The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Category: News

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  • Nigerians slam Seun Kuti for slapping cop as IG orders singer’s arrest

    …Sowore cautions IGP over order to arrest Seun Kuti for assaulting police officer

    Social media users on Saturday expressed outrage at the action of a popular singer, Seun Kuti, who was filmed assaulting a policeman on the Third Mainland Bridge, Lagos State.

    While some expressed disappointment at Kuti’s action, others asked that the artiste be sanctioned.

    A 12-second video clip which went viral on Saturday showed Kuti, who wore a red shirt and white pair of trousers, pushing a policeman, who stood beside a Toyota Hilux police van.

    He then proceeded to slap the cop, as he shouted, “You dey crase, you dey mad?”

    A motorist, who filmed the incident from his car, was heard saying, “Omo na Kuti o. Na better news be this o.”

    Reacting to the video, a tweep @usmanlade, wrote, “Seun Kuti can’t escape this sha. He don buy market.”

    A popular tweep, @PoojaMedia, said Kuti had no right to assault the officer, adding that he was looking forward to seeing the police handle the case.

    He wrote, “You have no right to slap a police officer though. I will love to see how the police handle the case of Seun Kuti and slapping a uniform man.”

    On Instagram @oyin_ayobam wrote, “Let justice be served. Control your anger. Respect the uniform. We want a better country it starts from us.”

    Another Instagram user, @tonia.gram_ wrote, “What is wrong is wrong. Irrespective of how police behave most times, I won’t justify what Seun did. He don enter trap.”

    Kuti, in a reaction to the viral video on his Instagram page @BigbirdKuti, said the policeman made an attempt on his life and his family.

    He wrote, “He tried to kill me and my family, I have the proof but I no dey chase clout. He has apologised and I have agreed not to press charges. Make una mind una business, make the poor guy no lose him job.”

    However, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, ordered the immediate arrest of Kuti, who is the youngest son of Afrobeat legend, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti.

    The IG gave the order in a statement on Saturday by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

    The statement read, “The Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has ordered the Commissioner of Police, Lagos State Command, to arrest Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, who was captured on video assaulting a police officer in uniform.

    “The IG has equally ordered a speedy and full investigation into the remote and immediate cause(s) of the assault and prosecution of the suspect accordingly,” the statement read.

    Adejobi also quoted the IG as assuring Nigerians that the act of “contempt/disdain for symbols of authority” would not be tolerated, while “offenders of such hideous crimes will surely be brought to book.”

    Attempts by our correspondents to hear from Kuti on the incident proved abortive, as he did not take his calls which rang out several times.

    However, Kuti, while reacting to the order for his arrest on Instagram, promised to cooperate with the police authorities.

    He said whoever was wrong should be punished.

    Sowore cautions IGP over order to arrest Seun Kuti for assaulting police officer

    The presidential candidate of the All Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 presidential election, Omoyele Sowore, has cautioned the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba-Alkali over an order to arrest Afrobeats prodigy, Seun Kuti following a viral video where he was seen assaulting a police officer.

    Reacting to the incident in a statement issued on Saturday night by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adéjọbí, the IGP ordered the arrest of the singer and also ordered a full investigation into the causes of the incident and immediate prosecution of the artiste.

    However, Sowore, the publisher of Sahara Reporters, in a tweet on Sunday morning, defended Seun’s action and told the IGP that he must caution police officers not to take laws into their hands while dealing with members of the public.

    “@PoliceNG declared wanted @seunkuti, a scion of late Afrobeat king, #FelaAnikulapoKuti over an altercation between a police contingent that rammed into him and his family on the 3rd Mainland bridge in Lagos earlier today.

    “I am aware that @seunkuti and his attorneys have agreed to help the @policeng in an effort to unravel circumstances that led to the altercations.

    “It must be noted that that while these conversations are ongoing for a full cooperation with the police, officers of the @PoliceNG including the Inspector General of Police must not engage in extra judicial action(s) like they are known for in settling disputes.

    “Seun Kuti has agreed to cooperate fully with @policeng as soon as possible. ##Revolutionnow,” he wrote.

    Punch/Ripples

  • SERAP urges World Bank to suspend $800m loan to Buhari govt

    SERAP urges World Bank to suspend $800m loan to Buhari govt

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) on Sunday, implored the World Bank to suspend the $800 million loan being solicited for by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Government.

    This was contained in a letter dated 13 May 2023 and signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, which reads: “The World Bank should comply with its own Articles of Agreement in disbursing any loans. The Bank should not sacrifice international standards in the rush to disburse the $800m loan to the government.”

    The organisation also urged the World Bank President Mr David Malpass to use his “good offices to suspend any disbursement of the $800m loan to the Federal Government and to request the incoming administration to provide satisfactory explanations for the loan.”

    It also wanted Mr Malpass and the World Bank “to reopen discussion on the reportedly approved $800m loan with the incoming administration to clarify the details on the rationale and use of the loan because the term of office of the government of President Muhammadu Buhari ends in May 2023.”

    The Federal Government in April announced its plan to spend the $800 million loan as ‘part of its subsidy palliatives measures’. Also, last week, President Buhari requested the Senate’s approval for the World Bank loan. It is unclear whether the request to the Senate is for a fresh loan or the one announced in April.

    The letter further reads in part: “SERAP is concerned that the government is seeking to spend the loan when it has barely two weeks to leave office and when the project objectives and intended purposes for which the loan is reportedly approved and will be disbursed remain unclear.”

    “The government has not satisfactorily explained or justified the need for the loan at this time, especially given the lack of clarity on its use and the crippling debt burden, and the disproportionately negative impact of these retrogressive measures on poor Nigerians.”

    “The World Bank cannot close its eyes to these important transparency, accountability and human rights issues.”

    “We would consider the option of pursuing legal action should the World Bank refuse to suspend the disbursement of the loan to the Federal Government and to implement the other recommendations contained in this letter, and we may join the government in any such suit.”

    Ripples

  • Erdogan In Tough Poll As Turkey Votes

    Erdogan In Tough Poll As Turkey Votes

    Turkey on Sunday voted in a momentous election that could extend President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s two-decade grip on power or put the mostly Muslim nation on a more secular course.

    Turnout was expected to be huge in what has effectively turned into a referendum on Turkey’s longest-serving leader and his Islamic-rooted party.

    It is the toughest of more than a dozen that Erdogan has confronted — one that polls suggest he might lose.

    “They have been in power since I was born,” 19-year-old Sila said after voting with her father in Ankara. “I want change now.”

    Erdogan, 69, has steered the nation of 85 million through one of its most transformative and divisive eras in the post-Ottoman state’s 100-year history.

    Turkey has grown into a military and geopolitical heavyweight that plays roles in conflicts from Syria to Ukraine.

    The NATO member’s footprint in both Europe and the Middle East makes the election’s outcome as critical for Washington and Brussels as it is for Damascus and Moscow.

    “My hope to God is that after the counting concludes this evening, the outcome is good for the future of our country, for Turkish democracy,” Erdogan said after casting his ballot in Istanbul.

    ‘We all miss democracy’

    Erdogan’s first decade of economic revival and warming relations with Europe was followed by a second one filled with social and political turmoil.

    He responded to a failed 2016 coup attempt with sweeping purges that sent chills through Turkish society and made him an increasingly uncomfortable partner for the West.

    The emergence of Kemal Kilicdaroglu and his six-party alliance — a group that forms the type of broad-based coalition that Erdogan excelled at forging throughout his career — gives foreign allies and Turkish voters a clear alternative.

    Polls suggest the 74-year-old secular opposition leader is within touching distance of breaking the 50-percent threshold needed to win in the first round.

    A runoff on May 28 could give Erdogan time to regroup and reframe the debate.

    But he would still be hounded by Turkey’s most dire economic crisis of his time in power and disquiet over his government’s stuttering response to a February earthquake that claimed more than 50,000 lives.

    “We all missed democracy,” Kilicdaroglu said after voting in Ankara. “You will see, God willing, spring will come to this country.”

    ‘Can’t see my future’

    Polls show Kilicdaroglu winning the youth vote — responsible for nearly 10 percent of the electorate — by a two-to-one margin.

    “I can’t see my future,” university student Kivanc Dal told AFP in Istanbul on the eve of the vote.

    Erdogan “can build as many tanks and weapons as he wants, but I have no respect for that as long as there is no penny in my pocket”.

    But kindergarten teacher Deniz Aydemir said Erdogan would get her vote because of the economic and social progress Turkey made after half a century of corruption-riddled secular rule.

    The 46-year-old also questioned how a country could be ruled by a coalition of six parties — a favourite attack line of Erdogan during the campaign.

    “Yes, there are high prices… but at least there is prosperity,” she said.

    Erdogan’s campaign became increasingly tailored to his core supporters as election day neared.

    He branded the opposition a “pro-LGBT” lobby that took orders from outlawed Kurdish militants and was bankrolled by the West.

    Erdogan’s ministers and pro-government media referred darkly to a Western “political coup” plot.

    The opposition began to worry that Erdogan was scheming up ways to hold on to power at any cost.

    The tensions boiled over when Istanbul’s opposition Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — a sworn foe of Erdogan who could become Kilicdaroglu’s vice president — was pelted with rocks and bottles while touring Turkey’s conservative heartland.

    Heavy turnout

    The election is expected to feature heavy turnout among the country’s 64 million registered voters.

    The last national election saw Erdogan win 52.5 percent on a turnout of more than 86 percent.

    Turkey has no exit polls but tends to count ballots quickly.

    Polling stations close at 5:00 pm (1400 GMT) and all reporting restrictions are lifted four hours later. The first results are sometimes published before then.

    Voters will also select a new 600-seat parliament.

    Polls suggest that Erdogan’s right-wing alliance is edging out the opposition bloc in the parliamentary ballot.

    But the opposition would win a majority if it secured support from a new leftist alliance that represents the Kurdish vote.

    AFP

  • Sudan Crisis: Country’s Crippling Economy Further Weakens  As Looting Thrives

    Sudan Crisis: Country’s Crippling Economy Further Weakens  As Looting Thrives

    A month ago, Mohsen Abdelrahman owned a small but profitable jewellery store in Khartoum. Now, he has nothing to his name but a broken lock and a hollowed-out shopfront.

    Ten days after battles broke out between two rival Sudanese generals, he received a call from the shopkeeper next door to his business saying it had been looted.

    Despite the danger, Abdelrahman braved the relentless gunfire and air strikes ravaging the capital to get to his store on the other side of town, only to have his worst fears confirmed.

    “Everything I owned was gone,” he told AFP, adding that now he just wants “this war to end, so I can start over.”

    There is no end in sight to the conflict pitting the forces of army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan against those of his deputy-turned-foe Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

    But even before the fighting broke out, Sudan was one of the world’s poorest countries, brought to its knees by decades of international sanctions under former dictator Omar al-Bashir, as well as rampant corruption and the 2011 independence of South Sudan which held almost all the country’s oil.

    After a brief respite following Bashir’s ouster, a 2021 coup led by Burhan and Daglo saw the international community cut $2 billion of annual aid to the country, slashing 40 percent of its budget.

    The economy has been in free fall since, with the government never announcing a 2023 budget but instead boasting that dizzying inflation had recently fallen under 100 percent.

    – Broken locks –

    Prior to the ongoing conflict, Khartoum saw signs of economic renewal, with international restaurants and supermarkets stocked with organic food and American goods — although much of it was smuggled through the Sahel.

    But nowadays Khartoum, which is home to five million people, is a city whose shattered windows, gutted shopfronts, pockmarked cars and empty shelves bear witness to the rampant violence and looting.

    Khartoum airport, now a shell of its former self, has been shut down since the fighting began on April 15.

    Sudan once depended on vital trade coming through Port Sudan on the Red Sea, where now only planes and ships full of fleeing civilians take off, and crucial humanitarian aid trickles in.

    Nothing has been spared from the looting, including hospitals, humanitarian organisations, and the abandoned houses of more than 500,000 people who fled the capital for neighbouring towns, or other countries.

    Noureddine Adam’s mobile phone store was no exception. On the fifth day of the conflict, a lock was broken and his shop was ransacked.

    “They didn’t leave anything, and now I have nothing left,” he told AFP.

    In addition to having lost their inventory, shop owners and traders like Adam are now saddled with debt, he said.

    – Empty silos –

    According to a customs official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity, the Soba container terminal south of Khartoum — where imports are processed before coming into the capital and other areas — has been stripped bare.

    “It was all products from abroad that had come in and were waiting to be processed, but their importers couldn’t come and finish the paperwork because of the war,” he said.

    According to witnesses in Khartoum North, wheat silos at Sayga, Sudan’s largest producer of flour, have been emptied out — a potential disaster for a country where the UN predicts 19 million people could be food insecure within six months.

    Khartoum residents have tried to hold out hope, even while sheltering under air strikes and seeing their fleeing neighbours’ homes broken into and ransacked.

    But Abdeldayem Omar knows his clothing store is gone for good.

    “On the third day of the war, a rocket fell on the market,” he told AFP.

    “Some stalls burned to the ground, including mine. Others partially survived the flames, but whatever was left was looted.”

    The irony, according to him, is that “the main police station in the district is headquartered inside the market itself.”

    “But the police have completely disappeared, and there’s no protection left.”

    AFP

  • Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Visits Rome For Talks With Pope, Melonie, As Germany Doles Out 2.7 Billion Euro Weapons Package For Kyiv

    Russia-Ukraine War: Zelensky Visits Rome For Talks With Pope, Melonie, As Germany Doles Out 2.7 Billion Euro Weapons Package For Kyiv

    Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Rome Saturday for meetings with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Pope Francis in his first visit to Italy since Russia’s invasion.

    “Today in Rome,” tweeted Zelensky, following his arrival at the military base of Rome’s Ciampino Airport shortly before 0830 GMT, where he was met by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.

    “I’m meeting with President of Italy Sergio Mattarella, Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni and the Pope. An important visit for approaching victory of Ukraine!”

    Television images showed a long cortege of vehicles carrying the Ukrainian leader departing the airport, as security forces locked down large areas of the capital.

    As Zelensky arrived in Rome, Germany announced a 2.7 billion euro weapons package for Kyiv including tanks, armoured vehicles and air-defence systems.

    Despite a history of warm ties with Moscow, NATO and EU member Italy has sent weapons and money to help Kyiv since Russia invaded in February 2022, and backed Western sanctions against Russia.

    Still, the issue of sending weapons to Kyiv remains politically sensitive in Italy and the government has never disclosed exactly what it has provided.

    Meloni, who visited Kyiv in February, hosted Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in Rome last month, on the occasion of a conference on how Italian businesses could help rebuild the war-torn country.

    It was not clear how long Zelensky would be in Rome, with speculation he could also be planning a trip to Germany this weekend.

    AFP

  • May 29: Some FCT Residents File Suit To Stop Tinubu’s Inauguration 

    May 29: Some FCT Residents File Suit To Stop Tinubu’s Inauguration 

    Five residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have sued the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) over the declaration of Senator Bola Tinubu as the nation’s president-elect.

    The plaintiffs in the suit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja on April 28, 2023 aver that Senator Tinubu failed to secure at least 25 percent of votes cast in the FCT.

    The plaintiffs, Anyaegbunam Okoye, David Adzer, Jeffrey Ucheh Osang Paul, and Chibuike Nwanchukwu, who sued for themselves and on behalf of other residents and registered voters in the FCT, are asking the court to determine “whether or not the person who is to be elected president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and consequently administrator of the FCT through the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Federal Capital Territory Development Authority, on the first ballot, is required by section 134(2)(b) of the Constitution to obtain at least 25% of the votes cast in the FCT”.

    Tinubu, who was the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the February 25, 3023 presidential poll with eight million, seven hundred and ninety-four thousand, seven hundred and twenty-six votes.

    The plaintiffs also want a declaration extending President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure pending when a successor is determined in accordance with the Constitution.

    They want the court to set aside the certificate of return issued to Senator Tinubu and restrain the CJN and any other judicial officer from swearing in any candidate in the presidential election as president or vice-president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria pending the determination of the suit.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), however, insists that a candidate must not secure 25 percent of the votes in the FCT to be declared winner because the FCT was not accorded any special status in the constitution as being “erroneously” portrayed.

    Channels TV

  • Our demand for leadership of NASS not negotiable – North 

    Our demand for leadership of NASS not negotiable – North 

    The Northerners have described their demand for the leadership of the National Assembly, NASS as non-negotiable.

    The Northerners made this known when they converged on the Arewa House Kaduna on Friday.

    They threatened to withdraw support for the government and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) unless the North was given the leadership of the National Assembly and other ministerial appointments.

    The Northerners attended a one day round table on Nation Building and Democracy with the theme,’ The imperative of participation,equity and equitable development of Northern Nigeria ‘ , powered by the Democratic Research Institute (DRI).

    “In the communique signed by Prof.Tukur Muhammad- Baba, Chairman of the Communique Committee and Dr.Benjamin Izra Dikki, Secretary, the Northerners emphasized that because the North was not in control of both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government, their demand was non-negotiable..”

    “In a table that was contained in the communique that showed the percentage of votes across the 6 geo- political zones, the Northwest zone gave a total vote of 2,652235,the North Central 1,742,993 while the North East gave 1,185,458. The total contributions of the North was 63.5%.”

    The communique indicated that the South-west gave 25.7%, the South-south 9.10 while the South-east delivered 1.45% of the votes for the ruling APC.

    The communique reads, “Based on the contributions of the North in the just concluded General Elections, as evidenced in the table above, the round table, which drew participants from all the nineteen Northern states, concluded that the progress, transformation and development of the region are hinged on its stake in government, particularly access to political, economic incentives and opportunities and therefore resolves as follows:”

    “Demand the leadership of the National Assembly in consonance with the provisions of section 14 and sub-sections (1), (2) and (3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. This is necessary because the North is not in control of both the Executive and the Judiciary arms of government. This demand is non negotiable.”

    “The North also demands fair share of ministerial and other appointments. Such appointments should take cognisance of competence, integrity and track record, otherwise, the region is left with no option than to de-invest its support for the government and the party in subsequent elections.”

    Earlier in a welcome address delivered by Prof.Al-Mustapha Ussiju Medanar, he said

    the central objective of the Roundtable discussion was to highlight and deepen the conversations around the roles and the place of the Northern region in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and fostering nation-building through key players and partners of the region, among others.

    He said: “For me, it is a privilege to be a participant of this preparation for an all-inclusive recognition of the place of northern Nigeria in the Nigeria calculations and the veritable focus on the equitable development of northern Nigeria.”

    “The theme of today’s discussion, “Nation Building and Democracy: The Imperative of Participation, Equity and Equitable Development of Northern Nigeria” is key to addressing the socio-political challenges that face the contiguous northern region of Nigeria.”

    “The central objective of this Roundtable discussion is to highlight and deepen the conversations around the roles and the place of the Northern region in strengthening Nigeria’s democracy and fostering nation-building through key players and partners of the region, among others. “

    “I must state emphatically that the northern region of the country, constituting the North-West, North Central and the North-Eastern states, respectively, is a uniquely indispensable part of the nation, Nigeria. The region consists of approximately 68.67% of the population of Nigeria; it is the sole sustenance of the country agriculturally, and remains by providence, the major contributor to the political evolvement of the country from independence.”

    “The northern region has effectively engaged its diverse endowment in population and various capacities to benefit the nation, in all ways possible; having been a pillar of strength on many fronts for the country.”

    “It is indeed my great honour to welcome all of you; the Panelists, Discussants and selected representatives across the States of northern Nigeria. I am confident and sure that we will have a very vibrant discussion and tailored solution for an equitable development of our dear region.”

    “The decision to hold this Roundtable was a response to the current political situation in the country and the preparation for the promulgation of the 10th National Assembly, particularly its leadership.

    “The need to avoid the crisis of misrepresentation of our people and region in the distribution of rewards for political participation in the 2023 general elections, most especially the presidential election and to accept a common ground to hold all political office holders responsible for the job they are expected to carry out in the incoming administration.”

    “We must have it at the back of our minds as we go into the subject of our discussion that our region contributes more than any other, as a major stakeholder in the current political dispensations including the victories of the ruling party at the polls, and as such, the region would rightly deserve and ask for commensurate rewards from the spoil of the war fought.”

    “Democracy is an investment; vote is an investment. In a democratic politics, the party with the highest votes takes it all. Our region is well aware of this, and we have invested robustly in the incoming administration. The size of our votes and the consistency of our participation across the region in what we stand for is our testament.

    “Figures do not lie; of the 8,794,726 million votes that gave the president-elect victory at the poll, 5,200,589 million representing approximately 60 percent came from our region. And for every elected Senators and HOR members from the platform the ruling party that won election, the margin of difference in their votes and that of the president-elect from each constituency is minimal; an indication of total commitment to the total cause of the party, unlike some other regions.”

    “The North knows its problems and challenges; and that is the reason why we made so much political investment as a means to get the solutions we desire for our region and our people.”

    “Our region is beclouded by non-ending insecurity. From North-East to North Central and splitting to the North-West, the consequences of insecurity in all its ramification has left trails of poverty, death and displacements of people from their homes and survival.”

    “The poverty figure of the country placed our region as the most hit; with about 65 percent of the population of poor Nigerians living in our region. We are mostly referred to in the academic parlance as the least educationally developed region of the country. Unemployment is at the highest in the region as well.”

    “At the back of all our discussion today would be the plight of our common region in the larger Nigeria entity. We must therefore take a stand of what must be done to return affirmative and commensurate dividends for our all-inclusive participation and investment in the Nigeria democracy and political business. We must take a decision as a region that has an equity that is well above 60 percent of the shared equity of the Nigeria business.”

    “As part of the plans for an intrinsic discussion, we would be having sectorial pre-discussions on various topical issues with regard to the northern region after which we will break into discussion syndicates. The panelists would arise from the syndicate meetings to make a submission of the consensus agreements from the syndicate meetings which would form the crux of the final Position paper, which is the stand of the roundtable. “

    “Here today, we will commence a process that will continue to strengthen the reach and take of our region without jeopardising that of others in the Nigeria entity; taking what equates to our input.” “Today, I want to hear your ideas, and frankly too. Your ideas about how to drive inclusive, equitable development of our region, because that is something that we all owe our people and what our positions have placed on us to do.”

  • Enugu: UNICEF to partner Governor-elect, Mbah’s administration on water, health, education, sanitation

    Enugu: UNICEF to partner Governor-elect, Mbah’s administration on water, health, education, sanitation

    …It’s no longer going to be business as usual as health workers, others must justify their salaries – Mbah

    The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has expressed its preparedness to partner with the administration of Dr. Peter Mbah as soon as he takes over office as the governor of Enugu State on May 29 on the areas of provision of safe and clean water, access to healthcare for women and children, primary education, and sanitation in the state.

    This was disclosed during the week in Enugu when the UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Ms Christian Munduate, led a delegation of top officials of the multilateral agency to the governor-elect at the Old Government Lodge, Enugu..

    This was even as the incoming administration warned that it would no longer tolerate unprofessional conduct, unauthorized absence from duties and other forms of misconducts from health workers including other public servants who are on the payroll of the government especially in rural communities.

    The soon-to-be inaugurated administration expressed disappointment in the attitude of some workers on government pay, stressing that their unscheduled visits to some of the healthcare facilities in rural areas revealed that staff were frequently absconding from their duty posts for as long as they wish and promised that the new government would bring such attitude to an end with reward and sanction mechanisms.

    While conveying Dr. Mbah’s goodwill message to Ms. Munduate and her team, the Deputy Governor-elect, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai, who represented him, appreciated the world body for its years of dedicated selfless service in the state, Nigeria and Africa at large, saying the uncommon gesture, which has been transforming the continent, would never be taken for granted.

    He said Mbah’s administration would focus its priority on the empowerment of women and children in order to have a stable and responsible society.

    According to him, Mbah has strong and robust programmes for children and adolescents whose welfare and training are fundamental to nation-building through the inculcation of the right values, skills and education.

    Ossai pointed at the well-spelt out policies and programmes contained in their manifesto deliberately committed to children and young ones to deal with the disturbing issues of maternal and infant mortalities, school dropouts, corruption in the system and skills impartation.

    He further stated that the “Cross cutting programme” which includes the cut off point agenda contained in the Social Charter was designed to catch those children at the ages of 3, 4 and above and equip them with the right moral values and skills that would engender a healthy and balance society with an urgent reform in the education curriculum.

    The incoming administration appealed to the international organization to assist the government with the facilities, technical expertise, support, and fund to ensure women and children have access to safe and clean water, education, infrastructure, sanitation and quality healthcare facilities.

    While further briefing the delegation on their avowal to invest less on soft issues such as conferences and seminars and look at the critical sectors that were in dire need of intervention, Ossai maintained that the recently constituted transition committee had been given the mandate to revisit reports of past conferences and seminars on women and children and “unearth practical steps on how to ensure reduction in maternity and infant mortality rate, how to revive access to health and maternal healthcare for women and children, ensure there’s water both in the urban and rural communities, engage women association and form them into cooperatives to reorient them on healthcare system.”

    Reacting to Mbah’s address, Munduate commended the people for electing young and energetic team that would lead the state by providing good governance in the coming years, adding that Mbah had marshalled clear pathway to catering for the welfare of children and adolescents.

    “I am impressed with your clarity of thought for women and children, and indeed, your subjects in general. We find this as an opportunity to share ideas where children and adolescents are being prioritized,” the Country Representative added.

    She pledged that UNICEF would provide the needed robust structure and technical capacity to ensure the state works in its full capacity in the areas already highlighted by the administration.

    “Our best asset is our technical capacity. We’ll work with you with our robust structure and technical department. We’ll provide you with the data on health and nutrition, birth and date rate, and other human resource and technical support,” she said.

    On water, the Country Representative reiterated the importance of having sustainable safe and clean water for the state even as she acknowledged that most sources of water were contaminated due to open defecation and poor sanitation.

    She said UNICEF specialized technical support would be deployed to assist the government in the area of harvesting quality water, adding that enough water supply could engender the declaration of this year an open defecation free year.

    She equally maintained that the organization is open to hit the ground running once the administration is inaugurated by partnering with it on key needs that would facilitate and ensure cover for children, adolescents and young people.

  • Israel, Gaza Militants Trade Heavy Fire For Third Day 

    Israel, Gaza Militants Trade Heavy Fire For Third Day 

    Israel and Gaza militants traded more heavy fire Thursday, the third day of the worst escalation of violence in months that has killed 25 people in the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

    Air strikes by the Israeli army since Tuesday have killed fighters as well as civilians, including several children, said officials in the crowded coastal territory.

    Militants in the Gaza Strip have fired more than 500 rockets at Israel, causing no casualties so far, the military said.

    Of these, 368 rockets made it over the border and 154 were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence system, while 110 fell inside Gaza, it said.

    Early Thursday, shops in Gaza were shuttered and the streets were largely abandoned as Israeli military aircraft circled over the territory where several buildings lay in ruins.

    The Islamic Jihad militant group told AFP that rockets were fired again at Israel around 9:00 am (0600 GMT).

    Islamic Jihad confirmed it has lost four military leaders in strikes in recent days, the most recent being Ali Ghali, commander of a rocket launch unit.

    Another militant group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said four of its fighters had been killed.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a TV address late Wednesday that “we are still in the midst of the campaign” and “fiercely attacking the Gaza Strip”.

    “We say to the terrorists and the ones sending them: we see you everywhere, you cannot hide, and we choose the place and the time to hit you.”

    ‘Wave of escalation’

    In Gaza City’s Al-Rimal district, Mamoun Radi, 48, said: “We hope that the wave of escalation will end, but we support revenge for the martyrs.

    “Israel assassinated a leader of (Islamic) Jihad at dawn today because it does not want calm.”

    Across southern Israel, sirens wailed intermittently through the night and Thursday morning.

    Miriam Keren, 78, an Ashkelon resident, said a Gaza rocket had destroyed a workshop and damaged her house.

    “All the shrapnel is in the room; the house was shaken very powerfully, the glasses fell, the walls were damaged,” she told AFP.

    “Luckily I have a safe room and I entered it immediately and closed the door.

    “This isn’t the first time the house was hit but I’m not afraid, neither was I yesterday. You’re shocked for a moment but it’s not about fear. It’s more unpleasant, very unpleasant.”

    Ceasefire efforts

    An Islamic Jihad source told AFP that senior member Mohammad al-Hindi, head of the group’s political department, would arrive in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian intelligence officials.

    An Israeli official had told AFP on Wednesday that Egypt was “trying to facilitate a ceasefire”.

    The Arab League has condemned the “barbaric Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip, which targeted civilians, children and women in residential neighbourhoods”.

    US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reaffirmed Washington’s “ironclad support for Israel’s security”.

    Both Hamas, which rules Gaza, and Islamic Jihad are considered terrorist groups by Israel and the United States.

    This week’s Gaza clashes are the worst since a three-day escalation in August killed 49 Palestinians, with no Israeli fatalities.

    Violence has also flared in the occupied West Bank, where the Israeli army has staged repeated raids against militants which have often flared into street clashes or gun battles.

    On Thursday, a Palestinian died from his wounds after being shot by the Israeli army in a raid the day before in the West Bank city of Qabatiya, the Palestinian health ministry said.

    The conflict has escalated since veteran leader Netanyahu returned to power late last year heading a coalition with extreme right and ultra-Orthodox parties.

    Israel has also been shaken by its biggest domestic political crisis in decades as mass protests have flared against plans to reform the justice system, spearheaded by Netanyahu who is also battling corruption charges in court.

    Channels TV

  • Supreme Court Adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s Case To September 14

    Supreme Court Adjourns Nnamdi Kanu’s Case To September 14

    The Supreme Court has adjourned the hearing of the suit filed by Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), to September 14.

    Kanu had approached the court to appeal the verdict of the appeal court stopping his release from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).

    During Thursday’s proceedings, the apex court granted the application of the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, to file additional processes in response to Kanu’s filing, which was done on Tuesday.

    The apex court said even if it proceeds to hear the appeal, there is no space within its calendar to write and deliver the verdict within the 90-day deadline.

    The case was therefore adjourned to September 14.

    The Court of Appeal had earlier granted a stay of execution on its verdict which discharged Kanu of terrorism charges filed against him by the Federal Government.

    In a unanimous decision by a three-member panel led by Justice Haruna Tsammani, the appeal court granted the application filed by the Federal Government pending the hearing and determination of the appeal before the Supreme Court.

    Kanu has been in detention since he was brought back from Kenya on June 19, 2021.

    The IPOB leader was subsequently re-arraigned on an amended 15-count charge.

    On April 8 2022, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court Abuja struck out eight of the 15 counts in the charge.

    The remaining seven counts were later quashed by the court of appeal on October 13.

    Channels TV

  • Army Directs Probe Of Footage Of Soldiers Maltreating Civilians In Kaduna

    Army Directs Probe Of Footage Of Soldiers Maltreating Civilians In Kaduna

    The Nigerian Army High Command has directed immediate investigation into the audio-visual footage of men clad in military uniform maltreating civilians at 2Seasons Hotel and Resorts Kaduna to ascertain its veracity, with a view to identifying the culprits.

    A statement by the director Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu said pending the outcome of the investigation, the persons clad in military camouflage who perpetrated the dastardly acts, if found to be NA personnel, would be treated in accordance with extant provisions of the Armed Forces Acts.

    He said the condemnable incident is an aberration of the values and ethics of professionalism, courage, selflessness and service to humanity which the NA represents.

    “As a disciplined and regimented force committed to the supremacy of the constitution, defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation as well as aid to civil authorities, the Nigerian Army has zero tolerance for any act inimical to the rights and wellbeing of the citizenry.

    “Consequently, authorities of the Nigerian Army have directed immediate investigation into the audio-visual footage to ascertain its veracity, with a view to identifying the culprits.

    “Outcome of the investigation and sanctions against the persons clad in military camouflage, who perpetrated the dastardly acts, if found to be Nigerian Army personnel, would be treated in accordance with extant provisions of the Armed Forces Acts,” he said.

    The statement while appreciating the general public for their continued support, urged all law-abiding citizens to go about their legitimate businesses without any fear of molestation or intimidation from any quarter and to report any untoward conduct by troops to Nigerian Army Human Rights Desks at the Headquarters Nigerian Army or at the Divisions Headquarters.

    Leadership

  • INEC deprived me of 1,072 votes in Nkanu East, Mbah, Enugu Governor-elect tells tribunal

    INEC deprived me of 1,072 votes in Nkanu East, Mbah, Enugu Governor-elect tells tribunal

    Contrary to allegations of over-voting in Owo and Ugbawka in Nkanu East Local Government Area in favour of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Enugu 2023 governorship election, candidate of the party, Dr. Peter Mbah, has said  arithmetical error by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deprived him of 1,072 votes that should have taken his haul to 161,029.

    He also said the figures contained in the table in the petition lodged against him by Labour Party (LP) candidate, Chijioke Edeoga, to portray alleged over-voting in Owo and Ugbawka, were mere concoctions by the LP candidate to mislead the court.

    This was even as the governor-elect accused Edeoga and the LP of over-voting in many polling units. He said figures of accredited voters recorded in those Polling Units, where Edeoga also won, were higher than the number of BVAS-accredited  voters.

    These were contained in his response to the petition filed against him by Edeoga, at the Enugu State Governorship and House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal.

    Mbah said the arithmetical error in summing up of his scores from the Form EC8Bs to EC8Cs used for Nkanu East LGA, deprived him of about 1,072 votes. He pointed out that his votes would have increased to 161, 029 if the 1,072 votes, which he clearly presented in Table 1 of his reply is recorded for him by the Tribunal. He said this would in turn widen his lead against his closest rival, being the LP candidate.

    On alleged over-voting in Owo and Ugbawka, Mbah said by the regulations and practice of INEC, two BVAS machines were provided and used by INEC for the purposes of accreditation and uploading of results wherever a voting center has more than 700 to 750 registered voters.

    Consequently, he said the figures being peddled by Edeoga as supposed evidences of over-voting in some polling units in Owo and Ugbawka were actually polling units with more than 750 registered voters. He said Edeoga’s failure to take into cognisance the second BVAS machine used for the respective polling units in line with INEC Regulations and practice, was intentional in order to mislead the tribunal and members of the public.

    Mbah equally pointed out over-voting in many polling units won by Edeoga saying votes cast exceeded BVAS accreditation and number of PVCs collected.

    At Central School, Nsude, for instance, out of the 1,267 registered voters, 1,194 collected their PVCs. But whereas 158 were accredited by the BVAS, 178 were accredited on the result sheets, with Edeoga polling 82 votes to win the Polling Unit with a margin of 27 votes against Mbah of the PDP, who polled 55 votes.

    Others include Agbani Road Primary School II, Ngwo Park I Uwani III, Agbani Road Primary School IV, Community School Adogba, Obiofu Community School, Community School Nochele, and Central School Oji/Okwe Primary School.

    Mbah, therefore, urged the tribunal to throw out Edeoga’s petition, as it was incompetent and predicated on concocted claims and figures, not facts and realities.

    Sun