Oluwasegun Adesuyi, Author at SocietyGazette.com

112 Students Withdraw From FUT Minna Due To Financial Struggles – Dep VC

Amid the deteriorating state of Nigeria’s economy, a total of 112 students have voluntarily withdrawn from the Federal University of Technology, Minna on financial grounds in 2021 alone, the institution’s management has said.

The University’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor and chairman, Students Support Committee, Professor Emeka Udensi, disclosed this on Monday during the launch of a students’ benevolence fund as part of efforts to cushion the worsening economic situation of students from low income families.

The Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Abdullahi Bala, who formally launched the fund during the 2nd and 3rd Annual Institutional Performance Review Retreat of the university at its main campus in Gidan Kwano, said the provision of the fund became necessary to ameliorate the plight of students whose “lofty aspirations are threatened daily by their financial constraints.

“Let it not be said that the future of a promising student is killed while we all could do something little and little together to help,” he said.

“We have seen a very worrying trend of a large number of students having to defer their sessions, having to drop out as a result of financial difficulties,

“And we feel that as parents we also have to stand up and be counted in making sure that dreams, aspirations and potentials of our youths are not killed as a result of financial difficulties,” he added.

“We believe that as a university, whatever we can do to stop this kind of withdrawal we should be able to do it, and that’s why we are creating the benevolence fund,” said Bala.

Reacting, the president of the institution’s student union, Shuaib Isiaka Yahaya, described the initiative as unprecedented while appreciating the management for prioritizing the welfare of students.

He assured of the continued support of the students’ union in the policy direction of the university.

APC Sacks Mai Mala Buni, Names New Caretaker Committee Chairman

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has run into fresh murky waters as a faction sacks Mai Mala Buni.

The faction has also attacked President Buhari over his supervision of the party.

Buni, Yobe State Governor, is Chairman, APC Caretaker/Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

On Monday, a unit within the party, Progressive Youth Movement, announced his replacement.

They named Mustapha Audu as National Caretaker Committee Chairman with immediate effect.

Audu said a National Reconciliation Committee will be formed to reconcile aggrieved members before the February 26, 2021 convention.

He further announced a zoning formula for Positions in the new National Working Committee (NWC).

In a reaction, John Akpan Udoedehe, APC National Secretary dismissed the “felonious activities of the purported group”.

The scribe’s statement said they are unknown to the party, its structure or as a registered support group and therefore non-existent.

“However laughable, the criminal attempt of the purported group to usurp the leadership of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC now bothers on treasonable felony.

“Relevant security bodies must now check and address their unscrupulous activities. The attention the purported group seeks will not be given to them by the party.

“We can only advise that the general public completely disregard them. They are not registered members of the APC and are being used by opposition elements and fifth columnists to cause confusion.

“As widely reported, the successful meeting between the APC leadership, Progressive Governors’ Forum and the President produced February 2022 as the timeframe for the National Convention”, Udoedehe noted.

DAILY POST confirmed that the APC National Secretariat has been under heavy security in recent weeks after intelligence of a planned forceful takeover.

BREAKING: Twitter’s Jack Dorsey ‘Emotional’ As He Resigns After 16yrs As CEO

In a tweet on Tuesday, Dorsey said he was leaving after 16 years of co-founding the company and occupying the positions of CEO, chairman, executive chairman and interim-CEO.

The 45-year-old billionaire said he had come to realize that it was “severely limiting” for a company to continue to be founder-led, describing it as “a single point of failure.”

While noting that his primary wish was for Twitter Inc to be “the most transparent company in the world,” Dorsey gave the following as the 3 main reasons he was stepping down as the company’s CEO.

“The first is Parag becoming our CEO. The board ran a rigorous process considering all options and unanimously appointed Parag. He’s been my choice for some time given how deeply he understands the company and its needs. Parag has been behind every critical decision that helped turn this company around. He’s curious, probing, rational, creative, demanding, self-aware, and humble. He leads with heart and soul, and is someone I learn from daily. My trust in him as our CEO is bone deep.

“The second is Bret Taylor agreeing to become our board chair. I asked Bret to join our board when I became CEO, and he’s been excellent in every way. He understands entrepreneurship, taking risks, companies at massive scale, technology, product, and he’s an engineer. All of the things the board and the company deserve right now. Having Bret in this leadership role gives me a lot of confidence in the strength of our board going forward. You have no idea how happy this makes me!

“The third is all of you. We have a lot of ambition and potential on this team. Consider this: Parag start. here as an engineer who cared deeply about our work and now he’s our CEO (I also had a similar path…he did it better!). This alone makes me proud. I know that Parag will be able to channel this energy best because he’s lived it and knows what it takes. All of you have the potential to change the course of this company for the better. I believe this with all my heart!”

He added that, “Parag is CEO starting today. I’m going to serve on the board through my term (May-ish) to help Parag and Bret with the transition. And after that…I’ll leave the board. Why not stay or become chair? I believe it’s really important to give Parag the space he needs to lead. And back to my previous point, I believe it’s critical a company can stand on its own, free of its founder’s influence. or direction.

“I want you all to know that this was my decision and I own it. It was a tough one for me, of course. I love this service and company…and all of you so much. I’m really sad…yet really happy. There aren’t many companies that get to this level. And there aren’t many founders that choose their company over their own ego. I know we’ll prove this was the right move.

“We’ll have an all-hands meeting tomorrow at 9:05 AM Pacific to discuss it all. Until then, thank you all for the trust you’ve placed in me, and for the openness to build that trust in Parag and yourselves. I love you all.”

JUST IN: Orji Kalu visits Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody, reveals discussion

The Chief Whip of the Senate and former Governor of Abia State, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, on Monday visited the embattled leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu.

Kanu is in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), facing terrorism-related charges before Justice Binta Nyako of a Federal High Court in Abuja.

Kalu said he encouraged Kanu to consider the consequences of certain actions and utterances “for the sake of Igbo people”.

He pointed out that his ideology and Kanu’s “are totally different”.

“This afternoon, I visited my brother, Maazi Nnamdi Kanu in DSS custody, Abuja. I met him in good health and care and we discussed as ‘Umunne’. In 2001 when I was Governor, I made his father Eze Israel Okwu Kanu traditional ruler of Akwara Ukwu and since then the family has been very close to me .

“I understand that Nnamdi has an insane amount of people rooting for his back home and I encouraged him to consider the consequences of certain actions and utterances for the sake of the same people.

“Even though, my ideology and his ideology are totally different, God has made us brothers and we can’t run away from each other. I owe him and Nigerians good counseling…Whether he and his family listens to me or not, I will continue counseling him as I have always done in the past. What we need most is a peaceful and secured society,” Kalu said via his verified Facebook page.

Hajj-Bound Businesswoman Excretes 80 Pellets Of Cocaine At Abuja Airport

National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has arrested a businesswoman, Mrs Olayinka Adisa, a Saudi Arabia-bound passenger who ingested 80 pellets of cocaine.

She was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, while ostensibly on her way to perform Umrah (Lesser Hajj).

NDLEA spokesman, Mr Femi Babafemi, stated on Monday in Abuja that Adisa, 46, lives in Ibafo, Ogun State and hails from Ilorin.

“She was arrested on Wednesday, Nov. 24 at the boarding screening area of the airport during an outward clearance of Qatar Airways flight 1418.

“She was subsequently taken into custody where she excreted 80 pellets of the illicit drug between Wednesday and Saturday.

“She claimed during interrogation that she saved N2.5million over a period of one year to buy the drugs in bits from six different people at Akala, Mushin area of Lagos,’’ the statement said

Babafemi added that the suspect said she was trading in clothes but had to borrow N1 million from three persons to make up the money used to buy the drugs.

My Mother’s Eye Problem Pushed Me Into Drug Trafficking, Says Man Arrested With N2.7bn Cocaine

“She spent another N1 million to renew her passport, obtain visa and buy return flight tickets.

“She said she was encouraged to traffic the drugs by a woman she met during her last Umrah trip to Saudi Arabia in 2019.

“She said she needed to raise N7 million for In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment due to pressure from people because she’s been married for 28 years without a child due to fertility challenges,’’ Babafemi added.

Meanwhile, another trafficker, Inusa Abdulrazaki, was arrested with 101 wraps of heroin weighing 1.3 kilograms on Friday, November 19.

Abdulrazaki was arrested at the Departure Hall of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on his way to Italy via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines.

“The drugs were concealed inside cassava flour popularly called `Gari’.

“On Nov. 20, NDLEA operatives at the airport intercepted an abandoned consignment of khat 17.90kg,’’ Babafemi also stated.

We Gave Twitter ‘A Lot Of Conditions’ To Fulfil Before Ban Is Lifted – Keyamo

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, said the Federal Government gave Twitter “a lot of conditions” to meet before the ban placed on is microblogging app in Nigeria is lifted.

According Keyamo, the company agreed to fulfill all the conditions to have the suspension lifted.

The minister disclosed this while featuring on Channels TV’s ‘Sunday Politics Today’ on Sunday.

Keyamo, who is a member of the committee set up to engage Twitter over its suspension, said the company “agreed to all the conditions” levied against it.

“The reason why the president took that step is to recalibrate our relationship with Twitter and not to drive them away from our country.

“That recalibration, we have started it and the president graciously added me to the committee,” he said.

He said the committee then came up with conditions for the tech giant to fulfill, and that it was Twitter who first reached out to the government to find out what they could do to have the suspension lifted.

“We also set up a technical committee to interface with Twitter and come up with a lot of conditions for them to fulfil for us to lift the suspension.

“It was Twitter that reached out to the federal government to say they want to know what and what they can do to straighten up the relationship with the federal government and so, we have gone far but I may not, at this forum, let out a lot but we gave them a lot of conditions and they have agreed to all the conditions,” he said.

The social media giant was banned in Nigeria in June after a tweet made by President Buhari was removed from the platform for going against its rules.

The government, however, maintained that the ban was not because the president’s tweet was deleted.

Foluke Daramola-Salako denies being paid to endorse Tinubu

Nollywood actress Foluke Daramola-Salako has responded to the criticisms projected towards her and her colleague for singing Tinubu’s praise in a viral video in which they chant “Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.”

It was reported that the video offended many Nigerians who accused her of endorsing Tinubu. Foluke said, however, she did not receive any money, claiming, instead, that they were preaching peace.

She insisted that the video had nothing to do with politics nor her singing was intended to endorse Tinubu’s candidacy for the general election in 2023.

The 43-year-old actress said that despite her being a card-carrying member of the APC, she had not endorsed anyone at that time.

“I need to set the record straight, I never endorse anyone, please don’t get things twisted,” she said in a video uploaded to Instagram.

“What we went to do yesterday had nothing to do with politics, we are in a group advocating for peace and unity in Nigeria.

“Although I’m a card-carrying member of APC, we did not go in the capacity of endorsing Asiwaju Tinubu for President and it was not a Nollywood thing.

“I was not paid in any way for this, it was meant to be a unity and peace campaign nothing more.

“Don’t let us get it twisted, it does not have anything to do with politics or Nollywood, let’s be guided!”

Daramola-Salako is most notable for being nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2013 at the Africa Movie Academy Award.

BREAKING: Evans’ co-defendant Chiemeka Arinze, dies in prison

Chiemeka Arinze, a co-defendant with alleged billionaire kidnap kingpin, Chukwudi Dumee Onuamadike, popularly known as Evans, has died in Kirikiri Medium Correctional Centre.

Evans is standing trial alongside, Joseph Emeka, Arinze and Udeme Upong, over the attempted kidnap of Chief Vincent Obianodo, the Chairman of the Young Shall Grow Motors, before Justice Oluwatoyin Taiwo of an Ikeja Special Offences Court in Lagos.

They are facing a seven-count charge of murder, attempted murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, attempt to kidnap and sale and transfer of firearms.

According to POLITICS NIGERIA, Arinze died last Friday.

Nigerian Correctional Service Explains How Heavily Armed Men Attacked Jos Prison

The Nigerian Correctional Service has confirmed a jailbreak at its facility in Jos, Plateau State, by suspected terrorists.

The Service in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Francis Enobore, revealed that the armed group invaded the Medium Security Custodial Centre at about 5:20 pm on Sunday.

THE WHISTLER had reported that the correctional facility located on Joseph Gomwalk road, Jos, is about 5.6km away from the Plateau police headquarters.

Enobore said the assailants “stormed the facility in large numbers with sophisticated weapons and immediately made for the main gate where they engaged the armed squad personnel in a gun battle before breaking into the yard.

“Although they gained entrance to the yard, they are however trapped within as men from sister security services were immediately mobilised to assist the armed guards to cordon the perimeter wall and the entire area”.

“Reinforcement from the response squad of the Service has also been mobilised to the center.

“The situation is presently under control as the attackers firing power is being subdued by superior fire from a combined team of security agencies. Update will be made available as event unfolds.

Panic as petrol-laden tanker explodes in Lafenwa, Abeokuta

A tanker, loaded with Premium Motor Spirit (PMS or petrol) on Sunday morning exploded around Oju Irin in Lafenwa area of Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Mr Babatunde Akinbiyi, the Spokesperson, Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Corps (TRACE), confirmed the incident to newsmen, saying the tanker was engulfed in fire due to the uncooperative attitude of people around the axis who were scooping fuel and other unwholesome act which sparked the fire.

The TRACE spokesman explained that the tanker, due to an axle problem overturned around 4 :45 am while making its way inbound Rounder from Oju-Irin, Lafenwa, spilling its content on the road.

He advised the general public to vacate the vicinity, saying that TRACE, police, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Fire Service were all on ground to put the situation under control.

“Moreover, the motoring public going inward Rounder axis from Lafenwa, should use Olomore and Oke-Ata axis respectively as alternative routes, since traffic has been diverted away from the area of incident,” he said.

Akinbiyi stated that further information would be provided to the media as soon as possible.

Mr Ahmed Umar, the FRSC Sector Commander in the state, also confirmed the incident, saying that officers of the command are around to control traffic.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) gathered that some shops in the axis were affected by the fire. (NAN)