The Nation Newspaper

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  • Breaking: Five dead, 45 injured in Maiduguri bomb blast

    The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), on Sunday said five persons were killed and 30 others injured in a suicide bomb attack in the outskirts of Maiduguri.

    Mr Kachalla Usman, the Head of Emergency Response Operations of SEMA, confirmed the incident in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Maiduguri.

    Usman said that two female suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosives Device (IEDs) vests strapped to their bodies in a crowded place at Muna-Dalti area of Maiduguri on Saturday night.

    Read also: 11 killed, 15 injured in suicide bombing at Maiduguri mosque

    He said that three persons and two suicide bombers were killed, while 45 others sustained injuries in the blast.

    Usman added that two of the deceased died while on admission in the hospital.

    According to him, the injured persons have been taken to the Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri for treatment. (NAN)

  • Oyo APC will bounce back in 2023, Ajimobi’s wife vows

    Wife of the Oyo State governor, Dr Florence Ajimobi has assured the people of the State that the All Progressive Congress (APC), will bounce back and come back to power in 2023.

    This is as she also solicited for support and prayers of the people of the state, especially women for the incoming People’s Democratic Party (PDP) government, saying God had destined the Governor-Elect, Mr Seyi Makinde to take over from her husband.

    The Oyo First lady made the remarks while giving what could be described as her valedictory speech at the April edition of the quarterly prayer rally organized by the Women Intercessory Network, which held at the Remembrance Arcade, Opposite Government House, Agodi, Ibadan at the weekend.

    She said “We are very proud, it is a women intercessory network devoid of any political party. I am the wife of the governor of Oyo state and my husband is an APC member but this is not a political ground. We are here to pray for the government of Oyo state and for our nation at large.

    “I want to implore our women, like I have said earlier that they should make sure they bring every woman here so that we will continue to pray for the administration of the incoming governor.

    “But that doesn’t make me less an APC member, we are coming back in 2023 by the grace of God and on this ground that God has continued to answer prayers, APC is going to come back in Jesus name.”

    Read also: Ogun APC group tasks governor-elect, deputy on infrastructure

    Noting the place of prayers for the success of any political administration, Dr Ajimobi urged the Governor-elect not to compromise the issue of prayers stressing that, no government irrespective of how well intentioned and focused could achieve anything without the backing of God.

    She disclosed that it was the “aggressive, consistent and effectual prayers of the people, especially women at the prayer rally” which had been on since the last seven years that assisted the administration of her husband to effectively restore peace into the state which was almost becoming a banana republic.

    Dr Ajimobi further pointed out that WIN is not a project of the APC government but a project set up by anointed women of God to ensure that Oyo state is transformed into a state where peace and stability would reign. She expressed joy that the objectives of the Network were achieved. She also promised to attend future prayer rallies, to join thousands of women praying for the state regularly.

    “My wish is that WIN must not die. We should endeavour to do our best and ensure that all those plotting to bring the state backward are destroyed by the power of God Almighty. We shall attend future prayer programme of WIN because this state will not go back to the era of brigandage.

    “Any group dreaming of taking back the state to backwardness should be regarded as agents of violence. They would be visited by the wrath of God. I am not cursing but our desire for this state is peace and progress which we are leaving behind”, the outgoing First Lady stressed.

    Mrs Ajimobi emphasised that the women should ensure that more members were mobilised to the program which according to her was neither for Christians and Muslims alone and not restricted to any political party.

    Highpoint of the event which could be described as the valedictory for the Ajimobi administration was the special prayer session and cutting of birthday cake to celebrate the Governor’s wife 60th birthday.

    The event was well attended by women from across the state, wives of political office holders, female politicians and political appointees, children among others.

     

  • 112 Chibok girls now five years in Boko Haram captivity

    The 112 Chibok girls still being held by Boko Haram will   have spent five years in captivity if they are not released by next Sunday.

    Over 200 students of the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, Borno State were abducted by the terrorists on the night of April 14, 2014.

    Over a hundred of them were released following pressure from the federal government, and the intervention of well meaning Nigerians and the International Red Cross.

    The Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG) movement said yesterday that the girls have already spent 1, 819 days in Boko Haram captivity.

    Read also: Buhari: It will take decades to repair Boko Haram damage

    It said the anniversary of their abduction next Sunday would only bring sadness.

    “Sadly, we are coming up to five years in captivity for 112 of our Chibok Girls,” the BBOG said on its Whatsapp platform yesterday.

    “This is not a date we ever imagined we would come to.

    “However, should it come without their return, we intend to organize a few activities to ensure that the Chibok Girls are not forgotten.”

  • Buhari: It will take decades to repair Boko Haram damage

    President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday that it would take decades for Nigeria and Nigerians to repair the damage done to  the country by the terror sect, Boko Haram.

    Buhari told the World Economic Forum on Middle East and North Africa at Dead Sea, Jordan that although the insurgents have been significantly pushed back and no longer control any territory of the country, government has been left with a big task of rebuilding what has been destroyed.

    “The deaths, damages and destruction caused by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram over the last 10 years will take decades to repair,” he said.

    He urged world leaders to work towards narrowing gaps in social and economic opportunities for citizens as panacea to rising conflicts across the globe.

    He said: “we must ask ourselves how we, as a region, got to this point. The answer, at least in the case of Nigeria, is the lack of social and economic inclusion.

    “As Nigeria celebrated being the largest economy in Africa and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Nigerians were migrating in droves through harsh desert conditions and across treacherous seas to seek what they believe would be a better life in Europe.

    “I strongly believe that lack of social and economic inclusion was the root cause of many challenges we are experiencing.”

    Buhari said the changes taking place across the world in technology, population, migration, trade and geo-politics had been yielding both positive and negative results in different parts of the world.

    He called for more collaboration across borders to alter tides of frustrations that fuel conflict.

    “It is my view, that no region of the world has felt the full impact of these dramatic shifts and shocks like the Middle East and Africa–North and Sub-Sahara.

    “On one hand, our region is blessed with a very young, vibrant, enterprising and dynamic population. We also have valuable natural resources that are the envy of many nations.

    “These assets and endowments contributed to our region experiencing some of the highest economic growth rates in the world.

    “In this digital age where physical borders no longer exist to protect even the most secured nations, the only way to overcome predatory and divisionary forces is for all well-meaning nations to work together for the greater good of mankind.

    “Simply put, cooperation amongst sovereign nations is no longer a choice. It is an absolute necessity.”

    He told the gathering of leaders, entrepreneurs and economic experts that “Nigeria’s population is 190 million, and by 2050, it is estimated to hit 390 million, making it the third most populous country in the world.’’

    According to him, he spent the last four years tackling security issues in the country and implementing policies that make the economy more inclusive.

    Read also: Senate Presidency: Lawan steps up campaign in states

    “We are extremely grateful to the many countries that stood with Nigeria to confront this global scourge and in particular, the Kingdom of Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty, the King.

    “Furthermore, our economic diversification and social inclusion policies are also yielding positive results.

    “Our country has now returned to the path of growth. We are making gains in the ease of doing business indices,’’ he added.

    The President said the agriculture sector was driving government’s efforts to diversify the economy.

    He added that “in the spirit of “Building New Platforms of Cooperation’, we partnered with the Kingdom of Morocco to domesticate fertilizer production in Nigeria and revive over two million tons of abandoned fertilizer blending plant capacity.

    “The outcome is we created tens of thousands of jobs in agriculture, logistics, manufacturing and retail sectors.’’

  • NAF destroys bandits’ logistics Base in Zamfara

    The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says the Air Task Force (ATF) for Operation DIRAN MIKIYA has successfully destroyed a bandits’ logistics base at Ajia in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara.

    Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.

    He said the ATF also neutralised dozens of the bandits at Ajia and Wonaka in Birnin Magaji Local Government Area of Zamfara.

    Daramola explained that the operation was executed sequel to Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports indicating that the bandits were using a compound within Ajia as a logistics store to support their operations.

    “Consequently, the ATF dispatched a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Alpha Jet, supported by an Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform, to attack the compound scoring accurate strikes on the target and causing it to erupt into flames, which engulfed the structures and resulted in the neutralisation of some of the bandits,” he said.

    Read also: End killings, kidnapping in Zamfara now, protesters urge Buhari

    The spokesman said few survivors, seen fleeing the vicinity of the target area, were taken out in follow-on attacks while others, who managed to escape the area, were tracked to Wonaka and equally neutralised.

    “Independent HUMINT sources subsequently confirmed that more than 25  bandits were neutralised in the attacks on the two locations.

    “The NAF, working in close coordination with sister Services and other security agencies, will sustain its operations to neutralise the bandits and deny them freedom of action in the North West,” he said. (NAN)

  • Osinbajo attends 25th National commemoration of Rwandan genocide

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,, has departed Nigeria to join other world leaders and top dignitaries to participate as a Special Guest in the ceremonies marking 25th National Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi holding Sunday in Kigali, Rwanda.
    This was contained in a statement issued by 2.43am on Sunday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande.
    He said some of the activities lined up for the event include the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the Wreaths laying ceremony and Lighting of the Flame by the President of the Republic of Rwanda and Special Guests.
    Read also: Africa gathers for elearning in Rwanda

    “April 7, 1994, marked the beginning of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda perpetrated by the Hutu extremist-led government.

    “In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed 7 April the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.”

    The Vice President is expected back to Nigeria on Sunday.

  • FG building N’ Delta not defined by oil and gas – Osinbajo

    Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has revealed that the federal government is building a Niger Delta that will not just defined by oil and gas, but other human capital resources.

    Speaking through his Special Assistant, Mr. Edobor Iyamu, at the first matriculation ceremony of the Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Warri South-West council area of Delta state, Saturday, the VP noted that this is part of the development plan mapped out in the New Vision of the Niger Delta (NVND).

    Professor Osinbajo stressed that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is “serious” about the happenings in the oil-rich region, hence its embarking on several infrastructural development such as the flagship of the Ogoniland cleanup exercise in Rivers state, the construction of modular refineries, four of which are at varying levels of completion across the region, as well as the gas flare commercialization programme aimed at seeing to the end of gas flaring in the Niger Delta.

    Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA), Mr. Dakuku Peterside emphasized the need for more funds to facilitate infrastructural development for the school. He said: “Work is going on at the permanent site in Okerenkoko. In addition, we are going to hold a number of engagements with the office of the vice president. All of us must work collaboratively to support the success of NMU. Again we need to inject more funds if we want this university to stand and take off on a solid note.”

    Read also: Osinbajo, Oshiomhole, others for APC summit in Anambra

    Acting Governor of Delta state, Barr. Kingsley Otuaro while commending all stakeholders for ensuring the establishment of NMU, noted its fruition is a collective aspiration of the Gbaramatu kingdom and people of the Niger Delta. Vice Chancellor, Engr. Professor Maureen Etebu urged the students to strive for excellence.

    She recalled the efforts made by various entities, including the Vice president and the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, to ensure the establishment of the learning citadel.

  • SEYI OLOFINJANA: I’ll be honoured to manage Super Eagles

    Former Nigerian international midfielder, Seyi Olofinjana is steadily moving up the coaching and management ladder at English Premier League side, Wolverhampton Wanderers and he believes he’s acquiring so much knowledge that would be useful to manage the Super Eagles in the future, reports MORAKINYO ABODUNRIN.

    It’s indeed a season of introspection for Seyi Olofinjana, former Super Eagles’ midfield Trojan and one of the very few Nigerian footballers with sound academic background. In a career spanning a period of 11 years between 2000 and 2011,  Olofinjana had an impressive  56 international caps  under his belt but he surmised that his debut in an international friendly  against Malawi under the late coach Shaibu Amodu  would forever remain indelible in  his memory.

    “There were so many wonderful memories playing for the ever beautiful Super Eagles but none would be compared to that very first  time wearing the national jersey and singing the national anthem with millions watching,” Olofinjana , a storied product of the Nigeria University Games Association (NUGA) began in an exclusive interview with The Nation. “Amodu was a great coach and myconfidant and his management skills were second to none.

    “He gave not just myself but all new players the belief that that we were talented enough and have merited selection.”

    Though it  looked like yesterday when Olofinjana  made that  debut against the visiting Malawi at the Abacha Stadium in Kano, he remains nostalgic about  4th June 2000 which   is just  a year away from two decades.

    “4th June 2000, I was in the team led by Shaibu Amodu and Musa Abdullahi (both late); the feeling was and is still is indescribable. Just pure grace,” noted Olofinjana who would be 39 on 30th June.

    “I feel blessed to have donned the colours of my country 56times in a career that spanned a decade.

    “With almost 200million people with almost a quarter of not more capable of occupying that position, being favoured by God to be selected for that long is still a mystery.  I’d be forever grateful to God and people he used for such an important privilege.”

    Olofinjana has indeed had a seamless transition from being a player to administrator and this might not be unconnected with his educational background as recently hinted by erstwhile president of NUGA and former Vice- Chancellor of University of Benin, Prof. Osayuki Oshodin.

    “You must have certainly heard about a player called Seyi Olofinjana who played for the Super Eagles ; it was during my period as president of NUGA that he became a household name in Nigeria,” Oshodin, the professor of health education once  told The Nation. “Olofinjana was discovered in the team that I took to China to play when he was a student of LAUTECH; that was where the scouts saw him and he started playing for Nigeria.”

    It is not as easy as that though; but Olofinjana’s career is an ideal one for any aspiring footballer to follow as he perfectly combined education with his football career even at retirement.

    Apart from graduating with a degree in chemical engineering from the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH) in Ogbomoso, Olofinjana recently graduated from The Master of Sport Directorship (MSD) programme at the Manchester Metropolitan University as he continues to chart his road to the top.

    “I have been asked this (how easy was it to have combined academics at LAUTECH and playing for the Super Eagles) so many times and sometimes,I wonder how I did it as well,” explained Olofinjana that played for a number of European clubs including SK Brann in Norway; Wolverhampton Wanderers, Hull City, Stoke City, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday in England. “Obviously, God played a major part and contrary to the notion of many people that I had it all planned.

    “It was just a divine intervention possible for anyone willing to commit himself or herself and more importantly focus.  In was tough but the focus was always on the goal and preparations for life after football.”

    Since his retirement in 2015, Olofinjana has since been working at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Academy and was recently named as Loans Pathway Managerat the English Premier League side.

    “Transition from playing to management has come with its challenges – life style change, family balance, working hours and all sorts, but I must emphasise that education has played a major role in preparing me as well as dedication,” stated Olofinjana in his usual candour. “The Master’s degree is another step towards preparing for life after football and stressed my passion not just for coaching but administration hence the application for the loan and pathways manager’s role as it’s all encompassing.

    “Prior to my new role as the loans and pathway manager, I was the U23s coach and while I am still part of the coaching set up, I do less coaching for now.

    “How soon I can deploy this knowledge to the development of Nigerian football?  I’d say NOW!

    “Without a shadow of doubt, managing the Super Eagles or administering the game in Nigeria is part of my future dreams.

    “I would again be honoured to (manage the Super Eagles);after all, I have learnt and still learning and would be ready to help the nation realise its full potentials in whatever capacity.”

    Of course, Olofinjana can looked back at his career with satisfaction as widely reported, he began his career with local sides Crown of Ogbomoso  and Kwara United before moving to Europe with Norwegian side SK Brann.

    After two seasons at Brann he moved to English club Wolverhampton Wanderers and became a regular at Molineux right from the first season. His second season was curtailed by a back injury that also forced him to miss the 2006 African Cup of Nations (AFCON).

    However,in the 2006–07 seasons, he finished as the club’s top league goal scorer as they made the play-offs under Mick McCarthy. He netted Wolves’ opening goal of the following campaign in a 2–1 defeat to Watford but could not repeat his goalscoring level of the previous season, scoring only twice more. He missed part of the season as he competed in the 2008 AFCON in Ghana where Nigeria lost in the quarter-finals.

    “It is always a beautiful time together when the AFCON comes to town,” recalled Olofinjana who played along with the likes of Austin Jay Jay Okocha, Nwankwo Kanu, John Utaka, Obafemi Martins and a host of others.“Different egos, talents, individuals and weirdos come together and being compelled to work together for a period can be both fun and challenging.

    “How as a group we never won the Nations Cup is baffling with the talents we had in the squad .But as I’ve always said, Super Eagles’ problem isn’t about players but administration.

    “How well you’d go in a tournament isn’t determined just on the field but preparations put in place prior.

    “As a matter of fact, winning any tournament is always a by-product of good all round organisation.  A lot saw the talents and wondered why but what goes on behind the scenes was witnessed by very few.”

    Incredibly, Nigeria has only won the AFCON thrice following victory on home soil in 1980 with a team that included Captain Christian Chukwu, Mathematical Segun Odegbami, Adokiye Amiesimaka, goalkeeper Peter Okala and others.

    The country had to wait till 1994 to add a second title  in Tunisia  under  Dutch coach Clemens Westerhof-led  squad  that is  commonly referred to as the Golden Generation complete with late skipper Stephen  Keshi, late sensational striker Rashid Yekini, Emmanuel Amuneke, Daniel Amokachi, Sunday Oliseh among others .Again, there was a long period of interregnum until 2013 when late  skipper ‘Big Boss’ Stephen Keshi made history  as the second person in the history of the AFCON after Egyptian Hassan Shetata to have won the continent’s most sought-after  trophy both as a player and coach.

    This June, the Super Eagles return to the continent again in search of glory for the first time since their last success in South Africa and Olofinjana believes the current team being managed by German coach Gernot Rohr can go all the way in Egypt if some of the pitfalls of the past can be mitigated upon.

    “If some or all I’ve highlighted earlier can be looked into, the challenge for the talented boys would be to win the AFCON in Egypt having giving a good account of themselves  at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018,”affirmed Olofinjana.

     

     

  • Buhari: Banditry has made me world’s unhappiest leader

    President Muhammadu Buhari says the ordeals of victims of the recent cases of banditry in the country have turned him into one of the unhappiest leaders in the world.

    But he vowed to end the situation as security of lives and property remains a priority of his administration.

    He condoled with the victims of such criminal acts and pledged to do whatever it takes to ensure the country’s security system confronts these public enemies’ with merciless determination.

    “How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits?,” Buhari’s Senior Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu quoted  him as saying yesterday in a statement.

    He added:”I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatized and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits.

    “The politicisation of tragedy reveals the darkest sides of our primitive politics. Almost every week, I summon my security chiefs to get an update on the strategies being devised to defeat these mass murderers.

    “There is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security because, as an elected President, protecting the citizens of my country is one of the primary functions of my administration.

    “I constantly listen to our security personnel in order to understand their problems and needs, and I have never hesitated to attend to those needs in terms of motivating and equipping them to respond effectively to our security challenges.

    “It is therefore ridiculous to suggest that I am indifferent to these killings. I have ordered rapid and robust deployment of troops to all the areas currently under attack from bandits and we are determined to tackle this challenge ferociously until these remorseless killers are crushed and utterly defeated,” the President said.

    President Buhari asked communities where banditry is active to support and cooperate with the security agencies, particularly the recently launched Operation Puff Adder to battle bandits and kidnappers.

    The President said it was regrettable that bandits have informants within some communities and utterly reprehensible that certain communities have signed protection deals with bandits at the expense of other communities, thereby creating complications and frustrating government’s intervention

    He appealed to communities to report suspicious movements of the bandits into their areas within the shortest available opportunity, especially considering the fact that  intelligence is critical to detecting, frustrating, neutralising and defeating the criminals.

  • End killings, kidnapping in Zamfara now, protesters urge Buhari

    Abuja-based natives of  Zamfara State yesterday embarked on a peaceful protest to the Presidential Villa in the FCT, calling for an immediate end to the current wave of killings and kidnappings in the state.

    The protesters said state of insecurity has resulted in apprehension, displacements of communities and loss of lives.

    The convener of the protest, Miss Fatimah Mustapha said that their action was to call attention of government to the gruesome killings and cases of kidnappings going at home.

    According to her, perpetrators of these evil acts are getting bolder day by day with little action taken by the authorities to arrest the situation and stop the act.

    She alleged that the government of Zamfara was not doing anything to arrest the situation hence the protest in the nation’s capital, Abuja, the seat of government.

    Also, Ms Kadaria Ahmed, a journalist, who participated in the protest, urged the President to direct security personnel to rise to the situation.

    “We have the challenge of security situation all over the country, but that of Zamfara is clearly bad. We are tired of mass burial and that is why we are calling on PMB to intervene.

    “Nobody is talking of these killings now among our leaders, and this is apparently disgusting. This issue involves lives and people deserve to be safe wherever they live in this country,’’ she said.

    Mr Zaharuddeen Bello-Imam, a former Director General on Social Media to Gov. Abdullaziz Yari of Zamfara, said the Federal Government should take decisive action against the kidnappers and bandits operating in the state.

    According to him, there is need for total overhaul of the security apparatus of the state to control the situation before the killing and kidnapping get out of hand.

    Another protester, Mr Aliyu Dansado, said the killings and kidnapping had affected farming activities in the state, adding that he was unable to go to his farms for some time because of fear.

    “Government should rise up to action to end the killing and kidnapping, we have been paying ransom to kidnappers for the past five years now, people are killed on daily basis, government needs to do something now,’’ he said.

    The protesters marched from the Unity Fountain, Maitama Abuja to the Presidential Villa where they presented their letter for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Speaking to the protesters, Mr Usman Ibrahim, Special Assistant to the President on Security, promised to convey their message to the President.