The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • I’ve always loved C$S churches- Ooni’s wife

    Ooni of Ife’s wife, Olori Naomi Ogunwusi, said she has always loved the white garment church, Cherubim & Seraphim.

    Speaking on Saturday at the Seraphim Media Summit, held at Seraph Land, Maba, Ogun State, the Olori said she was born and raised up in a Bible-believing church but whenever she preached as a young girl, they said she sounded like a member of C&S.

    She stated, “When I began preaching at a tender age, it was strange to the church I worshipped. They said I preached like the people from C&S. I thank you for bringing me here today because I have always wanted to be identified with the people they say I preach like. I love the church so much and I will always speak for you anywhere.”

    She advised members to shun negative criticisms, saying that it was a deliberate act by certain people to ridicule all the church stood for.

    She explained, “I rejoice with the church today because of the foundation. When I wanted to learn about indigenous men of God, the first person that came to my mind was the late founder of the church, Moses Orimolade. I want you to know that you are a beautiful brand regardless of what people say about you. You have a beautiful mark of identification; with your white garment, you don’t need any further introduction to anyone.

    Read Also: Ooni’s love for culture and tradition is what attracts me to him

    We all know that in every original product, there are fake ones. People will always try to bring you down. When people said I was preaching like a C&S member, they were trying to bring me down.”

    Delivering her keynote address, the Founder of Love of Christ Generation in London, Rev Mother Esther Ajayi, stated that the mission of C&S was to renew the image of the church.

    He said, “This summit is important because we live in a world that is changing. We are called all sorts of names by people. Even people who come to us for help tarnish us in the daylight. But like other denominations, we all have our shortcomings and humans will always be humans.”

    She also said the founder of the church was never a cultist. She explained, “C&S is the only indigenous church that doesn’t have any western influence. Our late founder was not a cultist but he was feared by cultists. When I met with Pastor Enoch Adeboye recently, he said his late mother was always saying that fetish people feared C&S because they knew they were powerful.

    “I urge the media to be free and fair when reporting C&S like they are with others. Nollywood practitioners should stop using white garment to portray bad characters. Members must also avoid dragging the name of the church through the mud,” Ajayi added.

    Meanwhile, the Supreme Head, Cherubim & Seraphim Unification Church of Nigeria, Dr. Prophet Solomon Alao, appreciated the organizers of the summit. He said, “With all the church has done to provide spiritual and physical supports for humanity, it is unbelievable that many take joy in tagging the church in ungodly names, which negate the essence of the church. We are pleading with them to fear God. I admit that we have a few bad eggs among us but this is not peculiar to our church alone.”

  • Dickson hails LG poll in Bayelsa as APC boycotts exercise

    Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has described the local government council election in the state as peaceful, free, fair and credible.

    The main opposition political party in the state, the All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the exercise as they failed to field candidates for the grassroots election.

    But Dickson, who spoke shortly after casting his vote at Oruere-wari polling unit 05, ward 2 in Toru Orua, Sagbama local government area of the state, said over 30 political parties participated in the exercise.

    Read Also: Bayelsa 2019: Between Lokpobiri and other APC aspirants

    The governor said contrary to concerns raised about the council election in the state, preliminary security reports indicated that the exercise was peaceful and hitch-free.

    He expressed satisfaction at the large turnout of voters and urged the electorate to conduct themselves in a peaceful and orderly manner in electing candidates and parties of their choice.

    The governor recalled the boycott of the council poll by the APC but noted that over 30 political parties contested the exercise and expressed optimism that the election would end peacefully.

  • Gubernatorial race: Group faults INEC for sacking C/River REC

    A group known as the National Coalition for Progressive Change has berated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for sacking the Cross River State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Frankland Briyai, over alleged non-compliance with the code of conduct, after his governorship ambition in Calabar.

    The group described INEC’s decision as not only unconstitutional, but a calculated attempt to tarnish the image and integrity of the former REC, who they said followed due process before resigning from office.

    They said Briyai had on Tuesday, August 6, 2019, in Calabar, resigned his appointment to contest the November 2019 Bayelsa governorship election the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Briyai has earlier told reporters that he decided to contest due to pressure on him to get into the race by his people.

    But the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), had frowned at Briyai’s action and subsequently relieved him of his duties, denying receiving his resignation

    Read Also: JUST IN: INEC sacks Cross Rivers REC

    Although the Commission acknowledged that it is the right of any commissioner or official of the Commission to resign his or her appointment and join any political party of his or her choice and to aspire for any office or position, they kicked against the use of its premises or facilities for any political purpose as this is unlawful and contrary to the Code of Conduct subscribed to by all its officials.

    Condemning INEC’s decision, the South-South Coordinator of the Group, Comrade Sampson Effiom, in a statement issued in Calabar yesterday, said Dr. Briyai had sent his resignation letter dated August 5, 2019 to the commission and wondered why they claimed they did not get it.

    The statement reads in part, “We are well aware that Briyai has sent his resignation letter since August 5, 2019. He is only answering the call to serve his people who have found him worthy to lead the state, thus his declaration openly.

    “INEC decision is unconstitutional and cannot stand because the Section 306 (2) which they quoted does not give them powers to sack a senior appointee such as REC.

    “REC was appointed by the President and confirmed by National Assembly and so only the President has the powers to remove him and not the commission.”

  • Attack on Ekweremadu: Group vows to set up task force to identify IPOB members at Nigerian airports

    A group of concerned Nigerians, under the aegis of One United Nigeria Agenda, has warned members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the diaspora not to venture returning back to the country as a task force has been set up to screen them at various international airports.
    The group gave this threat at a press conference by its President, Comrade Atumeyi Victor, in Abuja on Thursday to address IPOB’s spate of attacks on Nigerians, particularly ex-Senate President Ike Ekweremadu.
    According to the One United Nigeria, this has become paramount to curtail the excesses of the terrorist group who appear hell-bent on damaging the image of the country in the eyes of the international community.
    Amongst other things, the proposed task force will nab those responsible for the attack on Ekweremmadu as soon as they set foot in Nigeria and hand them over to the Police.
    The group added that there will be profiling, arrest, processing and handing over to relevant security agencies for prosecution irrespective of whether the IPOB member has carried out any attack or not.
    In a bid to facilitate the capture of fugitive leader Nnamdi Kanu, the One United Nigeria group, therefore, announced modalities for crowdfunding a N100 million bounty.
    Read full statement below:
    Gentlemen of the press, we are here addressing this press conference today because our expectations were not met by the federal government of Nigeria following its tame response to the attack on the former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in Nuremberg, Germany.
    For a government that recognized IPOB as a terrorist group to the extent that it proscribed its activities across Nigeria, we had expected that all those that attacked Senator Ekweremadu would have been repatriated to Nigeria by now. Returning these criminals to Nigeria will allow for them to stand trial for their crime, which was motivated by their terrorist agenda. Attacking the senator was intended to scare political office holders in Nigeria from travelling abroad to pursue the interest of the country.
    To show that we are right, the failure of the federal government to repatriate the IPOB terrorists gave them the confidence to announce reward for information about the travel plans of senior government officials of the country. They even boasted about how they will use such information to stage other attacks.
    We note the ploy of making it appear as if IPOB members are only interested in attacking politicians of Igbo origin but we refuse to accept this cheap trick. Irrespective of their ethnic identifications, all senators of the Federal Republic are Nigerians, attacking anyone of them, even where the attack was carried out by his own kinsmen, is the same as attacking the National Assembly – the symbol of Nigeria’s democracy.
    Gentlemen of the press, if it is madness that is inspired IPOB’s attack on senator Ekweremadu, it is now apparent that the madness has gone beyond the kind that is treatable because they have not dared to include the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on their hit list.  The implication of this is that they will in the foreseeable future begin to launch attacks against the interests of Nigeria abroad and other Nigerians.
    It is a dangerous situation that cannot be allowed to continue because of the grievous consequences that will follow. Not only would it not be allowed to continue, there should also be punishments for those that brought about it in the first place. The message must be sent out in unequivocal terms that even where the government becomes limited for diplomatic reasons Nigerians will rise up to defend their country against terrorists the same way they halted Boko Haram’s ascendancy.
    We therefore use this opportunity to warn the IPOB members abroad not to contemplate visiting home. This warning is necessary because we have set up a task force with the mandate to compile a dossier of IPOB members to be used by another task force responsible for enforcement, with the mandate to arrest all those responsible for the attack on Ekweremmadu any day they set foot in Nigeria. We will of course hand over such criminals to the police after they must have been processed.
    The relevant task force will also collate names of IPOB members that would be matched to photo identities for publication and display at all international airports and arrival ports in Nigeria. This is to ensure that those who take the citizens of Nigeria for granted never escape justice anytime they visit Nigeria. One United Nigeria Agenda will ensure that IPOB terrorists are treated like Boko Haram suspects since they have decided to internationalize their acts of terrorism and taking their irresponsible behaviour cross international borders.
    This treatment shall be extended to any known members of the terrorist group resident abroad and travelling into Nigeria. The profiling, arrest, processing and handing over to the police for prosecution shall be irrespective of whether the IPOB member has carried out any attack or not. Being a member of the group is enough grounds to be treated as attempting to re-introduce IPOB into Nigeria after he terrorist organization has been purged out of the system.
    Permit us to inform you that One United Nigeria Agenda is in the process of fine-tuning modalities for crowdfunding a N100 million bounty for any individual, group, soldier of fortune that can arrest and ship IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kanu back to Nigeria to answer the case he has before he court. Being a fugitive from justice, Kanu has been the chief instigator of violence against Nigerians by IPOB miscreants. We believe that cutting off the head of the serpent will kill the monster of IPOB’s terrorism.
    We are also working on another fund to drive advocacy to the countries with the worst case of IPOB infestation with the objective of holding sensitization sessions in this countries to empower them with information how to tackle the IPOB problem. A local version of this advocacy is also in the works and will involve making contacts with the diplomatic missions of the affected countries.
    Our belief is that this advocacy will help the world, particularly the affected countries, to now better understand and appreciate that the entire array of crimes that “Nigerians” are being blamed for are exclusively IPOB oriented. Crimes like drug-running, gun-running, human trafficking and fraud are being committed by IPOB members to raise funds for their group’s terrorist activities.
    We believe it was divine providence that made IPOB to overstep its bounds because so many facts that were once hidden about the cause of the bad reputation that bedevilled Nigeria are now known to the world. That source is called IPOB. We have successfully dealt with its local component, which is why we will not allow any variant of the virus called IPOB to be reintroduced to the country by way of their members travelling into the country.

  • IPOB wants military checkpoints dismantled in Southeast

    Following recent activities of officers of the Nigerian army in the Southeast, Abia in particular, members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has expressed rage over the killing of a commercial motorcycle operator by a happy-trigger soldier in Aba over his alleged refusal to pay N100 daily illegal toll at Ohanze, in Obingwa LGA of Abia State.

    This is even as they called for the immediate dismantling of multiple military checkpoints across South East saying the zone is being treated as a conquered territory.

    IPOB in a press release signed by the Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, claimed that Ndigbo were being punished by the Northern-dominated army for opposing the controversial Ruga settlement.

    Read Also: Weak civil-military relations jeopardise military operations – Navy

    “The unprovoked attack and unnecessary killing of Biafrans by Fulani dominated Nigerian Army throughout Biafranland has taken another gruesome dimension since the emphatic rejection of Fulani Ruga settlements and National Life Stock Programmes (NLSP) by Biafrans.”

    According to IPOB, the most annoying thing about the dastardly act was that the killer-soldier followed the victim to his house and shot him in front of his wife and other family members as if he killed a wild animal.

    “That a Nigerian Army chased a young man into his village and shot him dead in his compound in front of his wife and family is wickedness taken too far.”

  • UNIZIK loses three students, staff in three months

    Students Union Government of the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra state has expressed worry over the recklessness of commercial bus drivers plying within the school and its environs.

    Director of Transport in the institution, Mmesirionye Patrick, stated this yesterday during the first Annual Transport Summit, tagged, ‘A Good Transport Network: A Panacea to Accident Minimisation.’

    He said the ugly trend has led to rising cases of car crashes with attendant loss of lives of students and staff of the university.

    According to him, the institution lost three students and a staff within three months, blaming the deaths on over speeding by the drivers, many of who he said lack basic training.

    He said the Summit was to address incidences of road accidents and other challenges confronting transportation in the university.

    Read Also: Tragic story of three ATBU students who met their untimely death on a collapse bridge

    “We decided to organise this Summit in collaboration with the state government, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Johnbosco Onunkwo Foundation and other relevant stakeholders to sensitise and educate drivers on proper road usage.

    “Most drivers of the shuttle buses that ply within the school and environs don’t only lack basic training, but drive recklessly.”

    Mmesirionye also lamented high cost of transportation fare students were subjected to, blaming it on high rate of internally generated revenue (IGR) by the state government.

    “Some drivers pay up to N800 daily as revenue besides the daily remittances they make to the owners of the buses. So they don’t have option than to hike fares,” he added.

    Earlier, the FRSC Sector Commander in the state, Andrew Kumapayi called for attitudinal change among motorists, including alcohol and drugs intake before driving.

    Kumapayi, represented by the Public Education Officer, Pascal Anigbo stressed the need for passengers to ensure roadworthiness of the vehicles before boarding.

    One of the speakers, Chief Johnbosco Onunkwo, maintained that reduction in road crashes was a collective responsibility of the government, regulators and the motoring public.

  • BUK expels 24 final year students for results falsification

    The 24 final year students of the Bayero University (BUK) Kano have been expelled from the university over falsification of their entry qualifications.

    The spokesperson for the university, Malam Lamara Garba, made this known in a statement issued to newsmen in Kano.

    According to the statement, their expulsion was approved by the Senate of the university at its 374th meeting which was held on Wednesday, July 31, 2019.

    It stated that six others were withdrawn for presenting fake results from their institutions while another student was withdrawn for presenting a cancelled NECO result.

    Read Also: DELSU expels Four, rusticates 26 for alleged Examination Malpractices

    According to the statement, 18 students would be re-invited to appear before the Senate Committee on Entry Qualification Irregularities, to give them fair hearing.

    The statement added that the Director, Examinations, Admissions and Records (DEAR), Amina Umar-Abdullahi, had explained that their expulsion followed the adoption of the report submitted by the Senate Committee on Entry Qualification Irregularities.

    10 of the students were of the Faculty of Education, nine were of the Faculty of Social and Management Sciences while faculties of Law, Agriculture, Science, Engineering and Arts and Islamic Studies had one each.

    It explained that the university would continue to screen the credentials of all students to ensure that they meet all criteria for admission.

  • Epileptic power supply: TCN advocates re-capitalisation of Discos

    The Managing-Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Usman Mohammed, in Kano, has advocated for the immediate re-capitalisation of Discos across the country for effective and efficient distribution of electricity for improved service delivery to their customers.

    Mohammed in an exclusive interview with The Nation during an inspection tour of their facilities in Kano said the only way to improve power supply across the country is re-capitalisation.

    Read Also: ‘Energy consumers shouldn’t procure equipment for DISCOs’

    According to him, due to the nonchalant attitude of the Discos to embark on aggressive investment, most of TCN installations are causing epileptic power supply.

    He said the TCN is working round the clock to rehabilitate, replace and ensure adequate maintenance of its facilities across the country to pave way for effective power distribution and supply by Discos.

    He, however, expressed disappointment that Discos are not forthcoming in terms of doing the needful to ensure constant power supply to Nigerians.

  • National Seed Council laments sharp practices in the seed market

    The Director-General of National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr. Philips Olusegun Ojo, on Saturday in Kano lamented the activities of unscrupulous seed dealers who sell bad and adulterated seeds to farmers in the country, warning that such further actions will attract severe penalties.

    Ojo, who spoke through the Director of Seed Inspectorate Department of the council, Mr. Agboola Adebayo, said the new NASC Act which was recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari has empowered the council to take drastic actions against the bad eggs in the seed industry.

    Read Also: Industrialist urges youths to embrace agriculture

    Speaking during a programme to educate farmers and seed dealers on the quality and specification of good seeds, he lamented the ignorance of farmers on quality seeds to buy for planting, which he said has adversely hampered productivity in the agricultural sector.

    “So, we feel that it is our duty to actually let the farmer know the right thing to do when they go to the market to buy seed,” he said.

    Ojo further noted that “the target for the council as a whole is that we want to make sure that the seed market in Nigeria is sanitised. In fact, the crusade that the DG has put forward now is zero tolerance for adulteration of seeds in Nigeria.

    “So we do not want to see bad and adulterated seeds again in the Nigerian market,” he noted.

  • NGO engages stakeholders on LG elections in Kebbi

    In a bid to ensure that competent candidates emerge, as well as free and fair local government elections are held in Kebbi State, a non-governmental organisation, Kebbi Development Forum, (KDF), has engaged stakeholders in a meeting to discuss ways to achieve this.

    The stakeholders’ meeting which took place at Salamatu Hussaini Foundation in Birnin Kebbi was attended by political parties, NGOs, and civil society organisations.

    Speaking at the meeting, the chairman, KDF, Professor Danladi Sahabi, said the meeting would identify issues involved in the forthcoming local government election in Kebbi and steps that are needed to be taken to ensure credible and competent people are voted as chairmen and councillors of local government councils.

    Read Also: Kebbi PDP suspends 14 excos over alleged as anti-party activities

    He further said the meeting would look at how political parties would be engaged to field credible people as well as engaging the state electoral body (KSIEC) and other relevant stakeholders on the need for conduct of free and fair October local government election in Kebbi.

    “We will join hands with you as citizens of Kebbi who want to see good governance, decent democracy to ensure that competent people emerge through decent process of election. We want the election to be free and fair and want to see how the electorate, communities are mobilised to vote for credible people in the forthcoming local government election.”

    The secretary-general of the forum, Alhaji Usman Abubakar, sought the cooperation of all stakeholders towards achieving the set objectives and promised that “relevant stakeholders in the election would be engaged including the government.”

    However, participants at the meeting identified high cost of nomination forms, lack of internal party democracy, money politics, political godfatherism and lack of community mobilisation as some of the issues to be addressed for the election to be successful.