Former Nigeria’s President, Olusegum Obasanjo has assessed the government of President Bola Tinubu and concluded that it is yet to find the right way to handle the country’s economy. “If the truth must be stated, the present Administration has not found the right way to handle the economy to engender confidence and trust for investors to start trooping in.” Obasanjo said that because of the government’s incoherent economic policies “Total Energy has gone to invest 6 billion dollars in Angola instead of Nigeria.” Obasanjo spoke at a Colloquium: “Nigeria’s Development: Navigating the Way Out of the Current Economic Crisis and Insecurity” at the Paul Aje Colloquium (PAC) in Abuja today, May 26. The former President described Tinubu’s policies on fuel subsidy removal and exchange rates as necessary but that it’s “wrongly implemented.” According to him, “the present Administration has not found the right way to handle the economy to engender confidence and trust for investors to start trooping in. “Today, the government has taken three decisions, two of which are necessary but wrongly implemented and have led to impoverization of the economy and of Nigerians. “These are removal of subsidy, closing the gap between black market and official rates of exchange and the third is dealing with a military coup in Niger Republic. “The way forward is production and productivity which belief and trust in government leadership will engender. No shortcut to economic progress but hard work and sweat. “Economy does not obey orders, not even military orders. I know that. If we get it right, in two years, we will begin to see the light beyond the tunnel. It requires a change of characteristics, attributes and attitude by the leadership at all levels to gain the confidence and trust of investors who have alternatives.” Obasanjo said that potential foreign investors “know us more than we know ourselves. “And now they are laughing at us, not taking us seriously. We have to present ourselves in such a way that we will be taken seriously. “If the existing investors are disinvesting and going out of our country, how do we persuade new investors to rush in. “We can be serious if we choose to be but we need to change from transactional leadership in government to transformational and genuine servant leadership. “With change by us, the investors will give us the benefit of doubt, and security being taken care of on a sustainable long-term basis, they will start to test the water. “With the right economic policies, attributes of integrity and honesty of purpose, all should be well with all hands on deck and the government becoming a catalyst for development, growth and progress.” The former President that the idea of tinkering with the exchange rate is not the answer, saying that the answer is consistency and continuity in policy to ensure stability and predictability. “That way, we will be sure of incentivizing domestic and foreign investment. There must be honesty and transparency in government dealings and contracts and not lying with deception about these issues. “When the government is seen as pursuing the right policy, the private sector will go for production and productivity.”
The Federal Government of Nigeria has dragged the 36 state governors to the Supreme Court seeking full autonomy for the local governments, which constitute third tier of governemnt in the country. The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on behalf of the federal government, instituted the court action against the governors primarily seeking full autonomy for local governments as third tiers of government in the country. In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF is praying the Apex Court for an order prohibiting state governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders. The Chief Law Officer of the Federation, in the originating summons he personally signed, is also praying the Supreme Court for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors. He also wants the Apex Court to make an order stopping governors from constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system. The federal government applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states. The Governors have been sued through their respective State Attorneys General in the suit predicated on 27 grounds, among which are that the Nigeria Federation is a creation of the 1999 Constitution with President as Head of the Federal Executive arm of the Federation and has sworn to uphold and give effects to the provisions of the Constitution. “That the governors represent the component states of the Federation with Executive Governors who have also sworn to uphold the Constitution and to, at all times, give effects to the Constitution and that the Constitution, being the supreme law, has binding force all over the Federation of Nigeria. “That the Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the Federation Account created by the Constitution. “That, by the provisions of the Constitution, there must be a democratically elected local government system and that the Constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the local government level other than the democratically elected local government system. “That, in the face of the clear provisions of the Constitution, the governors have failed and refused to put in place a democratically elected local government system even where no state of emergency has been declared to warrant the suspension of democratic institutions in the state. “That, the failure of the governors to put democratically elected local government system in place, is a deliberate subversion of the 1999 Constitution which they and the President have sworn to uphold. “That, all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place, a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the Federation Account to governors for non existing democratically elected local government is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 Constitution. “That, in the face of the violations of the 1999 Constitution, the federal government is not obligated under section 162 of the Constitution to pay any state, funds standing to the credit of local governments where no democratically elected local government is in place.” The AGF therefore asked the Apex Court to invoke Sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that the State Governors and State Houses of Assembly are under obligation to ensure a democratic system at the third tier of government in Nigeria and to also invoke the same Sections to hold that the governors cannot lawfully dissolve democratically elected local government councils. He is also praying for invocation of Sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the Constitution to declare that dissolution of democratically elected local government councils by the Governors or anyone using the State powers derivable from laws enacted by the State Houses of Assembly or any Executive Order is unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void. A 13-paragraph affidavit in support of the originating summons deposed to by one, Kelechi Ohaeri from the Federal Ministry of Justice averred that the AGF took out the suit against the Governors under the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court on behalf of the Federal Government. The deponent asserted that the local government system recognized by the Constitution is a democratically elected local government council and that the amount due to local government councils from the Federation Account is to be paid to the local government system recognized by the Constitution. The deponent sought to tender, during the hearing, Daily Post online publication of January 29, 2024, titled “LG Administration; 15 Govs under scrutiny over Constitutional breach,” Vanguard online special report of September 12, 2023, Guardian editorial of January 23, 2024, Premium Times online publication of December 1, 2023, Vanguard online publication of December 1, 2023 and Arise online news of December 2, 2023 to justify the national importance public interest on the issues of autonomy for local governments in Nigeria. The Supreme Court has fixed May 30 for hearing of the suit.
A Non-Governmental Organization; Education For All (E4A), has condemned the killing of two students of the Conference University of Science and Technology, Osara in Kogi State by their kidnappers, despite the ongoing negotiations with the parents to pay ransom for their release. The Publicity Secretary of the NGO, Malam Nasir Ibrahim, in a statement today, May 26, in Lokoja, reacting to the police report that the two students have been killed by their captors, described the killing as the height of callousness. He said that the intent of the kidnappers is to scare young people from going to school, which is unfortunate. “It is sad that the criminals killed two of the students who were not among the 21 rescued through the operation coordinated by the Kogi Government. “Although the circumstances of their kidnap and being traced to a forest in Kwara State by security agencies are yet to be ascertained. This is sad, callous and a call for collective action against attackers of educational institutions. “We are aware that parents of the students were negotiating with the kidnappers which slowed down the offensive on the kidnappers by security agencies so as not to endanger the lives of the captives. “We were very hopeful and optimistic that they will be released at the end of the negotiations. “Information reaching us shows that the students allegedly killed were James Michael Anajuwe, a 100 level Information Technology student and Musa Hussein, a 100 level Software Engineering student of the University. “They were allegedly killed at the kidnappers’ hideout in Kwara. “We are broken and shattered that despite the efforts of the parents, NGOs and the State Government, we still lost these promising students.” He called on the Kogi State government to work with its Kwara counterpart to take a decisive action against the perpetrators who were said to be hiding in a forest in Kwara State, very close to Kogi and Ekiti States. He commiserated with the families of the lost children, urging the NSA and the Federal Ministry of Education to reinvigorate efforts on the Safe School Initiative. “The painful loss of the two students should provoke the office of the National Security Adviser to work with the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure the safety of our schools across the country. “It is unacceptable to lose children whose only offence was embracing education. Our nation must rise to the occasion to arrest the rising insecurity across the country.” The Kogi State Police Command confirmed the killing of the two students today, May 26 in a statement. The State Police Commissioner, Bethrand Onuoha described the killing by their abductors as very unfortunate. The CP did not give the details of the killing, but said that the security operatives are on the trail of the abductors to bring them to book. The kidnappers had stormed the campus of the university at about 9.00 pm on May 9 as the students were studying in their classes ahead of their examinations slated for May 13 and abducted some students, after shooting sporadically into the air. Although security agencies had rescued 21 of the abducted students with the help of local hunters, a few are still in the hands of the kidnappers. Source: Prompt News.
The minister of Solid Mineral Development, Dele Alake has frowned at those who imply that he’s corrupt for creating N200 billion in his ministry’s budget for the building of a National GeoData Centre for the mining sector, which had already been built in 2022 by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. Reacting to the allegation, in a statement he personally issued, Dele Alake also described those accusing him of corruption as “ignoramus all.” According to him, various reports on the project are “offensive” saying that the report was written to titillate people’s “appetite for sensational hogwash, the pastime of gatecrashers.” He said that the Solid Minerals sector relies on scientific data on the nature and occurrence of rocks underground to determine reserves of commercial quantity that investors can use to make decisions on business ventures. He said that National GeoData Centre is the repository of geological data, adding: “We have improved on it with the launch of the advanced Nigerian Minerals Resource Decision Support System.” He said that the new system aggregates geological, hydrological, demographic and economic data to facilitate investment decision making. “The Data Centre we have established must have accurate and comprehensive data to cater for investors seeking to mine over 44 minerals. “If it doesn’t, investors won’t take Nigeria seriously. If the government is able to make the data available at the data centre, it will de-risk investment and enable them to venture into actual extraction and processing.” He said that the data in the facility is grossly inadequate, hence the need for ambitious and aggressive data gathering to fill the gap. “This challenge was identified by the previous administration. It led to the implementation of the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Project. “Due to funding constraints, NIMEP explored only five out of Nigeria’s 44 minerals and was restricted to specific regions of estimated occurrences.” He said that with Nigeria’s land space of 923,768 square kilometres, more than 12 times the size of Sierra Leone, the cost of a similar Airborne Survey will exceed the N200 billion budget proposed, which he said is not even available. A visit to the website of the National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA) confirmed that President Buhari launched the National GeoData Centre to collect and preserve geoscientific data and information on Nigeria, making them available for the long-term to a wide range of users and communities.
What is happening in Kano should be of concern to not only the Kanawa or Northerners but to all Nigerians. Kano, as we all know, is the heartbeat of the North. If Kano is economically buoyant, it cascades down to the rest of the North and reflects on the nation’s GDP. Conversely, any chaos or breach in security will affect other parts of the North, thereby stretching the capacity of our security agencies with all the attendant consequences. This is why the ongoing ”Game of Thrones” in the ancient city of Kano should concern every Nigerian. There were some misgivings in some quarters when Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, popularly called SLS – fresh from a controversial sacking from the office of the governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank by then President Goodluck Jonathan – was made the Emir of Kano, against all odds, by Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on 8th June 2014, in a move that lends credence to the saying that there is no permanent friend or enemy in politics but permanent interests. In Kwankwaso’s first tenure as governor, he and SLS, then with the First Bank, were more like “enemies”, which made the government of Kano State close its account with the bank as its request for Sanusi’s sack was not acceded to. Yet there were misgivings too when, again against all odds, he was dethroned by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on 9th March 2020. To get at him, Ganduje “shattered” the revered Kano Emirate into five pieces. Now there are more misgivings after the current governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, himself a Prince, dethroned the five Emirs created by Ganduje and reinstated SLS and returned the emirate to its former status. The issue, ordinarily a state affair within the governor’s authority, is threatening to escalate and burst onto the national landscape. That is, if it has not already, what with the National Security Adviser (NSA) weighing in. The thing is, the princes’ insatiable greed for power, influence, relevance and wealth has made them rush open-eyed into the crossfires of ambitious and unscrupulous politicians who keep no captives. To quote from ‘Macbeth’, the Kano princes have “murdered sleep and so shall sleep no more.” However, the most pitiable here is the common man who whatever is happening in Kano will neither put garri on his table nor solve any of his mammoth and growing problems. It is the common man who would be used as a foot soldier to disrupt the peace of the community.
Welcome Back, “Nigeria We Hail Thee!” It is no longer news that the National Assembly will bring back our National Anthem at the birth of our nation. It is a welcome development. On 10 August 2020, I wrote a piece entitled “Pray, who wants Zulum dead?” and I said, “Anybody who chooses to write the truth about our dear country, Nigeria, does so with a heavy heart. You cannot write about your beloved with no degree of passion. The love for it, the sadness at its travails, the fear for its future, and the cry for its affairs to be done right cannot be written dispassionately. Bewildered many a time, you just write for record purposes, knowing that it may change nothing. “We grew up with the national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’, which was adopted on October 1, 1960. It was our anthem until 1978. The anthem was written by Lillian Jean Williams, a Briton who lived here at the time of our independence, while the music for it was composed by Francis Berda. In the first stanza, there was a rallying exhortation. After saluting the great mother country – ‘Nigeria we hail thee’, it went on to call us to unity and oneness – ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand…’ “A three-stanza anthem designed to whip up our patriotism, the third stanza struck a chord with me. In it, we supposedly beseech the Creator to help us build a nation where no man is left behind. “O God of creation, grant us this our one request, help us build a nation where no man is oppressed…” In my childish imagination in the early 70s (I was barely ten) I always romanticised that to mean we were imploring God to help us build a real wall of steel, mortar and cement strong enough to withstand external enemies and tall enough that no Nigerian can be thrown over it to the wolves. “Now, while the first national anthem spoke of Nigeria as a mother, the second spoke of it as a father. The last verse in the first stanza of the earlier anthem was “Nigerians all and proud to serve our sovereign motherland” while the second verse in the first stanza of the later anthem said, “To serve our fatherland”. “While the mother fiercely loves her brood and can stake her life for them, the father’s love is less sentimental but intense. By nature, he provides for both the mother and the kids and can break his back so that they can have something. He can move mountains to protect and preserve him. And so the child sees its father as stronger than Hercules and richer than Mansa Musa. “There may be many reasons why General Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime decided to change the anthem to the current one. Chief among them could be nationalism; after all, why should foreigners decide our national anthem, they might have reasoned. But did they put side-by-side the meanings, imports and differences between “motherhood” and “fatherhood” in their decision to adopt the current anthem? Or perhaps they felt that likening Nigeria to a father would make its children revere and work to make it proud of them while in return giving them the love, support and protection only a father can? “You see, a citizen sees his country in the image of a father. Children begin to lose hope in a father who shirks his responsibilities. They begin to see him as the anonymous lover who, heartbroken, wrote: ‘I am afraid to love you again. But whenever I see you, I just want to hold you in my arms forever. You had promised to protect me forever and never to hurt me for once, but you have broken that promise, just the way you have shattered my heart, too.’ “The yet-to-be-found Chibok girls and all their loved ones can say these words about their fatherland. All Nigerian children and their loved ones kidnapped or killed by Boko Haram in the North-East or its other arm, the bandits in the North West and North Central, can borrow these words too. Even those released after their people have paid their ransom can adopt these words. All Nigerians who believe more could have been done will be at home with these words. Do you think those appalled at how Boko Haram terrorists who were “rehabilitated” and released into society disappear will not see these words as apt?” On 12 December 2022, writing on “CBN, Qatar 2023 and time to rekindle our patriotism (1)”, I said, “There is nothing more touching than watching fans at the ongoing World Cup shed tears when their national anthem is being sung, or crying when their national team loses a game or even wins. Such a show of intense emotion comes as a result of substantial love for one’s country. It is a sign of unbridled patriotism. You begin to wonder if a Nigerian would cry on hearing our national anthem or cry if we win or lose a game. “But you must ask yourself whether such love for the country has something to do with the anthem or with how a country’s managers manage it. Now, many things have happened that have made a lot of Nigerians want to give up because, sadly, the managers of our country have so bastardised our psyche that many of us are afraid to cry for a country those milking it have no sympathy for. Last week, I saw a video clip of a serving minister boasting to his audience that he cannot be defeated in an election because he had “amassed money”! How insensitive can one be! We all had hopes for this nation. We still have, and we all want it to be the greatest in the world. However, this hope is fading for some, even as many of us still hold on to the dream of a greater Nigeria because we have no other country to call ours. Hassan Gimba is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.
“There is no renewed hope anywhere yet from this government; the hope we need is the one that manifests and turns life around. “There is no essential commodity that is cheap and affordable for the common man. It’s a wrong statement to say this administration has restored hope in the minds of Nigerians. “This government must be honest with itself, there is no hope yet at all.’’
These are the views of the leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, while reacting to President Bola Tinubu who said recently that Nigeria has stopped bleeding due to the reforms his administration has been able to carry out. Primate Ayodele said that the President is being deceived by people around him, saying that things are getting worse every day and Nigerians are languishing in pain due to the economic hardship the administration brought upon them. According to him, Nigerians can’t afford to buy essential commodities because of inflation. ‘’Nigeria is still bleeding. It may not affect the rich but every day, people are crying because of how bad things are. “Tinubu should do a survey of prices of commodities in the market and see how bad things are for Nigerians. “People are in anguish, and Tinubu must not allow anyone deceive him that it is well, but it is not yet well. “People can’t afford a three-square meal, it’s getting worse every day. “Don’t be deceived at all; people are in serious pain except those who are in government.’’ The cleric said that he spends more money to feed more than 7,000 people monthly and that the standard of living has dropped drastically. ‘’I am close to the grass root and I know how much I spend to support the masses just to feed. I feed more than 7,000 of them monthly. “Tinubu should not celebrate anything because Nigerians are suffering. The cost of living has increased; the standard of living has dropped drastically. Don’t be deceived, people are sad.”
Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo has appointed a total of 141 aides, including Special Advisers, Senior Special Assistants (SSAs), Director General (DG), Principal Private Secretary (PPS), Chairman and Members, Kogi State Hotels and Tourism Board. The new appointments, contained in a statement signed by the Secretary to the Government of Kogi State, Mrs. Folashade Arike Ayoade, include 43 Special Advisers, 131 Senior Special Assistants. All the appointments are with immediate effect. The full List of appointees is published here: Special Advisers 1. Abdulhamid Lawal Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Grassroots Mobilization 2. Isah Omeiza Albert Special Adviser on Community Relations 3. Basir Audu Abubakar Special Adviser on Hotel & Tourism (East) 4. Achimugu Eunice Special Adviser on Youth and Women Affairs 5, Otitoju David Durojaiye Special Adviser on Internal & Corporate Affairs 6. Otaru Abdulkabir Onoruooyiza Special Adviser on Agriculture 7. Kaseem Ahmed.I Special Adviser on Political Education 8. Mashood Omuya Special Adviser on Youth Mobilization & Voters Education 9. Micheal Onimisi Special Adviser on Climate Change 10. Thomas Offor Special Adviser on Special Duties II 11. Yisah Abdulsalam Aliyu Special Adviser on Transportation, travel & Tours 12. Prince Haruna Mohammed Special Adviser on Community Integration & Harmonization 13. Hon. Sandra Musa Special Adviser on State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) 14. Nda Aaron Special Adviser on Multimedia & Conception 15. Muhammed Atati Bozy Special Adviser on Education, Job Creation Teaching Regulation 16 Shaibu Siaka Special Adviser on Cultural Integration (East) 17. Hussaini Salihu Balogun Special Adviser on Inter Party Relation 18. Lamidi Saliu Special Adviser to the Executive Governor on Science & Technology 19. Hon. Ojo Aturu Special Adviser on Good Governance & Due Process 20 Makama Daudu Special Adviser on Commerce & Cashew Production 21. Khadija Suleiman Special Adviser on Diaspora 22. Musa Usman Special Adviser on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) 23. Abdullahi Abdulmalik Special Adviser on Education 24. Alfa Momoh Rabiu Special Adviser on Legislature 25. Bilikisu Aliyu Special Adviser on Humanitarian 26. Hon. Idris Ndako Special Adviser on Local Government Matters 27. Moses Sunday David Special Adviser on Cultural Integration (West) 28. Momo Gimba Special Adviser on Women Afairs 29. Tiamiyu FancyJimoh Special Adviser on Corporate Affairs 30. Onogwu Isah Mohammed Special Adviser on Public Relations 31. Isah Abdulrashed Ovosi Special Adviser on Intergovernmental Affairs 32. Jacop Edi Special Adviser on Information & Communication 33. Kayode Olutoyo John JP Special Adviser on Urban Development 34. Alabi Ahmed Ade Special Adviser on Steel Development 35. Onoja James Omachonu Special Adviser on Statistics 36. Olugboke Josua Gbodi Special Adviser on Special Projects 37. Bode Adeyemi Special Adviser on Energy 38. Sheidu Bello Tinko Special Adviser on Special Duty I 39. Muhammed Shaibu Special Adviser on Emergency Management 40. Momoh Nasiru Omuya Special Adviser on Domestics Affairs 41. Juwon Olorunnipa Special Adviser on Culture & Tourism 42. Egnr. Ezzu Aliyu Momoh Special Adviser on Project Management 43. Yusuf Omuya Nasiru Special Adviser on Local Government & Chieftaincy Affairs Senior Special Assistants 1. Onoja Simon Shaibu SSA on Information & Political Strategy 2. Hon. Laz Akubo SSA on Public Relations (East) 3. Obademi Samson Oladende SSA on Public Relations (West) 4. Joseph Olutimi SSA on Finance 5. Joseph A. Omeiza SSA on Commerce 6. Ikeyi Sunday SSA on Sanitation 7. Richard Otitoleke SSA on Drug Rehabilitation 8. Akubo Victoria Unekwu SSA on Youth & Women Mobilization (Dekina Bassa) 9. Halimat Mohammed Onotu SSA on Youth & Women Mobilzation (Adavi/Okehi) 10. Abubakar Idris Yakubu Echipate SSA 11. Ibrahim Saidu SSA on Pipeline Regulation 12. Ridwan B. Adam SSA on Climate Change 13. Abdullahi Idowu Suleiman SSA on Road Maintenance 14. Mohammed Yusuf SSA on Security & Conflict Resolution 15. Shuaibu Hamza Mohammed SSA on Infrastructure (Central) 16. Jimoh Abidun Johnson SSA on Town Planning 17. Abdulsalam Yekini Ateiza SSA on Special Projects 18. Bama Shehu Mundi SSA on Industries & Productivity 19. Suleiman Adamu SSA on Community Service (Dekina Federal Constituency) 20. Owoyomi Ayoka Williams SSA on Political Matters (West) 21. Hon. Onimisi M. Itopa SSA on Political Strategy & Grassroots Sensitization 22. Adinoyi Ojo Aroke SSA on Grassroots Sensitization (Adavi/Okehi) 23. Emmanuel Duro Olufade SSA on Grassroots Sensitization (Okene/Ogori) 24. Adabara Ibrahim SSA on Political Matters (Central) 25. Halima Wada SSA on Entrepreneurship 26. Moses Tunde Olusegun SSA on Ethics & Value (West) 27. Idris Yahaya SSA on Rural Waters & Sensitization 28. Abdulmalik Haruna Anataku SSA on Grassroots Mobilization 29. Dauda Simbiyat SSA Women Affairs Kogi ( Central) 30. Ajoke Abdulkareem SSA on Stakeholders Engagement 31 Amos Abayomi Clement SSA on Infrastructure (West) 32. Racheal Bosede Olupeka SSA on Due Process 33. Yakubu Suleman Yusuf SSA on Hotel & Tourism 34. Benjamin Ibrahim Amodu SSA on Constituency Outreach 35. Frank Oludare SSA on Rice Mill & Processing 36. Yakubu Abdulmumuni Adeiza SSA on Human Capital Development 37. Mohammed Shaba SSA on Content Creation 38. Odiniya Adejo Sam SSA on Cooperatives II 39. Usman Inya Aishat SSA on Women Matters ( Central) 40. Adedayo Oluwafemi SSA on Corporate Affairs 41. Shuaib Abdullahi Ojo SSA on Commerce & Industry 42. Obajimoh Abdulrasheed SSA on Technology & Technical Service to the DG Government House 43. Sani Musa SSA on Ethics & Values (East) 44. Hon. Aminu A. Atabo SSA on informal & Vocational Education 45. Shaibu Ipinmisho SSA on Land Matters 46. Abdulmaleeq Rufayi SA on Legal Matters 47. Khalihat Bello SSA on Civil Society & Non- Governmental Organization 48. Hon. Adams Sadiq Isah SSA on Intra Party Affairs 49. Onde Salihu Muhammed SSS on Political Harmonization 50. Mukailu Saidu (PWD) SSA on Disability Matters 51. Raji Tope SSA on Political Affairs 52. Ochesuru Haruna Ozovehe SSA on Good Governance 53. Clement Daudu SSA on Private Education Institution 54. Amoka Umar Abdulrahman SSA on Special Dutie III 55. Menyaga Abdul SSA on Community Service (Idah/Bassa Federal Constituency) 56. Daniel Yusuf Achogba SSA on Public Safety 57. Hon. Stephen Tope Ajayi SSA on Internal Affairs 58. Abdullamid J. Omahe SSA on Local Government Service Commission 59. Usman Musa Anako SSA on Telecom Industries 60. Usman Friday George SSA on Industrial Training 61. Egbebi Kayode Augustine SSA on Cultural Integration 62. Isah Abubakar SSA on Urban Development 63. Asiru Segun Abdulganiyu SSA on Solid Minerals 64. Muhammed Yahaya Muhammed SSA on Hospitality & State Orientation 65. Nanahawa Kazeem SSA on Education 66. Hon. Yakubu Makanju Suberu SSA on Rural Development 67. Shehu Atta SSA on Youth Affairs (Adavi) 68. Yahaya Shehu Ahmed SSA on Digital Media 69. Isah Emmanuel Ojodunwene SSA on Student Affairs 70. Fatima Shaba SSA on Women Affairs (Lokoja) 71. Saidu Salihu SSA on Civil Society Organization 72. Idoko Gabriel Monday SSA on Voter Education II 73. Ojotule Saiad Aneke SSA on Environmental Protection 74. Jackson Omonu SSA on Drying Season Farming 75. Innocent Ojata Omachonu SSA on Erosion & Flood Control 76. Ogwu Hassan Ibrahim SSA on Contact & Mobilization 77. Micheal Egwuda Ojadi SSA on Works 78. Ladi Queen Ijanu SSA on Commercial Agriculture 79. Jimoh Mustapha SSA on Sector Refund 80. Tijani Mamman SSA on Public Relations (Central) 81. Aliyu Yakubu SSA on Entertainment (East) 82. Hon. Moses Sani Aguva SSA on Poverty Alleviation 83. Yakubu Saka. O SSA on Climate Monitoring 84. Omeiza Shehu Jekyll SSA on Domestic Affairs 85. Bashir Bello SSA on Domestic II 86. Adiza Ibrahim SSA on Humanitarian (East) 87. Muhammed Awwal Danjuma SSA on Creative Arts 88. Umar Nurudeen Ataba SSA on Liaising and Project Management 89. Sule Ozovehe Jimoh SSA on Project Monitoring 90. Jimoh Onimisi Abiodun SSA on Emergency & Management 91. Salawudeen Alaba Abdulkareem SSA on Produce Monitoring 92. Abdulahi Abubakar Omeiza SSA on Voters Education 93. Hon. Idris Disal SSA on Student Affairs 94. Gaminana Usman SSA on Inter-Religion Affairs 95. Abdulmalik Sunday Omeiza SSA on School Drop Out and Counseling 96. Abdulsalam Faruq Umar SSA on Federal Agencies 97. Ibrahim Umar Mubarak SSA on Youth Empowerment (Central) 98. Saliu Habib SSA on Small and Medium Enterprises 99. Haruna Yunusa Ozovehe SSA on Good Governance 100. Yahaya Hafeez SSA on Youth Matters II 101. Hon. Meka Akpata SSA on Erosion Control (Ogori) 102. Ibrahim Usman SSA on Youth Matter III 103. Muya O. Yakubu SSA on Food Security 104. Adori Tijani SSA on Drug Abuse 105. Abonyi Dada Ibrahim SSA on Peace and Security 106. Rizama Guma SSA on Agricultural Matters (Bassa) 107. Jimaza Felicia SSA on Internally Displaced Persons in Bassa LGA 108. Hon. Halimat Alhassan SSA on Child Labor and Trafficking 109. Hon. Isiaka Salisu Ibrahim SSA on Energy 110. Sunday Sheneni SSA on Artisans Affairs 111. Muhammed Abdullahi SSA on Youth in Agriculture Development 112. Abdulwahab Danbala SSA on Rural and Urban Migration 113. Omole Charity SSA on Youth and Women Mobilization (Ogori/Magongo) 114. Bala Saleh SSA on Non-Indigene (Hausawa) 115. Akowe Benjamin Friday SSA on Budget 116. Omoyi Suleiman Ajagu SSA on Entertainment (Central) 117. Samed Samuel Omede SSA on Human Capital Development II 118. Musari Sanni Ohize SSA on Housing 119. Daudu Olushola Janet SSA on Humanitarian (West) 120. Umar Saleh SSA on Social Event 121. Rufai Enero Sule SSA on Cashew Production and Marketing 122. Abu Mustapha Ogirima SSA on War Against Drug Trafficking 123. Amoka Muhammed Habib SSA on Resource Mobilization 124. Adama Yahaya SSA on Procurement Matters 125. Bashir Musa Adogu SSA on ICT II 126. Ebenezer Tade Adeyemi SSA on Civil Service Matter 127. Dickeogu Austin Chima SSA on Non- Indigene I (Ibo. Community ) 128. Emeka Sunday Nwaeze SSA on Non-Indigene II (Ibo-Community) 129. Chief Empire Iweha SSA on Surveillance 130 Enemaku G. Ochijenu Esq SSA on Social Investment 131. Abdullahi Ali Keller SSA on Youth Mobilization Other appointees include: 132. Dr. Mohammed Shuaibu Ozigis Director-General Kogi Geographical Information Service (KOGIS) 133. Salihu Sanusi Principal Private Secretary (PPS) 134. Hon. Philip Olusesan Orebiyi Board Chairman (Part-Time) (West) 135. Bilikisu Abdulsalam Ogueyi General Manager (Central) 136. Muhammed Sani Inuwa Board Secretary 137. Aliu Enesi Ikutemi Member (Part-Time) (Central) 138. Olumide Tolu Adesoro Member (Part-Time) (West) 139. Akpa Ambrose Member (Part-Time) (East) 140. Maji Muhammed Sanusi Member (Part-Time) (East) 141. Abdulmaleek Member (Part-Time) (Central)
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Kano State branch has frowned at what it called illegal enforcement of a federal high court order on the dethronement of Emir Aminu Bayero. “It must be noted that court has its own mechanism of enforcing its order; it’s not within the powers of the Nigerian Army to deploy troops to enforce court order. This is a sad reminder of the military dictatorship and must be condemned.” A statement today, May 25, by the branch chairman of the Association, Sagir Gezawa, insisted that enforcing court orders must be in line with the Sheriff and Civil Processes Act and Laws of the various States. “The Kano Branch of the NBA is following with keen interest the development regarding the Repeal of Kano Emirate Council Law 2019. “As a body of lawyers, we are deeply concerned about these developments in many ways including: “It’s within the constitutional duty of a State Assembly to legislate and once passed it remains the prerogative of a Governor to assent to such Law. “Once assented to by the Governor, it has become a Law and its implementation is to be done by state apparatus and of course enforced by a competent court of law. “It’s further within the purview of courts to interpret such Law to be in tandem with other existing laws or the Constitution. “In doing so, we urge our members to act responsibly in approaching courts with competent jurisdiction. “A court order, once given is sacrosanct and must be obeyed. That is the motto of this association, “promoting the rule of law.” “Anyone found wanting or in disobedience of a court order (which is declaratory in nature) must first be proved to have been notified of the existence of the said court order by issuance of Form 48 and subsequently Form 49 notifying such person of the consequences of his or her actions. This is in line with the Sheriff and Civil Processes Act and Laws of the various States for enforcing court judgments. “Engaging security apparatus without the officers of the Deputy Sherrif’s Department of the relevant court that made the order may appear to be self help which must also be condemned. “As an association therefore, we call on all state actors, to be mindful of their oaths of office and for the security agencies, their scope of duties so as not to make mockery of our judicial system. “They should as well be mindful of the fact that their actions may breach the security and peace of Kano State and they shall be held accountable in this life or the next,” the statement said.
Islamic Scholars, the Ulamas of Kano have called on President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the State is not thrown into unnecessary chaos. They reminded the President in a statement today, May 25, that Kano State is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria despite its political complexity, but feared that the ongoing happenings in the Emirate, if not carefully handled, could escalate and degenerate into chaos. “It is imperative for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take all necessary steps to maintain peace in the State. “While it is the purview of the State House of Assembly to enact Laws for good governance, the State Government needs the cooperation and support of the Federal Government. The State Assembly amended the Kano State Emirates Law and the Governor assented. “One person took the case to Court that the law violates his Fundamental Human Rights. He is entitled to his rights. “The State Governor also has responsibility as the Chief Executive of the State as the act in question has already been completed. “Therefore there is no need for violent enforcement of any order or violent resistant to it, and we vehemently oppose any measures5 that will bring escalation of conflict in the State. “Mr. President as the leader of the nation should not allow the contest for a royal stool to degenerate to violence. “We are calling on Mr. President to allow the people of Kano State to resolve these issues amicably without use of any force and loss of lives. “Kano State is one of the most peaceful states in Nigeria, therefore we the undersigned call on both contending parties to use civil means in resolving their differences to allow peace to reign in the state. “As major stakeholders in the state, we want to assure Mr. President that we shall reach out to contenders. “May the Almighty Allah bring peace and prosperity to our nation as a whole.”
Former Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has accused the Federal Government of breaching the country’s constitution by Interfering In the ongoing emirate tussle in Kano. “The action of the Federal Government in deploying soldiers in Kano in the tussle over the throne of the ancient city is an upset to the peace and security of the state, and also in breach of the 1999 Constitution as Amended.” In a statement today, May 25, Atiku said that in performing their constitutional duties of law making, the Kano State House of Assembly (KSHA) passed the amended Kano State Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill 2024 in consonance with the provision of Section 4 of the Constitution 1999 as Amended whereas the Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf subsequently signed into law the said bill. “The law therefore repealed the 2019 version which balkanized the ancient Kano Emirate into five. “The foregoing circumstances happened within the confines of the law and in compliance with the powers conferred on the Governor as provided by Section 5(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended; and also in consultation with the Kingmakers of Kano, reappointed Sanusi Lamido Sanusi (also known as Muhammadu Sanusi II) as the 16th Emir of Kano State and accordingly handed him a letter of appointment. “It is surprising that in the early hours of today, exactly at about 5:30 am, the former Emir of Kano, His Majesty Aminu Ado Bayero backed by Federal might, made their way into the Nasarawa Palace of the Kano Emirate while the reappointed Emir, Muhammadu Sanusi II was at the Gidan Dabo, which is the main residence of the Emir of Kano. “In this wise, the former Emir could not have made his way into the Nasarawa Palace without the support of the Federal Government, having done so with the support of the Army and other security personnel in his company. “The deployment of soldiers in extra constitutional matters such as this undermines the integrity of the Nigerian military. “We need to remind the Tinubu administration that Kano State is known for peace and harmony spanning thousands of years and any attempt to destablise the peace of the Land of Commerce shall be resisted.” Atiku recalled that Muhammadu Sanusi II was dethroned on 9th March, 2020 dethroned, Kano forged on in peace without any fracas, saying that if for any reason, law and order breaks down in Kano State, particularly Kano Municipal, the Federal Government should be held responsible as the act of providing security cover to the former Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero to come back to Kano is an invitation to anarchy.
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Kano’s Game Of Thrones, By Hassan Gimba
What is happening in Kano should be of concern to not only the Kanawa or Northerners but to all Nigerians. Kano, as we all know, is the heartbeat of the North. If Kano is economically buoyant, it cascades down to the rest of the North and reflects on the nation’s GDP.
Conversely, any chaos or breach in security will affect other parts of the North, thereby stretching the capacity of our security agencies with all the attendant consequences.
This is why the ongoing ”Game of Thrones” in the ancient city of Kano should concern every Nigerian.
There were some misgivings in some quarters when Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, popularly called SLS – fresh from a controversial sacking from the office of the governor of Nigeria’s Central Bank by then President Goodluck Jonathan – was made the Emir of Kano, against all odds, by Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso on 8th June 2014, in a move that lends credence to the saying that there is no permanent friend or enemy in politics but permanent interests.
In Kwankwaso’s first tenure as governor, he and SLS, then with the First Bank, were more like “enemies”, which made the government of Kano State close its account with the bank as its request for Sanusi’s sack was not acceded to.
Yet there were misgivings too when, again against all odds, he was dethroned by former Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on 9th March 2020. To get at him, Ganduje “shattered” the revered Kano Emirate into five pieces.
Now there are more misgivings after the current governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, himself a Prince, dethroned the five Emirs created by Ganduje and reinstated SLS and returned the emirate to its former status.
The issue, ordinarily a state affair within the governor’s authority, is threatening to escalate and burst onto the national landscape. That is, if it has not already, what with the National Security Adviser (NSA) weighing in.
The thing is, the princes’ insatiable greed for power, influence, relevance and wealth has made them rush open-eyed into the crossfires of ambitious and unscrupulous politicians who keep no captives. To quote from ‘Macbeth’, the Kano princes have “murdered sleep and so shall sleep no more.”
However, the most pitiable here is the common man who whatever is happening in Kano will neither put garri on his table nor solve any of his mammoth and growing problems. It is the common man who would be used as a foot soldier to disrupt the peace of the community.
Welcome Back, “Nigeria We Hail Thee!”
It is no longer news that the National Assembly will bring back our National Anthem at the birth of our nation. It is a welcome development.
On 10 August 2020, I wrote a piece entitled “Pray, who wants Zulum dead?” and I said, “Anybody who chooses to write the truth about our dear country, Nigeria, does so with a heavy heart. You cannot write about your beloved with no degree of passion. The love for it, the sadness at its travails, the fear for its future, and the cry for its affairs to be done right cannot be written dispassionately. Bewildered many a time, you just write for record purposes, knowing that it may change nothing.
“We grew up with the national anthem, ‘Nigeria We Hail Thee’, which was adopted on October 1, 1960. It was our anthem until 1978. The anthem was written by Lillian Jean Williams, a Briton who lived here at the time of our independence, while the music for it was composed by Francis Berda. In the first stanza, there was a rallying exhortation. After saluting the great mother country – ‘Nigeria we hail thee’, it went on to call us to unity and oneness – ‘Though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand…’
“A three-stanza anthem designed to whip up our patriotism, the third stanza struck a chord with me. In it, we supposedly beseech the Creator to help us build a nation where no man is left behind. “O God of creation, grant us this our one request, help us build a nation where no man is oppressed…” In my childish imagination in the early 70s (I was barely ten) I always romanticised that to mean we were imploring God to help us build a real wall of steel, mortar and cement strong enough to withstand external enemies and tall enough that no Nigerian can be thrown over it to the wolves.
“Now, while the first national anthem spoke of Nigeria as a mother, the second spoke of it as a father. The last verse in the first stanza of the earlier anthem was “Nigerians all and proud to serve our sovereign motherland” while the second verse in the first stanza of the later anthem said, “To serve our fatherland”.
“While the mother fiercely loves her brood and can stake her life for them, the father’s love is less sentimental but intense. By nature, he provides for both the mother and the kids and can break his back so that they can have something. He can move mountains to protect and preserve him. And so the child sees its father as stronger than Hercules and richer than Mansa Musa.
“There may be many reasons why General Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime decided to change the anthem to the current one. Chief among them could be nationalism; after all, why should foreigners decide our national anthem, they might have reasoned. But did they put side-by-side the meanings, imports and differences between “motherhood” and “fatherhood” in their decision to adopt the current anthem? Or perhaps they felt that likening Nigeria to a father would make its children revere and work to make it proud of them while in return giving them the love, support and protection only a father can?
“You see, a citizen sees his country in the image of a father. Children begin to lose hope in a father who shirks his responsibilities. They begin to see him as the anonymous lover who, heartbroken, wrote: ‘I am afraid to love you again. But whenever I see you, I just want to hold you in my arms forever. You had promised to protect me forever and never to hurt me for once, but you have broken that promise, just the way you have shattered my heart, too.’
“The yet-to-be-found Chibok girls and all their loved ones can say these words about their fatherland. All Nigerian children and their loved ones kidnapped or killed by Boko Haram in the North-East or its other arm, the bandits in the North West and North Central, can borrow these words too. Even those released after their people have paid their ransom can adopt these words. All Nigerians who believe more could have been done will be at home with these words. Do you think those appalled at how Boko Haram terrorists who were “rehabilitated” and released into society disappear will not see these words as apt?”
On 12 December 2022, writing on “CBN, Qatar 2023 and time to rekindle our patriotism (1)”, I said, “There is nothing more touching than watching fans at the ongoing World Cup shed tears when their national anthem is being sung, or crying when their national team loses a game or even wins. Such a show of intense emotion comes as a result of substantial love for one’s country. It is a sign of unbridled patriotism. You begin to wonder if a Nigerian would cry on hearing our national anthem or cry if we win or lose a game.
“But you must ask yourself whether such love for the country has something to do with the anthem or with how a country’s managers manage it.
Now, many things have happened that have made a lot of Nigerians want to give up because, sadly, the managers of our country have so bastardised our psyche that many of us are afraid to cry for a country those milking it have no sympathy for. Last week, I saw a video clip of a serving minister boasting to his audience that he cannot be defeated in an election because he had “amassed money”! How insensitive can one be!
We all had hopes for this nation. We still have, and we all want it to be the greatest in the world. However, this hope is fading for some, even as many of us still hold on to the dream of a greater Nigeria because we have no other country to call ours.
Hassan Gimba is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Neptune Prime.