DeClub 10 Nigeria, an elite group from Kogi Central Senatorial District has asked the Kogi State Government to urgently address the resurgence of kidnapping in the area.
In a statement today, November 11, De Club 10 Nigeria expressed worry that the return of kidnapping in the Senatorial District and other parts of the State is threatening the Ajaokuta Steel Company and other associated business outfits
The statement, which was issued by its President, Alhaji Saidu Yusuf said that many industrialists who are preparing to move into the state to take advantage of the Steel project and Iron Ore in Itape, may be scared.
The Club, which commended the state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello for his proactive efforts in arresting the first wave of kidnapping and other crimes, appealed to him to re-enact the same efforts.
It recalled the kidnapping of a prominent pharmacists, Kwadeco a couple of days ago, saying that immediate action should be taken to save the man and stop the criminals from having their ways.
The Club expressed sympathy to the family, friends and business associates of Kwadeco and prayed that he soon returns safely.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa and the National Chairman of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), has died today.
Born in August, 1936, Musa, a left-wing Nigerian politician was elected Governor of old Kaduna State, comprising now Kaduna and Katsina States during the Nigeria’s Second Republic on the platform of Late Mallam Aminu Kano’s PRP.
He held the office from October 1979 to June, 23, 1981 when he was impeached by the state’s House of Assembly
President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed to lead Nigeria into abundant food production, with youths at the forefront.
He said: “I am confident that Nigeria, under my watch, we will achieve food security in producing most of what we eat. In good harvest years, we may even export our surpluses and earn foreign exchange.”
President Buhari, who spoke today, November 10, at the launch of National Young Farmers Scheme, designed by the National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA) to spur more youth interest in farming, remarked: “by virtue of my passion and desire for agriculture and also as a farmer myself, I am directly supervising NALDA as an authority under the Presidency.
“I am asking the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and State Governments to give full cooperation to NALDA in its activities.”
The President directed agencies involved in agriculture to further streamline their priorities in the inclusion of youth in driving modern methods of farming while assuring all those interested that an enabling environment will be created for full participation.
According to him, agriculture remains the backbone of the Nigerian economy, being the largest contributor to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
“We will do more to expand, modernize and revolutionize our agriculture, which is our most important asset.
“I have directed that all NALDA’s abandoned farm estates be retrieved to enable thousands of our young men and women to be engaged in farming.
He stressed that the resuscitation of NALDA will make Nigeria food sufficient and in a few years begins to earn more revenue from export of agricultural commodities.
He said that with the success of Anchor Borrowers programme spearheaded by the Central Bank of Nigeria and new programmes to revive cotton, palm products and cocoa, the next few years will see a vast difference in our agricultural performance.’’
The President said that all the necessary approvals that NALDA requires for effective take-off, beginning with areas of adequate land preparation for crop farming and livestock rearing, had been given, charging the Executive Secretary/CEO of NALDA and his team to continue to live up to expectations and increase their activities in local communities.
“I am told that, so far, 4,333 families have benefited from this scheme and it is expected that many more individuals and families will benefit as the programme is rolled out.
“I now flag off the National Young Farmers’ Scheme. It is my expectation that the Scheme will take in young Nigerians, graduates and non-graduates alike, and be part of this Government’s effort to reduce unemployment and contribute to the regeneration of agriculture and our economy.”
The Senate President, Ahmed Lawan, commended the President for his steadfastness in repositioning the agricultural sector since coming to office, opining that the country had already felt the impact of the policies of the administration.
The Senate President said that there is a need to encourage agricultural agencies, like NALDA, to work closely with the research institutions in Nigerian universities.
The Executive Secretary/CEO of NALDA, Paul Ikonne, said that the discovery of oil in the country hampered the growth of agriculture and increased poverty in rural communities, assuring the President that the concerted effort to revive interest in farming will tackle poverty and create wealth.
Ikonne said that the resuscitation of NALDA after close to 20 years of abandonment will go a long way in reducing unemployment in the country, especially among the youth.
“Our focus is to engage 1,000 farmers from each of the 774 Local Government Areas, thereby creating 774,000, direct employment annually.”
Goodwill messages were given by a representative of the Young Farmers, Fatima Usman Musa and Denmark Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Jesper Kamp.
Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu and Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, also participated in the event.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has dismissed mounting insinuation of possible scarcity of petroleum products following ongoing disagreement between the Federal Government and members of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN) on the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).
Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Dr. Kennie Obateru, quoted the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari as saying, in a release, that the industrial action embarked upon by PENGASSAN would not lead to scarcity of petroleum products as all fuel stations and petrol depots in the country have enough stock of products to service consumers and are open for business.
While expressing hope that the industrial dispute would be settled amicably, Kyari assured that the Corporation has thus far emplaced a stock of over 2.9 billion litres of petrol to guarantee seamless movement of people, goods and services across the country in the forthcoming Christmas season and beyond.
The NNPC GMD reiterated that the Corporation is determined to make the 2020 end-of-year festivities a zero fuel queue period just like the preceding year, noting that critical stockholders in the petroleum products supply and distribution chain such as tanker drivers, depot owners and road transport owners have been mobilized to ensure hitch-free season.
“I want to assure you that Confluence University of Science and Technology will be funded and it is going to move with the speed of spirit.”
These are the words of the Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, when he received the license for the establishment of a new state-owned university from the Executive Secretary of the National Universities Council (NUC), Professor Abubakar Rasheed in Abuja today, November 10. The University of Science and Technology will be located in Osara, Kogi.
Governor Yahaya Bello said that the university was conceived primarily to train graduates who would harness the vast natural resources the country and Kogi, in particular are endowed with.
According to him, the new university would contribute its quota to national development and create self -reliant entrepreneurs in, even as he assured that funding of the university would not be a problem at all.
“Confluence was conceived to be a Specialized University of Science and Technology because we know the importance of education, without education we won’t be gathered here today.
“Ours will be a very functional university because it will put our knowledge to the test, you all know that we are quick in exporting our natural resources without adding real value, rather than sitting down to look at how we can develop our own technology, this university will exist to bridge that gap and contribute to the general wellbeing of Nigeria.
“When we started this particular project we considered funding as well and the funding has begun.”
Speaking at a brief ceremony, the NUC boss, Professor Rasheed said that the approval for the establishment of the university was granted to deepen Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), including research, medical and allied courses in Nigeria.
“Without education, none of us will be here today. This is going to be a specialized university, one that will be focused specifically on courses that will accelerate Nigeria’s economic growth and measure up in skills in the 21st century.”
With the procurement of provisional license for the Confluence University, Nigeria now has 50 state-owned universities.
President Donald Trump (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The most exhilarating part of the US Presidential election 2020 is the fact that President Trump lost the election. It is what many observers thought would happen. They prayed for it. They wished it. In the end, that is what happened on Saturday, November 7, 2020. The major news networks called the election and announced Joe Biden as the President-elect of the United States. Whatever level of excitement that the election may have generated however, it was after all, an American election. It was one of the closest and most fiercely contested elections in American history. Over 160 million voters participated; turn out was 66.9%. President-elect Joe Biden got over 74 million of the votes (the highest in 120 years), leading President Trump by over 4 million votes, and an impressive 290 Electoral College votes. Trump had over 70 million votes, with 214 Electoral College votes. The turn out was very much about how this was an election like no other. It was a battle for the soul of America. For many Americans, the nightmare is over. That nightmare is represented by four years of a divisive, problematic, abusive Trump Presidency. Trump talked about “America first”, a phrase that past and future American Presidents have also projected as a guiding principle. The difference with Trump is that everything got reduced to his own big ego, his rants, his abrasive, corrosive, fake, omniscient posturing. He turned Americans against Americans. He turned America against the world. He crushed established traditions. There was no one too big for him to abuse or insult. He alienated the world. He behaved very much as if the White House was an extension of the Trump Towers. Those who loved him did so passionately. Those who were opposed did so with as much fervor.
It would be wrong to assume though that he has been disgraced. Far from it. He may even in fact in the future be remembered as a great American President, depending on what the future holds. Or he may leave a legacy as one of the worst Presidents America has ever seen. The large volume of votes that he received shows he has a strong followership and a solid base whose views cannot be ignored. While Biden’s supporters and the Democrats celebrated across the United States on November 7, half of the voting population in the United States was in a sour mood. Trumpism, the ideology that has defined the US Presidency in the last four years is like an intoxicant. It turns its users into fanatics. With such persons, Trump can do no wrong. And the Trumpians are not restricted to America. They can be found as far away as Brazil where an incumbent President enjoys being described as “the Trump of the Tropics”, the UK and India whose political leaders (Boris Johnson, and Narendra Modi) admire Trump.
Here in Nigeria, the weekend before the election, a church leader, Daddy Hezekiah took to the streets of Onitsha, Anambra State to campaign for President Trump and organize prayers for his victory. Trumpians are mostly Christian evangelicals who support his pro-life, anti-gay position and conservative views (even if Trump himself cannot be exactly described as a Christian); the far-right, ultra-conservative establishment whose members lap up his “America for Americans” rhetoric like honey, even when they are immigrants or descendants of immigrants. Trump did not want to see Muslims from certain countries in the United States. He would rather build a wall to keep out Mexicans. He signed off a series of Executive Orders which smacked of fascism. His failure has been attributed however to two unfortunate incidents: COVID-19 and his careless handling of it which has resulted in over 235,000 deaths. There is also the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests which further divided the United States. If there was no COVID-19, the murder of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and the Black Lives Matter movement, Trump would probably not lose.
Trump insists that he won the election. He accuses the media networks of declaring an election unofficially. He was still hoping that he would win. He was in fact playing golf when Joe Biden was announced winner. Trump supporters in Africa admire him in part, I suspect, because his tactics are so familiar in African politics. Incumbent first-term, democratically-elected African leaders do not readily accept defeat. The exceptions to this rule are quite few (Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria, John Mahama of Ghana…). The pattern is for them to sit tight, change the Constitution and play the Messiah as we have seen in Cote d’Ivoire (Alassane Ouattara), Tanzania (John Magufuli) and Rwanda (Paul Kagame). Shortly after voting ended on November 3, President Trump had gone to Twitter, his virtual office, to announce that he had won “BIG” and “by a lot”. He didn’t wait for the counting to start or end. As counting continued and the popular and electoral votes were being announced, he and his supporters became restless. They crowded around the counting centres in Detroit, Michigan, Phoenix, Arizona and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There was unease in Georgia, Nevada, Arizona where recounts have been ordered given the closeness of the margins. When President Trump began to protest that the counting should be stopped and thieves were stealing his votes, it all looked surrealistically African. His second son, Eric was not left out. He resorted to false claims and conspiracy theories. At some point, Paula White, Trump’s Spiritual Adviser began to pray and speak in tongues. She called on “Africa Angels” to come to Trump’s rescue. Those angels could not get their visas before November 7! They were held back in their “shit-hole countries”.
Before the US elections, there had been fears that there would be a typical, Third World break out of violence over the elections. In Manhattan and Ithaca, Denver, Colorado and San Francisco, there had been violent confrontations between pro-and anti-Trump demonstrators. It looked as if the United States faced the prospect of a civil war over election results. Biden and the Democrats want all votes counted: both in-person election day votes and mail-in votes. Trump and his supporters regard the latter as “illegal votes”. But Trump is the victim of his own miscalculation. Mail-in and absentee ballots are the real angels of the US 2020 Presidential elections. Trump’s lawyers are all over the courts. There are projections of drawn-out legal battles all the way to the Federal Supreme Court. It is interesting to see a President who did his very best to compromise the Constitutional Order now looking up to the same institution to save his Presidency. Unfortunately, the horse has left the barn.
The feeling around the world is one of relief. Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Paris captures the mood of the world in three telling words: “Welcome back, America!” World leaders have congratulated Biden and Harris, and that includes friends of Trump: British PM Boris Johnson, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Indian PM Narendra Modi. Inside the United States, not all Republicans share Trump’s allegations of theft and voter fraud, and his attempts to raise questions of legitimacy about the Biden victory. Even while Trump insists that there can be no transition except General Services Administration certifies the winner after the recounts and a final tally, it seems all too clear that the Presidency has slipped from his hands. Within his own close circles, the only people still standing with him are few- his wife, Melania, his son, Eric, his lawyer, Rudy Guiliani, and Senator Ted Cruz who says: “Every time they close the door and shut out the lights, they always find more Democrat votes”. What is the matter with Senator Cruz?
Republicans should accept defeat and allow America to move forward. President Trump should be advised to stop stoking the embers of hate, fear and uncertainty. The legal and Constitutional options that are available to him and the Republicans should be kept open and exhausted if they so insist. It should be noted however that if the contested ballots are not so significant, the courts will be reluctant to take any hard decisions, and in any case, re-counts do not necessarily produce huge swings. Former Republican President, George W. Bush says the election was “fundamentally fair, its integrity will be upheld and its outcome is clear.” That is statesmanship, which Mr. Trump may prove incapable of when he is no longer President. But will he leave the White House? He clearly has no option in the matter. He may continue to play decisive politics. He may even choose to boycott Biden’s inauguration ceremony in January. He may also leave enough entrenched marks of Trumpism behind to make the transition process difficult for the Biden administration.
These are some of the reasons why Mr. Biden and Ms Kamala Harris have their job cut out for them. Joe Biden in his first speech as President-elect says: “This is the time to heal in America” Indeed, America is in need of healing and reconciliation. The Democratic landslide that was predicted by the left did not happen. There was no Blue Wave in the election. The Democrats lost seats in the House of Representatives even if they are still holding on to their majority. The Republicans seem set to retain control of the Senate, even with the run offs scheduled for January. To heal America, Biden must be the President of all Americans as he has promised. He must reach across the aisle to forge a bi-partisan relationship with Republicans, many of whom may nurse a grudge for a long time to come. President Trump has been busy playing golf, we are told. He is probably swinging out his anger on obsolete golf balls. But Republicans in the Senate could give a Biden Presidency a tough time over key economic policies, appointments and his plan to chart a new course for the United States. Mr. Biden’s maturity, experience and style should stand him in good stead. He has the additional luck of a gifted Vice President, Kamala Harris whose unique accomplishments strengthen the narratives of hope, possibilities, diversity and historicity.
Whatever may have been the uncertainties and tension arising from the US elections, it is America that has won in the end. The American dream remains strong and alive, significantly through Kamala Harris who has shattered the ceiling, standing on the shoulders of women whose heroism has made it possible for a day to come in the United States when a woman will be Vice President, a child of immigrants, an Asian-American, an African-American, whose ancestors and relations can be traced to India Tamil Nadu, and Brown’s Town in Jamaica. It is the kind of America that Trump fought against. It is the kind of America that has made America truly great. There are expectations that a Biden Presidency will be more open to the rest of the world and that there will be changes with regard to immigration, trade and aid as America re-engages with the global community. But certain things will not change. America will always be America. Biden may not build any walls of division, but it is not as if the US Mission will start giving immigrant visas automatically to anyone who applies for it. His leadership will be more nuanced, and we may not have to wake up every morning rushing to Twitter to find out whatever POTUS came up with overnight. Even the managers of Twitter are heaving a sigh of relief already.
Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have hit the ground running. A Transition Programme is in place. A 12-man Presidential Task Force has been announced to tackle COVID-19. Biden will not wait for six months to make key appointments or to provide clear policy directions on key issues: COVID-19, economic stimulus, healthcare, race, justice and diversity, climate change. African leaders who have been firing off congratulatory letters should also look at lessons that can be learnt from the American experience.
China is so far strategically silent. Russian President Vladmir Putin and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro are holding back on congratulating Biden. Loyalty? Friendship? Or do they know something that we do not know? What we know is that on January 20, 2021, a new US President will be inaugurated. The US military will be duty bound to hand over the nuclear codes to the new Commander-in-Chief. Trespassers will not be allowed. “Welcome back, America…” Goodbye, Mr. Trump…
President Muhammadu Buhari has cautioned the youths against destroying Nigeria thereby jeopardizing their future that naturally belongs to them.
“Our own generation is on the last lap, we are exiting.”
President Buhari, who spoke today, November 9, against the backdrop of the recent EndSARS protest, and the mayhem and destruction of public and private property that came in its wake, reminded them that keeping and maintaining the peace is in their own interest ultimately.
The President who received in audience, the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s former Minister of Environment, remarked: “it is in the interest of the youths to keep the peace. They want jobs, infrastructure and development. I have sent a team led by the Chief of Staff (Professor Ibrahim Gambari) to go round the country, talk to traditional rulers, who will then talk to the youths. The views of the youths have been heard.”
Tje President said that the current administration inherited severe infrastructural deficits, “and that is what we are fighting to correct. We can’t just sit, fold our hands, and do nothing. We are doing our best within the limits of resources.”
President Buhari said that Coronavirus pandemic has shrunk the global economy and that “this is something you can’t see, smell, or hear,” but which has wrought devastation on lives and livelihoods round the world.
On climate change, he said Nigeria was concerned about the recharge of the Lake Chad, which has great implications on security, irregular migration, and livelihoods.
The Deputy Secretary-General said she was on a courtesy call with her team to flag interest on challenges that concern the UN, particularly COVID-19, climate change, security, and humanitarian responses to the diverse challenges.
President Muhammadu Buhari is celebrating the arrival of first effective coronavirus vaccine after a successful human trial phase.
Reacting to the news that the vaccine has recorded 90 percent effectiveness against the disease, the President described the development as a major milestone in medical field, even as he stressed the need for the world to unite in facilitating the equitable access and distribution of these vaccines to protect people in all countries.
President Buhari reiterated his earlier call that only a People’s Vaccine with equality and solidarity at its core can protect all of humanity and get the societies safely running again.
An Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has convicted six Nigerians over alleged funding of Boko Haram.
They were found guilty of transferring a total of $782,000 contrary to Article 29, Clause 3 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017.
The conviction was upheld by the appellate court after they lost an earlier appeal at a lower court.
While two of them, Surajo Abubakar Muhammad and Saleh Yusuf Adamu were sentenced to life imprisonment, the rest, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, AbdurRahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf and Muhammad Ibrahim Isa, got ten-year imprisonment each.
Court documents show that between 2015 and 2016, the convicts were allegedly involved in cash transfers totalling $782,000.00 to Boko Haram.
The act was contrary to Article 29, Clause 3 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017.
National Security Bureau said investigation of the Nigerians “confirmed their involvement and membership of the Boko Haram”.
They were arrested between April 16 and 17, 2017, and their homes searched according to the search warrant issued by the National Security Prosecution office dated April 16, 2017.
Abubakar and Adamu were charged for joining Boko Haram knowingly. This negates Article 22/2 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017 punishable by death or life imprisonment.
Alhassan, Musa, Yusuf and Isa were charged with assisting the sect knowingly.
The crime, under Article 31, Clause 1 of the same law, is punishable by life imprisonment or at least five years in jail. Most of the transactions were facilitated by two undercover Boko Haram agents based in Nigeria. One of them is “Alhaji Sa’idu”.
The other “Alhaji Ashiru” was described as “a Nigerian government official”.
He also reportedly funnelled misappropriated public funds to terrorists. Sa’idu’s modus operandi is using unidentified Arab persons on a visit to Dubai from Turkey to hand over US Dollars to one of the convicts, who then remit Naira equivalent to the agent.
Families of the convicts say they were “framed up”, insisting their bureau de change business in the UAE was legitimate.
President-elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden has called on his opponents in the just concluded election to put behind, all the anger and harsh rhetoric behind them for the purpose of forging a united nation.
“With the campaign over, it’s time to put the anger and the harsh rhetoric behind us and come together as a nation. It’s time for America to unite…and to heal.
“We are the United States of America. And there’s nothing we can’t do, if we do it together.”
In his reaction to his victory following a grueling electoral process, Biden said: “I am honored and humbled by the trust the American people have placed in me and in Vice President-elect Harris.
“In the face of unprecedented obstacles, a record number of Americans voted, proving once again that democracy beats deep in the heart of America.
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DeClub 10 Nigeria, an elite group from Kogi Central Senatorial District has asked the Kogi State Government to urgently address the resurgence of kidnapping in the area.
Former Kaduna State Governor, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa and the National Chairman of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), has died today.
President Muhammadu Buhari is celebrating the arrival of first effective coronavirus vaccine after a successful human trial phase.
An Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has convicted six Nigerians over alleged funding of Boko Haram.
