The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, has urged residents and indigenes not to participate in the upcoming nationwide protest scheduled for August 1, citing potential security risks.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Igweh emphasized the efforts made by the police to maintain security in the FCT, expressing concerns that the protest could undermine these efforts.
“I want to appeal specifically to the residents and indigenes and everybody in the FCT. Please, lions do not destroy their dens. You cannot see a lion who destroys its den. No, I would not like you to join this protest,” Igweh stated, urging the community to appreciate the sacrifices made by law enforcement personnel to ensure their safety.
Read also: Tinubu returns home after attending AU meeting
Highlighting recent losses of policemen in securing the area, Igweh pleaded with residents not to risk further unrest. He also acknowledged government efforts in infrastructure development, urging residents to act responsibly and maintain peace.
“Let us continue collectively to make the FCT safe. Let them go and do what they want to do. But not with us,” he concluded.
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FCT Police CP urges residents against joining nationwide protest
Scores defect from PDP, APGA, others to APC in Kaduna
Seven hundred and two members of the Labour Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, People’s Redemption Party, and the Peoples Democratic Party in Makera Constituency of Kaduna-South Local Government Area of the State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, with a commitment to support the party to win the October 19 local government elections.
The defectors, which included a former State House of Assembly candidate for Makera Constituency, women and youth leaders in Kaduna-South Local Government, were received by the Local Government Party Chairman, Ibrahim Soso, and the Chairman of the occasion, a former Senator representing Kaduna-North, Senator Lawal Aliyu at the Monday Market, in Kakuri Gwari.
In his remarks, Soso assured the defectors of equal opportunities in the APC, irrespective of their new memberships, and advised them to work and vote for all the APC candidates in the October 19 Local Government Council elections.
“We’re convinced that Kaduna-South will vote for our party the APC and we’re confident that the main opposition PDP is dead here”, he stated.
In their separate remarks, Ayok Danboyi, a former candidate for Makera State House of Assembly Constituency, and Yunana Bala, a chieftain of the PDP, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said their defection was necessitated by the leadership style of the Executive Vice Chairman of the Local Government, Nehemiah Baba-Karik and Governor Uba Sani, who focus on uniting the people of the state as against the normal tradition.
According to them, the daily depletion of their parties’ membership in Kaduna-South was an indication that the main opposition party would soon go into extinction even before the Local Government general elections.
They pledged to work hard ahead of the local government general elections slated for October 19, 2024.
The Executive Vice Chairman of Kaduna-South Local Government Area, Nehemiah Baba-Karik, described their step as a “wise decision” and assured them that they would not be left behind in the scheme of things.
“You will not be left behind in the scheme of things as you have now become part of us. You will observe that the Governor has demonstrated capacity and genuine leadership in promoting good governance”, he said.
Macron says France is ready to host Paris Olympics
President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that France was ready to host the Paris Olympics as he visited the Athletes’ Village four days before the Games begin.
“We are ready and we will be ready throughout the Games,” Macron said.
“We have been working on these Games for years now and we are at the start of a decisive week which on Friday will see the opening ceremony and then the Olympiad which will be held in Paris, 100 years since the last one.”
He added, “This is the fruit of an immense amount of work which has profoundly changed the country, in particular the area” of Seine-Saint-Denis, where the Athletes’ Village is situated.
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach also visited the Village to the north of the French capital, where thousands of athletes and officials are arriving, with up to 14,500 expected there at the peak of the Games.
Comprising 40 different low-rise housing blocks, the complex has been built by employing innovative construction techniques using low-carbon concrete, water recycling and reclaimed building materials.
It was also intended to be free of air-conditioning with a natural cooling system, but some Olympic delegations are unconvinced and have ordered around 2,500 portable cooling units for their athletes.
Seine-Saint-Denis, where the main athletics stadium for the Olympics is also situated, is the poorest area in France and is hoping to reap benefits from the sports extravaganza.
Macron promised the area would not be forgotten after the Olympics.
“I will come back after the Games to see the legacy with you and to see how life has changed,” he said.
– Israelis ‘welcome’ –
Meanwhile, France’s foreign minister said Israeli athletes were welcome at the Paris Games after a hard-left member of the French parliament sparked outrage by urging them to stay away because of the conflict in Gaza.
“The Israeli delegation is welcome in France,” Stephane Sejourne said in Brussels ahead of talks with his Israeli counterpart, adding that the call by France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes for the country’s exclusion had been “irresponsible and dangerous”.
“We will ensure the security of the delegation,” Sejourne added.
Portes drew an angry response from French Jewish groups and both political opponents and allies.
Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (Crif), said the comments were “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes”.
Arfi said Israeli athletes were “already the most in danger at the Olympic Games”, recalling the 11 “murdered by Palestinian terrorists” at the 1972 Munich Games.
Meanwhile, French security forces were continuing preparations for the unprecedented opening ceremony on Friday, the first time a Summer Olympics has opened outside the main stadium.
Between 6,000 and 7,000 athletes are to sail down the river on 85 barges and boats, with a backdrop of world-famous monuments including Notre Dame Cathedral, currently being renovated after a devastating fire in 2019.
The athletes will disembark for the culmination of a ceremony at the Trocadero opposite the Eiffel Tower that organisers promise will be spectacular.
Up to 300,000 ticketed spectators will watch from stands and on the river banks and another 200,000 are expected to watch from the overlooking apartments.
Turning to the sport, Slovenian cyclist Tadej Pogacar is setting his sights on Olympic gold in the road race after winning the Tour de France for the third time on Sunday.
“We are living in the golden age of cycling,” Pogacar said after completing a commanding victory in Nice, where the finish was moved to because of the Olympic preparations in Paris.
AFP
Help govt fight crude oil theft, Fubara tasks Rivers monarchs
Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said that it is the duty of everybody, especially traditional rulers, to join efforts with the government to ensure that there is stability and unfettered progress of Nigeria.
He has also advised traditional rulers to take charge of their domains and ensure that they make life difficult for ill-guided youths involved in acts of economic sabotage in their various communities.
Fubara gave the charge while declaring open the 117th/118th Combined Quarterly General Meeting of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers at their Secretariat in Port Harcourt on Monday.
This was contained in a statement issued by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, and sent to newsmen.
The governor maintained that it should be the concern of everybody to support and see Nigeria progress as a stable country while advancing economically, adding that this is possible only when there is high production of crude oil, as the mainstay of the national economy.
The governor said, “I want to see a different society from this hour. The Federal Government is doing everything to see that our crude oil production level increases. But every day, we are having issues of illegal bunkering and pipeline vandalisation and all the associated problems.
“All these people that are carrying out these evil acts, they’re not coming from the moon, they live in our communities, we know them. I am charging this council, as a first step, to take charge of your communities.
“If there is any information that you need to share with us, share with us. The overall, we need our country to progress. We need our country to be stable. We need our country to grow economically. It is through only one means: our oil production.”
The governor insisted: “We are charging you, to please go back and take charge of your communities. I assure you of our support. If there is anything that we need to do, if it means the government sending you some little support financially to create your own vigilante to help, we will do it.”
In his address, the Chairman, Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, Eze Chike Worlu Wodo, thanked Fubara for maintaining peace in the state in the face of the unwarranted political crisis.
Eze Wodo, who is the Paramount Ruler of Apara Kingdom in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the State, urged the governor not to fall into the traps of detractors by confronting their violence with violence.
He said, “All of us know that those that are over-heating the polity have one aim: to make the State ungovernable so as to make it ripe for a declaration of State of Emergency. Please, Sir, advise your supporters to avoid every invitation to violence.
“May I also appeal to our people on all sides of the political divide to remember that we have nowhere else to call home apart from Rivers State. So, we must not allow our personal interest to destroy the peace, stability, and growth of our State.”
Nationwide protests not solution to Nigeria’s problems- Governor Namadi
Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has said the nationwide protests are not the solution to the difficult situations facing Nigeria.
Governor Namadi stated this while speaking at an emergency town hall meeting held at the Banquet Hall, Government House on Monday over the planned nationwide protest in the country.
He acknowledged the hardships many Nigerians are experiencing, including economic difficulties, insecurity, and social unrest.
He noted that expressing grievances through protests is a democratic right but not the most effective way to resolve issues.
According to him “I firmly believe that protests alone will not provide the solutions we seek. It is time for all of us to turn to Allah, look at our relationship with our creator, seek His forgiveness, and ask for His guidance in overcoming these challenges.”
The governor urged citizens to turn to Allah and seek divine intervention as the ultimate remedy for the country’s challenges.
He noted that the government is doing their best to ease the suffering of citizens including; approving the duty-free importation of major food items, empowerment packages.
Speaking on behalf of traditional rulers, the Emir of Hadejia Adamu Abubakar Maje, lamented that Nigerians are currently going through the most difficult situation but the planned mass protest may not be the solution to the problems.
According to him, “we are not in support of the protest, let each one of us look into his doing between him and God, families and relatives”
Chairman council of Ulama Shiek Khadi Bashir Ahmad noted that only God has the power to change the situation.
He urged the citizens to repent and continue seeking forgiveness from Allah SWA and His quick intervention to solve the problem.
Nationwide protests not solution to Nigeria’s problems- Governor Namadi
We must constantly review counter-insurgency operations in North West – Lagbaja
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Taoreed Lagbaja, has said the insecurity bedevilling the North West region of the country was being made worse by criminal elements involved in illegal mining, banditry, and cattle rustling, among others.
He added that their continuous activities had led to the destruction of life and means of livelihoods.
Lagbaja, represented by the Nigerian Army Chief of Operations, Major General Benson Sijen, spoke at the opening of a three-day retreat for retired and serving commanders in the Northwest, held in Abuja on Monday.
He lamented that despite the Army’s efforts to curb their activities, they continue to impact the Northwest and the country as a whole.
Lagbaja said, “The current security challenges the nation is facing are volatile, complex and fluid and vary from one zone to another. In the Northwest, the security situation is made complex and persistent by activities of non-state actors who engage in banditry, kidnapping, cattle rustling, illegal mining, and violent attacks leading to the destruction of life and means of livelihoods.
“The activities of these non-state actors have continued to impact the security environment in the Northwest region and, by extension, in our country despite efforts to curb the trend by the Nigerian army, sister services, and other government departments and agencies.”
Lagbaja noted that to rid the North West region of insecurity, the army must review the situation and ensure they are ahead of the criminals.
He said, “Surmounting insecurity in the North West region needs a periodic review of the situation, which in turn will allow us to truly understand the generality and specifics for seamless planning and executing of operations. The threats, as I mentioned, are always fluid and evolving, thus requiring us to quickly adapt, for us to be at least a step ahead of the adversary. This retreat has provided a unique opportunity for us to review the situation in the North West by brainstorming for the next three days to arrive at potent solutions.”
The Director General, Nigerian Army Resource Center, Maj. Gen. Garba Wahab (retd.) said though the military can’t solve all the problems, it should provide the enabling environment for other political focus.
He said, “As I mentioned, the military cannot solve the issue completely, but it should provide an enabling environment for other political focus. And that’s the essence of why we are running the three-day retreat of past commanders and present troops who have served in the north-western geopolitical zone.
“For them to come up with the issues, operationally, logistical-wise, administrative-wise, and then their relationship with others so that we can find truth and find out, improving on what is happening right now.”
Appeal Court upholds Ighodalo’s candidacy, fines Shaibu N1m
The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has upheld the candidacy of Dr. Asue Ighodalo as the duly nominated and authentic candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.
In the ruling on Monday, Justice, A. M Lamido-led three-man panel dismissed the case brought before it by the reinstated Edo Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, upholding the ruling of the trial court which affirmed Ighodalo as the valid candidate.
The Federal High Court had ruled that the appellant did not satisfy the condition precedent (internal dispute resolution mechanism) before instituting the action and therefore declared that the suit was premature.
Upholding the judgement of the trial court, the panel held that the suit was premature, noting that the position of the lower court was unassailable.
The court, therefore, awarded a cost of 1,000,000 against Shaibu and in favor of Ighodalo, the Independent National Electoral Commission, and two others.
According to the ruling, the appellant failed to comply with provisions of Article 9 (g) (h) (i). NYAME V. INEC that condition precedent must be complied with before filing an action.
The court noted that failure to comply with the provision of Article 9 (g), (h), and (i) is not one that can just be glossed over as it goes to the issue of jurisdiction.
Resolving against the appellant and in favour of the respondents, the court held that “the suit is premature” and “the position of the lower court is unassailable.”
The Appeal Court also stated that where the authenticity of a document relied on is challenged, oral evidence ought to be called to resolve the issue, adding that the conduct of an election as well as results are presumed regular until the contrary is proved.
“No evidence from the affidavit of the appellant to show votes were allocated to the 4th respondent. The appellant failed to prove his case as held by the trial court. The issue is resolved against the appellant and in favour of the respondents.
“Judgment of trial court is hereby affirmed. A cost of 1,000,000 is awarded against the appellant and in favour of the respective respondents,” the court ruled.
Tinubu appoints ex-LASU VC Obafunwa new DG of NIMR
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Prof John Obafunwa as the new Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR.
According to a statement by Chief Ajuri Ngelale, the President’s spokesman, on Monday, Obafunwa will succeed Prof. Babatunde Salako, whose tenure expires on July 23.
The appointment takes effect from July 24.
“President Tinubu extends his gratitude to Professor Salako for his service to the nation,” said the statement.
The President expects the new Director-General to bring his immense wealth of experience and qualifications to bear in this role and to further drive the NIMR’s objective of leading research into diseases of public health importance in Nigeria.
He also expects him to develop structures for the dissemination of research findings while providing the enabling environment and facilities for health research and training in cooperation with the federal and state ministries of health.
Obafunwa qualified in medicine from the University of Lagos in 1980, following which he specialised in Anatomic Pathology (morphological study of diseases), graduating in May 1987.
He later sub-specialised in Forensic Pathology in Scotland in 1991 and obtained a law degree from England, in 2004.
He has several other academic qualifications and holds membership in various professional bodies in the UK, USA, and Nigeria.
He had worked in the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and the UK before returning to Nigeria in November 2004 to take up an appointment as Professor of Forensic Pathology at the Lagos State University College of Medicine, LASUCOM.
Tinubu appoints ex-LASU VC Obafunwa new DG of NIMR
FG rejigs FRSC, approves appointment of eight deputy corps marshals
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, has approved the appointment of eight Assistant Corps Marshals (ACMs) to the rank of Deputy Corps Marshals (DCMs) of the Federal Road Safety Corps.
The Acting Corps Public Education Officer, FRSC, Olusegun Ogungbemide, announced this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Ogungbemide said that three of the DCMs were to proceed with immediate retirement, adding that the remaining five were to fill up existing vacancies.
He named the vacant places as the South-South, South-East, South-West, North Central, and North-West geopolitical zones, respectively.
According to him, the officers to fill up existing vacancies were DCM Clement Oladele, who represents the North Central geopolitical zone, and DCM Chidiebere Nkwonta, who represents the South-East geopolitical zone.
“DCM Sunday Iyamah is appointed to fill up the vacancy in the South-South geopolitical zone.
“Others are DCM Musa Yerima, to represent the North West geopolitical zone, and DCM Abiodun Akinlade, to now represent the South West geopolitical zone when DCM Bisi Kazeem bows out in August.
“The promoted senior officers to proceed on immediate retirement are DCM Kingsley Agomoh, DCM Jonas Agwu, and DCM Zubairu Mato.”
Ogungbemide quoted the SGF, George Akume, as expressing delight over the level of transparency and objectivity that heralded the whole process.
Akume urged the appointed officers to show more commitment and rededicate themselves to achieving the corporate vision of the Corps.
This, he said, was to eradicate Road Traffic Crashes (RTCs) and create a safer motoring environment in the country.
The SGF stated that the appointment was part of President Bola Tinubu’s drive towards rewarding excellence, diligence, and hard work.
“This is in line with the administrative philosophy of the present leadership of the Hope Agenda regime,” he said.
Reacting, the FRSC Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, equally congratulated the newly elevated officers for their excellent performances during the exercise.
Mohammed said that every promotion comes with greater responsibilities.
He charged them to put in their best in the course of their duties as the new rank called for more focus, more dedication, commitment, and passion.
He admonished those who were not fortunate in the appointment to keep their faith alive and be loyal to the system.
The FRSC Corps Marshal promised to improve the general welfare of the personnel of the Corps.
“I beckon on all personnel to be of good cheer and put in great efforts towards the realisation of the corporate mandate of the Corps,” he said.
(NAN)
NANS urges Tinubu to address economic crisis
The National Association of Nigerian Students has urged President Bola Tinubu to take immediate and decisive action to address the precarious state of the country’s economy.
The student also asked the President to address the exorbitant fuel prices that have wreaked havoc on the lives of citizens.
This is contained in a statement by the Senate President of NANS, National Headquarters, Okunomo Adewumi, a copy of which was made available to According Online on Monday.
According to the student body, the current economic downturn has had a devastating impact on the nation and Nigerians, perpetuating poverty, hunger, and hardship.
The statement reads, “The relentless increase in fuel prices has triggered a chain reaction of inflation, rendering basic necessities unaffordable for the average Nigerian. This has resulted in unprecedented suffering, with many struggling to survive.
“While we acknowledge President Tinubu’s efforts to revitalize the economy through his “Renew Hope” agenda, we implore him to adopt a more comprehensive approach to tackle the economic crisis.
“We urge him to convene an emergency economic summit, bringing together all relevant stakeholders and agencies to brainstorm innovative solutions to this quagmire.
“The astronomical fuel prices have far-reaching consequences, including escalated transportation costs, skyrocketing food prices, and reduced purchasing power. This has led to a significant decline in the standard of living of Nigerians, with many unable to afford basic necessities. The cumulative effect is a nation plagued by poverty, hunger, and desperation.”
NANS further warned that should this situation persist, it may precipitate widespread protests and social unrest, hence destabilising the nation.
It added, “We urge President Tinubu to take proactive measures to mitigate this crisis, ensure economic stability, and restore hope to the Nigerian people.
“We believe that with swift and decisive action, Nigeria can overcome these economic challenges and emerge stronger and more resilient. We stand in solidarity with the Nigerian people and pledge our support for any efforts aimed at revitalizing the economy and improving the lives of Nigerians.”