Category: News

I suffered 16-year ordeal during Daniel, Amosun’s administrations: Osoba

 

“The first 16 years of my leaving this office have been very traumatic. I never came back as I became a snake that doesn’t go back to where it has shed its skin.”

Former Governor Olusegun Osoba of Ogun has narrated his 16-year ordeal in the hands of ex-governors Gbenga Daniel and Ibikunle Amosun, his successors.

“The first 16 years of my leaving this office have been very traumatic. I never came back as I became a snake that doesn’t go back to where it has shed its skin,” said Mr Osoba. “This premises became a no-go -area for me, and every symbol of the projects that I did was removed.”

Mr Osoba spoke in Abeokuta on Tuesday at the inauguration of a press centre named after him by Governor Dapo Abiodun.

Osoba served as governor of Ogun between 1999 and 2003.

He added, “I was practically declared persona non grata in Ogun. My name was sent to EFCC so many times, and the agency investigated me severally but found nothing. I couldn’t come to Abeokuta, not to talk of visiting the office of the governor. The other eight years were also problematic.”

Mr Osoba described Mr Abiodun as “a governor of redemption and restoration,” pointing out that he reminded him of agonising old memories and turned them into joyful memories.

“To imagine that my returning to this premises after those years will be this glorious is something of great emotion for me. Mr Governor, you will not know how many hours you have added to my life with this action today.

“It may be hours, it may be weeks, days, and it may be years, but you have added something very great to my life today,” Mr Osoba explained.

In his remarks, the governor described Mr Osoba as “an encyclopaedia and a veteran journalist,” adding that his administration could not think of any other personality who deserved the honour more than him.

“Chief Osoba is a statement, a respectable icon in the pen-pushing profession, and he also symbolises the birthplace of the first newspaper in Nigeria, established in 1859,” said Mr Abiodun.

(NAN)

 

Garba Shehu, a pitiable messenger who doesn’t know his limits —Gov Akeredolu

 

 

The Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Tuesday, faulted the position of the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, on the ban of open grazing by governors from the Southern part of the country.

Shehu had in a statement on Monday described the resolutions of the 17 southern governors at their May 11 meeting in Asaba, Delta, as illegal.

But in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Senior Special Assistant on Special Duties and Strategy, Dr. Doyin Odebowale, the governor insisted that the presidential aide was not speaking for President Muhammadu Buhari on the ban on open grazing.

He said: “Anyone who has been following the utterances of this man, as well as his fellow travellers on the self-deluding, mendacious but potentially dangerous itinerary to anarchy, cannot but conclude that he works assiduously for extraneous interests whose game plan stands at variance with the expectations of genuine lovers of peaceful coexistence among all the people whose ethnic extractions are indigenous to Nigeria.

“Mr. Garba Shehu must disclose, this day, the real motive(s) of those he serves, definitely not the President. He cannot continue to hide under some opaque, omnibus, and dubious directives to create confusion in the polity.

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“The easy recourse to mendacious uppity in pushing a barely disguised pernicious agendum is well understood.

“The declaration that the recommendations of the Minister of Agriculture, Alhaji Sabo Nanono, a mere political appointee like Garba Shehu, are now the ‘lasting solutions’ which eluded all the elected representatives of the people of the Southern part of the country, exposes this man as a pitiable messenger who does not seem to understand the limits of his relevance and charge.

“Mr. Garba Shehu contends that ‘their announcement is of questionable legality,’ referring to the 17 Governors of the Southern States, but the decision of certain elements to take the ancestral lands of other people to settle their kinsmen, including the ‘gun-wielding killer herdsmen’ and their families, and provide ‘veterinary clinics, water points for animals, and facilities for herders and their families including schooling through these rehabilitated reserves for which the Federal Government is making far-reaching and practical changes allowing for different communities to co-exist side-by-side’ does not appear to him as a comprehensive plan for land grabbing, a precursor to internal colonialism.

“He wants to ‘revive forest reserves’ but seems particularly uninterested in the current position of the same law, that he and his cohorts often misinterpret to serve parochialism and greed.

“Governors no longer have powers over the lands in their territories. They must take instructions from appointees of the Federal Government on such matters.

“It is superfluous, and that is being charitable, for anyone to remind us of the constitutional right of bona fide citizens to enjoy rights and freedoms within every one of our 36 States (and FCT) -regardless of their state of birth and residence.”

 

‘Fake news has ruined homes, Pushed many into depression’ — Lai Mohammed cautions media establishments

 

Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, says fake news has adverse effects on society, including ruining homes and leaving many depressed.

Speaking on Tuesday when he received a delegation from The Guardian Newspaper in Abuja, Mohammed said fact-checking, for which some media houses now have dedicated desks, including TheCable, will address the menace of fake news.

The minister said fact-checking will help separate facts from fiction, adding that all media establishment should take the issue of fake news seriously.

“To be sure, the issue of fake news and misinformation is not just about the government alone, as some have insinuated. It is about all of us,” he said.

“Fake news has ruined homes, pushed many into depression and done untold hardship to others. It is a clear and present danger to all.

“I believe it will not be out of place for reputable media organisations like the Guardian to set up a special desk for fact-checking as a panacea for this problem.

“That way, you can help citizens to separate fact from fiction. I am aware that some media organizations are already doing this, but it must be taken seriously by every media establishment.

“On our part, we are undeterred as we have continued our engagement with stakeholders to find a way out. Hopefully, we will be taking a more concrete step on this in the months ahead.”

The minister said no democracy could survive without independent media.

“As a matter of fact, no true democracy survives without a professional, responsible and independent media. It is in this context
that the government continues to view the media as a strong partner,” he said.

“It is said that for the media to be able to play its role, which is to inform, criticize and stimulate debate, it must take responsibility for whatever it puts out. In other words, it must get its facts right.

Ex Nigerian footballer, Ibezito Ogbonna, hospitalized after his home in Israel was hit by a rocket from Gaza

 

 

Israel based Nigeria footballer, Ibezito Ogbonna, survived a rocket strike fired from Gaza during the 11 days clash between Israel and Gaza last week.

BBC Sport reports that the former under 23 striker was home with his family in the city of Ashdod on May 17, when his apartment was directly hit by one of the rockets fired by Hamas militants in the heat of the Israel-Gaza face-off. Ibezito who sustained injuries from the explosion, expressed delight that his wife and kids were unhurt after the Hamas strike.

“I am extremely lucky to be alive after this rocket was fired and it’s third time lucky for me after being involved in a car crash and a horrible robbery incident in Nigeria,” he told BBC’s Oluwashina Okeleji. It is difficult to explain the impact of what I saw. Coming out of this was a miracle. We are talking about the same attack that has left several people badly wounded,” he added.

“On this day I was having breakfast and I heard the wailing siren. Normally, we’d run to the shelter because every house has its own shelter. I felt it’s the normal warning, but within seconds it turned out to be an unlucky day for me. I heard the loud bang of the rocket and felt the immediate impact, I was thrown into the air and it took me from my dining room to my living room. I was in the hospital for a few hours. I was treated and had different tests just to check that everything was okay with me. They weren’t sure I was fine considering what had happened,” he said.

High stakes for Emery as Villarreal aim for Europa League shock against Man Utd

 

Unai Emery will add to his already sparkling Europa League record if Villarreal beat Manchester United on Wednesday but victory would also turn an otherwise mediocre first season in charge into a great one.

 

Villarreal had just finished fifth in La Liga when they appointed Emery as coach last summer, with the Spaniard’s remit to take the club closer to winning titles and securing Champions League qualification.

He could achieve both in one fell swoop in Gdansk, where an upset against the much-fancied United would not only clinch Villarreal their first-ever major trophy but also a place in Europe’s premier tournament next season.

“We respect United but we think we’re capable of winning this trophy,” said Emery last week. “We are going to play with the confidence we’ve shown throughout the whole competition.”

The drop-off though with a defeat would be huge, given Villarreal would not only end the season without silverware but shorn of a place even in the next Europa League.

Their loss to Real Madrid on Saturday meant Emery’s side finished seventh in La Liga, two spots lower and two points fewer than they managed last season, and enough only to qualify for UEFA’s new and less lucrative Europa Conference League.

There is no real sense yet of Emery being under pressure, in part because so much depends on how Villarreal fare against United, in what is their first European final since winning the Intertoto Cup in 2004.

“Villarreal have reached the Europa League semis three times before so if we hadn’t got to the final again it would have been hard for us,” said the club’s former midfielder Marcos Senna, who was in the team that won the Intertoto Cup 17 years ago.

“Manchester United are clear favourites because of their history and their budget. We’ve snuck through the back door a bit but if they play well, I think they can spring a surprise.”

 

Fifth final appearance for Emery
Emery knows what it takes to win the Europa League, having triumphed three times in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, the last time by beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Basel. He also reached the final two years ago with Arsenal, only to lose to Chelsea.

“Manchester United were the favourites from the start to win this tournament and they’ve managed to reach the final,” said Emery. “There were other teams who were favourites and haven’t done that but we have always seen ourselves as a contender.”

Villarreal is also flying the flag for Spain as the one team that denied the English Premier League a clean sweep of European finalists, with Manchester City up against Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday.

If Villarreal defeats United, Spain will boast seven of the last 10 Europa League champions, the others belonging to Chelsea in 2013 and 2019, and United in 2017 when Jose Mourinho’s side beat Ajax.

“The Premier League is dominating football in Europe,” Emery said. “But to reach a final you always have to knock out big teams, or teams that have knocked out big teams themselves, like Dinamo Zagreb. Games like these are a challenge. They tell you what level your team is at.”

 

20 dead, 322 infected as Cholera outbreak hits Bauchi

 

At least 20 people have died while 322 have been infected with cholera following the outbreak of the disease in Bauchi state.

State commissioner of health Dr Aliyu Maigoro disclosed this Tuesday while briefing newsmen on the epidemic at the ministry of health headquarters Bauchi.

Maigoro explained that nine of the people who died hailed from Bauchi local government, four in Misau, three in Ningi, three in Toro and one person in Giade local governments.

He said the ministry through the state primary health care development agency responded immediately having been notified of the disease to avoid its spread to other communities in the state.

Maigoro added that other response actions so far conducted by the ministry to tackle the disease include establishment of the state public health emergency operation centre and isolation centres in all general hospitals of the affected local government areas.

“Four cholera treatment units have been activated in Bauchi metropolis in Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital (ATBUTH), urban maternity and primary health centre Kandahar.

“Drugs and consumables have been provided to all the isolation sites in the state. Doctors, nurses and paramedics have been mobilized to provide care to the victims,” he said.

The commissioner also noted that chlorination of wells and decontamination of households would be done in the affected local government areas.

 

ZONE 5 COMMAND NOT INVESTIGATING LAND OWNERSHIP DISPUTES—-AIG AKINMOYEDE

 

Zone 5 Police Headquarters, Benin, has reacted to the news trending on social media that operatives of the Zone are investigating land ownership dispute and has arrested Human Rights Activist and President of One Love Foundation, Chief Patrick Eholor on the instruction of Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin Kingdom.

In a release signed by DSP Tijani Momoh, Zonal Public Relations Officer and made available to NAOSRE, the Command clarified that its operatives are not investigating ownership of land or any land dispute between Chief Patrick Eholor and the Esama of Benin Kingdom as this is clearly a civil matter, a matter to be determined by a court of competent jurisdiction.

The statement added that Police Operatives from Zone 5 Headquarters actually invited Chief Patrick Eholor to have an interview with the AIG over a petition of assault written by one Mr. Friday Eregboa who alleged that Chief Patrick Eholor physically assaulted him on the 27th April, 2021, while he was working on a farm land he was temporarily assigned to cultivate.

Based on this, Chief Patrick and other parties involved were invited and the AIG addressed and warned them to continue to be peaceful and not engage in any act capable of breaching public peace while the police continues with investigation.

The allegation of police involvement in land dispute between Chief Patrick Eholor and the Esama of Benin is therefore untrue and should therefore be disregarded.

NNPC awaits FG, labour resolutions today on Petrol Subsidy Removal

 

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation is not halting the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, despite the recent recommendation of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum that the subsidy regime by stopped immediately.

Rather, the oil firm is awaiting the outcome of today’s (Tuesday) meeting between the Federal Government and the organised labour as touching the cost of petrol and whether to discontinue subsidising the commodity.

NNPC is the sole importer of petrol into Nigeria and has maintained this position for more than three years, as it also subsidises the cost of the commodity despite being humongous.

A committee set up by the Nigeria Governors Forum had last Wednesday suggested a petrol price of between N380/litre and N380/litre and N408.5/litre. The committee also called for immediate removal of petrol subsidy.

The Deputy President, Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, told The PUNCHthat the NLC would meet with the Federal Government today (Tuesday) on issues bordering on petrol price and the sacking of workers in Kaduna, among others.

The meeting between the Federal Government and labour to decide on an amicable petrol price has dragged for about three months and the NNPC has continued to wait, thereby retaining petrol subsidy and incurring huge under-recoveries.

NNPC recently complained that the continued stay of subsidy would warrant zero remittances from the corporation to the Federation Account in the months of April and May 2021.

But when contacted to state how long petrol subsidy would be retained since the proposed meeting between the Federal Government and labour had been dragging, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, NNPC, Kennie Obateru, said the corporation would not alter petrol price until a resolution was reached on the matter by the involved parties.

He said, “We are waiting for the discussion between labour and the government to be concluded. That is, let them reach an amicable position. It is not NNPC that is holding the talks.

“We are the national oil company and so we just wait for the parties to complete that discussion. When a position is taken as to how best to implement the deregulation, it will be communicated to NNPC and then we can now take a position.

“But for now what we do is to implement whatever the government decides.”

The government’s decision on petrol price was announced on Friday by the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, as he stated that there would be no price hike in June this year.

Sylva, while reacting to the recommendation of the NGF, admitted that petrol subsidy had been a huge burden on government, but assured Nigerians that the cost of the commodity would remain at between N162/litre and N165/litre in June.

He said, “Once again it has become necessary to assure Nigerians that despite the huge burden of under-recovery, the Federal Government is not in a hurry to increase the price of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) to reflect current market realities.

“The current price of petrol will be retained in the month of June until the ongoing engagement with organised labour is concluded.”

He added, “This clarification becomes necessary in the light of recent reports regarding the resolution of the Nigeria Governors Forum to increase the pump price of petrol.”

Source: The Punch

The dead can’t bury the dead” – Nnamdi Kanu reacts to President Buhari not attending Ibrahim Attahiru’s burial

 

IPOB leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has blown hot during his Biafra podcast yesterday. During his podcast, he reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari not being able to attend Ibrahim Attahiru’s burial.

 

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari was trolled on social media by Nigerians over failure to attend the burial ceremony of Chief Of Army Staff and 10 other military officers who died in a BEACHCRAFT350 aircraft crash on Friday May 21, 2021.

During the Biafra podcast, Nnamdi referred to President Buhari as the dead, and says “The dead can’t bury the dead.” He ended that part by saying if the real President Buhari was alive, he would have attended the funeral.

He said: “A general died and a general didn’t attend his burial?” The dead can’t bury the dead. The real Buhari would have gone for the burial if only he was alive.”

“I stole plantains to raise N10k for my girlfriend‘s makeup” — Suspect

 

A young man arrested for stealing bunches of plantain in Ebedebiri, Sagbama LGA of Bayelsa, has claimed that he committed the offence because of his girlfriend.

 

According to reports shared by community leaders on Monday, May 24, the suspect was caught and during interrogation by a community leader, Peres Double, the suspect claimed that his girlfriend demanded for the sum of ten thousand naira (N10,000) supposedly to buy make-up and had given him a deadline to get the money.

The suspected thief from Angiama community, said he became so frustrated that he entered people’s farms in the community, harvested their plantains in a bid to sell them and raise money for his girlfriend. The suspect pleaded with the community leadership to forgive him.

 

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