The hoodlums stormed the school premises with weapons and descended on the teachers, inflicting varying degrees of injury on them.
There was palpable tension as thugs were allegedly hired by students of Community High School, Ijoun, in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, on Monday, to attack and send their teachers away from the school.
The incident occurred barely one week after some students of Unity High School, Kajola, Ibooro, in the same local government also reportedly hired thugs to beat up their teachers.
A source, who did not want his name in print, said that the hoodlums stormed the school premises with weapons and descended on the teachers, inflicting varying degrees of injury on them.
The source said the attackers invaded the school at about 10.45am on Monday and freely used weapons such as machetes and axes on Messers Stephen Oyelekan and Kayode Olatunji, before fleeing.
The matter was said to have been reported at the Eegua Police Station while the victims had been taken to hospital for treatment.
Also, the principals of Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, Mr. Sowunmi and Kayode Amusa respectively, were said to have informed the Adele of Ijoun Community, Chief Olaleye Emmanuel, and the head of the Amotekun in the community.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police, said although he had heard about the incident, he had not been formally briefed.
Former Kwara State governor and president of the 8th Senate, Bukola Saraki, has revealed the lessons he learnt from a political movement that swept his proteges out of power and threatened his political prestige in the state.
‘Otoge’, which translates to “enough is enough”, was used by the then opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to campaign against decades of domination of Kwara politics by Saraki’s family during the 2019 governorship election.
Prior to that election, loyalists of Saraki had won most elective offices in the state.
The former senate president appeared on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Tuesday, where he gave his view on why the political movement was successful and the alleged reasons why the people of Kwara fell for it.
Saraki said the Otoge movement taught him that “elections have to do sometimes with sentiments or propaganda.”
He said, “if you come to Kwara today and talk to people, you’ll find that a lot of them will tell you that ‘we were sold lies and propaganda…we have made certain mistakes in following up the issues’ and that at the end of the day, they were better of then than now.”
Saraki’s prior domination of Kwara politics could be traced to his late father, Olusola Saraki, who had transferred the baton of leadership to his son.
The younger Saraki and his siblings had at some point held different elective positions at the same time.
The ‘Otoge’ movement was seen as Kwara people’s way of protesting against the political hegemony of the Saraki family by voting massively against its loyalists during the 2019 general elections.
But Bukola Saraki argued that the Kwara APC deceived the people of the state by using propaganda to grab power.
“So, one of the things you also learn in politics is that you must also accept that sometimes the electorates will go. The electorates are always right, they will go with their emotions at times and later the electorates too can come back and say “I think we got it wrong here”.
“Because at the end of the day in Kwara, there was no substance. It was raw propaganda and that’s what they are saying.
“Since we lost the election, I immediately congratulated the other party and I told my supporters to give them support.
“Our gubernatorial candidate who wanted to (challenge the outcome), went to the elections tribunal and wanted to go the Supreme Court [but] we called him and said ‘look, let’s cooperate, don’t go beyond election tribunal” and now it is the party themselves and the people that are saying ‘we made a mistake here’. So, what is learnt from that is that the electorates sometimes, maybe after there is fatigue or a party has been in government for so long, the people will say I want to try something else. Sometimes those decisions are made on sentiments as opposed to what is actually on ground.”
The Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, who is one of the Kwara APC leaders, had few month ago said that he regrets supporting Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq as the party’s governorship candidate in the 2019 election.
“It was immediately after the governor emerged as the party’s candidate for the election that it dawned on us that we had entered one chance.
“Despite all the warnings from concerned party leaders and others who had reservations about his choice, our reaction then was that no matter what, his choice was better than where we were coming from. But we were wrong,” Mohammed had said in July.
Infamous for his propaganda, Mr Mohammed himself has been caught circulating fake news previously as opposition spokesman and now as cabinet information minister.
Lai Mohammed, President Muhammadu Buhari regime’s head of propaganda and state-sponsored disinformation, says his perennial agitation for social media clampdown in Nigeria is to prevent another global war.
On Monday, Mr Mohammed, who has called for social media to be regulated in Nigeria, insisted that the platforms spread fake information.
“With fake news today and misinformation — I have always said here that the next world war will be caused by fake news,” he said while defending his ministry’s 2022 budget before the house of representatives committee on information, national orientation.
While recounting the means of disseminating information decades ago, the minister explained that Nigerians had deserted the old means by embracing the “unseen enemy,” social media.
“Information is not what it used to be, 20 to 30 years ago if the state or federal government had a television or radio and probably a newspaper, that was what we needed,” he noted.
According to Mr Mohammed, the Buhari regime will always be criticised if it refuses to take adequate measures to regulate social media content.
“The people today, they don’t read newspapers, they don’t watch television — it’s social media. And it is most expensive; the most unseen enemy, they are there every moment, and until we go to the same battlefield with them, there is nothing the government will do that will seem right,” he said.
Infamous for his propaganda, Mr Mohammed himself has been caught circulating fake news previously as opposition spokesman and now as cabinet information minister.
Angered by Mr Mohammed’s notoriety for spreading misinformation, a lawmaker in January described the minister’s statements as “senseless and unpatriotic.”
“You can see even the U.S. that use to pride itself on the freedom of the press is now questioning the role of the social media,” he added.
Mr Mohammed had hailed former U.S. President Donald Trump for endorsing Mr Buhari’s Twitter ban on June 4.
“Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their President,” Mr Trump had said after Mr Mohammed announced the ban of the social media platform primarily used to gather information and contribute to issues of national interest.
“Donald Trump has congratulated Nigeria,” Mr Mohammed said. “If that means anything, that that is what we ought to have done. But that’s just by the way.”
While defending the 2021 budget proposal of the Information sector of his ministry in October 2020, Mr Mohammed had reasoned that Nigeria should also go the way of China to tackle misinformation.
“If you go to China, you cannot get Google, Facebook or Instagram, but you can only use your email because they have made sure that it is regulated,” he said.
Stating that there was an urgent need for a policy to curb fake news on social media, the minister said, “We need a social media policy that will regulate what should be said and posted and what should not.”
He added that “We also need technology and resources to dominate our social media space.’’
Popular controversial artiste, Speed Darlington has accused female musician, Tiwa Savage of released the viral s*x tape by herself to stay relevant.
In a video making rounds, Speed explained that nobody blackmailed her but she did it herself so she can stay relevant.
He further mentioned that no one is willing to blackmail the female artiste but her quest to stay relevant on the internet is what led her to releasing the video herself.
It would be recalled that the internet was abuzz last week when the s*x tape went viral. It was immediately followed by reactions from several individuals including celebrities.
Nigerian artiste Damini Ogulu with the stage name Burna Boy has revealed that he might never get married.
The singer revealed this via his Instastory. He revealed that every time he tells his mother he is never getting married she gets mad at him.
He went on to state that he is no longer certain if he is saying it to taunt her or if he actually means it.
Nigerians have taken to social media to react to a viral photo of veteran Nollywood actor, Chiwetalu Agu donning his Biafra regalia once again.
A Twitter user, @Ozii-baba shared the picture claiming that the movie star stepped out over the weekend wearing the same outfit that got him into trouble with the Nigerian Amy and DSS.
He captioned; ”Chiwetalu Agu no dey hear word. His ears na for fancy
As Egedege dey trend, Mazi made sure he wore his cloth of the rising son.”
Massive reactions trailed the post as some netizens hailed Chiwetalu Agu for his courage, while others advised him to thread with caution.
See some comments below..
@papalolo2123; They encouraged him the more .. If something never happens to you , you will be more afraid of it .. but when it finally happen and goes away , the fear dies . The fear of military and dss no dey chiwetaluagu mind again , he don overcome that stage.. same thing for sowore
@Iraborchijioke; Passion and Compassion is what drives him.. He is a great Man.
@sgdavo; A Man must stand for something or fall for anything
@ellissmenia; Nice one. it’s not a crime to wear clothe
@okwudilionoh; This is a fabric of many colour without description of the meaning of the colour. Any interpretation you get it is left for you.
@ezeghiee; All this our Legends, even Queen Theresa Onuoha should also put on the rising son. I love her so much. Legendary.
@Anayo_Ella; Exactly Hundred points symbol They have given him licence to wear it without fear.
@beyondkhaleb; The reason why the state has lost its monopoly of violence is that it has gone after soft targets and hardened them. What fear can a man who has seen the peak of embarrassment from security agents have again?
@great_onuoha; u didnt listen to his interview wt bbc wen he said next time in d dss ell he would try nd see nnamdi kalu …..Anu la ta echi bu nta ……..he is a true nd fearless elder
Chairman, Southern Governors Forum and Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu has said security agencies are scared of shooting herders wielding AK-47 because of who they are and where they come from in disobedience to President Muhammadu Buhari’s order.
Governor Akeredolu stated this on Monday, at the 27th Nigerian Economic Summit held in Abuja with the theme: “Securing Our Future: The Fierce Urgency of Now.”
Speaking on the contentious issue of grazing, the Governor blew hot, asking, “Grazing routes? Grazing routes to where? It is not going to work. There are things we had in the past.
“Don’t let us imagine it now. Time changes. Grazing with AK-47 is an assault. Ban on open grazing; we are doing it effectively in Ondo State,” he said.
According to him, “Nomadic pastoralist is not a new thing. There were nomadic farmers all over the world. I know of people, high ranking who have ranches today. They can showcase their cows.
“Why are we pushing these people out? It is a culture that must be discouraged in the interest of those who are involve
“Even with the President order that anyone with AK-47 should be arrested, how many have been arrested?” he queried.
He also warned against using semantics to romanticise terrorism, noting that the various criminal activities of kidnapping, bombing and assault on the people in some parts of the country which are being referred to as banditry must be appropriately addressed as terrorism
Governor Akeredolu and his Kaduna state counterpart, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, and others were among the panelists at the summit which centred on addressing the security challenges in the country.
Akeredolu said: “In Ondo State, we don’t have terrorism. Our problem is farmer/herder clashes and kidnap for ransom.
“We have drug abuse and agitation for self determination. We have always preached the multi-level policing in Ondo State. We believe in layers of security”.
The governor, who explained that although there are criminal trespasses which can be treated by the state, stressed that before the Amotekun corps was established, the Police were not always ready to make arrest.
“Today, if you trespass on other people’s land, the Amotekun will go after you and arrest you.
“They pay compensations to the farmers and when they fail they are in court. It is the only way you can send signals to the people.
“When you commit a crime and the hands of law doesn’t catch up with you, another person will repeat it.
“I can assure you that when you do not have an effective policing system, there is little or nothing a Governor can do.
“And the criminal trial is taking too long,” Governor Akeredolu said.
Ecobank Day: “We Should Be Open To Talk About Mental Health Issues” – Akinwuntan
Akinwuntan Ecobank MD
Ecobank Nigeria has reiterated its commitment towards promoting mental awareness for its staff, customers and the communities where it operates being part of its corporate action to support general wellbeing amongst citizens . This, according to the bank, is necessary in view of the enormous stress people encounter while trying to play their part in sustaining the national economy. The Managing Director, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Akinwuntan while speaking at the 2021 “Ecobank Day” event in Lagos stated that there was need for people to exercise more sensitivity and be more supportive towards improving mental health.
According to him, “This year, we are focusing on how we can support one another to improve on our mental health. It is something we should be open to talk about; it is something that we should be able to share our concerns so that each of us can be sensitive to how we support one another and to manage the stress available in our environment. So, this year, we are focused on mental health, educating people on how to identify and manage the disease, while also helping reduce stigma and discrimination. We all know that Nigeria is a country with about 200 million people, and there is a lot of stress on all of us. At Ecobank, we encourage staff to speak out through word of mouth, written communication, WhatsApp, sms message, even if it is an anonymous call to support victims. We also try to identify things within the environment that could have a negative effect on our journey to better mental health, and quickly take them out”.
On her part, the Executive Director, Commercial Bank, Ecobank Nigeria, Carol Oyedeji, urged colleagues to find a way to balance work with other aspects of their life. “Please when you close work, shut down your system and find ways to connect with your spouse, family and in any other thing that will give you joy and happiness”. She noted that we must encourage people to feel comfortable to talk about their emotions, without shame, fear of being judged or abuseD. She emphasized that anyone suffering or facing mental health problems should be aware that they can get help.
Experts at the event listed signs to watch out for in mental health to include; negative view of self, feeling alone, giving things away and frequent talks about death. They noted that mental health disorders are one of the most common Non-Communicable Diseases, noting that mental health issues can happen to anyone and it’s important to talk about it and also act on it.
Ecobank Day, is a Group’s flagship annual corporate and social responsibility event that ‘gives back’ to the local communities across the pan-African footprint. The 2021 Ecobank Day had the theme ‘Mental Health – Time to Talk and Act!’. It marks the final stage of Ecobank’s three-year campaign to raise awareness and help prevent Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
Ecobank Day which started in 2013, focusing each year on a specific theme. These have been Education for young people in Africa (2013); Malaria prevention and control (2014); Every African child deserves a better future (2015); ICT education in schools and improving maternal health (2016); Safe water management (2017); Orphanages (2018); Cancer (2019); and Diabetes (2020).
FIRSTBANK PARTNERS NIBSS TO DRIVE DIGITAL PAYMENT CONVENIENCE WITH NIGERIA QUICK RESPONSE (NQR)
FirstBank of Nigeria Limited, Nigeria’s premier and leading financial inclusion services organisation has announced its partnership with Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System plc (NIBSS) on its recently launched Nigeria Quick Response (NQR) Payment Solution.
The NQR is an innovative payment option implemented for all financial service providers and designed to promote quick and fast transactions by scanning the code on one’s mobile device. Also, the initiative reduces cost(s) for merchants and banks in delivering instant value for person to business (P2B) and person to person (P2P) transactions by simply scanning to pay. Unlike other QR schemes, the NQR is implemented with reduced charges that is cheaper for merchants.
The initiative is accessible on the Bank’s payment infrastructure as the NQR code can be used to make payments through one’s FirstMobile App. And it is also available for the merchant in facilitating their business activities. The touchpoint and use cases of the NQR payment solution include convenience stores, supermarkets, shopping malls, pharmacy, ride-hailing/taxi payments, bus fares, tolling booths payments, vending machines, e-commerce sites, online (Instagram) businesses amongst many others.
To access the service, launch your FirstMobile App and select QR payment. Afterwards, choose NIBSS as a payment provider, then scan the seller’s NQR barcode. Thereafter, the amount is inputted, followed by PIN validation to generate an instant confirmation of the transaction successfully. On the other hand, merchants are to visit any FirstBank branch closest to them for service enrolment.
Speaking on the initiative Dr. Adesola Adeduntan, CEO, FirstBank said “we are delighted with the adoption of the Nigeria Quick Response (NQR) payment solution, an initiative by Nigeria Interbank Settlement System plc (NIBSS) which has been instrumental to easing and promoting payment convenience with the use of mobile phones. At FirstBank, we recognize the indelible role technology plays in promoting businesses across diverse frontiers and we remain committed to reinventing our technology infrastructure to meet global standards whilst being committed to staying true to our mantra in always putting You, our customers First.
Embattled female musician, Tiwa Savage seems to have been pushed into depression after a s*x tape with her boyfriend leaked on the social media last week.
Tiwa Savage was in the news throughout last week as a result of the tape leak. After the leak, several reactions which were mixed came up. Some people blasted her while many celebrities stood by her.
However, it seems she is yet to get over the whole issue has she spoke about death on her instagram handle.
She explained that she was sad at the passing of her dad and Davido’s aide, Obama but noted that some people will be happy when she is no more.
‘’I was sad at the passing of my dad and 44 but at least they are no longer in this cruel place. Some people will be happy when I am no more’’.
