The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Abdur-Rahman Balogun

  • FG lauds 8-yr-old Nigerian Chess Champion in U. S.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa, has described the success of Tanitoluwa Adewunmi, an eight -year old Nigerian Chess champion in U. S. as a pride to the nation.

    Dabiri-Erewa said this in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media Affairs, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on Monday in Abuja.

    The Presidential Aide, said the feat performed by the young Tanitoluwa in the Chess tournament was unparalleled and unique.

    ”The young Nigeria diasporan recently won the New York State Chess championship for his age bracket.

    ”To this, former U.S President, Bill Clinton, has congratulated the eight year-old Nigerian chess champion, Tanitoluwa Adewunmi and also invited him and his parents to his office for personal introduction,” she said.

    READ ALSO: Bill Clinton lauds 8-year-old Nigerian boy for winning Chess Championship

    Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who expressed pleasure over the development, said Tanitoluwa should be celebrated and encouraged to serve as role model for his peers.

    She said the outwitting of other children by Adewunmi in the Chess tournament in U.S. showed that irrespective of age, determination and focus would earn one the desired goal.

    Dabiri-Erewa expressed determination to arrange a meeting with Tanitoluwa and his parents to serve as an encouragement to other young Nigerians, especially in the diaspora.

    Adewunmi had won seven chess trophies including the state tournament, where he outwitted other children.

    The young chess champion’s family are taking asylum in a homeless shelter in Manhattan after they fled the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria since 2018.

    He went undefeated at the state tournament, outwitting children from elite private schools with private chess tutors.

    Adewunmi’s rating is now 1587 and rising fast and he is being compared with the world’s best player, Magnus Carlsen, who stands at 2845.

    He placed first in the New York State Scholastic Championships tournament for kindergarten through third grade, a remarkable win for anyone.

    NAN

  • FG condemns killing of another Nigerian in Kenya

    …calls for investigation into the dastardly act

     

    Abike Dabiri-Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has demanded for full autopsy and investigation from Kenya Government into the killing of a Nigerian, Mr. Bamiyo Ashade.

    Ashade was allegedly killed by the Kenyan police, it was learnt.

    The sad incident happened on Sept. 26, and the deceased was laid to rest, on Monday Oct. 15, at the Langata cemetery, Kenya.

    A statement by Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Media Aide to Dabiri-Erewa stated that the reported killing was contained in the briefing by the Nigerian Ambassador in Kenya, Amb. Sheidu Momoh, who met with Nigerians in Kenya and pleaded with them to remain calm.

    The Ambassador, however assured that the Nigerian High Commission is on top of the situation and had met with the aggrieved Nigerians for four hours with a formal complaint to the Kenyan Foreign Affairs demanding full autopsy.

    The Envoy further noted that contrary to the believe, the late Bamiyo Ashade, also known as Bamo, was not a student in Kenya but a Nigerian living in Kenya and had met with the family of the bereaved to commiserate with them with an assurance that justice will prevail.

    The deceased, Bamiyo Ashade, the second born in a family of three, was brutalised at his house in Four ways estate, kiambu on Monday Oct. 15, while the police officers allegedly tried to extort him despite finding out he had valid papers.

    Read Also: Infantino’s plans for new global tournaments

    However, he stood his ground, as he didn’t commit any crime. The officers then resorted to harassment and assault. Seeing that he was nearing his death, he was quickly rushed to a hospital, where he died.

    Friends and relatives have taken to the social media to condemn the police brutality directed towards Nigerians in the Diaspora and joined in calling for justice for Bamo.

    A family friend to the Ashades in Ibadan, Nigeria, Alhaji Sulaiman Adio lamented that the family had lost two of their three siblings within six months, as Bamiyo’s elder brother died six months ago and thus, joined in the call for justice for the deceased.

    “In view of the foregoing, we appeal to the Kenya Government to conduct thorough investigation into the gruesome killing of this young Nigerian and bring the perpetrator to justice accordingly’’, Dabiri-Erewa said.

    Dabiri-Erewa also condoled with the family of the deceased and prayed unto God to comfort the family in the best way.

    The Presidential aide also said that full investigation has commenced into the circumstances of a Nigerian man who died after he fell from the 8th floor of his apartment due to the fear of being arrested by some officials of the Kenyan law enforcement agency in Nairobi.

  • Abike Dabiri hails Nigerian for returning N150m wrongfully sent into his account

    Abike Dabiri hails Nigerian for returning N150m wrongfully sent into his account

    Abike Dabiri – Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has hailed a Nigerian, Michael Asemota, for returning QR1,502,000 ($441,127.99) about N150 million wrongfully posted into his account in Qatar.

    Abdur-Rahman Balogun, Special Assistant on Media to Abike Dabiri-Erewa said in a statement  that the SSA gave the commendation when she received Asemota in her office on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The SSA said that such a rare display of honesty and sincerity from a Nigerian in the Diaspora had given the country as other Nigerians living in Qatar a good image.

    She urged Asemota to continue to be a good ambassador of Nigeria and implore other Nigerians in the Diaspora to emulate the positive image he has given to Nigeria in Qatar .

    “With this exceptional act of honesty, you have given a positive image to Nigerians and Nigeria in Qatar, and indeed, world over.

    “We are truly proud of you and urge you to continue to extol the virtues and strength of the Nigerian heritage of honesty, integrity and honour.

    “Your shinning beacon serves as inspiration to the Youth of Nigeria’’, Dabiri-Erewa stated in a letter of commendation personally signed by her and given to Asemota.

    Asemota, a native of Edo state but based in Doha, Qatar, had opened an account with a cheque of QR150, 200 with an undisclosed commercial bank, where he is the sole signatory of the account.

    “I got back home, I received an alert showing that a QR1,502,000 had been credited into my account by mistake instead of QR150,200.

    “I went to see the manager to report the error of QR1, 502,000 deposited into my account. After checking for confirmation, the manager gave me a warm handshake in appreciation,” he said.

    Asked why he alerted the bank about the error, Asemota said: “I knew the money did not belong to me and should not be in my account in the first place, so there were no motives and temptations to keep it.”

    He said the singular act had given Nigeria and Nigerians positive image in Qatar in the midst of bad stories of Nigeria emanating from the country.

    Asemota is an official of Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation-Qatar (NIDO-Qatar), the umbrella body of Nigerian residents in the country.

    NAN

  • Death of 26 Nigerians in Mediterranean sea, tragic, avoidable – Abike Dabiri

    Death of 26 Nigerians in Mediterranean sea, tragic, avoidable – Abike Dabiri

    Mrs Abike Dabiri – Erewa, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora on Tuesday described the death of 26 Nigerians in Mediterranean sea as “most unfortunate and tragic’’.

    Dabiri-Erewa in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, said: “promising young Nigerians embarking on such dangerous journeys, in search of greener pastures, end up faced rather with hopelessness, torture, despair and sometimes death, as in this case.

    “The deaths of these young Nigerians, mostly women and girls were avoidable and preventable.”

    “It is tragic and lamentable. It is just not worth it ultimately.

    “There has to be sustained awareness campaigns on the dangers inherent in such journeys. Migration policies are getting tougher all over,’’ she said.

    Dabiri-Erewa said that President Muhammadu Buhari has been working with the International Organisation of Migration, to bring back voluntary returnees pointing out that it was not usually greener out there, even if survived.

    While appealing to the Italian authorities to ensure thorough investigations into the deaths, the presidential aide, advised Nigerians to desist from such journeys.

    “Regrettably, such trips are usually paid for, sometimes as high as 4,500 dollars as inhumane traffickers profit from the illicit business, luring the victims who ignorantly fall for the apparently fake lure of a better life out there.

    “The boats now being used are getting smaller and more dangerous, and those on the other side are not particularly willing to save them from drowning any more.

    “No fewer than 26 Nigerians were reportedly got drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on Sunday,” she said.

    She noted that the Italian prosecutors had begun an investigation into the deaths of the victims, mostly teenagers, though hundreds of other migrants survived.

    NAN