Comedian AY Makun has spoken about the bad side of social media.

According to him, social media is now a place where people do not need formal training on how to be a fool.

AY said social media is now a place where people do not care about how others feel.

His post reads

''Social media is now the new king Kong, where feelings are now more important than objective facts. If a foolish person comes out and says something that unlocks the feeling of an audience, he or she gets praised. But if a wise person comes and says something that is contrary to how people want to feel, he or she gets persecuted.

Social media is a place where you don't need formal training to know how to be a fool. You just have to be born foolish and be free enough to express your foolishness. It's a place that gives you confidence even in your ignorance. It is the only place where you can freely express the nothingness of your not knowing close anything before your interferences.

The funny part is that a lot of people carry their ignorance with a lot of class and a lot of confidence based on what they see or feel. But we must also understand that each community is entitled to have a fool or a community of fools that recognizes and accepts the foolishness of others as a brand to submit to. Such foolishness does not stop you from being a man or woman. It does not even stop you from not having fans and followers cut across the strata of different foolish endeavors.

Having said that, more foolish people will continue to evaluate their performances in the space by creating sensationalism and negative viral content for the entertainment pleasures of their different audiences. But as long as foolish individuals do not care about the stress, pain, anxiety, loneliness, and depression they bring you, the more it is also very important for them to enjoy the consequences of their actions."

On Tuesday, Zenith Bank Plc announced the appointment of Dame Adaora Umeoji as the Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (GMD/CEO), effective from June 2024.

She is the first female to lead the bank.

Her appointment is, however, subject to the approval of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Umeoji will take over from the current GMD, Dr. Ebenezer Onyeagwu, whose time in office expires on May 31.

Here are things to know about Adaora Umeoji

1. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of Jos,

2. She also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, and first-class honours in Law from Baze University Abuja.

3. She’s a Master of Laws graduate from the University of Salford, United Kingdom.

4. She also bagged a Master in Business Administration from the University of Calabar.

5. Umeoji joined Zenith Bank in 1998, and since joining the bank, she headed the marketing group Maitama branch and went on to be the deputy zonal head of the Abuja Zone.

6. She then became executive director in charge of Abuja and Middle Belt Zones of the Bank.

7. She was appointed to the board on October 9, 2012.

8. She is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

9. She attended the strategic thinking and management program at Wharton Business School, USA.

10. She holds a certificate in Economics for Business from the prestigious MIT Management Sloan School and a Certificate in Leading Global Businesses from Harvard Business School, USA.

11. She is a fellow of professional bodies including the Chartered Bankers Institute of London, the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria, the Institute of Credit Administration, the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Nigeria, the Institute of Chartered Meditators & Conciliators, and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries & Administrators of Nigeria, among others.

12. Beyond banking, Umeoji founded the Catholic Bankers Association of Nigeria (CBAN), a platform she uses to promote ethical banking and service to humanity.

13. She is a peace advocate of the United Nations (UN-POLAC), and a Lady of the Order of Knights of St. John International (KSJI).

14. She was recently awarded a Papal Knight of the Order of St. Sylvester by His Holiness Pope Francis.

15. In 2022, the Federal Government honoured her with Officer of the Order of Nigeria as a recognition of her contributions to nation-building.

Justice James Kolawole Omotoso of the Federal High Court in Abuja has thrown out a lawsuit brought against the Federal Government, aiming to prohibit the conduct of elections and examinations on Saturdays in Nigeria.

The suit instituted by the Seventh Day Adventist Church of Nigeria was thrown out by the Judge on ground of being frivolous, vexatious, irritating and baseless.

The church had claimed that Saturday is its Sabbath day of worship and that fundamental rights of its members are being brutally breached by the conduct of elections and examinations on Saturdays.

The plaintiff then sought order of the Court to prohibit the Federal Government of Nigeria from further conducting elections and examinations on the Sabbath day so as to stop disruption of their rights to worship.

However, Justice Omotoso, in his judgment on Wednesday, held that the fundamental rights being claimed by the church were not at large and cannot be curtailed by government policy.

Besides, the Judge held that the Seventh Day Adventist Church is in the minority in Nigeria and cannot impose its doctrine on the majority of other religious denominations in the country.

Details later...

A nurse treating patients at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, has died due to an outbreak of Lassa fever.

A source at the hospital said the nurse, Ewogu Nkechi, died last weekend and was buried immediately based on Lassa fever control protocol.

She had been attached to the emergency department of AE-FUTHA since December 2019. She was a graduate of Ebonyi State University, Abakaliki, and hailed from the Ikwo Local Government Area of the State.

When contacted for his reaction, the Commissioner for Health in Ebonyi State, Dr. Moses Ekuma, confirmed the outbreak of Lassa fever in the state, saying the state epidemiologist and other health personnel are on top of the outbreak.

“Actually, there is an outbreak of Lassa Fever. It is not only in Ebonyi State. It affected other places more especially those areas that are prone to the outbreak. The state epidemiologist and other health team are on top of it to ensure its prevention and control,” he said.

Yesterday, the Nigerian Senate passed N446,342,656,992 as the 2024 budget of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

The action of the Senate followed its adoption and approval of the recommendation of its Committee on Finance that considered the budget.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sani Musa (APC – Niger East) presented the report.

Of the sum, according to the report, N177,441,479,682 is for Personnel Cost, N156,454,385,053 is for Overhead cost and N112,446,822,255.00 is for capital expenditure.

The committee observed that: “The Service Year 2024 budget estimates are based on Zero Based Budgeting.

“That the 2024 projected Cost of Collection of N446.34 billion is 39 per cent higher than the 2023 approved budgeted cost of collection which stood at N320.90billion.

“The personnel cost is based on staff strength on the payroll including social benefits (such as NHIA, Pension contribution etc.) and anticipated performance bonus for the year.

“The increase in overhead projection can be attributed to the need for more robust operational activities which are critical in driving the achievement of Service core objectives e.g tax automation projects and other critical ones that relate directly to tax collection and administration.

Amadu Galadima, a Nigerian man residing in the Dukku Local Government Area of Gombe State, asserts that he travels 9.5 kilometers daily from his village to Dukku to procure free food for his nine children, enabling them to break their fast during Ramadan.

Galadima, aged 49, made this known to Daily Trust, revealing that his family is one of the beneficiaries of an annual Ramadan feeding programme organised by a Bulgarian-based charity organisation, Charity Association Margarity, in the state.

“I usually secure motorcycle lift from good Samaritans going to Dukku so that I can get to where the food is distributed to have a plate, and the quantity served is good. When coming back, sometimes I trek some distance before I can see someone to give me a lift back home,” Galadima was quoted as saying by Daily Trust.

He continued: “When I get the food, I take it to my family and I hardly get a mouthful of it. I have 9 children - 5 girls and 4 boys - and this food is greatly helping us as we don’t have what to eat at home. We thank the association for this gesture.”

Like millions of other Muslims around the country, Galadima's tribulation during the holy month of Ramadan could be linked to the current socioeconomic challenges created by President Bola Tinubu's fuel subsidy removal and Naira floating policies.

SaharaReporters had reported several demonstrations tagged as #EndHungerProtests in major cities across the country.

Speaking further on the programme, Alhaji Hafiz Muhammad Sulaiman, the Nigeria Country Coordinator of Charity Association Margarity, stated that the group feeds at least 300 people per day, including widows, orphans, almajiri children, and other impoverished individuals.

According to the organiser, the organisation fed 18,000 people (600 for 30 days) during last year's Ramadan.

He added that the food scheme had been hurt this year by a decrease in donations received by the group, which he attributed to the Gaza war.

Asabe is another beneficiary of the charity. She is a widow and mother of eight, who always travels from a far distance every day to also get free food for her family to eat.

She said, “I come from Daurawa (quarters in Dukku) to collect a plate of this food. I have eight children. I thank these people who are providing this help to us. In this hardship, having this food is helping us. With this food, at least we have what to eat for dinner. It is a great relief!”

Another widow, Malama Fatsuma, stated that she and her children rely on the Iftar meal provided by the association.

“We feed on this food. We thank the leadership of this association for helping us with what to eat. It is only Allah that will reward them. It is a great help, especially in this trying time,” she said.

“In this period when prices of food items have increased, the food we get here (from the association) is a succour to my family.

“Sometimes we hardly have what to eat, but with this help, at least I have what to take to my family every day. I’ve been saved the cost of giving them dinner at least,” Abdullahi Isma’il, another beneficiary said.

Yesterday, an Ikeja High Court heard testimony from a witness, Mohammed Buhari, regarding how he dropped money for kidnappers in Ojuelegba, Lagos State.

Buhari gave evidence yesterday before Justice Adenike Coker at the ongoing trial of three suspects – Lima Auwal, Abdullah Usman and Seidu Abbas – alleged to have kidnapped a nine-year-old boy.

The trio allegedly kidnapped the boy on Ajayi Street, Idi-Araba, on November 4, 2022. They were arraigned on a two-count charge of conspiracy to kidnap and kidnapping.

During resumed proceedings, Buhari gave an account of how he received a call from the kidnappers and dropped money for them at Ojuelegba. The witness said he followed the kidnappers’ instructions and dropped the ransom inside a vulcanizer tyre placed by the roadside towards Ojuelegba.

Led-in-evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ms Titi Adeyegbe, the witness said after he closed from work, he drove his boss, Aliu Abubakar, home. Abubakar is the kidnapped boy’s father.

According to him, they didn’t meet Abubakar’s wife and brother, Ibrahim, at home. He said they were told they went looking for the boy since he didn’t return from school on Friday.

He also joined in the search and they slept on the street till the following morning.

“Me and Ibrahim went to the second street searching. We were on the street overnight yet we could find the boy. Then my boss went to report to the police.

“The second day, in the morning, I got a text message and I showed my boss. The message said ‘your son is with us, we needed $3,000 and N200,000. I later got a call and the voice said, ‘oga na we carry your son’. I asked if I can speak to the boy. He gave the phone to the boy and I asked how he is to which he responded fine.

“They didn’t call me again till Sunday morning. They asked if I am ready to get the boy. They said they will tell me where to get the boy and asked how much I had gotten of the amount they demanded. I said N200,000, and they said it was too small. I beg them but they insisted on N700,000. We were both speaking Hausa and I told them I had gotten N400,000.

“About 10pm, they asked if I was ready to bring the money. I got to Yana bus stop on their instruction, and then they described the cloth I wore. I was told to go to the front of Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). He told me to move towards Ojuelegba road and drop the money inside a tyre by the road.

The House of Representatives Committee on Malaria, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis has summoned the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Pate and the Permanent Secretary, Daju S. Kachollom over the alleged misappropriation of $300 million in antimalarial funds.

Amobi Ogah, the Chairman of the Committee read the resolutions in Abuja on Tuesday, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.

Mr Ogah expressed his displeasure over the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the ministry at the resumed sitting of the committee on Tuesday.

“The Committee has resolved that the Permanent Secretary be arrested if she failed to honour the summons, having failed to appear three times.

“Malaria is now an epidemic in Nigeria. The government has always wanted to help the people but most times the civil servants are our problem.

“This money has been made available since 2021. We have been inviting the Permanent Secretary. This is the third time we are inviting her to come and explain to us what has happened.

“Have they used the money? If they have not used the money, where is the money? It is a matter of simple explanation. But they have been running away, calling all manner of people to talk to us,” he said.

During a session at the Ikeja Special Court on Tuesday, businessman Mr. Chinedu Igbokwe recounted how a Bureau de Change operator named Abdulami Isah allegedly swindled him of $63,950.

Igbokwe, who was led in evidence by the counsel of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, A. A. Usman, said he was introduced to Isah on October 4, 2022, and on October 6, he paid the defendant the said amount.

The witness said after he made the payment, he waited for them to remit the fund (naira equivalent) and when they were not forthcoming, he then went to meet them.

“They told me that Isah had received the money and when I met him, he confirmed that he had received and withdrawn the fund. He paid the sum of N15.9 million and when I asked him what was happening, he switched off his phone and I could not find him again.

“The pressure was much on me and I had to take money from my local textile business to pay people in order to keep my reputation. On August 18, 2023, I petitioned EFCC and two days later, the commission acknowledged the petition and by August 25, the defendant was arrested.

“What surprised me most was when I visited the EFCC office after the arrest, Isah opened up to EFCC that he is a syndicate to Alli Baba,” Igbokwe narrated.

The witness further told the court that the payment was made through the international account number of the defendant.

He confirmed to the court that the defendant had refunded N15.9 million, while the outstanding was N26.5 million.
Isah is standing trial on a three-count charge bordering on obtaining by false pretence and fraud.

Justice Ismail Ijelu adjourned until April 22 for continuation of the trial.