The thoughts on everyone’s mind today revolve around frightening questions – is there a future for Nigeria? Are we on a direct non-stop slide to anarchy? Is Nigeria beyond salvation? My response to these questions is to say let’s think differently. Let’s ask what we can do as individuals, groups, associations and communities to place Nigeria on the path of recovery, redemption and salvation. Let us place on the table our plans to rebuild the Nigerian State and society. It is not day-dreaming, it’s simply saying let us sing the song with Wole Soyinka. “I love Nigeria I no go…
Author: Abdallah el-Kurebe
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has charged the National Assembly to remove the immunity clause from the constitution, thereby making every Nigerian equal before the law. The General-Secretary, CAN, Barr. Joseph Daramola, gave the charge at a press conference, on Thursday, in Abuja. Daramola said that the Association was demanding for the creation of new states across the country, which, it said, would ensure ”administrative impartment and governmental dividends”. CAN also demanded for devolution and decentralisation of power, and governance system, through formal introduction of geo-political zones and regions with clearly assigned roles. These demands and others were presented…
The federal government has called for collaboration with 54 African Countries and cross-country development with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), to grow local capacities to drive economic growth in the sub-region. Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, made the call while declaring open the first Africa Local Content Roundtable, at the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) tower in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, on Thursday. This is the maiden Africa Local Content Roundtable, hosted by the NCDMB headquarters in Yenagoa. He cited the collaboration as providing an opportunity to create a single market, through the facilitation…
The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Tanko Muhammad, has asked the National Assembly to mandate the National Judicial Council (NJC) to fix and review salaries of judges every four years. The CJN made the submission in a paper he presented as recommendations of the judiciary, at a national public hearing the Senate Committee on review of the 1999 Constitution, held in Abuja on Thursday. The paper is titled: ’Input by the Judiciary to the Proposed Alteration to the 1999 Constitution (as Amended)’’, which the CJN submitted before the Senate Committee, contained 45 constitutional amendment proposals on expected reforms in…
The Presidency has described as unfair and distorted opinion the latest article on Nigeria published by the Foreign Affairs (Magazine) titled, ‘The Giant of Africa is Failing’. Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the condemnation in a statement in Abuja on Thursday while reacting to the article. In a letter addressed to the publishers of the magazine, the presidential aide frowned at the way and manner facts were being bent to support distorted opinions. The letter read in part: “The latest article on Nigeria in Foreign Affairs titled ‘The Giant of…
The UK government says it is working to ensure Nigeria becomes more competitive to attract investments. Mr Ben Llewelyn-Jones, British Deputy High Commissioner, said this in a statement when Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, Managing Director, UK Nigeria Infrastructure Advisory Facility (UKNIAF), paid him a visit in Lagos. The statement said the visit was to discuss UKNIAF’s work on energy, infrastructure financing and roads. He noted that the country must have a competitive edge in order to attract investments. “We live in a competitive world where investors are looking for a location that provides adequate return on investments. “It is important, therefore,…
A professor of real estate investment at the Federal University of Technology Akure, FUTA, Mr Mustapha Bello has called on federal and state governments to consider the provision of housing as social service to the masses. The Don stated this while delivering the 128th inaugural lecture of the institution titled, “Real Estate Investment Management: The Antidote to National Poverty”, on Tuesday. Professor Mustapha Bello said after the adoption of low-income housing as a social service, governments should provide machinery for its finance at low interest rate and also create a social-economic environment which is conducive enough to bring down interest…
The United Nations on Thursday warned that with vaccine deliveries at a near-standstill and lacking key resources in frontline care, Africa was poorly prepared for the third wave of COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. “Many African hospitals and clinics are still far from ready to cope with a huge rise in critically ill patients,” the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said. “The threat of a third wave in Africa is real and rising,” she said. Africa has officially registered over 4.8 million COVID-19 cases and 130,000 deaths, according to the WHO, a figure representing 2.9 percent of…
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday declared open the virtual 12th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Niger Basin Authority (NBA). He also called for global support to develop the resources in the Niger Basin area, which is home to over 160 million people that depend on the river as means of sustenance. According to Buhari, the Niger River, commonly called Djoliba in Guinea and Mali, offers enormous development opportunities in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, fishing, fish farming, hydropower, hydraulics and navigation. “It is, therefore, necessary to continue to promote its enormous potential for the benefit…
Seven persons, including four security operatives and four others were on Wednesday evening, killed in armed robbery attacks in Ikire and Apomu towns of Osun state. The gunmen, who stormed the towns in an attempt to attack the banks there, reportedly stormed the area in about five vehicles and attacked the police station in Ikire, as well as an armoured vehicle at Ikoyi-Osun. The spokesperson of Osun Police Command, Ms Opalola Olawoyin confirmed the incident in a statement. “Gentlemen of the press, it is true that there was attempted bank robbery in Ikire/Apomu today, Wednesday 2nd June 2021 at about…