The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Cross River chairman dies, Ayade mourns

    Cross River chairman dies, Ayade mourns

    The Local Government Council Chairman of Calabar South in Cross River State, Mrs. Esther Bassey is dead.

    She reportedly died around 2.am on Friday from a sudden undisclosed health challenge.

    Confirming the demise of the Council Chairman, Governor Ben Ayade tweeted:”It was with a rude shock and disbelief that I received news of Mrs Esther Bassey’s sudden demise.”

    “Her death is a tragic and monumental loss
    to Cross River State. It is a painful loss.”

    He added:”As a government, we are hurt by Mrs Bassey’s passing because she was not only a strong partner in building the Cross River State of our dream but an astute administrator who was also a Servant-Leader, who led from the front. Her giant strides as Calabar South local government chairperson bear testament to this.

    Read Also : PIA implementation: Cross River host communities receive sensitisation 

    “Esther was indeed the ‘Queen of the South’ as her admirers fondly called her. Her genial mien, her openness, her friendliness, her forthrightness and her integrity were the unassailable virtues that endeared her to all.

    “Her death has robbed our great party, the All Progressive Congress, APC of a pillar, our government a loyal, dependable ally and Cross River state a hardworking and diligent daughter. Indeed, our dear sister was a rare gem.”

  • Oyo APGA endorses Makinde, Tegbe

    Oyo APGA endorses Makinde, Tegbe

    Ahead of the March 11 governorship election, the Oyo chapter of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) on Thursday declared support for the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governor Seyi Makinde.

    APGA also threw its weight behind the senatorial candidate of PDP in Oyo South Senatorial District, Mogaji Joseph Tegbe.

    A statement by Oyo APGA chairman, Alh Suraj Owolabi, APGA leaders and candidates noted though they are supporting Makinde and Tegbe they have not collapsed the structure of the party for PDP.

    The statement reads: “There can only be one Governor at a time. So if Engr. Seyi Makinde is there and doing the right thing, I think the best thing for us is to support him and give him chance in the office to complete all the projects he has embarked upon.”

    Read Also Ogboru charges Deltans to vote APGA

  • Stop introducing female friends to your man – BBN’s Chizzy

    Stop introducing female friends to your man – BBN’s Chizzy

    Reality TV star Aniekwe Francis Chidi aka Chizzy has advised women to quit introducing their female friends to their partners.

    The former BBNaija 2022 Season 7 ‘Level Up’ fake housemate said any lady who desires to have a healthy relationship should, by all means, adhere to his advice.

    Chizzy argued it’ll protect their men from being snatched by their female friends.

    “Ladies please let’s b guided….for a healthy relationship stop introducing ur female friends to your man..Dey will definitely snatch him away from u……….. pure legit caping,” he wrote.

    Read Also : Chart-topping pair Starmix Chizzy excite fans

    Chizzy’s counsel comes days after a viral report of a man who got snatched by his baby mama’s friend.

    A mother of one, Munira, via an Instagram post, accused her long-time friend, Adeola Ariyo of snatching her man and baby daddy just after she introduced her to him.

    But Adeola claimed she was never friends with Munira as they were never on the same level.

    She accused Munira of always speaking negatively to her baby daddy, which turned out in her favor, claiming this was how they sparked off a relationship.

  • Step down for Obi, Unclenasco begs Sowore

    Step down for Obi, Unclenasco begs Sowore

    Fast-rising comedian Isaac Bholu aka Unclenasco has passionately appealed to the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, (AAC) Omoyele Sowore to step down for his Labour Party(LP) counterpart Peter Obi.

    He begged Sowore to pull out from the presidential race which is barely two days away and join forces with Obi to ‘win back the country.’

    Showering encomiums on the human rights activists, the skit maker suggested he’d be considered a hero if only he quits and instructs his supporters to vote for the former Anambra Governor.

    In a video shared on his social media pages, Unclenasco said: “Omoyele Sowore, Nigerians are calling upon you. You’re an activist! You are a freedom fighter, a good man; and Nigerians love you. We are calling on you to please step down for Peter Obi.

    “Election is just two days from now. We cannot continue to leave this country in the hands of these wicked politicians.

    “Sowore, do this and you’ll remain our hero.

    Read Also : Sowore lacks experience to lead, say AAC governorship candidates

    “Sowore please, Nigerians are on their knees. Nigeria youths are pleading with you, please step down for Peter Obi

    “Instruct your followers, supporters, to vote for Peter Obi. Please, Sowore, step down for Peter Obi.

    “Sowore please, I’m on my knees, let’s join hands and win back our country. Please, Sowore, I’m pleading with you. Sowore please!!!!!!!!”

    In the caption, he added: “Nigerian youths are calling on you @yelesho. Pls step down for Peter Obi, we all need to join hands together and win back our country. Pls instruct your followers and supporters to vote for Peter Obi. We await your response @peterobigregory.”

  • Buhari arrives Katsina for presidential poll

    Buhari arrives Katsina for presidential poll

    President Muhammad Buhari on Thursday evening arrived in Katsina ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections en route Daura, his hometown.

    His presidential jet touched down at the Umaru Musa Yar’adua International Airport around 4:41 pm.

    Read Also : Accept results, avoid acrimony, Buhari tells candidates

    Katsina Governor Aminu Bello Masari, some members of his cabinet including the Chief Judge, Justice Musa Abubakar, Commissioner of Health, Engineer Yakubu Danja as well as heads of various security agencies in the State welcomed Buhari at the airport.

    The President was later flown to Daura in a white helicopter.

  • Abdulrazaq names Emir, Mustapha, others ETF board members

    Abdulrazaq names Emir, Mustapha, others ETF board members

    Kwara Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has appointed a board for the State’s Education Trust Fund, with members drawn from great backgrounds.

    The Governor appointed philanthropist Abdulhakeem Uthman Mustapha (SAN) as the chairman of the Fund that is a strong component of the Kwara State Education Transformation Agenda (KWETA) and designed to mobilise resources to support infrastructural development and growth in the public sector education in the state.

    KWETA had been borne out of the state’s Kwara Education Futures summit in 2021. Another component of it is the KwaraLEARN, which introduces technology and improved accountability and transparency to the basic education sector.

    A.U. Mustapha, as he is fondly called, is an alumnus of the Harvard Business School, Manchester Business School, Suffolk Law School, Business School Netherlands, Nigerian Law School, and Ahmadu Bello University Zaria.

    He is the principal partner at the A.U. Mustapha & Co. law firm headquartered in Abuja, and is currently a member of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund’s Advisory Committee on Digital, Literacy, Productivity and Emerging Skills. He is President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) Appeal’s Board.

    He is the 2nd Vice President of the Third Estate Foundation Ilorin, a coterie of statesmen who continually discuss public issues, community development, and offer support and advice.

    The Emir of Lafiagi Alhaji Mohammed Kudu Kawu, a strong advocate of eduction, is another influential member of the Fund.

    Kudu is renowned for his wealth of experience in the financial sector.

    Kemi Mary Adeosun, Permanent Secretary representative of the Ministry of Education Human Capital and Development, is also a member of the board as the representative of the Ministry.

    Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, holder of the national honour Officer of the Order of Niger, co-founder of Andela and former managing director of Flutterwave, is also on the board of the Fund.

    Read Also : AbdulRazaq commissions int’l market as APC campaign train hits Edu

    Iyinoluwa, general partner and co-founder of Future Africa that provides support for mission-driven innovators, is a renowned entrepreneur reputed to be one of 62 global founders of unicorns the size of Andela and Flutterwave.

    Deborah Adekeye (Ph.D), a senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin, is another board member of the Fund.

    The Fund will also kick-off with Oluwadamilola Fatimah Amolegbe as the Executive Secretary.

    Damilola, who collaborated with the Ministry of Education on the Kwara Education Futures Summit in 2021, has worked on some of Kwara’s transformational changes in education, including KWETA and KwaraLEARN.

    An alumnus of Manhattan College, New York City, and Vivian Fowler Memorial College, Lagos, Amolegbe is the founder of ‘W. Amolegbe Consulting.

    She sits on the boards and is a member of Dar Al-Awqaf, Okeya Community Development Association, Okeya-Ipo 100, She Builds Lives, and Reach Nigeria, among others.

    The Kwara State Education Trustfund board will grow to include more members to accommodate different demographies. The Fund can be reached at www.KWETF.NG along with its social media handles.

  • We are not interested in general elections, says IPOB

    We are not interested in general elections, says IPOB

    The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has publicly declared a lack of interest in the general elections, which begin on Saturday.

    “We have stated for the umpteenth time that we have nothing to do with the Nigeria elections and have neither called for a boycott nor do we have the intention to call for election boycott during this coming elections,” it said in a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful on Thursday

    He said: “More importantly IPOB has not called for any sit-at-home during the duration of the election and therefore distance ourselves from any purported sit-at-home in Biafra land during the election.

    “Those calling for “No Election” and sit-at-home during the election period are simply Fulani agents whose sole motive is to discredit our Self Determination movement by attempting to paint it as an anti-democratic force.

    Read Also : IPOB members killed Enugu LP senatorial, says Enugu CP

    “Their intention is to create the groundwork for the international community to view IPOB as being against the democratic process and provide them with an excuse to clamp down on our activities and on IPOB Leadership.

    ‘We have continued to make this fact public and for reasons best known to the Nigerian Media and some public commentators, they have deliberately continually attributed the actions of these politicians and government paid infiltrators to the noble movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra IPOB.”

  • LP to Nigerians: Don’t allow Obi to escape

    LP to Nigerians: Don’t allow Obi to escape

    Labour Party (LP) has urged Nigerians to vote massively for its presidential flag-bearer Peter Obi on Saturday.

    Director of Administration, Obi-datti Presidential Campaign Council, Arch. Mike Nwafor made the appeal on Thursday in a press conference in Ifite-dunu, saying Nigerians could not afford to allow Obi to escape becoming Nigeria’s next President.

    Read Also : BREAKING: Southwest Labour Party collapses structure into APC

    Nwafor, who hails from Anambra State as the flag-bearer, urged people of the state to ensure they vote for Obi as their son, expressing confidence in 90 percent votes for him in the entire Southeast.

    He said: “Nigerians, you have an opportunity to redefine and redeem your country. You have an opportunity to buy back that which is stolen. You might never have this opportunity again.

    “You have a man who not only comprehends Nigeria’s problem but analysis it and adduced appropriate solutions to the problem.

    “Nigerians, please grab Peter Obi with two hands, don’t let him escape. This is an opportunity you can’t afford to miss because he’s the only option we have for now.

    “I’m sure Anambra will give Obi 1.8 million votes out of over 2milion registered voters. Select voters randomly in Southeast, I’m sure 90 percent will tell you they’re voting for Peter Obi.”

    Nwafor further expressed confidence in President Mohammadu Buhari’s assurances of providing a level playing field for all parties as well as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be unbiased.

    “We’re not worried about the support Buhari has given to the party candidate. In fact we would have been surprised if he had done otherwise. If he abandons his party so suddenly, his integrity will be questioned.

    “We only expect him, as a president of Nigeria, to be a father of all who must be fair to all and provide level playing ground for all parties. So far, we think he’s been fair and he’ll keep to his words.

    “Whereas we trust INEC and expect her to do the needful, we also urge her to look out for those slips that are capable of truncating the election verdict. They must appreciate that this election is different from others.”

    Head of General Duties of Obi-datti campaign, Francis Asokwu regretted increasing threats of violence by those he described as infinitesimal few, urging electorates not to be cowed by such intimidations.

    He also urged the media not to hype the killings, just as he challenged the electorate not to be scared, but to come out on Saturday to exercise their franchise.

  • Abeokuta naira scarcity protest bullet victim speaks after discharge

    Abeokuta naira scarcity protest bullet victim speaks after discharge

    Michael Gabriel, the 27-year-old stray bullet victim of the naira protest in Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, has been discharged from the Federal Medical Centre Idi-Aba after 16 days.

    He left for home last night, according to Segun Orisajo, Head, Public Relations & Information in a statement available to The Nation.

    Gabriel was rushed to the emergency department of the hospital unconscious on Tuesday February 7, 2023 following a stray bullet that hit him when pandemonium broke out at Sapon in Abeokuta over protests against naira and petroleum scarcities.

    Speaking in an interview after his discharge from the centre, Gabriel was full of thanks to God, the team of doctors, nurses and other health workers that worked round the clock to save his life, and the Medical Director, FMCA Prof Adewale Musa-Olomu for prompt mobilization and response of his personnel.

    Read Also : Rise above frustration of naira scarcity, vote APC – Akeredolu tells residents

    “They all worked hard to save my life. They gave me the best of care. If not for God and their quick intervention, I may not be alive today,” he said.

    He also expressed gratitude to Governor Dapo Abiodun and Health Commissioner, Dr Tomi Coker, for their concern, care, financial support and for visiting him on his sick bed.

    The Medical Director Prof Musa-Olomu said the successful management of Gabriel, among several novel surgeries in the Centre, is another positive pointer to the imperativeness of transforming the Centre into a teaching hospital.

  • Biden to Tinubu, Atiku, others : abide by peace accord

    Biden to Tinubu, Atiku, others : abide by peace accord

    President Joe Biden has urged presidential candidates to abide by the peace accord to accept the results of Saturday’s election.

    Biden, in a statement on Thursday, commended the peace accord.

    “By signing this pledge, the parties and candidates have committed to accept the results of the election, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, and to support a peaceful transition of power,” he said.
    He added that elections are a fundamental part of a functioning democracy, and all Nigerians deserve the chance to freely and fairly choose their future.

    Read Also : PHOTOS: Buhari meets US President Joe Biden in White House

    Biden said: “While the United States does not support any single candidate or party, we strongly support a peaceful and transparent process that reflects the will of the people of Nigeria. On election day, I encourage all Nigerians — no matter their religion, region, or ethnicity —to exercise this fundamental freedom and make their voices heard — including young voters, many of whom may be heading to the ballot box for the first time.

    “The United States stands with the Nigerian people as they chart a path toward a more democratic, prosperous, and secure future. I appreciate President Buhari’s firm commitment that the will of the people will be respected. And in the coming days, I encourage voters to remain peaceful and patient as their ballots are tallied, and urge the political parties and candidates to live up to their pledge.”