The Jigawa State Government has declared a 24-hour curfew in the state from today Thursday, 1st of August, 2024, until further notice.
In a speech delivered by His Excellency, Governor Mallam Umar Namadi to the people of Jigawa State Friday night, he announced the imposition of the curfew across the state.
He explained that the curfew will be relaxed on Friday, 2nd August, 2024, from 1200hrs to 1430hrs, to allow Muslim ummah to observe Friday (Juma’at) prayer.
He said no vehicle would be used in going to the mosque.
The Governor added that the decision would be reviewed after assessing the situation.
Jigawa: Gov Namadi imposes 24-hour curfew
Jigawa: Gov Namadi imposes 24-hour curfew
Soldiers not served poor meal, Army reacts to viral video
The Nigerian Army has said the individual in a viral video complaining about soldiers being poorly fed in Yobe State is not a military personnel.
In the viral video, the man displayed the small portion of semo he received, lamenting that soldiers in Kanama, Yobe State, were being inadequately fed with poor meals.
However, reacting in a statement on Thursday, the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the authorities immediately launched an investigation into the matter.
According to him, the investigation revealed that the person in the viral video was not its personnel.
Onyema said no personnel in that area were served with substandard meals.
He said, “The Nigerian Army has taken note of a viral video on social media alleging that soldiers of 159 Battalion in Kanama, Geidam Local Government, are being poorly fed.
“Sequel to the viral video, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, ordered an investigation headed by the Commander Sector 2 Operation HADIN KAI to ascertain the veracity of the claim to address any problem of poor feeding in the unit.
“Following the findings of the investigation, it is crucial to clarify that the video in question was not created by soldiers of 159 Battalion, but was rather recorded by a police officer stationed with the troops deployed in Geidam. Contrary to the claim made in the video, no personnel in that location was served substandard meals as shown in the video. ”
Onyema said the police officer made the video and shared it online with an ulterior motive.
He stated that the Nigerian Army doesn’t joke with the welfare of its personnel on the frontline.
Onyema said, “Preliminary investigation has also revealed that the police officer who recorded and shared the video did so with an ulterior motive yet to be uncovered by the investigation. It is anticipated to be unravelled during further investigation.
“It is expedient to unambiguously state that the leadership of the Nigerian Army places a premium on the welfare and well-being of troops and their families to ensure that they are adequately rewarded and motivated.
“The COAS has continued to show undeniable passion and commitment to the well-being of soldiers, particularly those deployed on the frontlines, where they are making priceless sacrifices in defence of the nation and ensuring the safety and security of the citizens.
“This is evident in the several welfare schemes berthed and currently implemented by the COAS. These include an increase in the Ration Cash Allowance, prompt medical evacuation of wounded in action soldiers for both foreign and local treatments and commencement of payment of the backlog of the Group Life Insurance Scheme that had accumulated since 2012. Affordable House Ownership Option for all Soldiers with the COAS offsetting about 60 per cent of the cost, and the activation of Personnel Insurance Scheme payments to soldiers who incure injury in combat operations.
“These are aside from massive revamping and equipping of Nigerian Army Reference Hospitals and other medical facilities across formations and units of the Nigerian Army to cater for the health of personnel and their families and the ongoing renovation of old and construction of new accommodations for soldiers and their families in various Nigerian Army Cantonments and Barracks.”
Troops kill one, as Boko Haram commander surrenders
The High Command of the Nigerian Army, says a notorious Boko Haram commander, identified as Babakarami Balawan, has surrendered to its troops deployed for counter terrorism operations.
The Army also said that the troops conducted a series of operations that resulted in the rescue of abducted persons, neutralization of a notorious terrorist, interception of illegally refined Automated Gas Oil (AGO), and seizure of arms.
This is contained in a statement by the Nigeria Army, saying that in Kogi State, troops responded swiftly to a distress call along the Obajana Oshokoshoko road, where some civilians were abducted and taken into the forest.
The statement also explained that the troops moved in swiftly to locate the victims, where they had a fierce shoot-out with the kidnappers and successfully extricated the hostages.
The Army added that troops in Imo State acting on credible intelligence intercepted a vehicle transporting 21 sacks of illegally refined diesel (AGO), stressing that it also arrested armed individuals who were hired to escort the illegal product.
The statement said: “In another development in Borno State, a notorious Boko Haram fighter named Babakarami Balawan has surrendered to troops in Bama Local Government Area, following aggressive onslaught on terrorists’ hideouts in the area.
“Items recovered from the terrorist are one AK 49 rifle, a magazine, and a bicycle. The same troops during an encounter neutralized two terrorists and recovered 11 rounds of 7.62 mm NATO ammunition, 23 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, three rounds of 5.56 mm x 45mm NATO ammunition, and three empty magazines.
“Relatedly, the gallant troops also rescued a woman and her two children in a search and operation in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State”.
Troops kill one, as Boko Haram commander surrenders
Trump revives ‘birtherism’ as Harris gains in polls
Donald Trump is facing a fierce backlash for questioning the race of US election rival Kamala Harris, but to those acquainted with the Republican’s long history of inflammatory language and behavior around the issue, the smear was nothing new.
Trump’s political career was forged in the cauldron of the 2010s “birther” conspiracy theory that sought to delegitimize then-president Barack Obama — who had a Kenyan father — by claiming falsely that he was born abroad.
Those who say Trump is racist point to dozens of other controversies the property tycoon has stoked, from being sued in the 1970s for discrimination against Black tenants to his notorious pandering to white supremacist marchers in 2017.
Trump’s worst impulses resurfaced Wednesday with his outlandish claim that Harris — the first female and non-white vice president — recently “became a Black person” for political convenience.
Like an estimated 34 million Americans in the nation’s fastest-growing demographic, Harris is mixed race and has been consistent in celebrating her Black and South Asian identity.
The attack handed Trump back a media spotlight that had evaded him since Harris’s game-changing entry into the White House race but it also honed attention on his extensive record of racial transgressions.
“He did crap the bed… The only question is whether he’s going to roll around in it or get up and change the sheets,” veteran strategist Scott Jennings, a one-time aide to former President George W. Bush, told CNN.
‘Lion’s den’
Trump’s inflammatory comments came amid a barrage of insults and falsehoods as he attacked Harris during a combative interaction with African American journalists in Chicago.
The 78-year-old is desperate to woo Black voters from Harris — who has erased his polling leads since jumping into the race — but the invitation was already controversial, given his well-documented history of denigrating Black female reporters.
Jennings suggested that Trump should move on from the scandal, but the former president has been doubling down, sharing images of Harris celebrating her Indian origins as some kind of ill-conceived “gotcha.”
Riding high after surviving an assassination bid in July, Trump saw his campaign thrown into chaos when the 59-year-old vice president replaced Joe Biden at the top of the Democratic ticket for the November 5 election.
Keith Gaddie, a politics professor at Texas Christian University, said Trump’s motivation for his latest remarks was likely a compulsion to grab back the limelight, as “no one is talking about assassination attempts any more.”
But he also sees significance in the context — a conversation with three African American interviewers in front of an audience of fellow Black journalists — and believes the ex-president was playing “the gladiator in the lion’s den” for his white base.
“He essentially decided to battle his opponent by proxy, by battling with Black female journalists,” Gaddie said.
‘No sense of decency’
Bill Kristol, chief of staff from 1989-93 to then vice president Dan Quayle, said Trump’s goal was likely to revive old characterizations of Harris as inauthentic after her pivot to the political left during her 2020 primary campaign.
“Trump has no sense of decency. It would be nice if this were disqualifying for political success,” Kristol wrote in a newsletter Thursday for center-right publication The Bulwark.
“But decency doesn’t always prevail in this world of ours. Decency needs to be aggressively defended. Indecency needs to be exposed and denounced.”
While some observers see Trump’s racial remarks as part of some clever political strategy rather than the intemperate outbursts of a bigot, analysts are mixed on whether they are helpful.
“Birtherism made him an avatar of populist conservatism in 2011 and his attacks on Mexicans and Muslims played a critical role in his victories in 2016,” said Donald Nieman, a political analyst and professor at Binghamton University in New York state.
“They stoke the passion of the base and that’s important. But they also turn off a lot of the few swing voters who play a critical role in deciding elections these days — as the results in 2018, 2020, and 2022 suggest.”
Political scientist Nicholas Creel, of Georgia College and State University, told AFP the latest controversy lays bare Trump’s lack of self-control and narcissism — “Trump being Trump” — rather than some underlying strategy.
“The best way to view this specific scandal is not as some sort of fifth-dimensional chess strategy whereby he was looking to excite his base via dog whistles,” he said, “but simply as an insensitive comment from a latently racist old man who thinks he can do no wrong.”
AFP
Kwara sets up committee on minimum wage adjustment
Kwara State Government has set up a 21-member tripartite committee to work out the consequential adjustment component for other categories of workers on minimum wage in the state.
The state governor, AbdulRaman AbdulRazaq, approved the constitution of the committee, according to a Government House statement released to the press on Thursday.
The statement noted that the constitution of the committee comes as a new national minimum wage has been pegged at N70,000, triggering a need for consequential adjustments for senior cadres of workers in the state.
The statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, noted that the committee comprises representatives from the state government, the labour centres, and the organised private sector.
It read, “The tripartite committee is chaired by the Head of Service and co-chaired by the Commissioner for Finance, while the Director (Establishment and Pension) is the Secretary.
“Other members are the Commissioners for Budget and Planning, Works and Transports, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Communications; Senior Adviser and Counsellor to the Governor; Permanent Secretaries (Finance, Service Welfare, Justice); and Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Labour Matters.
“Apart from the Federal Controller on Labour and Employment, the Labour is represented on the committee by the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Chairman of the Joint Negotiation Council, Chairman of COHESU, and Secretary of the JNC.
“The private sector is represented by the Kwara Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, and the Nigerian Association of Small and Medium Enterprises.”
It’s misleading – Nigerian Army on video of soldiers being poorly fed
The Nigerian Army has described a viral video circulating on social media on soldiers being poorly fed as misleading.
Major Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Nigeria Army’s spokesperson made this clarification on Thursday.
This comes amid a video that the 159 Battalion in Kanama, Geidam Local Government, is being poorly fed.
However, Nwachukwu said after investigation as ordered by the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, it was found that “no personnel in that location was served substandard meal as shown in the video”.
“The Nigerian Army has taken note of a viral video on social media alleging that soldiers of 159 Battalion in Kanama, Geidam Local Government, are being poorly fed.
“Sequel to the viral video, the Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja ordered an investigation headed by the Commander Sector 2 Operation HADIN KAI to ascertain the veracity of the claim to address any problem of poor feeding in the unit.
“Following the findings of the investigation, it is crucial to clarify that the video in question was not created by soldiers of the 159 Battalion, but was rather recorded by a police officer stationed with the troops deployed in Geidam.
“Contrary to the claim made in the video, no personnel in that location was served substandard meals as shown in the video.
“Preliminary investigation has also revealed that the police officer who recorded and shared the video did so with an ulterior motive yet to be uncovered by the investigation. It is anticipated to be unraveled during further investigation,” he said.
He added that the Nigerian Army places a premium on the welfare and well-being of troops and their families.
“It is expedient to unambiguously state that the leadership of the Nigerian Army places a premium on the welfare and well-being of troops and their families to ensure that they are adequately rewarded and motivated,” the spokesperson said.
It’s misleading – Nigerian Army on video of soldiers being poorly fed
Protest: Police list Abuja, Kano, eight other states rioters unleashed havoc
The Nigeria Police Force has said the wanton destruction by protesters on the first day of the hunger protest was mind blowing.
This is as the Police said hoodlums were let loose in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Kaduna, Kano, Borno, Niger, Yobe, Jigawa, Gombe and Bauchi.
Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists.
TVN reports that on Thursday protesters hit the streets in major parts of the country rioting against rising hardship in Nigeria.
However, IGP Kayode said after day-1 of the protest, “the destruction so far has been mind-boggling”.
He said that there were attempts to take over government houses, and looting of government infrastructures.
Egbetokun revealed that several warehouses and shops have so far been looted and, in several instances, destroyed.
“There has been destruction in Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, FCT Abuja, Niger, Jigawa. Police stations have been destroyed, there have been attempts to take over government houses, looting of government infrastructures, several warehouses and shops have so far been looted and, in several instances, destroyed”, he said.
The Police boss warned against causing anarchy in the country under the guise of exercising rights to protest.
He appealed to citizens to remain calm and cooperate with the police.
“We appeal to all citizens to remain calm and cooperate with the Police and other security agencies during this challenging period”, he said.
Protest: Police list Abuja, Kano, eight other states rioters unleashed havoc
IGP places police units on red alert over destruction, looting in #EndBadGovernance protest
The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has placed all police units on red alert following the cases of violence recorded in the ongoing #EndBadGovernance protest across the country.
Egbetokun made the announcement at a media briefing on Thursday in Abuja.
He said the events in some major cities in the country on Day-1 of the protest showed that the protest had turned to be mass uprising and looting.
The IGP lamented that the people who promoted the idea of the protest were not around to lead it.
READ ALSO:IGP orders #EndBadGovernance protesters to submit names, contact details to police
He said hoodlums have been let loose on innocent Nigerians and their hard-earned businesses and property looted and destroyed.
Egbetokun noted that the motive of the rioters was to loot and destroy both private and government property.
He said the destruction so far had been mind-boggling, adding that there were destruction in Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Niger and Jigawa States.
He said police stations had been destroyed with attempts in some states to take over government houses and loot infrastructures.
The IGP expressed regret that several warehouses and shops had so far been looted and in several instances, completely destroyed.
He said: “In the light of the current situation, the Nigeria Police Force has placed all units on red alert.
“Our officers are fully mobilised and prepared to respond swiftly and decisively to any further threats to public safety and order.
“We remain committed and resolute to protecting life and property and ensuring that law and order are maintained across the nation.”
The post IGP places police units on red alert over destruction, looting in #EndBadGovernance protest appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Wike meets Tinubu, says FG ready for dialogue
As protests kicked off nationwide on Thursday, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, was spotted at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday afternoon.
Our correspondent spotted the former Rivers State governor alighting from a black Toyota Prado Sports Utility Vehicle and was ushered into the President’s Office.
Though the topic of their discussion remained unknown as of the time of filing this report, it was believed to be connected to the hunger protests, which began on Thursday, with the FCT as an epicentre.
The FCT saw massive demonstrations from crowds who thronged the central business district and suburbs as security officials fired tear gas to disperse protesters.
Meanwhile, the FCT minister said the Federal Government was open to having a dialogue with the protesters.
Wike stated this while handing over the Staff of the Office to four newly coronated Chiefs of Karu, Kwali, Pai, and Yaba, in Abuja on Thursday.
He commended protesters who refused to be violent and urged them to continue to remain peaceful, noting that it was better to have a dialogue and iron out issues with the government.
“I want you to continue with that peace process, because he who makes peace will, at the end of the day, enjoy the dividends of peace.
“I want to commend you and urge you to still talk to our people, that we are still ready to talk to them, have a dialogue with them and iron out the grey areas.
“We’ll also brief them on certain things they do not know so that they will be well informed to make informed decisions,” the minister said.
Describing Abuja as the nation’s “centre of unity,” Wike said, “Abuja is for everybody; if we lose Abuja, we have lost Nigeria. That is why we have always said, let us work together. There is nothing we can’t achieve under the current administration of President Bola Tinubu.
“Give him time, and a lot of things will change.”
Speaking to the coronated chiefs, the minister said traditional rulers had a lot of roles to play, adding that they were the closest to the grassroots and interface more with the people.
He said: “You are the one who knows what the people feel at home; you are the one who will tell us whether the government is making any impact or not.
“You will convey to your subjects what the government is doing and what the government is about to do; you are the one to sell government policies and programmes to your people.
“If you convey a wrong message, that is what the people will accept. If you convey the right message, that is what the people will accept. So, you play a very pivotal role,” he said.
Business owners worry protests will affect productivity
Entrepreneurs are concerned that the August 1 protest could affect productivity and inflict an estimated loss of N400bn on the economy.
Industry stakeholders appear apprehensive of the likely fallout of citizen demonstrations on lives and property, particularly their business holdings.
The National Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Small-Scale Industrialists, Segun Kuti-George, said the fear of arson from the EndSARS protest still haunts Nigerian business owners who almost lost their factories.
“Our factories were nearly torched and we would have been without businesses,” Kuti-George told The According, recounting the joint experiences of business owners in the EndSARS protest.
Also referred to as the Hunger Protest, the demonstrations are scheduled for August 1, 2024, and most of the rallying seems to be done on social media platforms, most notably X, formerly known as Twitter.
In addition to the Nigerian political class, which has appealed to the sensibilities of protesters calling for calm and security agencies, which have warned against violence, business stakeholders have stated their desire for peaceful demonstrations.
According to the NASSI Vice President, more Nigerians would restrict their movements on the day of the planned protests, leading to a drop in foot traffic, which means a slower business day.
“People will want to be cautious. They will be reluctant to come out on that day,” Kuti-George remarked, reckoning that some employers may ask their staff to work from home.
Also, a development economist, Rotimi Oyelere, pointed out that there is a loss of output and income when protests force workers to stop working.
Oyelere said protests of a nationwide magnitude could have a multiplier effect on daily wage earners.
“There will be a micro impact in immediate income loss for households, and businesses, then a macro impact that will affect general output and on a national aspect.
“It could get out of control and lead to indirect loss if there is a need to restore any destroyed property, he added.
The economist recommended more transparency between the people and the state, noting that a deterioration of trust helped ignite the brewing social unrest in the country.
An earlier analysis from the Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise predicted that the proposed nationwide protests pose “grave dangers for an economy that is already in a very fragile state”.
In a statement, the CPPE claimed that if the protests are not properly managed, they could affect earnings and incur an estimated daily loss of N400bn.
The Chief Executive Officer of CPPE, Dr Muda Yusuf, suggested that the protesters consider that over 90 per cent of employed Nigerians are in the informal sector.
“Employees in this space (informal sector) depend on daily income and any disruption to their economic activities beyond 24 hours could snowball into major social unrest. This underlines the country’s vulnerability to prolonged protests.
He recommended, among other things, that the duration of the protests possibly be a single day, as “experience has shown that the chances of protests degenerating into chaos and anarchy increase with the duration of the protests,” Yusuf declared.