Author: The Nation

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Dr. Solomon Arase has condemned the assault of a Police Officer on official duty in Lagos by Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti.

Arase said Kuti must be arraigned immediately, urging the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Alkali Baba to ensure that the matter is followed to it’s logical conclusion to restore public confidence in the: “Nigeria Police as the lead Agency in internal security and in it’s ability to maintain law and order and also protect lives and properties”.

He commended the IGP for his prompt action in ordering the arrest and prosecution of the singer, who he said has diminished the sanctity of the symbol of authority of the Nigerian nation.

Arase said no matter the offence the Police Officer committed nobody, including Seun Kuti has the right to assault a Policeman on official duty.

According to a statement by the Head, Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, the PSC boss said: “We must as a civilized people explore established channels of complaints against alleged infractions by law enforcement Officials rather than this uncouth behavior in assaulting the symbol of authority in our country.

“We look forward to the prompt prosecution of Seun to act as a deterrent to others of his ilk”.

The Chairman noted that the groundswell of public opinion against the conduct of the abuser is indicative of the love and respect Nigerians have for the law enforcement Officers.

A prominent support group of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) – Progressives Foundational Movement (PFM) has advised the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Working Committee (NWC) not to yield to pressure to upturn the choice of Tajudeen Abbas as the consensus candidate for the position of the Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives.

The group threw its weight behind the choice of Abass as the consensus candidate.

PFM’s position was contained in a statement by the group’s national coordinator, Barrister Aganaba Johnson in Abuja on Sunday.

The group noted that apart from his academic excellence and a proven leadership track record in public service and legislative excellence, Abbas, a founding member of the party, was a member of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the political parties that merged to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It argued: “It will amount to injustice against the defunct CPC members in the APC if other defunct parties like Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) that produced the President-elect, the defunct All Nigerians Peoples Party (ANPP) produced Vice President-elect and the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) is allowed to produce the Senate President, then Abbas who is the eyes of CPC should be allowed to represent the defunct CPC as Speaker House of Representatives.”

Highlighting Abbas’s productive and enviable legislative record, the group noted that Abbas’s sponsorship of no fewer than 78 bills out of which 20 assented, singled him out conspicuously among all the contenders for the position of the Speaker of the 10th House.

Commending the President-elect and the Senator Abdullahi Adamu led NWC, the group maintained that the party must have settled for Abbas after considering the temperament of all the aspirants, their integrity and their public service experiences before the endorsement of the Kaduna-born politician stressing that his choice was, “a well-thought-out decision that would be in the best interest of the country.”

According to the group: “In the history of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas has the highest Bills of 78 in the 9th Assembly, he has the 3rd highest Bills of 43 in the 8th Assembly and 20 of these Bills have been assented to.

“The country must endeavour to sustain the successes recorded in the outgoing 9th Assembly whereby there are tangible achievements due to the cordial relationship between the executive and legislative arms.

“We don’t want the situation capable of igniting confusion and turbulence in the parliament, which may ultimately affect the cordial environment that the legislature needs to function.

“It is axiomatic that we are in a democracy and people are free to ventilate and express themselves but we must exercise this right with some measure of caution and responsibility so as not to cheat the system.

“To develop our legislative democracy, the lawmakers must avoid negative and offensive opposition, which is averse to development and prone to avoidable conflicts between the executive and the legislature.

“This time, therefore, calls for building bridges across political divides and not burning bridges for personal or political reasons. Nigeria should be placed above any other interest,” the national coordinator said.

The statement also urged the President-elect and the party leadership to resist all forms of pressure and blackmail by allowing the supremacy of the party decision to stand.

A business finance expert, Prof Adebiyi Abosede, has argued Nigerian banks are not performing better than operators of the Point of Sale (POS) on cash transactions.

He said the recent Naira redesign and cash – less policy of the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) exposed the banks.

Abosede said that the banks have not only been ill- prepared for the 21st century digital banking challenges but also not doing anything to add values to their customers.

He said they are mainly preoccupied with extracting costs from customers through hidden charges, stressing it is difficult to see any difference between them and the POS in terms of performance.

Abosede noted that when customers go to the POS operators, they pay service charges just as when they go to their banks for withdrawal or deposits.

He wondered why they should be made to pay when banks are using their money (deposits) to trade or do business.

He spoke with The Nation shortly after his lecture titled: “Managing Enterprise: Trends, travails and takeaways” at the 108th Inaugural lecture of the Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), Ago -Iwoye.

He said: “The POS is point of sales. So, when you go to POS and want to take money from them, you are more or less buying money from them, that is why you have to pay charges. If you go to banks these days, and make withdrawal, you will pay charges. If you make deposits, they will still charge you. Isn’t it? And they still use your money to trade.

“So, banks will take your money to trade and make money but charge you for using your own money. That is the area of the hidden charges. In addition, when they give loans, what you will see is interest rates but not the other charges they will put in the package such that at the end of the day, a 30 percent interest rate for example, will now look like 37 percent rate. These are the issues, that is why I said, banks (in Nigeria) are not performing and they are even making money by using your money. They make money by charging you for using your money.”

Good items and property millions were on Sunday morning destroyed when fire gutted a section of the popular Agbeni market, Ibadan.

The market is famous as one of the biggest for the sale of fabrics in the State and country.

It was gathered that the fire started around 4:30am.

The Southwest Zonal Coordinator, National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) Saheed Akiode confirmed the incident.

He said an advance team had gone ahead to find out about the incident, promising to make further information available as soon as it is gathered.

Read Also : One electrocuted as fire fighters battle Ibadan tanker fire

General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, Yemi Akinyemi, confirming the incident said the agency got the distress call on the incident around 4:30am

He told The Nation firefighters were still battling the inferno but noted appreciable progress has been made in curtailing the spread.

The main cause of the inferno is yet to be known as well as the extent of damage.

Unconfirmed sources gave different accounts on the source of the fire.

While a source attributed it to power surge, another said the fire incident was caused by petrol kept in one of the shops.

However, authorities were yet to give the cause of the fire incident as at the time of filing this report.

Nigerian chef Hilda Bassey Effiong, fondly called Hilda Baci, is on the verge of breaking the record for the Guinness Books of Record World’s longest cooking marathon.

Many Nigerians – on mainstream and social media platforms- have drummed support for Hilda by cheering her on and lending virtual support as she is set to put the country on the international radar.

They also commended Hilda for being bold, resilient and determined in making a statement.

The current record for the world’s longest cooking marathon is held by Lata Tondon.

Lata completed the task in 87 hours, and 45 minutes in India in 2019.

Tagged the ‘Hilda Baci Cook-a-thon’, the 27-year-old chef started her 4-day cooking marathon challenge on the 11th of May at Amore Gardens in Lekki, Lagos and it will end on May 14.

The 97-hour cook-a-thon offers her the opportunity to showcase her culinary skills using various local and intercontinental recipes.

She is a graduate of Sociology from Madonna University, Okija, Anambra State and her foray into catering was influenced by her mother’s culinary techniques.

The multi-talented actress, TV producer and host hails from Akwa Ibom, revered for its rich culture, and cuisines.

After establishing My Food with her brother as a student, she extended her skills to TV, starting with the cooking segment, In my Kitchen, on Rave TV’s breakfast show, Morning Rave.

She was also the host of Dine on A Budget on Pop Central TV, where she engaged celebrities on topical issues while treating them to a great dining experience.

Her cooking talent was further showcased in 2021 when she emerged winner of the Jollof Faceoff Competition challenge in Ghana, going home with a $5,000 winning prize.

Hilda is the Chief Executive Officer of My Food by Hilda – a fast-food restaurant in Lekki.

She also teaches culinary lessons online and physically; the results have been worthwhile.

She has also starred in a couple of movies playing the supporting lead role in Dreamchaser, nominated for best film in the Multichoice factory for the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCA).

She also featured in prominent movies and soap operas, including Sideways, Flatmates, A Walk on the Water, and Mr. & Mrs. Robert. In 2020, sharing the stage with Tobi Bakare, former Big Brother Naija housemate, Hilda co-hosted Y’ello Star, a music reality project by MTN

Anambra Governor Chukwuma Soludo has cautioned the church and society at large against mounting unnecessary pressure on public office holders, particularly in terms of financial commitments.

He said the fight against corruption would be easier to win if the church and society lessen inancial pressures on government officials.

Soludo spoke on Saturday at the first Session Of 13th Synod Of Anglican Diocese Of Awka at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church Agulu, Anaocha Council Area of the state themed, “Running the Christian Race: Implications For The Family In Perilous Times” attended by over 30 Archbishop and Bishops.

He said part of his administration’s code of conduct included banning public donations by government functionaries.

According to him: “For the church, if we must fight corruption, we must lesson the incredible pressure on those holding public offices.

“You can imagine someone whose salary is #300,000, making a pledge of N2million to the church because he wants to please the crowd, where do you want him to get it from? Of course he must have to steal to pay.

“That’s one of the things we’re trying to address by entrenching as part of our code of conduct not making public our donation. You can’t say you were pressured by the priest.”

Describing the church as critical partner and most important civil society group, the Governor commended the church her support to his government, calling for its sustenance.