The Duke and Duchess of Sussex Prince Harry and Meghan will arrive in Nigeria on Friday, May 10, for a three-day private visit.

Prince Harry and his wife Meghan are visiting Nigeria at the invitation of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa.

The Director of Sports, Defence Headquarters (DHQ), Air Vice Marshal Abidemi Marquis, said the founder of Invictus Games will spend three days in Nigeria and would interact with wounded soldiers and their families.

Marquis said: “Because we realized that 80% of our soldiers have been involved in this recovery program, they are getting better. Their outlook on life is positive. You know, when you are engaged in, you experience a permanent disability, you know, issues, it affects your mental health and also your outlook on life.

“But the recovery program has given them an opportunity to improve their personal self-esteem, to improve their mental health, their emotional intelligence has been improved and also their families seeing them, you know, as they used to be a breadwinner who is capable of, you know, continue living. So this engagement with Invictus is giving us the opportunity for a recovery for our soldiers.”

Marquis said Nigeria being a member of the Invictus community, the visit will lay credence to the fact that the Nigerian Armed Forces are accepted.

He added that Nigeria is also looking forward to hosting an Invictus game hence, the reason for the visit.

AVM Marquis also stressed the need to build a state-of-the-art structure for the management of the wounded and injured soldiers, “particularly the post-traumatic syndrome and the post-traumatic stress syndrome that are manifesting due to our engagement in the counter-insurgency operation.”

He disclosed that the couple would visit Kaduna and Lagos states where they would also interact with the Governors

He said: “So, to be specific, now, they will be arriving here tomorrow and they will be received and the reception will be a quiet reception because they will be traveling 14 hours to get to this place. They will be taken to the hotel.”

Marquis said the couple, after resting at the hotel, would return to visit the Chief of Defence Staff by noon tomorrow.

The director added that Prince Harry and his wife would before that visit, “They have their own NGO they are supporting somewhere in Wuse Light Academy. They are going to visit that place.

He said: “They will be proceeding to Kaduna to visit the Nigerian Army Reference Hospital. You know, that is where our wounded and injured soldiers are kept for their medical recovery. He will be going there.

“On Saturday, we’ll be having something like an exhibition of novelty matches. The CDS team and the Duke team will be having a volleyball match at armed forces officers’ mess in the morning. And this is just to engage with the wounded and injured soldiers. It’s a sitting volleyball match coming in the morning.

“So after that, we have a programme for them, 01:00 p.m. A reception, where they will be interacting with families of wounded and injured soldiers and families of soldiers and officers killed in action and service members generally. The program will start at 01:00 p.m. On Saturday thereafter, they will go back to the hotel to rest.

“So on Sunday, we have a program in Lagos. They will pay a courtesy call to the governor of Lagos State, and they also have an NGO. They are supporting Lagos over time, and we are going there. They built a basketball court for the school in Lagos. So they will be going there also. And there will be a basketball exhibition Match, 20 minutes, 30 minutes will be played.

“From there, they proceed to the governor’s place. After that, there is a reception also for them in Lagos. And when we finish that, we come back to Abuja, and they’ll be leaving Nigeria on Monday morning.”

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has secured the conviction of a Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps Commandant, Christopher Oluchukwu, for defrauding individuals seeking employment for their children.

According to a statement posted on the website of the ICPC on Thursday, Oluchukwu was found guilty on all nine counts filed against him at  Katsina State High Court 3.

The charges stemmed from allegations that he collected a total of N900,000 from three separate individuals under false pretences of securing them jobs within the NSCDC.

The statement partly read, “In the case filed by ICPC at the Katsina State High Court 3, the convict was accused of receiving the sum of N200,000:00, N300,000:00 and N400,000:00 respectively, from three individuals under the pretext of securing jobs for their children with the NSCDC.

“The victims had reported the matter to ICPC after the convict failed to procure the said job and refused to refund their money.”

During the trial, counsel to ICPC, Ibrahim Garba, in a 9-counts charge told the court how the action of the convict negates Sections 8,10 and 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

One of the counts read, “That you Christopher Oluchukwu Ugwubujo on or about 25th and 28th day of November 2014 within the jurisdiction of this Court while being a public officer with the NSCDC conferred a corrupt advantage upon yourself by obtaining a total sum of four hundred thousand naira (N400, 000. 00) from one for a job placement for her daughter into NSCDC and you thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under section 19 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.” 

In his ruling on Tuesday, Justice Abbas Bawale was reported to have found Oluchukwu guilty on all nine counts and sentenced him to five years of imprisonment without the option of fine.

“Similarly, the trial judge pronounced that the sentences were to run concurrently. He also held that even though the defendant was at large (he jumped bail), his sureties should be arrested and kept in custody for further investigation,” the statement added.

PUNCH Online reported in January that the Nigeria Customs Service has arrested one Abdul-Rahman Ibrahim, in his fifties, for his involvement in fraudulent activities and the impersonation of the Comptroller-General of Customs and other high-ranking government officials.

The suspect was reported to have fraudulently lured numerous unsuspecting citizens to pay him money for the issuance of ‘job appointment letters,’ thereby extorting over N1 million from them.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) national president, Joe Ajaero, has explained why they proposed ₦615,000 as the minimum wage to the federal government.

According to Ajaero, the union would have probably suggested ₦80,000 if the fuel subsidy was not removed.

Naija News recalls that the NLC President noted that governors can afford to pay the proposed ₦615,000 minimum wage if they get their priorities right.

During a courtesy visit to The Nation headquarters in Lagos on Thursday, May 9, Ajaero emphasized that the proposal to the government was influenced by the economic realities in the country.

He said though there were misconceptions about the proposal, the NLC arrived at the figure to make lives better for the workers.

Ajaero stated: “There are misconceptions about the proposed ₦615, 000, but we don’t have choice and if we are asked to represent it today it will increase. The tarrif was not there when we made the proposal but things are hard now.

“We looked at food, medicals, education, and other utilities. We didn’t make provision for communication, offering and the likes. Those are some of the things we took into cognisance before we arrived at ₦615,000.

“We think it is better for us to explain to Nigerians for them to understand us better. The removal of subsidy also affected everything. Probably, if the subsidy was not removed, we would have suggested ₦80,000.”

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf has challenged security operatives to fish out those financing insecurity in the nation.

He highlighted the essential role of proactive strategies in addressing the daunting insecurities, cautioning that mere discussions would encourage idea sharing, but substantive progress relies on stakeholders’ active involvement in gathering information and taking real actions.

The Governor made these remarks during the Northwestern High-Security zonal conference organized by the Directorate of State Security Services (DSS) in Kano.

Governor Yusuf, said, “I challenge you to use intelligence data gathering to locate the whereabouts of those perpetrating the crimes, are they Politicians, Traditional Leaders, Religious or Business Community, do more to unravel those sponsoring and conducting attacks on innocent lives for the Country to be peaceful.”

The Senate has passed for third reading the NDLEA Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024, thereby approving death sentence as the maximum penalty for drug traffickers in the country.

The Bill was into law on Thursday when the Senate dissolved into Committee of the Whole for a clause-by-clause consideration of a report of its Joint Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, and Drugs & Narcotics on the Bill.

The report was earlier laid at plenary by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters, Senator Tahir Munguno.

In a review of the provisions for penalties in the amendment Bill towards strengthening the operations of the anti-narcotics agency, a proposed amendment to award a death sentence to drug traffickers rather than just a life sentence was raised by the Senate Chief Whip, which was eventually adopted.

However, there was slight uproar in the Red chamber as some lawmakers appeared displeased with the new provision.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole expressed his displeasure over what he considered a hasty consideration and passage of the amended clause to the Bill.

The Deputy Senate President, who presided at the session, rejected Senator Oshiomhole’s call to reverse the ruling, insisting that it came late.

The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has explained that his visit to the residential quarters of the State House of Assembly was to undertake on-the-spot assessment of condition of the structures for a possible rehabilitation work to restore its status and make it habitable.

The Governor had made a brief stop at the Assembly Quarters yesterday enroute Emohua – Abalama -Tema Junction on inspection of the 15.24 kilometers long dual carriageway road project.

According a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Nelson Chukwudi, Fubara, who spoke after the inspection stated that the assembly quarters is part of state government properties, adding that the facility needs to be taken good care of.

He noted that the state now has a new speaker for the State House of Assembly, noting that his visit was to see what were necessary to be done.

Fubara, who took a walk round the facility, said that he decided to visit the place to get better appreciation of what needs to be done to make the quarters conducive for lawmakers.

The Governor said: “Is the Assembly quarters not part of my property? Is there anything wrong in going to check how things are going on there? You are aware of the developments. We have a new speaker, and I went there to see for my myself how things are. There might be a few things I might want to do there for the good of our people.”

The Governor speaking on the road project, said he was assessing the extent of job that had been done to know what else was needed in preparing the road for commissioning during his one year anniversary.

He pointed out that the road project was inherited from the immediate past administration but a greater chunk of the cost was borne by his administration.

“As a matter of fact, we added this section of the road as one of the projects we will be commissioning. So, I needed to see it myself, and what is remaining is just the lighting. By the grace of God, we will commission it.”

Emergence of two speakers in Rivers Assembly mockery of democracy, says group
“We feel justified to add it as our project and to commission it for the good of our people here. Governance is all about the people. When the people are out of the centre of governance, then it is no longer governance.

“So, this road, as we all now know, was in a very bad state. A lot of criminal activities were being carried out here: kidnapping and all sorts of things. So, putting this road in order is appropriate,” he said.

The Governor further added: “You can see the little hour we spent coming here. Before, it takes you 30 to 45 minutes to drive from Emohua to this place. But look at it, less than 15 minutes we are here. So, it is about the people, the good of the people, making life easy for the people. That is the way I see governance. Anything outside that has nothing to do with me.”

Nigerian man, Young C, has been successfully exhumed after spending 24 hours buried alive in a coffin. Young C began the challenge on Wednesday, May 8 and has completed it. At several intervals, Young C gave updates from inside the coffin.  His challenge however led to TikTok permanently banning his account.

After he was ‘’exhumed', he cautioned viewers against attempting similar stunts due to the inherent dangers involved.

Watch a video of him being exhumed below

Renowned political economist, Professor Pat Utomi, has named the groups that will form the mega political party to wrest power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2027. 

Utomi told newsmen, on Thursday, that the redemption of the country could not be achieved by the ruling APC, or any of the opposition parties. 

While listing the groups, Utomi said the present political parties failed Nigerians. He said they had not added value to nation-building. 

According to him, the planned mega party is to disrupt the current political order and deliver that impactful leadership that the country truly deserves. 

“It is precisely the reason I arrived in Nigeria yesterday (Wednesday) to continue that work (formation of mega party).

“I believe that the political party system in Nigeria has failed completely. Political parties are not democratic and they are not serving the purpose.

“Political parties and politicians of these parties cannot save Nigeria now. It is clear.

“The nature and the structure of our politics is such that even good people, when they enter these existing political parties, will play to their interests.”

Utomi, Founder of the Centre for Values in Leadership, returned to Nigeria on Wednesday after a long stay in the U.S.

Also, he was the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, in 2007.

‘New order needed’

According to Utomi, parochial culture has consumed civic culture in the country and this has affected the mindset of politicians.

Therefore, he said, a new political order must be birthed to get Nigeria out of the woods. Also, citizens and leaders must begin to do the right things to reposition the country.

“Nigeria must be saved by its citizens and this is precisely what I am advancing. 

“We are talking about value-driven citizenship with integrity, work ethics, respect for the dignity of people, and regard for labour.

“We are created for others; we are not created for ourselves. A tree does not take benefit from the shades it creates. 

“We want Nigerians to develop that mindset. Right now, the mindset that Nigerians have is me, myself, and I.

“Self-love is so consuming and that is why Nigerian politicians don’t act in the interest of the people or the state. They act so narrowly in their self-interests,” he said.

Utomi said in continuation of work to float the mega party, he would hold meetings in Lagos this week, and in Abuja next week before a news conference.

The political economist added he hoped to achieve much with the mega-party talks before going back to the U.S.

The groups

Utomi said groups that would come together to form the mega platform were two cohorts of politicians- the ‘mea culpa’ and ‘new value’ cohorts. 

“The mea culpa cohort are politicians who have seen that what they did while in power had not helped Nigeria and are remorseful. And they are now willing to become part of the redemption initiative.

“There are also new Nigeria new value cohorts. This cohort will be working together, and they will include people from all these other political parties,” he said.

He said that some elder statesmen would also be brought into the fold.

Recall that Utomi had, in January 2024, said he had had conversations with leaders of some opposition parties on plans to form a new mega political party that would take power from the ruling APC in 2027.

He disclosed that he had held discussions with some of the presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections. 

According to Utomi, the discussion was the possibility of bringing them and other opposition politicians together to form a new party. (NAN)

A Kaduna Chief Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday, sentenced a 23-year-old student, Rabiu Garba, to 12 strokes of the cane for stealing a laptop and two cell phones.

The Magistrate, Ibrahim Emmanuel, sentenced Garba after he pleaded guilty to the two count of trespass and theft.

The convict, who resides at Badiko in Kaduna, had pleaded guilty earnestly and prayed for leniency from the court, vowing to reform his ways.

The magistrate held that the court was lenient to Garba because he did not waste the court’s time by his admission of guilt.

He, however, advised the convict to be of good behaviour and desist from crime in the future.

Earlier, the Prosecutor, Chidi Leo, told the court that one Yusuf Usman, reported the matter at Gabasawa Police Station on May 3.

According to Leo, Garba trespassed into the complainant’s room and made away with his laptop valued at N220,000 and two phones valued at N342,000.

The Prosecutor said that the offences contravened the Penal Code of Kaduna State, 2017.

(NAN)