, scored 2390 out of 2400 in S.A.T and gained a scholarship into MIT, one of the world’s leading universities.

“A recent one is Chioma Opara, a 2016 ANMC winner who graduated in the 2022/2023 academic session. She had an almost perfect score of 1550 in SAT, 345 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), and an

unprecedented straight 9As in West African Examination Council (WAFC). She set the record straight by gaining scholarship to two prestigious universities in the world: Toronto University, Canada and Long Island University, USA,” he added.

Prof. Promise Mebine, the Director and Chief Executive, National Mathematical Centre (NMC), who was represented by Prof. Jonathan said its relationship with NTIC is symbiotic one as both parties benefits from each other.

He commended the school for the gesture to promote science in the country, while pledging his support.

Meanwhile, Nwakuche Festus Chidubem of Pyramid Learning Academy, Anambra State who emerged over all best won N100,000 and scholarship waiver.

The third best students got cash rewards of N50,000, while the second over all best, Amah Chibuike from Diamond Special school, Imo state got N75000 cash prizes with scholarship waiver.

Maryam Abeeb

L-R: (front row) Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Mr Andrew David Adejoh , Director Education Support Services, Mrs Lydia Giginna, Director Human resources mgt, Mr David Gende with other Director and Education stakeholders, after the media briefing on the 2023 common wealth day celebration, held recently in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

Feature

Have we found the ‘animal origin’ of Covid?

We now have “the best evidence” we are ever likely to find of how the virus that causes Covid-19 was first transmitted to a human, a team of scientists has claimed.

It is the latest scientific twist in the troubled, highly politicised search for the cause of the worst pandemic in a century, one which has produced several competing theories which have neither been proved nor disproved conclusively.

The most recent analysis points to a particular species as the likely animal origin of the virus. That analysis is based on evidence that was gathered three years ago from the Huanan Wildlife Market in Wuhan, which has always been a focal point of the initial outbreak.

During the early days of 2020, when Covid was still a mystery disease, the Chinese Centers for Disease Control (CDC) took samples from the market. The genetic information contained in those samples has only recently been made, briefly, public, and that enabled a team of researchers to decode them and point to racoon dogs as a possible “intermediate host” from which the disease spilled over into people.

The crux of this analysis is that DNA from racoon dogs, wild mammals that were being sold live in the market for meat, was found in the same locations as swabs from the market that tested positive for SARS CoV-2, according to an analysis that was published online on 20 March.

But in the messy search for the outbreak’s origin, where the market has long since closed and any animals on sale killed, we still do not have definitive proof. And the threeyear delay in releasing this critical data has been described by some scientists as “scandalous”.

The findings are published amid signals that the lab leak theory is gaining ground among authorities in the US.

The Chinese government has strenuously denied suggestions that the virus originated in a scientific facility, but the FBI now believe that scenario is the “most likely”, as does the US Department of Energy.

Various US departments and agencies have investigated the mystery and produced differing

conclusions, but on 1 March the bureau’s director accused Beijing of “doing its best to try to thwart and obfuscate”, and disclosed the FBI had been convinced of the lab leak theory “for quite some time now”. The bureau has not made their findings public, which has frustrated some scientists.

The BBC has spoken to some of the scientists involved in the three-year mission to investigate Covid’s origin. They believe this new analysis might be the closest we will get to understanding how the outbreak started, and that the divisions between China and the West are hampering the scientific effort to solve that mystery.

What does the new research show?

The full genetic sequences from these crucial swabs from the market were spotted by Dr Florence Debarre, a senior researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences in Paris. She told the BBC World Service’s Science in Action programme that she had been “obsessed” with finding this data since she first found out it existed.

Having found and downloaded the codes on a genetic database called GISAID, where scientists share this kind of information, she and her colleagues set out to find out which species matched the samples that were found in the same locations as the virus. “We saw the results appear on our screens, and it was: racoon dog, racoon dog, racoon dog, racoon dog,” she recalled.

“So we found animals and virus [together],” explained Dr Debarre. “That does not prove that the animals were infected, but that is the most plausible interpretation of what we’ve seen.”

According to Prof Eddie Holmes from the University of Sydney, who was also involved in the study, this is the “best evidence we will get” of an animal origin of the virus.

“We will never find that intermediate [animal] host - it’s gone,” Prof Holmes told the BBC.

“But it’s extraordinary that the genetic data has found these ghosts - and it absolutely tells us not just what species were there, but exactly where they were in the market,”

Prof Holmes told the BBC.

This is not definitive proof. That is something we might never have. The search for that proof has itself become heavily politicised and often toxic. While this lends weight to the theory that the virus emerged in wild animals and spread to humans at the market, another theory has focused on the possible “lab leak” of a virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology

What can scientists do now to find Covid’s origin?

This new data could provide more leads for further investigation into the source of the outbreak, but following those leads will be complicated.

Prof Marion Koopmans from Erasmus University in Rotterdam was part of the World Health Organization investigative team that went to Wuhan in 2020. She explained that the new analysis “pinned their presence down to specific stalls, so you could check where animals sold there came from”.

“Of course if that is part of illegal sales, the question is if you would ever find that out.”

There could also still be biological evidence present in farms where these animals are raised for the trade. If researchers could find farmed animals with antibodies that show they had been infected with SARS Cov-2, that could provide another clue. This genetic information could at least narrow down where to look.

But finding the actual virus in an animal, says Prof Holmes, will be very hard.

Does this answer the question of how the pandemic started?

This is not definitive proof. That is something we might never have.

The search for that proof has itself become heavily politicised and often toxic. While this lends weight to the theory that the virus emerged in wild animals and spread to humans at the market, another theory has focused on the possible “lab leak” of a virus from the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

That theory gained headlines once again recently after the FBI’s intervention, weeks after an intelligence assessment from the US energy department and Republicanled hearings into the pandemic’s origins.

In his interview with BBC Science in Action, Prof Holmes

pointed to a previous study of the earliest known cases of Covid in Wuhan. “The outbreak started around the market,” he said. “And now we can see why - the key animals are there.

“It didn’t start around the lab, which is 30km away. And there is not a single piece of data showing any early cases around the laboratory.”

The years’ long delay in releasing this valuable data has led to frustration and anger with the China Centre for Disease Control (CDC).

“The data are three years old - it’s an absolute scandal that it’s taken this long for it to see the light of day,” said Prof Holmes.

The information had actually been posted on to the GISAID genetic database back in January. But it was left there unnoticed. It’s assumed that this was done to provide supporting evidence for a research paper based on the data that was being prepared by Chinese researchers from the CDC. (Sharing

such background data is considered a requirement for scientific publication).

But shortly after the Chinese researchers learned that others had seen the information, it became hidden again.

In a press conference on 17 March, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, said that “every piece of data” was important in moving us closer to that answer. “And every piece of data relating to studying the origins of Covid-19 needs to be shared with the international community immediately.”

“We have to get beyond the politics and back to the pure science,” said Prof Holmes.

He added: “Humans get viruses from wildlife - it’s been true throughout our entire evolutionary history. The best thing we can do is separate ourselves from this wildlife and have better surveillance.

“Because this will happen again.”

Source: BBC

There is a “strong association” between the early outbreak and the sale of live animals in a market, scientists say

Analysis of three-year-old data from the wildlife market at the centre of the outbreak points to racoon dogs as a possible ‘intermediate host’

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SPACE FOR SALE

Liverpool grab late draw to hurt Arsenal’s title bid

Roberto Firmino scored a dramatic late equaliser as Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League was cut to six points in an incident-packed encounter with Liverpool at Anfield.

The Gunners were in cruise control with a two-goal lead inside the first halfhour as they went in search for their first win at Liverpool since 2012, but were left bitterly disappointed as they paid the price for losing their discipline at times.

Gabriel Martinelli pounced on sloppy Liverpool defending to put Arsenal ahead after eight minutes then Gabriel Jesus rose unmarked between Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson to head home at the Kop End.

Liverpool sparked into life after a flashpoint between Granit Xhaka and Trent Alexander-Arnold late in the first half, Mohamed Salah scoring at the far post just before the break to set up a thriller.

There was a bizarre incident at the end of the first half when referee’s assistant

Constantine Hatzidakis appeared to elbow Liverpool defender Robertson as the teams left the field.

In a dramatic second half, Salah missed his second successive penalty when he shot wide after Rob Holding fouled Diogo Jota before Firmino rose at the far post to head home Alexander-Arnold’s cross with three minutes left.

In a frantic climax, Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale - who had already saved crucially from Darwin Nunez - produced two incredible stops from Salah and and Ibrahima Konate as Mikel Arteta’s pacesetters had to settle for a point, with Liverpool fully deserving their share of the spoils for a stirring fightback.

Arsenal dropped points from a leading position for only the third time this season - and it could have been worse for the Gunners but for this stunning save by Aaron Ramsdale from Ibrahima Konate at the death

Liverpool had produced an insipid performance and were being outplayed

until Xhaka unwisely chose to tangle with Alexander-Arnold, the incident injecting Jurgen Klopp’s side with the energy and inspiration they had been lacking - and crucially bringing the Anfield crowd into play.

Salah’s goal was the perfect invitation to mount a second-half siege in front of the Kop and it was one Liverpool accepted as they finally showed some of their true form.

Arsenal were penned back and it took an outstanding display of goalkeeping from Ramsdale to prevent a resurgent Liverpool from completing the perfect comeback.

While Liverpool’s attack looked more potent after the break, once again they looked so vulnerable at the back and both Arsenal goals were cheap.

In the final reckoning it is a result that suits neither side, reducing Liverpool’s chances of a top-four place even further and offering a boost to Arsenal’s title rivals Manchester City, who trailed by

eight points at the start of the weekend but have now seen that gap come down by two points and still have a game in hand on the north Londoners.

Gabriel Martinelli is only the second South American player to reach 25 Premier League goals while aged 21 or younger, after Gabriel Jesus (26) Arsenal’s players slumped to the turf in disappointment when Firmino arrived at the far post to head in the perfect delivery from Alexander-Arnold.

But their wounds were largely selfinflicted after casting aside the calm control they demonstrated for much of the first half by needlessly angering Liverpool and the Anfield crowd, after which the home side were unrecognisable.

The fact that Arsenal came away with even a point was thanks to a remarkable display by Ramsdale, who emerged as a heroic figure to repeatedly deny a fired-up Liverpool attack and secure a draw that that might yet prove vital in the outcome of this title race.

Excluding penalties, no player has scored more Premier League goals against Arsenal than Roberto Firmino (10, level with Robbie Fowler and Wayne Rooney).

NFF apologizes to Nigerians for U23, Super Eagles’ poor outings

The Nigeria Football Federation has apologized to the generality of Nigerians over the poor outings of the U23 Men National Team (Olympic Eagles) and the Senior Men National Team (Super Eagles) in crucial international matches this week.

The Super Eagles fell 0-1 to Guinea Bissau’s Djurtus in a 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, two days after the U23

boys failed to beat Guinea in a first leg, final qualifying fixture for the U23 Africa Cup of Nations.

President of NFF, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau, stated that the Federation was nonplussed by the below-par outings, but would immediately work hard to ensure the teams turn their qualifying games around in a positive way.

“We tender an unreserved apology to Nigerians for the poor results. We worked and planned hard for good results

but things turned out differently on the pitch. Our focus now is on redeeming the situation in the return matches early next week.”

Gusau expressed confidence the U23 boys will take their chances in Rabat on Tuesday against Guinea to qualify for the U23 AFCON, and that the Super Eagles will win in Bissau on Monday to return to the top of their qualifying group for the 2023 AFCON.

Super Falcons will be ready for FIFA Women’s World Cup™ challenge –NFF

President of Nigeria Football Federation, Alhaji Ibrahim Musa Gusau has assured that nine-time African champions Nigeria will be ready to put up an excellent show when the 9th FIFA Women’s World Cup™ finals commence in Australia and New Zealand on 20th July.

“Nigeria is very excited to be amongst the 32 finalist countries for the FIFA Women’s World Cup; the first to be co-hosted and the first ever for 32 teams. It is indeed a historic moment for us at the NFF and the Super Falcons and indeed for all the other teams that qualified.

“Indeed, the Government and people of Nigeria have high expectations for this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup competition. Our Super Falcons have been preparing hard and still preparing to make an excellent run in Australia and New Zealand…we want to assure you that our Super Falcons will not be coming to Australia and New Zealand just to make up the number,” Gusau said at the Nigeria leg of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ Trophy Tour at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja on Sunday morning.

The day’s programme started at the Anglican Girls Secondary School, Apo where the school’s fascinated 115 students took turns to take photographs with the original Trophy, alongside the five-member FIFA team and a number of NFF Management officials.

The main event at the Transcorp Hilton also had the Australian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Her Excellency Leann Johnston, as well as Madam Aisha Falode and Rt. Hon. Margaret Icheen, members of the NFF Executive Committee; NFF Management officials; the five-member FIFA team of Giulia Türkyilmaz, Alexa Sunderland, Felipe Chevita, Jot

Jakher and Aurelien Fougere; Super Falcons’ captain Onome Ebi and; players and officials of NWFL Premier League side Naija Ratels led by the proprietor, Barr. Paul Edeh.

Her Excellency Johnston said: “We are excited to welcome Nigeria to Australia for the tournament and we’re looking forward to the group match between them on 27 July

in Brisbane. Australia is rightly proud of the achievements of our women’s national team, the Matildas, who are currently ranked 12th in the world.

“Australians know that the Super Falcons have a long reputation and are not to be taken lightly. The Super Falcons have played in every FIFA Women’s World Cup tournament and are by far Africa’s most successful

women’s football team.”

Dignitaries and guests took turns to take photos with the most coveted prize in women’s football as some players of the FIFA U17 World Cup bronze medallists Flamingos of Nigeria regaled the auditorium with their humble beginnings and challenges on the way to the top.

Nigeria is one of only seven countries to have featured

in every edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup™ since the competition was launched in 1991. The others are the USA, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Norway and Sweden. This year’s finals will be the first finals to be held in the Southern Hemisphere, the first to welcome 32 teams and the first to be played across two countries in two different confederations.

NFF President Gusau (left) being presented with a replica of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Trophy by lead of the FIFA team, Giulia Türkyilmaz.

S P R T

FIFA Women’s World Cup: Waldrum invites Ebi, Oshoala, Ajibade, 20 others for Haiti & New Zealand

By Albert Akota

Head Coach Randy Waldrum has called up team captain Onome Ebi, and forwards Asisat Oshoala and Rasheedat Ajibade to the camp of Super Falcons ahead of next month’s couple of international friendly matches in Turkey.

The nine-time African champions have a date against World Cup-bound Haiti women’s national team at the Emir Sports Complex in Antalya, Turkey on Friday, 7th April, before taking on World Cup co-hosts New Zealand at the

Mardan Sports Complex also in Antalya on Tuesday, 11th April.

It would be recalled that last month, the Super Falcons were at the FourNation Revelation Cup in the city of Leon, Mexico where they played three matches, two of which were against World Cupbound Costa Rica and Colombia.

The clashes in April are to further test the strength of the African representatives against other World Cup-bound teams, with this year’s edition being the biggest FIFA Women’s World Cup finals in history. It welcomes 32 teams – same number as featured at the men’s finals in

Qatar late last year.

ALL THE INVITED PLAYERS:

Goalkeepers: Chiamaka Nnadozie (Paris FC, France); Yewande Balogun (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Inyene Etim (Abia Angels)

Defenders: Onome Ebi (Abia Angels); Osinachi Ohale (Deportivo Alaves, Spain); Ashleigh Plumptre (Leicester City, England); Glory Ogbonna (Besiktas JK, Turkey); Rofiat Imuran (Stade de Reims, France); Michelle Alozie (Houston Dash, USA); Oluwatosin Demehin (Stade de Reims, France)

Midfielders: Halimatu Ayinde (FC

Rosengard, Sweden); Christy Ucheibe (SL Benfica, Portugal); Ngozi OkobiOkeoghene (FC Levante Las Planas, Spain); Deborah Abiodun (Rivers Angels); Toni Payne (Sevilla FC, Spain); Regina Otu (AS Saint-Etienne, France)

Forwards: Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona Femenin, Spain); Rasheedat Ajibade (Atletico Madrid, Spain); Esther Okoronkwo (AS Saint-Etienne, France); Ifeoma Onumonu (NY/NJ Gotham FC, USA); Uchenna Kanu (Racing Louisville, Kentucky, USA); Desire Oparanozie (Wuhan Chegu Jianghan, China); Gift Monday (UDG Tenerife, Spain)

PEOPLES DAILY

LATEST SPORTS LATEST

Masters 2023: Five-time champion Tiger Woods withdraws because of injury

Boundaries of political extremism

This column earlier published on this page on March 27 is hereby republished. The issues it raised then are still relevant for the moment.

The general elections of February 25 and March 18 have come and gone, leaving behind some uneasy dust taking time to settle. For the Presidential election of February 25 specifically, a president-elect has emerged but not without disputation. Already, the legal fireworks have begun in earnest by candidates who lost out. They are determined to challenge the legitimacy of the process and the outcome at the tribunal. It is within their right to do so, since the law provides for it, as long as the approach is also within the allowance of the law. All candidates and parties ought to be treated justly and fairly so as to give more credibility and legitimacy to the elected leaders after the post election litigation would have been dealt with and resolved.

Monday

By Hameed M. Bello, PhD

hamdbelo@yahoo.co.uk

laid down procedures are set aside in preference for extra legal means of seeking for power. Whenever the Department of State Services, DSS raises an alarm, it cannot be treated lightly because they have the intelligence network to know the political goings on. At least that we can tell from their antecedents.

successful administration of the country for two terms of eight years.

“He, for his part, is eager to return home to enjoy his retirement.”

Recall that earlier last week, a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC Presidential Campaign Team, Barrister Festus Keyamo had petitioned the DSS, accusing the presidential candidate and running mate of the Labour Party in the February 25 contest, Peter Obi and Datti Baba Ahmed respectively of alleged incitement and treasonable felony.

Five-time champion Tiger Woods has withdrawn from the Masters because of injury, hours before the resumption of the third round on Sunday.

The 47-year-old was six over par after seven holes of his third round before heavy rain stopped play on Saturday.

That had left him last of the 54 remaining players on nine over overall.

Woods had earlier battled to go beyond the halfway stage - equalling the record set by Gary Player and Fred Couples of 23 consecutive cuts made.

The 15-time major champion said on social media he had reaggravated his plantar fasciitis, which is tissue inflammation that causes pain in the heel.

After starting his delayed third round on the 10th tee, Woods appeared to be troubled by pain in his right leg as he played the 17th hole, moments before the wet weather caused play to be abandoned.

He feared his leg would have to be amputated after suffering serious injuries in a car accident in Los Angeles in February 2021, though he made a remarkable return 14 months later to once again make the cut at last year’s Masters.

Speaking in the build-up to this year’s championship, Woods said that his comeback was “a small victory in itself” and that he “doesn’t know how many more I have in me”.

American Brooks Koepka leads the field on 13 under six holes into his third round as he chases a first Green Jacket.

The four-time major winner is four clear of Spain’s Jon Rahm, with American amateur Sam Bennett three shots further back.

Taye Taiwo and Oduamadi

Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy on the basis of the rule of law. Accordingly, a democratic government is given legitimacy only by the processes laid down by the law. The law also prescribes how a government can either be enthroned, legitimized or delegitimized, and this does not include through violent means, mass action, social upheaval or acts of hooliganism or mayhem. It is only by established legal processes that an aggrieved party(ies) can seek redress from perceived infraction, injustice or disagreeable electoral conduct. Anything short of that could expose an individual(s) to the wrath of the state. This is the reason the election tribunal is in place to hear petitions, disagreements and malpractices that might have reflected on the result. The tribunal will in turn hear both parties or their counsels and deliver judgment on the merit of the submissions and defence by the litigants. Parties could also appeal the tribunal judgment at a higher court if they are still unsatisfied. These legal windows provided to seek relief are enough to address all post election grievances without further resort to extra judicial means or seek self help which can set up the individual(s) against the state or its agents.

Already, the first and second runners up in the presidential election, the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and that of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi have made their submissions to the tribunal praying for the cancellation of the results, conduct of fresh poll or urging the tribunal to declare them winners as the case may be. This is normal. The defence team will in turn make its own submission in reply to the allegations while the tribunal will examine the merits and demerits of both arguments and take a position.

It becomes worrisome when these

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The DSS had in a statement on Saturday, March 25 warned those it described as “desperate politicians” planning to cause violence in the country and advised them to desist forthwith in their own best interest. The Service said such politicians and their footsoldiers will regret such action if they defy the warning.

In the statement, DSS spokesman, Dr. Peter Afunanya said that information available to the Service showed that desperate political leaders were planning to violently disrupt peace in the country.

“The Service hereby warns those desperate to cause a breakdown of law and order to desist from that,” and that the Service will not tolerate a situation where persons and/or groups take laws into their hands and champion anarchy.

“Those peddling fake news, hate speech and all forms of false narratives as basis to ignite violence or pit the people against the present or incoming administrations, at the Federal, State and Parliamentary levels, should stop forthwith.

“Those inciting violence have nothing to gain as doing so will not only consume them but also the innocent.

“It is otherwise disturbing to see respected personalities use their platforms to mislead or incite citizens. This, to say the least, does not augur well for peaceful coexistence and general order.

“Therefore, the Service will continue to take necessary measures to checkmate these elements who do not wish the country well.

“This is to ensure that the conducive environment is provided for citizens and residents to pursue their legitimate businesses.”

Dr. Afunanya recalled that the Service had earlier advised political players to abide by the rules of engagement as well as approach the courts for redress, if and where there are suspicions of infractions on extant electoral laws.

“It is evident that some aggrieved

politicians are already taking advantage of this legal process. This, without doubt, is the beauty of democracy. It is strongly believed that this approach enhances peace and security.”

The DSS alarm is coming whent he Presidency has said that the preparation for handover of power to the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Vice President-elect, Kashim Ibrahim Shettima is currently in top gear with all the handover committees working round the clock for the programme.

“The Transition Committee, made up of representatives of the outgoing administration and the incoming one, is meeting on an almost daily basis planning the handover to the Tinubu/ Shettima administration.”

In a statement on March 24 reacting to news that President Muhammadu Buhari will not hand over to Tinubu on May 29, a Presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu dismissed the news as fake.

Garba Shehu asked: “how can you vigorously campaign for somebody, vote for him and then say you won’t hand over to him? This beggars belief.”

According to him, thirteen committees as offshoots of the main committee, some, to arrange military drills and pulling out of President Buhari, are either all at work or soon to be.

“So far, everything is going very well and there is no indication of any hitches.”

Garba Shehu hinted that already the Daura community has begun their preparations to receive their son, President Buhari back, after the

In a petition dated Thursday, March 23, 2023, addressed to the Director General of the DSS, Keyamo had accused the duo of Obi and Datti of making incendiary comments and claims capable of causing an insurrection and rebellion against the government of Nigeria and the duly elected President-elect. In his petition submitted in his personal capacity as a Nigerian, Keyamo urged the DSS to invite, interrogate and after investigation, if necessary, charge both individuals to court for their conducts, allegedly, which amount to incitement and treasonable felony.

The President-elect himself had reportedly expressed fears of alleged plans to truncate his swearing in on May 29. These series of allegations on the same subject is worrisome. This is the reason former President Goodluck Jonathan remains a political hero to a lot of people. His often repeated refrain that no politician’s ambition is worth the blood of any Nigerian is memorable. Politicians should not conduct themselves in a manner that will endanger the lives of the same people they want to rule. Democracy is necessarily about majority rule - the minority will have their say while the majority will have their way. We have to tread cautiously to avoid actions that will put the society on fire. The contestatnts should remember the peace accord they had all assented to, to be peaceful and law abiding. The courts still remain the legal means for dispute resolution in a democracy.

DANDANGAIGAYE

DSS DG Bichi