The Sardauna Dutse in Jigawa State, Alhaji Bello Maitama Yusuf, is dead. He died in the early hours of today, October 13, in Kano at the age of 76. Maitama Yusuf was a Senator from 1999 to 2007 and Minister of Internal Affairs in1981 and Minister of Commerce in 1982 in the administration of the late President Shehu Shagari of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was born in Gwaram, Jigawa State, in 1947, A family friend of the deceased, Alhaji Hussaini Dalhatu, confirmed the passing of Yusuf in Kano on today morning and that the funeral prayer would take place after the Friday prayers at the Emir of Kano’s palace.
Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni In the 12 years since Boko Haram started as a terrorist insurgency in the Northeast sub-region, millions of people have been affected in many ways, big and small. This is a well-known fact. Also well-known is the fact that in the wake of Boko Haram’s relentless attacks on communities before the insurgent group was significantly subdued by the security forces, many people were forced from their homes. Among these were some who settled with near relatives; those who settled in host communities, such as in Kuka-Reta town on the outskirts of Damaturu metropolis; and those who initially lived in IDP camps. However, it’s been many years since official IDP camps were closed in Yobe State. This is because many of the people in those IDP camps were helped by the state government and by development partners to return to their communities or, in some cases, to fully settle in their respective host communities. There were a few exceptions to this, however. There were situations where former IDPs, earlier displaced from their communities, decided to take up residence in newly sprung neighborhoods on the outskirts of the state capital. Many of those people simply engage in their individual vocations or activities every day. Some engage in farming or operate as farm workers while others engage in menial jobs and small businesses to support their families. Among those living close to the Yobe State University, for instance, there are some who have even set up shops or stalls on campus and engage in their legitimate small businesses. But among this category of initially displaced persons, there are also some who required food handouts. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), having reckoned with that, periodically provides food and other non-food-item-support to these people. The Yobe SEMA, one of the most notable and active in the country, has a well-documented inventory of supporting these people and other IDPs affected by disasters or conflicts. Anyone seeking to know more can visit SEMA’s different handles on social media to see photos, videos, notes and actual testimonies of people who had benefited from the agency’s support among vulnerable and affected communities throughout the state. Yobe SEMA’s wide-ranging interventions are testament to the commitment of Governor Mai Mala Buni to help people in need and to ensure that people affected by the Boko Haram insurgency can reclaim their lives and build a future for themselves and their families. Last week, the United Nations Resident Representative and UNDP Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya visited Yobe State and offered to assist the state government in its resettlement, reconstruction and stabilization effort. As was widely reported, the UN resident representative and his team, along with Governor Mai Mala Buni and other Yobe government officials, travelled to Mallam Dunari ward in Gujba local government area, the one and only remaining ward in the state where initially displaced people have yet to return, after being displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency. The UNDP coordinator promised that the United Nations will help the Yobe State Government to resettle the Mallam Dunari people back in their communities in a dignified manner. Anyone following the trajectory of effort of the Mai Mala Buni administration with regards to IDPs affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, therefore, knows that providing humanitarian support to people affected by conflict has been and still remains front and center of the administration’s humanitarian interventions. This is why I find a recent news report by Premium Times titled “Yobe IDPs: Displaced by Boko Haram, Abandoned by Government, Ravaged by hunger” not only wildly out of context but demonstrably misleading and mischievous. First, there is no question that to this day, people remain significantly impacted by Boko Haram. It will take probably many years before the impacts of the insurgency can be wiped off people’s lives in the BAY states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. But the idea that the Abbari camp in Damaturu, where the Premium Times report was focused “is among 445 displaced sites in the state” is totally false. Abbari area has been in existence in the state capital for many years. But the area has expanded recently when people initially displaced by the Boko Haram conflict decided on their own to take residence in the area. It’s therefore not an IDP camp although people who were previously IDP now live in the area. The Premium Times report essentially focused on two women affected by the conflict. But our checks revealed that many of the portrayals of those women were hyped or downright false. One of them, paradoxically, currently owns a stall at the Yobe State University campus and engages in small business. “That woman cannot be taken to a police station over N1 million”, someone who knows about her said. Even if this (financial chest) is not the case, the idea that the woman has a stall on campus at the Yobe State University and goes there everyday to engage in her small business belies the submissions about her condition in the Premium Times report. While I agree that the media have a constitutional license to hold government accountable to the people, that cannot be at the expense of the truth, facts and context – and that while opinions are free, facts are (and must remain) sacred. The Buni administration does not have an unlimited war chest to attend to all the challenges that the Boko Haram insurgency has thrown. But there is no question that within the limits of available resources – and the support of development partners, the administration continues to do well in offering succor and support to those most in need. I believe this will remain the case to the end of the administration’s term in office. Yawale is head of information department, Ministry of Home Affairs and Information, Yobe State
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has restored regulatory services to one of its licensees, Globacom Limited after it successfully cleared its outstanding debt obligations to the Commission for unpaid Spectrum Fees, Numbering Fees and Annual Operating Levy (AOL).
The Commission has also stepped down planned enforcement action against Globacom over its breach of extant regulations by failing to pay its debts despite several demand notices.
A statement today, October 12, by the NCC chief spokesman, Reuben Muoka said that the Commission had temporarily withdrawn the suspension of regulatory services to Globacom in a letter dated May 22, 2023, titled “Re: Continuous Breach of Commission’s Laws and Regulations.”
He said that the suspension of regulatory services to Globacom was automatically reinstated after it failed to meet the conditions for the earlier withdrawal.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has now opened foreign exchange market for importers of all the 43 items previously restricted by the 2015 Circular, referenced TED/FEM/FPC/GEN/01/010.
A statement today, October 12, by the apex bank’s Director of Communications, Dr. Isa AbdulMumin, said that even those who were added to the restricted items “are now allowed to purchase foreign exchange in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market.”
Dr. AbdulMumin stressed that the Central Bank would continue to promote orderliness and professionalism, adding that it would regulate the conduct of all participants in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market “to ensure market forces determine exchange rates on a Willing Buyer-Willing Seller principle.”
It made it clear that the prevailing Foreign Exchange (FX) rates should be referenced from platforms such as the CBN website, FMDQ, and other recognised or appointed trading systems to promote price discovery, transparency, and credibility in the FX rates.
“As part of its responsibility to ensure price stability, the CBN will boost liquidity in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market by interventions from time to time. As market liquidity improves, these CBN interventions will gradually decrease.”
The apex bank’s spokesman said that the bank is committed to accelerating efforts to clear the FX backlog with existing participants and will continue dialogue with stakeholders to address the issue.
“The CBN has set as one of its goals, the attainment of a single FX market. Consultation is ongoing with market participants to achieve this goal.”
President Bola Tinubu has appointment of Ola Olukoyede, a specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence, as the new Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). The appointment, which is subject to Senate confirmation, is for a renewable term of four years in the first instance. A statement today, October 12, by the presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale said that the appointment is linked to section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act, 2004. The section satates: “the Chairman and members of the Commission, other than ex-officio members, shall be appointed by the President.” The new EFCC chairman, according to the statement, is a lawyer with over 22 years of experience as a regulatory compliance consultant and specialist in fraud management and corporate intelligence. He has extensive experience in the operations of the EFCC, having previously served as Chief of Staff to the Executive Chairman (2016-2018) and Secretary to the Commission (2018-2023). “As such, he fulfills the statutory requirement for appointment as Chairman of the EFCC.” The statement said that the appointment of Olukoyede came following the resignation of the suspended Executive Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa. The statement said that the President also appointed Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda as Secretary of the EFCC for a renewable term of five years in the first instance, pending Senate confirmation. Muhammad Hassan Hammajoda is a public administrator with extensive experience in public finance management who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from the University of Maiduguri and a Masters in Business Administration from the same university. He began his career as a lecturer at the Federal Polytechnic, Mubi. From there, he went into banking, including successful stints at the defunct Allied Bank and Standard Trust Bank. The President asked the new leadership of the EFCC to justify the confidence given to them in this important national assignment as a newly invigorated war on corruption undertaken through a reformed institutional architecture in the anti-corruption sector remains a central pillar of the President’s Renewed Hope agenda.
Dear Peter Obi, You have shamelessly just gone on national TV to call on the President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to reveal his identity to Nigerians and the world. This is the most idiotic request Nigerians have had the misfortune of hearing from one whose advisers are people with mental health issues. Nigeria parades some of the most intelligent people on earth and you disrespect our intelligence in this way? Manipulation is a skill and you are unskilled when it comes to Manipulation. If you do not know who President Tinubu is, you have been probably locked up as a prisoner in your warped mind, or you have been living in cuckcoo land. How can you allow yourself to be used to question the identity of a man who has been in the limelight since his youth? How can you come low to the level of your gullible followers to begin this late in the day, to question the identity of a man who was checked by our security operatives and cleared twice to govern the most successful and cosmopolitan state in Nigeria, Lagos? If you can come on national TV to question the identity of a man who was cleared by all our security operatives to become a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that’s enough justification and validation for your resounding rejection at the polls in 2023. We watched carefully to see if a gun was pointed at you as you demand for the identity of a man who was scrutinised and cleared by the Security operatives in Nigeria to run for the highest office of the land. But there was none. You did it on your own. What is wrong with you? This is like a drowning man grasping at grass. It’s time to stop taking instructions from people who are bitter, angry, envious and who have lost their minds, years ago. Our Nigerian youth are more sensible than you think. You won’t be able to manipulate them into turning against their own nation. Your comrades in arm have all tried and failed. This is the only nation we all have. WE WILL PROTECT OUR NATION. Go home, Peter. You will NEVER be declared President of our great nation. Apart from the simple fact that you came a distant third, you don’t deserve to lead our nation. Your temperament and disposition are not the attributes needed to lead a diverse nation such as Nigeria. You failed Anambra. You can’t even lead the South East! Under your nose, South East became a war zone. A once vibrant economy built on hardwork, destroyed. Lives and properties ruined. Shelf your desperation. Your ambition is beyond what you deserve. It will never come to pass. Finally, you want to know our President’s true identity. Well, his real name is, Nemesis Jupiter. His father Karma, is the King of Jupiter who married Nemesis’ mother from Mars. When Mr. President was 25 years old, his family came from Jupiter to swim at the Bar-beach in Lagos. They left him at the bar-beach to fend for himself. So at 25, he did not go to Primary, Secondary nor any Tertiary institution. I hope you’re happy now. Just go home, Peter. Put your feet up and enjoy your retirement and grandchildren as I’m doing. God bless Nigeria. Lauretta Onochie. @Laurestar
President Bola Tinubu has sent the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Professor Umar Garba Danbatta packing. In a swift move today, October 11 as detailed in a statement by the Presidential spokesman, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu replaced Dambatta with Aminu Maida. Aminu Maida, until his new appointment which takes immediate effect, was the Executive Director, Technology & Operations at Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System Plc (NIBSS). He is seasoned-technical professional with over 15 years’ multi-functional and international experience in FinTech & Telecoms & Enterprise Technology. Others, who the President appointed with immediate effect, across multiple agencies under the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy are Nkechi Egerton-Idehen as MD/CEO, Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi as DG/CEO, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Dr. Vincent Olatunji as National Commissioner / CEO, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) and Tola Odeyemi as Postmaster General / CEO, Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST). The President also appointed Idris Alubankudi as Special Adviser to the President on Technology and Digital Economy towards leveraging on Nigeria’s technological and digital economic prowess to reposition the nation’s economy toward greater financial inclusion.
The House of Representatives has postponed all the lawmaking activities in honour of a member, Hon. Abdulkadir Jelani Danbuga, representing Isa/Sabon Birni Federal Constituency of Sokoto State who died early today, October 11. A statement by the House Spokesman/Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi said that Abdulkadir Jelani died at the age of 63, after a brief illness and that his remains have been buried in Sokoto State today, according to Islamic rites. “At plenary today presided over by Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, the House observed a minute silence in honour of the dear departed, and immediately adjourned, deferring the day’s order of business till tomorrow, Thursday, October 12, 2023, in line with parliamentary tradition. “The House commiserates with all those he left behind, and prays God comforts his family, constituents, and the entire people of Sokoto State, and grant the late parliamentarian peaceful repose of his soul.” The deceased was former Sole Administrator of Sabo Bini Local Government Council in Sokoto State, and was elected to the Green Chamber in April 2023 on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, has been appointed as chairman of the committee towards tackling the looming flooding across the country. The committee is expected to produce a road map by harmonising the recent National Economic Council (NEC) report on flood, the 2022 National Flood Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan as well as all other national reports on flood. The Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, is to serve as vice chairman of the committee, which is expected to submit its recommendations within seven days. At an emergency meeting presided over by Vice President Kashim Shettima, yesterday, October 10, President Bola Tinubu gave marching orders to the committee for an action plan on all the reports, saying that it is best to be proactive than to be reactive. “Based on the submissions by the DG of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, the situation is not that terrible but to be forewarned is to be forearmed. “The submissions by the other relevant stakeholders are equally poignant and we can’t afford to take chances. “Though the situation is not as bad as we might think, we need to set up a committee so that the report of the Presidential Committee and the 2022 Federal Executive Council – approved broad preparedness plan should be harmonised and implemented immediately._ The Vice President said that a feasible roadmap would address the flood crisis in Nigeria, adding that responsibilities would be shouldered by the North East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Federal Government. “I deliberately invited the NEDC and NDDC so that with whatever resources that NEMA has, they have to be released to the states so that they can start making preparations for any eventuality. “Based on the Presidential directive, I will meet with the Chief Executives of the NEDC and NDDC for states that are under their coverage. There should be interventions from them. For NEDC they can take care of Taraba, Bauchi and Adamawa. For NDDC, they can take care of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Delta and Cross River . For states like Ebonyi, Kogi and Benue, we will mobilise from our savings and deploy same to assist them. We have to share responsibilities and hence the immediate need for the roadmap to be implemented.” The Chief Executives of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), National Water Resources Institute, National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) and Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA) all made presentations with reactions from Governors of Bauchi, Kogi, Ebonyi and Cross River States. Akwa Ibom and Nasarawa State Governors were represented by their Deputies. Other members of the committee include Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of State for Environment, Kunle Salako; Minister of State for Water Resources and Sanitation, Bello Muhammad Goronyo; Chief Executives of NEMA,NIWA and NiHSA, among others. The Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, will serve as secretary of the committee.
The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has called for more and better collaboration between Nigeria and the United States, particularly in the area of capacity building for the legislators across Nigeria. Senator Akpabio, who played host to a delegation led by the Charge D’ Affaires for the US Embassy in Nigeria, David Greene, said that the 10th Senate would be looking forward to much more and better collaboration, particularly with the US Congress and the Democratic Institute in the US. “The 10th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will be looking forward to much more and better collaboration than what happened in the past, particularly when somebody who believes strongly in democracy is at the head. “I am a true democrat and I believe in American democracy. So I look forward to collaborating with you. Please link us properly with your Congress and the Democratic Institute in the US for us to have proper training and re- training in order for us to build capacity for our legislators in general. “Not just in the Senate. Not just in the House of Representatives but across the nation. So I welcome you and I thank you for sparing the time and I assure you, on behalf of my colleagues, that we will do everything to intensify and bond seriously the existing good relationship between Nigeria and the US.” Senator Akpabio described the US as a bastion of democracy in the world and expressed Nigeria’s desire to gain from her wealth of experience. “This democracy that we are practicing, I think, America is a bastion of democracy in the world and every true democrat believes strongly in the American democracy. “We also took our model from you. So we will like to gain from your wealth of experience in order to smoothen the edges of very young democracy. “For American democracy to get to where it is today, I think, it must have taken you over 240 years. So for us, we believe strongly that this fourth Republic that we are in, has taken us just roughly under 25years. We need partners like you and America particularly has done very well for all democracies across the world.” Earlier, David Greene said that the courtesy visit was to congratulate Akpabio on his election and on his emergence as the Senate President and also to introduce himself and express his aspirations that “we will be able to work together to achieve great things for both Nigerians and the American people.”
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IDP Camp No Longer Exist In Yobe State, By Ali Musa Yawale
In the 12 years since Boko Haram started as a terrorist insurgency in the Northeast sub-region, millions of people have been affected in many ways, big and small. This is a well-known fact.
Also well-known is the fact that in the wake of Boko Haram’s relentless attacks on communities before the insurgent group was significantly subdued by the security forces, many people were forced from their homes. Among these were some who settled with near relatives; those who settled in host communities, such as in Kuka-Reta town on the outskirts of Damaturu metropolis; and those who initially lived in IDP camps.
However, it’s been many years since official IDP camps were closed in Yobe State. This is because many of the people in those IDP camps were helped by the state government and by development partners to return to their communities or, in some cases, to fully settle in their respective host communities.
There were a few exceptions to this, however. There were situations where former IDPs, earlier displaced from their communities, decided to take up residence in newly sprung neighborhoods on the outskirts of the state capital. Many of those people simply engage in their individual vocations or activities every day.
Some engage in farming or operate as farm workers while others engage in menial jobs and small businesses to support their families. Among those living close to the Yobe State University, for instance, there are some who have even set up shops or stalls on campus and engage in their legitimate small businesses.
But among this category of initially displaced persons, there are also some who required food handouts. The State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), having reckoned with that, periodically provides food and other non-food-item-support to these people.
The Yobe SEMA, one of the most notable and active in the country, has a well-documented inventory of supporting these people and other IDPs affected by disasters or conflicts. Anyone seeking to know more can visit SEMA’s different handles on social media to see photos, videos, notes and actual testimonies of people who had benefited from the agency’s support among vulnerable and affected communities throughout the state.
Yobe SEMA’s wide-ranging interventions are testament to the commitment of Governor Mai Mala Buni to help people in need and to ensure that people affected by the Boko Haram insurgency can reclaim their lives and build a future for themselves and their families.
Last week, the United Nations Resident Representative and UNDP Coordinator in Nigeria, Mohamed Yahya visited Yobe State and offered to assist the state government in its resettlement, reconstruction and stabilization effort.
As was widely reported, the UN resident representative and his team, along with Governor Mai Mala Buni and other Yobe government officials, travelled to Mallam Dunari ward in Gujba local government area, the one and only remaining ward in the state where initially displaced people have yet to return, after being displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.
The UNDP coordinator promised that the United Nations will help the Yobe State Government to resettle the Mallam Dunari people back in their communities in a dignified manner.
Anyone following the trajectory of effort of the Mai Mala Buni administration with regards to IDPs affected by the Boko Haram insurgency, therefore, knows that providing humanitarian support to people affected by conflict has been and still remains front and center of the administration’s humanitarian interventions.
This is why I find a recent news report by Premium Times titled “Yobe IDPs: Displaced by Boko Haram, Abandoned by Government, Ravaged by hunger” not only wildly out of context but demonstrably misleading and mischievous.
First, there is no question that to this day, people remain significantly impacted by Boko Haram. It will take probably many years before the impacts of the insurgency can be wiped off people’s lives in the BAY states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe. But the idea that the Abbari camp in Damaturu, where the Premium Times report was focused “is among 445 displaced sites in the state” is totally false.
Abbari area has been in existence in the state capital for many years. But the area has expanded recently when people initially displaced by the Boko Haram conflict decided on their own to take residence in the area. It’s therefore not an IDP camp although people who were previously IDP now live in the area.
The Premium Times report essentially focused on two women affected by the conflict. But our checks revealed that many of the portrayals of those women were hyped or downright false. One of them, paradoxically, currently owns a stall at the Yobe State University campus and engages in small business.
“That woman cannot be taken to a police station over N1 million”, someone who knows about her said. Even if this (financial chest) is not the case, the idea that the woman has a stall on campus at the Yobe State University and goes there everyday to engage in her small business belies the submissions about her condition in the Premium Times report.
While I agree that the media have a constitutional license to hold government accountable to the people, that cannot be at the expense of the truth, facts and context – and that while opinions are free, facts are (and must remain) sacred.
The Buni administration does not have an unlimited war chest to attend to all the challenges that the Boko Haram insurgency has thrown. But there is no question that within the limits of available resources – and the support of development partners, the administration continues to do well in offering succor and support to those most in need. I believe this will remain the case to the end of the administration’s term in office.
Yawale is head of information department, Ministry of Home Affairs and Information, Yobe State