Security Outfit: Igbo Group Isolates Nnamdi Kanu, Teams Up With Eastern Governors

December 30, 2020

A Coalition of South East pressure group has condemned the recent threat by the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu to governors of the region for opposing the formation of a militia outfit, Eastern Security Network (ESN), by the separatist leader.

The Coalition hailed the governors for what it described as their show of patriotism “by not only openly denouncing Kanu’s actions but also calling on the people of the region not to be gullible and fall prey to his antics”, which they noted were not for the good of the region.

IPOB had warned southeast governors not to work against the Eastern Security Network as it accused the governors of a plot to incite the Army and other security agencies against the outfit.

It asked the governors to steer clear of such plan or be prepared to face dire consequences, just as it warned local vigilantes in the zone set up by state governors not to allow themselves to be used to carry out what it called “evil agenda or have themselves to blame”.

But reacting to IPOB’s threat, the groups operating under the auspices of Coalition of Igbo Groups Worldwide, tasked the region’s governors not to succumb to Kanu’s threat, insisting that they must go all out against Kanu and IPOB’s activities which they noted, were “illegal to the law of the land and humanity.”

Besides, the coalition urged the southeast governors to make laws that were beneficial to the citizens of the region, advising that “they must not allow Kanu have any ample opportunity of operating alternate leadership”, which according to them was inimical to the peace and development of the South East and Nigeria.

The Coalition, in a statement, Wednesday, signed by its affiliate members, described the IPOB leader as a fugitive who “was being bankrolled by some self-seeking interests to destroy the southeast”

It warned that unless Kanu’s activities were wholeheartedly denounced by the leadership and all well-meaning Igbo, the region’s quest to actualise its dream of Nigeria’s Presidency in 2023 will meet strong opposition.

Task Force Seizes Passports Of 100 Airline Passengers For Failure To Take Coronavirus Test

Editorial staff

December 30, 2020

Presidential Task Force (PTF) has announced the seizure of the passports of 100 in-bound airline passengers who failed to take the second test of coronavirus on their arrival in the country.

Chairman of the Task Force, Boss Mustapha, at the national briefing today, December, in Abuja said that the names of the passengers would be published on Jan. 1, 2021, while the suspension of the passports would last for six months.

Boss Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said: “with effect from January 1, 2021, passports of the first 100 passengers, who failed to take their day-seven post-arrival polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, would be published in the national dailies.”

The SGF lamented the difficulties experienced in the national response, noting,”Our National Response is passing through a challenging phase due to the seriousness of the second wave of infections in Nigeria.

”Week 52 has so far given us the highest number of infections in a single week to date. Our analysis shows that 16 out of every 100 tests carried out are positive.

”We are also seeing increasing transmission among younger people and this is not considered good and safe. We must, therefore, exercise utmost restraint by taking responsibility.”

Boss Mustapha said that the PTF had discussed two critical issues, Oxygen supply and Case Management, and during the conversation with health authorities, CMDs of Federal Tertiary Institutions in Abuja, National Hospital; Jabi & Gwagwalada, the PTF directed that the level of Infections, Prevention and Control, as well as case management, should be prioritised immediately.

”With the increasing number of infections and hospitalisation, our objectives are to: ensure that infection, prevention and control (IPC) is properly instituted to minimise spread and exposure of health care workers to the virus;

”Ensure that those who require hospitalisation are well managed; those requiring medical attention for other ailments gain access to Treatment at medical facilities; and critical care is available and deployed, especially where oxygen is needed.

“The situation in Abuja and its environs has been of concern to the PTF.”

Ghanaian Presidential Election: Opposition Candidate Heads To Court

Editorial staff

December 30, 2020

President of Ghana and candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has filed a petition to challenge the presidential results of the recently concluded 2020 general elections in the country.

The petition, filed against the country’s electoral commission and current President, Nana Akufo-Addo, who was re-elected, came after Mahama earlier vowed to dispute the election results

Mahama, in the petition submitted by his lawyers, argued that the presidential results as declared by the country’s electoral commission chairperson, Jean Mensa, were flawed and did not represent the will of the people.

The NDC presidential candidate also described the electoral commission’s verdict as fictitious, stating that the results were manufactured to favour the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The petition, dated December 30 with Writ Number J1/5/2021 and titled ‘Presidential Election Petition’ has been submitted before the Supreme Court of Accra.

The party’s stance has since been strongly defended by NDC supporters who have hit the streets to demand that the announcement be overturned.

The party has, however, maintained that it will continue with all legitimate actions that are currently being used by party supporters to drum home their demand.

Akufo-Addo was declared the winner of the December 7 vote with 51.59 percent, ahead of the opposition National Democratic Party’s (NDC) candidate, former President Mahama, who had 47.37 percent of the votes.

The development comes amid preparations for President Akufo-Addo’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for January 7, 2021.

2nd Coronavirus: Commission Resorts To “Booking” For National Identity Number Seekers

Editorial staff

December 29, 2020

The National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has said that from tomorrow, December 30, applicants wishing to obtain their National Identification Number will be based on booking.

NIMC spokesman, Kayode Adegoke, in a statement today, December 29, said that the new measure has been taken in view of the second wave of Coronavirus which continues to severely affect public health and cause unprecedented disruptions.

“The Commission wishes to announce that it has adopted a couple of measures to contain the spread of the virus whilst ensuring its services to Nigerians are not entirely interrupted.

“Effective December 30, 2020, attending to applicants would be based on Booking System. For Bookings, applicants are to visit any of the NIMC Offices closest to them during stipulated business hours (9am – 1pm).

“Once admitted into the office, a Number-Issuing queue management system will be in place to ensure orderliness and strict adherence to Covid-19 Protocols.”

The Commission also advised all applicants to use their face masks, observe social distancing and wash their hands while at its centres nationwide.

The Federal Government through the Nigerian Communication Commission had ordered telecommunications companies to deactivate telephone lines of subscribers who failed to link their phones to their National Identity Number.

We Nigerians, Are Responsible For The Nation’s Woes – Obasanjo

Editorial staff

December 29, 2020

Nigeria’s former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, has said that Nigerians, both leaders and followers, should blame themselves for the woes confronting the country.

Speaking today, December 29, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, in his year 2021 message to the nation, Obasanjo insisted that no Nigerian must blame God for the hunger, poverty, bad economy among other challenges plaguing the country.

According to him, Nigeria ought not to be poor with numerous abundant resources the country is endowed with, even as he advised the citizenry not to be weary.

“And I believe we need to work hard in this country as we pray hard so that the coming year, the year 2021 will be a glorious year for us. But it will not happen unless we work to make it happen.

“We do not have to blame God for our situation, we have to blame ourselves. Nigeria does not have to be poor, no Nigerian must go to bed hungry. That we have a situation like that is a choice by our leaders and followers alike. My prayer is that God will make year 2021 a better year for all of us, but it will not happen without work.”

Obasanjo described the outgoing year as most challenging as a result of the coronavirus pandemic which ravaged the entire world, insecurity and bad economy in the country.

He prayed for the repose of those who lost their lives due to the pandemic and insecurity across Nigeria.

“I would say as St. Paul, the great Apostle said, ‘in all things, we must give thanks’. This year 2020 has been a challenging year in the whole world, particularly for us in Nigeria.

“We have gone from one form of insecurity to bad economy and on the top of it is the COVID-19.

“Some people, either for insecurity or for bad economy or for COVID-19 have gone to the great beyond. I pray for the soul of those who have departed, particularly in this year of challenges, rest in perfect peace.”

He advised the leadership of the nation to do the right thing to bring the economy back to a good state, saying “when we do the right thing. We are not doing the right thing now. When we do the right thing, the economy will be what it should be.”

Buhari To CBN: Don’t Give Money For Food Importation

Editorial staff

December 29, 2020

President Muhammadu Buhari has give a strong directive to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to give any money for food importation.

Speaking at the fifth regular meeting with the Presidential Economic Advisory Council today, December 29 at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, President Buhari directed that the CBN “must not give money to import food. Already about seven states are producing all the rice we need. We must eat what we produce.”

President Buhari wondered where the country would have found itself by now in view of the devastating economic crisis brought about by COVID-19 if the country had not embraced agriculture as a result of his government’s diversification programme, away from over reliance on oil.

“Going back to the land is the way out. We depend on petrol at the expense of agriculture. Now the oil industry is in turmoil. We are being squeezed to produce at 1.5 million barrels a day as against a capacity to produce 2.3 million. At the same time, the technical cost of our production per barrel is high, compared to the Middle East production.”

The President emphasized the place of agriculture in the efforts to restore the economy but agreed that measures must be put in place to curtail inflation in the country:

“We will continue to encourage our people to go back to the land. Our elite is indoctrinated in the idea that we are rich in oil, leaving the land for the city for oil riches. We are back to the land now. We must not lose the opportunity to make life easier for our people. Imagine what would have happened if we didn’t encourage agriculture and closed the borders. We would have been in trouble.”

The meeting, which was for a review of, and reflections on the global and domestic economy in the outgoing year, was attended by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, as well as Ministers of Finance and Humanitarian Affairs and agreed on a number of measures.

In specific terms, it noted the sharp deterioration in international economic environment and its impact on Nigeria’s continuing but fragile economic recovery; that Nigeria’s economic growth continues to be constrained by obvious challenges including infrastructural deficiencies and limited resources for government financing. It emphasized the need to make the private sector of the economy the primary source of investment, rather than government.

The meeting reviewed progress towards structural reforms in response to the economic crises, including the institution of the Economic Sustainability Plan, the changes in electricity tariff and fuel pricing regime, the partial re-opening of the Land Borders, the movement towards unification of exchange rates and budgetary reforms through Finance Bill 2020 and 2021.

It agreed that, to prepare the country for the challenges ahead, it is imperative to ensure Macro-economic stability, create certainty and re-build investor confidence in the economy. It emphasized the need to deepen structural reforms initiated by the administration as a basis for stimulating investments from domestic and international sources with a view to raising productivity in key sectors of the economy.

Northern Christians Forum Disown Bishop Kukah

Editorial staff

December 28, 2020

The Northern Christians Forum of Nigeria (NCFN) has disowned the c Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Matthew Hassan Kukah describing President Muhammadu Buhari as practicing nepotism and that he is institutionalising Northern hegemony.

The group, in a statement signed by its President, Rev. Dr. Josiah Nabut, in Barnawa, Kaduna State, warned Kukah to avoid using the pulpit for political gains.

According to the Northern Christians, the cleric is derailing and shifting from the purpose of serving the laity and has now become a tool in the hands of politicians.

The NCFN noted that most of Bishop Kukah‘s claims against Buhari are rehash from certain political oracles he usually visits.

The group, however, urged Kukah to desist from lending himself to be used by politicians because his gift is to serve all of humanity, not himself.

Read full statement below:

We are concerned that the pulpit which should be regarded and treated as sacred is being used as a platform for political schemes by some clerics from Northern Nigeria

We have decided to intervene to call those who have taken this path of dishonour to desist as it is not in the overall good of the laity and to open the eyes of those who see nothing wrong with this and may want to emulate it.

Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah is a well-educated cleric and highly respected by us who share the same faith with him.

Apart from his deep knowledge of the Bible, he is the man blessed with the power to dissect socio-political happenings around the world and analyse the same for better understanding.

But that has not blinded our eyes to know when he is derailing and shifting from the purpose of serving the laity to serving himself.

A pulpit is a sacred place and anyone gifted by God to mount it should it see as a privilege and use it to serve God and to better humanity; not for selfish or political gains.

This is the difference between Samson in the Bible and other men of God like John The Baptist.

As far as Samson was concerned, the anointing of sheer physical strength that God gave him was for him to flex his muscles, play around and pursue lustful pleasures.

He did not use it for the purpose he was given the power and ended in a most pitiable circumstance.

But John The Baptist for instance knew the purpose of his calling and used it to serve God.

He forsook earthly pleasures, lived in the wilderness and was committed to his divine call until he was rewarded with the honour of Baptising Jesus.

This has seen him hobbling around politicians for most of the time rather than dwell on the spiritual lane of meditation in quietness, spiritual intercession through self-denial and long supplication via the known path of sacrifice.

He rather cherishes being seen at the State House more than attending to the less privileged.

And the Bishop most times fail to live up to the standard he sets for others.

When Kukah was appointed to serve as the Secretary of the Oputa Panel, he betrayed his bias and contradicted his preachments for equity and fairness, when he accepted the position without looking at the composition of the commission which had Justice Chukwudifu Oputa as chairman.

Equity demanded that as Justice Oputa was a Christian, that the next powerful position in the committee which is that of the secretary should have gone to a Muslim. And Bishop would have been the first to scream if both the Chairman and Secretary of such a sensitive commission have been Muslims.

Source: Daily Trust

Group Accuses Bishop Kukah Of Inciting One Section Of Nigeria Against Another

Editorial staff

December 28, 2020

Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah | Credit: The Kukah Centre

The Coalition of Northern Group (CNG) has accused the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese, Mathew Hassan Kukah of exploiting religion to cause disharmony and facilitate further emasculation of northern Nigerian Muslims.

Reacting to the Christmas message by the Bishop, in a statement by its spokesman, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, the group said that it is ironic that a Reverend would choose the revered occasion of the celebration of the birth of Christ to needlessly incite hatred against a section of the country.

“We do not contend their claims of the current administrative lapses, nor do we intend to fault the right of people to criticise government’s inadequate, ineffective, exclusive and unfocused policies.

”The northern Muslims, contrary to the deliberate distortions by the Kukahs, happen to be the major casualty of this administration’s serial misgovernance in terms of security, economy, distribution of key federal appointments and essential goods and services, making it unacceptably irresponsible for Kukah and his ilk to hide behind the guise of criticism of the government to attack a whole ethnic or religious group.”

“It testifies to how religious bodies and leaders such as Kukah in more ways than one, attempt to aid the deterioration of the situation in the country by stimulating a form of Islamophobia on the back of the most gratuitous false story of an Islamisation agenda.

“It also furthers the irresponsible and unacceptable practice of preachers using the pulpit to promote falsehood and incite their followers against certain sections of the society by labelling and earmarking them to be targeted irrespective of whether they are part of a crime committed or not.

“History is being shamefully and blatantly reviewed, rewritten and falsified In the process, history is being shamefully and blatantly reviewed, rewritten and falsified. In the process, the consciousness eroded Kukah that the four most violent military insurrections in Nigeria’s history were schemed, spearheaded and executed by non-Muslims, and in most cases, non-Northerners.

”It is important, therefore, to place on record, that the very first and most bloody January 1966 coup was carried out by mostly non-Muslim Igbo army officers including Major Kaduna Nzeogwu, and Major Emmanuel Ifeajuna.”

“Casualties of the coup were mostly northern Muslims including the Prime Minister Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, the Sardauna of Sokoto Sir Ahmadu Bello, Brigadier Abubakar Maimalari and others.

”A palace coup was led by Major General Ibrahim Babangida, a northern Muslim who peacefully overthrew the administration of Buhari. In 1990, Major Gideon Orkar, a northern Christian, staged a violent attempt to overthrow the government of General Ibrahim Babangida.

Polaris Bank Partners Women’s Society To Boost Vocational Skills In Its E-Learning Center

Editorial staff

December 28, 2020

Polaris Bank has partnered with the International Women’s Society (IWS) to boost vocational skills and empowerment of women in Nigeria.

At the graduation and anniversary ceremony of Skills Acquisition Center, which the bank established in Lekki Lagos, the former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule expressed delight at the level of work that is being done at the center to elevate the socio-economic status of women in the state and country at large.

She said that such exercise would promote the springing up of more micro-enterprises, thereby addressing the scourge of unemployment in the state, especially among the womenfolk.

She extolled the quality of vocational skills provided to empower women, noting: “the IWS Skills Acquisition Center was established to create empowerment opportunities and promote self-reliance, thus alleviating poverty and increasing the level of literacy and vocational skills among women.”

Speaking on behalf of Polaris Bank, the Acting Group head, Customer Value Management & Strategic Communications, Bukola Oluyadi, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to women empowerment noting that empowering women contributes to economic development and supports the establishment of a prosperous economy.

“Polaris Bank has always been conscious of the challenges women face and is leaving no stone unturned to help improve the lot of the womenfolk.” “This is one of the many initiatives we support to empower women so they can fulfill their aspirations.”

This was even as the President of the International Women’s Society, Mrs. Ibiwunmi Akinnola, congratulated the students and teachers for their persistence and doggedness despite the challenges posed by COVID-19 and also thanked Polaris Bank amongst other partners, for their support particularly in the area of helping to facilitate e-learning.

The Chairperson of the Skills Acquisition Center, Mrs. Feyisola Abiru, also appreciated Polaris Bank for the role it played in setting up an e-learning infrastructure for the center and for facilitating the empowerment of vocational skills acquisition for 21 women in catering, fashion designing, beauty, adult literacy and hospitality.

Meanwhile, the bank has rewarded some of its customers with shopping vouchers in it’s ‘MoneyGram for You’ Campaign.

The beneficiaries are customers of the Bank who received transfers in Polaris Bank within the six weeks period of the campaign that ended December 6.

Customers who receive at least two MoneyGram transactions from a Polaris Bank branch every week within the six weeks period of the campaign will qualify to win Shoprite Vouchers valued at N5,000.00 each.

Five of the customers with the highest cumulative value of transactions from those who meet the set criterion will win the vouchers. A total of thirty (30) customers will be selected and rewarded accordingly.

The campaign is aimed at encouraging increased patronage of the services of the wire money transfer franchise and is specifically targeted at customers who receive their transfers in Polaris Bank.

Three of the beneficiaries; Kareem Tomiwa Ademuyiwa from Dopemu branch, Mutiat Kosoko from Ketu Branch and Gloria John from Iwo Road branch, Ibadan, Oyo state were amongst the early winners who praised Polaris Bank for providing them the opportunity to win.

According to Mr. Kareem Tomiwa Ademuyiwa “Polaris Bank will always be my number one Bank, I thank MoneyGram and Polaris Bank for this rare opportunity. I will continue to introduce more customers to the Bank.” On what he would he would use the reward for, he noted that “I was able to use those vouchers for shopping baby items as my wife put to bed few days before I won the prize,” he added.

Another winner, Mrs. Mutiat Kosoko also said she would be taking her kids out for shopping to give them a nice treat during the Christmas season.

Gloria John, a customer of Polaris Bank Iwo Road Branch, Ibadan, Oyo state explained that , “That was my first time of winning such voucher and it encouraged me to use MoneyGram money transfer anywhere I go, thanks to MoneyGram and Polaris Bank for the opportunity and good customer experience at all time.

MoneyGram is the 2nd largest provider of money transfers in the world with a network of over 350,000 agent locations across the globe in over 200 countries. Polaris Bank is a key MoneyGram agent in Nigeria with the service available in its branches across Nigeria.

Polaris Bank is a future-determining bank committed to delivering industry-defining products for individuals and businesses.

Place Bishiop Kukah On Security Watch-List, Northern Youths Advise Buhari

Editorial staff

December 28, 2020

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to place Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah, who is the Catholic Archbisiop of Sokoto Diocese on security watch list over what they called his “unguarded and open incitement to military coup and insurrection against the democratically elected government.”

In a statement today, December 28, by its National President, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, the group condemned “Kukah’s use of nepotism as weapon of calumny against government and people of Nigeria.”

The group stressed that the Bishop’s Christmas sermon was an open attempt to “set the South against the North in order to destabilize our country and further complicate matters.”

The group took exception to what it described as “Kukah’s latest role in devil’s advocacy, as the North struggles to restore peace and enduring security in the region and indeed Nigeria.

“Such a reckless statement by Kukah betrays something much more sinister against both the North and the nation as a whole because Nigeria is at a stage that it requires responsible advice for attaining peace and stability, not deliberate attempt to mischievously compound our problems.

“If Kukah wants to play politics, he should not do so in the pulpit and he should keep the Bishop’s office aside and chose any Nigerian political party platform to contest for President in 2023 and stop all the pretences.”

The group then reminded the cleric of the rough road tread by democracy heroes to rid the nation of military dictatorship at a time when he was nowhere in sight.

“We will not allow opportunists who did make any contribution to scuttle the democracy achieved through our sweat and toil and the sacrifice of our liberty.”

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