Minister of Works, Engr David Umahi, has expressed deep sadness over the death of the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.
Iwuanyanwu died on Thursday, 25 July, 2024 at the age of 82 years.
Umahi in a statement he personally signed and made available to newsmen on Friday, said Iwuanyanwu was an experienced and well-respected national figure with unwavering political, professional, and business track records.
“He will be remembered for his commitment to nation-building; he canvassed unequivocally for equity, equality, value re-orientation, and unconstrained national development.
“He made perceptive contributions to issues that promote national dialogue during his time as President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo. Indeed, we have lost a rare gem.
“I offer my deepest condolences to the family, the government of Imo state, the Igbo communities worldwide, and indeed Nigeria for the loss of this great statesman,” he said.
Umahi mourns Iwuanyanwu, says Ndigbo lost ‘rare gem’
Umahi mourns Iwuanyanwu, says Ndigbo lost ‘rare gem’
‘Our hearts ache’ – Women group begs Nigerians over nationwide protest
A group, Women Initiative for Family Economy, has called on Nigerians to consider the potential consequences of the planned nationwide strike.
TVN reports that there is a growing call for a nationwide protest to express dissatisfaction with the current economic situation in the country.
In a press conference addressed by Ambassador Aisha Abdulkadir, the coordinator of the Women Initiative for Family Economy, the group noted that the right to peaceful protest was enshrined in democracy and was a powerful tool for voicing concerns.
It, however, recalled the impact of the EndSARS protests of October 2020 which it believed was still fresh in the collective memory of the citizenry.
It recalled that what began as a peaceful demand for the end of police brutality tragically escalated into widespread chaos.
“A nationwide protest at this juncture could lead us down a similar path of disruption and hardship. Strikes and protests, while powerful, often come with unintended consequences.
“They can cripple our economy, disrupt essential services, and exacerbate the very issues they aim to address. The most vulnerable among us—daily wage earners, small business owners, students, and patients in hospitals—are often the ones who bear the brunt of such actions.
“However, the call for protest underscores a critical point: the economic hardships that many Nigerians are facing.
“We believe that through dialogue, we can address grievances and work together toward sustainable solutions.
“While the right to protest is fundamental, we must consider the potential risks and consequences of a nationwide protest. The government is dedicated to addressing the economic hardships facing our country and is actively working on solutions.
“Let us choose the path of cooperation over disruption and chaos. Together, we can build a Nigeria that offers prosperity and opportunity for all.
“As a mother, my heart aches at the thought of losing more of our young ones to violence. I urge all of us to consider alternative measures to protest in ways that preserve lives while still demanding the change we so desperately need. Let us protect our children and each other by seeking peaceful, strategic avenues for our advocacy,” the group said.
‘Our hearts ache’ – Women group begs Nigerians over nationwide protest
Insecurity causing devastating effect on Zamfara women, children – Commissioner
Zamfara State Commissioner for Women, Children and Social Development Affairs, Dr. Nafisa Muhammad Maradun has said that the security challenges facing the state are having devastating effects on the people, especially women and children.
The Commissioner stated that to safeguard lives and properties of the people, the State Government established the Community Protection Guards, CPG, and SecurityTrust Fund, STF.
Maradun said this during the Final Interstate Forum on the Protection of Our Communities Initiative (POC), titled “Putting Words to Action – Sustainability and Future Directions 2024”.
This was contained in a statement she personally issued to newsmen in Gusau, the State capital on Friday.
She assured that Zamfara State Government was fully committed to sustaining peace-building efforts through the POC Initiatives.
“I extend my deepest gratitude to the Neem Foundation, KARUNA CENTER for Peacebuilding, and the collaborating local Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Voluntary Aid Initiative, Zamfara State, for their dedication and unwavering support.
“The Protecting Our Community Initiative (POCI) Project has been a beacon of hope for Zamfara State, especially in these challenging times, through frequent dialogues, Early Warning and Early Response Mechanisms, radio programs, among others,” she said.
Maradun further pointed out that the POC project had amplified the voices of women and youth, empowering them to make their communities safer.
“The focus on those affected by the farmer-herder crises has been particularly impactful, bringing much-needed attention and solutions to this pressing issue.
“We recognize the importance of these initiatives in creating a peaceful and secure environment for all our citizens, and we pledge our continued support and collaboration,” she added.
In his remarks, the Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Benue State, Hon. Aondowase Kunde, said that the ongoing violent conflict that had led to the influx of Internally Displaced Persons in the State had posed a challenge to the ministry and the government at large.
He commended the collaborating partners and stakeholders on the POC project for strengthening peaceful coexistence among communities.
Speaking, the Executive Director of the Voluntary Aid Initiative (VAI), a Zamfara-based CSO, Alhaji Musa Umar, said the POC project aimed at exploring new ways of resolving conflict by building on women’s and youth’s knowledge to increase civilian security through Early Warning and Early Response, (EWER).
Insecurity causing devastating effect on Zamfara women, children – Commissioner
Enugu: Nkerefi community urges Gov Mbah not to recognise monarch
The people of Ishienu Amofu Peoples Assembly have rejected the purported emergence of Chief Michael Christian Ogbonnaya as the Igwe of Ishienu Amofu Nkerefi, in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
They asked Governor Peter Mbah not to recognise anyone as the traditional of the community as no election had been held.
This comes after Ogbonnaya was announced as the new monarch of the community.
In a statement signed by Prince I. O. Ezeoha, the Acting Chairman of Ishienu Amofu Nkerefi Peoples Assembly, he said there was no such election.
“Let it be on record that no election held anywhere in Ishienu Amofu Nkerefi on or any other date for that matter.
“So, if there was no election, how then can an Igwe emerge?
“It is sad that a once-respected son of Nkerefi is struggling to impose himself on the people by claiming our revered Igwe’s throne, and parading himself as our traditional ruler,” he alleged in the statement.
He urged the Enugu State Government, the ministries, and the general public to be aware “that the electoral process that will give us an Igwe has not been held yet.
“They will also be informed when a new Igwe emerges and he will be formally presented to the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Local Government Affairs, and our dear Governor.”
Enugu: Nkerefi community urges Gov Mbah not to recognise monarch
Harris to allow newborn babies’ murder, Trump alleges
United States presidential candidate Donald Trump falsely accused election rival Kamala Harris of being an anti-Semite who plans to allow the murder of newborn babies, in a speech meant to rally religious supporters Friday that quickly went off the rails.
The vice president, who is married to a Jewish man, has gained ground on Trump in polling since she replaced Joe Biden on the top of the Democratic ticket just days ago.
Former Republican president Trump dedicated much of his address at a religious convention in southern Florida to assailing Harris’s record as a senator and as Biden’s number two, but many of his attacks were smears untethered to reality.
Explaining why 59-year-old Harris had skipped Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyau’s speech to the US Congress on Wednesday to instead honor a prior commitment, Trump accused her, baselessly, of anti-Semitism.
“She doesn’t like Jewish people. She doesn’t like Israel. That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it’s always going to be. She’s not going to change,” he said.
The remark — coupled with his claim that Harris “is totally against the Jewish people” in North Carolina on Wednesday — marked an escalation in Trump’s incendiary rhetoric, days after his campaign said an attempt on his life had given him a focus on unity.
The hour-long Friday speech, hosted by hard-right Turning Point Action, raised legitimate questions over Harris’s previous statements on policing, immigration, and the environment that placed her to the left of current Biden administration policy.
But it was marked by hyperbole and falsehood.
* ‘Execute the baby’ –
Trump — a convicted felon who is fighting multiple further indictments — suggested baselessly that the Justice Department and FBI were “rounding up” Christians and anti-abortion activists and throwing them in jail for their “religious beliefs.”
He also called Biden’s decision to exit the election campaign a “coup” by Democrats and said America was a “laughing stock.”
But he saved his darkest vitriol for Harris, calling her a “bum” and a failed vice president who had rejected federal judges for being Catholic and would appoint “hardcore Marxists” to the Supreme Court.
He also accused her falsely of wanting to force doctors to give chemical castration drugs to children and suggested she might cheat to win in November.
“If Kamala Harris has her way, they will have a federal law for abortion, to rip the baby out of the womb in the eighth, ninth month and even after birth — execute the baby after birth,” he claimed, in perhaps his most egregious calumny.
78-year-old Trump, now the oldest major-party nominee in history, is scrambling to reorient an election against someone two decades his junior, having expected to face an 81-year-old incumbent Biden beset by concerns over infirmity.
Just last week, the former reality TV star was in cruise control as he accepted a hero’s welcome — and the official presidential nomination — at the Republican convention in Milwaukee.
* Crowning glory –
His crowning glory came a week after a gunman nearly killed him at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania — an extraordinary incident that Trump vowed Friday to commemorate with “a big and beautiful” new rally in the town, although he did not give a date.
Seeking to become the first female president in US history, Harris is tasked with rapidly assembling a campaign against an opponent who has been in near-permanent reelection mode since he became president in 2016.
Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama pledged support for Harris earlier Friday, as polls showed her closing the gap that Trump had built over Biden to make the race a statistical tie.
A top California prosecutor and senator before being elected the country’s first female and first Black and South Asian vice president, Harris has highlighted Trump’s criminal conviction and what she said Thursday is a Republican attack on “hard-fought freedoms” in US society.
Democrats leapt on a Trump campaign announcement late Thursday that cast into doubt whether he will debate Harris.
“It shows that he’s afraid,” Transport Secretary Pete Buttigieg, a major Harris campaign advocate, told MSNBC.
“It shows that he knows that if the two of them are on a stage together, it’s not going to end well for him.”
AFP
Top 10 stories from across Nigerian Newspapers, Saturday, July 27, 2024
Here are the top 10 stories making headlines across the country.
1. IGP orders #EndBadGovernance protesters to submit names, contact details to police
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on Friday asked individuals behind the #EndBadGovernance protests in the country to submit their details to the Force authorities.Read more
2. Organizers of #EndBadGovernance protest are opportunists after political power —Omokri
Former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri has denounced the organisers of the #EndBadGovernance protests, saying they are opportunists who are after political power.Read more
3. Obasanjo claims witches and wizards delayed his birth
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo said on Friday his mother carried his pregnancy for 12 months due to the power of witches and wizards.Read more
4. UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Muhammed briefs Tinubu on ECOWAS mission
The United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Ms. Amina Mohammed, said on Friday her mission to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) countries forming a new alliance was successful.Read more
5. Ex-Rivers LGA chiefs tackle Fubara over caretaker committees, threaten to occupy offices
Former local government chairmen in Rivers State on Friday faulted the continued stay of caretaker committee chairmen in office weeks after the Supreme Court declared such as illegal in the councils.Read more
READ ALSO:Top 10 stories from across Nigerian Newspapers, Wednesday, July 24, 2024
6. Edo Deputy Gov Shaibu opens up on real reason for fallout with Obaseki
Reinstated Edo Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu has revealed that he would have abandoned his governorship ambition if his principal, Godwin Obaseki, had approached him reasonably.Read more
7. Ahead of Toleram takeover, Guinness Nigeria records N54.7bn full-year loss
Guinness Nigeria Plc has reported a N54.7 billion loss for the financial year ended June 30, 2024.Read more
8. NGX: Equities market in massive slump as investors lose N1.1tr
Investors in the Nigerian equities market lost N1.1 trillion at the close of trading on Friday.Read more
9. Man arrested for ritual killing of friend in Osun
Police operatives in Osun have arrested a 50-year-old man for allegedly killing his friend for a money ritual in the state.Read more
10. Glamour, splendour as athletes parade in boats at Paris Olympics ceremony
The 2024 Paris Olympic Games have officially kicked off on Friday with the opening ceremonies featuring so much glamour during the parade of athletes.Read more
The post Top 10 stories from across Nigerian Newspapers, Saturday, July 27, 2024 appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Messi out for Inter Miami as Leagues Cup begins
Lionel Messi will not play for Inter Miami as the defending Leagues Cup champions begin their repeat bid on Saturday at home against Puebla, Miami coach Gerardo Martino said Friday.
The 37-year-old Argentine striker suffered a right ankle injury in his nation’s victory over Colombia in the Copa America final this month.
Messi missed two MLS matches last week and Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game against Mexico’s Liga MX All-Stars.
Martino said Messi remains in a walking boot as he works with club trainers but “the ankle is getting better and better,” according to the Miami coach.
Last year, Messi arrived at Inter Miami and led the club on a title run in the inaugural edition of the Leagues Cup, which features MLS and Mexican clubs in a World Cup-style format.
There are 15 three-team groups in the first round and two from each will advance to the knockout stages along with the reigning league champions, Club America and the MLS Columbus Crew.
This year’s opening matches were played Friday with host Orlando routing Montreal 4-1, DC United winning 6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw at Atlanta and 10-man host Austin edging Mexico’s Pumas 3-2.
Icelandic midfielder Dagur Thorhallsson, Uruguay’s Facundo Torres and Argentine striker Ramiro Enrique gave Orlando a 3-0 half-time lead and Argentina’s Martin Ojeda added another goal in the 57th minute while Montreal’s Josef Martinez, a Venezuelan midfielder, averted a shutout loss in the 69th.
Austin goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland denied a penalty shot by Pumas striker Guillermo Martinez in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time as the Texas club hung on after Osman Bukari’s red card in the 34th minute with Austin up 1-0 on Alexander Ring’s eighth-minute goal.
Gyasi Zardes and Sebastian Driussi added goals for Austin while Martinez and Ali Avila scored for Pumas to set up the thrilling finish.
DC United’s scheduled home match against Santos Laguna next Wednesday at Audi Field was moved to the home stadium of the Philadelphia Union — Subaru Park in Chester, Pennsylvania — due to concerns over field conditions in Washington.
Leagues Cup organizers fined DC United an undisclosed sum over conditions, with the club saying it is installing a new grass field at the stadium on July 31, a move that had been previously planned for August 1.
AFP
Tinubu can’t dump 1999 constitution, says APC
The All Progressives Congress has urged organisers of the planned August 1 nationwide protest to shelve its agitation to have President Bola Tinubu scrap the 1999 Constitution, describing it as a tall order.
The ruling party disclosed this after a closed-door meeting with the Forum of APC State Chairmen to discuss the modalities of the proposed protest at the national secretariat in Abuja on Friday.
In the last two decades, the need to change the Nigerian Constitution has become a hot debate among several state actors and elder statesmen.
On March 18, The According reported how Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, joined former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; former governors, notable diplomats, legal practitioners and other elder statesmen to advocate that Nigeria jettison the 1999 Constitution for lack of legitimacy.
But the ruling party through its National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, insisted that the renewed agitation to have the President dump the constitution he vowed to protect would amount to a mission impossible.
Basiru’s statement was a response to one of the 15 demands of the organisers of the proposed hunger strike protest.
The protest, scheduled to hold from August 1-15, has generated tension and elicited mixed reactions among Nigerians in the past two weeks.
It also trended for weeks on social media space with hashtags like ‘EndBadGovernance’ and ‘Tinubu Must Go.’
According to the APC national secretary, Tinubu alone doesn’t have the power to dump the 1999 Constitution.
He said, “On an intellectual basis, the meeting of the National Working Committee and the chairman of our party looked at what was put forward as a charter of demands, 15 of them. We looked at it and most of the issues raised there are not matters for protest. That is because they border on the issue of politics and the issue of amendments to the constitution.
“And we took them one by one. First, they said ‘scrap the 1999 Constitution and replace it with a people-made constitution for the Federal Republic of Nigeria through a sovereign national conference followed by a national referendum. The question is this, who will scrap the 1999 constitution? Is it a president who is elected and sworn to oppose the 1999 constitution? Even the right of a protester to protest is predicated on their rights under the 1999 constitution.
“The constitutional amendments in Nigeria cannot be done by presidential fiat. The president alone cannot sack the 1999 constitution. It requires four-fifths of the members of the National Assembly and two-thirds of the State (House of) Assembly to be able to do so. The first demand is asking of the president what he does not have the power and will to do.”
The APC also frowned at the push to have the Senate sacked, leaving only the House of Representatives to take care of the business of lawmaking.
Basiru stated that even the APC state chairmen could not agree less than that it was a contradiction since what it requires was just an amendment and not a total discarding of the entire constitution.
“Again, they said the Senate should be tossed away and the House of Representatives should be in place and have a part-time endeavour. That would suppose they are no longer talking about scrapping the 1999 Constitution. They are talking about amending the 1999 Constitution because the House of Representatives was established under the 1999 Constitution.
“So, presently there is an ongoing constitutional amendment by the National Assembly. Anybody legitimately interested in cutting costs of governance by sending away the Senate and retaining the lower chamber should prepare the necessary memorandum, and mobilise the National Assembly members as well as the State Assembly so that it can be amended.
“Beyond the general statements discussed, the National Working Committee in the meeting with the State APC Chairmen also got to check what was pushed out by the so-called organisers of the protest. One, we were shocked that the title of the protest is called #EndBadGovernance. It signals that you are not protesting but want to carry out a revolution.
“Revolution is not something you use protests for, and where such occurs, it comes with immense violence. This is not a time when our country will require violence and disruption of the efforts done by the President and the administration. So we want to urge Nigerians to be alive to the fact that the government will not be in a position to sit and allow violence to be meted on hapless citizens of the country,” he stated.
Group advocates removal of Narcotics from exclusive list, rejects death penalty for addicts
A non-governmental organization, Bensther Foundation, has advocated the removal of narcotics from the exclusive list.
Executive Director of the foundation, Nonso Maduka made the call during a media parley on ‘Nigeria Drug Law: Way Forward’, held in Enugu.
The parley was organized in collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission and Youthrise Nigeria, during which the organisation also rejected the death penalty for drug addicts.
In a speech at the occasion, Maduka stressed that there was a need to remove the issue of substance use (Narcotics) from the exclusive list to enable states adopt approaches they believed would be effective in the fight against drug abuse and other drug issues.
He insisted that states “under the exclusive list, cannot cannot do anything except they go to Abuja”, advocating that the issue of substance use should run concurrently like other health issues.
“We need to remove the issue of substance use, narcotics, from the exclusive list, let it run concurrently just like other health issues because the drugs laws are under the exclusive list, states cannot do anything and if they have to do anything, they have to go to Abuja,” he said.
Maduka stressed the need for amendment of some drug laws so that the NDLEA would not be a prosecutor and a judge at the same time.
He further suggested that the NDLEA should focus on drug supply reduction, explaining that drug demand reduction required strong staff strength which he said the agency lacked at the moment.
Maduka refused to throw his weight behind the death penalty for drug offenders, saying they have helped many drug addicts in Enugu.
Group advocates removal of Narcotics from exclusive list, rejects death penalty for addicts
Oando denies owning blending plant in Malta
Oando PLC has denied allegations on social and digital media that it owns a blending plant in Malta.
The energy company also denied importing dirty fuel into Nigeria through a Maltese company, Raz Hansir Oil Terminal Limited.
A statement by the company secretary, Ayotola Jagun, said the allegations levelled against Oando of being a shareholder, and its principals of being board members of Raz Hansir Oil Terminal Limited, a company that operates an oil storage and blending facility responsible for importing adulterated petroleum products into Nigeria, were unfounded.
“We wish to refute such claims and attest that neither Oando PLC nor its Executives have ever held shares, investments, or interests in the fictitious Maltese company.
“As part of a comprehensive investigation into the basis of the false claims, we conducted a search of the Malta Business Registry, the official repository for all registered entities past and current within the country. Our search yielded no results for a company bearing that name. Subsequent due diligence efforts similarly failed to uncover any record of the company’s existence.
“We therefore believe that the false claims are of the malicious intent of misleading the public and our stakeholders,” Jagun stated.
The company reiterated that as a publicly listed company, any corporate actions, such as acquisitions, are declared publicly in accordance with applicable corporate governance laws and rules.
“Furthermore, it is imperative that information released about a publicly quoted company such as Oando, is thoroughly researched and deemed accurate before it is published in the public domain.
“The company’s securities are traded daily across two exchanges (NGX and JSE). To prevent misinformation and confusion among investors, as well as our other stakeholders, we implore all members of the press to take adequate steps to ensure the veracity of reports by fielding all enquiries with Oando PLC’s Corporate Communications department,” Jagun submitted.
Malta and its oil became a topic of discussion lately following allegations by the President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote that some officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited own blending plants in Malta.
Amid the crisis surrounding his $20bn refinery, Dangote had said: Some of the terminals, some of the NNPC people and some traders have opened blending plants somewhere off Malta. We all know these areas. We know what they are doing,” Dangote said.
Data from Trade Map showed that Nigeria imported fuel worth $2bn in 2023 alone.
Earlier, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, said he does not own a blending plant outside Nigeria.
Kyari stated that he had been inundated with calls from family members and friends, asking if he truly owned a blending plant in Malta.