The Jobberman Nigeria has expressed its readiness to help the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and 2500 Small and Medium-sized enterprises to resolve recruitment challenges the sectors are facing.
A statement issued by the Media Panache Nigeria in Osogbo on Friday noted that Jobberman’s Chief Executive Officer in Nigeria, Ms. Rolake Rosiji unveiled a new campaign slogan tagged, #HireTheJobbermanWay which is aimed at meeting the demands and needs of MSMEs and SMEs by linking them to a vast pool of qualified candidates via its platform.
Ms Rolake Rosiji said: “By partnering with growing businesses, Jobberman plans to introduce them to the right way of recruitment which is reliable, efûcient, affordable, and easy to use. The organisations are concerned with helping businesses prioritise the best-qualiûed candidates using algorithms and ûltering tools, as well as providing assessment tests so that the very best rise to the top of the list.
“ It is important that the MSMEs and SMEs source for the right talent while keeping its recruitment costs low is a major business challenge. Leaders of these businesses often struggle to get access to quality candidates. There is a good volume of quality candidates available, the ability to ûlter and sort through them using online platforms can be cumbersome, and the good solutions are expensive.”
A mob, mostly youths, yesterday set ablaze property of a suspected kidnapper in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Some of the touched property were two private cars, two houses and a hotel structure belonging to the suspected kidnapper.
The suspect was said to have been whisked away by soldiers along with an accomplice herbalist, for their alleged involvement in a kidnapping saga at Odo-Owa, Oke-Ero Local Government Area of the state on Thursday.
An unnamed hunter in Odo-Owa was said to have foiled payment of a ransom to secure the freedom for a kidnapped victim, who was had been tied down in a herders settlement and alerted security agencies.
Some of the kidnappers were said to have fled the scene while the chief suspect who was in his car with the herbalist was heading toward the settlement at the time.
The two men were promptly arrested and whisked away by soldiers.
The 27-year-old alleged accomplice was allegedly expelled from Odo-Owa by the town’s traditional council in October 2016 for alleged criminal activities.
He was accused of raping a 27-year-old girl under the guise of curing her of an ailment.
The lady was reportedly afflicted with a strange disease in 2014, which defied orthodox medication and was referred to the herbalist for treatment.
The victim’s mother had told the police then that the suspect always used a handkerchief to wipe the private part of her daughter each time he had sex with her and threatened her with death if she revealed what he did.
He was later arraigned before an Ilorin Magistrates’ Court, presided over by Mr. Ahmed Immam, and ordered to be remanded in prison custody over a one-count charge of murder.
The chief suspect on the other hand was said to be on the radar of the youths in the community and was being observed for allegedly belonging to a kidnap syndicate.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that soldiers whisked away the two suspects to an unknown destination on Thursday to prevent the youths from setting ablaze the Odo-Owa Police Division where they were initially detained.
The youths allegedly from Odo-Owa in their hundreds on the motorbike and holding dangerous weapons, including charms, stormed the chief suspect’s residence and hotel premises in Omu-Aran as early as 9 a.m yesterday and set them ablaze.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer of Kwara Police Command, Ajayi Okasanmi, said he was yet to be briefed about the development.
The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Lagos State has begun the skills acquisition training for 40 unemployed youths in the Advanced National Open Apprenticeship Scheme (A-NOAS) in Lagos.
Speaking to The Nation, the State Coordinator, Mrs. Serena Edward, said the programme was a rare opportunity provided by the directorate, under the leadership of Acting Director- General Mallam Abubakar Fikpo to combat mass unemployment in the country.
Edward disclosed that 40 youths who graduated from the Basic National Open Apprenticeship Scheme will undergo a three (3) months intensive training known as A-NOAS to re-sharpen their horizon, methodology, and skills with the sole aim of making them experts in their different skills and better equipped for the international market.
Some of the trades they would be tutored in are; Electrical Engineering, Catering, printing, Shoemaking amongst others.
No fewer than 45 men have been arrested after they were allegedly transported to Okitipupa community in Ondo at night
They were allegedly dumped near an Army Barracks in the community.
They were intercepted by youths in the community when they were sighted alighting from a truck.
Their presence caused tension in Okitipupa town as residents felt they were brought in as mercenaries to wreak havoc.
Witnesses said the soldiers prevented the men from moving further immediately and alerted other security agencies including Amotekun operatives corps.
A source said the man that moved the men to the town, Fafoluyi Emmanuel was immediately apprehended by Amotekun operatives.
Chairman of Okitipupa Local Government, Mr. Igbekele Akinrinwa, urged the people to remain calm and assured that the suspects would be moved to Akure for further security checks and investigation.
It was however said that the men were brought to the Ondo community for an undisclosed military training.
A source said the suspects opened up on their mission during interrogation.
”The Amotekun corps arrested the youths loaded in a trailer in front of the army barracks. As the Amotekun corps accosted them, some of them jumped down from the vehicle and ran away into the town but about 45 of them were arrested.’’ said the source.
“ When they were interrogated, they said they were sent from the north to undergo military training in the barracks. After that, the Amotekun corps took them away from the town.”
Commander of Ondo Amotekun, Chief Adetunji Adeleye, who confirmed the arrest said the investigation had commenced.
“We have commenced investigation into the matter,” Adeleye said.
Primate of the African Church, Bishop Julius Abbe has asked Nigerians to get reconnected to God to end the insecurity ravaging the country.
Abbe spoke during activities to commemorate the church’s Founders’ Day at the African Church Model College, Ifako-Ijaiye, Lagos. The church, founded in 1901, would be 120 years on October 13.
The theme of the anniversary is ‘Firmly Rooted, Aiming Higher’, taken from Ephesians 3:17-19.
The cleric noted that God is our source, and unless we are firmly rooted in him, Nigeria might not get out of the mess it is in.
He said: “For us to grow in leaps and bounds, our roots must be very deep in Him. We must understand that without Him we are nothing.
“It is only in Him that we can truly achieve our potentials in life as individuals, as one nation and as a Church.”
Abbe urged Nigerians to continue to ask for God’s divine guidance and grace to be firmly rooted in Him. According to him, this was important to enable the country to come under His influence and direction so the people can enjoy His goodness.
The cleric said the anniversary was to appreciate God’s protection, mercy, goodness, and blessings, especially for making the church grow to become a gigantic tree.
He added: “The church came into existence precisely on October 13, 1901, and has gone through many hurdles to get to where it is today. It is no longer news that the church broke out of the Anglican Church (CMS).
“From inception till date, the church had produced 12 primates and 25 lay presidents, we have branches all over the country with seven provinces comprising 47 dioceses in every geopolitical zone of the country.
“Presently, we have branches in the USA, UK and Ghana, and our membership strength is about 2.08 million. We have 680 priests in 720 parishes.
“The church owes its existence and growth to the Almighty God, and the love and mutual cooperation that exists among the members; both clergy and laity,; this has made the church to be firmly rooted in the teaching of Christ, which has given it the grace not to be tossed about by the vicissitudes of life.
“All had not been rosy these 120 years, however, the church has weathered the storm through the help of God.”
Abbe added that the anniversary would afford the church the opportunity to break forth and achieve all its set goals, which include aggressive evangelism to win souls for Christ, building lives and shaping destiny, offering affordable and quality education, as well as other social developmental services to humanity.
A spokesman for Myetti Allah the umbrella organization of cattle sellers and rearers recently asked government to stop the killing of Fulani herdsmen in the South East by terrorists . A sitting governor in the zone also asked security forces to distinguish between agitation and criminality and arrest members of the secessionist IPOB who are known to be attacking police stations and fomenting trouble in the same South East . But it is well known that armed Fulani herdsmen have been having a field day in the entire South West of the nation destroying farms and terrorizing the area with impunity while government has wittingly or not turned a blind eye to their atrocities . Indeed Myetti Allah gloats regularly with cheeky impudence if not impunity as if it knows that it is a sacred cow that government cannot touch or punish in any way whatsoever . Tribalism has played a large part in government’s aloofness or inability to call both the Myetti Allah and Fulani herdsmen to order because the President is Fulani and has once intoned or reminisced publicly that if he had not gone to school he would have been a Fulani herdsman . That is the core of the matter we shall discuss today taking into consideration events in Nigeria as we highlighted on the Fulani issue and government , while roping that to Election integrity in the US where racism has become the whip to cancel dissent by the Biden Administration and Britain where the PM is being accused of using campaign donations illegally to fund the renovation of his apartment in 10 Downing Street which is the official residence of the British Prime Minister .
I will start with some quotations from two black Americans who are holding their positions as the first black to do so. One is a black senator Tim Scott who responded to President Joe Biden’s first State of the Nation’s address to the US Congress . The other is Mark Robinson , the first Black Lt Governor of North Carolina . According to reports, Senator Scott went after race relations, corporate cancel culture and what he called the politics of division in the US . In response to Joe Biden’s address Senator Scot roared ’Hear me clearly America is not a racist country . Its backward to fight discrimination with another type of discrimination and its wrong to try to use our painful past to dishonestly shut down debates in the present .’ What this black senator is telling the Biden administration is that the Democrats should not get more catholic than the Pope and do as if they can identify racism against the blackman better than the blacks who bear the pain and stigma of racial discrimination all the time .
In similar vein North Carolina’s first black Lt Governor Mark Robinson told a House Judicial Committee that the Democrats should not shed crocodile tears over Georgia’s new election laws that asked for identity requirement for voters involved in in mail and absentee voting which the Democrats say is meant to prevent blacks from voting . According to the black Lt Gov the notion that black people must be protected from a free ID to secure the vote is ‘ not just insane , it is insulting ‘ . He went on to recall that blacks went through slavery , the civil rights movement and are at the highest echelon of US government with an Obama Adminisration haveng come and gone and yet the Democrats are using the slogan that there is systemic racism in the US when indeed they are using racism to get more power and silence the opposition .’Really if black leaders now see through the ploy to use racism to beat the opposition to order and acquire more power then the issue of election integrity of the US 2020 presidential election which the US courts swept aside as lacking evidence all the way to the US Supreme Court is still very much alive . It certainly will play a large role in the US mid term elections of 2022 and the Republicans who question the integrity of the 2020 presidential elections will be hoping that the Democrats will meet their waterloo and the Republicans will gain control of the senate and House of Reps which they lost in an election of questionable integrity in 2020 .
In Britain too accountability and integrity were at play in the way the opposition Labour Party is asking the PM Boris Johnson to account for where he got money to furnish his official apartment . The news was leaked by a former aide he fired recently who said he told him then that the idea was stupid if not illegal . He was called a liar in Parliament and asked to explain himself . When he sought protection from the Speaker to determine if the question was in order , he found himself naked and had to answer the question and an inquiry on the matter has been set up .It remains to be seen how Boris Johnson will survive this renovation misadventure like he and his fiancée survived the pandemic narrowly earlier on. The way campaign funds are raised and utilized is very important issue more respected as a matter of election integrity and accountability in Britain .It is not that much of an issue in the US or Nigeria . In the US aside the Georgia ID matter it is an open secret that big Tech companies funded the Biden Campaign massively while big media outfits simply blacked out news on any financial accusation of the Biden family until after the 2020 presidential elections .
In Nigeria election integrity is observed more in rigging than in observance and voter participation .While the US is planning for the 2022 US mid term elections Nigeria too is getting set for the 2023 presidential elections .While charges of White Supremacy and Racism dominate politics in the US tribalism or ethnicity is the Achilles heel of Nigeria’s democracy . Insecurity is also an issue that will determine the fate of Nigeria in the 2023 elections . If the present trend of pervasive insecurity persists , one will fear for the conduct of a peaceful election . Government should therefore move in the direction of making the political terrain ready for a peaceful election and a new transition of power since the president cannot contest for a third term . Government should show that a government is any government that successfully upholds a monopoly to the exclusive use of physical force in maintaining its rule within a given territorial area , which in this case is Nigeria .Government should show its hands transparently and bare its fangs powerfully , to call to order those challenging its legitimate authority with impunity and insolence , all over the place . That really is the meaning of government in any democracy and we are one ,the largest indeed in Africa , if not the world . Once again From the fury of this pandemic Good Lord Deliver Nigeria
“Madam Speaker and Madam Vice-President” were the opening words of United States’ Joe Biden as he read the speech marking his one hundred days in office recently. He was ecstatic at being the first American President to say those five words. America has however not fully lived up to its global political position in terms of gender parity in politics but the journey can only move had begun.
It is surprising that in its 245 year history America had never elected a female President. The closest to the seat luckily is now Kamala Harris the Vice President. It is equally telling that the world just celebrated the 100th anniversary of women’s voting rights. So the journey has not been easy but elsewhere in the world, women have become Presidents, Prime Ministers and other heads of governments.
In comparison to America’s lagging behind politically with gender parity, Nigeria is the giant of Africa socio-economically but not politically in terms of gender parity in politics. Liberia’s Ellen Johnson Sirleaf became the first elected female President in Africa in 2005 after the civil war and was re-elected in 2011. Joyce Banda became Malawian President in 2012 after the death of President Mutharika. The Central African Republic had Catherine Samba-Panza elected in 2014 as transition president and stayed till 2016. Mauritius, Gabon, South Africa, Burundi and Ethiopia have had female honorary and interim female presidents.
Nigeria has not really experienced the gender equity and inclusiveness that can develop the country since its independence. There has been no elected governor. Other African countries are ahead of Nigeria in this sphere even when Nigerian women are breaking grounds in the academia, corporate world , global economies and institutions. Presently, of the 43 Ministers in the country, only seven are women. Nigeria has paltry 6.9% women in parliament as against South Africa’s 42.1% and Rwanda’s 61.1%. Ethiopia has a balanced cabinet of 50% each, South Africa too had done the same in 2019. Nigeria obviously has enough qualified women to either vie for elective positions or be appointed to positions but it seems that the gap has never been filled satisfactorily. We still see the tokenism in both elective and appointive positions for women.
Many people believe that the exclusion of more women in the political space in Nigeria is traceable to a number of human factors that have seemingly not been addressed seriously. Women might not have the magic wand but they definitely bring diligence and a great sense of duty to service.
The Roundtable Conversation was privileged to have sat at the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL) with former President Olusegun Obasanjo (GCFR) who is known to have taken the road less traveled in Nigeria’s political history with the appointments he made during his eight year tenure. In his words, he head-hunted the women he appointed as Ministers, heads of agencies and chairpersons of boards. He was the first to appoint the first female Media Spokesperson, the late Remi Oyo, the first female Finance Minister and Minister of state, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Nenadi Usman, First female Transport Minister, Kema Chikwe, first female Minister of trade and Industry, Chief Nike Akande, first female Minister of Solid Minerals, Oby ezekwesili and many others.
The remarkable thing about most of his female appointees is not just that they all performed creditably but that they went on to make global impact. Today Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is Director General of World Trade Organization (WTO) but sits on the boards of many global institutions and corporate bodies like twitter. Amina Mohammed is United Nations Assistant Secretary General, Dora Akunyili made an indelible mark in her fight for fake and counterfeit drug manufacturers and marketers as NAFDAC DG, Oby Ezekwesili went on to the World Bank as Africa Region Vice President and is now a global citizen due to her records and advocacies for civil and women’s rights.
The Roundtable Conversation knows that it is not yet uhuru as regards gender parity in Nigerian politics but finds former President Obasanjo’s bold step in giving these women the opportunity and support to disprove the wrong view about the capcity of women to lead.
TRT: What informed your decision to appoint so many women during your tenure as president to areas women never got the opportunity to serve in?
Obasanjo: “When I came into politics, the feeling within even my own party was that women are not good enough, women in politics were seen as women of easy virtue, the men were seen as those who can perform. Well, I was born by a fantastic woman, I had a fantastic wife, my first two children were girls and I adore them and I know that they are not perfect but they are as capable to do anything as any man if not even better. So for what reason should I be in politics and look down on women?
After the election, we had a retreat and some women were there and I wanted names, the party gave me one woman’s name but I needed more and decided to head hunt personally. Those women performed extremely well.
Again, I wanted people say the reason for alleging that women in politics were prostitutes, my question was, if they are prostitutes, who made them prostitutes? Is the allegation not akin to the biblical Pharisees that hypocritically brought the so-called ‘adulteress’ to Jesus for condemnation without bringing the man along? Who makes women prostitutes?
So to me, I look for competence in any human being. For instance, as President, I had late Adamu Ciroma as Minister of Finance, fantastic and diligent but he did not know much about international finance and as at that time, Nigeria was in dire financial straits and needed somebody who understood international financial systems because our efforts to get some debt relief at the time could not be argued successfully by any international finance neophyte so we had to approach the World Bank to release Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to us and was glad they did.
TRT: So, we have at least 15% of women Professors in the academia and they have been making progress but in politics it is still very difficult for women given the percentage of women in parliaments across the states and National assembly, it’s still difficult financially for women.
Obasanjo: Those are parts of the problems but the major one is not recognizing women for what they are – humans. Physiological differences have nothing to do with mental and professional capacity. God himself charged man to be fruitful and multiply so the physiological differences are divine ways of enabling procreation. Apart from that, there are no major cerebral differences. In fact some women are more intelligent than some men and vice versa. Some men are actually less intelligent than most women.
TRT: So is gender exclusion more of lack of confidence in women or the ownership of the political space by men because most men see the brilliance and the readiness to serve by most women but still block them off surreptitiously?
Obasanjo: “Basically it is a socio-religious thing. The cultural belief is that women are inferior, in my culture for instance, there is the belief that men have nine bones and women have seven. Who did the counting (laughter)? The capacity of men and women to serve are the same but culture and religion are often manipulated by some people.
TRT: But Sir, you and some other men are from the same culture but seem to trust the fact that women have the same capacity to lead on all fronts like the men. Are you less of a cultural icon? Why are you different?
Obasanjo: Well there is culture, then there is greed, most men are greedy, women can be greedy too but men are often too avaricious. Men always seek their selfish interests. But women are more loyal to issues that concern everyone including the men. They are more family oriented and patriotic than most men. But women must not wait for men to give them opportunities because it might never happen. They must step out and work to take their spaces.
My daughter Iyabo came to tell me she wanted to contest for a senatorial seat, I said, why not? Go into the field and try your best. She did and won. She personally made the decision and I supported her. So to bring the change we seek, women must form step out as teams and work with the men after all they are your fathers, sons, brothers, husbands (good or bad, laughter), uncles, nephews, partners, boyfriends and even business partners.
So for my daughter, I gave her the support. I could as well have told her to go sit down but I personally believe leadership is not about gender, it is about mental, professional and educational competences and these are not gender based.
Men must learn to cage their subtle jealousies and egoistic beliefs about not wanting their women to be more in the limelight and successful than them. Men must realize that women are not slaves. The belief that women belong to the kitchen does not belong to the twenty first century. My prayer is that more men in the country realize that public service must be about competence and that is the only way to use our best to achieve development.
The RoundTable recognizes Chief Obasanjo as a strong voice in the country, continent and globally. His positive gender actions as president stand as his legacy and we believe that he has enough experience that the political elite can tap from especially with the renewed global consciousness for gender justice and its role in development.
If smaller African countries have passed electoral laws and made policies towards gender parity in politics, why can Nigeria with its population of highly educated women be excluded from leadership and governance?
It amounts to cutting our nose to spite our face as a country to continue the male dominated political and leadership structures that have just earned Nigeria the poverty capital of the world tag. As 2023 gets nearer, we hope that the political elite can learn from the former President whose patriotic zeal and commitment to development have never been in doubt.
Last Saturday was a bloody one for residents of Ajikamaka community in Doma Local Government Area, Nasarawa State. Some dare devil gunmen suspected to be herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles invaded the peaceful Tiv community at about 2am and unleashed terror.
By the time the dust settled on the midnight invasion, the invaders had gunned down 12 innocent souls, including children and pregnant women.
•Part of Ajikamaka community in ruins
By Wednesday, April 28, the marauding herdsmen had invaded 13 Tiv communities at the border between Nasarawa and Benue states, dislodging over 50,000 Tiv farmers from their ancestral homes. The affected Tiv communities include Dooshima, Antsa, Dooka, Angwan Yara, Ikyayior, Targema, Tse Tor, Chia, Umurayi, Dooga, Gindan Rail, Ajikamaka and Ankoma, all in Ekye Development Area in Doma Local Government Area.
Numbered among the casualties of the invasion in Ajikamaka were Mr Tsekaa Chiatyo, Kwaghdoo Tsekaa, Sewuese Tsekaa, Bobo Chiatyo, Aondosee Fidelis, Aboy, Igba Aduku, Iwueseter and Aseer, while the corpses of Mama Kasehumba, William Katu and Aondowase Agbu were later found decomposing in hidden areas near their houses.
The displaced farmers from the affected communities are now taking refuge in Kadorko, Keana Local Government Area and Agyaragu, Lafia Local Government Area, both in Nasarawa State, while a large number of other farmers sought refuge in Daudu, Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Our correspondent, who went round the Kadarko and Agyaragu areas of Nasarawa State, discovered that since the Nasarawa State Government had not officially declared any IDP camp open for the displaced Tiv farmers who also feared that they could be attacked again, they and their family members resorted to settle in the homes of their relations and friends, causing population explosion in Kadarko and Agyaragu areas.
A victim of the crisis and indigene of Ajikamaka community, Mr Terlumun Tsekaa, who gave horrifying details of the attack while telling our correspondent how he lost his pregnant wife and their little baby, said the unfortunate incident occurred on Saturday, April 24 while they were fast asleep.
He said at about 2am on that fateful day, some gunmen suspected to be herdsmen invaded the entire Ajikamaka settlement. He said the invaders, numbering more than 30, were chanting war songs, shooting sporadically in the process.
Tsekaa said: “They set the entire village ablaze and were picking on everyone who tried to escape. My wife and our three-year-old baby were killed by the herdsmen. My wife was seven months pregnant when she was killed. They also killed an entire family of about five members.”
He told our correspondent that the herdsmen who carried out the dastardly act arrived in the community as far back as four months ago “and strategically planned to dislodge us from our ancestral homes.
“They wanted to involve one Fulani man who is the chairman of the Fulani socio-cultural organisation in the area, Alhaji Jolly, but the man refused to be part of any plot to kill the Tiv farmers. So the Fulani militia targeted and killed him in the bush for fear that he might expose their plans.
“They bought brand new saw machines after their intense operation, which commenced on 24th April in Ajikamaka community. They then moved to Dooshima, Antsa Dooka and other communities
“As they strategically moved from one Tiv community to another dislodging the Tiv farmers, they were looting our properties, removing our zinc roofs, cutting down our economic trees with their saw machines and confiscating our domestic animals.”
Some other survivors who are now taking refuge in Kadarko and Agyaragu also narrated their ordeal. Among them was a young lady by name Felicia, who escaped death narrowly.
Felicia said: “We had lived with the herdsmen for a long time without any problem. But recently, we got information that they wanted to attack us. Then suddenly, we started seeing strange herdsmen faces in the area.
“Their reason for attacking us is that since the livestock guards of the anti-open grazing law in Benue State are not allowing them to graze their cows in Benue land and their cows are also being confiscated, they decided to transfer their aggression to us.
“They shot my mother dead in my presence. I ran, looking for a safe place to hide. Before I knew what was happening, they had dislodged about 13 large Tiv communities. I don’t know why they decided to kill our people like goats.
“The militia men shot at defenceless women and children while others armed with machetes hacked young people to death. The innocent and unarmed people ran frantically, looking for escape routes, but they were sprayed with bullets.”
Our correspondent gathered that Doma LGA has come under heavy attacks from criminal elements in recent times, making the area vulnerable and scary for investors. The Managing Director of the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority and village head of Idadu in Ekye Development Area, Engr. Mohammed Addra, was on April 4, 2021 attacked on Doma-Ekye Road on his way to an official duty. He only escaped death narrowly while his vehicle was badly damaged.
Several farmers, innocent commuters and villagers have also been hacked to death in different parts of the local government since 2013. Between January and April 2021, gunmen have killed more than 20 people in the area, especially the Idadu-Agbashi section of the road.
Among the victims was a young, promising ICT guru from Agbashi, Kabiru Aminu Awashu, who recently graduated from the Federal University in Lafia. He was shot dead on Wednesday, April 21, 2021. There was also the gruesome murder of a prominent Fulani leader in Idadu, Alhaji Jolly penultimate Thursday.
The reprisal attacks on a Tiv settlement in Ajimaka community near Rukubi culminated in the killing of 12 people, including women and children, last Saturday. The invaders also went ahead to circulate quit notices to Tiv farmers to vacate the area or face annihilation.
Fear of ethnic war heightens
There are fears that a bloody tribal conflict could soon erupt in Nasarawa State unless urgent steps are taken to halt the killings, the displacements and the plundering of the agrarian Nasarawa communities by herdsmen.
Speaking to our correspondent, Mr Philip Tartim, an elderly man displaced from Dooka community, said if Nasarawa State or the federal government failed to do something about the “mindless and barbaric killing of Tiv farmers” in Nasarawa State, they would be left with no choice but respond to the attacks.
He said: “We may also have to launch a reprisal attack on them. What is our offence? We are not indigenes of Benue State. The herdsmen should stop transferring their aggression on us. Let them go and face the livestock guard in Benue or Governor Ortom himself. We have no business with the anti-open grazing law in Benue State.
“They normally come in the night when we are fast asleep. They make sure they kill and displace us. They destroy all our stock of food and farmlands and go around burning down our homes.
“There are no more houses in our villages now. I wish you have enough security to visit those areas we are talking about so that you see things for yourself. They dealt deadly cuts on our people, leaving many dead and homes in ruins.
“Thousands of Tiv farmers in 13 communities have deserted their homes while the few houses still standing have become shadows of their former selves, with dogs, goats, pigs and other domestic animals roaming aimlessly.”
Food crisis looms
There are also fears of drastic food shortage in the nearest future in Nasarawa State if herdsmen continue the spate of killings and sacking of Tiv farmers from their ancestral homes.
A member of Umurayi community, Mr Aondegu Upuu, who is taking refuge in Agyaragu, said: “This is the beginning of the farming season. Most of the crops produced in Nasarawa State come from Tiv farmers. We have the capacity to produce major food crops, including yam, rice, sesame, soya beans, sorghum, maize, guinea corn, beans and cassava, but that may not be possible this season due to the displacement and killing of our farmers in Doma LG.
“The current crisis which has dislodged members of about 13 Tiv communities have truncated intensive farming. This is a minus as far as food production is concerned. This is the right time for us to concentrate on our farms, but we are displaced.
“Government should provide a platform for sincere dialogue that will lead to a permanent solution to this crisis. As it is, we don’t have a source of livelihood again, and if this continues, many youths will take to crime to survive.”
Leader of Tiv community in Nasarawa State and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Conflict Resolution, Engr. Moses Utondu, appealed to the Tiv farmers to remain calm.
Addressing the displaced persons in Kardorko and Agyaragu, Utondu appealed to them to remain calm as the governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, is a man of peace and will immediately look into their problem.
He said: “My assessment so far has shown that our people are truly displaced; it is not a matter of speculation. But my courage and comfort is that our governor is somebody who is committed to peace. We are here to see things ourselves.”
Having battled back from two goals to beat Lyon, Lille will need to rewrite the recent form guide against Nice, a club the Ligue 1 leaders have beaten just once in the past 16 attempts.
Burak Yilmaz is the man of the moment for Christophe Galtier’s side, netting 12 goals in 24 games during his first season in one of Europe’s top five leagues, at the age of 35.
Lille have performed better as the hunter rather than hunted but could find themselves in second place come kick-off, if Paris Saint-Germain beat Lens earlier in the day.
LA LIGA
Barcelona’s shock home loss to Granada means Ronald Koeman’s team no longer have their destiny in their own hands, with the top four in Spain separated by three points with five games to play.
Two defeats in four have stalled Barca’s title charge and handed back the initiative to Atletico Madrid, the visitors to Camp Nou next weekend. Real Madrid, like Barca, are two points adrift with Sevilla another point further behind.
Valencia have won just eight matches this term and are just six points clear of the relegation places but did hold Barcelona to a 2-2 draw in December.
GERMAN CUP
Holstein Kiel knocked out holders Bayern Munich during their run to the German Cup semi-finals
The Bundesliga takes a step back as the German Cup resumes with second-tier Holstein Kiel, the conquerors of defending champions Bayern Munich, aiming to continue their surprise run against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals.
While Erling Braut Haaland and Dortmund are bidding to win the cup for the fifth time, and first since 2017, promotion-chasing Kiel will be making just a second appearance in the final four.
Julian Nagelsmann begins his RB Leipzig farewell when the 2019 runners-up visit Werder Bremen in Friday’s first semi-final. The 33-year-old will leave to take over at Bayern in the summer.
DUTCH EREDIVISIE
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last year denied Ajax the chance at another Eredivisie title, but the Amsterdam giants have shaken off that disappointment thanks to a top-flight run of 19 games without defeat.
Erik ten Hag’s men sit 12 points clear of PSV Eindhoven heading into the final four rounds of the campaign. Their far superior goal difference effectively guarantees they cannot be caught, but a point against Emmen will confirm them as champions.
Earlier this month Ajax hoisted the Dutch Cup for the 20th time as David Neres scored a stoppage-time winner in a 2-1 victory over Vitesse Arnhem.
Inter Milan are on the brink of the Serie A title which they could claim for the first time in over a decade this weekend while Juventus scramble for a Champions League spot.
Antonio Conte’s Inter travel south to basement club Crotone on Saturday where a win would allow them to put one hand on a trophy they last won in 2010.
If Inter win and second-placed Atalanta, who are 11 points off top spot, fail to claim all three points at Sassuolo tomorrow, Inter will lift their 19th Serie A crown with four games to go.
Inter could also be crowned champions with a draw if Atalanta lose, but other results would have to go the league leaders’ way.
Inter’s Chinese president Steven Zhang returned to Milan this week for the run-in to the title celebrations.
And despite the pressure midfielder Nicolo Barella said the team were in a “calm frame of mind” having come close last season. Inter finished one point behind Juventus last year, having also lost the Europa League final in 2020 to Sevilla.
“We had the same objective last season. We lost a final and this galvanised us,” said Barella. “We transformed the experience into something positive. This year, we’re in the position we wanted to be in.
“We’re a well-balanced side that has found an identity.”
Barella scored in Inter’s 2-0 win over Juventus in the San Siro in January, “the match that made us aware of our strength,” the Italian said. “Beating the team that had dominated for years was important.”
Top Inter scorers Romelu Lukaku (21) and Lautaro Martínez (15) will be eager to find the net having both failed to score in the past four games.
Crotone, meanwhile, can count on Nigerian forward Simy, the third top scorer in Serie A with 19 goals this campaign, which scored last weekend in a win over Parma to delay relegation.
