Policemen reportedly storm the residence of the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the Globalupfront online Newspaper, Madu Onuorah, yesterday, May 22, whisking him away in a gestapo style.

About ten fully-armed policemen stormed his residence in Lugbe, Abuja, in two Sienna buses at about 6pm.
He was taken away in the presence of his wife and children who fruitlessly demanded from the police why they were arresting the head of the family.
The police seized his phones, thereby completely cutting him off from communication with people, including his family members.
Information reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper said that Onuorah was not allowed to contact his lawyer or any of his relations before he was whisked away to the Lugbe police station by the stern looking operatives.
It was learnt that the policemen who arrested him are not of the Lugbe Police Station, but simply dumped him at the Station and left no traces for friends and family members to reach them.
Meanwhile, the Management of Globalupfront online Newspapers has confirmed the arrest of its boss, saying: “the Police should release Mr. Madu Onuorah immediately and unconditionally.
“That Mr. Onuorah is an experienced Journalist, former Abuja Bureau Chief of The Guardian Newspaper, former Managing-Director of The AUTHORITY Newspaper, who operates within the ambit of the law.
“That anybody who has any issue against Mr. Onuorah should approach the law court and not turn the Nigerian Police into a Gestapo outfit that bullies a man in the presence of his wife and children.
“That any second Mr. Onuorah spends in police custody constitutes a serious infringement against his fundamental rights and a continuation of the assault on freedom of expression that has become frequent occurrence in Nigeria recently.”

Organised labour unions in Nigeria have now reduced their demand for a new National Minimum Wage from N615,000 to N500,000, even as the federal government stands its ground on N54,000.
Information reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper said that the unions made their new position at the ongoing Tripartite Committee meeting on the National Minimum Wage in Abuja today, May 22.
It was learnt that the labour leaders reduced their demands so as to ensure a speedy conclusion of negotiation on new national minimum wage.
It was further learnt that the government team is adamant, insisting on the N54,000 offer, complaining of non-availability of fund and the inability of the private sector to pay.
A source hinted that the private sector has made an additional N3,000 taking up its offer to N57,000 from the initial N54,000.
“Labour has been requested to shift in response to the Government. They complied and came down to N500,000.
“The Government has agreed that NLC is using evidence-based presentation. But they argue that eight states are not paying or not fully implementing the 2019 minimum wage.
“The Government is talking of non-availability of funds. They are also talking about the inability of the private sector to pay.”
The source said that the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, was present at the meeting.
”The Imo State Governor has stepped in. He is not a member of the committee but it is good that there is at least a governor, as the six governors in the committee have been regularly absent.”
Source: Vanguard.

The people of Ogoni ethnic nationality in Rivers State under the canopy of Ogoni Beyond Oil and Politics (BOP), have lamented that years after their struggle, cloud of injustice is still hanging over Ogoni land.
The group insisted on the government putting an end to all forms of environmental, social and political injustice against them.
The Convener of BOP, Mene Kadilo Kabari, during an event to mark the 30 years of murder of the four Ogoni Chiefs: Chiefs Albert Badey, Edward Kobani, Theophilus Orage and Samuel Orage, asked the federal government to set up a committee to carry out proper burial rite for all the Ogoni leaders who were killed in the course of their quest for justice for Ogoni people.
He said that BOP is a project aimed at uniting the leaders of Ogoni in the interest of the development of the oil rich area.
In an address titled: ‘Three Decades after Toeing the Path of Self-Destruction, Ogonis must Think Beyond Oil and Politics to Reunite and Rebuild Ogoniland,’ Kabari regretted the disunity among the ruling class in the area.
He called the people of Ogoni to de-emphasise politics and oil and give attention to other sources of livelihood, adding that too much dependence on oil and politics has only hampered development in Ogoni caused more disunity in Ogoni. The Mene stated that the killing of the four prominent Ogoni leaders that led to other killings worsened the socio-economic and politically marginalisation of the Ogoni people, adding that till date the n of
“this anniversary once again calls for sober reflection on where we were, where we are and where we ought to be in the actualisation of the hopes and aspirations of our forebears that culminated in a struggle for which they lived and died.
“It is saddening however to note in all honesty that we are a far cry from the lofty dreams of our great leaders who lost their lives in the Ogoni struggle.
“It is therefore the position of members of the B.O.P Ogoni project, that Ogonis far and near must go back to the drawing board, reflect on the struggle that was developed around the tripod of environmental, social and political injustices, which still stares us all in our faces.
“The social stigma of a disunited people, whose leaders were gruesomely murdered first by themselves and, then by the state leaving behind a nightmare of failure from the Ogoni bill of rights to even producing a Governor, Deputy Governor, Speaker or Chief Judge of Ogoni extraction since the creation of Rivers State is indeed a darkling plain which requires concerted efforts of all and sundry to change the narrative in every front.”
Kabari called on the federal government to set up a committee that would organise a proper burial for the Ogoni leaders who were murdered in their quest for justice for their people and grant pardon to late Ken Saro-Wiwa and the eight others. He also urged politicians of Ogoni extraction to work together to end the age long political marginalisation, even as he tasked the FG for a holistic review of the ongoing implementation of the UNEP report on Ogoniland and demanded a quick completion of the Centre for Excellence and its conversion to a University for Environment.

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.”

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.”

Source: SAHARA REPORTERS

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.”