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The killing of Ropvil Daciya Dalep and NANS debased aluta-crazy

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By Usman Bio

What is known today as National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has an enviable history. It started as National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) sometime in 1956. The students who pioneered the idea intended the organization to be a rally point for Nigerian students.

For decades of the existence of NANS which assumed its present nomenclature in 1980 saw the organization vigorously discharging the mandate of pursuing issues centered on the country’s education system, welfare or rights of students and challenging bad government policies with alternative perspectives.

Until the late 80s and as one of its leaders in my undergraduate days at the Ahmadu Bello University, (ABU) Zaria, NANS defined its existence as a formidable and potent students’ body. But the reality today is different. NANS has morphed into a quasi-political organization, comprising lobbyists and debased chasers of the shadows of illicit wealth from corrupt politicians.

My heart bled when I read contents and arguments raised in the public statement signed by NANS, one Danielson Akpan released mainly in respect of Ropvil Daciya Dalep, an undergraduate student of the University of Maiduguri, who was abducted by Boko Haram on his way back to campus from Jos and later killed. May the soul of Dalep and other victims of terrorism in Nigeria find eternal peace.

But the statement advertised the final degeneration of NANS to an embarrassing level. Our students’ body has lost its voice of conscience. They canvassed positions far beyond their purview and displayed generous ignorance anchored on presumptions. We have never had it this bad in NANS.

The contents of the public statement portraited NANS more as a pressure group for politicians and betrayed the essence of her existence. Worse still, it never made pretensions of mutating into worthless paid activists in the service of masked paymasters.

How it has become the duty of NANS officials to dabble into the campaigns of advocating for the sack of Service and Security Chiefs beats my imagination. This is the subsisting posture and sermons of politicians or sabs hellbent on reversing the gains Nigeria has recorded on the Boko Haram/ISWAP counter-operations.

It is quite tragic and it traumatized me to realize that NANS could afford to commercialize the killing of one of her own by visiting politicians with press statements ostensibly written to extort money from Nigerian politicians and spite the government. That the students’ body has become a willing tool in the hands of desperate politicians who are covertly instigating and funding terrorism, violence and killings in the country to discredit the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is most incredible.

When we functioned under NANS, the union was respected each time it raised its voice on a national issue. There were no lone rangers in the union as the statement exposed, but decisions were debated and decisions collectively endorsed before stepping out in public domain. Our position was concrete and our views held sacrosanct.

But we have consciously fretted away such veneration. We are pained. We are bereaved over the the killing of the UniMaid student and other Nigerians by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists. We mourn with the grieving families and all Nigerians caught in this nightmare and quagmire of terrorism.

But for those who are still alive, the action of the NANS should worry us more. It is senseless and outright wickedness to side with oppressors of your country in her moment of torments as demonstrated by the greedy, selfish and unfocused leadership of NANS. They are worse than the proverbial snake in green grasses.

The world and Nigerians have the divine responsibility to closely monitor the destructive tendencies and satanic inclination of NANS. I suspect some of them are on the payroll of the foreign sponsors of Boko Haram and ISWAP terrorism in Nigeria.

I was shocked that NANS’ sight was blurred in seeing the determination, commitment and difference the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Muhammadu Buhari has made and continue to make in quenching the consuming fires of insurgencies and insurrections in the country.

Perhaps, by NANS cursed wisdom, President Buhari is wrong for reclaiming the 18 LGAs in the Northeast which Boko Haram forcefully annexed before his Presidency. Buhari could be wrong for freeing over 20,000 Nigerians held in captivity in secret camps by insurgents. And Buhari is wrong for halting the spread of Boko Haram terrorism to the Southern part of the country. Buhari is also wrong for freeing the entire north east including the FCT and Plateau from the daily torments of suicide bombings and daily killings by Boko Haram.

The President is wrong for deflating IDPs camps in the Northeast and the steady progress in the reconstruction and rebuilding of the Northeast devastated by years of insurgency. These are the reasons I suspect have caused the restlessness of these odious NANS officials.

But NANS cannot play this smartness on Nigerians. We are neither deceived by their veiled devilry, garbed in polluted wisdom and sympathy with terrorists’ kingpins. They want the Service and Security Chiefs who have achieved these milestones in counter-terrorism in Nigeria to be sacked and pliant ones appointed to reverse the gains. This is a crazy idea!

I have discerned that this has been the desire of foreign agents and other sponsors of terrorism in the last one year. It has been the fervent prayers of Boko Haram sponsors. And it’s unfortunate that NANS has submitted itself to the dance of such destructive drumbeats, with the lyrics trumpeted by enemies against their own country.

Let me remind.NANS that their induced anger with President Buhari’s determination to regenerate and redeem Nigeria cannot change this narrative. NANS must realize that under the Buhari Presidency NNPC is no longer open for anyone to loot. Therefore, by accepting to play such unpatriotic roles of emergency activists in the hope of approaching any government official to suppress a script or to collect cash and become rich or live large on campus is unrewarding investment now.

It is not lucrative business now. NANS must be goaded into the realization that nothing under the Buhari Presidency pays, except hard work. So, they can continue to spew the nonsensical and destructive campaigns, but no one’s ox is gored.

Under this government, it has also not been easy with paid emergency activists. The NANS leaders can confirm from the experiences of Charlie Boy, Deji Adeyanju and several others who have had to diversify their trade in order to keep afloat. And in truthfulness to these NANS leaders, they are worse than the devil by joining the league of those pulling down Nigeria.

Why would they think of using the killing of the UniMaid student as a source of cake to service their epicurean life styles? It is the lowest level of debasement any human being on earth can condescend. Today, I can confirm that truly, NANS itself has also died! It should first mourn its funeral. What a pity!

Bio is a historian and wrote from University of Ilorin.

IPOB: Facebook shuts down Nnamdi Kanu’s account

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on Thursday said the Facebook page of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been shut down.

The group’s Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, in a statement, alleged that the action was taken by Facebook Nigeria who, it said viewed the page as a platform to exposing the ills in government.

It warned that Biafra had suffered greatly as a result of denial of media space in the late 60s, saying it could not afford to allow same to continue in the 21st century.

The statement reads in part: “We can confirm that Facebook Nigeria has shut down the page of our leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.

“This is not unconnected with the fact that our leader’s page has become a rich resource for those determined to expose the evil regime in Nigeria and enthrone a better life for the masses.

“We mince no words when we say that Facebook Nigeria is more corrupt that the corrupt government they are seeking to protect.

“Biafra suffered immeasurably as a result of denial of media space in the late 60s a situation we are not prepared to allow in this 21st century.”

NATION.

Air Force chief, Abubakar reaffirms commitment to deal with security threats nationwide

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The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, has reaffirmed the commitment of the Nigerian Air Force to deal with all threats to the security of the Nation, with particular reference to terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, armed banditry and other forms of criminality, working in concert with sister Services and other security agencies.

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The CAS made this assertion Wednesday, while on a one-day operational visit to the 407 Air Combat Training Group (407 ACTG) Kainji, Niger State, to inspect ongoing infrastructural development projects aimed at improving the operational environment and enhancing the welfare of personnel and their families.

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The projects inspected include the ongoing re-construction/re-modeling of 3 blocks of 10 x single-bedroom flats for Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs), upgrade of the Unit’s water supply system as well as the ongoing re-construction of over 2.8Km of roads within NAF Base Kainji. While in Kainji, the CAS was briefed on the progress of work on the ongoing Periodic Depot Maintenance (PDM) of the Alpha Jets and also witnessed the offline serviceability test of an Alpha Jet Larzac C6 engine using the recently upgraded Engine Test Bench in the Unit.

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Speaking after the inspection/assessment, Air Marshal Abubakar, while noting the importance of NAF Base Kainji to NAF’s combat air operations, expressed satisfaction with the progress of the projects. He said their completion would undoubtedly enhance the welfare of the personnel thereby improving their professional performance.

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The CAS also noted that the upgrade of the Engine Test Bench was a significant value addition in 2 major areas. The first, he said, was the building of the capacity of the personnel who had been trained to man the upgraded system for more effective and efficient service delivery, while the second was the fact that, with the upgrade, all parameters of engines could be checked on the ground before mounting them on the aircraft, thus reducing the probability of damage to other components during live testing on the aircraft.

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While expressing satisfaction with the progress of the Alpha Jet PDM, the CAS highlighted that this was the second time in the history of the NAF that such high-level upgrade was being conducted in-country. He stated that a unique feature of this particular PDM was the upgrade of the avionics system of the aircraft to improve operational safety as well as increase the reliability and effectiveness of the aircraft. The CAS disclosed that work on one of the Alpha Jets, NAF 452, would be completed and test flight conducted by the end of February 2020, while work on 2 others would be completed before the end of the year.

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Speaking further, Air Marshal Abubakar noted that the remarkable achievements recorded by the NAF over the past four and a half years were as a result of the immense support provided by the Federal Government which had enabled the Service to increase its manpower strength by over 12,000 personnel, whilst facilitating the training of over 100 new pilots, over 517 new engineers/technicians as well as over 1,000 Special Forces personnel within the period. He noted that this had positioned the Service for more effective and efficient employment of Air Power to deal with the security threats facing the Nation.

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The CAS, who was accompanied on the visit by Branch Chiefs and Directors from Headquarters NAF, was received, upon arrival in Kainji, by the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command, Air Vice Marshal Musa Mukhtar as well as the Commander 407 ACTG, Squadron Leader Kingsley Igwegbe. The CAS has since returned to Abuja.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

UK frustrating Diezani’s corruption trial – EFCC

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The acting Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ibrahim Magu, has alleged some foreign countries of sabotaging the commission’s efforts at repatriating a former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Allison-Madueke.

He stated this on Wednesday during an official visit to the Ibadan zonal office of the commission.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that EFCC had, in the last five years, been on the trail of the former minister over alleged corrupt practices.

Mr Magu said that he suspected sabotage on the part of some foreign countries over Allison-Madueke’s case, wondering why the countries would keep her from the commission for no just reason.

“They have not taken her to court and this is the fifth year. Why should you be investigating a case for five years? It is a straight case and not a murder case which takes longer processes.

“You know it is a financial crime investigation. It is a straight forward case. If you don’t have sufficient evidence to take her to court, bring her back. We have more than enough evidence to take her to court.

“I don’t know why they are protecting her. Release her and let her come back to Nigeria. They are giving her protection for reasons best known to them.

“They have yet to declare any evidence recovered against her. They are still relying on our evidence,” he said.

The EFCC boss said that the whistleblower policy was still very active and operational, blaming the slow pace of its implementation on court processes.

“The whistleblower policy is still active; it is still working. The only thing is that it is being slowed down because you need to go through all the court processes.

“We have to exhaust the court processes. The court will have to declare the amount recovered as loot before the whistleblower gets his or her own share,” he said.

Mr Magu said that the agency was collaborating with all stakeholders, including the media, in its fight against corruption.

“We are collaborating with everybody. We are collaborating with Nigerians in the Diaspora. We are collecting a lot of information from them and that is our strength in getting the looters.

“We also want to collaborate with Nigerians generally so that they will give us information to expose looters and get them to return their loots,” he said.

He said that the agency had a relationship with the FBI and CIA in most of the overseas countries.

On the recent raid of an Ibadan night club by EFCC operatives, he explained that there was nothing wrong in raiding suspected internet fraudsters at the night club.

Mr Magu noted that the commission was evolving ways of rehabilitating them and bring them back to the society, adding that they were young intelligent Nigerians, who could still be useful to the society.

“We go against fraudsters who made their money illegally, and we only do that when we have actionable intelligence,” he said.

He appreciated the media for their support and partnership, describing them as essential partners in the anti-corruption crusade.

Mr Magu commended Ibadan zone for the unprecedented achievements recorded so far and the transformation at the office complex.

NAN reports that aside Magu’s visit, the zonal office was a beehive of activities, as hundreds of job seekers thronged the office for the ongoing recruitment exercise.

NAN

I broke up with him because in his village once you cheat you die instantly -Nigerian lady run recounts

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A Nigerian lady has gone to social media to share how she had to end her relationship with her boyfriend because in his village people are not allowed to cheat.
Once a cheater is caught, because of the tradition in the village, such cheater will ‘die instantly’.

This was what sent a shiver to the spine of this lady and as a result, she has ended her relationship with this boyfriend.

 

Ticket Racketeering: EFCC Receives Officials of NRC

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The EFCC, Kaduna Zonal Office, today Wednesday, January 22, 2020 played host to officials of the Nigeria Railway Cooperation team on a fact finding mission on the issue of ticket racketeering at Rigasa Train Station.

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The team which was led by James G. Zang, said they are in the Zonal office to find the effort so far made by the Commission on ticket racketeering. 

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Zang who commended the EFCC for helping in bringing sanity in the process of selling tickets to the general public while discouraging racketeers in the train stations, further stated that those perpetrating the crimes are not Nigeria Railway Staff and that the NRC is working vigorously towards making the e-ticketing platform a reality within the shortest possible time which will completely eradicate racketeering of tickets.

Boko Haram: European Union appraises Nigerian government, military’s counter-insurgency operations as commendable

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The European Union Centre for Human Rights Protection (EUCHRP) has commended the Nigerian government and military for making significant progress in its counter-insurgency operations.

The Centre made this known in an extensive report on the “ threats posed by Boko Haram/ISWAP, the response of the Nigerian State and plight of civilians”.

In the report signed by Executive Director, Stuart McGhie and released on Tuesday, the Luxembourg-based centre appraised President Muhammadu Buhari for ensuring Nigerians and Nigeria is safe from enemies within and beyond its borders.

The team of highly-skilled researchers took into account the origin of the Boko Haram/ISWAP sect, previous government’s efforts and how the current administration and military leadership led by Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai has turned the tide positively.

Among others, the group highlighted transparency in defence procurement; human right and obedience to rule of engagement; procurement of modern equipment as well as regional cooperation as the catalyst.

Notwithstanding these obvious gains, the European Union Centre for Human Rights Protection, however, urged the Nigerian government and military not to rest on its laurels.

Read full report below:

Introduction

The emergence of the Boko Haram sect could be traced to the activities of Mohammed Yusuf, who called for the reinstitution of sharia governing Muslim Empires, which existed long before the British Empire subdued it. He argued that the colonial administration had turned the area to anti- Islam, breeding amongst the people an un-Islamic lifestyle. He was quoted in a BBC interview saying that “There are prominent Islamic preachers who have seen and understood that the present Western-style education is mixed with issues that run contrary to our beliefs in Islam…” Hence the name “Boko Haram” used by media, Government, and the general public to refer to the group who took up a more radical approach at the death of its founding leader, Mohammed Yusuf, who died in prison in 2009.

The Boko Haram Sect, since then under Abubakar Shekau’s leadership, has evolved from fringe religious movement into one of the most lethal terrorist organizations in the world. The group has been linked and has claimed several terrorist attacks against the Nigerian state, and most back-breaking was the kidnap of over 200 girls (Chibok) from a boarding school on 14th April 2014 with President Goodluck Jonathan at the helm of governance.

The inability of the Government of the day to successfully persecute a counter-insurgency war against the sect highlighted the failures of the Jonathan government on the military front. More “high profile” attacks were carried out by the sect; several civilians and military personals were killed, civilians displaced, Chibok girls unreached, lots of monies spent, and many more stolen.

This was the security situation the Nigerian military faced before the election of Muhammadu Buhari as President in 2015. Since the advent of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, it could be argued that the Security situation in Nigeria had significantly improved, and the Nigerian military has successfully launched several military campaigns against the Boko Haram group.

Nigerian Government Response against Boko Haram

Available statistics indicate that Boko Haram was able to exert its authority and control over some areas of northeast Nigeria. They made Camp Zero in Sambisa forest a reliable defense, training, and command center for their operations. The importance of dislodging the terror group from their Sambisa hideout could not have been overemphasized. It was indeed a significant victory for the Nigerian military authorities, which struck a heavy blow on the capability of the sect.

Dislodging Boko Haram from the Sambisa forest was not a question of “should” but a question of “how” for the Nigerian military who faced a daunting task of wrestling the forest from terrorist control.

The policy and administrative arms of the military had been accused of being detached from the reality of soldiers on the frontline. Complaints from troops about inadequate supplies of equipment and poor welfare was nullified by the relocation of the military command center to Maiduguri aimed at centralizing operations close to the action, cut the bureaucracy and speed up decision-making.

These initiatives paid off evidenced in the fact that Boko Haram was not only dislodged from the Sambisa forest but were also continually retreated into neighboring countries. Since the launch of Operation Lafia Dole, Boko Haram’s capacity to attack territories outside Borno state has been limited. This is a great gain against a lethal and highly sophisticated group whose activities extended to the capital city of Abuja.

The Highlights of the War against Terrorism in Nigeria (2015-date)

Transparency in Defence Procurement

To enhance transparency, the Nigerian military has since brought corrupt officers and officials to book and also recovered looted security funds. Due to the irregularities that took place in the defence spending, the National Security Adviser instituted a committee to investigate weapon procurement since 2007 to check irregularities that lead to the purchasing of sub-standard and unserviceable equipment.

The superior firepower of troops, especially those provided by the Nigeria military, has paid off significantly on the battlefield. A large number of terrorists have since been captured, some killed, and others have fled their hideouts. In a bid to strengthen trust and transparency in executing the war against terrorism between the military and the general public, the command center of Operation Lafiya Dole conducts media briefing on the progress and setbacks of the operation.

Regional Cooperation

Before the emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as Nigeria’s President, the Multi-National Joint Task Force established in 1998 was a weak regional security set up that could not live up to its billings highlighted by the pull out of Chad and Niger in 2013 and 2014 (peak years of Boko Haram terrorism) and the overrunning of the MNJTF headquarters near Baga (Nigeria) by Boko Haram terrorist which was a massive blow on the regional security set up.

However, the regional cooperation was reviewed and revived in mid-2015 with headquarters at N’Djamena commanded by a Nigerian General through the diplomatic prowess of the President Muhammadu Buhari which permitted the execution of joint operations, planning, intelligence sharing and the temporal permission of Nigerien and Chadian troops to intervene in Nigerian territory in the Lake Chad area.

Procurement of Modern Equipment

The Nigerian Government responded to the activities of Boko Haram by procuring modern equipment for the execution of the war against the sect. The procurement of modern equipment and weaponry lifted troop morale and, as such, impacted on the military gains against the sect. The Government also solicited and continues to solicit for international assistance in this regard.

In December 2016, the German Ministry of the defence supplied the Nigerian military with modern mobile medical units, several metal detectors, and counter-improvised Explosive Device and Explosive Ordinance Disposal. In the same year, during the African Union, Summit, Britain had committed 860 million Euros in foreign aid to Nigeria to boast her efforts against Boko Haram. Most of these donations have been judiciously spent on arms procurement, which has lifted troop morale. The Nigerian military, since the commencement of new procurement policy, got rid of sub-standard weapons and bad equipment.

Human Right and Obedience to Rule of Engagement

It is important to note that the Nigerian military instituted measures that check excessive human rights abuse as may be committed by the armed forces in the course of its military engagement with Boko Haram in the North East. By October 2015, the Nigerian military had begun to investigate cases of indiscipline by soldiers, including human rights abuses, and also announced the creation of a human rights desk to handle complaints from members of the public.

In August 2017, a presidential investigation Panel on Review of Compliance of Armed Forces with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement was instituted to “investigate, prosecute and punish all crimes under international law and other serious violations of human rights law, whether committed by Boko Haram, Nigerian military or the civilian joint task force.”

To ensure effective control of arbitrariness and lawlessness by military personnel, deliberate, unambiguous rules or directives that define the circumstances, conditions, degree and manner in which the use of force or actions which might be construed as provocative may be applied, are given out by competent authority to every soldier on internal security operation.

These rules are consistent, account for a variety of potential scenarios and the political and military aspects of a given situation. Such awareness and the penchant for the respect for human rights by the military leadership ensures that at all times, troops are aware of these rules before they are launched into the operational arena, and any violation is met with a severe penalty. By so doing, a lot of human rights abuses are being checkmated.

Conclusion

Security is a vital part of socio-economic development in Nigeria, that is why the Nigerian Government deploys every ounce of capability within her reach to protect her own, whether it is her territory, people, sovereignty or resources from potential and actual threats from fellow states, non-state and stateless actors such Boko Haram. The above report has shown that the Nigerian Government has made significant progress security-wise in the past decade, especially against insurgency activities in the North East region. It is on this note that this report recommends that the Nigerian Government should not rest on her laurels but continue to defend her citizens and territory from enemies within and beyond its borders.

Community policing remains the best security solution – IGP

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The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, has explained that community policing remains the best strategy in finding lasting solution to the security challenges across the country.

This is coming as the governors of the North-central states have resolved to revive the G-7 formed in 2007 to tackle insecurity in the region

Mohammed stated this yesterday in Lafia, Nasarawa State capital, at the North Central Security Summit he organised for North Central region with the theme “Strategic partnership for effective community policing in the North Central zone/FCT.”

He said so far, the implementation of the outcome of the various summits have resulted in unprecedented success and a significant decline in the rate of crime.

“The federal government is convinced that for internal security to be strengthened, the participation of the people at the community level is very important.

“Almost in all the cases, experience of anarchy , lawlessness , agitations , terrorism , banditry , kidnapping, among others occur at the community levels.

“Therefore, mobilising for the participation of the citizens in securing their communities especially at the local level is key strategy that the government is determined to employ in its efforts to provide total security for the citizens.

“It is in this context the federal government has approved the adoption of community policing approach as the strategy for policing Nigeria and guarantee internal security,” he said.

Boko Haram/ISWAP’s murder of preacher won’t break our trust in God, Buhari – Christian group

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Despite the gruesome murder of Adamawa-based preacher, Rev Lawan Andimi, by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists, the Northern Christian Forum of Nigeria (NCFN) has vowed to hold on to its faith and support for President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

The Christian group made this known at a press conference on Thursday condemning the wicked act which it described as “unfortunate and barbaric”.

In a statement signed by President, Rev. Elijah Bitrus, NCFN revealed that the plan was to weaken their faith to discourage the evangelism and rapid spread of the gospel across the length and breadth of the country.

Instead, however, this episode has enhanced their belief and uncompromising support for the president, according to Rev. Bitrus.

The group hailed President Buhari’s effort in the fight against terrorism and corruption which sponsors and collaborators of the Boko Haram terrorists aren’t pleased with.

NCFN, therefore, called on Nigerians to continue to cooperate and give full support to the government in the bid to rid of these elements that are hell bent on trying to instigate Nigerians against one another.

Read full statement below:

The Northern Christian Forum of Nigeria (NCFN) has received with shock the unfortunate and barbaric murder of the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, in Michika Local Government of Adamawa State by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists.

This comes as a surprise even more painful given that the Reverend Gentleman was killed after his abductors raised hope that he was going to be released after the payment of ransom.

But as it turned out, they were obviously looking for excuses to commit their heinous act hence demanded for a ransom they thought would be impossible to raise within the given time frame, but when the church rose in unison and almost tripled the amount, the terrorists, seeing that their thirst for blood would not be satiated if they release the CAN Chairman, rejected the N50 million offered and executed the Reverend Gentleman in cold blood.

This is not just an act of wickedness but a calculated campaign to frighten the faithful in their quest to get close to their maker. But we are only made stronger and more United in our resolve to love God the more.

The NCFN has reasons to believe that there is a plan to weaken the faithful by such acts of brutality in order to discourage the evangelism and rapid spread of the gospel across the length and breadth of the country. Furthermore that more brethren have continued to accept the teachings of our lord and saviour in the most interior parts of the north-east to the glory of God.

We will like to send a strong message out there to the terrorists and their sponsors that no matter how hard they might try, that our faith in God cannot be shaken and as long as the lord tarries we will not be deterred from either practicing our faith or winning souls for the kingdom.

As Christians, we draw inspiration from the scripture and especially the book of Job where the man of God triumphed over every form of physical pain and torture due to his abiding faith in the almighty.

Let it be known to the terrorists and their sponsors that our eyes are already focused on the mark hence we cannot be discouraged or distracted by such acts of cowardice that manifest in the killing of the body.

What we see is beyond here hence we cannot be tossed by every swaying of the wind.

We are also aware that the current administration is doing all it can to put an end to these acts of terrorism and that these actions are also targeted at poisoning the minds of Christians into believing that they are not secured under the current administration.

Many are angry at the President because of his fight against corruption which we have had reasons to support in order to restore back the glory of our country. President Buhari is the choice of God and no man born of woman can undo what God has decreed.

We therefore call on all to cooperate and give full support to the government in the bid to rid this country of these elements that are hell bent on trying to instigate Nigerians against one another based on religion. We shall forever remain one in the body of Christ and nothing shall discourage us.

Thank you and may all the departed souls rest in peace. Amen.

Rwandans confident about their future – Kagame

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Rwandan President Paul Kagame has expressed confidence that Rwandans are increasingly self-assured about their lives and the country’s future.

The head of state spoke at the International School for Government at King’s College in London at the start of a session on Rwanda’s transformation with former Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Alexander Downer.

“Well-being has both subjective and objective elements. Rwanda’s progress on human development indicators, such as income growth, healthcare, gender equality, and education, is matched by independent surveys that ask Rwandans how they feel about the country’s future,” Kagame said.

Kagame attributed three principles as being crucial to the success of Rwanda: urgency, unity and self-reliance. He added that the most important part was for Rwandans to be part of the process ensuring that they benefit from public policy.

“The only way to survive was to make peace with ourselves. And the only way to prosper as a landlocked country was to invest in our people and cooperate economically with our region.”

Rwanda experienced a deadly genocide in 1994 that killed more than one million people – mainly Tutsis and some moderate Hutus – over the course of 100 days by the majority Hutu population.

The country has since emerged from the ruins and made great strides to become a beacon for African countries.

The capital, Kigali, is regarded as one of the cleanest and most livable cities in Africa. Rwanda adopted a law against plastic bags in 2008 and, in 2019, became the first East African country to completely ban all single-use plastics.

Rwanda was named the world’s top reformer in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report 2010. Its economy, largely dependent on agriculture, tourism and mining, is expected to grow by 8 percent in 2020 and 2021, according to the IMF.

The country has signed two sponsorship and tourism promotion deals with high-profile European football clubs Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain to boost the tourism sector, which is its biggest foreign exchange earner.

It has also positioned itself as a conference and sporting hub with Kigali set to host a number of events this year, including the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum, Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting and the NBA-backed Basketball Africa League final.

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