Author: Lawal AbdulSalam Olawale

Nigeria, with the support of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), is organizing a high-level African counter-terrorism summit under the theme, ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation and Institution Building to Address the Evolving Threat of Terrorism’, in Abuja, from April 22 to April 23.

 

The objective of the summit is to enhance multilateral counter-terrorism cooperation and reshape the international community’s collective response to terrorism in Africa, while emphasizing the importance of African-led and African-owned solutions.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President(Media & Publicity) disclosed this on Sunday in a statement.

 

The summit, Ngelale added, wll provide a platform to review the nature and severity of the threat of terrorism on the continent, with a view to agreeing on concrete strategic priorities and measures to address this scourge. It will also foster deeper regional collaboration, enhancing the institutional capacity of member states and facilitating the exchange of best practices and knowledge to combat the multifaceted threat of terrorism in Africa.

Heads of state and government and high-level government officials across Africa, representatives of international organizations and multilateral institutions, members of the diplomatic corps, and members of civil society groups are expected to attend the summit.

 

Ms. Amina Mohammed, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, will attend the event.

 

Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser, and Mr. Vladimir Voronkov, the Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, UNOCT, will deliver the concluding remarks at the end of the summit.

Youths of Ebiraland under the aegis of Ebiraland Youths Coalition have called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to ensure that nothing happens to the immediate past governor of Kogi state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.

The Youth, in a Press statement signed by its Coordinator, Mr Fache Onimisi Moses, said that some people in high places, conniving with other ethnic bigots from Kogi State, were working tirelessly, not only to put the former governor’s life in the harm’s way, but also to ridicule the entire people of Ebiraland.

said the simultaneous actions of the DSS and Police to withdraw the security guards of the former governor, not minding the subsisting Court order restraining EFCC from arresting him, showed the connivance of powerful people, who possibly wanted Bello eliminated by all means.

 

“The action of the Police and DSS has now made the former governor vulnerable and the youths of our land will be left with no other options than to defend our own even if it’s with our bare hands if the harassments continue unabated,” the Ebira youths declared.

 

The statement called on President Ahmed Tinubu to rise to the occasion to stop the unwarranted harassment of the former governor by EFCC which itself is a creation of the law.

 

It noted that if the commission felt dissatisfied with the restraining order given to the former governor by the State high court, it could use all legal means available to it to vacate the order rather than engaging in its “current shameful actions”.

 

The Coalition also advised some youths of the other ethnic groups in the state to be mindful of how they use the social media to malign Yahaya Bello and his ethnic group, nothing that their actions were capable of truncating the peace currently enjoyed in the state.

The statement reminded the youths of Kogi East of the role played by youths of Central when Former Governor Abubakar Audu was brought to court in handcuffs by the EFCC after he left office.

 

It said the youths of Central believed that the humiliation by EFCC was a slap on the collective sensibility of the people of the state and they mobilized to protest right before the court and that made the arraignment almost impossible at that time.

 

They therefore cautioned that if some Kogi East youths were now taking to the social media to celebrate Bello’s ordeal and maligning Ebira people, that put their sense of appreciation to question and it has repercussions.

ABUJA, NIGERIA, April 19, 2024 — In a significant move to advance the rights and welfare of children in Nigeria, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Nigerian Guild of Editors, and the Diamond Awards for Media Excellence (DAME) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This partnership aims to leverage media’s influential power to promote and protect children’s rights across the nation.

 

The collaboration will focus on advocacy and awareness campaigns, capacity building for journalists, shared research, recognition of impactful media contributions, and influencing policy to support children’s rights. The MOU underscores a commitment from all parties to work collectively towards a society that upholds and advances the welfare of its youngest members.

 

“This partnership with the Nigerian Guild of Editors and DAME harnesses the media’s immense potential as an advocate for the welfare of children. Media not only informs public opinion but also influences those in power to enact changes that favour children’s rights. By joining forces, we are setting a course to transform how children’s rights are reported and addressed in the media, ensuring every child’s rights are respected, protected, and fulfilled.” Said Cristian Munduate, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

 

The President of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, Eze Anaba, highlighted the role of media in societal change, saying, “Media has the profound capacity to shape perspectives and effect real change. Through this MOU, we are pledging to uphold the integrity of journalism by focusing our collective expertise on sensitive and impactful reporting concerning children’s rights. We are committed to working together to build a robust framework that supports this cause.”

 

The Trustee of DAME, Lanre Idowu, emphasized the importance of excellence in journalism, “Recognition through awards plays a crucial role in elevating journalistic standards. By focusing on issues such as child rights, education, and health, we aim to spotlight and incentivize the media to cover stories that can lead to substantial social impact. This partnership is not just about awarding excellence, but about creating a movement for meaningful media engagement on issues that affect the most vulnerable in our society.”

 

The MOU which is for a period of two years, outlines cooperation to enhance public advocacy and awareness of children’s rights through media campaigns and journalistic content focused on education, health, nutrition and protection. It includes developing training programmes for journalists to improve reporting on vulnerable populations and sharing up-to-date research to enrich media content. Additionally, it promotes awards recognizing outstanding journalism that aligns with UNICEF’s priorities and uses media influence to drive policy changes that benefit children’s welfare.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, in southern Nigeria, Prof. Florence Banku Obi, has stressed the need for the Federal Government to pay special attention to human capital development since it is crucial in achieving the needed development of the country.

 

Delivering the 2024 Bullion Lecture of the Centre for Financial Journalism with theme “Human Capital Development: Catalyst for Nigeria’s Prosperity” on Thursday in Lagos, Prof. Banku Obi traced many of the development challenges facing the country to lack of national values.

 

Describing human capital as consisting of skills, competences, knowledge and attributes that individuals have gathered over time to make it possible to realize their potential in society, she stated that human capital is the true engine of economic growth, social progress and national development.

 

According to her, these skills and experiences are also required for development of self, society or the nation.

 

The Vice Chancellor, who has been in the university system for over 32 years, observed that Nigeria is endowed with abundant mineral resources, but that the country’s ‘’most valuable asset is not our abundant oil, our numerous mineral resources or our vast land, it is our people’’

 

“The flourishing wealth and success of a nation and the attendant socio-economic wellbeing and material condition of the people constitute its prosperity. It is a painful paradox that with all its wealth, Nigeria is not prosperous,” she said.

 

She lamented the poor investment in education by the Federal Government of Nigeria. “By comparison, the investment of Nigeria as a nation state in education is one of the least in Africa,” she said.

Speaking on how human capital development can serve as a catalyst for Nigeria’s prosperity, she stated that it can only happen when the nation invests adequately in the citizens through proper motivation and incentive, law-abiding, conscientious, hardworking, which will bring about economic growth, social progress and national development.

 

According to her, investing in human capital is akin to investing in the engine that propels the car.

 

She, however, called for the reform of the country’s educational curriculum and so that there should be more emphasis on technical education and mentoring.

 

Prof Banku Obi also called for value reorientation as well as creation of innovative hubs for small businesses, provision of infrastructure, funding support for businesses and collaboration between the universities and the private sector, especially in the area of research and utilization of research findings.

 

She also recommended the apprentice scheme that is popular with states in the South East as a good model for business mentoring and wealth distribution.

The Osun State Ministry of Works and Infrastructure has announced a temporary road closure and diversion starting from Friday, April 19th, to Monday, April 22nd, and permanent closure starting from Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024.

 

According to a statement released by the Permanent Secretary, Engr. Bashir Bello, the closure and diversion affect routes leading to LAMECO roundabout and Okefia. The diversion is aimed at enabling the ministry to carry out essential road maintenance and infrastructure upgrade.

 

Motorists and road users are advised to follow diversion signs and directions from traffic control officers, including the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) and Osun Traffic Marshals (OTRAMA). The diversion routes have been carefully planned to minimize disruption to traffic flow.

 

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the Ministry of Education to include graduates of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) in the National Youth Service Corps scheme.

 

The President also resolved the longstanding issue of offering admission to NOUN Law graduates to participate in the Law School vocational training that qualifies them to be called to Bar, thereby bridging gap in the country for equal opportunities.

 

Some of the NOUN Law graduates had in 2021, participated in a two semester Special Remedial Programme (SRP), which was a prerequisite academic programme approved by the Council for Legal Education (CLE) as condition for admission to the Law Dchool for the Bar Final programme, but a few of the successful of the participants were offered admission into the on-going Bar 11 programme.

 

President Tinubu gave the directive at the 13th convocation ceremony of NOUN last Saturday, at the university’s Convocation Arena, Jabi, Abuja.

 

Before now, NOUN graduates in 2017 were assured by the former Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Abdallah Adamu, that they would soon be able to participate in the National Youth Service Corps and the Nigerian Law School.

 

Adamu, in an interview, said, “the fact is that the National University Commission law doesn’t allow those who do part-time studies to do NYSC, and the original Act that established NOUN says we offer courses by correspondence, and that is the expression NYSC is using to say ‘if it’s a correspondence course, then it is part-time, if it’s part-time, then the students are not eligible for NYSC.’

 

Recall that a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt had some years ago quashed a suit by Law graduates of NOUN seeking admission into the Nigerian Law School.

 

Some graduates of the NOUN Law Department instituted a legal action on May 12, 2015, against the CLE, NUC, the Attorney-General of the Federation and NOUN over their refusal to admit them to the Law School.

 

In their suit, the graduates wanted the court to compel the relevant authorities to make provisions to include them in the Nigerian Law School just as law graduates from other institutions.

 

But, President Tinubu, gave the new directive through the Deputy Executive Secretary, NUC, Prof. Biodun Saliu, who represented him at the convocation on Saturday, adding that the opportunity opportunity to participate in NYSC programme is within the age bracket as allowed by the law.

 

“The doors of the Law School are now open to the graduates, ensuring equal opportunities for all. Any remaining concerns or uncertainties should be promptly addressed by the Federal Ministry of Education.

 

“We will continue to do this in order to improve quality, access, and affordability.

 

“Government is, therefore, committed through the Federal Ministry of Education and the NUC to provide the enabling environment to ensure a good delivery of this mode of education in Nigeria.”

 

The president noted that the gathering was not just a celebration of the graduates’ academic successes but also highlighted the crucial role that Open and Distance Education has in shaping the nation’s educational framework.

 

He, therefore, affirmed his administration’s commitment to enhancing ODL to expand access to higher education across the nation, emphasizing that the utilisation of ODL is essential for meeting the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

 

The president expressed satisfaction with what NOUN has become, stressing that it is a central figure in advancing the government’s commitment to achieving educational goals through ICT.

A High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, has restrained the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission from infringing on the fundamental human rights of Alhaji Yahaya Bello, former Kogi State Governor.

In a two hour judgment delivered on Wednesday, at the High Court 4 and presided over by Hon. Justice I.A Jamil, in suit no HCL/68/M/2020, the court restrained the EFCC from arresting, detaining and prosecuting the applicant except as authorised by the Court.

This is a definite order following the earlier interim injunction given.

The judgment followed the suit brought before the court by Alhaji Yahaya Bello, the applicant, seeking to enforce his fundamental rights against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

 

The Court equally restrained the respondents from continuing to persecute the Applicant.

 

Earlier in the judgement, the Court dismissed the issue of jurisdiction as challenged by the EFCC.

 

The Applicant’s Counsel SA Abbas and MS Yusuf, described the judgment as landmark while the

Defendant Counsel, T.U Odima and Patrick O. Jibril also aligned themselves to the judgment, describing it as thorough.

Embattled leader of the proscribed Indegenous People of Biafra, (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, his legal team and relatives have rushed into an emergency meeting on Wednesday after a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja which is hearing his case threatened to adjourn the matter “sine die” – indefinitely, if Kanu continues to stall commencement of trial.

 

Kanu’s lawyer, Aloy Ejimakor had earlier today gave some conditions to be met by the court for his client to submit to trial.

Some of the conditions were that the bail earlier granted him should be restored; he should be relocated from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and he should be allowed free access to his lawyers to enable him to prepare for his trial.

But the prosecuting lawyer, Adegboyega Awomolo (SAN) objected to Ejimakor’s requests, describing them as frivolous vexatious, irritating, and unmeritorious.

 

 

 

Justice Binta Nyako who is entertaining the matter said the case should be opened to for commencement of trial and to enable the prosecution call his witnesses, threatening to adjourn indefinitely the trial should Kanu insist on further delaying the take – off of  it

Justice Nyako fixed the ruling on the requests by Kanu’s lawyer for May 20 but insisted that progress must be made in the case on Wednesday, April 17, by allowing the prosecution to open its case by calling witnesses.

 

The judge said: “It is either we open this trial today by prosecution calling witnesses or I adjourn this matter indefinitely till the time you are ready for trial.

 

“You cannot continue to hold the court to ransom. I hope you know the consequences of adjourning the trial sine die. You have to make a choice and the choice has to be for you.

 

“I will rise for some minutes for you to think about this and make a choice and that choice has to be made today”, Justice Nyako said shortly before standing down proceedings.”

 

Rattled by the court’s warning and stance, Kanu, members of his legal team, and some relatives in court dashed into emergency meeting on what next option to take.