The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

Oyo govt demolishes shops at Ojoo market

Scores of traders and business owners in Ojoo market, Akinyele Local Government Area, Ibadan, Oyo State, yesterday lost their ventures as the government began demolishing some structures.

The demolished structures, described as illegal, were earlier marked by the government. The owners and occupants were also served warnings and quit notices.

The traders however said they were caught unawares. The presence of a combined team of security operatives saved the situation from degenerating into a crisis.

Although some traders confirmed receiving the quit notice, many said the notice was too short for them to get another place to put up their business.

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As the demolition continued, some of the traders tried to salvage some of their wares while others cried for help.

The Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Williams Akin-Funmilayo, while confirming the demolition, said the quit notices were served a long time ago, but the traders refused to move out of the marker popularly called ‘Inside Net’.

According to the commissioner, Governor Seyi Makinde was there to personally address the traders, particularly on the importance of their safety and the need to move away from the market. He assured them that the government will provide another place which is not far from the demolished structures.

Chairman of ‘Inside Net’ market, Muhdeen Ganiyu, fondly called Elewedu, also confirmed receipt of the quit notice. He, however, said the notice was too short for the traders to make any move or decide on anything.

He said the executive members of all affected markets would meet after the demolition and decide on the next move.

“The quit notice was too short. Executive members of the affected markets will soon meet. So, I cannot say anything for now,” he added.

May 10, 2024
‘How native doctor, two others kidnapped, killed varsity student’

Three suspects have been arrested by men of Edo State Police Command for the kidnapping and killing a19-year-old, 200-Level student of Delta State University, Agbor, Faith Omodon, who was declared missing some weeks ago. They are Chukwuyem Jonah, 26, a native doctor; Godspower Chukwuedo, 23; and Christopher Nwachukwu, 22.

Chukwuedo and Nwachukwu yesterday told the Edo State Commissioner of Police, Funsho Adegboye, how they kidnapped and killed the undergraduate, who went to her father’s farm in Ewohon/Uwemen communities in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of Edo with a Lifan CG 125 motorcycle on April 1, 2024, but never returned home, while Jonah denied involvement in the dastardly act.

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The case of the missing daughter was immediately reported at Abudu Police Divisional headquarters by the university student’s father, Edward Omodon. The three suspects were paraded with 11 others by Adegboye. The Edo CP said: “After a preliminary investigation was conducted by the Abudu Division, the case was transferred to State CID (Criminal Investigation Department), Benin City.

“The State CID’s operatives, while collaborating with the vigilance group members in the area, arrested two suspects: Godspower Chukwuedo and Christopher Nwachukwu.The two suspects made statements to the police, and confessed that they were sent by Chukwuyem Jonah, a native doctor, who lives in Iru community, near Abudu, Edo State, to go after Faith Omodon in the farm and kidnap her, to enable them to collect ransom from her rich father, with the promise of paying them N30,000.

“The suspects further confessed that they were resisted by Faith Omodon, and in the process, they strangled her. The confessional statements of the two suspects (Godspower Chukwuedo and Christopher Nwachukwu), led to the arrest of the native doctor at Iru community on May 7, 2024.”Godspower Chukwuedo and Christopher Nwachukwu said they did not know the undergraduate before, but the native doctor took them to the farm, and also told them that she would come home during Easter celebration.”

Adegboye also cautioned parents and guardians to be wary of where they would send their children and wards, while hinting that investigation was ongoing by policemen to recover the victim’s body, with the suspects to also be charged to court.

Nwachukwu, a farmer, who was based in Agbor, told reporters, that Chukwuedo, a Benin-based bricklayer, contracted for the job.

Chukwuedo said after strangling the victim, they left her unconscious with the native doctor in the farm, but made away with her mobile phone and the motorcycle.

May 10, 2024
Poor allocation hindering our plans, says Labour ministry

As ministries, departments and parastatals of the Federal Government strive to implement the President Bola Tinubu’s Eight-Point Agenda, which includes mass job creation, poor budgetary allocation has been identified as a major factor hindering the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment from carrying out employment-driven programmes that would engage the country’s teeming unemployed youths.

Making this known to reporters in Abuja, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ismaila Abubakar, said they were poised to make greater impact in the lives of Nigerians through the government’s Agenda, which is committed to ensuring that employment opportunities are created for unemployed Nigerians.

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He said the ministry is geared to go beyond the conciliation of industrial crisis between the Federal Government and labour unions to playing a bigger role in enhancing the growth of the economy.

Abubakar hinted that the recently launched Labour Employment and Empowerment Programme (LEEP), is one of the innovative ideas initiated by the Minister Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, aimed at developing various employability skills for young graduates, school leavers and artisans, among others.

He, however, reiterated poor budgetary allocation is a major constraint.

Abubakar said: “At the moment, our skill acquisition centres across the country are dilapidated and in need of major facelift. These centres are the hub for training young and old Nigerians on agro-allied value chain development, information communication technology, crafts, entrepreneurship and other critical skills that will advance their fortunes in life.

“With the sort of allocations received by the ministry, it is difficult and almost impossible to revive these centres.”

May 10, 2024
Minimum wage: NECA warns labour, governors

The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has called on the Organised Labour and governors to sheathe their swords and wait for the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum Wage to finalise its assignment.

Speaking in Lagos, the Director-General (DG), Adewale Smatt Oyerinde, who made the declaration following the media dispute between Organised Labour and some governors on the National Minimum Wage, said: “We are concerned with the ongoing worrisome pattern of accusations and counter-accusations between governors and organised labour on the issue of the National Minimum Wage. It is unfortunate.

“It is instructive to note that the Tripartite Committee that was constituted to negotiate the National Minimum Wage is yet to finalise its assignment and waging a war or negotiating on the pages of newspapers could be counterproductive for stakeholders.

Read Also: Why we proposed N615k as minimum wage, by NLC boss Ajaero

“This seeming war of attrition on an issue that is programmed to be respectfully negotiated and consensus reached is not only unnecessary but also disrespectful to the entire Technical Committee.”

While expressing concerns at the slow pace of the National Minimum Wage negotiation, the NECA DG said the committee is worried over the recent adjournment of the meeting.

He said: “This protracted delay has the potential to further promote agitation and fester distrust among stakeholders.

“We urge the government to, without delay, recall the Tripartite Committee to continue its assignment as soon as practicable.”

On the recommendations of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria, Oyerinde averred that employers were in support of a new National Minimum Wage, as an increase in wages could also promote economic activities, stimulate consumption and enhance the capacity utilisation of businesses.

“However, such an increase must take into cognizance of the parameters as enshrined in International Labour Organisation (ILO) Minimum Wage Fixing Convention 131 of 1970, which includes the needs of workers and their families and economic factors.

“An appropriate balance between these two sets of considerations is important to ensuring that minimum wages are adapted to the national context, and that the effective protection of workers, level of productivity, ability to pay and the development of sustainable enterprises are taken into account,” he said.

May 10, 2024
NLC flays CBN’s cyber security levy

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has criticised the recent directive of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to collect a 0.5 per cent Cybersecurity Levy on electronic transfers.

In a statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, the NLC said the levy, which is to be implemented through deductions at the point of origin of a transaction, is another burden on Nigerians.

In a circular, the CBN had mandated banks and payment service operators to affect these deductions, with effect from the next two weeks.

He said: “This move, ostensibly aimed at bolstering cybersecurity measures, threatens to exacerbate the financial strains already faced by the populace.

“NLC recognises the importance of cybersecurity in the digital age. However, imposing such a levy on electronic transactions, without due consideration for its implications on workers and the vulnerable segments of society, is unjustifiable.

“This levy stands as another tax too much for Nigerians, burdening them with additional financial responsibilities.

Read Also: NLC, TUC give NERC three-days ultimatum on tariff hike

“We see in this levy another gang up by the ruling elite to continue its extortion and exploitation of hapless and helpless workers and the masses so that their cronies in various financial centres can continue wallowing in unbridled consumption.

“During our last May Day speech, we called on the government to prioritise the welfare of workers and masses in their policy directions and actions instead of profit seeking that unleashes more pressures on the people.

“We wonder when it has become a crime for the people to save their meagre incomes in the banks and whether it is the intention of the government to encourage people to resort once again to keeping cash and using cash transactions instead of electronic transfers which has seem to have become an undoing for the people”?

Ajaero said domestic manufacturers and other businesses are already shutting as a result of the stifling socio-economic environment, yet instead of creating a business-friendly environment to encourage greater investments in the economy, the opposite seems to be what is being practised.

“How can you attract foreign investment when you make the business environment difficult? Moreover, the threat of fines amounting to not less than two per cent of an institution’s yearly turnover for non-compliance adds further pressure on financial institutions, potentially leading to a trickle-down effect on consumers.

“Definitely the businesses will pass down these costs to consumers which will lead to further inflation in an economy that is already in the grips of hyper-inflation.

“How would domestic manufactured goods and services remain competitive in the midst of these costs and how would the businesses expand capacity thus employ more Nigerians when they cannot sell their products because of high prices?

“The revenue raised in the past has not helped in making lives better for the citizenry nor have they been seen in better infrastructural provisions. Extracting this levy from the people who are already ‘kwashiorkor-ed’ by government policies to throw money at cybersecurity will not make our cyberspace better just like it has been our experience in the past.

“We see this as a levy that will inflict severe social security on workers and masses.This directive comes on the heels of the recent implementation of stamp duty charges on mortgage-backed loans and bonds by the Federal Government, further straining the financial resources of Nigerians,” Ajaero added.

May 10, 2024
Labour asks Fed Govt to expose cabal behind petrol scarcity

The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged the Federal Government to deal with the cabals that hold the oil sector to ransom.

President of ASCSN, Dr. Tommy Okon, who spoke during the Association’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos, lamented that the perennial fuel scarcity and long queues at filling stations are holding the economy down and compounding the sufferings, and difficulties confronting Nigerians, especially workers.

“The government needs to walk the talk. The cabal in Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) needs to be unbundled because there is no other moral justification. If you continue to do the same thing all the time and you expect that you are going to get a different result, we are far from it. The public outcry about the NNPCL, whether it is limited or not, as far as the cabals in that sector remains unshakable, there is no way we can address this situation. The masses are suffering, the workers are suffering, the informal economy is suffering. No light, no fuel,” Okon said.

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He said it is unfortunate that Nigerians are still going through another round of hardship caused by fuel scarcity even after the subsidy was removed from petroleum products.

Okon, who is also the Deputy President, Trade Union Congress (TUC), said: “Organised Labour is very disturbed because of the government’s assurances that the Port Harcourt Refinery would begin operations in April and also when Dangote Refinery begins operation, the challenges on landing cost of petrol to marketers would stop and the issue of subsidy would be a thing of the past, have not materialised.This is May, why are we still going back and forth? This is a policy somersault and this is bad.The government or the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) should come out clean and tell us the truth. Are they still paying subsidies? Let it come out from their (government) mouth and let us know rather than speculating.

“As of now, there is nothing in place to cushion the effect, not even the CNG buses they promised. Today, the NNPCL is giving us a story about a logistic problem. What kind of logistic problem are we talking about? If they are bereft of ideas, let them excuse themselves, withdraw the service and let the new people come with ideas to run the petroleum sector and the economy.”

On the proposed N615,000 national minimum wage by labour, Okon insisted that it is a realistic demand, challenging those opposing Labour’s demand to make their proposals public.

His words: “We have set the template, we have done the variables, and we have presented our demand. That is our position. There are exemptions and when the time comes we will see. What we want is for the government to do the needful and remember that by the time we came up with the figure, there was no hike in electricity tariff.’’

May 10, 2024
Adebayo: Minimum wage negotiation has lost focus

Prince Adewole Adebayo was the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) during the last general election. In this interview with GBENGA ADERANTI, he speaks on the demand for an upward review of the minimum wage of workers by organised labour, the government’s social investment programmes and the lingering fuel crisis.

What is your impression of the ongoing negotiation for a new minimum wage between the government and organised labour?

The dialogue between labour and the government has no focus. Both sides have their negotiating tactics; some of the numbers they are throwing around appear unrealistic. However, the two parties should realise that this debate arose from the problems associated with the purchasing power of the Nigerian currency, the naira. When you listen to the president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Festus Osifo, particularly all the comparative analysis he has been making, you will realise that he is talking about the performance of the economy in general, even though he has been focusing on microeconomics in terms of what his members need to get from their employers. What is causing price instability is the purchasing power of the naira. There are two ways to help the purchasing power of the naira. One, you can stabilise the currency to kill hyperinflation and inflation, so that the naira can maintain its purchasing power from January to December.

The second thing you can do is to come from the welfaristic point of view by focusing on what the workers are worried about. What exactly do they spend their money on? If the average worker has access to housing, say at seven per cent of his salary; has access to medical care at five per cent of his salary; has access to education of four to five children at six per cent of his salary; and he can now deal only with food and the issue of transportation. By having employment, you have access to some facilities. This is the system I grew up to know in Lagos State under the late Lateef Jakande administration; with things like the Lagos State Transport Corporation (LSTC). So, if you have all these things packaged, say, 25 per cent to 35 per cent of your salary, you won’t worry too much about the argument over the figures. With a minimum wage pegged at N615,000, the 37 governments will need about N8 trillion, if you have a million workers out of over 200 million people. So, the various tiers of government will be spending N615 billion every month in a year, this will amount to about N8 trillion, just paying minimum wage, which doesn’t make any sense.

If they cut it in half, it still doesn’t make sense. If they cut by one-third, one-quarter, it still makes no sense. Let’s say there is a magical space where you are just printing money, the way a minimum wage of N615,000 monthly will appear today is not as it will sound in four years. Mr. Osifo or his successor will come back to say the N615,000 monthly is a joke. It can’t take us anywhere.

So, the intervention we are making is solving the problem of the price of labour. You cannot solve the problem there because it is too narrow a space. Where you can solve the problem is the amount of social investments you need to make in the economy such that those employed, those semi-employed and the unemployed, the skilled workers and those with low skill will have a minimum floor below which they cannot fall.

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What is your comment on the Tinubu administration’s attempt to re-engineer the social investment programmes to improve the welfare of the people?

We don’t have the same ideology; they are throwing money on non-existent products. Whether you pay salary, allowance or grants like we did during the Udoji Award or you give loans, what is the essence? Remember during the Udoji award, where once you get it, everybody runs to UTC or Kingsway Stores to buy bicycles, for instance, and the price of these goods skyrocketed. Meanwhile, in China, if you join the civil service, they will not give you any Udoji Award; they will provide you with bicycles because the bicycles come with the job.

In the colonial government, if you are an Assistant District Officer, School Officer, Health Officer or Forest Ranger, all these are tools. After getting the job, they will be directed to the staff quarters and the school your child would attend. In this way, your welfare is already adequately catered for.

So, in your view, the basic needs of the people, such as education, shelter, and health care, which appear to be in short supply, should addressed differently?

We have to organise our politics and government around them. We are organizing our politics and government around sharing money. In Abuja, the states come to share, and the local governments, under ALGON, also come to share. The TUC and labour also come to collect their share. It is still the principle of sharing money, not sharing value, and not creating anything. Remember, if you are talking about stakeholders in the country, labour is superior and senior to the government of the day. I can be president tomorrow; I will still meet labour there because it is continuity. Everything you need to do to make life easy for labour must be done by labour members themselves.

If the government is to address the problem sustainably, what is the best approach to follow, in your opinion?

It is a social investment. First, we must stop worrying about who is a worker or who is not. They have to first look at Chapter 2 of the constitution and say if, under this constitution, I have been given a mandate to come and govern Nigeria. What are the promises of the Constitution? What is the minimum that Nigerians should expect? Do we have the resources to put them there? By that, you now know that you need new hospital beds and new roads. During the Second Republic, all the governors understood these social investment elements. Then, all the state governments had their own school board, scholarship board, and water resources and water gets to houses even in rural areas. What we are doing now is a monetary government where we share money. We assume, for example, that Mr Osifo, the TUC president, is an important person in Nigerian leadership because he is collecting three times the money in FAAC now, than in 2019, that there is the availability of funds; not knowing that it is not up to what you are collecting before. This is the illusion of money because it is not the money you collect per se that matters; it is the purchasing power of the money and the allocative efficiency of that money in the economy. So, you will see that a state in the North with 20 per cent of the revenue of the states in the Niger Delta is making more progress because its allocative efficiency is better, while the other states may be spending their money on politics and things like that.

In other words, you are saying these social investments must come as a package for the citizens in general…

The way our constitution is crafted is not related to your job. It is related to your being a citizen. While I was growing up, I schooled in Lagos and Ondo during the era of the late Jakande and the late Michael Adekunle Ajasin. I was too young to be employed by anybody. I was about five years old in primary school and was not employable. But the government was interested in whether I had eaten or not before we started class. When we got to school, they first gave us bread, beans, and milk. When they were chasing you around in primary school to give you that inoculation, it wasn’t that you were going to be employed by them; it was required that the government made sure you were not blind or crippled.

If you were the president today, how would you address the lingering fuel crisis in the country?

What I will do is broaden the philosophy. Don’t follow the party manifesto. Follow the constitution. To succeed as president today, you must follow Chapter 2 of the Constitution. If we follow that chapter, Nigeria will be a different country.

May 10, 2024
Aiyedatiwa, Ajayi shaping up to epic showdown

Following the governorship primaries for the Ondo State election scheduled for November, Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Agboola Ajayi, who is flying the flag of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), are going to lock horns. Correspondent OSAGIE OTABOR provides a preview of the contest, which will also feature five other smaller political parties.

In November, the electorate in Ondo State will decide who will lead them for the next four years. This followed the emergence of candidates from political parties in the state to beat the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). But it will likely be a two-horse race between two men already known to the people. It will be a choice of two men who served as deputies to the late former Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu.

Two-horse race:

The people will choose between the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Agboola Ajayi, and Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, candidates of smaller political parties might play the spoiler game.

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Ajayi and Aiyedatiwa are men who have many things in common. They are both from the Ese-Odo/Ilaje Federal Constituency. They both served as deputies to the late Akeredolu.

Ajayi served between 2017 and 2021, while Aiyedatiwa served between 2021 and 2023. They both survived the impeachment plot after falling out with their former boss. The move to impeach them was based on alleged traits of betrayal. They were perceived to be too ambitious to succeed their principal.

The November election would be Ajayi’s second attempt to secure the mandate of the people to govern the state. He failed as candidate of the ZLP; after coming a distant third in the race. Aiyedatiwa, on the other hand, was sworn in in December last year after the death of Akeredolu in Germany and this is his first attempt.

PDP:

Ajayi emerged as the candidate of the PDP after defeating six other aspirants by polling 264 out of 621 votes. Before the primary, Ajayi had expressed confidence that he would win the primary with a wide margin. He told reporters in Akure, the Ondo State capital, on the morning of the primary that he went around to the 18 local government areas to convince the delegates why they should trust him to have the ability to rout the APC out of power.

The PDP candidate said: “I am very optimistic of winning today’s primary. I have told the delegates my vision and mission and they know my capabilities. They know I can make everybody happy.

“I have told them about my plans to develop infrastructure in the riverine communities. I assured them of plans to create jobs and make life meaningful for Ondo people.”

Ajayi is not a political neophyte. He is a veteran of several electoral contests in the state. But, he has been jumping from one party to the other to contest for various elective positions in the state. He contested and won as chairman of Ese-Odo Local Government, despite opposition from leaders of the then PDP.

He later won election into the House of Representatives on the party’s platform.

Before the 2016 governorship election in Ondo State, Ajayi left the PDP and joined the APC in time to emerge as deputy to the late Governor Akeredolu.

After falling out with the late governor, Ajayi returned to the PDP a few weeks before the primary for the 2020 governorship polls. He put up a good fight and came second at the end of the day.

But, he left the PDP once again in a bid to realise his ambition to govern the state. He joined the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) before the 2020 election and succeeded in securing its ticket. He came a distant third at the polls.

Before the 2023 general election, Ajayi returned to the PDP and contested for the party’s ticket for the Ondo South senatorial election. He defeated incumbent Senator Nicholas Tofowomo to emerge as the party’s candidate for the constituency. He lost to Senator Jimoh Ibrahim during the main election.

APC:

Governor Aiyedatiwa emerged as the candidate of the APC after defeating 15 other aspirants in a fiercely contested primary. Some aspirants who kicked against his emergence described it as a rape of democracy. They alleged that the Ondo APC primary was fraught with several irregularities like the absence of electoral materials.

Unlike Ajayi, this is the first time Aiyedatiwa will be contesting an election as the candidate of a political party.

The governor served as commissioner representing Ondo State on the board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) between 2018 and 2019. In 2015, he failed in his bid to represent the Ese-Odo-Ilaje Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. For Governor Aiyedatiwa to win the forthcoming election at the expense of a political wizard, like Ajayi, he must rally all the contestants that lost in the APC primary and fully deploy the party’s machinery to his advantage.

Aside from the two major parties, other political parties that are fielding candidates for the election include the People’s Redemption Party (PRP), the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the Allied People’s Movement (APM), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

PRP:

For the PRP, Babatunde Francis Alli emerged as the party’s candidate through a consensus arrangement. His candidacy was affirmed and endorsed by party delegates.

Ali, in his speech, promised to make the party proud. He said he would focus on job creation and poverty elimination, by providing access to quality education and healthcare if elected as the next governor of Ondo State.

”Your unwavering support and belief in my ability to lead our great state to prosperity are truly humbling. As a result, I am committed to fulfilling this mandate with integrity, dedication and unwavering resolve in alliance with the principles that would guide our great party.

“It is time to rise above the challenges and work tirelessly to salvage our state from impoverishment and despair.”

SDP:

For the SDP, Dr Segun Oyebolu was elected as its flag bearer after an indirect primary in which 64 delegates participated.

APM:

Ogunfeyimi Isaac Kolawole emerged as the candidate of the APM through a consensus arrangement, which was affirmed by delegates from across the 18 local government areas.

ADC:

A legal practitioner, Mr Myson Nejo, emerged as the candidate of the ADC after polling a total of 114,911 votes in a direct mode primary. His rival, Chief Dayo Falana, scored 9,651 votes.

The chairman of the ADC Governorship Primary Committee, Mr Eyiowuawi Abdulrazak, said six aspirants showed interest in the race but that two aspirants stepped down.

The ADC flag bearer who promised to ensure good governance urged the electorates to elect the best candidate to tackle challenges militating against the state.

“A democratic society like ours thrives on the rule of laws which includes respect for the laws of the land, implementation of the laws of our dear country and state in the business of governance without fear and favour and fundamentally, respect for the judicial process especially the decisions of the Courts.

“If elected as the Governor of Ondo State, we would prioritise adherence to the rule of law especially because the rule of law compliant attitude of any country is a factor that could either make or mar its economic prospects,” he promised.

“Quality primary and secondary education would be given priority in our administration if elected as governor. There is a need for quality primary and secondary education in Ondo State to equip our children and teenagers for the challenges of the ever-evolving and technology-driven world of the 21st Century cannot be over-emphasised.”

NNPP:

The NNPP picked Oluwatosin Ayeni as its candidate.

In the coming days, the electioneering campaign will commence across the state. The major candidates, Aiyedatiwa of the APC and Ajayi of the PDP are expected to dominate the campaign. But, a third force may likely emerge from one of the smaller parties.

May 10, 2024
Ekiti Muslims laud Dangote Foundation

The Muslim leaders in Ekiti have expressed their gratitude to the management of the Dangote Foundation for the gesture during Ramadan.

President of the Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs in Ekiti state, Alhaji Hammed Bakare, who successfully supervised the distribution of the Dangote Foundation’s largesse in collaboration with committee members to all the 16 local government councils, described the gifts as timely given the present economic reality.

He said despite logistical problems, the food items, initially intended for distribution before the end of Ramadan, have now reached their destinations.

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He remarked that the initiative had set precedent for future philanthropic endeavours.

Alhaji Bakare remained optimistic that the generosity will inspire both Muslim and non-Muslim benefactors to continue the tradition of giving as commanded in the Holy Quran.

Also speaking, the state secretary of the National Council of Muslim Youth Organisations (NACOMYO), Mr Tijani Musa and the representative of the Organisation of Muslim Unity (OMU), Alhaji Saka Akinola expressed gratitude to foundation.

Representatives of the Federation of Muslim Women’s Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Ekiti state chapter, Alhaja Taibat Oladunni expressed her appreciation for the fair and inclusive distribution process.

Alhaja Oladunni said the development not only reflects the Dangote foundation’s vision but also serves as a call to action for affluent individuals to partake in the noble cause of aiding their fellow citizens.

May 10, 2024
Oloyede,FOMWAN harp on family values

The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is’haq Oloyede, has called for proper orientation among parents to meet the 21st century parenting.

Prof Oloyede said nowadays parents must upskill their parental knowledge to be able to discharge their responsibilities.

The Secretary-General of Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) stated these during the 36th Eid’l Fitr Family Day Celebration organized by the Federation of Muslim Women’s Associations in Nigeria (FOMWAN), Lagos State Chapter at Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan.

Prof Oloyede urged parents not to deny their children paternity out of family differences.

He said proper parenting entails consultation, saying, couples must consult one another.

“Even when one of the partners is dead, his or her family should be consulted before deciding on the child’s welfare,” he said.

The former University of Ilorin Vice Chancellor enjoined parents to be role models to their children and train them to be God-conscious.

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“Make the home conducive for your children, provide for them so that they don’t become wayward, talk to them, teach, discipline and advise them,” he said.

FOMWAN Amirah, Lagos Chapter, Alhaja Sherifat Ajagbe, emphasized the importance of parental guidance to foster sustainable marital relationships.

FOMWAN, she said, is poised to ensure mothers understand their responsibilities.

She called for support for the association’s projects

Chairman on the occasion, Alhaji Hashim Oyekan, commended FOMWAN’s efforts in running day-to-day activities.

Alhaji Oyekan, the President of Jama-at-ul Islamiyat of Nigeria, said: “Parenting is to death, May God Almighty make it easy for us. There is more to do as a parent, most especially at this period.”

Pro-Chancellor of Al-Ikhmah University, Kwara State, Alhaja Sekinat Yusuf, urged mothers to train their children in accordance to tenant of Islam, noting that immorality among youth is alarming.

May 10, 2024