An Abuja Federal High Court has granted former Commander of Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT), Abba Kyari two weeks bail to enable him to go and bury his mother. The court asked the top cop to return on Friday, May 31 to continue with his application for bail proper. Abba Kyari is standing trial for drug-related offences, filed by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The former IRT boss was arrested on February 14, 2022 by the NDLEA.
The Labour Party (LP) candidate in the 2023 Presidential election, Peter Obi, has accused the federal government, under the All Progressives Congress (APC), of financial Indiscipline. He expressed sadness with the federal government’s financial recklessness and misplacement of priorities in the allocation of funds. “It is time for us to stop this financial indiscipline and embrace financial discipline by prioritising the allocation of resources to the critical areas of human and national development.” Peter Obi was quoted by his spokesperson, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, to have deplored the continued deployment of public resources to nonessential areas of development. He said that despite the poor and embarrassing position of Nigeria in the global average in school enrolment, the government is budgeting a paltry N1 billion for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions while N10 billion is going for building of car parks and recreational facilities. “As the giant of Africa which we are, I remain concerned about our fiscal indiscipline as a nation. “Imagine the situation in our education sector where the global average of secondary school enrolment is above 80 percent, but Nigeria is 28 percent. “The global average of tertiary school enrolment is above 55 percent, while Nigeria is less than 15 percent. Yet, our budget for the National Assembly car parks is N6 billion. The budget for the National Assembly recreational facilities is N4 billion. “Approved for the construction of hostels in 12 tertiary institutions is just N1 billion.”
A former national vice chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman has asked the national chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to convene the meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) and other relevant bodies of the party within 16 days or face legal action. In a letter, dated May 21, 2024, and addressed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the APC chieftain wanted the President to intervene by compelling Ganduje to convene such meetings. The letter, which was made available to newsmen today, May 22 in Abuja, were copied to Vice President Kashim Shettima; Senate President, Godswill Akpabio; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen; Chairman, Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodinma, and Ganduje. The letter reads in part: “l am compelled to kindly draw Your Excellency’s attention that as it is, our party is operating almost blindly without recourse to provisions of the APC Constitution. Meetings of organs as specified by relevant provisions of the APC Constitution are not taking place. “Decisions, which established organs of the party are expected to take, are being taken by individual leaders outside those organs. One of the critical organs, the Board of Trustees, which is renamed National Advisory Council has not been inaugurated since the formation of the APC in July 2013. “With such reality, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party has appropriated the powers of all organs and in its name the National Chairman is taking discretionary decisions. “With such reality, many of the decisions taken not only violate sections of the APC Constitution but also undermine Sections 221 — 229 of Part Il of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution as amended as well as the Electoral Act 2022. “I want to kindly demand that every necessary initiative should be started between now May 21, 2024 and June 7, 2024 to activate all organs of the APC in line with the extant provisions of the party’s constitution. “Failure to do that will compel me as a patriotic Nigerian and loyal party member who has paid his dues to seek legal redress. Democracy is meaningless without functional political parties.” The various organs of the APC that have not met since Ganduje assumed office on August 3, 2023, are the National Executive Committee (NEC) which is the second highest decision-making organ, after the national convention; National Caucus and the National Advisory Council, also called the Board of Trustees (BoT).
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Yakubu Mahmood has formally protested against misinformation making the rounds that the Commission has been the one responsible for the shabby elections being conducted in local governments across the country. He complained that many Nigerians mistake the SIECs for INEC.
“Indeed, even some of the stakeholders, including candidates for Local Government elections, call them State INEC.” Professor Mahmood, who spoke when the executive members of the Forum of State Independent Electoral Commissions (FOSIECOM) paid him a visit in his office today, May 22, said that both INEC and State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) are separate entities created by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). “The conduct of Local Government elections is fundamental to the proper functioning of our democracy. In fact, Sections 153 and 197 of the Constitution establish INEC and SIECs as two distinct and independent bodies with powers under the Third Schedule Part I (F)(14-15) and Part II (B)[3-4] to organise, undertake and supervise elections. “While SIECs are responsible for the conduct of Local Government elections for Chairmen and Councillors, INEC conducts all other executive and legislative polls from presidential and governorship to national and State legislative elections. “Our mandates are therefore clearly defined by the Constitution. “However, INEC is also empowered by Section 98 of the Electoral Act 2022 to conduct Local Government or Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). INEC boss regretted that the conduct of Local Government elections in virtually all the States of the Federation, by SIECs has become mere coronation of candidates of the ruling parties. “It is time to stop the coronation and conduct proper elections. State Governors should allow the SIECs to have greater capacity for independent action. “Many of the SIECs have no functional offices in the Local Government Areas in their States and cannot recruit their own permanent staff. “In some States, the SIECs are either not properly constituted, have no security of tenure or their critical functions have been taken over by government officials. “Some SIECs are only constituted on the eve of elections and dissolved thereafter. “They are also severely under-resourced to the extent that some of them rely on INEC even for basic facilities such as ballot boxes and voting cubicles.” He said that the situation has forced INEC to reconsider some aspects of its relationship with the SIECs. “Our support is now largely restricted to the voters’ register as provided by the Constitution. “INEC cannot shoulder its own extensive responsibilities and at the same time extend almost limitless support to other independent electoral commissions for elections outside our mandate across the country from our lean Federal budget. “INEC is not unaware of the ongoing discussions about the future of elections for the 774 Local Government Chairmen as well as Councillors representing the 8,809 electoral wards in Nigeria. “However, under the extant law, the 36 SIECs are responsible for the election of 768 Local Government Chairmen and 8,747 Councillors, making a total of 9,515 constituencies. INEC conducts elections for the 68 constituencies in the FCT made up of 6 Area Council Chairmen and 62 Councillors, including bye-elections as they arise. “It has been our earnest hope that the elections conducted by INEC in the FCT will provide a model for Local Government elections across the country. “In spite of the challenges encountered, there has been a progressive improvement in the conduct of the Area Council Elections in the FCT. “There is security of tenure for Chairmen and Councillors which is now four years. “There are no caretaker committees as elections are held regularly. There is plurality in electoral outcomes as no single party has ever won elections in all the constituencies in the Area Councils. “Happily, the Electoral Act 2022 that now governs the conduct of national and Area Council elections also applies to Local Government elections nationwide. “This has been made possible by the efforts of INEC arising from earlier discussions with FOSIECOM on the imperative of a model law to govern the conduct of Local Government elections across the country.” Professor Mahmood appealed to FOSIECOM to take the bull by the horns, saying that while there are legal and financial constraints to their operations, they should know that their independence does not draw from statutory or financial provisions alone. “The courage with which you discharge your obligation to protect the integrity and credibility of elections is the most important determinant of success. “There are no shortcuts to the discharge of this enormous responsibility.” He reassured the State electoral bodies that INEC will continue to work with them to push the boundaries of electoral reform. “Working together, we should continue to explore all avenues under the law to improve the conduct of Local Government Elections in Nigeria. “However, you should always bear in mind that INEC and other stakeholders can only help you, but there must be a determination on your part to do the needful.” The Chairman of FOSIECOM, Chief Barrister Jossy Chibundu Eze who is also the Chairman of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, led other Executive Members of the Forum on the visit to the INEC.
Nigeria’s Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has said that there will be no celebration to mark President Bola Tinubu’s one year in office. The minister, who addressed newsmen today, May 22, emphasized that the anniversary would be observed in low-key. Mohammed Idris said that the one year anniversary is being observed without any form of celebration due to the mood of the nation. “There won’t be any form of celebrations; there will be sectoral briefings.”
The Nigerian Army authorities have dismissed three soldiers who were arrested by the police for armed robbery and kidnapping. The suspects were identified as LCPL Abdul Musa, CPL Innocent Okwoli and CPL West Isaac. Sources in the military said that the dismissed soldiers were arrested last month by policemen during an operation with some civilians. They were then handed over to the army authorities for own investigation. The soldiers were said to have been charged, tried, found guilty and subsequently dismissed from service in line with the provision of the Armed Forces Act Caps A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. The affected army officers have been returned to the police for further action. “The soldiers were arrested by men of the Nigerian Police Force for the offence of armed robbery and kidnapping. After their arrest, the police handed them over to the army authorities for investigation. One of the sources said: “during the course of investigation, it was observed that the soldiers were perpetual criminals who always robbed trucks and diverted goods being carried to a wearhouse where they do sell them. They also kidnapped the drivers and others. They always carried out the operations alongside some civilians.
“Furthermore, they were summarily tried and dismissed and were also handed over to the police as the offences they committed were pure civil related offences for further investigation and prosecution.”
An academic egghead and member of the Northern Elders Forum, Professor Usman Yusuf has described the economic team put together by President Bola Tinubu as tax collectors. “The economic team, to me, looks more like tax collectors than economists. “Taxation does not grow the economy, only production does.” Answering questions on a Channels TV programme: “Sunday Politics,” Professor Usman said that instead of bringing hope to Nigerians, Tinubu’s administration has made Nigerians more hopeless in the last one year. Professor Usman, who is a former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme, insisted: “People have lost hope. “It pains me to see our people lining up to collect cups of palliatives. “Renewed Hope has turned into hopelessness. People have lost hope. “From next week, they will start telling us their propaganda. “What have they done to benefit the ordinary people? “In a span of one year, they have brought millions of people back into multidimensional poverty. They have pushed millions more children out of school because their parents cannot pay their school fees.”
Iranian President, Ebrahim Raeisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian have died in a helicopter crash in East Azarbaijan Province.
The helicopter was carrying a delegation, including East Azarbaijan Governor, Malek Rahmati, Friday Prayers leader Mohammad Ali Al-e Hashem and a member of the president’s bodyguard team Mahdi Mousavi, all of whom died in the crash.
The helicopter was returning from a ceremony to inaugurate a dam on the Aras River with Azerbaijan’s President, Ilham Aliyev when it crashed in the Dizmar forest.
Following the crash yesterday, May 19, the cabinet held an emergency session, headed by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber.
The incident has sent shockwaves across Iran, and the country is in mourning.
An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, with bad weather and fog believed to have contributed to the tragic event.
Professor Wole Soyinka’s Poem, titled: “The Man Died,” revolves around the theme of moral courage and the necessity for people to speak out against injustice, with metaphorical meaning that silence in the face of oppression and tyranny is a form of complicity. The titular phrase: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny,” encapsulates the idea that failing to resist or speak out against injustice causes a metaphorical death of one’s moral integrity and humanity. But here in this piece, the man actually died physically and practically, after going through some kind of silent battles with unseen. He is Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaibu Simpa, a retired police officer, a gentleman to the core and lover of the people around his vicinity and the world. He actually was a quiet and self secluded personality, but those who were close to him know that he was worth more than a passing glance. Alhaji, as his younger siblings and some friends used to call him, served the nation mainly in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Nigeria Police Force. He was one of the few police officers who came out of the service clean. He practically distanced himself from anything bribery and corruption. As a matter of fact, he retired as a senior police officer, and landed in poverty because he did not get any accumulated bribed millions of currencies to fall back on. He only managed to develop a small plot of land he acquired from a family member shortly after his retirement. He pulled some resources together, including his retirement benefits to erect a portable three bedrooms in which he lived for nearly twenty years before he died. His later days were made somewhat comfortable by his in-law, an Igbo man who married one of his younger sisters. The Igbo man was he who installed borehole in his small compound at Agassa in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. It was the Igbo man who bought a car for him, the car he was cleaning up a couple of days ago and had a dangerous fall: the fall that marked the last time he spoke and recognized where he was. He virtually passed out, of no return. In fact, on his return from a morning devotion in a nearby Mosque at about 5.30am that day, he went into his room to change into boxer, came out to clean up the car. While doing the cleaning, he fell and hit his head on the cemented elevation. And that was all!!! From then, he could neither talk nor do any other thing, including eating. He practically became unconscious. He remained unconscious until Monday, May 13, 2024 when he finally gave up the ghost at the Reference Hospital in Okene. In fact, that was not the first time he experienced sudden attack. Over 15 years ago, strange tropical sore seized his left leg shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia where he performed pilgrimage. The stubborn sore refused to go despite all kinds of medications, both orthodox and traditional/herbal treatments. It was by the special grace of God that the strange tropical sore, which was already disfiguring his leg, healed up. Not long after the healing, about eight years ago, Alhaji Abdullahi also collapsed in the bathroom of his house, leading to partial stroke. The people around him; his wife, one of his younger sisters and her husband (yours humbly), as well as his brothers within reach, rose to the challenge. With prayers and constant monitoring as well as proper herbal treatments, he lived through the partial stroke, to the extent that he could move around effortlessly. Alhaji Abdullahi, indeed, did not present a man coming from Force service. He was a complete epitome of gentleman; so gentle and almost always in happy mood so much that you could not define his moment of trial in the face of natural and man-made challenges. He was equally submissive to the opinions of even his younger ones, including his wife as if he admitted that everyone was right except him. His gentle nature and “let-me-not-disturb-them” attitude probably contributed to the point at which no one could sense that he needed a helping hand in any situation. Help always came from those who kept close watch on him when his body system kind of showed, and the body protested, so to say. When the message of his death came to my wife, Nurse Hajara Ohunene Shuaibu Simpa, his younger sister, in the early part of the evening of May 13, the first word that came forth from me was, “Yes, he tried.” Of course, having followed his health challenges, having had the privilege of being one of those who stood by him, I meant every word when I said that Alhaji Abdullahi tried. He proved beyond any doubt that he was a MAN; a man who refused to bow to the machinations of the evil ones; a man who lived in the midst of lions, leopards and hyenas but refused to be bended. The death that knocked on his door on May 13 was definitely of God. At close to 80, with six children, almost all of them graduates, even with one of them in possession of Masters; with a life free of envy, rancour towards none and a life of happiness even in odd moments, Alhaji Abdullahi can be said to have been a fulfilled man. And above all, his strict attachment to his creator, Allah SWA, proved the point that obviously, he left this world on May 13 a very happy, fulfilled and satisfied man. May the Almighty Allah forgive all his shortcomings, the ones he did intentionally and the ones he didn’t know he did, and admit him in Aljannatu Firdausi.
Pastor Isaac Oyedepo, the son of the founder of Living Faith Church, popularly known as Winners Chapel, Bishop David Oyedepo, has said that there are pastors and church members that are still hooked to pornography, as he did before. “I think people feel there are things we shouldn’t talk about, but today there are some pastors and church members still struggling with it. In a podcast titled: “Confession Box,” which was hosted by Pastor Luke Adeboye, a son of Pastor Enoch Adeboye, Pastor Oyedepo said: “you may be anointed, seeing signs and wonders, but it does not mean you are standing right. “A lot of people still struggle with it and I think of somebody who had struggled with it and had walked up to me and told me how to come out, I would have come out quickly.” Pastor Oyedepo told Pastor Adeboye during the podcast: “my confessions are good ones that will help people. I struggled with pornography before. “I remembered how it started. We travelled to one country, and I was meant to be in the room alone. “I switched on the TV, and that’s it. But God brought me out of it very quickly.” The Pastor recalled an old saying that “if it’s working it means you are standing right, but I found out that it’s not always the case. “There are times I found out I wasn’t right, but grace and mercy found me. “For the sake of someone who is genuine in the congregation, God can bypass you to meet the person. “This is my confession.” Pastor Adeboye, the father, is the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God. Source: The Eagle online.
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The Man, Abdullahi Simpa, Dies, By Yusuf Ozi-Usman
Professor Wole Soyinka’s Poem, titled: “The Man Died,” revolves around the theme of moral courage and the necessity for people to speak out against injustice, with metaphorical meaning that silence in the face of oppression and tyranny is a form of complicity. The titular phrase: “The man dies in all who keep silent in the face of tyranny,” encapsulates the idea that failing to resist or speak out against injustice causes a metaphorical death of one’s moral integrity and humanity.
But here in this piece, the man actually died physically and practically, after going through some kind of silent battles with unseen.
He is Alhaji Abdullahi Shuaibu Simpa, a retired police officer, a gentleman to the core and lover of the people around his vicinity and the world. He actually was a quiet and self secluded personality, but those who were close to him know that he was worth more than a passing glance.
Alhaji, as his younger siblings and some friends used to call him, served the nation mainly in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Nigeria Police Force. He was one of the few police officers who came out of the service clean. He practically distanced himself from anything bribery and corruption. As a matter of fact, he retired as a senior police officer, and landed in poverty because he did not get any accumulated bribed millions of currencies to fall back on.
He only managed to develop a small plot of land he acquired from a family member shortly after his retirement. He pulled some resources together, including his retirement benefits to erect a portable three bedrooms in which he lived for nearly twenty years before he died.
His later days were made somewhat comfortable by his in-law, an Igbo man who married one of his younger sisters. The Igbo man was he who installed borehole in his small compound at Agassa in Okene Local Government Area of Kogi State. It was the Igbo man who bought a car for him, the car he was cleaning up a couple of days ago and had a dangerous fall: the fall that marked the last time he spoke and recognized where he was. He virtually passed out, of no return.
In fact, on his return from a morning devotion in a nearby Mosque at about 5.30am that day, he went into his room to change into boxer, came out to clean up the car. While doing the cleaning, he fell and hit his head on the cemented elevation. And that was all!!!
From then, he could neither talk nor do any other thing, including eating. He practically became unconscious.
He remained unconscious until Monday, May 13, 2024 when he finally gave up the ghost at the Reference Hospital in Okene.
In fact, that was not the first time he experienced sudden attack. Over 15 years ago, strange tropical sore seized his left leg shortly after his return from Saudi Arabia where he performed pilgrimage. The stubborn sore refused to go despite all kinds of medications, both orthodox and traditional/herbal treatments. It was by the special grace of God that the strange tropical sore, which was already disfiguring his leg, healed up.
Not long after the healing, about eight years ago, Alhaji Abdullahi also collapsed in the bathroom of his house, leading to partial stroke. The people around him; his wife, one of his younger sisters and her husband (yours humbly), as well as his brothers within reach, rose to the challenge. With prayers and constant monitoring as well as proper herbal treatments, he lived through the partial stroke, to the extent that he could move around effortlessly.
Alhaji Abdullahi, indeed, did not present a man coming from Force service. He was a complete epitome of gentleman; so gentle and almost always in happy mood so much that you could not define his moment of trial in the face of natural and man-made challenges. He was equally submissive to the opinions of even his younger ones, including his wife as if he admitted that everyone was right except him.
His gentle nature and “let-me-not-disturb-them” attitude probably contributed to the point at which no one could sense that he needed a helping hand in any situation. Help always came from those who kept close watch on him when his body system kind of showed, and the body protested, so to say.
When the message of his death came to my wife, Nurse Hajara Ohunene Shuaibu Simpa, his younger sister, in the early part of the evening of May 13, the first word that came forth from me was, “Yes, he tried.”
Of course, having followed his health challenges, having had the privilege of being one of those who stood by him, I meant every word when I said that Alhaji Abdullahi tried.
He proved beyond any doubt that he was a MAN; a man who refused to bow to the machinations of the evil ones; a man who lived in the midst of lions, leopards and hyenas but refused to be bended.
The death that knocked on his door on May 13 was definitely of God. At close to 80, with six children, almost all of them graduates, even with one of them in possession of Masters; with a life free of envy, rancour towards none and a life of happiness even in odd moments, Alhaji Abdullahi can be said to have been a fulfilled man. And above all, his strict attachment to his creator, Allah SWA, proved the point that obviously, he left this world on May 13 a very happy, fulfilled and satisfied man.
May the Almighty Allah forgive all his shortcomings, the ones he did intentionally and the ones he didn’t know he did, and admit him in Aljannatu Firdausi.