Pictorial: Kano Agog As Atiku, Jonathan, Ooni of Ife, others Storm Yusuf Buhari’s wedding
The wedding Fatiha of Yusuf Buhari, the son of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and Zahra Bayero, the daughter of Nasiru Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi took place in Kano State today.
The ceremony was attended by President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Other dignitaries in attendance include former president, Goodluck Jonathan; former vice president, Atiku Abubakar; former Niger president, Mahamadiu Isoufou; Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje; Ekiti State governor, Kayode Fayemi; Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, amongst others.
BREAKING: Five killed as gunmen ambush farmers in Modakeke
Gunmen on Friday morning ambushed and allegedly killed five farmers who were on their way to the farm at Modakeke town in Osun State.
It was gathered the incident happened around 7 am when the farmers were heading to their farms along Toro road in Modakeke.
The incident caused tension in the community as residents and policemen visited the scene to evacuate the corpses of the farmers.
Osun police spokesperson SP Yemisi Opalola said according to The Nation: “I heard some people were killed and the Commissioner of Police, Mr Olawale Olokode has deployed more of our men to the scene.
“Our men are doing everything possible to restore peace in the area.”
Gory videos of dead persons from the attack was sighted.
The attack happened on “Isese Day” 2021, as the Osun government declared Friday a public holiday to mark the festival. The festival is celebrated by Yoruba traditionalists globally. They call it ‘World Isese Day’.
Atiku Faults Buhari govt, Describes it As monumental failure
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has faulted the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for not making concerted efforts at nation building.
According to him, the administration had not been able to fix the country and made it work.
Atiku who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at a public presentation of a book titled, “Remaking Nigeria: Sixty Years, Sixty Voices” edited by Chido Onumah, condemned the increasing insecurity and banditry in the country.
Insisting that Nigeria must be restructured to ensure accelerated development, the former presidential candidate said fixing Nigeria “would prevent the country from sleep-walking into disaster.”
Atiku said the government was making what he described as “utterly confusing and unproductive” efforts at economic development, adding that it was unfortunate that calls for restructuring have not been heeded by the government.
“When people see their leaders making those efforts genuinely, and experience improvements in their lives, they are likely to follow. Over the past six years, the leadership of this country at the federal level has failed and has hardly embarked on nation-building.
“They may have been making utterly confusing and unproductive efforts at economic development. However, it can be rightly argued that they have been un-building the nation by taking conscious and deliberate actions that not only make nation-building more difficult but also undo the achievements made in that regard by previous administrations.
“As we all know there were deliberate attempts made since the 1960s to forge a nation out of Nigeria: states creation, federal character, the NYSC, power rotation, unity schools, and multiple federal agencies.
“However imperfect, these were genuine attempts at giving each segment of the country a sense of belonging and a semblance of justice and equity and promote interactions among our peoples.
“All it has taken is one administration in six short years to tear up the fabric of that unity and make more Nigerians lose faith in Nigeria and question the rationale for having one united country.
“One lesson there for all of us is the need to always be vigilant and be prepared to defend our democracy, for it is through the democratic process that we can more easily promote the unity of our country.
“I strongly believe that Nigeria can and will remain one strong and united nation with significant strides in economic development to improve the lives of our peoples. However, we must not take it for granted,” Atiku said.
Battle Against Insurgency: Buhari threatens to replace security chiefs
President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his readiness to change the security architecture in Nigeria.
Buhari said he would continue to change the security architecture until he is satisfied with the outcome of his actions.
The President, who spoke at the National Security Council (NSC) meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, said the intended move is aimed at wiping out insecurity from Nigeria.
Buhari’s resolution was disclosed by the National Security Adviser, NSA, Babangana Monguno, in a chat with State House Correspondents after the meeting.
Munguno said the President was determined to win the battle against insurgency.
He said: “So, the president was briefed, the president is quite happy that there’s been tremendous success, especially with the advent of the new service chiefs and Inspector General of Police.
“He has made changes and he is ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied.
Kebbi abduction: Sen. Abdullahi blames poor security architecture in Nigeria
“He is completely determined to ensure that there’s a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations.”
Glamour As Buhari’s Son Ties The Knot With Kano Princess Today
All roads today lead to Bichi town, the seat of Bichi Emirate in Kano State as Yusuf Buhari, the only son of President Muhammadu Buhari, ties the knot with Zahra, the daughter of Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi.
The wedding, which has been the talk of the town and subject of talks and controversies on the social media for months, has been tagged the merger of presidency and royalty.
The president, who just returned from work and medical trip abroad, is expected to grace the occasion, according to the planning committee raised by the Bichi Emirate.
As such, heavy security is being expected to be deployed from Kano City, from the nation’s commercial centre, to Bichi town – a distance of about 30km – for the wedding Fatiha which will be held at the Bichi Central Mosque by 1:30pm.
In June, no fewer than seven governors visited the Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero, the elder brother of Zahra’s father, to formalise plans for the wedding.
Following the visit, the Bichi Emirate Council set up a 145-man committee to plan both the wedding and the formal coronation ceremony of the emir, the bride’s father, scheduled for Saturday.
While Yusuf needed little or no introduction, little was known of Zahra until the news of her engagement to Nigeria’s ‘first son’ broke.
The 20-year-old bride is a final year student of Architecture in a university in the United Kingdom, where she and Yusuf were said to have met. She is the second daughter of Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero, the Emir of Bichi.
Zahra’s mother, Farida Imam, is the daughter of a famous Kano educationist, Mal Abubakar Imam (Imamu Galadanci), a former Executive Director at Afribank Plc. Her aunty (Farida’s biological sister) is married to the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.
In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust as part of the preparation for the twin event, the Emir of Bichi spoke on how painful it is for him to give away any of his children in marriage because of how close he is with them.
Zahra’s elder sister was married off earlier in the year, he said.
“I’m very close to my children, so sending away Zahra is also an issue for me, but we thank God.
“She’s a young girl, only 20; and she’s in her final year in the university studying architecture.
“I would have loved for Zahra to stay and finish her school and live with me a little longer, but we cannot change what God has ordained, we can only pray and wish them a successful married life,” he said.
The business tycoon turned monarch, who seats as chairman of the Board of 9mobile as well as several other companies, said he took solace from the Hadiths, especially the part where Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, ‘When you successfully raise three daughters and marry them off, Allah will give you a place in paradise’.
“This is my prayer and hope that through them God will give me Aljannah,” he said.
Controversy generated over bride’s pictures
As with events of its nature, the days before the wedding have not been without some issues about it dominating social media.
Daily Trust reports that pictures of the bridal shower of Zahra a few weeks ago had got many talking on social media platforms, with critics describing the outing as another double standard in the way Hisbah, the Islamic police in force in Kano and other Northern states, treats issues when it involves high profile personalities and the masses.
While some berated the emir’s daughter for ‘wearing a bare-chest gown and not covering her head as expected of a Muslim lady”, others complimented her beauty and prayed for a successful wedding.
But the couple’s pre-wedding pictures had shut the mouth of even the harshest of their critics, as social commentators noted.
The concept behind the pre-wedding pictures was a blend of the rich Hausa culture with its royalty as the groom is not just the son of the country’s president but a high ranking titleholder in his home town of Daura in Katsina State.
He was recently turbaned as Talban Daura by the Emir of Daura and his bride is a daughter of a first-class Emir in Kano State, who is also a consummate business magnate.
Ceremony a torch of hope?
Speaking on the preparation for the twin event, Emir Nasir Ado Bayero told Daily Trust that everyone had been in a celebratory and preparatory mood for a while because there were lots of things to be done.
“We are on top of it I believe with the help of everybody… So, I think we would and I pray we would succeed,” he said.
In an era known for its digression from the culture of modesty to ostentatious display of opulence during ceremonies like weddings and funerals, the emir said his daughter’s wedding to the president’s son (and his own coronation ceremony) is not just about the celebration itself.
“It is about the progression, the hope we put in people; the ability to drive them and change their lives and make them happy to the best of our ability.
“So, celebration to me, I wish I can fast-track it and get on with what I have to do,” he said.
See What President Buhari Discussed With Security Chiefs In Aso Rock
President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday met with the various heads of Nigeria’s security agencies over rising cases of banditry and kidnappings.
Society gazette reports that the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Babagana Monguno (rtd) stated that Buhari vowed not to exit the government as a failure in 2023.
He disclosed that security chiefs briefed the president on the success recorded so far against insecurity.
“He’s (Buhari) made changes and he’s ready to make further changes if he is not satisfied. He is completely determined to ensure that there’s a turnaround in the fortunes in the theatre of operations,” Monguno said.
He stated that a lot has happened in Nigerian in relation to security since the last National Security Council meeting held on June 8.
According to the NSA, the security chiefs briefed President Buhari on the current security situation in the country.
The former military general stated that many successes have been recorded in the theatre of operations.
“Large numbers of people are surrendering in the North East as a consequence of the relentless efforts of the Armed Forces, intelligence and security agencies.”
“We’ve never had such large numbers of people defecting from the other side back to the Nigerian side, mainly as a result of many issues within the theatre, issues of infighting among the various factions of the terrorist groups,” he added
Yoruba Nation: Igboho Wins Big As Court orders Malami to Pay Him N50,000
A high Court sitting in Ibadan, Oyo state has awarded the sum of N50,000 against the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, Abubakar Malami.
The court also extended an order restraining the Department of State Security Services, DSS from arresting Yoruba nation activist, Sunday Igboho.
Justice Ladiran Akintola issued the order against the AGF at a resumed hearing on Wednesday.The AGF, who was represented in court on Wednesday by his counsel, Abdullahi Abubakar, prayed the court to vacate the restraining order.
Igboho’s lawyers had asked for a cost of N250,000 to be awarded against Malami for filing his response to the suit late but the court awarded only N50,000.
Malami, through his lawyers also prayed the court to dismiss the case filed by Igboho before the court altogether because the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.
They argued that Igboho’s claims of unlawful killing, the tort of trespass, assault, and battery could not be brought under Fundamental Right (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009.
Justice Akintola adjourned the ruling on Malami’s application to August 30.
JUST IN: Twitter deletes Simon Ekpa’s Tweet threatening Joe Igbokwe with Death
Social Media giant, Twitter has deleted a tweet by a self-acclaimed disciple of Nnamdi Kanu and ranking member of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Simon Ekpa.
On Wednesday, Ekpa made headlines after he tweeted that Lagos APC chieftain, Joe Igbokwe should get ready to die.
“Joe Igbokwe get ready to die because Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
“Tongue is powerful, his friends and families should take note and don’t accuse innocent people when nature takes its stand. He should’ve done spiritual consultation first.”
Igbokwe, who is an aide to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is known for opposing the position of IPOB and Kanu.
The micro-blogging platform deleted the tweet for violating its rules.
Obasanjo Reveals A ‘deadly sickness’ he has battled for Over 35 years
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed a sickness that he has been battling with for the past 35 years.
On Wednesday, the Former leader disclosed that he has been battling Diabetes for several years.
He made this revelation during the closing ceremony of the Ogun State Diabetes Youth Development Camp, held in Abeokuta, Ogun state.
Obasanjo advised the attendees to manage the ailment well by maintaining good healthy lifestyle, insisting that diabetes is not a killer disease.
“I have been diagnosed of diabetes for more than 35 years now and here I am, I’m still going about, I’m still jumping up and down, I’m still doing many things many people of my age cannot do.”
“Since I was diagnosed of diabetes, a number of my friends have died and the reason is because they just did not manage their diabetes the way they should manage it.”
“It does not matter whether you are type one or type two, so far there is no cure for diabetes, maybe there will be cure before I die, but I pray that there will be cure before you die.”
“You have to understand the type of food you should eat, you must completely abstain from sugar. The amount of carbohydrates that you take must be watched.”
“Don’t miss your drugs, in your own case, your insulin injection, I take my drugs along with me everywhere I go and I always check my blood sugar level regularly.”
BREAKING: Lai Mohammed denies meeting Twitter Executives in US
Nigeria’s minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has denied meeting Twitter Executives in the United States in order to settle differences with regard to the social media giant’s suspension in the country.
It can be recalled that the Nigerian Government suspended Twitter’s operations in Nigeria some months ago after a tweet citing genocidal violence was removed from President Buhari’s account on the platform.
Speaking on the rumoured meeting, Mohammed revealed that he was in the U.S. to meet with international media organisations and think tanks on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“Can a minister sneak out of Nigeria without people knowing?”
“When you say I sneaked out of Nigeria, are you saying I went to board at a terminal where nobody is or I travel to the Republic of Benin to fly out of the country?”
“I was at an international airport, where I presented myself openly and I was checked in at the counter like every other traveller of the airline. I boarded and passed through the checks by the Immigration Service and Customs.”
“How can you come and say I sneaked out of the country?’’.
He said he had no mission with Twitter on his trip.
“You and I have been here, have I met with any Twitter official?”, he asked.
