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Sunday, 12 November 2023 17:18
Bayer Leverkusen manager, Alonso laments AFCON timing, set to miss five key players
Xabi Alonso the coach of German side, Bayer Leverkusen has cried out over the timing of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON)
The next edition of AFCON will run from January 13 to February 11, 2024 in Cote D’Ivoire.
Leverkusen will be without five regular stars during the period.
Two Players, Victor Boniface and Nathan Tella could miss playing for Leverkusen for the period of AFCON if called to camp by Super Eagles of Nigeria coach, Jose Peseiro.
Moroccan forward Amine Adli, Burkina Faso centre-back Edmond Tapsoba, and Ivorian defender Odilon Kossounou are the other players Leverkusen could miss during the AFCON finals.
Alonso said it is a situation his team has to deal with.
“It is a concern for January and February, perhaps not having five players. It is a reality. We have to accept that,” Alonso told Transfermarkt.
[Newsguru]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 17:15
‘This Cooked Result Can’t Be Accepted’ – Dino Melaye Demands Total Cancellation Of Kogi Election
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the 2023 Kogi State governorship election, Dino Melaye has demanded a total cancellation of the electoral process.
Melaye in a short statement released via his X account on Sunday said the results are being ‘cooked’ in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He added that the total cancellation of the November 11 2023 off-cycle election in Kogi State is the way forward.
Sharing an election result sheet from one of the local government areas in the state, Okene, the former Senator wrote: “Okene LG alone wrote 138,416 for APC. This cooked result can’t be accepted. Total Cancellation is the Answer.”
Earlier, Naija News reported that Melaye was defeated in his local government area of Ijumu.
According to the results announced on Sunday by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Melaye was defeated by the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Usman Ododo.
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Ododo, the APC candidate got 10,524 votes while Melaye of the PDP got 6,909 votes.
[NaijaNews]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 17:10
NNPCL restores oil production of 275,000 bpd at TotalEnergies
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has restored oil production of 275,000 barrels per day at TotalEnergies.
This is according to a November 12 statement signed by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer at NNPCL.
According to the statement, a peace deal has been brokered between TotalEnergies Management and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) as well as the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).
A part of the statement read:
- “Following a peace deal brokered on Sunday, November 12, 2023, by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) between the Management of TotalEnergies, operator of the NNPC / TotalEnergies JV, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association, (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the unions have agreed to suspend ongoing industrial action leading to immediate restoration of 275, 000 barrels of oil per day production.
- “In a communiqué issued at the end of a marathon negotiation session chaired by Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, Executive Vice President, Upstream, NNPC Ltd., all parties committed to resolving all the issues within an agreed framework.
- “The communiqué was signed by TotalEnergies MD/CEO Matthieu Bouyer, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo, and NUPENG President, Comrade Williams Akporegha. It was witnessed by NNPC Ltd.’s, EVP Upstream Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan and Chief Upstream Investment Officer, NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services, Bala Wunti. Also in attendance was Victor Bandele, Deputy Managing Director, TotalEnergies.”
During the meeting, PENGASSAN President, Comrade Festus Osifo said:
- “Today we have been able to reach an agreement and for the virtue of this agreement, we as PENGASSAN, are committed to every letter in this agreement, and we have resolved that we will be restoring normalcy across all offices and field locations effective immediately. We will communicate to our members to resume work immediately.
[Nairametrics]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 17:08
140 Death Row Inmates Await Execution In Kano
The Nigerian Correctional Service in Kano State has disclosed that 140 individuals on death row are awaiting execution.
Spokesman of the Nigerian Correctional Service in Kano State Command, Musbahu Kofar-Nassarawa, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Kano that those on death row are of both genders.
The absence of a hangman further complicates the situation, raising questions about the state’s preparedness for implementing capital punishment.
“Kano Correctional Centre has no hangman because it is a Medium Security Custodial Centre,’’ Kofar-Nassarawa said.
He pointed out that the governors in the state have not taken decisive action by either signing death warrants or commuting the sentences of those on death row to life imprisonment.
“Some governors use Constitutional provisions to release inmates based on recommendations by the Advisory Council on the prerogative of mercy to decongest correctional centres,” Kofar-Nassarawa noted.
The complex nature of the legal process and the reluctance of the governors have contributed to a growing number of individuals in a state of limbo, awaiting a final decision on their fate.
[Leadership]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 17:06
U.S. Reaffirms Commitment To Partnership With Nigeria In Creative Sector
The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to partnership with Nigeria, especially in the creative sector.
Ramin Toloui, the U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for Economic and Business Affairs, disclosed this during his November 5-8 visit to Lagos.
His visit focused on ways the United States can support Nigeria’s efforts to enhance its already flourishing creative sector, which is driving economic growth and workforce development.
A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria on Sunday said Assistant Secretary Toloui engaged in substantive discussions with government officials and prominent creative sector stakeholders, emphasizing the interest in promoting African and Nigerian growth and development.
“I am here because the United States government seeks to strengthen partnerships and support the growth of Nigeria’s vibrant creative industry.
“I had the privilege to meet some of the remarkable individuals leading Nigeria’s creative sector, which has been fueled by surging global demand for Nigerian content.
“This growth creates jobs and drives innovation. At the same time, it underscores the importance of intellectual property protection within the creative sector.
“Our engagement across Africa, our infrastructure investments, and our collaboration with Nigeria reflect our shared dedication to advancing prosperity and development,” Assistant Secretary Toloui was quoted as saying.
According to the statement, the December 2022 U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit highlighted the U.S. commitment to expanding and deepening its partnership with African countries, institutions, and people, adding that Assistant Secretary Toloui’s visit reflects that commitment.
Toloui is the latest senior U.S. official to have visited Nigeria to strengthen ties, promote economic growth, and address shared challenges within the U.S.-Nigeria relationship.
[DailyTrust]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 16:50
[OPINION] Kekong-Bisong@60: Religion, Critical Thinking and Nation- Building - Francis Damina
Rev. Fr. Prof. Kekong Bisong who clocked 60 on November 9, was my teacher back in the days at St. Joseph Major Seminary Ikot Ekpene.
As we celebrate him, it is important, even at the risk of repeating myself, to make the point that in knowledge and in character, he is perhaps one of the finest wines that the Catholic Church has brewed. Like Bishop Kukah, "he is a man of God and of intellect. In him dwells the irreconcilable tension between detailed realism of logical reasoning and abstractions of divine beliefs" (Apologies to Damola Awoyokun). As I recently said of him ..." he is a good advertisement for the Church. He is not a scholar and a saint only, but also a controversialist. As a distinguished Philosophy Professor, he does not only fancy controversies; he creates them. On this, I can safely say that he is a brewery of controversies."
"Whenever he went up to the pulpit to preach, the atmosphere became mute so much so that you could hear the musings of ants. Mute because, we knew he will disagree with even what Jesus had said in the Scriptures. But only to agree later. He does not only disagree for disagreeing sake; he disagrees so he will have reasons for agreeing. It was he who taught us how not to follow the crowd, subscribe to groupthink, belief system, conventional wisdom, etcetera, until when there’s a justification or a raison d’etre."
No doubt, anytime Kekong is mentioned, you immediately know that he belongs to a generation of fine priests like George Ehusani, Matthew Kukah, Godfrey Onah, Cletus Gotan, Emmanuel Badejo, Kris Owan, Anthony Akinwale, John Uba Ofei, Peter Tanko, Joseph Mamman, John Odey, Philip Gaiya, etcetera. It is in this class of priests that we see the evidence in proving that scholarship is a property of the Catholic Church and that all others are merely involved in plagiarism. Though this may appear like an overstretched hyperbole, it is simply a case of not calling a spade by some other names.
One thing that is common among the likes of Kekong is that they are highly controversial. In other word, they subscribe so much to critical thinking that you may think they are dissenters. Of them, master wordsmith, Dan Agbese, would say "I can think of no Public lectures or speeches delivered by them that left the accumulated dust of our placid sense of outrage undisturbed."
At first, in my infantile days, I thought Kekong and his likes were unnecessarily being critical and controversial until I recently met Archbishop Matthew Ndangoso of Kaduna Archdiocese who said: "Even heretics are important to the Church because they help the Church to be precise and unambiguous in exercising Her teaching authority."
Without exaggeration, of all that we were taught back in the seminary, the one thing I mostly appreciate, which I think distinguishes us from all others as a special breed, is the ability to reason critically. Deliberately, we disagree, disobey, doubt, deny, and debunk ideas so that we can always get to the facts. And no doubt, Kekong Bisong was our chaplain in this apostolate of denial. And I still wonder why his name is not Thomas - the very scientist who invented a machine called Methodic doubt or denial.
There is a litany of events that brought me face to face to him unveiling him as a critical thinker and I am tempted to mention a few. Though one had already been narrated elsewhere, I think it is harmless repeating it here for obvious reasons.
"On one occasion", I said, "when he came to the class, he told us a story to validate his point on what he called ‘necessary disobedience’. He started by asking who discovered the mouth of river Niger. Ofcourse, all of us said Mongo Park. He then went on to tell us of a boy who was preparing for a common entrance interview. Fortunately for him, his uncle is a member of the panel and had whispered to him that he will be asked 'who discovered the mouth of river Niger.' Ofcourse, the conventional answer even among university Professors is that Mongo Park did."
"The day came and the boy was again reminded of the name Mongo Park before he departed home to the venue. The interview had started and it was his turn to answer questions. His uncle’s eyes were all on him when a panelist asked: 'Who discovered the mouth of river Niger?' 'My grandfather', the boy answered. The uncle was so disappointed as the boy keeps repeating 'my grandfather.' A member of the panel then went further to ask him why he thinks the answer is his grandfather. He replied: 'My grandfather was a fisherman who lived around New Bussa long before Mongo Park arrived. He definitely knew about the mouth of the river before Park. Only that he was not literate enough to tell the story.'"
All the panelists were amazed and clapped for the boy. This is what Kekong Bisong called necessary disobedience. For him, the work of the teacher is not to produce conventional ideas and then expect the students to reproduce same at examinations. It is rather to train the mind in challenging beliefs and conventions so as to ascertain what is true and real.
Second was after lunch on a Saturday in the seminary. I was strolling to the Canteen when we met. He then said: "I was told about 3 of you from Kafanchan weren't ordained Deacons. Whatever you may have done, I saw you the other time going to confession. I am sure God Has forgiven you. Why then is the Bishop or whoever is responsible angry with you by proxy and on behalf of God?" He immediately went away. The meeting, like a miniature scene of the annunciation, left a feeling in me as to why we should have been thought something like the theology of vocations, and the troubles of vocations akin to mostly Africa.
Night came and morning too. It was another Sunday and Kekong was to preach at Mass. In the gospel, Jesus had asked His disciples to love one another. When he mounted the pulpit, he said: "Jesus asked us to love one another as Christians. But for me, loving one another is not a virtue. It is rather an instinct because I have seen the Monkeys in Boki loving and defending one another. If we want to be true Christians, then our love most transcend the boundaries of our communities, tribe, region, religion to even our enemies. Yes, we should show love to even our enemies by praying for them as Christ admonished us to do."
With the dead of Father Nicholas Ncha Obi of Ogoja Catholic Diocese who was billed to speak at a National Eucharist Congress, Fr. Kekong told us how he was asked to fill in the vacuum. Of course, it was a gathering of who is who in the Nigerian Catholic Church.
Kekong, not unaware that the Eucharist, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, "is the source and summit (fons et culmen) of the whole Christian life", and that, "the other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented towards it" (n. 1324),
started his presentation by repeatedly saying: "Jesus didn't say I am the bread of life. Yes He didn't say He is the bread of life." At this point, the late Archbishop Joseph Ukpo was jittering for the heresy his priest was about to brew. Then he continued: "What Jesus rather said is that I am the bread of life broken for you." Immediately, the Bishop eased up like someone who had just received a pain reliever. On this, Fr. Kekong's conviction is that, it is in the word 'broken' that we find the meaning of sacrifice and koinonia.
Again, contrary to our knowledge that there are persons Priests cannot preside over their funerals because they didn't die in "the state of Grace", this could mean, among other things, that they died not being baptized or having their "marriages" blessed in the Church, Kekong sent us on a thinking task by asking: "If the Priest can preside over the blessing of a cassava farm for instance, why not the funeral of a human being created in the image and likeness of God?" He rhetorically continued: "Is the cassava farm more important than the alleged sinner? By the way, the purple worn by the priest at funeral symbolizes penitence. Therefore, burial is a penitential rite and not a triumphant celebration of sainthood."
The debate about the role of religion in post- colonial Africa, particularly Nigeria, has now become more intense than ever. Scholars now appear angry and more serious in asking questions about the role of religion in Nation-building. Already, some literati like Prof. Wole Soyinka, had already concluded that religion is an enemy of nationhood.The Nobel laureate in a lecture titled “Nationspace and Nationhood” to mark the 100 birthday anniversary of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, argued that religion is an enemy of nationhood and for Nigeria to forge ahead, it must be able to place it on suspension.
Of course, this has been the frustration of the first generation of African writers culminating in the writing of "The Trials of Brother Jero" by Wole Soyinka, "Devil on the Cross", by Ngugi Wa Thiong'o, and “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe showcasing the fears of the master story-tellers with not religion per say, but its potentiality to erode African cherished values when interpreted or practiced erroneously.
In October 2015, the controversial Malam Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, as the country’s most syndicated columnist Malam Mohammed Haruna called him, sent a bill to the State House of Assembly seeking the amendment of a somewhat sleeping 1984 law which, under the then military governor of the State Air-Commodore Usman Mu’azu, and in view of violent religious clashes in the state, sought to regulate preaching.
The law which banned the playing of religious cassettes in public places, preaching without license, use of loudspeakers outside mosques or churches and their surrounding areas, abuses of religious books, carrying of weapons in places of worship or preaching, and use of the terms “infidel.” “non-Islamic” or “Pagans,” authorized the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) and the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) as the only bodies to approve preachers in the state.
I reason that the attempt in recent time to legislate religious practices, nay the El-rufai’s case, is only emblematic of the frustration of society over the bastardization, monetization and magification of religion by charlatans. We must accept that there are a lot of anomalies in religious practices that are inimical to peace and development today. I am ashamed each time I tune to the television by the number of babalawos, magicians and business tycoons who carry out their magic and trade in the name of Christ and Christianity. I am sure if Christ should come back, he might deny founding the brand of Christianity we see today. And this is part of the frustrations of some academics including highly placed members of the theocratic class to whom religion is a primary constituency.
In a not-so-recent piece, the brilliant and equally controversial Bishop Matthew Kukah, the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, said: “… in these trying times, the name of God and religion have been dragged by fly-by- night pastors who have equally spawned an industry of prayer warriors who are daily stalking the corridors of power. Men with equally suspicious intentions, with stolen mandates of legitimacy, seeking escape from justice daily employ these charlatans.” Hence, the need “to liberate theology rather than talk about liberation theology from these charlatans who practice criminality masquerading as religion”.
Damola Awoyokun, a former managing editor of Farafina Online could not hide his frustration on the role of religion in contemporary time. For him. “There is no instrument more cogent, more effective in enslaving Nigerians than religion and God-talk”. While arguing that it is the arena of victims, he concluded that “the more we are entangled in God-talk, the more we proscribe real thought and intelligent action; the more we strengthen the religious industry and their naira-based theology.”
Apart from the many killings in the name of God or religion, Deborah's case in Sokoto not excepted, it is my opinion that members of the theocratic class need to critically look into the idea about one man; one wife, in the face of the challenges of a political system that places premium on numbers. What is clear is that the 2023 presidential election was seen my most people as a religious referendum or what Bishop Kukah called "the tyranny of numbers."
Again, aside the unfortunate emphasis on money during liturgical celebrations, I have seen so many young widows in my village who cannot endure. And unless we will want to exercise what Sam Omastsaye calls "civilized pretence," (methinks is academic pretence) we all know that we need to think of a more comprehensive and robust pastoral prescription that will attend to their predicament. We can no longer pretend on this matter. Yet, all these can be achieved when we allow or imbibe Kekong's critical method in our study and practice of religion.
Hence, I suggest that this method be introduced in our Secondary and tertiary schools to enable Nigerians, using their common senses, distinguish between evil and good, thereby eliminating the harmful beliefs and practices that have over the years affected our coexistence, otherwise the peace and progress of our Nation. But this can only be achieved through the formation of a Theological Union constituting both Christian and Muslim theologians as an arm of the Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC) whose sole responsibility, apart from debating on theological matters, shall also be to create an acceptable moral catechism for our co-existence.
Finally, amidst the challenges and doubts of the possibility of creating a society that is equitable, just and fair to all citizens and believers, Kekong's method of critical thinking remains the way out. Here's wishing him many more years in good health. God bless Nigeria.
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 16:48
[OPINION] Rivers State and the Vanity of godfatherism in politics - Sunday Onyemaechi Eze
The vanity of godfatherism in Nigerian politics is boldly engraved on the crisis currently rocking Rivers State. It should have been very clear to politicians by now that imposing their preferred candidate on the people does not guarantee any peace or mutual respect between the godfather and godson. The selfish arrangement to rule by proxy and remain politically relevant from all indication has remarkably failed when the godson takes oath of office. However, in their desperate bid to cover up traces of corruption while in office, politicians recruit supposed minions who will do their biddings after bowing out. Siminalaye Fubara, the governor and anointed son of Nyesom Wike falls within this category of lackeys. He is on a hot seat taking basic bitter lesson in political disloyalty for attempting to assert himself as governor. The political attack dogs of the former governor in the state House of Assembly and elsewhere have been deliberately positioned for eventual temerity of this nature from the governor or anybody who dares to challenge Wike.
The unfortunate drama going on in Rivers State is not new in Nigerian politics. It is not different from the calamity suffered in Enugu, Anambra and Lagos by governors Chimaroke Nnamani, Sullivan Chime, Chris Ngige and Akinwunmi Ambode to mention a few in the hands of their godfathers. Greedy god fathers or king makers in and out of government or those wielding political or economic influence in the society bought tickets for candidates, anoint political office holders and place them in positions of authority through any means crookedly possible. Afterwards they will throw weight around, impose themselves, always wanting to dictate the way and manner government has to be run or demand outrageous settlement based on sinister terms and conditions signed blindly or by compulsion on behalf of the people. Some of them go as far as sponsoring state legislatures to keep the governor in check, nominate personal aides to the governor and majority of the commissioners, board members, demand for outrageous share from the monthly allocation and juicy contracts paid for in full which they will never execute and other perks. This incidentally creates the kind of unhealthy relationship, unease and animosity we had seen elsewhere and are witnessing today in Rivers.
News of impeachment of the governor rented the air over the weekend. Incidentally, a mysterious fire razed down the State House of Assembly Complex, the night before the day slated for the planned action. There have been accusations and counter accusations regarding those responsible for the arson on the strategic public utility. This has led to the removal of the majority leader of the House of Assembly Edison Ehie who the house accused of being the mastermind. It was rumoured that the majority leader of the house is loyal to Fubara thus will stand against the removal of the governor. His position in the house is crucial to the plan and if he is not forthcoming with the envisaged support, let his office be desolate and another take it. The 32 member house is already divided with Edison Ehie leading a faction of 26 member pro-Fubara group as the new Speaker while Martins Amaehwule led others. Was removing the majority leader for an alleged offence such as arson the right thing to do? One had thought the house should have unanimously reported the matter to the police.
Governor Fubara seem to have on his side the overwhelming support of Rivers people in this political ordeal. On his way to inspect the burnt House of Assembly Complex, he was seen with thousands of supportive youth who voiced their dissatisfaction against Wike and the ugly political trend in Rivers. Rivers State is rich and the power tussle in the state is as rich and fierce as the state itself. The scramble for complete loyalty, political control of state resources is at the heart of the crisis. The then governor Rotimi Amaechi wielded enormous powers at his disposal against Wike. Now Wike has obviously forgotten the famished road that led him home and turned against Fubara. Fubara if he survives this onslaught would have learnt more about how to wield executive powers. Politicians in Nigeria are the same both in character and actions. He will ruthlessly crush anybody and anything on his way to also carve a niche of political colony for himself.
Nigerian politicians cannot compete or be compared to any in the world. Greedy. Selfish, self-centred, power drunk and comfortably unpatriotic. They are the most unproductive policy makers in the world. How does one consign Nigerians to live below poverty level in 2023 while each member of the National Assembly is entitled to a Sport Utility Vehicles priced at N160million? Leadership to them amounts to unbridled primitive accumulation of wealth and power in and out of office. Developmental goals never genuinely top priority. Those at the receiving end of this political imbroglio are the poor Rivers people who are by this crisis denied good governance and are left to wallow in abject poverty on account of the selfish interests of two individuals. Rivers people are advised to refrain from joining issues or aligning with either parties to the crisis. They should rather demand that good governance should not be interrupted by the vested interests of the two political gladiators.
The Nigerian police should always endeavour to act professionally in its conduct and desist from taking actions capable of suggesting that they have taken side on some national issues. On his way to inspect the burnt House of Assembly Complex, the governor was seen being poured water and fired tear gas by the officers of the Rivers State Police Command deployed to restore order in a video circulating online. The governor has claimed that the police wanted to kill him. When Rotimi Amaechi was the governor of Rivers, the state security institutions seemed to take orders from him. It only remained a little for Amaechi to run Nyesom Wike out of town. A high ranking police officer was named as the arrow head deployed to crush opposition so also was a high ranking police officer named in this one.
Power corrupts and absolute power like the one wielded in Nigeria corrupts absolutely. Nobody in any position of authority likes to be dictated to let alone Fubara. Those dictating for him now dealt ruthlessly with every little dissenting voices. Fubara himself or anybody in Nigeria would not feign ignorance of the likelihood of what is happening today when they chose to run for political offices on the shoulders and popularity of some state political giants. What does he expect? Politics is a game governed by interest. Interest in Nigeria politics revolves around the physical to mundane - loyalty, control, money, contract. It is an “investment.” The governor was aware of the stuff Wike is made of and his overbearing influence. Even during the campaigns Wike left nobody in doubt that he was in charge and will continue after handing over. Therefore, blaming Wike and sympathizing with Fubara is not fair.
The governor saw the brimming furnace and poked his five fingers. He cannot eat his cake and still have it. This does not imply that Rivers State should be turned into Wike Nigeria plc. The former governor invested so much and made enemies to ensure Fubara wins but he alone cannot personally determine how Rivers State should be run from the comfort of his office as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory. Wike should better understand that taking up the role of a minister will drastically reduce his influence and also deny him of better knowledge of events as they unfold. This is what we see when politicians discountenance competency in place of loyalty. What is going on in Rivers is almost the same throughout Nigeria. Therefore, we look forward to more political intrigues between the godfather and godsons. However, we ask that peace should reign in Rivers State. Nobody is absolutely right. The vanity of political godfatherism.
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 16:42
Youth unemployment eradication, our priority- Dangote
Dangote Group's Executive Director, Commercial Operations, Hajia Fatima Aliko-Dangote, has reiterated the company’s determination to eradicate the high youth unemployment in the country. She said, it is only when youths are positively engaged, that the high insecurity problems in the country will fade away.
Fatima, who made this disclosure at the just concluded Lagos International Trade Fair during the “Dangote Day”, said since inception, the desire of the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, was to assist the three tiers of government in the country, in eradicating poverty, and the best way for Dangote Group to do this, will be to contribute to eradicating youth unemployment in the country.
Noting that Dangote is the highest employer of labour in Nigeria, outside the Federal Government, she said, the priority of the Group is to create more employment opportunities for the teeming Nigerian youths and make them breadwinners of their respective families.
According to her: “The desire of our President, Aliko Dangote, is to ensure that Nigerian youths are ably employed, because it is only when this happens, that they can also contribute their own quota to the growth and development of the county. And once the youths are also positively engaged, the security challenges of the country will abate.”
Fatima, further said the Group is passionate about deepening the Nigerian economy through industrialisation, job creation, provision and rehabilitation of essential infrastructure, and the welfare of the citizens. According to her, “It is the desire to promote industrialisation that informs our decision to become strategic partners with all the major Chambers of Commerce across the nation.”
She also said: “Our investment decisions at Dangote Group, are focused on creating values for all stakeholders. We have invested in several projects which are meant to create jobs and enhance the rapid industrialisation of the Nigerian economy. Dangote Cement Plc remains the continent’s foremost cement producer, with operations in 10 African countries.
“The activities of the cement company through its multiplier effect, provide direct and indirect employment to millions of people across Africa. Through its corporate social responsibility (CSR) interventions, Dangote Cement has touched the lives of thousands of people in host communities across Africa. The company has built schools, hospitals & clinics, roads, markets, and vocational training centres in host communities.”, she stated.
Reacting to what Fatima Aliko Dangote said, Dr Micheal Olawale-Cole, President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), said Dangote Group has created jobs more than any known private sector operators in the Country.
He said the foremost indigenous conglomerate has contributed significantly to providing solutions to the problems of unemployment and by extension, to reducing the poverty levels among Nigerians.
He said the decision of the company to venture into oil and gas would permanently put an end to the issue of petroleum scarcity in Nigeria and contribute substantially to the GDP and the overall economic growth and development of Nigeria.
According to him, Dangote Group has been at the forefront of job creation even as its products and services have touched the lives of millions of people across the African continent and beyond. He then enjoined other corporate bodies to toe the line of Dangote in assisting the Government, through the provision of infrastructure, even if it must be through a tax credit scheme, introduced by the Federal Government.
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 16:41
Abuja Airport shut down over runway incident
The Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, has been temporarily shut over an incident involving Aerocontractors aircraft which got stuck on the runway.
The Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, NSIB, Dr. James Odaudu confirmed the development in a statement on Sunday.
According to the statement, the Lagos-Abuja flight operated by Aerocontractors landed at the Airport but in a bid to exit the runway, stuck in the grass verge.
The incident involving the Boeing 733 with Nationality and Registration Marks 5N-BYQ occurred on Sunday morning.
DAILY POST learnt that passengers were safely disembarked from the aircraft as there was no casualty recorded.
The NSIB DG said the runway would remain closed until the aircraft is successfully towed from the runway.
He said, “The aircraft upon landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja from Lagos and in a bid to exit the runway via A4 had its nose wheel stuck in the grass verge with its fuselage on the runway.
“Consequently, the runway was closed pending the towing of the aircraft from the runway.There was no injury or fatality.
“The NSIB, hereby, solicits information from the general public in form of pictures, video or recording evidences to assist in conducting a comprehensive investigation.”
[DailyPost]
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Sunday, 12 November 2023 16:25
APC’s Ododo in early lead in Kogi
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Usman Ahmed Ododo is presently in early lead in results of 18 local government areas declared so far.
While Ododo has scored a total of 417,161, the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Yakubu Murtala Ajaka, trails him with a total of 209,103 votes.
The difference between Ododo’s votes and Ajaka’s score so far is 208,050 votes.
Results in three local government areas, including Igalamela-Odolu, Ibaji, and Ajaokuta were yet to be declared before the Kogi State Governorship Election Returning Officer, Professor Johnson Urama took a break.
Details shortly…
[TheNation]
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