Category: News

A wonderful serenity has taken possession of my entire soul, like these sweet mornings of spring which I enjoy with my whole heart.

  • VIDEO: Many Injuries As Nigerian Fed. Lawmaker Empowers Constituents With Coconut Seedlings

    VIDEO: Many Injuries As Nigerian Fed. Lawmaker Empowers Constituents With Coconut Seedlings

    VIDEO: Many Injuries As Nigerian Fed. Lawmaker Empowers Constituents With Coconut Seedlings

    Fight broke out on Wednesday among constituents of Senator Okey Ezea, representing Enugu North Senatorial District in Enugu State, over his ‘coconut seedling empowerment’.

    Ezea was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, LP.

    Ibom Focus   learnt the the Enugu senator recently empowered his constituents with coconut seedlings.

    It was sighted a video on Thursday in which people were seen fighting to get the coconut seedlings, with a source alleging that some persons were injured.

    However, a chieftain of the party in the state said the exercise went smoothly.

  • S3x Workers Cries Out For Help Over Poor Patronage, Urges Dialogue –

    S3x Workers Cries Out For Help Over Poor Patronage, Urges Dialogue –

    S3x Workers Cries Out For Help Over Poor Patronage, Urges Dialogue

    Commercial s3x workers in Kano have appealed to organisers of the nationwide hunger protests to engage the Federal Government in dialogue.

    They told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the protests had crippled social-economic activities, leaving them without customers and struggling to survive.

    Monica James, who operates on France Road, said that dialogue was the only option to address the grievances of the protesters.

    “I have not eaten for two days because of the curfew; our customers are nowhere to be found,” she said.

    She urged the organisers to shelve their protests and negotiate with the government to end the demonstrations.

    Deborah Iliya, a s3x worker on Yoruba Road, who echoed James’ sentiments, described the situation as horrible, as she has not been able to find customers.

    Hannatu Ibrahim, of Weather Head Area, also called for an end to the protests, joining the growing calls for a return of normalcy.

    Caroline James, a s3x worker operating from a brothel on Enugu street in Sabon Gari, said that the infiltration of hoodlums and subsequent violence “spoilt our business.”

    She said that she had booked clients who were willing to pay between N30, 000 and N40,000, but they were unable to keep their appointments due to the tension and curfew.

    A sex worker, who preferred to remain anonymous, said that some of her colleagues were forced to share rooms due to the lack of customers during the protest.

    She appealed to the authorities to relax the curfew, stating that it had severely impacted their ability to conduct business.

    Moses John, a bar attendant, told NAN that the curfew had severely impacted business activities in Sabon Gari, with hotels and bars hardly selling due to the absence of customers.

    Kenneth John, a dealer in Esi Ewu ( goat head) on Aitken Road, told NAN that the curfew had negatively impacted business activities in Sabon Gari, lamenting that he had lost several heads of goats due to lack of power supply.

  • VIDEO: Tinubu Begs Nigerians, Says Please Have Faith In My Govt’s Ability To Deliver –

    VIDEO: Tinubu Begs Nigerians, Says Please Have Faith In My Govt’s Ability To Deliver

    Tinubu Begs Nigerians

    President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to remain patient and optimistic, promising a new era of prosperity, on the seventh day of nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.

    In a video statement released by the State House on Wednesday, President Tinubu acknowledged the challenges faced by Nigerians following the fuel subsidy removal, and reassured them that his administration is working towards a better future. This message comes three days after his national broadcast, where he addressed the protesters but was criticised for failing to address their concerns.

    President Tinubu acknowledged a delay between the removal of fuel subsidies and the realization of benefits from his plans, characterizing it as an ‘avoidable lag’.

    He admitted that there is a gap between the implementation of his policies and the time it takes for citizens to experience the positive outcomes.

    The President urged Nigerians to have faith in his administration, assuring them that the measures taken by his government will ultimately lead the country out of its current economic crisis and into a brighter future.

    He said, “Fellow Nigerians, this period may be hard on us and there’s no doubt that it is tough on us but I urge you all to look beyond the present temporary pains and aim at the larger picture.

    “All our good and helpful plans are in the works. More importantly, I know that they will work. Sadly, there was an avoidable lag between subsidy removal and these plans coming fully on line.

    “I plead with you, please, have faith in our ability to deliver and in our concern for your well-being. We will get out of this turbulence and due to the measures we have taken, Nigeria will be better equipped and able to take advantage of the future that awaits her.

    “For example, we shall fulfill our promise to make education more affordable to all and provide loans to higher education students who may need them. No Nigerian students will have to abandon higher education system because of lack of money.

    “Our commitment is to promote the greatest good for the greatest number of our people. On principle, we shall never falter, I assure you, my fellow countrymen and women, that we are exiting the darkness to enter a new and glorious dawn. Now, I must get back to work in order to make this vision come true.”

  • BREAKING: US Election: Kamala Harris Picks Walz As Running Mate –

    BREAKING: US Election: Kamala Harris Picks Walz As Running Mate

    Kamala Harris Picks Walz

    Following the November Presidential election. United States Vice President, Kamala Harris has chosen Minnesota Governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate.

    Harris will face-off against Republican, ex-President Donald Trump.

    The 60-year-old Walz emerged as a dark horse contender and has now been picked over other high-profile names, especially Pennsylvania Governor, Josh Shapiro, and Arizona Senator, Mark Kelly, who dominated the early discussions.

    Over the last week, the Minnesota governor saw his profile rise considerably, especially after a viral interview in which he derided some Republicans as “weird”, a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats.

    Many also saw Walz as a safer choice for Harris due to his liberal bonafides and the fact that some of the other contenders had come under fire from certain segments of the left.

    Shapiro received heavy scrutiny recently over his response to pro-Palestinian protests that emerged in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, over which both he and Kelly drew the ire of union leaders.

    Adding to Walz’s appeal is the fact that he hails from a Midwestern state that Trump has increasingly set his sights on flipping.

    Though Biden won Minnesota in 2020 by seven points, and no Republican has won the presidential race there in more than 50 years, Trump and his running mate JD Vance have stepped up their efforts to campaign in the state.

  • Akpabio: NDDC’s Forensic Report On N81.5bn Spending Nowhere To Be Found – Minister Laments

    Akpabio: NDDC’s Forensic Report On N81.5bn Spending Nowhere To Be Found – Minister Laments

    Akpabio: NDDC’s Forensic Report On N81.5bn Spending Nowhere To Be Found – Minister Laments

    The Minister of Niger Delta, Abubakar Momoh, has revealed that the forensic report on the spending of N81.5 billion appropriated to the Niger Delta Development Commission between January and July 2020 cannot be found.

    Momoh disclosed this Tuesday during a Channels Television interview.

    “I expected that when I took over office, the report would be at the Ministry. But when I asked the Permanent Secretary, those there said they had not been able to see the report.”

    He, however, assured that the report will be found very soon and made available to Nigerians.

    Momoh vowed that those indicted by the report would be punished accordingly.

    “We will not relent in finding where the report is and bringing it before the government for implementation. All those found culpable will be punished. It is not possible to take government funds and go scot-free. I can assure you that we will do our best to find the report and prosecute those found culpable.

    “In a very short time, the report will be obtained. Once we get it, Nigerians will be aware of its contents,” he said.

    Recall that in 2020, drama ensued in the National Assembly when the then Minister of Niger Delta, now Senate President Godswill Akpabio, appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Niger Delta to account for the N81.5 billion spent by the Niger Delta Development Commission in the first half of 2020.

    It was recalls that the then-acting MD, Prof. Kemebradikumo Pondei, fainted during the interrogation.

    Similarly, interrogation led to the phrase “honorable minister (Akpabio) off your mic,” which has since gained popularity in the country.

    However, aside from the presentation of the forensic report document to former President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2021, little has been heard about its implementation or the content of the report to date.

  • We Never Knew It Would Be Like This – APC Blasts Tinubu –

    We Never Knew It Would Be Like This – APC Blasts Tinubu –

    We Never Knew It Would Be Like This – APC Blasts Tinubu

    Erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on the nationwide protest against hunger and bad governance in Nigeria, describing it as shallow and grossly out of tune with the concerns that triggered the countrywide demonstration.

    In a statement made available to the media, the party chieftain said Nigerians would have loved to hear the President outline the policy inclination of his administration in addressing the very genuine concerns of Nigerians, including the flamboyant costs incurred in running public offices and the lavish lifestyle of government functionaries.

    “The president, in his broadcast, overlooked critical issues constituting a clog and stunting the growth of our country and her people such as high cost of governance, corruption, judicial rascality, corrupt electoral umpire, hunger, unemployment, harsh impact of fuel subsidy removal, armed banditry and general insecurity, high cost of living and more. So the broadcast seeks to discredit the substance of the ongoing protests and therefore rings hollow.”

    Expressing disappointment over the president’s display of levity in handling the volatile situation across the country which is a direct creation of his ineptitude, Eze said Tinubu has isolated himself from the objectives of the APC; a party founded on the ideals of a united, prosperous Nigeria.

    Eze maintained that as a one time spokesperson for nPDP and a member of the APC Media Legacy Project Committee, “I must state that what Tinubu is currently superintending is not the vision of APC that most of us risked our lives to bring to be.

    According to Eze, “we never brought APC to visit Nigeria and Nigerians with the level of hunger pervading our nation and warranting citizens to resort to suicide as the last resort to escaping the hardship neither did we bring APC to visit Nigeria and Nigerians with the level of insecurity that has enveloped us to such an extent where it becomes suicidal for farmers to go to their farms for whatever purpose.

    “We never envisaged that our common effort to bring APC to salvage Nigeria will be so corrupted by the inordinate ambition of Tinubu to foist himself on the country as president and on this footing we owe Nigerians an unreserved apology. Our beloved country has turned to a laughing stock before the international community as most countries now advise their citizens to be wary of traveling to Nigeria.”

    Concerned by the hyper level of corruption, Eze queried the justification for spending over 21billion Naira to build a house for the Vice President in the midst of the thriving hardship, as if the VP was homeless, noting that under Tinubu’s nose, corruption is considered a way of life for government officials and they find it right to imprudently indulge in fanfare of squander mania, leaving the ordinary people in squalor without a hint of remorse.

  • Nigerian Governor Budgets N19.3billion To Purchase Kitchen Equipment –

    Nigerian Governor Budgets N19.3billion To Purchase Kitchen Equipment –

    Nigerian Governor Budgets N19.3billion To Purchase Kitchen Equipment

    A review of the Zamfara State budget performance document has shown that the state budgeted the sum of N19.3billion to purchase kitchen and canteen equipment for the 2024 fiscal year.

    Only the construction/provision of roads got more money than the purchase of canteen and kitchen equipment in the 2024 fiscal year.
    For instance, the state budgeted N8.4 billion for construction/provision of water facilities for the 2024 fiscal year, N6.1 billion for public schools, even the provision of airport/aerodromes was budgeted at only N8 billion, construction/provision of hospitals and health centres stood at N1.7 billion.

    None of the expenditures were up to the N19.3 billion budgeted for purchase of canteen and kitchen equipment by the state for the 2024 fiscal year.

    At the ministerial level, the capital budget for the women and social development ministry was only N3.4 billion, the Ministry of Health was N20.6 billion, just above kitchen and canteen equipment purchase by a paltry N1.3 billion, the ministry of environment and natural resources capital budget stands at N5.7 billion, which is less than the N19.3 billion budgeted for kitchen and canteen equipment.

    This mis-prioritisation of budgeting is despite unemployment put at 13.7% in Zamfara and underemployment standing at 41.7% per details published by the multidimensional poverty index of the National Bureau of Statistics.
    Also, 1.8 million persons in Zamfara are also said to be poor, 44% of children of school age in the state are deprived access to school attendance, 79% lack access to sanitary facilities, while 51% lack access to clean drinking water, per details published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

  • BREAKING: PDP Fires Ortom, Others –

    BREAKING: PDP Fires Ortom, Others –

    BREAKING: PDP Fires Ortom, Others

    A former Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom and three others have been suspended by the Benue Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, over alleged anti-party activities.

    Chief Ortom’s sack emanated from the meeting of the State Working Committee, SWC, of the PDP, in Makurdi.

    Those suspended alongside Ortom are the state Deputy Chairman of PDP, Mr Isaac Mffor and state Publicity Secretary, Mr Bemgba Iortyom.

    This was contained in a statement on Monday by the Media Consultant of the PDP, Cornelius Hwande.

    Hwande said Ortom was suspended for his choice of the Labour Party candidate in the 2023 election and his statement calling on Benue PDP to vote for APC in the 2027 Presidential election .

    He said the party’s Vice Chairman of Zone A, Azua Ashongo was also suspended for gross insubordination and indiscipline.

    Hwande said the suspension of Mffor and Iortyom was because of their involvement in the snatching of Congress materials meant for the conduct of last Saturday’s ward congresses in Buruku and Ushongo local government areas respectively.

  • God, Please ‘Deliver Us From Tinubu’s Hardship’, Elderly Woman Cries Out-

    God, Please ‘Deliver Us From Tinubu’s Hardship’, Elderly Woman Cries Out-

    God, Please ‘Deliver Us From Tinubu’s Hardship’, Elderly Woman Pray

    An elderly woman participating in the nationwide #EndHunger protests in Sango, Ogun, has criticised President Bola Tinubu for plunging millions of Nigerians into hardship and poverty, praying for deliverance.

    “I came from Owode to join the protest. Is it acceptable for we elderly to be begging for alms to survive? We beg for alms to survive. I and my children are starving,” the woman lamented in a viral video recorded at the protest ground.

    The woman decried unemployment among youths and bad roads.

    “Our children don’t have jobs. Men and woman in Sango are unemployed. No jobs. All the roads are bad. (God) Deliver us from this government,” she stated. “Deliver us from Tinubu. What he promised to do are not what he is doing. He is suffering us. Deliver us from his government. Rice is unaffordable. Garri is unaffordable.”

    Meanwhile, Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka has warned Mr Tinubu of a potential revolution over his security forces’ high-handedness.

    “The serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression, and we know what that eventually proves—a prelude to far more desperate upheavals, not excluding revolutions,” Mr Soyinka warned.

    The president’s longtime ally added, “My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.

    “Such short-changing of civic deserving, regrettably, goes to arm the security forces in the exercise of impunity and condemns the nation to a seemingly unbreakable cycle of resentment and reprisals.

    “Live bullets as state response to civic protest—that becomes the core issue. Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances, certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest. Hunger marches constitute a universal SOS, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation.”

  • Nigerian Governor Aide Caught Giving Money To Hoodlums To Disrupt Protest –

    Nigerian Governor Aide Caught Giving Money To Hoodlums To Disrupt Protest –

    Nigerian Governor Aide Caught Giving Money To Hoodlums To Disrupt Protest

    The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on youth to Ondo Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Solomon Olaolu Kevin, has been captured on camera allegedly sharing money to thugs to disrupt the ongoing nationwide protest in the state.

    The hoodlums seen in a video chanting “No Protest” after they received the cash from the governor’s aide.

    The hoodlums were also armed with sticks, waving it to intimidate Nigerians currently exercising their civic rights in the state.

    It was earlier reported that for the third day in a row, a massive gathering of Lagos State residents and the Take-It-Back Movement converged in Ojota, Lagos State, to continue the peaceful protest.

    Under the banner of #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria, the protesters remain united in their pursuit of transformative change and accountability.

    With slogans and placards, the demonstrators have maintained a serene and orderly atmosphere, vocally expressing their demands for enhanced governance and a more promising future for Nigeria.

    It was also reported how the government together with security operatives intensified their efforts to clamp down on the public demonstrations.

    For instance, hundreds of protesters who gathered at the Moshood Abiola stadium in Abuja in continuation of the #Endbadgovernance protest on Saturday morning were arrested by the Nigerian police.

    Also, no fewer than 11 youths and residents In Yobe State were equally arrested after they were forcefully taken from their homes.