Month: October 2023

(NEWS INVESTIGATORS) The President of the 73rd UN General Assembly, Ms Maria Espinosa, on Monday handed over to Nigeria’s Muhammad-Bande, who will lead the 74th session of the assembly in the next one year.

The ceremony, held inside the General Assembly Hall of the UN headquarters in New York, marked the end of the 73rd session .

The 74th session will formally begin on Tuesday with the inauguration of Muhammad-Bande, who is the Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the UN.

The handover ceremony was witnessed by top officials of the UN led by the Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

Nigerian officials, including a presidential team, comprising the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mr Ahmed Abubakar, and presidential spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, also witnessed the ceremony.

In a short address, Guterres lauded Espinosa for her strong leadership, describing her as a “champion for multilateralism”, who made the UN “relevant to all”.

“I commend her ambitious priorities for this session, which addressed crucial matters of international impact and concern.

“These include gender equality, migration and refugees, decent work for all, environmental protection, the rights of people with disabilities, promoting the voices of young people to advance peace and security, and revitalising the work of the United Nations.

“The commitment of Espinosa to the environment especially ending plastic pollution also stands out,” he said.

The UN chief said he looked forward to working with Muhammad-Bande to advance the organisation’s mission of building  more peaceful and prosperous world.

Earlier in a valedictory press conference, Espinosa said she was satisfied with her achievements within her one-year tenure.

She said her practice of formally reporting back to member states every three months, was very useful, especially for the smaller missions that could cover all the agenda items.

Espinosa said during the 73rd Session, no fewer than 341 resolutions were adopted, making it the highest number in several years.

She reiterated her call on member states to “read the resolutions we have adopted again and let´s deliver and implement them using this norm-setting power of the General Assembly”, she said.

Espinosa is the woman to hold the office of the president of the General Assembly. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) The Kwara State Government has said that personalising constituency project was responsible for Kwara public schools’ rejection of instructional materials donated by the former President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki.

A statement from the Press Secretary of Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development, Yakub Aliagan on Monday, said the ministry was not aware of the donation initially.

”The State Government wasn’t aware of the distribution of these instructional materials in the first instance.

”The appropriate thing to do is to send those materials to the Ministry of Education, which has a statutory duty of vetting learning materials for quality control and then approve such for distribution.”Not doing so was a violation of a basic rule, which is key to strengthening our institutions and keeping standards.

”Besides, it is wrong for anyone to emblazon their images or personal logos on instructional materials made with public resources for distribution in public schools.

”The said materials were some sort of Constituency Projects, which have been approved and funded by the Federal Government of Nigeria,” he read.Aliagan added that Gov. Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had earlier rejected a proposal to emblazone his personal picture on instructional materials for public schools.According to him, it is instructive to note that the Kwara State Ministry of Education recently approached the governor to mass-produce instructional materials with his picture emblazoned on them ahead of school resumption and the he rejected the proposal.”He rejected it on the ground that there should be no personalisation of projects executed with public funds.”Flowing from the above, the authorities at the schools were right to have rejected those materials because the Ministry of Education was not aware of such.

”And also, because there should be no politicisation of education, whether directly or indirectly, especially at the basic level where the children are very impressionable.

”Since the materials had been produced with government funds, we urge the Mandate Office of Senator Saraki to return them to the Ministry of Education after having replaced the covers emblazoned with personal photographs or political identities,” he said.News Agency of Nigeris (NAN) gathered the Saraki had donated some education materials to schools with emblazon in the Kwara Central Senatorial District without the approval and knowledge of the Ministry.

(FLOWERBUDNEWS)  The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, has visited Katsina State to access the level of insecurity with a view to finding lasting solutions.

Gbajabiamila disclosed this on Monday when he visited Katsina State Governor, Aminu Masari.

“We are here to see what is happening on the ground, discuss with the governor and proffer possible solutions to the problems.

“Nigeria is one country, a state alone cannot deal with this, there must be something which we can do to assist.

He said that no one can assist the state by just seeing reports in the media.

“We have been to Zamfara and Borno States, the situation is almost the same everywhere we go.

“The issue of kidnappers is the major problem here, though things have now subsided because the governor has done so much,’’ he said.

Responding, Masari said that the porosity nature of the nation’s borders also contribute to the level of insecurity challenges in the country.

He said that drug abuse and trafficking was mostly accompanied by arms trafficking.

“Our legislators need to do some legislation to address the situation otherwise criminals will continue to move from one country to another,’’ he said.

He said that the government identified that the bandits were neglected for several years.

“It is a signal for us to do the necessary, and what is necessary is education.

“We will give the people living at the grassroots good education that will afford them to earn a living by way of learning some trades.

“I believe, you cannot be a good cattle rearer without good education,’’ Masari said. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) says plans are on to establish a tribunal to ensure there is sanity in the Public Relation profession.

Malam Mukhtar Sirajo, President of NIPR said this in Abuja on Friday while receiving the report of the Policy and Strategic Committee of NIPR saddled with the responsibility of producing a blueprint for restructuring of the institute.

Sirajo said that the restructuring had become long overdue considering the problems bedeviling the institute and that of disunity and criminality bedeviling the country.

According to Sirajo, the tribunal will help the institute to regulate its activities and that of its members.

“We have written a letter to the minister of justice to establish a tribunal as mandated by the act that established NIPR to prosecute people who are practicing the profession without license.

“Already, our dragnet is catching people who not only go about practicing without certification but even organise training in the name of NIPR and issue certificates and they are not known to the institute.

“We are already in court with some of them.

“The mandate of the Policy and Strategic Committee is to take a critical look at NIPR activities and find out what they think that is making it not to grow as fast as it should and proffer solution.

“The idea of setting up this committee was because we realised that things were not in order.

“We have sister institutes around the world and we see what respect they are given, and we ask ourselves why can’t we have one-quarter of that respect here in our own country?

“We can as well go home and begin to play the blame-game that government is not doing anything and so on.

“But I believe in the maxim that says that when you point accusing finger, four others are pointing at you.

“We realised that the problem is not about government but rather a systemic one and we as part of that system have our own problem.

“So, the best way to solve it is to accept that there is problem,” Sirajo said.

He assured that the institute through its council would ensure the report was put into use to reposition NIPR.

Chairman of the committee Prof. Tony Iredia said they were eager to see a transformed NIPR and as such the need for the report.

Iredia said: “The work of this committee is to ensure NIPR has a formidable policy and method of implementing the policy.

”That is what strategy is all about and that is why this committee was set up to energise the NIPR.

“So much has happened in the past and many people have asked questions such as who is an NIPR member and who is not supposed to be, and so on.

“All these questions have been asked and in tackling the policies and strategies for creating such policies we have taken cognisance of the state of affairs that portrays the realities on ground.

“We are committed to transform this body into a respectable professional body in Nigeria, that is why we came up with this report and council should look through and make their decision.”

He noted that time had come for the institute to ensure those practicing Public Relations had the professional competence to do so.

Dr Ike Neliaku, a fellow of NIPR and Secretary of the Policy and Strategic Committee said the institute had also through its “master class” programme harvested and harnessed practitioners of Public Relations across the country who were practicing illegally.

This, Neliaku said, was also part of effort to maintain professionalism in the profession.

“Unless you are regulated, registered and authorised to practice by NIPR, you are a quack, you don’t exist and it is actually an offence under the law of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that one of its own, Mrs Ebere Agozie, was among the no fewer than 60 PR practitioners inducted on Friday after a rigorous training. (NAN)

(FLOWERBUDNEWS) The Initiative to Save Democracy, a pressure group, says that the relationship between President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo remains mutually respectful.

The group’s President, Mr Oladele Peter, in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, condemned individuals and groups sowing seeds of discord between both leaders.

The statement came at the heels of speculations about a crack in the relationship between Buhari and  Osinbajo,

“As much as we know, the relationship between the president and the vice president remains cordial and any group or individual insinuating otherwise should desist as this is capable of distracting the leadership of the country and plunging the nation into political crisis.”

He attributed the development to some faceless elements desperate for power, adding that the group had uncovered another plot by the same individuals to make public some fake documents with the aim of defaming Osinbajo.

Peter, however, assured that the attempts of the elements would remain futile, noting as the truth about everything would eventually come to light.

“What all these point to is what seems a likely continuation of the failed Dubai Strategy of opposition elements, or at least something comparable to it.

“Whatever it is, it would also be seen for what it is, baseless and without any substance and doomed on arrival.”

On reactions by Femi Fani-Kayode, Oladele  said that the former aviation minister’s claims were total lies.

“It is total fabrication of lies; Fani-Kayode should substantiate the claim about the secrets the vice president has with former NIA Director-General, Amb. Ayo Oke.

“When 43 million dollar, N23 million, 27,800 pounds were found in the possession of the former director-general, Osinbajo insisted that he should explain himself and defend himself of the charges.”

Peter described as ridiculous claims by Fani-Kayode that Osinbajo had been demoted or humiliated as a result of the recent development in the presidency.

According to him, the president has simply adopted a different strategy as he is entitled to how he manages the Federal Government’s economic management affairs.

“The vice president continues to be Chairman of the National Economic Council by virtue of the Constitution.

“This is the organ that oversees the economic affairs of the federation.

“As a matter of fact, Osinbajo will be presiding over the meeting of the National Economic Council(NEC), tomorrow.”

He urged Osinbajo to remain focused in his efforts to ensure a better and stronger Nigeria.

Peter implored Nigerians to disregard utterances and comments by those he described as ‘agents of disunity and destruction’.

“Attempts to sow seeds of discord between the vice president and the president will fail and already failing because both of them have a mutually respectful relationship.

“The vice president does not need Fani-Kayode’s help and that of other foolish pretenders, whom when they had the opportunities to serve in public, made a mess of national and economic affairs, compelling the Nigerian people to sack Fani-Kayode and his infamous party.”

Responding to comments credited to the Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Oladele said the views of spokesman for the group, Mr Yinka Odumakin, was unfortunate and not surprising given Odumakin’s antecedence.

“It is laughable to conclude that Office of the Vice President occupied by Osinbajo has been rendered impotent and irrelevant.

“As already stated, Osinbajo will chair tomorrow’s NEC, an important body recognised by the Constitution of Nigeria, especially in taking decisions affecting the entirety of the country including the states.

“It is pertinent to note that Osinbajo has not been removed from office, and contrary to what Odumakin wants Nigerians to believe, the vice president has not been indicted or found wanting,” he said.