Kano govt bans Sales Of movies featuring kidnapping, stealing, drug abuse
The Kano Film Censorship Board, has banned the sale of movies that depict kidnappings, drug abuse and snatching of mobile phones in the State.
Defending the prohibition by the board, the executive secretary, Ismaila Naaba Afakallah, explained that the ban was necessitated by the notoriety of such activities amongst Kano state citizens.
“Henceforth, we will not allow films displaying Kidnappings, drug addiction and GSM phones snatching which has now taken toll on Kano residents”.
Afakallah stated that the ban was to ensure that young people do not engage in criminal activities, adding that they are most likely to adopt the mannerisms of actors in movies.
“Not every young man has the tenacity of understanding fictitious films actions. Somebody might mistaken it as a reality and may go ahead to practice it, therefore, we must act now before it is too late,” he added.
BREAKING: Lagos Gov Sanwo-Olu signs anti-open grazing bill into law
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has approved the bill which will outlaw open-grazing in the state.
The bill was signed on Monday following its passage by the Lagos State House of Assembly on September 9, 2021.
Lagos state is the latest of the growing number of southern states that have incriminated the archaic practice of open-grazing which has caused untold hardship for indigenous farmers and residents.
The speaker of the Lagos state House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, lauded his comrades for their zeal towards the actualization of the bill.
The call for the ban on open-grazing came as a result of the wanton killings and kidnappings perpetrated by Fulani herdsmen who use their cattle as an excuse to wreak havoc on innocent citizens and their property.
Akwa Ibom Gov Emmanuel signs anti-open grazing bill into law
As part of their plans to end the menace of the herdsmen, the southern governors met in Lagos on July 5 and had far-reaching conclusions on open grazing, restructuring Nigeria, and calls for state policing.
After the meeting, the Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Rotimi Akeredolu, announced that the governors have agreed on a deadline for the establishment of the anti-open grazing law in the region.
To this effect, four southern states have signed the bill into law.
The states include: Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Enugu and Ondo states.
Rwandan court finds ‘Hotel Rwanda’ film hero Paul Rusesabagina guilty of terrorism
A Rwandan court on Monday found Paul Rusesabagina, a one-time hotel manager portrayed as a hero in a Hollywood film about the 1994 genocide, guilty of being part of a group responsible for terrorist attacks.
“They should be found guilty for being part of this terror group – MRCD-FLN,” judge Beatrice Mukamurenzi said of 20 defendants including Rusesabagina. “They attacked people in their homes, or even in their cars on the road traveling.”
The case has had a high profile since Rusesabagina, 67, was arrested last year on arrival from Dubai after what he described as a kidnapping by Rwandan authorities.
Since being portrayed by actor Don Cheadle as the hero of the 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda”, Rusesabagina emerged as a prominent critic of President Paul Kagame, based in the United States. He had denied all the charges against him, while his supporters called the trial a sham and proof of Kagame’s ruthless treatment of political opponents.
Prosecutors had sought a life sentence on nine charges, including terrorism, arson, taking hostages and forming an armed rebel group which he directed from abroad. After the announcement of the initial verdict, one of the defendants became ill, causing a short recess which delayed verdicts on other charges and sentencing.
Rusesabagina became a global celebrity after the film, which depicted him risking his life to shelter hundreds as the boss of a luxury hotel in the Rwandan capital Kigali during the 100-day genocide when Hutu ethnic extremists killed more than 800,000 people, mostly from the Tutsi minority.
Cheadle was nominated for an Oscar for the role. Rusesabagina used his fame to highlight what he described as rights violations by the government of Kagame, a Tutsi rebel commander who took power after his forces captured Kigali and halted the genocide.
Rusesabagina’s trial began in February, six months after he arrived in Kigali on a flight from Dubai. His supporters say he was kidnapped; the Rwandan government suggested he was tricked into boarding a private plane. Human Rights Watch said at the time that his arrest amounted to an enforced disappearance, which it called a serious violation of international law.
PEN FOR HIRE, CASH FOR NEWS! WASHINGTON POST’S WHORISKEY FINGERED
…CONSORTIUM OF LAWYERS, ETHNIC YOUTH LEADERS, CSO CHIDE THE WASHINGTON POST
… ALLEGE GLOBAL SMEAR CAMPAIGN AGAINST AITEO AND ITS FOUNDER BENEDICT PETERS
… INSIST THAT MATTERS ALREADY SETTLED IN COURT REMAIN SETTLED
… CALL ON BUSINESSES OWNERS TO ONLY ENGAGE IN HEALTHY COMPETITION
There is no downplaying the trend of media corruption gaining traction in recent times. What is fast gaining notoriety is the rate at which foreign journalists are contracted by some unscrupulous entities to do damage to national growth through indigenous players.
Like the colour and literal meaning of crude, the petroleum industry in Nigeria has always been one in which some companies and individuals have played their hand in the crudest manners.
For this group of people who have held sway for decades, every entity perceived as competition must be crushed for them to have a field day while fleecing the country of billions of dollars and stashing them in offshore accounts.
To the faceless, grief-stricken and rent seeking saboteurs, playing in the petroleum industry is a war; and no one can be trusted in the ferocious survival battle.
While competition is a welcome development in a capitalist economy like Nigeria’s, healthy rivalry is not an expression one would find in the lexicon of these corporate hyenas who only feed on the flesh and blood of competitors.
Beyond the boardroom now, major players have taken their bitter rivalry to the newsrooms. They even go as far as contracting foreign journalists especially those renowned for their expertise and experience in paid media warfare.
One of such mercenaries is Peter Whoriskey, a staff of the Washington Post who focuses on investigations of economic and financial issues.
Interestingly, Whoriskey has not been found to do any work in or on Nigeria. There are not known published works of his that dwell on Nigeria, her politics, business or culture.
However, perhaps because of his predilection for the seamy side of journalism, he was the go-to guy for international oil companies when they want to roughen up their competitors.
By deploying scandalous mails to his targets, Whoriskey’s subtle threat is unmistakable. His veiled reference to unfounded scandals readily gives him out as a paid fifth columnist waiting to bear his fangs. Many are waiting with bated breath to see how he intends to publish the supposed dirts he has on the Nigerian businessmen. Whatever report he comes with eventually may not pass the ethical test.
Meanwhile, a consortium of lawyers for human rights and justice and the Council of Ethnic Youth Leaders of Nigeria (CEYLN) in conjunction with some Civil Society organizations have alleged that there is an ongoing plot global media campaign against Aiteo Group of Companies and its founder, Mr. Benedict Peters using the Washington Post.
In a joint press conference by the different groups, they allege that the allegations being peddled against Mr. Peters and Aiteo are the same issues which have already been conclusively determined by courts of competent jurisdiction or pending in court and the purpose of the publication could only be to impugn the integrity of Mr. Peters and the company.
“Out of the five questions Mr. Whoriskey inquired about, question 1 has been resolved by a competent court of law in Nigeria and the decision widely publicized. A simple internet search would have availed Mr. Whoriskey of the judgment of the case and the present state of affairs. Further, questions 2-5 were directly extracted from untested allegations contained in a first amended verified complaint filed before the United States District Court, Southern District of Texas, Houston Division” the groups alleged.
They called on media houses not to yield their platforms to people whose objectives were not noble as such would encourage unhealthy business rivalry. “There is a plethora of questions which The Washington Post rather has to answer and which directly calls to question its genuineness in permitting this to happen. It will be damning to the long-held image of The Washington Post that its staff have yielded the platform of the medium to the use for a global smear campaign and unhealthy business rivalry” Mr. Tochukwu Ohazuruike who addressed the press was quoted as saying.
In answering the allegations against Mr. Peters, the groups claimed that “Mr. Peters has stated severally that he has never received any favour by way of facilitation or otherwise from Dieziani Alison-Madueke, and there was therefore nothing to be grateful for. He has severally denounced any such attempt to link the purchase of his property with Dieziani under such premises. His purchase of the furniture was in furtherance of his desire to furnish a property that belonged to him, and those furniture can be found, even today, at his said property at 58 Harley House. No furniture that belonged to him can be found at any other place other than in his property. The furniture found at the UK address of Dieziani Alison-Madueke does not belong to him, and certainly could not have been the same found in his said property at 58 Harley House.”
They insist that the answers they provided should discourage future smear campaigns as this is not the first time it was happening saying “we hope that with these answers we would have satisfied Mr. Whoriskey and got him to alert his sponsors that the plot is dead on arrival and cannot be revived. We also say to all such persons who would in the future want to regurgitate these issues that the answers are already available in the public space as there is nothing hidden and there is nothing any media house can unearth again so no need taking any jobs from the sponsors of this smear campaign.”
‘Reconsider your position’ — Ngige begs resident doctors to resume work
Chris Ngige, minister of labour and productivity, has appealed to striking resident doctors to resume work.
Speaking on Sunday during an interview on Channels Television, Ngige said the resident doctors should come for discussions after they return to work.
On August 2, the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) embarked on strike over “irregular payment of salaries”, among other issues.
Efforts of different stakeholders, including President Muhammadu Buhari and the house of representatives, to ensure the resident doctors shelve the strike did not yield the desired result.
On Friday, the National Industrial Court, in a ruling by Bashir Alkali, had asked the resident doctors to return to work.
But the striking doctors faulted the court’s ruling, vowing to appeal the order.
Reacting to the development, Ngige described the decision of the resident doctors to continue the strike despite the court order as “contemptuous”.
The labour minister said he is determined to protect the profession from being “vandalised”.
“I want to appeal to NARD for them to reconsider their position, get back to work tomorrow or next and then come back again for discussions. We have so many things to discuss,” the minister said.
“I have nephews who are resident doctors. I have three of them in the east — at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching hospital, UNTH Enugu, Orthopaedic Hospital, Enugu. I have so many of them.
“I have my son — a house officer. I have my daughter who is joining housemanship in October. I have a son, God willing, who is going to graduate again in October. I cannot destroy the profession but I have to protect the profession too if it is going to be vandalised.”
Government Begins payment Of Batch A and B of N-Power Beneficiaries
With the removal of technical hurdles, the Federal Government has resumed payment of allowances to remaining Batch A and B of N-Power volunteers.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Bashir Nura Alkali, in a statement, confirmed that payment has resumed after solving problems of system setbacks.
Alkali explained that the accounts of the affected 14,021 volunteers were flagged in March 2020 by the Federal Government payment system, the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), for various reasons.
He blamed the delay on beneficiaries having multiple accounts or accounts receiving salaries and allowances from multiple channels and the government on permanent employment, or for participating in other schemes.
“These acts violate the regulations guiding the N-Power volunteer programme and could amount to gross misconduct and corruption,” he warned.
He noted that the Ministry carried out detailed investigation with relevant MDAs, and so far 9,066 volunteers beneficiaries have been cleared for final payment.
“Based on this reality, the five months allowance arrears of N150,000 each, is currently being paid,” he further explained.
He also clarified that the allowances of the remaining 4,955 volunteers is still withheld for further investigation.
Alkali promised sanctions for volunteers who violated agreement guiding the scheme and the law.
“Where clear violations of the agreements are established, such violators will be subjected to appropriate sanctions as stipulated by the law,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary reiterated that the exercise clearly demonstrated the Ministry’s resolve to address outstanding issues in a transparent manner for accountability and to forestall future occurrences
“Stop Accumulating Debt For Next Generation to Come, It Is foolishness to keep borrowing” – Obasanjo Begs Buhari Govt
Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo has fired the Muhammadu Buhari administration over its continuous borrowing to fund recurrent expenditure.
Obasanjo, in a recent interview with Channels TV, said that it was ‘foolishness’ to keep borrowing and creating debt for the future generation.
“If you want to build a commercial house and you go and borrow money, and you have 50 per cent of your own money and you borrow 50 per cent and in five years, you pay the 50 per cent that you borrowed. That is a wise thing to do. But if you have to go and borrow money for you to be able to feed yourself and your family, that is a stupid thing to do.”
“So, if we are borrowing for recurrent expenditure, it is the height of foolery. If we are borrowing for development that can pay itself, that is understandable; then how long will it pay itself? But we are borrowing and accumulating debt for the next generation and the next generation after them, it is criminal, to put it mildly. What are we borrowing for?”
“When I came into government and was elected President, we were spending $3.5bn to service debt, and even with that, our quantum of debt was not going down.”
The Buhari administration has borrowed a total of N21tn within six years.
According to the Debt Management Office, a at the end of March 2021, Nigeria’s public debt hit a total of N33.12tn, which means in the last six years under the President, the country’s debt rose by N21tn.
As of the end of June 2015, one month after the present regime came into power, the country’s debt profile stood at N12.12tn. The country’s debt profile has risen by 173.27 per cent within the six-year period.
Shocking! Woman Exposes Popular Pastors Who Visits Her Husband’s Shrine For Power
The wife of the chief priest of Idemili Cultural Centre, Ralph Ndidi Obi, Lolo Ebelechukwu Obi, has alleged that some pastors get power from her husband.
Lolo disclosed this during an interview with BBC pidgin.
The wife of the chief priest who had married him for eight years revealed that some popular pastors visit her centre in Agulu in Anaocha Local Government Area of Anambra State, for spiritual power to enable them to perform miracles in their churches.
She further stated that before she tied the knot with the chief priest, she was a prayer warrior in the church.
Lolo said, “After getting married to my husband, some pastors that I cannot even mention, I started seeing them here and my husband, the chief priest, usually works for them.
“They used to come to him for power but when they return to their church, they will begin to cast the water spirit. We deliver people from spiritual husbands and wives. When you come to us, we just settle the spirit and you will go and marry your spouse.”
According to her, being a traditional worshipper is not bad, adding that the perception of Nigerians of the religion is wrong.
She added, “When I was a prayer warrior in church, I used to see traditional worshippers as bad people but after marrying my husband, I found out that it is not even a bad thing.”
Arsonists set the INEC office at Awgu Local Government Area of Enugu State ablaze on Sunday.
The Chief Fire Officer in Enugu State, Chief Okwudili Ohaa, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu.
Ohaa said that a distress call was received by the Enugu State Fire Service at about 1.30 a.m.
“As usual, when we received the distress call our trucks and men at Ozalla Station quickly moved to the scene.
“We equally mobilised fire engines and fire fighters from Enugu metropolis.
“Our prompt intervention saved the entire complex as only one office room was affected in the raging fire before it was extinguished,’’ he said.
Ohaa said that the quick response of fire fighters gave credence to the establishment of fire stations in local government areas by Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.
“With the development, it is important to note that the state’s residents and infrastructure are now benefiting from massive investment of Gov. Ugwuanyi in building and equipping new fire stations throughout the state,’’ he said.
There are feelers that the arsonists climbed through the perimeter fence to gain access to the INEC complex.
Efforts made by NAN to get the police and INEC officials to speak on the incident proved unsuccessful as they did not pick their calls.
Arsonists had earlier in the year attacked the INEC Headquarters in Enugu State and the INEC office in Udenu Local Government Area of the state as well.
Obadiah Malafia Told Me He Had Malaria And Cattarh Two Days Ago, Says Cousin
One of the cousins of Obadiah Mailafia, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), has said he spoke with the deceased two days before he died.
Mailafia died at Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja, on Sunday morning.
The cousin, who pleaded anonymity because the family did not authorise him to speak on their behalf, said when they spoke, the former CBN deputy governor explained that he was having malaria and cattarh.
He said Mailafia told him he had to switch off his main number because people were disturbing him on that line.
According to the cousin, after they finished talking, he (the cousin) wished him quick recovery and thanked him for an assistance he rendered him last week.
“Only for me to get a call today’s church service that he has passed on,” he said.
The cousin, who resides in Jos, Plateau State capital, said though Mailafia had a house in Jos, he did not reside there.
He said last year when he was offered an appointment at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru near Jos, he lived in the ancient city during the period.
It was in Jos that he granted a radio station an interview that a serving Governor was a commander of Boko Haram.
Mailafia had also alleged that during the COVID-19 lockdown, insurgents were moving and distributing arms and ammunition across the country, and that they were moving up and down as if there was no lockdown.
This made the Department of State Services (DSS) invite him to its Jos office where he was interrogated thrice.
