Saturday, April 1, 2023 Edition

News Editor (Ag), Stanley Onyekwere

Media inaugurates National Ombudsman Monday

By Stanley Onyekwere

In the bid to strengthen public confidence in the media as a credible barometer of public opinion, the Nigerian media will on Monday, inaugurate the ninemember board of the National Media Complaints Commission (NMCC), otherwise known as the National Ombudsman.

Members of the commission, who are drawn from the media, the bar, the academia, and civil society are Mr. Emeka Izeze, former Managing

Director, Guardian Newspapers (Chairman), Mr. A. B Mahmoud, SAN, OON, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Prof Chinyere Stella Okunna, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academics) Paul University, Awka, Anambra State; Dr. Hussain Abdu, a Development Specialist and Country Director, Care International (Nigeria); Mr. Lanre Idowu, Editor-in-Chief, Diamond Publications Ltd. and Founder, Diamond Awards For Media Excellence (DAME); Mr. Edetaen Ojo, Executive Director, Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Mrs.

Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo, FNGE, a Journalist, Lawyer and Arbitrator ; Mrs. Eugenia Abu, Broadcaster, Author, and Columnist, and the Chair, House of Representatives Committee on Information.

The Inauguration is a major step by the industry to strengthen public confidence in the media through prompt resolution of issues bordering on ethical breaches in media content.

The process is being driven by the Nigeria Press Organisation (NPO,) comprising the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of

Nigeria (NPAN), the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), and the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), and the Guild of Corporate Online Publishers (GOCOP), along with other strategic media players and the civil society, in particular the MacArthur Foundation.

A statement from President, NPAN/ NPO, Mal. Kabiru A. Yusuf said commission will serve as an independent forum for resolving complaints about the press quickly, fairly, and free of

charge; maintain high standards of Nigerian Journalism and journalistic ethics; and defend the freedom of the press and the rights of the people to know.

Prior to the February 22, 2023 announcement of the composition of the commission, each media house had been directed to institute at the newspaper level, the local Ombudsman. The National Ombudsman will serve as an appellate body for the local Ombudsman as well as a court of first instance.

From

Ahmed Idris, Birnin Kebbi

The Inconclusive Governorship and State Assembly Elections in Kebbi State has started generating controversy as the APC Chairman Kebbi State publicity Committee for the state Governorship Campaign Alhajl Kabiru Sani Giant has called on the National Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmud to urgently remove the Kebbi State election collation officer Professor Yusuf Saidu for alleged bias and sentimental in the just concluded Governorship and State Assembly Elections.

Briefing newsmen yesterday, the chairman publicity Committee, said that the removal of the Collation officer will bring sanity to the re-run of the said elections adding that the APC in the State is not conformable with the Collation officer due to its alliance with the other political parties.

He added that the APC Governorship candidate Dr. Nasir Idris has won the election and is

supposed to be declared winner of the Kebbi State governorship election instead of saying it is inconclusive.

“I urged INEC’s Returning Officer Professor Yusuf Sa’idu who on Monday declared the results to be inconclusive due to what he said was cancellation of polling unit results in 20 of the state’s 21 local governments should be changed for the next rerunning elections” he said.

Gaint who is also an APC chieftain and National Coordinator of Tinubu/Shettima ST7 2023 said that the results from the election showed that APC’s candidate Alhaji Nasiru Idris, Kauran Gwandu, polled 388,258 while his closest rival, PDP candidate Major General Aminu Bande [retired], polled 342,980 votes.

“There is no need to declare the election inconclusive. Our candidate won fair and square. He is leading with 45,278 votes. In some states, candidates were declared winners when the margin was a fraction of that. There is no need for a supplementary election.

“INEC cancelled election results in some polling units

because of overvoting and violence. Remember, the PDP candidate’s wife heads a department in INEC. It was also the PDP that triggered violence in some of the polling units because they know they are our strongholds”, he added.

He explained further that Despite all the PDP machinations, we are still very comfortably ahead. Even if it holds supplementary elections, we are confident of increasing our margin of victory because all the areas where the polls were cancelled are our strongholds.

“I urge INEC to immediately declare our candidate as the winner of the election so that the people of Kebbi State, like those of most other states, will have peace of mind and go about their normal lives,” Malam concludes.

He also called on INEC to investigate the Wife of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Gubernatorial candidate over her role in using fake ballot papers, fake INEC officers ID and other INEC materials which was smuggled in the just concluded Governorship and State Assembly Elections.

He said that based on the information gathered the Peoples Democratic Party Governorship candidate’s wife was a staff of INEC and the INEC was also in her support for irregularities in behaviour.

He insinuated that she collaborated with some staff and used fake INEC election material during the elections, revealing that some printing presses were used in printing the said fake INEC materials.

“We want to use this medium to call on the National INEC chairman to investigate the matter for using some fake election materials, and also they should investigate the INEC Collation officer Prof Yusuf Saidu who is a close friend to the House of Representatives candidate Prof Sabi Danladi Mahuta who lost the election to the APC candidate under Fakai, Danko Wasagu, Zuru and sakaba federal constituency”, he alleged.

He continued: Kebbi State was known as a peaceful state and we have never witness such before, he should not Create a problem and chaos for us, our mission is to promote unity,

Kebbi APC insists on removal of INEC Returning Officer PHOTO NEWS

economic growth and democratic governance in the State and we discover that the INEC Collation officer is bais and sentimental in discharging is duties, we all aware his relationship with the other professor who lost the Election, they are in the same office in Usman Danfodio University Sokoto”.

He therefore pointed out that there was some information circulating around the state that PDP members in the state used fake INEC materials, “and that is why we are calling on the authorities concerned to investigate the matter and prosecute the perpetrators.

The Chairman observed that despite the irregularities committed by the PDP in the state, they still lost the elections to the ruling party, “We are appealing to them if the allegations level against them is true, they should honorably back out of the contest and accept defeat.”

He however, thanked the security agencies, journalists, INEC for the peaceful and successful conduct of the election in the State.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Idris Wase, with Nasarawa State governor, Eng Abdullahi Sule, when the Speaker led a delegation of federal lawmakers on a courtesy visit to the governor at his residence in Abuja yesterday.

PDP: One party, many crises

The crisis plaguing the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before the last general election seems to have defied all solutions, even after the polls.

Our correspondent, Lateef Ibrahim, in this piece, examines the current crisis, under Senator Iyorchia Ayu and asks if he (Ayu) can survive the onslaught.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was founded in 1998 with the primary objective of jostling for and winning political powers, particularly, at the centre.

This aspiration, without any gainsaying, has been largely achieved as the party, shortly, after coming into existence, won political power and retained same for sixteen unbroken years at the centre.

However, the PDP has, more or less, become synonymous with crisis, as both are now like one side of the same coin. Succinctly put, PDP and crisis are, now, like a siamese twins.

The leading opposition party appears to have been so enmeshed in crisis too often to the extent that they are fast approaching that level of inseparability, according to politics watchers.

In PDP now, it is one day, one crisis. As one crisis is abating in the party, another one is springing up. Yes, it is trite, in social engineering, that no human being can completely run away from crisis, but the ability for speedy resolution of such crises says a lot about individuals or institutions involved.

The greater part of the Party’s twentyfive years of existence has, undoubtedly, been enmeshed in one crisis after the other.

Among the various crises which had bedeviled the party since inception, the latest crisis between the camps of the Presidential Candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar/the embattled and now court barred National Chairman of the PDP, Dr Iyorchia Ayu on one side and a Group of Five Governors, popularly dubbed G-5, led by the Governor of Rivers State, Mr Nyesom Wike on the other side, stands out as the most stubborn one so far.

The crisis between these two camps dated back to May 2022, when the PDP held it’s presidential primaries at the Velodrome wing of the Moshood Abiola national stadium in Abuja, the nation’s capital, during which Atiku emerged the presidential candidate, after defeating the

likes of Wike, former Senate Presidents, Dr Bukola Saraki and Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, Bauchi Governor, Senator Mohammed Bala and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel among others.

Shortly after the presidential primaries, the next agitation was that Senator Iyorchia Ayu must step down as the party’s National Chairman to be replaced by somebody from the Southern part of the country.

The G-5 Governors, comprising Wike; Seyi Makinde (Oyo State); Samuel Ortom (Benue State), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia State) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu State), who were the arrow heads of the agitation, argued that with Atiku Abubakar, a Northerner (from Adamawa State) as the presidential flag bearer, Ayu, another

Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi.

At a point, like the celebrated novelist, Chinua Achebe wrote in ‘Things Fall Apart” within the PDP and the centre could no longer hold, the falcon could no longer hear the falconer, while anarchy was let loose in the party.

The result was so glaring for all to see, when the elections eventually came, from the performance of the party, particularly during the presidential election. Political analysts have argued that the self inflicted injury by PDP, which led to its being factionalized and made some of the chieftains to move to other parties, to go realize their ambitions, greatly affected its electoral performance at the polls, negatively.

So many people had thought that

disciplinary committee of the party and suspended former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, immediate past Governor of Katsina State, Mr Ibrahim Shema, erstwhile Senate President, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim among others.

In what appeared like a fight back from the members of the G-5 led by Wike, a suspension was slammed on Ayu right by Executive Committee members of his ward.

Ayu’s suspension followed a vote of no confidence passed on him by his ward. A resolution passed at the end of the meeting of the Igyorov ward exco members and read by the Secretary, Mr Banger Dooyum, reads, “The Peoples Democratic Party Executive Committee of Igyorov council ward of Gboko local government area in Benue state has passed a vote of no confidence on the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and suspended him from the party”.

Mr Dooyum, while reading the resolution of the ward Exco, said “He (Ayu) was involved in amti- party activities making the PDP to lose at his ward and local government along with his allies who also didn’t vote at the Governorship Election.”

Ayu was also accused of not paying his annual dues as enshrined by the party’s constitution.

Northerner from Benue State, can not continue to occupy the position of the National Chairman of the party. They pointed out that the position must be occupied by a Southerner in the interest of justice, equity and fairness.The refusal by Ayu to heed the call and ceed the position to a Southerner led to the aggravation of the party’s crisis and ultimately led to the dismal failure of the PDP in the February 25 presidential and National Assembly election which Atiku lost to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Prior to the presidential election, the G-5 Governors were openly campaigning for the presidential candidates of other parties to the detriment of their own party and its candidate- the PDP and Atiku Abubakar.

While Wike was busy mocking PDP and Atiku at various political fora in his state, Ortom, on his part, was, strongly, campaigning for the candidate of Labour

after the elections, the leading opposition party in the country would have taken time to sit down, possibly in a roundtable dialogue, to do a post mortem analysis of what went wrong, with a view to charting a new and progressive way forward. Lo and behold, this was not to be. Rather, the party has again been enmeshed in another major crisis capable of shaking it to its foundations, if not well managed.

On Sunday, March 16th, the PDP crisis assumed a new dimension as the embattled National Chairman of the party, Dr Iyorchia Ayu (who has now been barred from parading himself as the National Chairman of the party by a Benue State High Court, sitting in Makurdi)was suspended by his Igyorov Ward in Gboko Local Government Area of Benue State. Ayu was accused of anti-party activities. The suspension of Ayu came few days after the members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, dragged the Benue State Governor, Dr Samuel Ortom before the national

It will be recalled that shortly after the Benue State Governor was referred to the National Disciplinary Committee of the PDP for anti-party activities by the National Working Committee, NWC, of PDP chaired by Ayu, the Rivers State governor, Mr Nyesom Wike had dared the national leadership of the PDP, declaring that his Benue State counterpart will not appear before the Committee.

Wike equally described the suspension of former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose and others, for anti-party activities by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, as a nullity.

Wike, in a statement issued in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said, “I want to state clearly and let members of the party and Nigerians hear it clearly, the National Working Committee made up of Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who they say is the Chairman of the party; Sam Anyanwu, the national secretary and other members of NWC, cannot suspend Ayo Fayose, not

Ayu

Ortom

Wike

Shortly after the presidential primaries, the next agitation was that Senator Iyorchia Ayu must step down as the party’s National Chairman to be replaced by somebody from the Southern part of the country

to talk about referring governor Ortom to national disciplinary committee.”

Governor Wike explained that the decision of the NWC to refer governor Ortom to the party’s National Disciplinary Committee is the height of all insult.

He said, “Referring a governor to your so called national disciplinary committee is the height of all insult, and we will not take it. Therefore, be ready for whatever you see as far as this our party is concern.”

Governor Wike stated emphatically that the Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom will not appear before the PDP National Disciplinary Committee.

According to him, “Governor Ortom, who has stood firm for the unity of this country, governor Ortom who has come out openly to say that Nigeria must be one is not the type you will say you will refer to that your kangaroo committee.”

The Rivers State governor said if anyone deserves to be suspended from the party, that person is Dr Iyorchia Ayu, who he accused of contravening the PDP constitution on the zoning of elective and appointive offices.

His words, “If there is any person deserving suspension, it should be you (Ayu), who played anti-party party by refusing to obey the constitution of the party on zoning of political offices as is required. “

So, whoever tells you that you can suspend people, please tell the person that he is not serious.”

Continuing, Wike said, “if you are talking of anti-party, it is you, who could not even deliver your unit, deliver your ward that is involved.

“Because of the fraudulent activities you are involved in, people have lost hope in you. That is why you cannot win your unit, win your ward”, he stressed.

Governor Wike cautioned Ayu and the NWC to desist from threatening the G-5 governors and members of the Integrity Group with suspension.

According to him, Ayu has, by his recent action, opened up a new chapter of political war in the party.

“You cannot cage any of us. Ortom will not appear before any of your so called disciplinary committee. Ayodele Fayose will also never appear before any disciplinary committee”, he vowed.

Less than 24 hours after, Ayu faulted his suspension, describing it as an exercise in futility.

Ayu categorically declared that those behind the plot are only investing in expensive illusions.

In a statement on Monday by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, Ayu, a former Senate President, maintained that only the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the PDP can suspend him.

He stressed that his purported suspension by his ward Executive Committee members merely derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation.

Continuing, the former University Don stated that the

PDP: One party, many crises

said suspension exercise has only “mischief, drama and propaganda value”.

Some members of the Exco of his ward, he claimed, are only being teleguided by political gamblers to cause mischief and nothing more.

The statement reads, “Our attention has been drawn to rumours that the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has been suspended by the Executive Committee of his Ward.

“We wish to state categorically and with all emphasis at our disposal thus:

“The PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has not been suspended by his Ward.

“Some members of the Exco are only being teleguided by political gamblers to cause mischief and nothing more.

“For starters, Article 57(7) of the PDP Constitution as Amended in 2017 expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee.

“The purported suspension is, therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.

“But more than this, the so-called suspension letter was written by an illiterate before hand, and only given to the coerced members to sign somewhere in Makurdi.

“This is why the original date

is tippexed and 24 March imposed on it. And this is also why it states that the presidential/NASS and Governorship/State Assembly elections held on 25th and 18th March, 2023 respectively.

“From what we know, document itself is fraudulent as the signatures of the Ward Executives were forged or obtained under duress.

“The Chairman, his deputy and legal adviser didn’t sign. The 14th person on the list didn’t sign too. She was at NKST Ambighir for the Holy Communion.

“In fact, the same applies for Nos. 5, 8 and 16. At the time they were supposed to be in Makurdi with the other coerced, intimidated and induced members of the Exco, they were actually in their villages, going about their normal businesses.

“Up till now, about nine members of the Ward Exco are still being held hostage in a location in Makurdi for obvious reasons. And expectedly, their mobile numbers have been switched off. It is instructive.

“The general public is hereby advised to ignore rumours to this heinous effect. “Those behind the plot are only investing in expensive illusions”, the statement by Imobo-Tswam concluded.

The same Monday, a Benue State High Court, sitting in Makurdi, barred Ayu from parading himself as the National Chairman of the PDP pending the resolution of a case in court.

The decision of the court was sequel to an ex-parte application brought by Engr Conrad Terhide

Utaan, in which Ayu and PDP were named as defendants.

Utaan, the plantiff/applicant, sought for an order of interim injunction restraining the 1st defendant, Senator (Dr) Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as the National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) having lost membership of the party, pending the hearing and determination of Motion on Notice already filed.”

“Consequently, this application is hereby granted in terms of the reliefs captured in the motion papers as herein before reproduced”, the court said.

In deference to the court order, the National Working Committee, NWC, of the PDP met on Tuesday after which they approved the appointment of the Deputy National Chairman (North), of the party, Ambassador Umar Ilya Damagum as the acting National Chairman of the leading opposition party in accordance with section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017).

The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Hon Debo Ologunagba, while addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting said, “The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), at an emergency meeting today (wednesday), Tuesday, March 28, 2023, acknowledge the Order of the Benue State High Court, dated March 27, 2023 with regards to the Chairmanship position of our great Party.

“After a careful consideration of the Court

Order and in line with Section 45 (2) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017), the NWC resolved that the Deputy National Chairman (North) His Excellency, Amb. Umar Ililya Damagum assumes the National Chairmanship of our Party in acting capacity with effect from today, Tuesday, March 28, 2023.

“The NWC charges all leaders, critical stakeholders, teeming members and supporters of our great Party to remain calm and united at this critical time”, he said.

The NWC members in attendance were; Damagum, Ologunagba, the Party’s National Youth Leader, Muhammed Kandade Sulieman, National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade SAN, National Treasurer, Ahmed Yayari Mohammed, National Organizing Secretary, Umar Bature, National Secretary, Senator Samuel Anyanwu and National Financial Secretary, Mr Daniel Woyegikuro.

Damagum, after taking over, said that a meeting of the National Working Committee, NWC, will hold the following day and that the various decisions taken under Ayu will be considered for possible review.

The latest PDP crisis, judging from the comments of some of the actors like Governor Wike, doesn’t look like something that will end soon.

Political pundits are, however, of the firm opinion that the way and manner the PDP handles this crisis, gets its acts together quickly and proactively and resolve the current crisis will go a long way in determining the shape and future of the party, which had once held sway in government at the centre for sixteen unbroken years between 1999 and 2015.

It is however left to be seen whether the party will be able to find that much desured solution, in ernest, to its ongoing crisis or not.

As things stand at the moment only time will tell whether the PDP can survive this crisis and come out of it stronger.

Atiku

The purported suspension is, therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value

“

Adamawa guber: Observers charge INEC to conduct credible supplementary elections

From Umar Dankano, Yola.

The Coalition of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Accredited Observers have condemned the continuous protests by some politicians masquerading as pressure groups over cancellation of Adamawa governorship election.

Team leader of the coalition, Comrade Victor Kalu made the condemnation at a press conference in Yola Friday alleging that, some “ undemocratic elements desiring to thwart the

process and win election through the back door are in the habit of organizing protests in Yola and Abuja.

Kalu being flanked by members of the coalition said the action by INEC to declare the governorship and state Assembly elections inconclusive to review and critically study complaints and reports of violence and malpractices in some local government areas was in the best interest of saving democracy.

“We support and commend INEC for suspending the election result collation at the final

collation centre in Yola thus : the declaration of the election as inconclusive by the collation/ returning officer in consultation with the state Resident Electoral Commissioner and other officials is in order.

“And in line with the Electoral Act and relevant Electoral laws of the nation as a democratic country. The margin of lead is less than the total number of cancelled votes as a result of some violence to the set standard for the election.

“The call for total cancellation of elections at this time by some groups is like changing the goal

Group urges APC to Zone Senate President seat to Northwest

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), has appealed to the Presidentelect, Ahmed Bola Tinubu, Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima, the All Progressive Congress (APC) leadership, and stakeholders to zone the seat of the Senate President in the Northwest.

The youths said zoning the Senate president seat to the North West becomes imperative, bearing in mind the region’s active participation and contribution towards the victory of the party in the just concluded presidential election.

Speaking to the Media in Kaduna yesterday the President of the Council Isah Abubakar said Northern Youth Council of Nigeria, is a non-partisan group, with a special interest in good governance and anti-corruption. We are interested in the smooth running of every organ of the Nigerian state, recognizing the fact that the National Assembly is an important institution that ensures checks and balances in the running of the affairs of the country.

The Youth added that, considering the outcome of the 2023 Presidential Election,

wherein, leaders emerged from the southern part of the country, it is only right for the leadership of the All Progressives Congress to Zone the Number 3 position in the country, which is the Senate President of the North Western part of the Country.

Isah explained that the Northwest remains a major APC stronghold in the geopolitical scheme of the country, followed by the Southwest, North East, Northcentral, South-South, and South East.

According to him, there is a need to compensate the northwest region with the seat of the senate president due to the votes and support garnered from the region.

“We gave President-Elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu the highest number of votes, Among the entire geopolitical zones across the country, the youths and every other person from the northwest geopolitical zone that exercised their civic obligation and voted the president-elect will be gladly overwhelmed if the Senate Presidential seat is zoned to the Northwest.

“We observed that the party has been deliberating on the zoning of the senate president seat for quite a while, there is no need to deliberate on this, judging from the ranking perspective,

post in the middle of the game in order to score a cheap goal.

“INEC should remain resolute and committed in conducting a free, fair, credible and transparent supplementary election where the mandate of the people will really count as they conclude the 2023 Adamawa state governorship election”.The Coalition advanced Kalu urged political parties, candidates and stakeholders in the state to support INEC in ensuring a peaceful conclusion of the Governorship election in the state come 15th April, 2023 and desist from the continued stone

throwing and negative criticism against the commission.

“We plead with the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state (Adamawa) to boldly and courageous engage the political stakeholders, particularly political parties, candidates at a public stakeholders meeting and give them his assurances and commission’s commitment for a credible, free and fair supplementary election come 15th April. 2023 to dowse the growing political tension and uncertainty”, Kalu suggested.

Celebration galore as INEC presents certificate of return to Uba Sani

APC has senators that are highly competent from the Northwest. Some have been in the National Assembly since 1999 and are doing very well in addressing issues regarding the country as a whole.

“We also have senators returning for their third time in the senate, who are competent enough to deliver in the 10th coming senate.

“For equity and fairness, the Southwest produced the president-elect, the Northeast produced the Vice presidentelect while the party chairman is from the North Central, and the northwest that gave the largest block of votes and support that assured the victory of the party deserved compensation.

“We, therefore, wish to plead with the leadership of the APC and Senators-elect for the 10th National Assembly to accord maximum support for any of the ranking senators from the Northwest to emerge as the Senate President.

“More so, we have discovered that the ranking Senator aspiring to be Senate President from the North West Zone has the highest ranking among the list of all Senators from both the Northern and Southern part of the country to lead the 10th Senate”, he said.

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

There was a celebration galore yesterday for Kaduna residents, supporters of All Progressives Congress (APC), friends and families of Kaduna governorelect, Senator Uba Sani, and the deputy governor-elect, Dr. Hadiza Sabuwa Balarabe, were presented certificates of return.

The headquarters of the INEC office was jam-packed with residents who wanted to be part of the August celebration, making the security personnel having the difficult task of controlling the crowd.

The arrival of senator Uba Sani, the deputy governor-elect and all the elected members of the state assembly signal commencement of the occasion.

The National Electoral Commissioner in charge of Kaduna, Plateau, Nasarawa and the FCT, Mohammed Haruna, presented the Certificates of Return to

the Governor and Deputy Governor-elect while the Administrative Secretary of INEC, Kaduna State, Mohammed Ahmad Mashi, presented the Certificates of Return to the 29 elected State House of Assembly Members.

In his speech after receiving the certificate, the governor-elect, promised to work for all Kaduna state citizens irrespective of party, religion or ethnic affiliation.

He also said his administration would operate an open door system with a hearing ear for positive advice from the citizens.

From the venue, the governor-elect moved to the ancient Murtala Mohammed Square hall, which was filled up with party supporters. He used the opportunity to thank all APC and Kaduna State people who have stood by him from the beginning of his aspiration to the conclusion. He assured that it's time for a work plan for sustainable progress in the state.

President Muhammadu Buhari with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya when the later visited the commander in chief at the presidential villa in Abuja, yesterday

Alleged violation of women, by Nigerian Army: Yobe Teaching Hospital expresses surprise over reports

By Albert Akota

The management of Yobe State University Teaching Hospital has expressed doubt if Reuters’ report alleging grievous human rights violations against the Nigerian military in the aftermath of its counter insurgency operation in the North East, Nigeria was actually true.

The Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr. Baba Waru Goni who was full of surprise that an international media organisation like Reuters could descend so low to misleading the public with it’s cooked report, told the Chairman

and members of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violation in Counter Insurgency Operations in the North East (SIIP-NE) when the later visited the Hospital that, “I will take the allegation with a pinch of salt”.

Meanwhile, the international media organization had in December 2022 published a three-part report alleging 10,000 abortion of pregnancies, massive killing of children and deliberate violation of rights of women and girls by the Nigerian Armed Forces since 2013.

But, the CMD while appearing

Obi/Otukpo crisis: Benue Govt lament reckless destruction of property

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The Benue State government has decried the reckless destruction of property in Obi and Otukpo local government areas, as 3 persons were killed and 6 houses destroyed during the incident.

Special Adviser to Governor Samuel Ortom on Security Lt. Col. Paul Hemba made the lamentation on Friday while speaking with newsmen.

He disclosed that the state government regretted the large-scale destruction which could have been avoided, maintaining that the two (2) local government areas have always lived harmoniously.

“It is a simple matter that should not have resulted in canon. Both LGAs even inter-marry and share affiliation. It happened during the election period. The Police could have handled the situation but lacked the manpower to intervene.

“401 army brigade stepped in and restored calm but there was tension and apprehension amongst the people even after the incident and it has been brought under control.

“There were rumors that Igede people were killed. The Army has been pulled out and replaced with Police who have been plying the route on a daily basis.

“I had a dialogue with stakeholders from both sides including traditional rulers, local government chairmen and religious leaders. They regretted the action of the youth and agreed to talk to them. The Ochi’ Idoma called for a meeting which the Igede refused to attend for fear of their lives because at that time, tension was high.

“Three deaths recorded in an unconfirmed report projected the figure to be more than that, 6 houses were burnt. Obi people accused Otukpo youth of causing perpetual power failure on their side.

“We learnt that the transformer is enough to provide electricity to both areas”, the Security Adviser stated.

before the 7-Member panel chaired by Justice Abdu Aboki (rtd) said that the Hospital has been enjoying a harmonious relationship with the military and that most of the patients that are brought to the facility by soldiers are usually injured military personnel from the frontline and not women and children.

In the same vein, other medical personnel including HOD Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Amina Waziri Bello, Head of Pharmacy department, Pharm. Sale Abubakar Maidede, HOD Nursing Services Idris Usman and HOD Histopathology and

overseer of the Hospital Morgue, Hanatu David who also appeared before the panel corroborated the position of the CMD.

The aforesaid hospital staff, however, noted that the various departments carry out their duties in line with their professional ethics and would not have collaborated with the military to carry out illegal abortions as alleged by Reuters.

Responding to how prescription drugs like oxytocin and misoprostol are used in the Hospital the HOD Pharmacy said that such drugs are controlled and they could only be issued upon

request by a certified medical doctor and channeled through the appropriate Hospital Porter to the Obstetrics and Gynecology department where they are usually needed for medical abortions only.

The General counsel and Secretary of the panel, Mr. Hilary Ogbonna who led the said medical personnel in their oral testimonies before the panel expressed concern that serious attention might not have been paid to cause of death in the mortuary record pointing out that such omission could make the work of the panel more challenging.

Hate speech: NEF urges political parties to restrain spokespersons

By Abubakar Yunusa

Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has charged all the party’s leaders to retrain spokesperson from escalating damaging language and exchanges on social media and traditional media.

The Forum also appealed to Nigerians to allow the judiciary to undertake its onerous responsibility under a calm and peaceful atmosphere. Its Director, Publicity and Advocacy, Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed made the call in a statement shared with journalists in Abuja on Friday.

According to the forum, ”At any rate, Nigerians should be reminded that our country must survive these elections

and address the conduct of elections that have improved standards of quality as well as strengthen the foundations of our peaceful co-existence.

“Northern Elders Forum has sustained its decision to exercise responsible vigilance over the 2023 elections, and encourage emergence of leaders under credible, free and fair elections and a peaceful transition from the current administration to the next one.

“It has followed the conduct of the elections, some of which are still being planned or conducted.

“The Forum welcomes the decision of contestants who feel the elections had not met legal thresholds of acceptability to seek adjudication

over its credibility and settle other constitutional issues related to it.”

The Forum, however, is concerned over rhetoric and exchanges which raise tensions and fuel negative dispositions that threaten intercommunity relations.

“It is also concerned that leaders are not exercising enough responsibility to encourage respect for the judicial process, a key element of the electoral process forum.

The Forum also reminds the Nigerian judiciary that Nigerians look up to it to salvage democracy and restore the faith of Nigerians over its integrity and competence in the manner it handles all election matters.

Benue State Governor-Elect, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, presenting his Certificate of Return to the Ochi’Idoma, His Royal Majesty, Agaba-Idu, Elaigwu Obagaji John, the paramount ruler of the Idoma kingdom, at his palace in Otukpo yesterday.

Ramadan: Cleric urges Muslims to give more charity

An Abuja-based Islamic Cleric, Sheikh Yahya Al-Yolawi has urged all Muslims especially the wellto-do to give more charity to the needy to ease their difficulties in the month of Ramadan.

Al-Yolawi, who is the Chief Imam of Nurul Yaqeen Jumma’ah Mosque Life Camp Abuja, gave the advice while delivering his Juma’at sermon titled, “Significance of Giving Charity in Ramadan”, on Friday in Abuja.

He said that giving out charity helps to strengthen love, understanding, mutual support and brotherhood

Club launches

N3.5bn appeal fund for eye care, cancer centre

Lions Clubs International, Multiple District 404, Nigeria, has launched an appeal fund for the construction of an eye care hospital, diabetes and cancer research centre, worth N3,500,000 in Abuja.

The Project Director, Dr. Lanre Adebayo, in a statement, said the project would address the gap in the health care system and complement existing public health infrastructure in the country.

Adebayo added that reports show that an estimated 1.13 million Nigerians were currently blind, while 4.25 million adults were partially blind, with prevalence rate in the northern states.

According to him, cataract and glaucoma, which are preventable, were the major causes of blindness.

“Eye care service in relation to Nigeria’s population is grossly inadequate, and this is the reason for the intervention of the Lions Clubs International to support this aspect of the health sector,” he said.

He explained that the centre will be a world-class facility that will cater for both the poor and rich, adding that it would feature a health extension service, especially to accommodate the rural poor.

“The hospital will feature the first Eye Bank in Nigeria, while reducing incidences of avoidable childhood and old age-related blindness.

“It would also establish a global standard research centre on diabetes and childhood cancer in Nigeria,” he said.

Adebayo added that the club would be appointing project champions to assist in raising the projected sum.

He said the champions will be conferred with the award of Melvon Jones Fellowship, Knight of the Blind, a place of mention in the Donors Hall of Fame in the Hospital, as well as the Lions Clubs Eye Care Ambassadors.

Lions Clubs International, founded in 1917, is the world’s largest service club organisation with about 1.35 million members in more than 206 Countries.

The club is recognised in its fight against blindness, and recently included care for the environment, feeding the hungry and aiding the seniors and the disabled.

The Nigerian chapter, introduced in 1963, has continued to function effectively as part of a global service network while helping local communities. (NAN)

between the rich and poor within the Muslim communities.

According to him, one of the doors opened by Allah to His servants to gain enormous rewards in the month of Ramadan is through giving charity.

Al-Yolawi said; “Islam always encourages Muslim to give out plenty of charity especially during the month Ramadan.

“Allah’s Messenger was the most generous of all the people and he used to be more generous in the month of Ramadan.

” Allah says and spend (in charity)

that which we have provided you, before death comes to one of you.

”He says: my Lord! If only you would delay me for a brief term (to worldly life) so I would give charity of my wealth, and be among the righteous.”

He added that charity could be given or done in different forms and manners, such as giving money to the needy; a smile or pleasant word to a brother and feeding the needy.

Al-Yolawi said: “Therefore, I call on the generality of the Muslim Ummah most especially the well-to-do among them to continue to give out charities to

the poor within their communities.

“His will ease their Ramadan tasks particularly those that are very close to them like, workers, co-workers, relatives and neighbors.”

The cleric commended the Federal Government and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the increased circulation of Naira notes and enhanced electronic banking services in the country.

According to him, Nigerians are happy and very appreciative of the positive changes on the circulation of Naira notes. (NAN)

Army veterans seek review of retirement age

The Nigerian Army Veterans have called for a review of the retirement age of serving personnel with a view to maximize the potential of specialists.

The veterans made the call on Friday in a communique issued at the end of the First Quarter Year 2023 Veterans Affairs Seminar/Workshop held in Calabar.

The communique was read by Col. Victor Ibeh, Deputy Director, Veterans Affairs Directorate, Army Headquarters, Abuja.

The workshop was organised for retired Army personnel and those that are about to retire.

Ibeh said the participants encouraged the Nigerian Army veterans to build good relationships with their families as part of the pre-retirement plans.

He said they also urged the serving personnel to cultivate a savings culture for a successful retirement plan.

Ibeh added that the veterans were tasked to engage in community services and respect community influencers to earn respect in their respective localities.

He noted that the veterans were urged to form cooperative societies to facilitate access to soft loans.

“Participant of the workshop agreed to the review of the retirement age of service to maximize the potential of specialists.

“The Nigerian Army should sustain employment of veterans in overall training and other specialized services as a way of tapping from their wealth of experience in support of Nigerian Army training and operations.

“There is the need for the Federal Government to capture veterans’ activities and programmes in its annual budget.

“Serving personnel were advised to relate well with Nigerian Army veterans for mutual collaboration and support military operations,” he said.

Speaking, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.Gen. Faruk Yahaya, said that the call for a review of the retirement age of serving personnel would be deliberated upon by the Army hierarchy.

The Chief of Army Staff was represented by Maj. Gen. Abubakar Bello, Director,

Veterans Affairs Division, Defence Headquarters, Abuja.

He said that the workshop was held with a view to see how the Armed Forces can use the veterans to assist them in operations and other capacity building.

“The call for a review of retirement age is a policy issue that would be considered on its merit; it could be, or could not be considered.

“These are issues that are far beyond and a decision cannot be taken at this moment. There is a need for veterans and others to interact. That is why we hold this seminar regularly to bridge the gap between serving and retired personnel.

“We are sure that the communique will get the desired attention at the highest level based on its own merit.

“Other considerations will have to come into play like terms and condition of service of personnel and others.

“At this stage, it is immature to come out with any figure for the proposed retirement age,” he said. (NAN)

L-R; Katsina State Governor, Rt Hon Aminu Bello Masari, President Muhammadu Buhari and Katsina State Governor Elect, Dr Dikko Radda during an audience at the State House. ABUJA. PHOTO; STATE HOUSE

NEWS

36 States' Governors to DSS: Arrest elements behind interim gov't

By Lateef Ibrahim

Governors of the 36 States of the federation have called on the Department for States of Services (DSS) to without delay arrest and prosecute the elements behind the plot to install an interim government in the country, come May 29.

The Governors made the call in a communique issued at the end of their 4th meeting in Abuja.

They condemned, in the strongest terms, any unconstitutional means of regime change and pledged their commitment to continue to defend Nigeria’s democracy as elected leaders.

The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF), in a communique signed by its Chairman and Governors of Sokoto State, Hon Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, maintained that issuing statements without arrests is akin to heating up the polity and causing unwarranted tension in the country.

On the issue of the refund of backlog of Stamp Duties due to State Governments, the NGF restated its commitment to engaging with all stakeholders and exploring all legal channels available to it in ensuring that monies which ought to have since been used for development projects are duly refunded to the States.

According to the communique, "the Forum deliberated extensively on the alleged plot by some unscrupulous elements to install an interim government, as contained in the recent statement issued by the Department for State Services (DSS).

"Governors condemned, in the strongest terms, any unconstitutional means of regime change and pledged

their commitment to continue to defend Nigeria’s democracy as elected leaders.

"In addition, the Forum believes that issuing statements without arrests is akin to heating up the polity and causing unwarranted tension in the country.

"It called on the DSS to do its job by immediately arresting and prosecuting all those involved in the plot as a matter of urgency", the forum said.

Continuing, the NGF, in its communique, said, "Regarding the refund of backlog of Stamp Duties due to State Governments, the Forum restated its commitment to engaging with all stakeholders and exploring all legal channels available to it in ensuring that monies which ought to have since been used for development projects are duly refunded to the States".

The Forum revealed that it is set to conduct its flagship induction programme for its newly elected and re- elected governors.

According to the NGF's communique, "This event, which will bring together newly elected, re-elected, past governors, national and international leaders, captains of industries and development partners, is scheduled to hold from 14th -17th May 2023, is designed to build the capacity of Governors to establish, organize, manage, and set agenda/priorities using best practices whilst leveraging the tools of their trade – people, processes, programmes and public opinion – for greater and more effective governance.

"The second part of the Induction programme will hold from 17th -19th May, 2023 and will focus on the Governors’

Spouses Summit designed to strategize on how the activities of the Governors’ spouses can best complement the roles of the Governors in promoting good governance at the sub-national level and help the spouses better understand the processes of transitioning to their new roles as first ladies", it said.

On the Implementation of the National Development Plan (2021-2025), the Forum nominated six (6) Governors to represent the six geopolitical zones of the country in the National Steering Committee: North Central – Governor of Kwara State, North East –Governor of Bauchi State, North West – Governor of Zamfara State, South South - Governor of Edo State, South East –Governor of Anambra State and South West – Governor of Ekiti State.

According to the NGF's communique, "Finally, the Forum received a briefing on the cancellation of the proposed privatization of Five (5) National Integrated Power Projects (NIPPs) by National Council on Privatization (NCP) and the withdrawal of the matter at the Federal High Court between the 36 States of the Federation Vs the Federal Government of Nigeria which was instituted to halt the process to enable stakeholders address the concerns by States and Local Governments who collectively own a joint stake of 53% in the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC).

"Members applauded this move by the NCP which appears to have taken into consideration the recommendation of the States to halt the process due to illtiming amongst other reasons", the communique stressed.

Supreme Court dismissed Udeze’s appeal in 2022Action Alliance reminds INEC

From Femi Oyelola, Kaduna

The Action Alliance (AA) has called the attention of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to the dismissal of an appeal filed by a former member of the party, Mr. Kenneth Udeze before the Supreme Court.

The party said for INEC to rely on Udeze ‘s claim that he has a pending suit before the Supreme Court is baseless and unfounded

as the appeal had been dismissed since December, 2022.

In a judgment delivered by Justice Kudirat Kekereekun on the 7th of December, 2022, a copy of which was made available to our correspondent, the apex court dismissed Udeze’s appeal outrightly.

In the suit numbered SC/ CV/1259/2022, filed by Kenneth Udeze against Adekunle Rufai Omoaje and others, Udeze appealed against the judgment

that authenticated the emergence of Omoaje as the national chairman of the AA. Udeze, who had been suspended and subsequently expelled from the party had approached the Supreme Court to appeal against the judgment won by Omoaje but his case was dismissed alongside 49 other cases.

Justice Kekereekun held that the suit was dismissed pursuant to Order 6 rule 3(2) to the rules

of the Supreme Court for want of prosecution.

To this end, the party advised the INEC Chairman, Prof Mamood Yakubu not to be cajoled by the antics of Udeze as he has no locus standi to represent the party or challenge it in any capacity, having lost the membership of the party and failed in all the courts he approached.

Besides, the party urged INEC and its chairman in particular to respect all the court judgements

in favour of the party and its national chairman, Dr. Omoaje. Recalled that Udeze had in a letter dated 4th November, 2022 written by his counsel, Mr Emeka Ozoani SAN and addressed to the judge of the Federal High Court, Abuja intimated the court of his pending appeal before the Supreme Court. Omoaje however, expressed worry about why INEC could respect a letter more than court judgements.

Abuja–Kaduna train attack: Remembering the Black Monday

By Femi Oyelola

It is over 369 days that terrorists attacked a Kaduna bound train from Abuja at Katari with 398 passengers on board. The sad event led to the death of nine passengers and the abduction of over 60 others.

The incident shook the nation to its foundation, and one full year after for many is just like yesterday. Many families and friends of the victims, both dead and alive have not come to terms with the reality of what actually happened at Katari on March 28, 2022.

The incident, perhaps, remains one of the most devastating of all the attacks by bandits across the country. And what made it remarkably different and also most gruesome was the fact that, unlike other attacks, instant deaths were recorded and a huge number of VIPs were involved.

Besides, it took government much of negotiations before the victims who were fortunate to have escaped death in the attack were set free. From all indications, the train attack and the prolonged detention of the abducted passengers in the custody of the criminals appeared to many to have exposed much of the perceived weaknesses in the national security architecture.

A sad reminder of the heinous incident was the disclosure in his anniversary statement by the Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, that some survivors of the train attack were yet to pick up at least 16 of their bags, one full year after.

He said between April and November 2022, 62 persons (victims of the attack or their

relatives) came forward to claim 94 items of luggage containing a range of personal effects.

Aruwan recalled that on March 28, 2022, terrorists planted explosive devices along the rail track and when the Abuja-Kaduna bound AK-9 passenger train approached the point, the device exploded, causing the train to derail.

laptops and their accessories, books, perfumes, clothing, and clothing jewellery belonging to the victims.

“16 bags, along with an assortment of loose belongings, including prayer mats, booking and clothing items, belonging to the victims remained unclaimed”, he added.

According to him, Kaduna

one year ago, on the 28th of March 2022, a horrendous attack was launched by terrorists on the Kadunabound train from Abuja.

“The terrorists derailed the train at around 7 pm by setting off an Improvised Explosive Device to blow up a section of the track.

“They then opened fire on the coaches and kidnapped scores of passengers from the train.

“In the heat of the confusion, a terrified passenger finally alerted the Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs on the exact location of the train, which was traced to KasaramiAudujongom general area of Chikun LGA.

The unfortunate incident killed eight passengers while the terrorists kidnapped others, he recalled.

The commissioner detailed that the state retrieved some items ranging from certificates, documents, passports, car and house keys, cash, ATM cards, mobile phones, tablets,

State would continue to maintain detailed records of all items collected, including the contact details of victims or their representatives while adding that “the window is still open for the collection of the remaining items at the ministry.”

He narrated thus:“Exactly

“Immediately, Major General KI Mukhtar, the then GOC 1 Division and Brigadier General UT Upuene, then Garrison Commander moved with their brave troops to secure the train and rescue the remaining passengers.”

The train service was

“

The unfortunate incident killed eight passengers while the terrorists kidnapped others

Cont. from page 9

immediately suspended by the federal government following the attack which security agents believed was masterminded by the dreaded Boko Haram.

This crippled many businesses, triggering devastating socioeconomic conditions for many Nigerians whose means of livelihood are solely dependent on the train services.

However the Nigeria Railway Corporation, NRC, resumed AbujaKaduna passenger train service on the 28th November, 2022, eight months after the attack amidst tight security arrangements.

It was disclosed that the federal government overhauled the security architecture, along the Kaduna -Abujay train services to protect lives of passengers and the infrastructure of the Coporation

The government also incorporated passengers’ profiling in ticketing, with the use of machine-assisted verification of their information.

Similarly, security at the nine sub-stations which the train plies has been beefed up with military personnel, while the train now has cameras and other communication devices fitted in the coaches.

Given credence to this, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, in December 2022 ordered the deployment of police operatives to the Abuja-Kaduna train route.

The deployment according to the force public relations officer Olumiyiwa Adejobi, was drawn from operatives of the Police Mobile Force, K-9, Force

Abuja–Kaduna train attack: Remembering the Black Monday

Intelligence Bureau, Explosive Ordnance Unit and Railway Police Command.

However, many Kaduna state residents still have a lukewarm attitude towards patronising the train services as the gruesome attack and abductions still linger in their minds. According to them, the horrendous experiences of the abductees is not something anybody would like to wish even for his enemies.

A passenger Aliyu Mohammed a Civil Servant said he still travels by Abuja-Kaduna train not because of the assurances of security deployment, but because he trusted in Allah for his safety.

Mohammed also said he will continue to use the services of the NRC not minding the security challenges, even though he pleaded for robust security coverage for the train services.

Madam Linda Markus a Civil Society activist in Kaduna opined that it is not easy to erase the incident of 28 March 2022 from the memory of Nigerians.

Madam Linda said she stopped using the

train services after the unfortunate incident, but her major reason is that the long distance of the station, which is in Rigasa in Igabi LGA to her house in Mahuta Chikun LGA. She added that for many other residents of Kaduna, the attack is the key factor for their not patronising the train services.

Surprise! The family members of some of the victims of the attack are not willing to talk about the incident. A member

of the Families of the kidnapped Victims Committee, Alhaji Umar Ibrahim said the job of the committee has been concluded after the rescue of the the last kidnapped victims from the terrorists dens. Recall that it took pressures from this committee to force government into stepping up efforts to ensure the victims’ release.

But a relation who will not want his name

on print said he missed his sister a medical doctor who lost her life during the attack. That was also she could mutter as tears began to well on her eyes.

A former Senator representing Kaduna Central in the Upper Chamber, Senator Shehu Sani, called for prayers for the soul of those who lost their lives during the attack.

In his Facebook page Shehu Sani said it was just like yesterday and he still can’t believe 369 days had gone down the lane since the attack.

All said and done 28th March, 2022 will be remembered as a day that terrorists dared the security architecture of the country and it will certainly take time for the damage and the injury inflicted especially on the psyche of Nigerians by the terrorist attack to heal.

“

But a relation who will not want his name on print said he missed his sister a medical doctor who lost her life during the attack. That was also she could mutter as tears began to well on her eyes.

INEC issues certificate of return to Jigawa governor-elect, Assembly members

By Musa Baba Adamu

The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC in Jigawa State on Friday issued a certificate of return to the Governor-elect Malam Umar Namadi, his Deputy, and members of the state House of Assembly.

Independent National Electoral Commission INEC

declared Malam Umar Namadi, the winner of the 18th March, gubernatorial election in Jigawa.

Malam Umar Namadi defeated three other contenders of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP and the New Nigeria Peoples Party NNPP.

The event took place at the INEC headquarters in Dutse, the state capital and witnessed mass gatherings from the party’s

stakeholders and well-wishers.

INEC National Commissioner in Charge of Kano, Katsina and Jigawa, Prof. Abdullahi Zuru Adam presented the certificate to the governor-elect and his deputy while INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Prof. Muhammad Lawal presented the certificate to twenty-seven state Assembly members. He, however, thanked all

Kwara: APC exco rejects suspension of party members

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Kwara State executive committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has rejected the recent suspension of some party members at the ward levels for the sake of peace and party cohesion.

The state Secretary of the ruling party, Mr Mustapha Salman Ishowo, was among party members recently before the just concluded general elections suspended by the party executives at the Alanamu Ward level of the party in the Ilorin West Local Government Area of the state.

State Chairman of the party, Prince Sunday Fagbemi, in a statement in Ilorin on Friday, expressed concern over the suspension of members, saying

“we do not need any distraction that will affect the party or our government.

He explained that the decision of the party neither takes away the need to ensure party discipline as enshrined in the constitution nor does it imply that the concerned party executives necessarily acted in bad faith.

“It is about bringing everyone together for the purpose of peace and development which Kwarans recently voted for,” he declared.

Prince Fagbemi said while the party agrees that no organization survives without discipline and respect for leadership, the party feels it is also important to build group cohesion through conciliation and consensus building.

He urged all organs of the

party across the state to shelve punitive measures against any member and instead embrace peace and reconciliation to help foster a stronger party and spirit of collective responsibility among members.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is the time to rally every member of the party behind Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s agenda for positive growth and collective prosperity for the people of the state.

“The responsibility before the party and its government, is to justify the confidence the people have reposed in us by re-electing the governor and voting for all the party’s candidates in the recent general elections including the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” he added.

stakeholders for their cooperation in the successful conduct of the elections in the state.

While speaking after receiving the certificate the governor-elect, Malam Umar Namadi promised to do his best to keep all the promises he made during his campaign.

“We thank you for finding us worthy to steer the affairs of the state in the next four years to

come, I assure you that we will do our best to ensure that we fulfil all of our campaign promises”.

“I want to tell you that we’ve accepted the mandate you gave to us, however, I want to urge you to be watchful over us by encouraging us where we do right and drawing our attention where we go astray,” Namadi said.

Adamawa: Observers call for free, fair supplementary governorship election

By Christiana Ekpa

Acoalition of INEC-accredited domestic election observers on Friday in Yola called on the Commission to remain resolute in conducting a free, fair, credible and transparent supplementary governorship election in Adamawa.

INEC had fixed April 18 to conduct the supplementary election having declared the main one conducted on March 18 inconclusive.

Final results tallied by INEC after the March 18 exercise showed that Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PP) scored the highest votes.

The electoral umpire declared, however, that cancelled votes were more than the margin of victory between Mr Fintiri and the runner-up, Aisha Dahiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The incumbent governor scored 421,524 votes while Mrs Dahiru, popularly called Binani, won 390,275 votes.

Mr Fintiri also won in 13 of Adamawa’s 21 local government areas while Binani won in the remaining eight.

Mr Victor Kalu, team leader of the coalition of domestic election observers condemned calls from some quarters that the election be reviewed when he addressed a news conference on Friday.

He said the coalition condemned continuous protests at INEC offices in Yola and in Abuja by “undemocratic elements’’ desiring to thwart the process and win an election through the back door.

“We advise INEC to engage all stakeholders before, during and after the supplementary election to add value to the exercise,’’ Kalu said.

Enugu APC crisis: chieftain lists Agballah’s alleged ‘sins’, demands resignation

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Enugu State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Barr. Ugochukwu Agballah has again come under scrutiny.

This time, Charles-Solo Ako, the State Publicity Secretary of the party is dragging Agballah for leading the APC into a woeful performance during the recently concluded 2023 general elections.

Ako, in his lengthy statement, described Agballah as a midwife that strangled the woman in labour.

APC came a distant third in all the elections conducted in the State, including the presidential election. It occupied fourth position in the governorship polls.

According to Ako, “the leadership of Ugochukwu Agballa, the State Chairman of All Progressives Congress APC, Enugu State is marked with gross abuse of our party constitution, impunity, nonchalant attitude, incompetence and high handedness, and all these are drifting our great party to a private company-like status, under a sole administrator in the person of Ugochukwu Agballah.

“Agballa’s leadership is a hallmark of excessive abuse of office, neglect and dereliction of duty, failure to discharge party constitutional responsibilities;

and exclusion of State Executive Committee (SEC), State Working Committee (SWC) members, Party stalwarts and leaders from the affairs of the party to the detriment of the image of our party and her chances of making any meaningful positive political impact – the just concluded general elections are good case study.”

He said nobody should “take Ugochukwu Agballah and his

delusion and braggadocio serious after leading the party to a disgraceful and shameful 2023 electioneering outing – elections not only that he neither voted nor canvassed for votes for our candidates, but he equally undermined and worked against the victory of our PresidentElect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other viable APC candidates in the state.”

“In the just concluded

Presidential election, a total of 9,352,001 votes that our PresidentElect garnered to win the election, Enugu State could only boast of a disdain 4,772 votes translating to 0.05% insignificant contribution to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu victory, and Ugo Agballa is proudly parading himself as a chairman?

“To be sincere, this meagre 0.05% votes were made possible by committed independent people like

myself and few others, and never was it from Agballa nor his cohorts because, from ab initio, Ugo Agballa never campaigned for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Ugo Agballa needs to be shown the way out of the APC if he fails to resign honourably. He is a colossal disaster and a serial failure.”

Among other things, Ako said “since the commencement of Agballa’s leadership as the State Chairman till date, the SWC has met only three times as a result of pressure and agitation from members of the SWC or to witness a press briefing on expulsion of one member or the other on the basis of witch hunting. This is a total violation to the provision of the APC Constitution Article 25.3.i which states that the SWC shall meet at least once every month. The SEC has officially/formally met only twice since Agballa’s assumption of office.

“Agballa has been taking unilateral decisions on the affairs of the party and runs the party as a sole administrator without a recourse to either the SWC or the SEC. This is a total contravention to the provision of the APC Constitution, Article 13.8 which specifically states that the State Executive Committee shall administer the party in the state and implement the decisions of the State Congress”.

Enugu APC crisis: chieftain lists Agballah’s alleged ‘sins’, demands resignation

FCT Senatorelect, Kingibe pledges to work with cocontestants

By Christiana Ekpa

The Senator-elect on the platform of the Labour Party representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Ireti Kingibe, has enjoined candidates of other political parties that contested in the February 25 poll to come together and work with her for the overall development of the capital city.

She assured that she would vigorously pursue and continue with the legacies of the outgoing Senator, Philip Aduda.

Speaking in a press conference in Abuja, Ireti said, “The FCT has had several senators before me and they have all given their input into making the FCT what it is today. My predecessor (Aduda) has given FCT his best in the last 12 years. For that, we also thank him, and I would like him to know that I am willing to continue to work from wherever he has left.”

She stated that she would also like to reach out to co-contestants, make them understand that the victory is not about her and the need to join hands to move the FCT to places that it has not been before.

She expressed her readiness to work with everybody irrespective of party, to enhance the living standards of the people in the FCT

She added that she was very ready to take ideas and whatever they have done or they want and expressed her willingness to work with them to get those things done.

APC Govs describe agitation for interim government as treasonable

By Ikechukwu Okaforadi

The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has described the ongoing agitation for an interim government as treasonable.

The forum urged all Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist any undemocratic conduct that is capable of undermining the country’s democracy.

The Chairman of the Forum and the Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, said it was, however, commendable that the Department of Security Service had exposed the plot and therefore called on the agency to arrest and prosecute anyone involved.

It said: “The progressive Governors Forum notes the press statement issued by the Department of Security Service on the unfortunate, condemnable and treasonable conduct of some undemocratic elements who are agitating for an interim Government. We condemn such agitation.”

The forum said it was ironic that after the Presidential, National Assembly, Gubernatorial and State Assembly elections in which all the major parties recorded varying successes and disappointments in different constituencies, some self-serving individuals are unfortunately seeking to sabotage the country’s democratic progress.

It said it was widely reported that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP) had chosen to go to the Presidential Election Tribunal to challenge the outcome of the presidential election, which was won by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of APC.

The forum added that in all the 36 states of the Federation, tribunals have also been established to provide an opportunity to those who participated in the various elections but otherwise feel dissatisfied, to challenge the results.

It noted: “We urge all Nigerians to remain vigilant and resist any undemocratic conduct

that is capable of undermining our democracy. Our Country has done well in promoting democracy both in Nigeria and elsewhere in the African Continent, and, sadly, some unpatriotic elements are nursing the evil plot for an interim government, which will amount to subverting our national democratic progress.”

It also commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Transitional Council for issuing a statement restating the federal government’s commitment towards a successful inauguration of a new President on May 29th, 2023.

Ogun: Osoba calls for more support for Abiodun in second term

By Musa Baba Adamu

Aformer governor of Ogun State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Aremo Olusegun

Osoba, has called on all members of the party in the state to support the Governor Dapo Abiodun as he would begin another term of four years.

Osoba made this call when he received the governor, his deputy, the APC chairman in the state and other members of the party at his Abeokuta residence, after the governor, his deputy and members-elect received their Certificates of Return from the Independent National Electoral Commission, on Thursday.

He, however, urged leaders and members of the party to be magnanimous in victory.

Osoba, while describing the victory of Governor Abiodun at the just concluded Governorship and

House of Assembly Elections as a miracle, noted that he remained a firm believer in the ability of the governor to continue the good works he already started in the state.

“Let all of us be magnanimous in victory, this is not the time to review whatever has happened and nobody should play the role of but for me, it is for all of us and the entire state.

“No matter what happened in some other areas, the situation that we found ourselves in was beyond redemption for many people. I want to plead that the review of the election should be put on hold because at the moment, we are all very emotional, a review will be done thoroughly at the appropriate time.

“I want us to continue to give the governor support, remain focused, whatever anybody would say, the governor really worked hard and he did his best. I am

sure the very first four years is just the beginning of the best, by the grace of God, in the next four years, we will see the better part of governance in Ogun State. This victory is for all of us, irrespective of where you come from. The issue of we are the ones that delivered, don’t let us discuss that now,” Osoba admonished.

He expressed his happiness about the synergy that would be experienced with an All Progressives Congress government at the center and in the state, noted that the people of the country would experience good governance of competence under the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s presidency.

Responding, Governor Abiodun described Aremo Osoba as a good man, his political mentor and moral as well as political compass.

He further thanked him for inspiring him and his

administration to do more for the people of the state.

“Baba, you are a good man, you are a very good man, you are a father, you are my father, you are my political mentor, you have watched over me and the rest of us, you continue to pray fervently over all of us, you continue to motivate and encourage us.

“You are our compass, you are the one that inspired us, whenever we see you, we are always at ease, you will live long sir, we will not disappoint you.

“I want to thank our party members, this is not the time to fight among ourselves, God has given us victory, we thank all those who voted for us, we also thank those who did not vote for us,” the governor stated.

Abiodun disclosed that his administration in its second term would focus more on public utilities to ensure that the people of the state have adequate supply of

potable water and uninterrupted power supply, adding that a lot would be done to ease the ability to do business in the state.

“We will now begin to focus on other things we didn’t focus on in the first four years, because we could not have attended everything in the first four years.

“Having invested a lot in people-oriented infrastructure, ranging from highways, roads to public infrastructure such as schools, affordable housing, our primary health care centers and hospitals.

“We are now going to be looking at public utilities to ensure that we have adequate supply of potable water, uninterrupted power supply, we are going to commit to do our best in terms of easing the ability to do business which is line with our vision to bring more people into our state,” he pointed out.

L-R: Business Development Manager Nigeria, (Fertilizer AgroChem Sales), Export Trading group (ETG), Ogu Goodluck Nkemakolam, Principal Investigator of ETG project, Dr.Muhyideen Oyekunle, Chief Executive Officer ETG, Mr.Ashish Lakhotia, Global Lead AgroChem Seedlings business ETG, Dr. Iyad Takrouri and the Deputy National President, Nigeria Agro Input Dealers Association (NAIDA), Mr. Abdulrauf Lawal, during the press conference on “supporting Nigeria toward sustainable input in Agricultural sector” by the Export Trading Group, held yesterday in Abuja. Photo: Justin Imo-owo

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Leading by example from Downing Street

The United Kingdom Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, recently was fined by the British police for not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a moving car while on a trip to northern England. Sunak was seen turning in his seat without a seatbelt on. The PM’s office at Downing Street said the incident was a “brief error of judgment”, but Lancashire constabulary announced they were fining Sunak for the infraction.

The force said: “You will be aware that a video has been circulating on social media showing an individual failing to wear a seatbelt while a passenger in a moving car in Lancashire. After looking into this matter, we issued a 42-year-old man from London with a conditional offer of fixed penalty.”

Reacting, a spokesperson for Sunak said: “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised. He will, of course, comply with the fixed penalty.” A fixed penalty means Sunak can pay a fine to avoid a court hearing. The police did not disclose how much they had fined the prime minister, but according to the government’s safety campaign, any driver or passenger not wearing a seatbelt is breaking the law and is liable to be fined up to £500 if the case goes to court, according to The Guardian UK.

Sunak’s transportation habits were already a talking point in the United Kingdom before the incident, a report by AFP says. His political rivals have taken aim at his use of a private jet to make multiple short flights in recent days. This is not the first time Sunak has been slapped with a police fine. He was fined while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer for attending a Downing Street party in June 2020 that violated the government’s rules on social distancing, according to an AFP report.

The latest fine makes Sunak the second Conservative prime minister to receive a police fine in less than 12 months. The Metropolitan police, in 2020, issued a fixed-penalty notice to Boris Johnson for attending a party during lockdown. Sunak was fined for attending the same event as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The prime minister of a powerful country fined for not wearing a seatbelt! Points to note. Firstly, the police didn’t identify him by his position. They only said “an individual”, “a 42-year-old man from London”. They were simply reminding everyone that the law is no respecter of position and all are equal before the law. Secondly, the prime minister readily accepted he was at fault and would pay the “fixed penalty” the police had slapped on him. “The prime minister fully accepts this was a mistake and has apologised”, his office said.

Fast track to Nigeria or another Third World nation. It is unheard of that the police have found a prime minister/ President guilty of offence and penalized them. The police, by their training, are taught certain stereotypes, including the law is not meant for the powerful but the weak. This confers on the latter a certain degree of impunity to break the law and damn the consequence. Indeed,there will be no consequence because no crime has been committed as far as the police are concerned.

This is why the British case has fascinated millions of Nigerians. Yes, Muhammadu Buhari refused to drive through the “stop” red light after he was elected president in 2015. He would not begin his presidency with a blatant breach of a traffic law. But he only was/is one in a million that would respect the law. Will the British example ever happen in Nigeria any time sooner. Your guess!

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OPINION

To be free is not to die Who needs counseling in Nigeria?

By Loretta Oduware Ogboro-Okor

She will not be forgotten because she has set free the minds of men and women to challenge conventionally accepted societal norms and push the boundaries of excellence. In her human imperfection, aided by her supreme creator she gave us perfect freedom to believe in ourselves and run our race in our lanes for our folks. From beyond the grave, her free spirit still moves.

One has to be free to liberate others. Reviewing the life of one of Nigeria’s foremost Amazons, it becomes clear how this trail blazer liberated her mind and freed herself from the shackles of intersectional inertia to blaze a trail for those coming behind her. For a woman to evolve from hair dressing into one of the foremost politicians in our country Nigeria at the time she did, takes not only a brave heart, but also requires a soul that cannot be caged and a mind that is absolutely free.

She was called Franca, a name of Italian and Latin origin meaning “free one”. Born in 1943, this elegant daughter of Okpella, in the old Bendel State that later morphed into Edo and Delta States, chose to fly free. She defied the gravity of nay sayers and socio-cultural hinderances when she moved from styling hair to styling policies as a politician. In 1983, on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), she made history, when she defeated an incumbent governor and senator to become the first ever woman to be elected senator in Nigeria, representing Bendel North.

When I learnt of her death on the 12th of March 2023, I had a flash back to those days I used to see her on campaign trails, chanting in her dialect on television “oriah whe vote innah? Owa vbo okah!” translated means “who will you vote for? The house and the corn!” A house and corn formed the party logo of NPN at the time. We must bear in mind that there was neither social media nor mobile phones at the time this Amazon forayed into Politics. It must have been challenging but she persisted. There must have been name calling and calumny, but she was never deterred. She must have stumbled along the way, but she did not remain fallen.

As illustrated by Kwame Nkrumah the Ghanaian Political legend’s quote, Franca faced neither East nor West, she face forward. I also reflected on how happy I was as a child that our women did not let us down when I heard that she won the senate seat. I remember my father saying that women make up the majority of our voting population and that they did the right thing, to help make Bendel State the first state to produce a female Senator in Nigeria. I remember also telling my father all those years ago that we need to thank the many men like him, who supported her candidacy as well and helped to make our state a trail blazer in the quest for gender equity.

FRANCA Afegbua may have exited this earth plane after her 79 year sojourn, but her liberation spirit has taken root and is set to snow ball. Many more daughters of Nigeria in general and Edo State in particular, with capacity, competence and a track record for excellence will surely stand on the very wide shoulders of this icon and soar. She will not be forgotten because she has set free the minds of men and women to challenge conventionally accepted societal norms and push the boundaries of excellence. In her human imperfection, aided by her supreme creator she gave us perfect freedom to believe in ourselves and run our race in our lanes for our folks. From beyond the grave, her free spirit still moves.

May your soul rest in peace and power Franca Afegbua.

Dr Loretta Oduware Ogboro-Okor is author of the

By Leo Igwe

Discussions became quite heated and tense because she continued to insist that she communicated the correct date. The room became very noisy and rowdy because some people were trying to correct her but she refused. At some point, a member of this class set that calls itself, Ignite, raised her voice.

In January, I registered for a professional course in counseling at the Attitude Development Institute (ADI) in Lagos. After my doctoral program in religious studies, I thought I was done doing any other academic course. But I was mistaken. I recently noticed that something was missing in my academic and learning accessories. And I needed to rectify it. So I started this professional diploma program. I embarked on this course in my quest for a more competent way to assist people who contact me for help and support. Many contact me saying that they are tired of life and could not find anything meaningful to do or to earn a living. Many attribute their problems to ‘village people’, witches and wizards, generational curses, evil spirits, jinns, demonic attacks, etc. Many attribute their failures, setbacks and misfortunes to juju or harmful magic. I decided to do this diploma in counseling because I felt that something was lacking in my knowledge and understanding of human beings and human problems.

Last year, a lecturer on guidance and counseling at a college of agriculture in Ebonyi state invited me to come and talk to some of his students. Some of the students wanted to do money rituals and he was worried. This lecturer asked me to come and persuade them against engaging in this futile and criminal venture. But how could I do this professionally and effectively?

I wondered what else to tell these students apart from what I had repeatedly said in the past. That money ritual was a superstition, and the belief had no basis in reason or reality. But will that help? Will that be enough? Will the students be persuaded by that proposition? I asked. I felt that telling them that ritual money was a myth would likely be an exercise in futility. It would likely be inadequate and would not yield effective results. I felt that young people needed a more structured way to get them to change these thoughts and behavior. Anyway, I went to that college of education and met with some students and spent time talking to them, advising and persuading them not to indulge in money rituals. I urged them to try and complete their education and then seek out other evidence-based ways of making money. I do not know if my talk yielded any positive results.

Before and after this incident I encountered many who strongly believed in ritual money, and who, given the opportunity could kill, or use human body parts for rituals. Last year, someone contacted me from Kwara state. He inquired how he could do money rituals. I offered similar advice. Some people have contacted me seeking some other forms of help and support. Someone called from Imo state asking how he could stop gambling. That it was ruining his business and that his friends were pointing accusing fingers at his landlady. They said the woman was a witch and was responsible for his dwindling fortune. I offered him some words of advice. Also, in advocating against witch persecution, I have come across people who had anxiety, and mental and emotional disorders but who attribute these psychological problems and other existential challenges to witchcraft. I have been looking for competent ways to manage witchcraft believers and suspecters. I have been searching for more professional ways to support traumatized victims and survivors. I have been seeking a skillful mechanism to empower, guide and enable entertainers of witchcraft fears and sufferers of witch persecution to heal, recover and take control of their lives.

Beyond that, there are personal reasons. I am the first son in my family I started dealing with family issues at a very young age without any knowledge of human psychology. I was socialized to help my younger brothers and lead even when I barely knew my left from my right. I was made to manage and resolve family-related issues even when I was a child with barely an understanding of how life worked. I was not self-aware or socially aware. I did not know human personalities and temperaments. I was not allowed to grow like every other child. I was pressured to behave like the first son, the deputy head of the family, and to intervene in family issues including my parents’ marital issues. Even now my father has passed away, I manage family issues and deal with members with personality disorders and untreated traumas, including my siblings who engage in micro/transferred aggressions and other negative behaviors rooted in childhood experiences. They intentionally make life miserable for me; they complicate matters to settle childhood scores, to punish or deal with me for some real or imagined privilege that they thought I had enjoyed as a first son.

In addition, I started teaching at 17 years, I taught at a local seminary and helped in nurturing children. I did not know children and educational psychology. It was like a child teaching children. It was while studying for my bachelor’s in philosophy that I did some psychology courses. I learned about Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Ivan Pavlov and their explanations of human behavior. But it was all theory. Then my focus was on getting good grades and passing examinations, not applying the knowledge to real life

and issues. In the course of my humanist work and campaign, I have come across people suffering from religious trauma, and victims of religious oppression and persecution.

I would like to offer them effective help and support. As a humanist celebrant, I help families that are grieving, couples who are getting married, or those celebrating the arrival of a new baby. To provide effective help and services, I realized that I needed some professional training in counseling. I searched online and got some information about one Counseling Association of Nigeria. I contacted them and registered. But I realized that the focus was mainly on guidance and counseling in schools. That is important. But that was not what I wanted. My impression was that the association was mainly for teachers and lecturers. I needed some training that could qualify me as a professional counselor. I went online and saw some information about two counseling institutes in Lagos. They offer professional training. One is in Ikeja, which is the ADI, and the other is in Victoria Island. I spoke to some counselors and one recommended ADI. After some telephone conversations and WhatsApp exchanges with the director of the Institute, I enrolled in its diploma class. The classes are held once every week. I joined the second week. After my first class, I realized that I was in the right place and that the program that they offered was what I was looking for. It was a twelve-week program, very intense. The courses included the foundations of counseling, counseling theories, and skills, children/teenage counseling, marriage/family counseling, and crisis/trauma counseling. Some of the courses focused on Christian counseling, grief counseling, sex therapy, and mental health. When I started I was worried that the lectures would be bland, another monotonous exercise in issuing handouts, but they were not. The lectures were interesting. And the lecturers were engaging and entertaining. They were very articulate and used so many examples to illustrate their points. The program occasioned some intellectual shocks and dissonance. It has helped me to correct some misconceptions about counseling and counselors. First I realized the importance of counseling and counselors. Look, human beings suffer both physical and emotional injuries. Both injuries are treatable. While medical doctors help treat physical wounds, counselors as therapists help treat emotional and psychological injuries. Again, counseling is widely understood to mean advice. We were told several times that counselors were not advisers. They do not advise their clients. A foremost counselor, Irvin Yalom whose book, Love’s Executioner, we reviewed throughout the course said the task of a counselor was to make himself or herself obsolete. Yes, it is tacitly saying that for the counselee to live, the counselor must die. He noted that the counselor’s role was to help the client take responsibility for making himself or herself better. Instead of advising, counselors support counselees to take control of their healing and living.

Again, throughout the program, the lecturers made it clear that one of the characteristics of a good counselor was listening. A counselor must be a good listener. He or she must have good listening skills. Also, counseling was not meant for some people, some psychologically troubled and maladjusted people. Instead, the lecturers made it clear that counseling was for everyone, for both the counselors and the counselees. In the course of the lecturers I kept flashing back and recalling so many people that I have met in life who needed counseling. Everyone is grappling with some trauma or emotional issue at one time or the other. They encouraged the trainees to go for counseling. Each class was indirectly an exercise in group counseling and therapy because the classes provided opportunities for members to pour it out, to draw from their life, work, and family experiences in discussing the topics.

Yes, I realized that everybody needed counseling. And nothing illustrated the need better than a particular incident that happened during the program. Due to some miscommunication, one of the counselors managing the program communicated the wrong date for the class graduation to the management. When she came and informed the class, she was told that she communicated the wrong date. And this counselor became furious(meanwhile her name is also Fu…something). Discussions became quite heated and tense because she continued to insist that she communicated the correct date. The room became very noisy and rowdy because some people were trying to correct her but she refused. At some point, a member of this class set that calls itself, Ignite, raised her voice. She is in this class of women with a huge and imposing stature, looked quiet from the outside, and could be mistaken as phlegmatic. She said emphatically while pointing her five fingers at this counselor and swinging the hand up and down: “You are not listening”, “You are not listening”. At that point, the counselor tried to calm down. A senior management colleague intervened and urged the counselor to leave the room. As soon as she left, another class member said: “She needs counseling”. And some class members chuckled.

So, everybody needs counseling in Nigeria.

Leo Igwe is a trainee counselor at the Attitude Development Institute, Lagos.

Google removed 5.2bn ads in 2022 – Official

From Abubakar Yunusa and Agency

Tech giant, Google, says it removed over 5.2 billion ads, restricted over 4.3 billion ads, and suspended over 6.7 million advertiser accounts in 2022.

Alejandro Borgia, the director of product management at Google, in a statement, said this represents an increase of 2 billion more ads removed in 2022 from the previous year.

“We also blocked or restricted ads from serving on over 1.5 billion publisher pages and took broader

site-level enforcement action on over 143,000 publisher sites,” the company said in a statement.

The statement noted that at the end of 2022, the company faced a targeted campaign of scammers creating thousands of accounts to spread malware by impersonating popular software brands.

“When we identify these coordinated threats, we urgently assess the situation and take action,” it said.

The tech company said over one month, it blocked and removed tens of thousands of malicious advertisements and took action against the accounts

US nominee Ajay Banga emerges sole candidate for World Bank top job

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

Ajay Banga, an Indian-American business leader, is set to head the World Bank after emerging as the sole candidate.

The bank, in a statement, said Mr Banga will be considered for the position of the next president after the nomination period ended Wednesday.

“The World Bank Group’s Board of Executive Directors today confirmed that, as announced on 22 February, the period for submitting nominations for the position of the next President of the World Bank Group closed on Wednesday, 29 March at 6:00 pm ET,” the statement said.

“The Board received one nomination and would like to announce that Mr Ajay Banga, a U.S. national, will be considered for the position.

“In accordance with established procedures, the Board of Executive Directors will conduct a formal interview with the candidate in Washington D.C., and expect to conclude the Presidential selection in due course.”

Mr Banga is expected to replace David Malpass, the current World Bank president.

In February, President Joe Biden announced that the US would be nominating Mr Banga to lead the World Bank, noting that he is uniquely equipped to lead the global institution at this critical moment in history.

“Ajay is uniquely equipped to lead the World Bank at this critical moment in history,” Mr Biden said.

“He has spent more than three decades building and managing successful, global companies that create jobs and bring investment to developing economies, and guiding organizations through periods of fundamental change.”

The US president said that Mr Banga has a proven track record of managing people and systems, and partnering with global leaders around the world to deliver results.

associated with the bad ads.

“Overall, in 2022, we blocked or removed 142 million advertisements for violating our misrepresentation policy and 198 million advertisements for violating our financial services policy,” the statement said.

In recent years, the company said it has developed extensive measures to tackle misinformation and unreliable claims in its advertising ecosystem.

It added that this includes policies against harmful health claims and demonstrably false claims that could undermine trust and participation in elections and also developed an

industry-leading policy against climate change denial.

“In 2022, we blocked ads from running on over 300,000 publisher pages that violated these policies and blocked over 24 million policy-violating ads from serving.

“In addition, we blocked and removed over 51.2 million ads for inappropriate content including hate speech, violence and harmful health claims and 20.6 million ads for dangerous products or services such as weapons and explosives,” the statement said.

Dangote plans to make Nigeria selfsufficient in cement, others – Official

From

Abubakar Yunusa, ABUJA

Dangote Industries Ltd. plans to ensure that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in cement, agriculture, mining and petroleum products.

The Regional Sales Director, Southeast Dangote Cement, Dr Abayomi Shittu stated this in Enugu on Thursday during Dangote Special Day at the on-going 34th Enugu International Trade Fair.

Dangote Industries Ltd. is into cement, sugar, salt, poly products, real estate, agriculture, logistics, telecommunications, steel, oil, and gas among other businesses.

Three of its subsidiaries – Dangote Cement Plc., Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc. and Dangote Salt, trading under the name of NASCON Allied Industries Plc. – are listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.

“Our continuous efforts to innovate, create value and invest in Nigeria are borne out of our firm belief in the vast economic potential of Nigeria.

“Dangote Sugar Refinery, through its out-grower scheme has provided jobs for thousands of farmers in its host communities.

“The coming of Dangote Fertiliser has to a great extent helped to change the face of agriculture in Nigeria while the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, when functional will drive the development of ancillary industries.

“We recruit graduates of engineering and other technologybased courses and train them in many aspects of industrial operations,’’ Shittu said.

He noted that trade fairs organised by the Enugu Chamber of Commerce Industries, Mines and Agriculture, ECCIMA, are unique because Enugu State has about the largest concentration of industries in the Southeast and South-South geopolitical zones.

He added that ECCIMA’s trade fairs remained avenues for industries to connect with customers in the Southeast and in the adjoining zones.

In his address of welcome earlier, President of ECCIMA, Jasper Nduagwuike applauded the Dangote Group for its continuous support.

He noted that Dangote Group’s decision to be one of the major sponsors of the 2023 trade fair spoke to the love the group had for ECCIMA and the entire southeast geopolitical zone.

“We believe that the Dangote Refinery will go a long way in addressing the challenges and problems associated with availability and cost of refined petroleum products when it comes on-stream.

“Today, Dangote’s business and entrepreneurship scheme has spread to many parts of the African continent, employing thousands of people across the world of which not less than 85 per cent are Nigerians,’’ Mr Nduagwuike said.

BUSINESS

OPS predicts woes as national debt hits N46tn

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The Debt Management Office, on Thursday, revealed that Nigeria’s total public debt stock increased to N46.25tn or $103.11bn in the fourth quarter of 2022.

The latest figure has made members of the organised private sector and economists to predict that tougher days are ahead for Nigerians and firms.

The national debt as of September, 2022, was put at N44.06tn.

According to the office, the new figure consists of the domestic and external total debt stocks of the Federal Government and the sub-national governments (36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory)

The latest figure was disclosed in a statement by the Debt Management Office..

The DMO stated that the comparative figure of public debt as of December 31, 2021, was N39.56tn or $95.77bn.

This means that the country’s debt increased by N6.69trn or $7.34bn within one year.

Stating reasons for the increase, the DMO said new borrowings by the FGN and sub-national governments, primarily to fund budget deficits and execute projects and the issuance of promissory notes to settle some liabilities also contributed to the growth in the debt stock.

The statement read in part, “As of December 31, 2022, the total public debt stock was N46.25tn or $103.11bn. In terms of composition, total domestic debt stock was N27.55tn ($61.42bn) while total external debt stock was N18.70tn ($41.69bn).

“Amongst the reasons for the increase in the total public debt stock were new borrowings by the FGN and sub-national governments, primarily to fund budget deficits and execute projects. The issuance of promissory notes by the FGN to settle some liabilities also contributed to the growth in the debt stock.

“On-going efforts by the Government to increase revenues from oil and nonoil sources through initiatives such as the Finance Acts and the Strategic Revenue Mobilization initiative are expected to support debt sustainability.”

The DMO further explained that the debt figure under review was 23.20 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, indicating that it was well within the limits set by both the federal government and international organisations.

“The total public debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio for December 31, 2022, was 23.20 per cent and indicates a slight increase from the figure for December 31, 2022, at 22.47 per cent.

“The ratio of 23.20 per cent is within the 40 per cent limit self-imposed by Nigeria,

the 55 per cent limit recommended by the World Bank/International Monetary Fund, and, the 70 per cent limit recommended by the Economic Community of West African States.”

Reacting, the Director, Center of Promotion for Private Enterprise, Muda Yusuf, expressed concern over the multiplier effect of the latest debt figure, stating that the country would continue to struggle with servicing of debts if drastic steps were not taken.

He said, “What this means is that the country will continue to struggle with servicing of debts. Already, debt service is close to 80 per cent of our revenue and it is likely to increase with the new figure.

“The implication is that we are likely to get ourselves into a vicious cycle of debt, like a debt trap because the higher debt service burden is, when your revenue is low, the more you continue to borrow to be able to sustain the system. Remember that the N23tn from the CBN Ways and Means is not part of this. If we add that, it will make it almost N80tn.

On possible solutions, Yusuf stated that removal of fuel and foreign exchange subsidy would increase the nation’s revenue.

“A possible solution is to increase our revenue through the removal of fuel subsidy and foreign exchange subsidy. This will bring relief of N8trn. We also have to

address increasing oil production, curb leakages, cut our spending,” he added.

On his part, a professor of Economics at the University of Uyo, Akpan Ekpo, “Those figures are worrisome because our revenue base is very low. I just hope the borrowing was for infrastructure and the government is transparent on what it was spent on.

“Those debts should not be on recurrent expenditure because that is a waste. Borrowing to fill up the deficit is not good for our economy either. If it was spent on capital projects, can the projects pay the debts back? The debt is for future generations. We need to get information on debt servicing revenue ratio or debt revenue because our revenue base is not healthy at all.”

A professor of Financial Economics at the University of Uyo, Leo Ukpong, posited that the inability of the country to service might lead to an increase in taxes.

He said, “Borrowing tends to have a negative effect on the credibility of the borrower. Clearly, we know that public debt is very high and this increase is not good for the country.

“When debts rise, you run the risk of bankruptcy but since a country can’t be declared bankrupt, it is likely that taxes will be increased which will reduce our purchasing power.”

Members of the organised private have also reacted to the development.

NOWA president charges women on entrepreneurial skill acquisition

Manager of Nigeria’s sovereign wealth fund, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, grew its net assets by 10 per cent from N919.73bn in 2021 to N1.02tn in the 2022 financial year.

This was disclosed in its audited results for the 2022 financial year, which was released on Thursday.

The highlights of NSIA’s activities and performance during the period under review also showed that it recorded its 10th year of continuous positive earnings in spite of volatility across markets.

In its 2022 report, the earnings of the NSIA Group was N96.96bn, a 34 per cent dip compared to N146.98bn recorded in 2021. The organisation attributed the decrease to the performance of its Future Generations and Stabilisation portfolios that are invested in emerging and developed financial market instruments.

On the other hand, its interest income, revenue from infrastructure business, and management fees earned from fiduciary activities, increased by 34.5 per cent (N15.7bn) year-overyear. The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Aminu Umar-Sadiq, said the performance was recorded despite the challenges in the operating environment.

He said, “Against market expectations and internal forecast, NSIA closed the 2022 financial year with a respectable performance. This result underscores the robustness of our diversified portfolio, and the excellent commitment of the team.”

“As we look to the future, NSIA is resolute in its commitment to delivering increased investments in critical sectors of the economy,

driving growth across its funds, and attracting third-party capital into Nigeria’s infrastructure sector. In 2023, we will be resourcing our various platforms targeted at emerging sectors – renewable energy, sustainability, innovation, and healthcare – which will ensure the Authority achieves its dual objectives of delivering financial returns and impactful social outcomes,” he added.

Nigeria’s sovereign wealth manager, said that the 2022 fiscal year was marked by unprecedented shocks, such as the COVID-19 lockdown in China, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, food and energy crises, supply-chain disruptions, soaring inflation, and monetary policy tightening, which impacted the financial markets.

In 2022, NSIA said that it reached a significant milestone in implementing its infrastructure strategy by delivering key projects. These projects cut across core sectors of focus and the implementation of specialised federal government initiatives.

They include projects in the agriculture sector; the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative. The opening of the Pandagric Novum farm, a joint venture between NSIA and Signature Agri Investment for the cultivation of maize and soybeans and connected to a 147,000 metric tons per annum capacity poultry feed mill.

In the technology sector, NSIA said it introduced the NSIA Prize for Innovation as a measure to stimulate the ingenuity of Nigerian innovators and technopreneurs to develop solutions that address real-world challenges with global application. The NPI program is a business enhancement initiative to support early-stage, growthdriven tech solutions through education, mentorship, and financing and recorded milestones in the gas industrialisation sector, health care, power and road.

From Abubakar Yunusa ABUJA

The president, Naval Officers’ Wives Association president, Hajiya Nana Gambo, has charged Delta State women to take maximum advantage of the entrepreneurial trainings offered at the NOWA skill acquisition centre in its Oghara centre.

She made this known during the graduation ceremony of the maiden edition of the NOWA’s skill acquisition programme which saw 21 students trained in various entrepreneurial skills.

Addressing the graduands at the ceremony, which took place at the barracks of the Nigerian Navy Logistics Command, Oghara, Ethiope West Local Government Area of the state, Gambo, who was the special guest of honour at the event, noted that the cardinal objective of the association was to maximise the potentials of the people through entrepreneurial skills.

She was represented by Mrs Juwaira Garuba who said investment in vocational skills was vital to addressing the unemployment rates and its attendant consequences in the society.

While underscoring the importance of skill acquisition, Gambo said that vocational training could not be wished away particularly at a time that unemployment was becoming a global issue.

The wife of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Awwal Gambo observed that the impact of unemployment was prevalent among youths particularly the female folks.

She said, “I will like to thank Almighty Allah for making this day a reality as NOWA strives to empower women to be more productive and self-reliant through creation of income-earning opportunities for attainment of sustainable livelihood.

“No doubt, the prevalence of unemployment to an extent breeds insecurity including trafficking among other vices.

“Undeniably, one of the ways to ameliorate this challenge is to invest in entrepreneurship programmes that will maximise potentials through skill acquisition for self-reliance,” she said.

Gambo said that the association would continue to strive in ensuring the empowerment of youths, orphans and widows within its resources for self-

reliance and sustenance.

She thanked the NOWA Zonal Coordinator, Oghara chapter, Mrs Rhoda Olotu, the Flag Officer Commanding Logistics Command, Rear Adm. Olumuyiwa Olotu for ensuring the seamless running of the skill acquisition centre. Gambo also commended the graduands as well as the facilitators and Instructors for working assiduously towards achieving the Association’s objectives.

In her address of welcome, Mrs Olotu, the NOWA Zonal Coordinator, Oghara chapter said the skill acquisition centre which was established in 2021 has recorded remarkable progress in terms of staffing, equipment and training programmes.

NSIA grows net assets by 10.5 per cent to N1.02tn

Weekend MagazineEntertainment

I love Nana genuinely, says evicted BBTitans housemate BlaqBoi

BlaqBoi expressed displeasure over Ipeleng’s choice of saving Ebubu from possible eviction, instead of saving him.

Victor Panwal, popularly known as BlaqBoi, a recently evicted housemate of the Big Brother Titans show, on Thursday said he had genuine love for his fellow ex-housemate, Nana.

BlaqBoi, an indigene of Plateau, disclosed this during a virtual interview session with newsmen in Lagos.

The 22-year-old content creator said even though he had pure and platonic love for Nana, he never wanted to go into any serious relationship while in the house.

Speaking further on his relationship with Blue Aiva and Nana, BlaqBoi said, “For Nana, I didn’t roll her boat, like I told her from the beginning, I wasn’t there for something serious.

“But for Blue Aiva, she came like someone who wanted to play and I was like okay, then we can do this. So, that was the relationship with both of them.

“To be honest, I have a very platonic, genuine and pure love for Nana.”

BlaqBoi expressed displeasure over Ipeleng’s choice of saving Ebubu from possible eviction, instead of saving him.

He said he felt betrayed as he had been Ipeleng’s paired partner for weeks.

“I felt very bad and betrayed with Ipeleng’s choice because if I was in her position, I would have kept her in the house.

“I never engaged her in any conversation because that was not going to change anything, so we move.

”Although she kept apologising, we never talked about it but at this stage, I have moved on,” he said.

BlaqBoi speaking on the housemate he felt would walk away with the grand prize of 100,000 dollars, said “For me, I am rooting for Kanaga and Khosi and it looks like either of them will win.”

The ex-housemate said going forward, he would be projecting his movie production company and would also be open to whatever that comes his way

“The love after leaving the house has been overwhelming, the love is crazy, I wasn’t expecting it.

“I feel very good, calm, grateful and blessed at this point and my biggest lesson in the house is that I have learnt to be more tolerant.

“I was in the house with other 23 housemates for 70 days. So, I think I can adapt with any situation anywhere in the world,” he said.

Davido confirms marriage to Chioma

The singer confirmed this in an interview with media personality Kiekie on Wednesday, March 29.

According to Davido, he took a break from social media after he lost his son, Ifeanyi, because he needed time to reflect.

It was during this period that he finally married Chioma.

According to him, “I have never ever taken this kind of break. Just being away and I have had a lot to think about. It was a time to rest, reflect, a lot of family time, time to make music again.I remade the album. Before I went on the break I actually had an album already. Had a tour already, but we did the album, I travelled, I am married.”

Source: pulse.ng

Weekend Magazine

Nollywood actor, Yul Edochie, loses 16-year-old son

The son died two months after Edochie celebrated his 16th birthday with his wife, Mary Edochie.

Confirming the sad news to Vanguard, yesterday, Pete Edochie said his son, Yul, called him on the telephone, Wednesday, informing him that Kambilichukwu fell down while playing football with his schoolmates and developed a seizure.

According to him, the deceased who would have been 17 years in May, was rushed to the Mother and Child Hospital, Lagos, where he died hours later.

The legendary actor said his family started praying for the child immediately after Yul called him on the telephone about the sad incident.

Edochie said: “Kambilinachukwu is a very quiet, brilliant and talented child.

He’s not somebody you can ride easily. He doesn’t get angry no matter the situation. He may change his composure, but he was definitely a very unusual person in so many respects.

“He was so accomplished. I always tell my son that I don’t like people excelling like this in anything they are involved in. Experience has taught me that such people don’t last long.”

Edochie said it was unfortunate that his grandson died while he had shown great promise.

Meanwhile, both Yul and his first wife, May, haven’t broken their silence since the incident. vanguard

Mercy Chinwo threatens Obidiz with ₦2 bn lawsuit for using her name in a song

On February 10, 2023, musical artist, Obidiz Lawson, released a song titled ‘Mercy Chinwo’, a single that’s now the subject of a dispute between him and the gospel singer who is demanding that he take it down from all streaming platforms.

The letter, dated March 23, 2023, carried the heading “DEROGATORY AND DEFAMATORY USE OF THE NAME AND IMAGE OF MINISTER MERCY CHINWO IN A SECULAR MUSIC AUDIO AND VIDEO: NOTICE TO CEASE AND DESIST.”

The famous gospel artist accused Obidiz was accused of

using her name in a derogatory manner. Her lawyers further requested for four things from Obidiz:

That you immediately CEASE AND DESIST from any further use of the name and image of Our Client in promotion of your music.

That you take down or cause to be taken down, the song titled “Mercy Chinwo” which you published on be taken down immediately from all music digital platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, Sound Cloud and any other platform whereby you made such publication.

That you take down or cause to be taken down, the promotional video containing the image

and clips of Our Client from all social media platforms including YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and any other social media platform where you made such promotion.

That you immediately make public an apology in writing, addressed to Our Client and publicised on all social media platforms whereby you express a retraction and remorse for the harassment, defamation of character and unauthorized use of Our Client’s name and image.

The letter further stated that the failure to comply with the requests will lead to a suit of N2 billion in damages. pulse.ng

Tems, Rema, Somadina to perform at Lollapalooza 2023

Nigerian superstars Rema and Tems alongside singing sensation Somadina will be performing at the 2023 Lollapalooza concert.

Afrobeats is on a global ascension and Nigerian stars are continuously in high demand. After dazzling fans with their performances at the 2023 NBA Allstar game, Tems and Rema are set to thrill fans at the 2023 Lollapalooza concert. They are joined by talented singer Somadina.

The 2023 Lineup for Lollapalooza, Chicago, one of the largest music festivals in the USA has been announced, featuring a diverse range of over 170 artists from

around the world. The Nigerian contingent of Rema, Tems, and Somadina will be bringing Nigerian music to the international audience.

The four-day event, which runs from August 3rd to August 6th, will be headlined by some of the biggest names in music, including Kendrick Lamar, Billie Eilish, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Odesza, Lana Del Ray, Karol G, The 1975, and Tomorrow X Together. The festival takes place in Grant Park, Chicago, and promises to be an unforgettable experience for music lovers of all ages

Skales welcomes first baby days after publicly apologising to wife

The good news comes days after the singer reconciled with his wife, months after he called her out on Instagram.

Nigerian singer Skales, whose real name is Raoul John NjengNjeng, has welcomed a new baby.

The news of the birth of the baby was made public by the singer on his Instagram page on today, March 29, 2023. Skales posted a photo of himself holding the newborn baby with a caption that read: “God gave me an amazing pre-birthday gift! My mother and God both know what they do.”

The birth of the baby comes just days after Skales publicly apologised to his wife on social media for his past mistakes and shortcomings. He admitted he’s working on emotional self-control and promised to handle things better moving forward. He wrote, “Learning to control emotions and taking care of my mental health when life throws me down has to be one of the amazing life lessons I’ve learned.

“We both made mistakes, and I sincerely apologise for letting my grieving times get the best of me by bringing what should be our private lives into the public eye. This isn’t an act I am proud of, and I promise to keep progressing daily in my actions and becoming a better man in handling situations.”

Skales and Hassanity got married in September 2021 and announced their engagement on social media. Congratulations to them on the birth of their new bundle of joy!

Walnuts for heart health: Effect on the gut may be key

Since walnuts have heart health benefits, researchers from Texas Tech University and Juniata College conducted a study to analyze what impact they have on the gut microbiome.

The researchers were curious whether it is possible that the heart benefits derived from walnuts start in the gut.

The researchers assigned diets to three groups of people, including one group that ate whole walnuts, and then tested biological samples from each participant.

Their findings showed that people who consumed the diet with walnuts had higher levels of the amino acid L-homoarginine in their guts.

Since people with lower levels of homoarginine are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease, this finding showed that it might be possible to improve heart health by making dietary changes that affect the gut.

While scientists know that certain foods improve heart health, there are many questions remaining, such as how this happens, and what other foods exist that may lower cardiovascular risk.

Researchers from Texas Tech University in Lubbock and Juniata College in Huntingdon, PA, wanted to learn more about how walnuts may benefit the heart, and whether that starts in the gut.

They conducted their study by analyzing the genetic expression of microbes in participants who either did or did not consume a diet with walnuts.

The study results were presented at Discover DMB, which is the annual meeting of the American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Heart health: Quick facts

According to the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionTrusted Source (CDC), heart disease is the leading cause of death in adults in the United States. Nearly 700,000 people die from heart disease each year.

Many factors influence heart health, and an important one is nutrition. People who follow diets that are high in fat and cholesterol are more likely to develop conditions that can eventually lead to heart disease.

To help reduce the risk of heart disease, people can choose diets that are low in fat, feature lean meats, and are low in sugar and salt. Avoiding processed foods or foods high in trans fats can help as well.

Some heart-healthy foods the National Institutes of HealthTrusted Source (NIH) recommend people consume include: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish and lean meats, nuts.

Recent research shows that walnuts, in particular, can improve a person’s cardiovascular disease

risk profile.

The role of the gut microbiome

A healthy gut microbiome is imperative to good health. The gut microbiota is a group of microorganisms that colonize the gastrointestinal tract. Some estimates suggest that there are 1,013 bacteriaTrusted Source in the human gastrointestinal tract, about as many as human cells in the body.

Sometimes illness or lifestyle choices can cause changes to the gut microbiome and make bad bacteria outweigh good bacteria.

The NIHTrusted Source note that “[t]he gut microbiome plays an important role in human health and influences the development of chronic diseases ranging from metabolic disease to gastrointestinal disorders and colorectal cancer.”

There are ways to improve gut health, such as taking probiotic supplements to rebalance the gut microbiome. Foods people can eat to help with this include yogurt, pickled vegetables, and kombucha tea.

What the new study did

The researchers who conducted the current study were interested in how walnuts impact gut health and improve heart health.

Walnuts have a higher alphalinolenic acid (ALA) content, which is significant because ALA may impactTrusted Source neurological and cardiovascular health.

The researchers analyzed data from 42 participants for this study. The participants all had an elevated risk for cardiovascular disease.

All participants initially followed a traditional Western diet for 2 weeks. According to the researchers, their nutritional breakdown included a 50% carbohydrate intake, 16% protein, and 34% fats.

The scientists took stool samples to analyze the participants’ gut microbiomes, and then placed the participants in one of three

groups.

The first group, which was called the “walnut diet group”, consisted of participants who ate 57–99 grams (g.) of walnuts per day — roughly 1 cup of walnuts.

The second group consumed the same amounts of omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid present in walnuts without eating walnuts. This was the “matched walnut control diet.

The third group was assigned to supplement ALA with oleic acid — while not eating walnuts — and was referred to as the “oleic acid replaces ALA in diet without walnuts” group.

At the end of the 6-week diet periods, the researchers collected stool samples from the participants and analyzed the samples with metatranscriptomics “to investigate the gut microbiota composition and functionality.”

Walnuts, heart health, and the gut

After collecting stool samples, the researchers conducted a genetic analysis of the gut microbiota from each group. They were able to determine whether there were higher or lower levels of certain

bacteria.

The researchers found higher levels of Gordonibacter bacteria in the walnut diet group. This bacterium is responsible for metabolizing plant compounds.

The researchers also saw higher levels of gene expression in pathways involved with the amino acid L-homoarginine in the walnut diet group.

This is significant because people with low homoarginine levelsTrusted Source are at a higher risk for heart disease.

Additionally, they found that the participants saw improvements in their dysbiosis index values — the ratio of bad bacteria to good bacteria — after spending 6 weeks on their diets.

While the participant pool for the study was small, the results

Today.

“The nature of the study itself is very unique […] to our knowledge, [as] metatranscriptomics has not been used previously to assess the effect of walnut consumption on gut microbiota gene expression and is the first of its kind,” said Chandra.

“The findings of these exploratory analyses contribute to further understanding of walnut-related modulation of gut microbiome, which could be very impactful in learning how gut health impacts our heart health in general.”

What do the experts say?

Dr. John Higgins, a professor of cardiovascular medicine with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, who was not involved in the study, spoke with MNT about the findings.

“Walnuts are a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, specifically alpha-linolenic acid, and are beneficial for improving cardiovascular health. They reduce inflammation, improve cholesterol balance, reduce blood pressure, and reduce risk of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease,” Dr. Higgins pointed out.

When asked about the importance of such research, Dr. Higgins said it highlights “how different organ systems are interconnected.”

“In this case, the gastrointestinal system and the heart [are interconnected],” noted Dr. Higgins. “A healthy gut means a healthy heart!”

“This research suggests that by adjusting diet and modulating intestinal microbiota composition and metabolism — e.g. starting to eat a cup of walnuts each day — we may be able to better help cardiovascular disease prevention,” he further commented, though he cautioned that “[m]ore research is needed.”

Dr. Ernst von Schwarz, a cardiologist and professor at UCLA, not involved in this study, also spoke with MNT about the research.

According to him, “[t]he study also supports the idea […] to promote the concept of a Mediterranean-type diet as the most heart-healthy diet, which in some studies even has [been] shown to result in a regression of atherosclerosis (calcification/ hardening) of the blood vessels in the heart, the brain, and even in the sexual organs.”

suggest the possibility of improving one’s risk for cardiovascular disease by making dietary changes that impact the gut.

Mansi Chandra, an undergraduate researcher at Juniata College who will present the study, commented on it in an interview with Medical News

“Even though we are aware of the long-term benefits of a Mediterranean diet, we do not know the exact mechanisms,” Dr. von Schwarz continued. “Therefore, this study — among others — helps us to understand possible biochemical pathways that are affected by dietary ingredients, including walnuts.”

Source: medicalnewstoday.com

“ There are ways to improve gut health, such as taking probiotic supplements to rebalance the gut microbiome

ChatGPT: How to use the AI chatbot everyone’s talking about

ChatGPT has continued to dazzle the internet with AI-generated content, morphing from a novel chatbot into a piece of technology that is driving the next era of technological innovation. Not everyone’s on board yet, though, and you’re probably wondering: what’s all the fuss about?

Made by OpenAI, well-known for having developed the text-toimage generator DALL-E, it’s currently available for anyone to try out for free. Here’s what ChatGPT is, how to use it, and how it could change the future of the internet.

How to use ChatGPT

First, go to chat.openai.com. If it’s your first time, you’ll need to set up a free account with OpenAI before getting started. You have the option of choosing an easy login with a Google or Microsoft account, or just entering your email address. You’ll be asked next to enter a phone number; however, keep in mind that you cannot use a virtual phone number (VoIP) to register for OpenAI. You will then receive a confirmation number, which you will enter on the registration page to complete the setup.

Once you see some housekeeping rules about ChatGPT, including potential errors in data, how OpenAI collects data, and how users can submit feedback, you know you have successfully registered — you’re in!

Using the ChatGPT chatbot itself is fairly simple, as all you have to do is type in your text and receive the information. The key here is to be creative and see how you ChatGPT responds to different prompts. If you don’t get the intended result, try tweaking your prompt or giving ChatGPT further instruction.

For example, inputting “explain how the solar system was made” will give a more detailed result with more paragraphs than “how was the solar system made,” even though both inquiries will give fairly detailed results. Take it a step further by giving ChatGPT more guidance about style or tone, saying “explain how the solar system was made as a middle school teacher.”

You also have the option for more specific inputting requests for an essay with a specific number of paragraphs or a Wikipedia page. We got an extremely detailed result with the request “write a four-paragraph essay explaining Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” And remember, ChatGPT is great at making tweaks to previous answers, so you can always ask for more detail, to rewrite something, or ask further questions.

If there is enough information available, the generator will fulfill the commands with accurate details. Otherwise, there is potential for ChatGPT to begin filling in gaps with incorrect data. OpenAI notes that these instances are rare, but hallucinations certainly do happen. The brand also notes that ChatGPT, which uses the GPT-3.5 LLM (large language model), currently has “limited knowledge of world events after 2021.”

Even so, you have the option to input queries continuously until you close your browser or reset the thread to clear your previous requests. You also have the option to use ChatGPT in dark mode or light mode.

Unlike Bing Chat, which can now generate images with Bing Image Creator, ChatGPT only works with text.

Is ChatGPT free to use?

Yes, the basic version of ChatGPT is completely free to use. There’s no limit to how much you can use ChatGPT in a day, though there is a word and character limit

for responses.

It’s not free for OpenAI to continue running it, of course. Estimates are currently that OpenAI spends around $3 million per month to continue running ChatGPT, which is around $100,000 per day. Beyond the cost of the servers themselves, some egregious information has recently come out about what else has been done to train the language model against producing offensive content.

OpenAI has also recently announced a new paid, premium version of its chatbot, called ChatGPT Plus. It’s not available just yet, but you can currently only join the waitlist, and the eventual price will be $20 per month. ChatGPT Plus will provide access even during peak times, faster responses, and first access to new features like GPT-4.

Outside of the ChatGPT app itself, many apps have announced partnerships with OpenAI using the ChatGPT API. These include Snapchat, as well as the extensive integration in the Microsoft 365 suite of apps. There’s even a way to replace Siri with ChatGPT on your iPhone and some useful mobile apps like Perplexity AI.

Just remember — ChatGPT doesn’t currently have an official mobile app available. Many of the apps you’ll find in app stores are scams, including ones you’ll find in Google Search results.

ChatGPT prompts: what can you ask ChatGPT?

Well, that’s the fun part. Since its launch, people have been experimenting to discover everything the chatbot can and can’t do — and some of the results have been mind-blowing.

Learning the kinds of prompts and follow-up prompts that ChatGPT responds well to requires some experimentation though. Much like we’ve learned to get the information we want from traditional search engines, it can take some time to get the best results from ChatGPT. If you want to get started, we have a roundup of the best ChatGPT tips.

It really all depends on what you want out of it. To start out, try using it to write a template blog post, for example, or even blocks of code if you’re a programmer.

Our writers experimented with ChatGPT too, attempting to see if it could handle holiday shopping or even properly interpret astrological makeup. In both

cases, we found limitations to what it could do while still being thoroughly impressed by the results.

But the fun is in trying it out yourself. Whether you think ChatGPT is an amazing piece of tech or will lead to the destruction of the internet as we know it, it’s worth trying out for yourself to see just what it’s capable of.

You can’t ask anything, though. OpenAI has safeguards in place in order to “build a safe and beneficial artificial general intelligence.” That means any questions that are hateful, sexist, racist, or discriminatory in any way are generally off-limits.

ChatGPT ‘at capacity’ error

Many people attempting to use ChatGPT have been getting an “at capacity” notice when trying to access the site. It’s likely behind the move to try and use unofficial paid apps, which have already flooded app stores and scammed thousands into paying for a free service.

Because of how much ChatGPT costs to run, it seems as if OpenAI has been limiting access when its servers are “at capacity.” It can take as long as a few hours to wait out, but if you’re patient, you’ll get through eventually. Of all the problems facing ChatGPT right now, this had been the biggest hurdle for keeping people from using it more. In some cases, demand has been so high that ChatGPT has gone down for several hours for maintenance multiple times over the past few months.

This seems to be less of a problem recently, though, as demand has normalized and OpenAI has learned to manage the traffic better, but in the middle of the day, it still makes an appearance from time to time.

Do you need to download ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is available via a webpage, so no downloading is needed. OpenAI has yet to release an official app, despite the fact that app stores are full of fake versions. These should be installed and used with caution, as they are not official ChatGPT apps.

There are a couple of ways to install ChatGPT, though. First, you can navigate to the ChatGPT website and save it as a Windows app through Edge. Go to the

site, click the ellipsis menu, and hover over Apps. Select Install this site as an app to load ChatGPT from your desktop.

Other tools like MacGPT also allow shortcuts to access the browser service from your desktop. Recently, OpenAI made the ChatGPT API available to everyone, and we’ve seen a surge in tools leveraging the technology, such as Discord’s Clyde chatbot.

Can ChatGPT be used for essay writing?

The use of ChatGPT has been full of controversy, with many onlookers considering how the power of AI will change everything from search engines to novel writing.

Essay writing for students is one of the most obvious examples of where ChatGPT could become a problem. ChatGPT might not write this article all that well, but it feels particularly easy to use for essay writing. Some generative AI tools, such as Caktus AI, are built specifically for this purpose.

ChatGPT plug-ins

The announcement of ChatGPT plugins caused a great stir in the developer community, with some calling it “the most powerful developer platform ever created.” AI enthusiasts have compared it to the surge of interest in the iOS App Store when it first launched, greatly expanding the capabilities of the iPhone.

ChatGPT controversies

Although ChatGPT is a very useful tool, it isn’t free of problems. Many are considered about what this human-like generative AI could mean for the future of the internet, so much so that thousands of tech leaders and prominent public figures have signed a petition to slow down the development.

Will ChatGPT replace Google?

Google has been attempting what ChatGPT can do now for decades, and the chatbot reportedly set off a “code red” within Google. In response, the company rolled out Google Bard, though the company is positioning more as a separate product. We expect more of these ChatGPT alternatives to pop up in the coming months, as we’ve already seen with services like Jasper AI.

Source: digitaltrends.com

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IRETE OTURA CULTURAL FOUNDATION:

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UMAR

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CORRECTION OF NAME

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CLUB 99

Biography

Amina (Queen of Zazzau), historical figure of a rare Kind!

Amina (also Aminatu; died 1610; was a Hausa Muslim historical figure in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria.[4] She might have ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. A controversial figure whose existence has been questioned by some historians, her real biography has been somewhat obscured by subsequent legends and folk tales.

Early life

Amina was born in the middle of the sixteenth century CE to King Nikatau, the 22nd ruler of Zazzau, and Queen Bakwa Turunku (r. 1536–c. 1566). She had a younger sister named Zaria for whom the modern city of Zaria (Kaduna State) was renamed by the British in the early twentieth century. According to oral legends collected by anthropologist David E. Jones, Amina grew up in her grandfather’s court and was favored by him. He carried her around court and instructed her carefully in political and military matters.

At age sixteen, Amina was named Magajiya (heir apparent), and was given forty female slaves (kuyanga). From an early age, Amina had a number of suitors attempt to marry her. Attempts to gain her hand included “a daily offer of ten slaves” from Makama and “fifty male slaves and fifty female slaves as well as fifty bags of white and blue cloth” from the Sarkin Kano.

After the death of her parents in or around 1566, Amina’s brother became king of Zazzau. At this point, Amina had distinguished herself as a “leading warrior in her brother’s cavalry” and gained notoriety for her military skills. She is still celebrated today in traditional Hausa praise songs as “Amina daughter of Nikatau, a woman as capable as a man that was able to lead men to war.”

Queenship and expansion of Zazzau

After the death of her brother Karami in 1576, Amina ascended to the position of queen. Zazzau was one of the original seven Hausa States (Hausa Bakwai), the others being Daura, Kano, Gobir, Katsina, Rano, and Garun Gabas. Before Amina assumed the throne, Zazzau was one of the largest of these states. It was also the primary source of slaves that would be sold at the slave markets of Kano and Katsina by Arab merchants.

Only three months after being crowned queen, Amina waged a 34-year campaign against her neighbors, to expand Zazzau territory. Her army, consisting of 20, 000 foot soldiers and 1,000 cavalry troops, was well trained and fearsome. In fact, one of her first announcements to her people was a call for them to “resharpen their weapons.” She conquered large tracts of land as far as Kwararafa and Nupe.

Legends cited by Sidney John Hogben say that she took a new lover in every town she went through, each of whom was said to meet the same unfortunate fate in the morning: “her brief bridegroom was beheaded so that none should live to tell the tale.” Under Amina, Zazzau controlled more territory than ever before. To mark and protect her new lands, Amina had her cities surrounded by earthen walls. These walls became commonplace across the nation until the British conquest of Zazzau in 1904, and many of them survive today, known as ganuwar Amina (Amina’s walls).

Death

The exact circumstances of Amina’s death are not known. The nineteenthcentury Muslim scholar Dan Tafa says that “She died in a place called Attaagar. It was for this reason that the kingdom of Zazzau was the most extensive among the kingdoms of

Hausa, since Bauchi included many regions.” Drawing on Tafa’s account, Sidney John Hogben reports that “Amina died in Atagara, near present day Idah, for at that time Amina had pushed the frontiers of Zazzau south of the Niger-Benue confluence. But there are many contradictions surrounding her death; many authors in their books cited that she died in Vom Jos while other historians said she died in Atagara, the present-day Idah.”

Legacy

As the British historian Michael Crowder has noted, after Amina’s death

Queen Amina Stage Ruling class Hausa women experienced a steady diminution in their influence and were systematically deprived of their authority and autonomy. The traditional titles and offices relating to authority over women and redress of their grievances have now become nominal or may have been discarded altogether.

Although Amina’s success as a ruler did not have a trickle-down effect on her female successors, Amina enjoyed a lasting reputation, bordering on legend, as a woman warrior. Sultan Bello of Sokoto wrote:

Strange things have happened in the history of the seven Hausa States, and the most strange of these is the extent of the possessions which God gave to Aminatu, daughter of the ruler of Zazzau. She waged war in the Hausa lands and took them all so that the men of Katsina and the men of Kano brought her tribute. She made war in Bauchi and against the other towns of the south and of the west, so that her possession stretched down to the shores of the sea [i.e., the Niger]. Beyond her expansion of Zazzau territory, she created trade routes throughout Northern Africa. Additionally, Amina has been credited with ordering the construction

of a distinctive series of ancient Hausa fortifications, known as ‘Amina’s walls’, and with introducing kola nut cultivation in the area.

Historical references

One of the earliest sources to mention Amina is a map called the Planisphere of Domingos Teixeira, which was made in 1573 and names a place in Africa as “Castelo Damina,” the Castle of Amina. One of the earliest textual sources to mention Amina is Muhammed Bello’s history Ifaq al-Maysur, composed around 1836. He claims that she was “the first to establish a government among (the Hausa),” and she forced Katsina, Kano and other regions to pay tribute to her. Bello provided no chronological details about her. She is also mentioned in the Kano Chronicle, a well-regarded and detailed history of the city of Kano, composed in the late nineteenth century, but incorporating earlier documentary material. According to this chronicle, she was a contemporary of Muhammad Dauda, who ruled from 1421 to 1438, and Amina conquered as far as Nupe and Kwarafa, collected tribute from far and wide and ruled for 34 years. A number of scholars accept this information and date her reign to the early to mid-fifteenth century.

There is also a local chronicle of Zaria itself, written largely in the nineteenth century but extending to 1902, published in 1910, that gives a list of the rulers and the duration of their reigns. Amina is not mentioned in this chronicle, but oral tradition in the early twentieth century held her to be the daughter of Bakwa Turunku, whose reign is dated by the chronicle from 1492 to 1522. On this basis, some scholars date her reign to the early sixteenth century. Historian Abdullahi Smith, however, places her reign after 1576.

Modern cultural depictions

The Queen Amina Statue at the National Arts Theatre in Lagos State honors her, and multiple educational institutions bear her name.

Amina is the protagonist of the historical fantasy novel Queen of Zazzau (2018) by J.S. Emuakpor, based on her life beginning in 1557 CE.

Amina is the inspiration for the character Malika in the graphic novel Malika: Warrior Queen (2017) by Roye Okupe as stated in the coloring book also created by the author.

In Education, the fifth episode of the Small Axe films by Steve McQueen, 12-yearold Kingsley Smith triumphantly reads aloud the story of Amina to his family, after having learnt to read.

In the video game Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition Queen Amina appears as the leader of the Hausa civilization.

Amina appears as the leader of Zazzau in 1444, well before her lifetime, in Europa Universalis IV. She is also a general, which female rulers typically cannot be in the game, and has very good stats.

The 2021 film Amina depicts her rise to the throne. It is directed by Izu Ojukwu.

More recent oral tradition has a series of lively stories about the queen, and these have found their way into popular culture. Among them were: Amina was a fierce warrior and loved fighting. As a child, her grandmother Marka, the favorite wife of her grandfather Sarkin Nohir, once caught her holding a dagger. Amina holding the dagger did not shock Marka, rather it was that Amina held it exactly as a warrior would. As an adult, she refused to marry for the fear of losing power. She helped Zazzau (Zaria) become the center of trade and to gain more land. Her mother, Bakwa, died when Amina was 36 years old, leaving her to rule over Zaria.

Memo to Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Benue State Governor-elect

Iaddress this open memo to you as one of the millions of your admirers, a concerned citizen as well as a public affairs analyst who has followed the affairs of Benue state over the years from within and outside government.

Let me begin by congratulating you and Dr. Sam Ode, the Deputy Governorelect, on your victory in the March 18, 2023 gubernatorial election. In spite of whatever might have transpired during the conduct of the election, your emergence as the Governor-elect, from my gauging of the public mood, accurately represents the popular wish of Benue people as at today. That popular wish is anchored on the belief, conviction and expectation of Benue people that as a man of God, you can bring into the governance of Benue state a refreshingly positive change from their governance experience over the years.

And now that they have overwhelmingly voted for you, they have played their part in kick-starting the change process. They can’t wait for you to be sworn-in on May 29 so that you can begin to play your own part, that is, giving them the government that distributes dividends of democracy fairly and equitably; a government that provides security for their lives and property without sacrificing development; a government that meets its obligations to its workers and pensioners as at when due; a government that uses state resources transparently for the provision of evenly distributed infrastructure and other dividends of democracy; a government that gives everybody or every component a sense of belonging. In short, they are waiting for you to run a government that reflects the true meaning of democracy - a government of the people, by the people and for the people. That kind of government might sound utopian or idealistic, but the people believe, are convinced and actually expect that you can achieve it.

The purpose of this memo is to offer you the simple guide for putting in place the government that will meet the expectations of Benue people as from May 29, 2023.

Let me classify these expectations broadly into three categories, namely,

(1) running a government based on fair and equitable representation and distribution of dividends of democracy;

(2) provision of physical infrastructure; and

(3) payment of salaries and pensions to workers and pensioners in the state.

In discussing these categories, please, permit me to draw examples from the Igede axis, my primary constituency, to illustrate my points.

(1) Fair and equitable representation and distribution of dividends of democracy.

You may recall that the build-up to the primaries for the recent general elections witnessed an unprecedented agitation for power shift to Zone C. The zone failed to secure the position of Governor into which you have now been elected. The Benue Rebirth Movement (BRM) which led the agitation has, in line with the democratic norm, pledged its support for you and requested your incoming administration for the positions of the Secretary to the State Government, Speaker of the House of Assembly, amongst other benefits of democracy, for Zone C. It is my view that you make yourself the Governor Zone C never had by meeting or exceeding their expectations.

To do this, you will require the unfettered application of wisdom to

the exercise of power which has been bestowed on you by God through the people. Here, one has in mind the application of the principles of fairness, equity and balance in the distribution of appointments, recruitments, infrastructure and other benefits.

You should avoid your predecessors’ mistakes in this area, especially with regards to political appointments. For instance, right from the word go, Governor Ortom made it clear to those around him that he would exclude some sections of the state from benefitting from his Government for their failure to secure victory for him during his election. Oju Local Government Area is one of the victims. The Governor made sure he appointed no commissioner or public officer of equivalent or higher rank from there in his entire eight years in office; he equally repeatedly told his aides from the area that he owed the people of Igede no obligation to do their roads because he claimed they did not vote for him.

Dear Governor-elect, you have at least two months to prepare to set up your government. This is enough time to reflect on the mistakes of your predecessors. For instance, in making appointments, they used the ‘long-leg’ approach and disrespected existing rotational and sharing formula which combined to create lopsidedness in appointments going to some areas and a feeling of exclusion in others.

All these were complicated by the imposition of candidates from the wrong

components of constituencies to cost PDP considerable goodwill and, eventually, the elections of February 25 and March 18.

Within the Igede nation, for example, irrespective of whichever party is in power, the lines of rotation and sharing of public offices are clearly spelt out well ahead and people look forward to them. Party leaders from the area who know this always strive to follow the pattern religiously . Our incoming Governor, for you to get it right in the Igede axis, like elsewhere, I advise you to allow the party structure (the EXCO), rather than individual party chieftains with access to you, to determine who gets what using the mix of Local Government, clan and ward configuration. This was the approach adopted by Governor Suswam and it made his Government inclusive. The approach could serve as a template to be applied to other parts of the state, adapted only for local perculiarities.

And, in making your appointments, you would do well to go for the best hands in terms of educational qualifications, competence and experience, to put an end to the era of erand boys being put in positions they can obviously not handle. You could even invite competent hands from other parties to enhance crosspartisan inclusiveness. It is advisable to let the Grade A positions also get to less advantaged areas, specially Zone C, including the Igede axis.

(2) Provision of Infrastructure

You cannot provide all the

infrastructure needs of the state in four or even eight years. But you can select and execute key physical infrastructure projects based on priority needs and strategic geo-ethnic balancing such that many years after leaving office you will be remembered by them. The state’s first democratically elected Governor, Aper Aku, did just that. He built the State Secretariat, the Aper Aku Stadium, amongst other infrastructure.

The Late Governor Moses Adasu established the Benue State University and the College of Education Oju. He started the construction of the AwajirOju Road. George Akume established the Benue State University Teaching Hospital and completed the Awajir-Oju Road in addition to picking an Igede son, Dr. Ogiri Ajene, as his Deputy Governor.

On his part, Governor Suswam was the first Governor to extend electricity to Oju and Obi LGAs, in addition to constructing the Oju-Idelle-Utonkon Road. The expectation of Benue people and, in particular, the Igede nation, is for you to join Adasu, Akume and Suswam in leaving lasting legacies for the people to remember you by. In the Igede axis, this could take the form of the reconstruction of the Awajir-Oju Road, rehabilitation and completion of Oju-Idelle-Utokon Road, the construction of Aliade-Obarike Ito Road, etc

(3) Payment of salaries and pensions

Your Excellency, you will do well not to pay lip service to the issue of payment of salaries and pensions, current and arrears, as your predecessors did. It is the biggest destroyer of governmental goodwill and giant killer during elections in the state. In the build up to the 2015 elections, the Gabriel Suswam administration was owing workers about three months salaries and a sizeable volume of arears of pensions. It became a huge campaign issue. Ortom, the then APC gubernatorial candidate, openly shed tears and rolled on the floor publicly during his campaigns in sympathy with, and supplication to God for the suffering of workers and pensioners. In response, Suswam’s PDP gubernatorial candidate, Terhemen Taazor, was rejected at the polls by the electorate in favour of Ortom.

Fast-forward to 2023. Salary arrears now stand at 8 months and pension arrears have become almost unquantifiable. And, once again, the people have voted out a ruling party in the state, the PDP, largely on account of its failure to meet its financial obligations to serving and retired civil servants around whom the livelihood of a significant proportion of the population and economy of the state revolves. The easiest and fastest way to fritter away the hopes, goodwill and support of the people when you assume office is to treat this issue with levity.

Make no mistake about it: availability or otherwise of funds to meet expectations (2) and (3) above will become an issue, especially in the face of many other competing and urgent demands. In the circumstance, people will watch out to see the difference between your adminstration and the government they have just voted out in terms of the transparency, frugality, commitment and fairness or otherwise which you put into the allocation of state resources to various needs.

It is my wish, hope and prayer that you make the difference very clear.

Hon. Ode, a Media Consultant is based in Makurdi

Hyacinth Alia

International

Duchess of Sussex: Meghan wins bid to throw out Samantha Markle legal case

The Duchess of Sussex has won her bid to throw out a US defamation case brought by her half-sister.

Samantha Markle was suing Meghan for alleged defamation and “injurious falsehood”including Meghan saying she was an “only child” in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

She was seeking $75,000 (£62,000) in damages.

But a Florida judge dismissed the case, saying Meghan was expressing an opinion - and opinions cannot be proved false.

In court papers, US District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell wrote: “As a reasonable listener would understand it, defendant merely expresses an opinion about her childhood and her relationship with her halfsiblings.

“Thus, the court finds that defendant’s statement is not objectively verifiable or subject to empirical proof.... plaintiff cannot plausibly disprove defendant’s opinion of her own childhood.”

Samantha Markle - who is

Meghan’s half-sister from father Thomas Markle’s first marriage - brought the civil case in March last year.

In it, she alleged Meghan:

• exposed her to “humiliation, shame and hatred on a worldwide scale”

• misrepresented their relationship when they were

growing up, giving the impression they were “virtual strangers” and she had “no relationship whatsoever with her sister Meghan”

• “falsely and maliciously stated” she was “an only child”, when interviewed with Prince Harry by Oprah Winfrey, in 2021 • pursued a “false rags-to-royalty narrative”, claiming childhood hardship, which destroyed her half-sister and father’s “reputation and credibility”

In the Oprah interviewwhich was watched by more than 50 million people worldwideMeghan said she did not really know Samantha, adding: “I grew up as an only child, which everyone who grew up around me knows, and I wished I had siblings.”

As well as the Oprah TV interview, Samantha Marklewho lives in Florida - alleged the duchess had defamed her by giving information to a 2020 unauthorised biography called Finding Freedom.

But Judge Honeywell also found the duchess could not be liable for the contents of the book because she did not publish it.

Wimbledon lifts ban on Russian & Belarusian players for 2023 Championships

Russian and Belarusian players will be able to compete at Wimbledon this summer after the All England Club lifted the ban it imposed last year.

The players will be able to feature this year “subject to competing as neutral athletes” and complying with certain conditions.

They were banned in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the support provided by Belarus.

Wimbledon starts this year on 3 July at the All England Club (AELTC).

“We continue to condemn totally Russia’s illegal invasion and our wholehearted support remains with the people of Ukraine,” said AELTC chairman Ian Hewitt.

“This was an incredibly difficult decision, not taken lightly or without a great deal of consideration for those who will be impacted.”

The decision also covers other British events held in the run up to Wimbledon, most notably the tournaments at Queen’s and Eastbourne.

Conditions players must comply with include:

• Agreeing not to support the Russian and/or Belarusian states or their regimes and leaders

• Not receiving funding from Russian and/or Belarusian states, including sponsorship from companies operated or controlled by them

Outside Wimbledon and other British events, players have been able to compete on the game’s professional tours as neutrals - including in the other Grand Slams - whereas Wimbledon and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) were fined for the bans imposed last year.

The AELTC said its decision for the 2023 championship was made after discussion with the UK government, the LTA and international stakeholders.

The AELTC and LTA said they stand by last year’s position but that without changing their stance this year, tennis’ two main professional tours, the men’s ATP and women’s WTA would have cancelled the LTA’s membership.

As a result, Queen’s, Eastbourne and other British grass-court events would not have been staged, damaging British tennis organisations financially.

Russian trio Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Daria Kasatkina - who are all in the top 10 of the men’s and women’s rankings - are among the highprofile names able to play this summer.

Belarusian women’s world number two Aryna Sabalenka, who won the Australian Open earlier this year, will also now likely feature.

Players and their support staff will have to sign neutrality declarations in order to compete.

Punishments for breaking the declarations will range from fines to expulsion from the tournament.

What has changed since last year?

Many sports banned Russian and Belarusian teams and athletes in response to the invasion but the ATP and WTA decided players could compete under a neutral flag.

Last month, Ukraine’s highestprofile player Elina Svitolina told BBC Sport that Russian and Belarusian athletes must remain excluded from Wimbledon while “innocent Ukrainians are still being killed”.

Wimbledon’s decision last year was guided by the UK government and supported

by 69% of the British public, according to a You Gov poll

As well as being fined, the WTA and ATP said they would cancel the LTA’s membership if it exercised further “discrimination based on nationality”.

That led to the LTA fearing the tournaments traditionally staged in the lead-up to Wimbledon may be lost forever.

The LTA was fined $750,000 (£608,355) by the WTA and $1m (£811,140) by the ATP for excluding players from the tour events they operate in 2022.

“There is no doubt the affect of the LTA losing membership to the tours would have been very damaging and far reaching,” LTA chief Scott Lloyd said.

A LTA statement added: “The impact would be felt by the millions of fans that follow the sport, the grassroots of the game, including coaches and venues which rely on the events for visibility and to bring new players into the game, and of course professional British players.

“Given this, and our responsibility as the national

governing body of tennis in Britain, we have worked closely with the UK government, ATP, WTA and ITF, alongside the All England Club, to find a solution for 2023.”

The AELTC added: “Tennis events outside of the UK have experienced a year of competition with players from Russia and Belarus competing as ‘neutral’ athletes.

“We also consider alignment between the Grand Slams to be increasingly important in the current tennis environment.”

Wimbledon decision immoral - Ukraine Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba described the U-turn by Wimbledon as “immoral” and called on the UK government to deny visas for Russian and Belarusian players.

“Has Russia ceased its aggression or atrocities? No, it’s just that Wimbledon decided to accommodate two accomplices in crime,” he wrote on Twitter.

UK culture secretary Lucy Frazer agreed with the AELTC’s

lifting of the ban for 2023 - as long as the athletes met their neutrality conditions set out by the government.

“Throughout Putin’s ongoing war in Ukraine, we have been clear that Russian and Belarusian athletes representing their country should not be permitted in domestic and international sporting competitions. That position still stands,” she said.

“Individual, self-funded Russian and Belarusian athletes can compete in the UK, subject to following our guidance on neutrality. We therefore support the approach of the All England Lawn Tennis Club and Lawn Tennis Association on the basis of following that guidance.

“The AELTC and LTA should never have been fined by the international tennis tours for taking a principled stand against Russian aggression.”

In a joint statement the ATP and WTA did not respond to the criticism but said they were “pleased all players will have an opportunity to compete”.

“It has taken a collaborative effort across the sport to arrive at a workable solution which protects the fairness of the game,” the tours said.

“This remains an extremely difficult situation and we would like to thank Wimbledon and the LTA for their efforts in reaching this outcome, while reiterating our unequivocal condemnation of Russia’s war on Ukraine.”

The ATP and WTA stripped Wimbledon of its ranking points last year - which saw Kazakhstan’s women’s champion Elena Rybakina severely impacted, along with other players who performed well - but they will now return because of the decision.

Source: BBC

Prince Harry and Meghan at an awards gala in New York City last December

Russian men’s world number six Daniil Medvedev (left) and Belarusian women’s world number two Aryna Sabalenka will now feature at Wimbledon

Oscar Pistorius denied parole in South Africa

Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympian who murdered his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been denied parole in South Africa.

The 36-year-old had been seeking early release 10 years after the Valentine’s Day shooting.

But the prison authorities said he had not served enough time and they would consider the matter again next year.

Ms Steenkamp’s parents welcomed the decision, but said it was not a cause for celebration.

“We miss Reeva terribly and will do so for the rest of our lives. We believe in justice and hope that it continues to prevail,” a family statement said.

The six-time Paralympic gold medallist has expressed his deep remorse for killing his girlfriend in 2013, but continues to maintain he shot her by mistake, believing she was a robber.

“I don’t believe Oscar is remorseful… or rehabilitated,” June Steenkamp, Reeva’s mother, said before she appeared at the hearing at Atteridgeville prison, a low-security facility outside the city of Pretoria.

Prisoners become eligible for parole in South Africa after serving half of their sentence.

Pistorius’ family have told the BBC they are “seeking clarity” on rules after parole was declined on an unexpected technicality.

Correspondents say confusion over the timing of his sentence comes as he was sentenced twice and spent time under house arrest.

Pistorius was initially found guilty of culpable homicide and given a six-year term. But prosecutors launched an appeal, arguing this was too lenient.

The sentence was increased to 13 years as he was then convicted of murder, on the grounds that he must have known his actions - shooting three times through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria home - would lead to the death of whoever was on the other side.

The televised trial of the man once dubbed “the Blade Runner”, because of the ground-breaking prosthetic legs he wore in both Paralympic and Olympic track races, attracted huge global attention.

Oscar Pistorius shot his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp at their home in Pretoria on Valentine’s Day 10 years ago

Pirates abandon ship in Gulf of Guinea, take crew

The owners of a Danish ship that was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea last Saturday say the hijackers have now abandoned the vessel, taking some of the 16 crew members with them.

Others have been rescued from the Monjasa Reformer, which sails under a Liberian flag.

The owners said on Tuesday that the crew had taken refuge in the tanker’s secure room when the five pirates boarded.

Those rescued are reported to be in good health and there has been no damage to the vessel or its cargo.

The vessel was seized west of Porte Pointe-Noire in the Republic of Congo and located by the French navy off Sao Tome and Principe.

Rations begin as Tunisia battles drought

Tunisia has introduced strict water rationing in the face of a prolonged drought that has severely depleted the country’s main reservoirs.

The use of potable water on agricultural land is banned until the end of September, a move which the farmers’ union says will result in a disastrous harvest.

Residents say that drinking water has been cut overnight in parts of the capital, Tunis, and in other cities in a bid to limit consumption.

Water levels in Tunisia’s main dam have fallen to just 16% of maximum capacity.

South Africa’s prosecution team sought to prove Pistorius was an angry, violent man, with an unhealthy obsession with guns, who killed his 30-year-old girlfriend in a late-night rage.

I told myself I was born to stand out - Shashl

The first song that Ashleigh Moyo, aka Shashl, ever wrote propelled her into the musical spotlight in 2017 - and led to her signing with one of the continent’s major record labels.

Universal Music Africa snapped up Shashl when she was still a teenager for No More, an R&B track. She was the first female musician from Zimbabwe to be taken on by the company.

Being so young and so new to music when she signed had its benefits and drawbacks.

“It put me on the map, which I needed to be. It helped me in a great way - I can now handle a lot of situations that people go through in the music industry,” she says.

“But I was so young that I didn’t have the freedom to be as creative as I [truly] was. I was still finding myself trying to figure out my sound, trying to figure out who I actually am and what I wanted to do in life.”

Gold miners killed in Sudan collapse

At least 10 gold miners have been killed in an accident in northern Sudan, and more than 20 others injured.

Local media have blamed the collapse of the gold mine on the use of heavy machinery. Accidents are not uncommon in Sudan’s under-regulated mining industry.

Six months ago 11 people died in a similar incident in the same part of north Sudan, while other fatalities have been reported in the western Darfur region and Kordofan in the south.

Over two million people are believed to be working in artisanal mining in Sudan.

Pistorius family want ‘clarity’ on parole rejection

Oscar Pistorius’ family tell the BBC they are “seeking clarity” on the rules after his application for parole was declined on an unexpected technicality.

Prison officials had suddenly revealed new court advice that Pistorius was not eligible for parole until August.

The 23-year-old has since found her sound - a mix of R&B, Afrobeats, a bit of Afro-fusion. And she sings in Shona and in English.

Being the daughter of a former government minister meant that she grew up in a privileged way. But she wanted her music and her lyrics to appeal to less well-off Zimbabweans - and so she started visiting high-density residential areas so that she could try to relate to the sorts of issues most people endure on a daily basis.

“Stepping out my comfort zone and breaking out of my shell takes me places - and that’s exactly what I did,” she recalls.

In 2021, she had a huge hit with Ghetto Buddies, which has had about 1.5 million listens so far, and which she sang in Shona.

“I feel it’s easier to break into a market when you are being more genuine,” she reflects.

She won Best Newcomer at the Zimbabwe Music Awards, and was nominated for best female artist in

the Southern African region at the African Muzik Magazine Awards the same year.

“The fact that what I love to do is being appreciated by people. It just fills my heart with so much joy.”

It also made Shashl realise that her musical talent is special, and she doesn’t need to fit in with everyone else. “For the first time I told myself that you were born to stand out.”

The name she performs under - Shashl - came about because she has an older sister called Sherris. They look very similar, which meant that relatives would often get them mixed up and end up calling her a combination of Sherris and Ashleigh.

Shashl plays 10 instrumentsincluding guitar, marimba, mbira, violin and the cello.

“One day I will give a performance playing all of thembecause I feel the world deserves it,” she tells me.

on ground to monitor Congo rebels

Uganda puts boots

Ugandan troops have taken up peacekeeping duties in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the East African Community Regional Force.

They will be expected to protect civilians in the areas of Bunagana, Kiwanja and Mabenga in Rutshuru territory.

The troops are also tasked with overseeng the withdrawal of the M23 rebels from an area they’ve occupied since last June.

The 2,000-strong force will also oversee the reopening of trade routes between the border town of Bunagana and the regional capital, Goma.

This is being seen a key milestone towards the full deployment of the regional force, which the East African Community countries see as part of a local solution to the long years of conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Source: BBC

Feature

Can humanity’s new giant leap into space succeed?

There is a new order emerging in space - a race between America and China. But with the demands of space exploration, even these great superpowers won’t be able to do it alone.

Hugely technically challenging and costly goals have been touted, not least the aim of people living and working on other worlds, possibly within ten years - but in a divided world where international good will is scarce, are they realistic?

Nasa’s return to the Moon has begun with its Artemis programme. The first of three missions has been successfully launched. This uncrewed flight tested that the rockets and technology worked. The second mission will take humans further in space than they have ever gone before and the third launch will put astronauts on the Moon for a week, where they will carry out experiments. The long-term goal is to use the Moon as a jumping off point to get to Mars.

But the programme is estimated to cost $93bn (£76bn), a heavy price tag for the American taxpayer, who is already feeling the economic squeeze.

In a report to Congress last year, the US Auditor General’s office warned of an “unrealistic development schedule” and likely overruns, adding that Nasa needed to make cost estimates “more reliable and transparent”.

Yet although Nasa will get less overall funding than it asked for in 2023, Congress, at the moment, still supports its human space exploration ventures.

China has achieved its own fully operational space station, Tiangong, in orbit on schedule. The Chinese space programme has launched probes to the Moon and Mars. It plans to establish an unmanned research station on the Moon by 2025 and then land astronauts on its surface by 2030.

Pallab Ghosh and Kate Stephens look at the rapid expansion in space exploration which will lead to people living and working on other worlds.

Putting an astronaut on the Moon has been done before but the next step, to Mars, is much more difficult. It is 250 times further away than the Moon and there is no spacecraft currently capable of sending humans to the red planet.

Even if scientists can find a safe way to launch a fuel-heavy rocket and land it on a planet with such a thin atmosphere, there is the further challenge of returning the astronauts safely home after months in space.

Historically superpowers have jostled for supremacy above the Earth. America and Russia vied for dominance in the 1950s and

1960s. The Russians put the first man in orbit. The Americans landed a man and planted their flag on the Moon a few years later.

In the 1970s a golden era of cooperation was forged culminating in the construction of the International Space Station (ISS), which began in 1998.

Along with 13 other partner nations, the two superpowers built what is now the largest structure in space. It is not owned by any one nation, and each depends on the other to operate.

It was a symbol of what humanity could achieve if nations put aside their differences and worked together.

But the reality was somewhat different. Notably America prevented China from becoming a partner in the ISS, so the Chinese went their own way.

More recently, within weeks of the invasion of Ukraine, nations stopped working with Russia. Two joint Moon missions between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russia have been cancelled, as has a joint Mars Rover project to search for signs of life on the red planet.

Yet scratch the surface and collaboration continues on the ISS, where Western countries have to work with Russia to maintain it in orbit. Americans and Europeans even still train in the centre of Moscow at Russia’s

Space HQ, Star City.

But what happens once the ISS comes to the end of its lifetime in 2030?

Juliana Suess, a space policy analyst at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in London says Russia has much less to offer partner nations than it once did because its technology is outdated. She raises the possibility that the first nation into space could be the first one out.

“If the Russians haven’t figured out an alternative by the time the ISS is decommissioned or develops its own space station, which given the current circumstances and sanctions is quite unlikely, it might not have any human spaceflight,” she says.

Russia’s plight comes at a time when China’s space programme is advancing rapidly. In the last ten years it has launched more than 200 rockets, even though America’s spending on space still makes China’s look small.

China is mindful that partnerships offer technical knowhow and money. It has invited other nations prohibited from access to the ISS to join them and has made a call for proposals for scientific experiments.

Seventy-two countries now have their own space programmes because they can’t afford to be left behind in what has become a new

space race.

The billionaire spacefarers

Space is a vital part of our everyday lives. We depend on satellites for weather forecasts, communications, bank transactions, not to mention valuable surveillance tools for nation states. And it’s getting busy out there. In 2021 about 5,000 satellites were launched. Going back 20 years, about 800 were launched annually.

Space is an expensive and technically difficult business. No one country can do it alone. New partnerships are being forged, notably with the new brash billionaires on the block.

Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, is already taking passengers into orbit. The billionaire entrepreneur is bringing down costs with a reusable rocket. Not to be outdone, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos wants to build a commercial orbiting station, called Orbital Reef.

Helen Sharman, who was the UK’s first astronaut, on a mission to the Soviet Space Station Mir in 1991, believes that current international rivalries could be put in the shade by the pragmatism of the private sector.

“It really is going to be commercialisation that brings companies together worldwide,” she told the BBC. “We don’t care where they are registered, what

matters is what they do for the benefit of the world.”

The prospect of financial gain and scientific discovery drives collaboration. Private companies may help to bring a new cooperation in space but they have to obey the laws of their home country. When nations imposed sanctions on Russia in 2022 firms were obliged to withdraw from contracts with Russia.

Dr Josef Aschbacher, who is head of the European Space Agency, is determined to keep Europe in the new space race. He has recently had a £2bn ($2.4bn) increase in funding, despite the financial squeeze facing governments.

“Space is one of those sectors which is expanding very fast and much faster now than in the last few decades. We cannot lose out,” he told the BBC. “We really need to participate strongly in this sector because I want to create new business opportunities for companies in our member states to participate in.”

It will be nations that lead space exploration of the future. But the challenges will require them coming together as a single group or “bloc” of countries to share information and to compete with other blocs. The European Space Agency has been doing this successfully for years.

New laws for space

But what is potentially going to hold back the next big push to other worlds is the set of international laws governing space. The marvellously named “Outer Space Treaty” has not been updated since it was signed in 1967, when 31 nations, including the US and the Soviet Union, pledged not to have nuclear weapons in space.

According to Juliana Suess of the Royal United Services Institute, it is not fit for purpose.

“It doesn’t talk about companies; it doesn’t talk about billionaires,” she said. “Space is entirely different to what it was like in 1967.”

New rules to regulate the commercial exploitation of the Moon, Mars and beyond were introduced by the UN in 1979 but the US, China and Russia have all refused to sign it.

ESA’s Josef Aschbacher believes the new space race will be hampered until a new outer space treaty is hammered out.

“In space we are using the same orbits for satellites, using the same Moon surface for China, the US, Europe,” he said. “We need a way to work together to establish rules of engagement and establish rules of how we work there.”

Source: BBC

“ In a report to Congress last year, the US Auditor General’s office warned of an “unrealistic development schedule” and likely overruns, adding that Nasa needed to make cost estimates “more reliable and transparent

Analysis Election fallout: Kinsmen at war over PDP in Benue

From Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

There is no gainsaying that there was a seeming war brewing in the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) before, during and even after the general elections. However, the crisis assumed a different dimension shortly after the election following the woeful, abysmal and regrettable performance of the PDP in both the Presidential and Governorship/ State Assembly elections.

There have been accusations, counter accusations and blame trading between Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom and his kinsman, the National Chairman, PDP Dr. Iyorchia Ayu (now former).

Ortom it was, who worked relentlessly and assiduously to install Ayu as Chairman of the PDP. He had rallied all stakeholders including PDP governors, Senators, traversed the geo-political zones and used State resources to ensure that his kinsman emerged as Chairman.

The Benue Governor dug out Ayu from political oblivion and irrelevance to place him once again on the political map of Nigeria. Note that though Ayu had been Senate President and amongst the founding members of the PDP, many still argued that he lacked political relevance especially in his home country Gboko where he has failed to assert his political dominance.

No wonder that many political players in Benue State doubted his ability and capability to rescue the party and the country from the claws of the All Progressives Congress, APC at this time. Others opined that no sooner, would he (Ayu) fall out with Ortom because of his stand.

Recall Ayu’s role in Governor George Akume:s administration in 1999 where he assumed the position of de facto governor. He practically called the shots in that government, an action which the then First Lady Mrs. Regina Akume was uncomfortable about and consequently, Akume parted ways with him.

Ortom failed to realize that Ayu is not one to control easily and would not do his bidding.

This was clearly seen in Ayu’s insistence to stick to his old-time friend Atiku Abubakar as PDP Presidential candidate against the wish of Ortom who was the Chairman, Zoning Committee. This negated the zoning formula of the party that states clearly and plunged it into a deep crisis. All efforts to resolve the impasse failed. This is just as the party also failed to deploy its internal crisis resolution mechanism to halt the crisis.

Thus, PDP went into the election sharply divided with the G-5 also, known as the Integrity Group hitherto,breathed hard on Ayu to relinquish his position but he remained adamant.

In defiance to the party, Ortom campaigned vigorously for the Labor Party, LP Presidential candidate Peter Obi while Ayu’s

group comprising of the three (3) senators from the Senatorial zones and some members of the State Executive Council, SEC worked for Atiku who lost to Tinubu in Benue State finishing third behind Peter Obi. Subsequently, the PDP lost the Governorship election.

This scenario set the stage for the acrimony between Ortom and Ayu to deepen as both engaged in blame game resulting in first, the National Working the Committee recommending the Governor to the Disciplinary Committee to answer to allegations of anti-party activities.

Responding to the action, Ortom through his media aide Nathaniel Ikyur described it as “contemptuous”, maintaining that he (Ortom) had secured a restraining order from the court barring the party or any organ from issuing any disciplinary measure against him.

According to him,”the matter is to be heard on April 18th, 2023 and so, it is baffling to see such a statement coming from the National leadership of the party.

“I think the national leadership of our great party is losing its sense of direction. Instead of the leadership to sit back and think of ways on how to rebuild the party from the ruins of the defeat from the just concluded elections, they are going about chasing imaginary shadows.

“In any case, the first person the party should refer to the disciplinary committee should be the national chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu. The national chairman lost his polling unit, lost his ward, local government, and even the state.

“As if that is not enough, there are strong indications that the national chairman was involved in anti-party activities in Benue State by working for the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, just to get at me because of my principled stand against certain aspects of the decisions of the national leadership

of the party”, Ortom opined. Then in a chess-like move, Ortom also incited a suspension move against Ayu. And Ayu, who was suspended by the Ward executive of the party in Igyorov Ward of Gboko Local Government Area (LGA), of Benue state, also had a vote-of-no-confidence passed on him.

Addressing the media on Sunday March 26th, 2023 on behalf of Kashi Philip, the Ward Chairman, the Ward Secretary, Mr. Vangeryina Dooyum explained that Ayu was suspended by the Executive for alleged anti party activities.

Dooyum, who read from a text signed by 12 out of the 17 member Ward Executives, stated that the decision to suspend the National Chairman was reached after the leadership reviewed his conduct at the end of the just concluded general elections.

The Secretary said, “we observed with utmost dismay that Dr. Iyorchia Ayu who is the National Chairman of the PDP worked against the success of the party in Igyorov Council Ward.

“It is on record that he has also failed to pay his Annual Subscription Fees as provided under Section 8 (9) of the constitution of the PDP 2017 (As Amended).

“Further investigation also revealed that he did not vote during the Governorship and State Assembly Elections held on March 18, 2023.

“It was also discovered that most of his closest allies worked for the opposition party, the All Progressive Congress, (APC) and hence, the abysmal performance of the PDP in Igyorov Ward.

In response to his purported suspension, Ayu in a statement on Monday March 27th, 2023 entitled Only NEC can suspend me, Ayu said those goading Ward Exco are ignorant.

The statement which was signed by Simon Imobo-Tswam(Special

Adviser to the National Chairman on Media and Communications read inter alia

“We wish to state categorically and with all emphasis at our disposal thus:

“The PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has not been suspended by his Ward. Some members of the Exco are only being teleguided by political gamblers to cause mischief and nothing more.

“For starters, Article 57(7) of the PDP Constitution as Amended in 2017 expressly prohibits any organ of the party or executive committee of the party at the Ward or State Level from taking any disciplinary measure against any member of the party’s National Executive Committee.

“The purported suspension is, therefore, an exercise in futility as it derives its strength majorly from gross illiteracy, ignorance, gambling and desperation. It has only mischief, drama and propaganda value.

“But more than this, the socalled suspension letter was written by an illiterate beforehand, and only given to the coerced members to sign somewhere in Makurdi.

“This is why the original date is typexed and 24 March imposed on it. And this is also why it states that the presidential/NASS and Governorship/State Assembly elections will be held on 25th and 18th March, 2023 respectively.

“From what we know, the document itself is fraudulent as the signatures of the Ward Executives were forged or obtained under duress. The chairman, his deputy and legal adviser didn’t sign. The 14th person on the list didn’t sign either. She was at NKST Ambighir for the Holy Communion.

“In fact, the same applies for Nos. 5, 8 and 16. At the time they were supposed to be in Makurdi with the other coerced, intimidated and induced members of the Exco, they were actually in their villages, going about their normal

businesses.

“Up till now, about nine members of the Ward Exco are still being held hostage in a location in Makurdi for obvious reasons. And expectedly, their mobile numbers have been switched off. It is instructive.

“The general public is hereby advised to ignore rumours to this heinous effect. Those behind the plot are only investing in expensive illusions.

In a tornado speed, a Benue State High Court sitting in Makurdi on Monday 27th March, 2023, restrained Dr. Iyorchia Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP.

The Court gave the order while ruling on an ex-parte application brought by a member of the party in Benue State, Engr. Conrad Terhide Utaan(a kinsman of Ortom),through his counsel Mike Assoh.

Justice Wilfred Kpochi, in a ruling ordered Ayu to stop parading himself as the national chairman of the PDP, having lost membership of the party, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice already filed.

In suit No MHC/85/2023,filed by Utaan, Dr. Ayu is the first defendant while the PDP is the second defendant.

The suit seeks among other reliefs a declaration that Dr. Ayu is no longer fit and qualified to hold office as the national chairman of the PDP, having lost membership of the party in his Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko, where he first registered as a member of the party.

It also seeks a declaration that Ayu cannot hold himself out, function and preside over the affairs of the PDP as its national chairman having seized to enjoy all the rights and privileges of membership by virtue of his suspension by the ward executive committee of the party in his Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko Local Government where he used to be a member of the party.

It further seeks an order restraining Ayu from parading himself as the national chairman of the PDP having lost membership of the party, amongst other reliefs.

The matter was accordingly adjourned to April 17,2023, for hearing of the substantive suit. On Tuesday 28th, 2023, Ayu stepped down as National Chairman, PDP even as it is learnt that he may have done this so as to engage in a legal tussle with Ortom.

This is so because, it is also gathered that he (Ayu) filed a counter response on Wednesday March 29th, 2023 at Court 3, Benue State High Court. An insider said the matter is for mention on April 17th,2023.

Political actors will closely watch as the battle of brothers from the zone B district of the State rages on at the court. Ayu is the third Benue indigene to be removed from office of National Chairman, PDP by his own kinsmen, others were Barnabas Gemade and Audu Ogbe.

Iyorchia Ayu,

SPORTS Al-Hilal offer to pay Lionel Messi MORE than Cristiano Ronaldo

Al-Hilal reportedly have a contract ready for Lionel Messi that would see him overtake Cristiano Ronaldo as the highest-paid player on the planet.

Portuguese superstar Ronaldo completed a move to Saudi Arabia after being released by Manchester United as a free agent in November 2022, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner being handed a deal that is worth around £173 million ($214m) a year. That agreement has the 38-year-old comfortably sat at the top of the charts when it comes to most lucrative salaries.

Messi could, however, be in a position to overtake his eternal rival, with

some big decisions about to be made on his future at club level. As things stands, the mercurial Argentine – who has seven Golden Balls to his name – is running down his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and heading towards free agency.

According to L’Equipe, the 2022 World Cup winner will need to lower his wage demands in order to thrash out an extension in France – with Financial Fair Play rules having to be taken into account. Messi is reportedly reluctant to slash his monthly pay cheque of €3.375m (£3m/$4m), especially as he has received a proposal from the Middle East that would make him the biggest-earning player to have ever played the game. goal.com

No mercy: Banned Super Eagles star’s plea falls on Appeal Committee’s deaf ears

The Football Association of the Czech Republic’s Appeals Committee has rejected Nigerian winger Peter Olayinka‘s appeal against his four-match suspension for headbutting an opponent and being sent off during a league match in Liberec.

Olayinka, a key player for Slavia Prague, will now miss the highly anticipated Prague derby against Sparta on April 15.

During the 24th league round, Olayinka fell in the penalty area after a confrontation with Liberec midfielder Ivan Varfolomejev and demanded a penalty. Defender Gigli Ndefe then came to scold him for what he believed was a simulation, and Olayinka headbutted him. The referee, Miroslav Zelinka, gave Olayinka a straight red card, and Slavia lost the lead, eventually drawing 2-2 in Liberec.

The Disciplinary Commission of the League Football Association awarded Olayinka a four-match suspension for his actions, which applies to three league matches against Olomouc, Mladá Boleslav, and Sparta, as well as the semi-final of

the domestic cup against Bohemians 1905. Slavia appealed against the decision, but the FAČR appeals commission upheld it, and the decision stands.

Furthermore, Slavia’s appeal against the club’s punishment for the fans’ behaviour during their recent home clash with Pilsen also failed. The disciplinary commission fined Slavia a quarter of a million crowns for the massive use of pyrotechnics by their fans and conditionally closed the sectors in the northern stand, where the “boiler” is located, for one competitive match with a two-month trial period.

Jan Malý, the commission chairman, said that the appeal commission found the LFA disciplinary commission’s decision correct in both cases. They fully agreed with the reasons for the decision. Malý added that the commission considered the punishments to be reasonable.

The derby between Sparta and Slavia is the highlight of the 27th league round. The bitter city rivals are locked on the same points – 54 – after 24 rounds of matches.

NFF urged to relocate Eagles to Mobolaji arena

The Nigeria Football Federation has been urged to dump the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja for the Mobolaji Johnson Arena, saying it will help the Super Eagles return to their best.

A former First Bank of Lagos goalkeeper, Belock Zuokemefa, who spoke on the Eagles’ poor run, especially at home, said the biggest challenge of the team was that the players play on a home turf that is completely different from what they are used to in Europe.

“In Lagos the state government has upgraded the Mobolaji Johnson Arena (Onikan Waterfront). It is a compact arena, but it has one of the best pitches in the country at the moment. The pitch is hybrid synthetic approved by FIFA and CAF for professional games, which our boys would be quite comfortable playing on. It is not 100 per cent rubber artificial turf that is associated with turf-toe injuries and overheating, and that point needs to be emphasised.

GTI/IMC projects

N10m monthly salary for Nigerian league players

Football is big business, which rewards stakeholders well if it is built as profitgenerating entity, officials of GTI and the Interim Management Committee (IMC) have said.

“We must learn to make use of the very best of whatever we have as a country. If Eagles are taken there in September, we will see Victor Osimhen and co doing for Nigeria what they do for their clubs in Europe,” Zuekemefa said.

The Aisha Buhari tournament was held at the Mobolaji Johnson Arena in 2021, with coach of eventual winners South Africa Desiree Ellis heaping praises on the pitch and describing it as the best pitch in Nigeria. punch

Assets management outfit, GTI Group, are strategic partners to the IMC, and according to the officials, the mission is to grow the Nigerian Premier Football League (NPFL) into a money yielding asset comparable to what the English Premier League and America’s basketball league (NBA) are doing for their players, managers and other stakeholders.

According to the group, Nigerian players, coaches and officials would start earning as much money as their foreign counterparts when the current growth path starts yielding the expected dividend within the next 10 years.

Speaking in Lagos, yesterday, GTI’s Nelson Ine, who is driving the partnership with the IMC, said the target is to grow the NPFL to such a height that it would start attracting players from Europe and the Americas to the country.

He explained: “GTI entered a strategic partnership with the IMC out of the need for a sustainable growth of the NPFL. We are looking at the NPFL as an asset that can yield money just like all other sports assets across the world. It is a national asset that all Nigerians can invest in through the vehicle of The Nigerian Football Fund (TNFF).”

Drawing from the nation’s youth population estimated to be over 140 million, Ine said Nigeria has a strong comparative advantage arising from the natural sporting skills of the youth, which could be honed to yield enormous resources for the country.

He said TNFF’s intervention in the league has already started bearing fruits in the 10-week old 2022/23 season, adding that the immediate impact is regular payment of referees’ indemnity to enhance good officiating.

“We have also started production and broadcast of star matches and ensured effective management of the IMC to bring order and discipline to the league.

“Competitive balance among the football clubs has been improved such that teams now enter games without fear of intimidation or being attacked by hooligans. Confidence has been restored to the league,” he said.

Ine said apart from players earning as much as N10 million within the next 10 years, there would be massive infrastructural development across the country in the same period, just as the league and clubs’ revenues would go up. guardian.ng

PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2023

The political class and democracy project Saturday Column

In 1992, Francis Fukuyama wrote THE END OF HISTORY AND THE LAST MAN. It was a philosophical tour de force. The book brought Fukuyama into reckoning and catapulted him to the league of such intellectual giants as his former teacher at Harvard University, Samuel P. Huntington,(Co-founder of FOREIGN POLICY and author of THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS AND THE REMAKING OF WORLD ORDER etc).

Fukuyama’s provocative treatise celebrated the triumph of liberal democracy, following the dissolution of the defunct Soviet Union. He argued that that epoch marked what he saw as the end point of mankind’s ideological evolution and the arrival of liberal democracy as the final and dominant form of government.

By Nick Dazang

up of the political parties is not forthcoming. The political class or elite is construed in the sense viewed by Gaetano Mosca and Max Weber as those “active in politics and from whom the national leadership is drawn” and “those who live for politics” and make their careers in it. The political class remains stubbornly entrenched in its dysfunctional laager, refusing to change for the better or move with the times.

There is no gain saying it that our democracy project and our elections can only improve if the pre-eminent stakeholder in the electoral process, namely, the political class, reins itself, comports itself loftily and brings something substantial to the table of democracy.

violence to secure positions of responsibility. Once we make political offices financially unattractive and insist that office holders are paid allowances only on the basis of sittings and muscular debates in parliament, the attraction will wane. Serious persons who are eager to make a difference and add value but who were hitherto squeamish or reserved about contesting will now enter the fray. They will supplant their epigones and inferior counterparts who will be keen to depart the political space in droves.

are often imbibed and amplified by followers. This is why our leaders must refrain from indecorous pronouncements that inflame passions and spur their followers to violence. Compounding hate speech and inflammatory discourse, the type that we witnessed during the 150-day campaign period, is the political class’s inability to defer to the majesty of the democratic process or accepting unsavory outcomes with calm and equanimity even when elections are transparent and credible. When one wins an election, he salutes the process and praises the EMB to the high heavens. If he loses, he denounces the EMB, using the most foul language at his command. We should, like Winston Churchill once urged, be generous in victory and be gallant in defeat. Victors should see the vanquished as worthy adversaries. If possible, they should be shrewd enough to appropriate some of the uplifting ideas which their opponents marketed.

PROGRESS

It is instructive that Nigeria, after nearly one and a half decades of military rule, democratized seven years after the publication of this fascinating book. Nigeria’s democratization, given its size, population and strategic position inspired other African countries. It is intriguing that immediately after Nigeria democratized, there was a conscious effort to reconcile the country through the instrument of a Truth Commission, the Human Rights Violations and Investigation Commission(HRVIC) also known as the Justice Oputa Panel. There was also a deliberate quest to tie the then nascent democracy project with the delivery of good governance. To give effect and verve to this endeavor, a jamboree-like Media Tour of infrastructural facilities put in place by Governors across the federation was organized by the President Olusegun Obasanjo administration. The raw reports harvested from the Media Tour provided material for a cerebral book supervised by former Information Minister, Professor Jerry Gana. It was entitled:DEMOCRACY, GOOD GOVERNANCE AND DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA:DOCUMENTING

FOR POSTERITY. Coinciding with the book’s presentation, an award ceremony was organized on the performance of the Governors based on the reports of the Media Tour. Thus began a healthy rivalry for Governors to excel in delivering good governance, which tone was set by the federal government.

Twenty one years after that landmark event, three unfortunate things have occurred: a short shrift has been given by successive administrations and the political class to the delivery of good governance. There has been a marked and systematic decline in voter turn out. And there has been increasing distrust of the Election Management Body(EMB) and its processes by Nigerians of all hues.

These three salient factors – even though they do not exhaust the catalogue of our woes on the political front – manifested themselves in bold relief in the recently conducted General Elections. For whereas the Election Management Body, the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), has consciously sought to reform itself and to introduce technologies/innovations to add transparency and credibility to the process(from the OMR Forms, Electronic Registration through the use of Direct Data Capture Machines, the deployment of NYSC members as ad hoc staff to the Permanent Voter Card, Smart Card Reader, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, INEC Results Viewing Portal etc), the political class, made

We can glean, crystal clearly, that following the failures of the BVAS and IReV in the first set of elections conducted on February 25th, the Commission quickly put its acts together. The upshot was that the two innovations worked seamlessly and like clockwork in the second tranche of elections held on March 11th. But rather than complement INEC’s responsiveness to criticisms by demonstrating commensurate good behavior, the political class simply went haywire. Deploying a devil-maycare attitude, it undermined the process by unleashing, with abandon, deaths and mayhem at the Collation Centers. The political class profiled voters, and in some cases, intimidated and suppressed them from voting. It exploited our fault lines to gain advantage for its members.

Perhaps the place to begin, in order to burnish its battered image, is for the political class to do a serious introspection. And arising from this soul searching, it should realize that there is a strong correlation between good governance and the democracy project after all. That Nigerians can only continue to robustly support the project if they benefit from it. If they do not, we may begin to witness a withdrawal via voter apathy or outright outrage, leading to an unraveling and eventual reversal- as recently witnessed in Mali and Burkinna Faso.

The political class must recognize that it is in its self-enlightened interest to deliver good governance. A situation where Governors throw their States into debt peonage to the tune of billion of dollars, with little or nothing to show for it, or workers and pensioners are not paid for months on end, is unacceptable, abominable and is guaranteed to arouse the ire of the people.

The next point to consider is to make political offices financially unattractive. Political offices should be service-driven rather than filthy lucre-driven. Politicians must show example by self -sacrifice and self-abnegation. The desperation we witnessed in our recent contestations were informed by the fact that the highest returns on investment are reaped the most in the political arena/sphere. This occasions the mad scramble for elected positions and the urge to resort to all kinds of antics, including

We cannot decree ideology into being by fiat or diktat. But surely our politics could be and should be informed by ideas/platforms that are sublime and resonate with the people. As at now, our political parties are more of the same: They are a motley collection of ideologically vacuous contraptions. Which is why it is easy for one to defect from one to the other without scruples or twinge of conscience.

The most disciplined person is he who respects the laws/regulations he sets for himself. By the same token, the person possessed of integrity is he who does the right thing without prompting or supervision. Against this backdrop, our political parties deserve the sternest rebuke. This is because they neither defer to their Constitutions and Manifestoes nor the Electoral Act. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pre-Election cases have followed the conduct of elections in the last three Election Cycles(2015-2023) on account of parties not conducting valid primaries. Apart from the fact that these brazen acts of non-compliance with due process are an indictment on the political parties, they betray an obvious, but disturbing, democratic distemper. They also underscore the fact that a person who is not governed by democratic ethos cannot parade himself as a genuine democrat.

In addition to lack of democratic conduct, one of the major shortcomings of the political parties, particularly the so-called big ones, is the tendency to pander to and be subservient to deep pockets to the detriment of its lessheeled members. By so doing, they do not only constrict the leadership recruitment space, they give the impression that their tickets are for the highest bidder. And by this fawning before the rich, they shut out other persons of ideas who may be enamoured of by the people. They also reduce our dispensation to a plutocracy. A government of the rich for the rich in a country where more than 130 million of its citizens are living in extreme poverty must be an extreme contradiction and a ludicrous situation akin to the tail wagging the dog.

Our politicians must always carry themselves and speak with civility and decency. This is because followers take their cues and examples from leaders whom they assume are custodians or exemplars of public good. The values the leadership subscribes to and espouses set the tone and direction of the country for good or ill. Coarse invectives and hate speech, which are harbingers of violence,

To repudiate the upsurge in violence that followed the conduct of the 2023 General Elections, the political class must join in ensuring that the Electoral Offenses Commission and Tribunal, first canvassed by INEC in the aftermath of the 2007 General Elections and recommended by the Justice Mohammed Lawal Uwais Committee, are established before the conduct of the Kogi and Bayelsa off-cycle governorship elections scheduled for 11th November this year. This will check impunity in the electoral process and deter perpetrators of electoral violence. No doubt, these suggestions do not exhaust the strategies we can use to bring the political class to heel. Neither can we accomplish the aforementioned in one fell swoop. But with serious and genuine soul searching by the political class, and through frequent engagements with the political class by other stakeholders in the process, we must insist that they (the political class) tread the path of rectitude and responsible behavior. It is only when they genuinely atone and make enduring amends that we can arrive at a better place. And it is when the political class arrives at such a salutary pass that it shall be a true kindred spirit and partner in the electoral process. It is only then that it can meaningfully complement the EMB and work in concert with other stakeholders to enhance the democracy project.