The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has lost the Eagle Square, the proposed venue of its presidential primary to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News learned that the opposition party lost the venue to the ruling party with the help of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Muhammed Musa Bello.
It was gathered that Bello helped the APC to reserve the Eagle Square for its presidential primary scheduled to hold between May 30 and June 1.
According to the Guardian, the minister denied the PDP from holding its special convention/presidential primary at the Eagle Square. The opposition had slated its presidential primary for May 28 and 29.
Following the development, the opposition party has reportedly moved its event to the MKO Abiola Stadium on the outskirts of Abuja.
The PDP Convention Planning Committee, led by former Senate President David Mark, on Tuesday, visited the stadium to assess facilities at the proposed venue of the special convention.
Meanwhile, the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has hit back at the presidency over the accusation that the group is pushing for the break up of Nigeria.
NEF submitted that the presidency might be playing some mischief by accusing it of supporting calls for some tribes or regions to leave Nigeria.
The spokesman of NEF, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed said at no time did the forum release any statement calling for the break up of Nigeria as claimed by the presidency, adding that the forum is interested in the unity of Nigeria.
The position comes after the call out by the presidency in a statement on Tuesday by the senior special assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu who said NEF has no right to speak on behalf of Nigerians just because they have access to the media.
The Federal Government has accused the social media platform, Facebook of being responsible for the violence being perpetrated by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the South East.
The government said IPOB has been using Facebook to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in the country and the social media platform could not do anything to curtail the activities of the group.
Naija News reports that the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made this known at a meeting with a team from Facebook in Abuja on Tuesday
Mohammed said Facebook has no reason to allow its platform to be used by the outlawed group whose aim is to destabilise the country.
He said: “I have called this meeting to enable us to discuss the increasing use of Facebook by separatists and anarchists, especially those of them based outside the country, to instigate violence and ethnic hatred in Nigeria,” he said.
“For whatever reason, they seem to have now chosen Facebook as their platform of choice. And their tools include disinformation, incendiary statements and hate speech.
“They use Facebook broadcasts to reach their followers, who are in thousands. They tag those opposed to their violent ways as ‘saboteurs’ who must be attacked, maimed and killed. They use both English and their local language as it suits them.
“Our social media people have been monitoring these separatists, anarchists and purveyors of hate, and have been reporting their atrocious actions to Facebook, but all they get are default responses that their complaints have been received and are being looked into.
“Most often than not, nothing is done about such complaints. The truth is that whatever Facebook is doing to check these people is mere tokenism and is totally ineffective.”
The minister said the plan by the government to regulate social media is not an attempt to stifle the press or encroach on press freedom.
Mohammed said the Buhari administration is just advocating for the responsible use of social media.
He added: “Some have tagged our efforts as an attempt to stifle social media.
“They are wrong because we have no intention of preventing Nigerians from using social media responsibly. All we have been advocating is a responsible use of social media.”
The Lekki Adult Literacy Centre And Vocational Centre is set to launch its kick illiteracy out of Lagos state campaign in a way to empower and restore hope to Lagosians who are interested in learning in order to be valuable to their societies.
The movement, which is one of the Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) of the Redeemed Christian Church Of God (RCCG) LP 20 started in 2020 out of the need to bridge the gap between the elites and ordinary populace who are disadvantaged for lack of education.
According to the provincial pastor of Lagos Province 20, Pastor Tunde Natufo who is also a member of the board of trustees, the organization is to transform the lives of those around the catchment area of RCCG LP 20. He mentioned that Lekki Adult Literacy Centre is existing to allow the disadvantaged populace get knowledge which will in turn boost their confidence in relating with people.
‘’As we all know, education is a key to life and we know it provides confidence, knowledge which is power. Looking at all these, the mandate given to us by our father, Pastor EA Adeboye who has told us to give back to our immediate community. The need to give back cannot be overemphasized, what we render is the gospel and it is for the total transformation of man. You can’t be transformed and be on the same spot and when the idea came, we jumped at it and ever since then, it’s been a successful story.’’
‘’We had our first major event sometime last year and it brought the ministry of education in Lagos, education at this level is a collaboration, it’s a thing that one person can’t do. God has really helped us. There used to be very huge gap between the elites and their drivers, nannies, domestic staffers but today, we have been able to bridge that gap.’’
‘’This is just the beginning, we will try as much as possible to deepen knowledge and we are also trying to expand our reach. There is no way we will do what we are doing today that the value, economic capability of the beneficiaries will not improve. Education is a basic tool for social communication but when there is no education, it tells on the self-esteem.’’
‘’In the world today, the highest paid is the one that uses less energy, the lowest paid is the one that exerts more energy when it comes to the physical, the difference is knowledge and that’s what we have come to manage. Some of these people have knowledge too but education will fast track both the understanding and the passage to transfer that knowledge. That’s what we have been doing and by God’s grace, we will continue to do.’’
Also, Deacon Joe Mbulu, who is also a coordinator and a trustee stated that the movement discovered the influx of people into the Lekki area but it was difficult coping with the requirements for survival and end up becoming maids to the elites. As a body of Christ, RCCG picked up the responsibility of impacting knowledge into them.
He also explained that many of the illiteracy problems are foundational therefore, Lekki Adult Literacy And Vocational Centre took it upon itself to address the psychological issues too.
‘’As a body of Christ, our responsibility is not just to feed the soul, we are to also be light in the society and education is part of it. We have seen a lot of influx of people into the Lekki area but as people come, we see they can’t cope with the requirements of today’s world. Knowledge is power, it is important that we teach them how to write so they can relate with people because most can’t read simple things, they can’t even read job advertisements so they will end up being house girls, house boys, maids, etc. considering this, we started this movement in October 2020 with about 20 learners but as people came in, we quickly realize our vision had to go beyond teaching them how to read and write, we discovered that the problem is not just reading and writing, it’s foundation’’
‘’Some didn’t go to school because their parents didn’t have money to send them to school, some was gender discrimination, some lost their parents and with this circumstances, they were psychological challenges. Our vision was to repair faulty foundation because when we make people believe they can learn, when they believe there is a future for them, we can teach them anything.’’
‘’We have taught people not only how to read and write but to believe in themselves. One key element is what we call the morning charge. We bring people to encourage our learners, we have about 17 facilitators and people within, outside the church join us.We have spent time encouraging them, letting them know their past cannot determine their future and the joy of learning comes back. We see people happy learning ABC as simply as that. People come here with lost hope but within few weeks with us, they get joy in the learning process and that gives us so much joy.’’
‘’In the last one year, we have been able to build our structure like that of a corporate organization, we are not just selling reading and writing, we are restoring hope.’’
Furthermore, while speaking on the Kicking Illiteracy Out Of Lagos Campaign, Mrs Chika Idalah-Allison, the lead facilitator stated that it is to celebrate the second matriculation of learners and to call on the government to take the education of Nigerians very seriously especially at a time like this when most institutions are on strike.
She narrated briefly how the structure of the organization is and how the programme is run for the learners.
‘’Looking at our educational sector, most of our tertiary institutions have gone on strike. If we don’t look into things that will make our government be passionate about education, very soon only God knows what will be the hope of education for our young ones.’’
‘’ In our own structure here, we run every Saturday because our learners are drivers, market women, cooks, households, nannies, and all working at different households within Lekki phase one. They are always at work during the week and on Saturday at 11am, they all come to school to learn how to read and write.’’
‘’Beyond reading and writing, we are building an exceptional structure for them whereby they get the things they would get in formal settings. Sometime last year, we had to take our learners on excursion to UNILAG because we want them to be more visionary towards going further after learning how to read and write and be value oriented to their community, Lagos state and Nigeria.’’
‘’In addition to our structure, every month we celebrate our learners by celebrating their birthdays for them. We make them look forward to learning and these are adults who are so excited coming to school. Going forward, we also partnered with the Lagos state government.’’
‘’Our structure is like a win-win situation whereby when the bosses allow their domestic staffers learn to read and write, they get morally equipped in relating with their bosses and that’s why for our brand campaign this year, we are looking at Kick illiteracy out of Lagos state.’’
Rotimi Amaechi has resigned his position as minister of transportation.
The development was confirmed on Monday by an insider in the ministry.
According to the source, the minister resigned following the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari on appointees interested in contesting the 2023 elections.
The president had, on May 11, directed all appointees seeking elective offices to resign on or before May 16.
As of May 13, when Buhari held a valedictory session for ministers seeking elective offices, there was no development on if Amaechi had tendered his resignation.
Speaking after the valedictory session, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had told state house correspondents that 10 members of the federal executive council (FEC) had indicated their interest in contesting in the general election.
On if all the ministers had tendered their resignation at the time, Mohammed had said “some have and others are in the process of doing so”.
The information minister had also quoted the president as saying “the vacancies would be replaced very soon without delay”.
Amaechi joins the likes of Ogbonnaya Onu and Godswill Akpabio who have also resigned their positions as ministers to contest the presidency in the 2023 election.
Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba had, in April, resigned as minister of state for education to contest the presidency.
Meanwhile, Chris Ngige, minister of labour and employment, and Pauline Tallen, minister of women affairs, have withdrawn their resignation.
While Ngige has withdrawn from running for president, Tallen has stepped aside from representing Plateau south senatorial district in the national assembly.
An explosion has been reported in the Sabon Gari area of Kano State on Tuesday.
The incident although still sketchy has reportedly caused the death of an unspecified number of people in the area.
Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has described Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso as the biggest problem of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Naija News reports that since Kwankwaso joined the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) from the PDP, the party has gained popularity.
Speaking to Channels Television on Monday night, Orji Uzor Kalu stated that the too major political parties must be aware of the threat posed by the NNPP.
He stated that if any of the major parties zone its presidential ticket to the South, they should forget about producing Muhammadu Buhari’s successor.
Kalu said, “Let me tell you that whether in APC or PDP, the problem we have now is Kwankwaso. Our problem is not APC or PDP. Because Kwankwaso is already a presidential candidate we are in problem.
“We are forcing every party – that is what I saw – to pull out. Because of Kwankwaso if you give me the ticket from the South East, I will lose and it would not be good for us.
“Kwankwaso left PDP and went to NNPP and if PDP or APC zone its presidential ticket to a candidate in the southern Nigeria, then Kwankwaso is a president in waiting. I can assure you that knowing the mentality on the ground, unless we are telling ourselves lies.
“I cannot lie to myself; I’m a student of realism. So Kwankwaso is the problem because if PDP goes to North and the APC goes to south it’s as well telling myself to pack my luggage and go. I’ll not have a job in the National Assembly or the federal government of Nigeria. That’s the truth. Whether you want to believe it or not, Kwankwaso has changed the dynamics.”
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have reportedly quizzed the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.
Naija News learned that the AGF was arrested on Monday over the diversion of funds and money laundering to the tune of N80 billion.
In a statement on Monday signed by its spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, the EFCC said Idris was arrested after failing to honour its several invitations.
The anti-graft agency accused the AGF of laundering the funds through real estate investments in Kano and Abuja.
According to the commission, Idris raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.
“The Commission’s verified intelligence showed that the AGF raked off the funds through bogus consultancies and other illegal activities using proxies, family members and close associates.
“Mr. Idris was arrested after failing to honour invitations by the EFCC to respond to issues connected to the fraudulent acts,” the statement read in part.
The death has been reported by an All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Bauchi State.
The deceased who was the chairman of Bauchi Local Government Area, Husseini Musa Gwabba, was found lifeless in a hotel room in the state capital, Naija News learnt.
The cause of his death is yet to be determined but the state police command has ordered an autopsy.
Gwabba according to SaharaReporters, was found lifeless in a hotel room Saturday morning in Bauchi, the state capital.
The politician was said to have received a series of death threats from some persons suspected to be high-ranking members of the party who saw his emergence to the position as a threat to their survival in the party
Confirming the incident, the spokesperson for the police in the state, SP Ahmed Mohammed Wakil, said a thorough autopsy will be conducted on the remains of the politician to ascertain the cause of his death.
“The result of the autopsy as being awaited will be made public, please.
“Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the death of Gwabba and are being interrogated by the police,” Wakil said.
Meanwhile, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has lost his Senior Special Assistant on Political Matters, Hon Tony Otokhine, in a fatal motor accident.
The sad development was confirmed in a Facebook post on Sunday evening by Governor Okowa’s Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Ossai Ovie Success, Naija News understands.
The government official disclosed with regret that Otokhine died in a ghastly crash while returning to Asaba after attending the traditional wedding of Nigeria Bar Association President, Olumide Akpata, on Saturday, May 14, in Benin City.
Success recalled their last conversation at the wedding event. He described the deceased as a humble and nice person to be with.
Former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun has declared that he is not in the presidential race to align with Chief Bola Tinubu or any other aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The former governor also said he did not obtain the APC senatorial form, neither did he attend the screening exercise organised for APC senatorial aspirants, as being peddled by some individuals.
TRIXX NG recalls that some media houses over the weekend reported that there were rumours that Amosun had agreed to step down for Tinubu, having been screened and cleared for the Ogun Central senatorial race.
But, in a swift reaction, Amosun debunked the rumour spreading on social media, saying the “two news stories are false.”
According to a statement signed by his media aide, Bola Adeyemi, he said that the Ogun Central Senator “procured only the forms for the presidential ticket of the APC and did not attend the screening exercise for Senatorial aspirants because he is not one.”
While urging Nigerians to dismiss the “false news”, Adeyemi maintained that “Amosun is in the race for the presidential ticket of the APC and has no plans to align with any politician in the race.”
