YES !!! Don’t try it, Ruga settlements will set Nigeria on fire – Soyinka

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has warned the Federal Government against the proposed establishment of Ruga settlements across the country for herdsmen.

He warned that the move, if not checked will set the country on fire.

Speaking in Lagos on Tuesday at the launch of United Nations’ Solutions 17 SDG programme, Soyinka berated the federal government for the idea, which he warned will cause Nigeria to explode.

According to him: “RUGA is going to be an explosion if not handled with care. But why do we not take our policies from good models? This is not the way people and countries deal with issues of cattle.

“I travel everywhere. It has to be handled in a way that is logical, comprehensible to the environment. When a cattle walks up to the window of my house in Abeokuta, a house which is located in a residential area, then there’s a problem.

“When cattle go to Ijebu Ode and eat up their plant seedlings and so on and you expect people to be quiet?”

He declared that the handling of the herdsmen issue by President Muhammadu Buhari was enough to make him lose re-election.

“President Buhari deserved to have lost the last election for the lackadaisical attitude he took to the issue of cattle rearing in the country.

“People have been killed in hundreds just because of the failure of leadership at a critical time. And the cattle herders have been given a sense of impunity. They kill without any compunction, they drive away the farmers who have been contributing to the food solutions in the country, the cattle eat their crops and then you come up with Ruga.

“I think that there is going to be trouble in this country if this Ruga thing is not handled imaginatively and with humanity as a priority. Any country where cattle takes priority over human life is definitely at an elementary stage,” he maintained.

- PM NEWS 

Sowore, Nnamdi Kanu meet in US, discuss ‘how to fight Nigerian oppressors’

Omoyele Sowore, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2019 elections, met with Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), in New York on Tuesday.

In a Facebook video, Sowore said the meeting which is one of many to come would send “shock waves down the spine of the oppressors in Nigeria”.

“They know that the moment all the oppressed people get together, they are in trouble. We are calling on all our brothers and sisters, wherever you may be,” Sowore said. 

“The colour of injustice is the same, whether it is affecting you in Biafra land, it’s affecting you in Yoruba land, it’s affecting you in Idoma land, or even in Zamfara, or even in Niger Republic and other places on the continent of Africa. 

“It doesn’t matter where oppression is ruining your life, what you need is freedom and what we are determined to give you is that freedom.” 

He said they talked about things they have both been passionate about but on a different plane and both respect those boundaries. 

“Those of you out there who think we have big differences and that we can’t talk, know that when people have revolutionary minds, these minds meet and bodies eventually meet,” he said. 

On his part, Kanu described Sowore, as his friend, saying their eventual meeting was a confirmation that people can come together. 

“I met with my good friend Sowore and it has yielded today a confirmation that people can come together,” he said. 

“There isn’t much of a difference for what we are fighting for because we are fighting for justice. We know and hope that the people that found themselves today trapped in that contraption called Nigeria will one day be free and it takes people to do it.

“I doubt it comes from heaven and we have to do it, we have decided to do it and it must be done.”

In a telephone conversation with TheCable, Sowore said they had three separate meetings, and the first was to hear him out on the matters of concern to his constituency.

The second was to discuss a possible collaboration and synergy, and the third was how to bring more young Nigerians desirous of total change.

“This was my plan had I become president, one of my duties would have been to bring all warring factions together and rewrite the constitution that is agreeable to all,” he said.

Kanu, who is facing trial alongside other Biafran activists for alleged treason, had gone into hiding months after his bail only to reappear in Israel after one year. 

In April, he had described a warrant of arrest issued against him as “merely academic.”

- THECABLE 

Popular Pastor found guilty of sexual assault, detained in prison

Paul Mukendi, the renowned Congolese Pastor of Parole de Vie evangelical church in Quebec, Canada, has been found guilty of a 9-count charge of sexual assault.

A 31-year-old woman, who came into his care after her mother “gave her as an offering” to him when she was still an under-aged teenager, had accused him of sexually assaulting her for 14 years (2002 to 2016).

While Pastor Paul Mukendi claimed that the victim is “motivated by financial gain” and fabricated the entire story, she stood her ground as the trial began on June 4.
The Congolese Pastor was, however, found guilty by the Jury, as other women came forward with their own claims about being sexually abused, MSN reports.

Judge Jean-François Émond in ruling denied his lawyer’s request for him to be released pending his sentencing in September.
He further instructed for an immediate detention of the pastor.

- DAILY POST 

PL : Nigerian midfielder given provisional squad number at Arsenal

Nigeria U-23 midfielder, Kelechi Nwakali on Tuesday, July 2, trained with Arsenal U23s squad at London Colney, AllNigeriaSoccer reports.
Nwakali was part of the preparations ahead of a potential debut in a pre-season friendly against Boreham Wood at Meadow Park this weekend.

He has been provisionally assigned the number 98 jersey for pre-season training.
Nwakali was not the only Nigerian player that participated in the workout which was watched by Arsenal Academy Director, Per Mertesacker.
James Olayinka, Bukayo Saka, Joseph Olowu, Tolaji Bola, Folarin Balogun and Xavier Amaechi have all reported for pre-season training and trained with numbers 52, 77, 53, 40, 38 and 36 shirts respectively.

Only Saka has played competitively for Arsenal’s team in the Premier League, FA Cup and Europa League.

- DAILY POST

EFCC investigates 20 Kwara officials, recovers billions, stolen assets

Twenty officials of the Kwara State Government have been investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ilorin Zone.
The Zone comprises Kwara, Ekiti and Kogi States.

At a news conference in Ilorin, the state capital, Tuesday, head of the zone, Mr Ishaku Shari, said over 15 properties of the affected officials of government in choice Areas of Ilorin metropolis, ranging from hotels, filling stations, residential accommodation and micro-finance, had been uncovered and investigated.
“The affected senior officials ranging in status from assistant directors, accountant, to treasurers among others, and whose monthly salaries are not more than N90,000.”
He added that N10bn stolen by the immediate past government was intercepted and saved for the current administration.

“You will agree with me that official corruption is the greatest killer as those officials who ordinarily are supposed to guard and protect state resources have turned out to misappropriate it.
“To this end, the commission beamed its searchlight on the Kwara state officials and on a credible tip-off the commission is currently investigating over 15 properties in choice areas within Ilorin metropolis ranging from hotels, filling stations, residential accommodation, micro-finance among others.
“It will shock you to hear that the alleged owners are civil servants whose salary per month is not more than N90,000. Some have confessed and the matter is in court,” Shari hinted.

The Zonal head told newsmen that the commission successfully intercepted billions of naira that the last administration allegedly wanted to pilfer few days to its exit.
He noted that it has always been a tradition in the country except microscopic few that whenever any government is exiting, it will indulge in mass pilferage as the last minute golden opportunity, hence, “our resolve to mount surveillance on all Kwara State government accounts between 24th and 29th May,2019, when the state received FAAC,JAAC,VAT and tax refund from the Federal government to the tune of N10bn.
“I can authoritatively tell you that we saved the state last minute attempted financial misappropriation of those billions.”

Mr. Shari said also that since the commission commenced operations in Ilorin in December 2018, N50m cash had been recovered from fraudsters based on petitions and the money returned to the real owners.
“These include recoveries from some state legislators who allegedly duped some people. The commission also has over N200m on interim forfeiture,” he added.
He said the commission was fighting internet fraudsters in the zone to a standstill as 29 cases had been charged to both state and federal high courts while 15 of the cases in courts had been convicted, with their exotic cars and monies running into millions of naira in their bank accounts forfeited to the Federal government.

- DAILY POST

Elisha Abbo: Amnesty International calls for arrest of senator over alleged assault of woman at sex-toys shop

Amnesty International, AI, has called on the Nigeria Police Force to probe the Senator representing Adamawa North District in the National Assembly, Elisha Abbo, for assaulting a lady in a shop selling sex toys in Abuja.
Abbo, in the viral video on Tuesday, was seen descending on the woman after she pleaded with him not to physically assault the shop owner.
The lawmaker had accused the owner of the sex toy shop of insulting him in form of calling him a drunk.
The video has since stirred controversy online as Nigerians and prominent individuals are calling for the arrest of Senator Abbo.
On its part, Amnesty International called on the Nigerian authorities to ensure that the lawmaker was made to face the wrath of law for his action.
In a series of tweets, AI wrote: “Amnesty International is calling on Nigeria Police @PoliceNG to investigate Senator Elisha Abbo (Adamawa North) for alleged assault on staff of an adult shop he patronizes in Abuja. Video of the senator assaulting women is widely available for police to act: #Nigeria @NGRSenate
“While shopping sex toys with the 3 girls in his company, Senator Elisha Abbo started assaulting the nursing mother only after the policemen he summoned arrived. He slapped the woman repeatedly with protection of the police @PoliceNG. This must be in investigated.
“All that Nigerians are demanding is that; Senator Elisha Abbo who assaulted a nursing mother, at a sex toys shop he took 3-women shopping must face JUSTICE. Violence against women must end in #Nigeria @PoliceNG
“For too long, Nigeria’s women have been facing various kinds of gender-based violence that seldom receives proper attention from the law enforcement agencies. Alleged assault by Senator Elisha Abbo must be investigated. @NGRSenate @nassnigeria @ProfOsinbajo @PoliceNG
“Senator Elisha Abbo (Adamawa North) who took 3 ladies shopping in an adult shop, assaulted a nursing mother, in the presence of policemen @PoliceNG. This must be investigated. The lawmaker must face justice. The victims must be protected from his promise of more violence;
“Senator Elisha Abbo is not above the law. Police @PoliceNG must investigate allegations against him. Victims of his assault must get justice. @MBuhari, @ProfOsinbajo, @NGRSenate.”

- DAILY POST

Niger Delta governors under fire over underdevelopment

Governors in the Niger Delta region have come under fire over the decay of infrastructure and underdevelopment in their States.
Chairman of Nigerian Young Professionals Forum, NYP, Moses Siloko Siasia blamed the Governors for not fully tapping into what he called the economic potentials of the region.

He noted that the Governors were creating an army of youths who may soon rise up against the zone.
Speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of the just concluded Niger Delta CEO’s Conference in Port Harcourt, Siasia stressed that the Niger Delta was economically viable, calling on leaders in the region to harness the energy and ideas of young people.
He enumerated some of the key areas of economic viability in the region to include human resource, agriculture, oil and gas, blue sea economy, and ecotourism among others.

His words: “There is no society globally that has advanced without its human beings. The greatest resource or asset of every society is in its people.
“I have met a lot of experts and professionals from the Niger Delta region who are doing extremely well in different fields of endeavour.
“We must ensure that we identify and engage them. Countries that have advanced such as China, Singapore, Malaysia and others, looked at their best brains and how they can actually make them contribute their expertise to engineer economic growth.

“As key stakeholders, we must urgently harness the mass energy and idealism of our young people into productive ventures.
“Agriculture also has great potentials in the Niger Delta region. We have great soil for cassava cultivation, and rice production. We can have three seasons of rice production in a year without any form of irrigation.
“But in the Northern Nigeria today that have taken the glory for rice production, it is difficult to do three seasons of farming without irrigation. So we must tap into this.

“On plantain which is one of our crops, we must ensure we do a lot of plantain plantation and also encourage local governments to go into the production of plantain. We also have ogbono, pepper, vegetables and many others. These are crops that can grow in our region and we can use them for the collective good of our people.”
Siasia expressed regret that the region has not done well in the area of oil and gas exploration and production, saying the failure of the Niger Deltans to build the capacity of their people has made other geopolitical zones to take over service and ownership of oil assets.
He disclosed that only Bayelsa State houses 75 percent of gas deposit in the entire country but expressed dissatisfaction that it has not translated into economic benefit to the people of the State.

“Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran and many other big countries do not have the level of gas reserve Bayelsa has today. So we must be able to tap into the oil and gas industry and create jobs for our people who have been impoverished.
“There are a lot of our people who have been trained either as welders, civil engineers, underwater divers but have not been engaged. We must prepare our people to take over the oil and gas sector,” Siasia added.
While expressing dissatisfaction that doing business in the Niger Delta was quite challenging, Siasia called on governors in the region to support young business owners.

He further appealed to state governors in the region to provide incentives for young business owners, suchs tax holidays, creating an enabling environment and grants.
We must deliberately provide knowledge, expertise for young people who are doing business within the framework of our comparative advantage. Also, low digit interest funds for young business owners, is one of those deliberate policies that are not there” Siasia revealed.
He called on all stakeholders in the Niger Delta to do more in the area of building capacity of their youths through skills to position the region for more gains in key sectors of the economy.

He, however, expressed gratitude to the organiser of the event and the CEO FASTTRACK Consulting, Ernest Sorgwe for putting the event together, saying such opportunity has resonated a lot of hope for the Region

- DAILY POST

Jesus’ birthplace removed from danger list of heritage sites

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) announced Tuesday that it would remove the site officially recognised as the birthplace of Jesus from its ‘List of World Heritage in Danger’.

The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO, which made the announcement at its 43rd meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, based its decision on “extensive restorative work on Bethlehem’s Nativity Church, in Palestine”.

The synoptic gospels of the New Testament of the Bible state that Christ was born in a manger in Bethlehem, in the reign of King Herod, to Mary and Joseph.

“The nativity is the basis for the Christian festival of Christmas,” the organisation said in a statement on its website.

According to the statement, the committee acknowledged the high quality of work carried out on the church in recent years, including the restoration of its roof, exterior facades, mosaics and doors.

It also welcomed the shelving of a project to dig a tunnel under Manger Square and the adoption of a management plan to conserve the site.

“Just last week, reports revealed that archaeologists had discovered inside one baptismal font, or basin of holy water used for the baptism rite, a more ancient font that dates back to the sixth or seventh century.

“Since the Second Century the church, situated 10 kilometers south of Jerusalem, has been identified by Christians as the birthplace of Christ.

“While the edifice of a church built there in 339 CE was replaced after a fire in the sixth century, the elaborate floor mosaics were retained from the original building.

“The official site also includes Latin, Greek Orthodox, Franciscan and Armenian convents and churches, as well as bell towers, terraced gardens and a pilgrimage route,” the statement added.

The birthplace was inscribed on the World Heritage List 2012, and was simultaneously added to the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the poor state of the Nativity Church.

Others on the list include Syria’s ancient cities of Aleppo, Bosra and Damascus, all inscribed in 2013, and the “Maritime Mercantile City of Liverpool” in the United Kingdom – which consists of six locations in the city centre – inscribed in 2012.

The 54 properties on the List of World Heritage in Danger aim to alert the international community to threats to essential characteristics for which a property was initially inscribed on the World Heritage List.

These can include armed conflicts, natural disasters, unplanned urbanisation, poaching or pollution, the statement added.

- PM NEWS

Soyinka: Nigerian youths spunky abroad, gas at home

Prof. Wole Soyinka is worried about Nigerian youth. He is worried about the shallowness of their education and polar-opposite attitudes when abroad and when in Nigeria. He is worried they are internet trolls, commenting online on issues they do not understand.

Soyinka expressed his worries today at the official launch of United Nations’ Solutions 17 SDG programme, in Lagos.

“Nigerian youths are full of spunk outside but when they are inside Nigeria, they are full of gas. We are building a generation of illiterates. They are the first to comment on the internet on issues they are ignorant about. When you talk about education, I get texts from the New Generation and can’t believe these texts are from the youth.’ 

Soyinka urged Nigerian youth to be proactive in demanding their rights from the government.

“The Nigerian youth schooling outside the country reminded me of what it was like to be a student in racist England in the 50s. You always wanted to have a Jamaican with you when you were in a fight because Jamaicans never understood the term, ‘surrender’. 

“When I decided to build my home in the forest, I bought a second-hand diesel generator and asked someone to dig a borehole. I wanted it to be self-sufficient. What I want to pass on to you is that I thought of the possibility of being self-reliant. This entails that I can come to cooperatives with others and demand things from the government by any means necessary”.

“They are waiting for Wole Soyinka to lead a march to Aso Rock. It is about time to get off your feet and stop writing rubbish on the internet about things you do not understand. I do not know how to describe the New Generation beyond a generation of internet trolls”.

The Director of the United Nations Information Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, Mr. Ronald Kayanja, recounted his experience as a student in the UK saying, “When I was studying in the UK, many of my friends were Nigerians and whenever we were uncomfortable as African students, we asked the Nigerians to speak for us. 

‘But when I came to Nigeria and saw the kind of life that Nigerians had accepted, I was shocked. I ask why Nigerians accept abysmal conditions with all of Nigeria’s resources”. 

“Africa cannot continue to agonise over poverty, colonisation, and slavery. There is a need to wake up and do something. We cannot wait for the government. Every Nigerian is a leader. Leadership not only refers to political leadership, but a leader is a person who excels in what they do. 

“The UN goals are universal and should not be split between developed and developing nations. Do not expect the UN to support you when you have not done anything.” 

Kayanja stressed that the UN wants to mobilise enough Nigerians to make changes using the template of the UN 2030 goals and SDGs adding that the focus should be on mobilising Nigerians who cannot accept to live in pathetic conditions. 

Kayanja further disclosed that while Nigeria is yet to adopt the Solution 17 UN-endorsed Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the CEO and Project Director of Creative Youth Community Development Initiative, CYCDI, Mrs. Foluke Michael, it has been approved in India, Morocco, and Switzerland as a model to alleviate the major problems facing today’s society.

 

- PM NEWS

 

35 villagers roasted to death in Benue oil tanker explosion

Thirty-five persons have so far been confirmed dead in the petrol tanker explosion which rocked Benue State Monday night.

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Benue said that the explosion which occurred at Ahumbe, near Aliade in Gwer East Local Government Area of the state, claimed 35 lives, including that of a pregnant woman and her child.

The Sector Commander, Mr Aliyu Baba, gave the figure on Tuesday in an interview in Makurdi, adding that 101 persons sustained various degrees of burns.

Baba said that the injured persons were taken to eight different hospitals in the state, where they were currently receiving treatment.

He blamed the incident on a burst tyre which, he said, made the tanker to fall, after the driver lost control.

He said: “What happened yesterday (Monday) was that the tanker’s tyre burst and the driver lost control, while the tanker fell on the road.

“And because the fuel in the tanker emptied on the road, the villagers saw it as free fuel and went with containers to scoop the product.”

He said that the scooping lasted for almost 45 minutes, until a Toyota bus, en route Makurdi from Aliade axis, ignited fire when its silencer scratched on the tar, while the driver attempted to meander through the available space near the tanker.

He said that the fire caused the first explosion, which killed 14 passengers on the bus, leaving only the driver and one passenger with severe burns.

Baba said that the second explosion, which recorded more casualties, happened when onlookers, motorists and villagers trooped to the scene to either catch a glimpse of the incident or assist in the rescue efforts.

He said that those affected during the second explosion included firefighters, those who came to take pictures to possibly post on social media, passengers from other vehicles and villagers.

Baba said that no firefighter official died but that two of them sustained burns and were rushed to the hospital for treatment.

A News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)N correspondent, who visited the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Makurdi, Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi and other hospitals, reports that most of the victims on admission were in critical conditions.

The Chief Medical Director of the teaching hospital, Prof. Terlumun Swende, told newsmen that one of the 10 victims received at the facility died in the early hours of Tuesday.

He said that the patients suffered over 75 per cent degree burns and that some were moved into the intensive care unit.

At the FMC, the Chief Medical Director, Dr Peteru Inunduh, said that the centre received 14 patients who, he said, were responding to treatment.

Inunduh further said that three of the patients were receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of the centre.

Also, Mr Nicolas Utukwa, the local government Caretaker Committee Chairman, described the incident as unfortunate.

-PM NEWS