Television Nigerian

The Alumni Association of the National Instructive (AANI) has felicitated with the Sultan of Sultan, His Eminence, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, on his 65th birthday.

Former army spokesman, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka (rtd), who is AANI’s National Publicity Secretary made this known today.

“The National President of the Alumni Association of the National Instructive (AANI), former Inspector General of Police, MD Abubakar, CFR mni, on behalf of the Executive Committee and the entire AANI family, heartily rejoice with and congratulate His Eminence, Sultan Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III, CFR mni, Sultan of Sokoto and Chairman of AANI Heritage Council, SEC 28, 2006, on his 65th birthday today,” he said in a statement.

“Your Eminence, the entire AANI family, wish you a happy birthday celebration, many more pleasant returns and Allah’s continuous blessings”.

A prominent group, under the auspices of Coalition of Northern Elders for Peace and Development (CNEPD), has de­manded the immediate sack of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major General Baba­gana Monguno (rtd.) following Tuesday’s attack on the Nigerian Defence Academy.

The Northern elders, in a statement following the at­tack, also sought an in-depth review of the entire security architecture, as according to them, the entire security chiefs must bear the blame.

In the statement condemn­ing the attack, National Coor­dinator of the Group, Engr. Zana Goni, blamed President Muhammadu Buhari for leaving Monguno behind at the time he replaced service chiefs.

He, however, expressed un­flinching support to the presi­dent and his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), noting that their posi­tion was based on patriotism to the country.

The elders insisted that it was time for the president to do away with Monguno following the worsening in­security in the country.

The deteriorating security situation, according to the Co­alition, is a sign that Mongu­no, who manages the nation’s security, was not on top of his game.

The statement berated stakeholders in the region over what the group de­scribed as “their long si­lence in the face of unbear­able criminal acts by armed herdsmen and insecurity across the country, thereby giving a bad image of the region.

“We find it once more ex­pedient to comment on the worsening security situation in the country, especially the latest attack on a military for­mation, the Nigerian Defence Academy, which is the insti­tution where future military leaders are trained.

“We woke up to the sad news of the attack on the NDA, leaving two officers killed and another abducted by bandits with heavy hearts. If it were not the confirma­tion of this unbelievable action by the Academy’s spokesperson, Bashir Jajira, we would have still been in doubt.

“The fact that a fortified military institution could be so easily invaded by armed militias without resistance has left us with the conclu­sion that no part of this coun­try and no citizen, no matter his or her status is safe again.

“Without mincing words, we wish to attribute this ugly development to intelligence failure and gaps in the ca­pacity of our armed forces. We wish to strongly say here that the attack is a slap on the Nigeria intelligence commu­nity and the armed forces.

“The retention of the National Security Adviser, General Babagana Mongu­no, at the time the president listened to the voice of reason and replaced service chiefs, may be contributing to the continuous deteriorating se­curity situation in the coun­try.

“Given the situation, we wish to humbly and respec­tively appeal to our dear Presi­dent, Muhammadu Buhari, to as a matter of urgent national importance, replace the NSA, whose tenure since his as­sumption of office, has been characterised by heightened Boko Haram activities, ban­ditry, kidnap for ransom and other heinous crimes without end in sight.”

Medical doctors under the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme have been applauded for their sacrifices towards providing health services across the country.

The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative (CGGCI) gave the commendation in a statement on Tuesday, noting that the efforts of the young doctors amid an industrial action by their senior colleagues have saved millions of lives.

Recall that the strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have hampered access to quality health care, thus reducing quality of life.

The strike comes at a time the nation is grappling with the Delta variant and sudden surge in coronavirus cases and fatalities.

But for the selflessness of NYSC doctors especially in rural areas, Secretary-General of the group, Comrade Arthur Nwoke, said the situation would have been overwhelming.

According to Nwoke, this is an indication of NYSC’s relevance in the country’s socio-economic development at this critical point of our existence.

He added that the NYSC is sufficiently vital in the scheme of things in the country, as young Nigerians have in times too numerous to mention made tangible interventions in significant sectors of the economy.

While calling on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to extend their support to the scheme, the coalition advised those calling for its scrapping to have a rethink.

It, however, urged all relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors to initiate policies and partnerships with the NYSC that would make its various interventions, such as this, more meaningful and in the country’s overall interest.

Read full statement below:

The recent strike by Resident Doctors in the country indeed put a strain on the already stretched health sector occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic with hospitals filled with patients seeking medical attention.

The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is issuing this press statement in commendation of the laudable efforts of medical doctors under the National Youth Service Corps, which were relentless in bridging the gap through the provision of medical services across the country.

It is instructive to state that the intervention and display by the NYSC doctors indeed saved millions of lives across the country. This is undoubtedly commendable and an indication of the relevance of the NYSC in the country’s socio-economic development.

The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is aware that NYSC doctors across the country were at their best in various government hospitals rendering services round the clock, especially in rural areas.

By this action, Nigerians must indeed realize that the NYSC scheme is relevant in this critical point of our existence. It is also expected that those who have been at the forefront for the scrapping of the NYSC ought to have a rethink and instead extend their support to the NYSC.

The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative is using this medium to commend the leadership of the NYSC for ensuring that NYSC doctors were at their best this period in saving lives by creating the enabling environment. We also congratulate the hundreds of NYSC doctors for this display of commitment to Nigeria and rising to the occasion when it matters most.

We wish to reiterate further that the NYSC is sufficiently critical in the scheme of things in Nigeria, as youth corpers have in times too numerous to mention made tangible interventions in critical sectors of the economy such as health education and agriculture.

It is on record that corp members have been outstanding the schools across the country with outstanding performances. Corp members have also been very useful in the agricultural sectors, contributing to our quest for food sufficiency in the country.

Therefore, if this is the case, those that have advanced cases of the scrapping of the NYSC should have a rethink by retracing their steps and lending their support to the NYSC.

The Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative calls on all well-meaning Nigerians to continue to extend their support to the NYSC scheme as the necessity of now requires that the NYSC receives all the support it can get.

We also call on all relevant stakeholders in the country’s public and private sectors to initiate policies and partnerships with the NYSC that would make its various interventions, such as this, more meaningful and in the country’s overall interest.

The usefulness of the NYSC scheme in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized. As such, as a people and as a country, we are duty-bound to make it work.

The Coalition for Good Governance commends the NYSC doctors for saving lives and encourages them to continue to render service to the country.