The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Denying LG autonomy is working against constitution, says Edo Rep

    Denying LG autonomy is working against constitution, says Edo Rep

    The member representing Esan West/Esan Central/Igueben Federal Constituency of Edo state, Hon. Marcus Onobum has said that disallowing local you from exercising their administrative and financial autonomy goes against the principles and letters of the 1999 constitution.

    In an interview with The Nation in Abuja, Onobum who is a former Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly said the constitution proscribed three-tiers of government for the country.

    He explained that it was in recognition of the constitutional provision that the Edo State House of Assembly passed the local government autonomy bill sent to it by the 9th National Assembly.

    The bill on local government autonomy was one of the bills that failed to meet the required 24 state Assemblies for concurrence to become a law during the last constitutional amendment.

    He said, “The constitution is our guide and that constitution made it clear that there shall be three tiers of government and not arms of government. These three tiers of government are supposed to be independent of each other.

    “I personally believe that just as the state has its autonomy and not being controlled by the federal government, the local government should be allow to have their autonomy and be free to express themselves without interference from the states.

    “It is not just financial autonomy, but administrative autonomy too. The councilors should be able to express themselves freely just as we did at the state level.  The chairman who went round to campaign and made promises should be blessed to deliver on those promises without interference.

    “I believe that the state of insecurity we have today is brought about as a result of a weak local government system. In the first place, poverty is what drives people into committing crimes and all these start with the local government.

    “Even the President is from a local government. So, the bulk should not be passed to either the governor or the President. The local government as enshrined in the constitution should carry out their responsibilities and if there are bottlenecks that lead to the financial and administrative autonomy, it should be removed.”

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    “We believe that the local government should be given a fair ground to do all that they need to do for grassroots development, for security of our country.

    “You can imagine that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria are dealing with the issue of insecurity, the President will have less to do. Today, the President and the governors are now carrying the burden of what to do.

    “The local issues such as security with the vigilante are things that the local government should be able to dodo while the federal government will now be protecting the territory to ensure there are no extern invaders. But what we are dealing with today are internal issues which is not supposed to be.”

    Speaking on the autonomy for state legislature that is not being implemented by the states, he said “When we had the fifth alteration of the constitution, I will like to say that under my leadership as Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Edo was the third state to pass the bill on autonomy for the judiciary and the local government.

    “But there are certain criteria you must meet. I understand that not all the states has fully constituted their Assembly Service Commission. There are certain administrative procedures that you have to go through to have full autonomy.

    “I understand that some states have started implementing the autonomy. If there are states that have not, I am sure that the process is on. It is legal for every state legislature to have full autonomy.”

  • Kukah advocates purposeful leadership to address Nigeria’s economic challenges

    Kukah advocates purposeful leadership to address Nigeria’s economic challenges

    The Bishop of Sokoto Diocese of the Catholic Church, Bishop Matthew Kukah, has advocates purposeful leadership and followership to address the myriad of economic challenges confronting the country currently.

    He indicated that every Nigerian knows the problems facing the country at the moment, saying that it would take leaders and citizens’ resolve to address the problems for the good of the country and the coming generations.

    The cleric however stated that every country in the world also has its own problems, contending that it takes the patriotic zeal of the citizens and purposeful leaders to address such problems.

    Kukah spoke on Friday in Yenagoa while delivering a keynote address at the third annual national public lecture of the FirstNews, an online newspaper published by a former Bayelsa State Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson.

    Speaking on the theme, ‘The Nigerian Question: Survival of the Federation in the Throes of Increasing Economic Challenges’, the cleric contended that even those who are responsible for Nigeria’s problems are not also safe as their crimes were hunting them.

    He urged Nigerians to find its own navigational truth for proper development as done in other nations.

    Kukah said: “The good thing about Nigeria is that everybody knows what the problems are and that the people who are responsible for the problems are not also safe, they too do not know peace.

    “Nigerians talk about other countries, I feel sorry for many Nigerians who because of many troubles hardly travel out of their immediate environments, let alone traveling to other parts of Africa or other parts of the world.

    “Though, every country has its own problems, the challenges before us in Nigeria are what we actually want. Obviously, can we democratise and develop our nation? It is a very difficult question to answer, because what we call the civilised world today is the last 200 years of exploitation of Africa that helped to build these nations.

    “So, we are imagining it ourselves; why are we not like other people, we are not like others because every nation has to find its own navigational truth for development. It is not as if we cannot use democracy to develop Nigeria, but there are certain fundamental things that must be on the ground before people could appreciate democracy.

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    “Unless Nigeria settles the issue of ‘bread and butter mentality’ the democracy can actually look like lottery,” Kukah posited.

    Also speaking, the Publisher of First News, Mr Daniel Iworiso-Markson, said the essence of the lecture was to brainstorm on the Nigeria’s challenging economy and to proffer possible solutions, adding that the nation’s economic problems are very glaring.

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    According to him, Nigeria’s situation has defied any solution, noting that the development was why the lecture was arranged to find solutions to the economic challenges affecting the country.

    Also speaking, Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Gideon Ekeuwei, urged Bayelsa people to develop themselves in order to curb the economic situations.

    He urged Nigerians to leverage the power of technology to move the country’s forward, expressing optimism that Nigeria would bounce back again.

  • Isokoland can’t boast of electricity despite oil exploitation – Ex-PDP Chair

    Isokoland can’t boast of electricity despite oil exploitation – Ex-PDP Chair

    In what may be a tacit indictment of the Delta state government, Emmanuel Ogidi, a former Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Delta State has decried the lack of development in Isoko land, alleging that no community in Isoko can boast of electricity despite the oil and gas resources exploitation of the land.

    According to the PDP chieftain, Uzere Community in Isoko North Local Government Area is the second community in Nigeria where oil was discovered, yet there are no visible signs of socioeconomic development.

    Ogidi, spoke yesterday during the Outstanding Personalities’ awards ceremony held in Oleh community, Isoko South Local Government Area.

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    Isoko nation, he lamented is filled with individuals suffering from the “Pull Him Down” syndrome, PHD., who do not want development in the land.

    He noted that the Isoko people have also wasted time in pulling down their own leaders, mentors and spiritual fathers, despite the leaders themselves not doing well.

    He lamented that the Isokos have no representatives at the Federal and State levels, including at the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC and the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC.

    “I am not saying the leaders have done exceptionally well.”

    He, however, urged the Isoko people to stop the practices of pulling their own, especially, leaders and mentors and unite in love as a people and move the Isoko nation forward.

  • Otu leads clergymen, others in prayers for recovery, prosperity in C’River

    Otu leads clergymen, others in prayers for recovery, prosperity in C’River

    The Cross River State governor Senator Bassey Otu led the entire members of the State executive cabinet, the legislature, judiciary and the clergymen in a solemn assembly to pray and solicit God’s favour to recover the State’s loss fortune and spread prosperity in the state

    Speaking at the interdenominational event held Saturday in Calabar at the Calabar International Conference Center, the Governor who was accompanied by his wife, Tev. Eyoawan Otu, the Governor said his administration is on a mission of total recovery in the state.

    He recalled the huge loss the state recorded during the ENDSARS insurgencies of 2020, the loss of Bakassi and the oil rich status among others

    Governor Otu also maintained that besides recovering the state, building and laying the foundation that will lead to the prosperity of the state, the mission we are on is total recovery and we will recover and add more.

    He emphasised his commitment to ensure there is discipline in the system and warned his appointees to note that he has pledged not to fail they people and the state, so they must not fail in their assignment.

    “We are building and laying the foundation that will lead to the prosperity of the state,” he said, adding that there are several challenges he inherited but God is always faithful.

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    He said his administration is repositioning several sectors of the state’s economy and most of what his government is doing behind the scenes will soon manifest.

    Also speaking, the convener of the assembly and wife of the governor Rev. Eyo-Anwan Bassey Otu said the essence of the gathering is to prayerfully recover all that had been stolen from the state.

    “Our things had been stolen and we have come together like the prodigal son to cry to God and get it back.

    “We had lost a lot as a state but we know God can do everything and dry bones shall rise again,” she said.

    On his part, the state Chairman of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, Apostle Dr. Trinity Ogar said what the state is doing is a progressive action and they are going step by step.

    “After healing the land, it pleased God to give her Excellency the wisdom to put this together, in season of recovery

    “We can begin to see the evidence and I believe that anyone that came here today will begin to experience total recovery.

    “We will not stop at anything until we recover all that belongs to Cross River State spiritually, physically and otherwise and God by his mercies will endorse it, make it happen “, he said.

    The second edition had as theme Season of Total Recovery and was graced by the Speaker of the state Assembly Elvert Ayambem, the State Chief Judge Justice Akon Ikpeme and other top government officials.

  • Gunmen kill four NSCDC operatives in Rivers

    Gunmen kill four NSCDC operatives in Rivers

    Gunmen identified as pirates terrorising the Bakana waterways in Degema Local Government Area, Rivers State, have killed four operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

    Bodies of the deceased personnel were seen packed in a boat floating at the river bank in a viral video.

    Sympathisers identified some of the victims as Chibuzo and Chief Priest.

    It was gathered that two Muslims out of the four victims were buried according to Islamic rites while the others were deposited at the mortuary.

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    When contacted, the corps’ Public Relations Officer (PRO), Olufemi Ayodele, could not be reached for his comments.

    “We asked questions as members of the nation’s parliament and we were satisfied with the answers provided.”

  • Results and Delivery Unit proves Tinubu listening President —FNM

    Results and Delivery Unit proves Tinubu listening President —FNM

    The Future Nigeria Movement (FNM) has hailed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for heading its recommendation to set up what is now called Result and Delivery Unit (RDU).

    The FNM Leader, Livingstone Wechie said in Port Harcourt that the establishment of such a unit and the appointment of Hadiza Bala- Usman, who is the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination to head the same, was proof that Tinubu is a listening leader.

    He said: “FNM made these recommendations strongly to President Bola Tinubu in various publications to establish a Monitoring and Evaluation Bureau or Unit in the Presidency and place all his appointees on actionable targets, such a Unit or Bureau through which key performance indicators of all ministerial appointees would be monitored.

    “In our various recommendations, FNM impressed it hard on Mr. President to sack any appointee that fails to bring the needed value to his administration for the good of Nigeria.

    “The proclamations by the President at the Ministerial retreat which perfectly captured our recommendations in these regards show that the President is open to creative and soluble ideas and is committed to service delivery which he now stands to prove further.”

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    Wechie said the President’s directive was geared towards ensuring a high quality performance from his appointees through the key performance indicators (KPIs) that would be reviewed quarterly, to the effect that the bond would come with a consequence management framework for underperforming appointees.

    He said: “May we caution that this Result and Delivery Unit should not be handled as a decoration or a lobbyist platform but a true Monitoring and Evaluation wing of the President’s efforts because they too will be under scrutiny.

    “On this, we hold Mr. President responsible and put him to task to be uncompromising with his appointees to deliver. We renew our civic commitment to join in and put the government and its appointees on their toes as well as monitor their activities accordingly to ensure the delivery of expected results and publications of assessments.”

  • Sultan to Muslims: Seek knowledge about other faiths for peace in Nigeria

    Sultan to Muslims: Seek knowledge about other faiths for peace in Nigeria

    Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs(NSCIA), Alhaji Mohammed Saad Abubakar,  yesterday, asked adherents of the Islamic religion in Nigeria to seek knowledge about people of other faiths to promote peaceful co-existence in the country.  

    He also admonished Muslims to acquire “Knowledge about the words of God and work with them in order to become better human beings.”

    Sultan Abubakar stated this in Ilorin, Kwara State capital at the 10th annual Usman Dan Fodio Lecture and prayer session for Nigeria.

    They prayed to God to prosper Nigeria and restore peace to the troubled parts of the country.

    The Sultan said the purpose of the annual Usman Danfodiyo Lecture was to encourage Muslims to acquire knowledge and share such to strengthen Islam.

    “Sokoto Caliphate was founded on knowledge and not on illiteracy, hence it is an obligation on all Muslims to seek knowledge, bequeath such to their children, and spread the right knowledge about Islam to check the trend of fake news,” he added.

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    He said the choice of Ilorin for the lecture was done deliberately to demonstrate that Muslims are “one big family.”

    “Why Ilorin, somebody may ask that question? It is because we are one family and it is important to share knowledge and educate people across the globe,” he said

    “We are here to educate ourselves about what our forefathers did to strengthen Islam. They didn’t bring Islam  to the world, they follow  the words of God and strengthen it,” he added

    Sultan praised the choice of the guest lecturer, who he described as an international scholar of repute, and urged the attendees to share the knowledge acquired and work with the words of God.

    “It is one thing to hear the word of God, it’s another thing to work with it. I am asking us to work with the words of God so that we can become better human beings,” he said.

    The Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede, and other eminent persons attended the prayers

     The prayer which was led by the Chief Imam of Ilorin, Sheikh Mohammed Bashir Salihu formed the major highlight of the 10th Annual Usman Danfodiyo Lecture. The lecture was entitled: ‘The Concept of God In Major World Religions.’

  • People use ecological issues to make money – Reps chair

    People use ecological issues to make money – Reps chair

    • Vows to ensure proper need assessment for ecological funds releases

    Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Ecological Funds, Hon. Aminu Jaji has said that henceforth, the House will carry out proper need assessment before funds are released for ecological projects in the country.

    Jaji who spoke at the inaugural meeting of the committee regretted that people are using the issue of ecological projects to make money for themselves against the overall interest of the Nigerian people.

    He said currently, the committee has more than 50 requests from members seeking to address ecological challenges in their States.

     “As a Committee, we have to stop this. We have to carry out a need assessment ourselves across the 36 States of the federation before funds can be disbursed for it. We’ll ensure that the narrative is changed,” Jaji said.

     He assured that the Committee will not only carry out its usual oversight function diligently but will ensure the system is properly sanitised.

    While urging the Committee to focus on how to address the ecological challenges like desertification in the North, and erosion in the South- East among others in different parts of the country, Jaji said members must come up with innovation to tackle ecological challenges in the country.

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    Member of the committee, Julius Pondi who also chairs the Committee on Environment while commending the leadership for selecting some technocrat to be part of the Ecological Funds Committee, advised that if only the chairman can be firm in his decisions, the Committee will achieve its desired result.

    Meanwhile, the House Committee on Science and Technology has said it would monitor and ensure the proper utilisation of funds from international partners and other donor agencies for the development of science and technology in the country.

    Chairman of the committee, Hon. Dachung Musa Bagos who spoke at the inaugural meeting of the committee said “Our committee will assess intervention needs and the utilisation of funds from international partners, donor agencies, and grantees in the STI sector.”

     We will work to ensure improved utilization of grants for the sector’s benefit”

    Bagos said, “We will engage with relevant stakeholders, including the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science, and Technology, agencies under the ministry, and Nigerian experts in STI living in the diaspora. These sessions will help us identify areas of legislative intervention and enhance our oversight functions.

    “Through oversight visits, we will ascertain compliance and implementation levels of the 2023 Appropriation Act, ensuring prudent utilization of resources allocated to the ministry and its agencies.”

  • FG to subsidise adire production in Ogun to micro, macro economy – Edu

    FG to subsidise adire production in Ogun to micro, macro economy – Edu

    The Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu has said that the Federal Government will subsidize adire (local fabric) production to boost the micro and macro economy of Ogun State and other parts of the country.

    Edu said further that the FG has the intention to make the fabric become acceptable globally hence the need to empower the local producer to boost their production capacity and quality.

    The minister who made this known yesterday when she visited the Adire Mall in Itoku and Adire Market Asero – both in Abeokuta, the state capital, also hinted at the FG’s intention to establish Adire production clusters across the three Senatorial Districts of Ogun State and the need to ban the importation of foreign Adire products.

    According to her, the government is ready to utilise the existing opportunities for production in Adire to lift millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of poverty.

    “First, you must be able to push local production to meet the demand. Local production must be enhanced at all costs to meet the demand. When local products are enhanced, subsided, and supported by the government, it will automatically eliminate whatever fluctuations coming into the market.”

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    “We don’t want to sell fake adire, made in China adire brought into Nigeria. What we want is local ones made by our people to create jobs, it will build a micro and macro economy and it will help Nigeria to be more of a manufacturing country rather than an importing country.

    “These are the things that are affecting the exchange rates and other indexes in Nigeria. The government will provide that subsidy for the people, so we take the fuel subsidy off the fuel and will provide it for the adire makers so that they can provide local adire that will be used and exported out of the country.

    “I was so happy yesterday when the governor and his team, commissioners said they are going to create hubs in Abuja where the original adire would be sold. This is taking Abeokuta, Ogun State to the world, and these hubs can be created even at embassies in other countries around the world where we can export adire.

    “This is the original one, not the fake which is imitated and brought in. For us, if we support the local manufacturers, subsidize this for them, and bring more people into this to meet the demand, it will automatically eliminate the ones that are coming into the country. “

  • UNESCO, SWAG Initiative, others to men: empower girl-child

    UNESCO, SWAG Initiative, others to men: empower girl-child

    IN a bid to empower Nigerian girls and work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has stressed the need for coordinated efforts to provide more opportunities and protection for the Nigerian girl child.

     Philippe Delanghe, Officer-in-charge of the UNESCO Regional Office, emphasized the transformative potential of education and the importance of safeguarding and increasing opportunities for girls. 

    He made these remarks yesterday in Abuja during the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child celebration organized by Stand With A Girls (SWAG) Initiative in collaboration with UNESCO.

     During the event, it was noted that girls in Nigeria face numerous challenges, including limited access to education, health risks, gender-based violence, and harmful practices like early child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting.

    Delanghe highlighted the critical situation of the Nigerian girl child, despite some progress in addressing the issues inhibiting her growth. 

    He pointed out that girls in Nigeria have fewer educational opportunities and face significant health risks.

    , including early and frequent childbearing, HIV, gender-based violence, and other harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutilation/cutting.

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     He also mentioned that despite various policies aimed at improving access to health and education, there are still an estimated 10.2 million out-of-school children aged 6-11, with a larger proportion of them being girls. Completion rates for girls in national primary schools are lower compared to boys.

     He lamented that the COVID-19 pandemic worsened the situation by causing prolonged school closures, exacerbating inequalities, reversing gains made in girls’ education, and exposing vulnerable children to protection violations, exploitation, and abuse.

     In response to these challenges, Delanghe stressed the need for a deepened level of engagement with a broad range of stakeholders in education, health, and well-being of school-aged children, especially girls, through effective reproductive health education. He emphasized the importance of involving men in this conversation to bridge the gap for adolescents and young girls as they transition into womanhood.

    He disclosed that UNESCO’s program ‘Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future’ (03 program), which addresses these issues through policy development and empowering young people with education and information, will be expanded to 7 States by 2027 from the initial 13 States.