The Director General of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, Brig. Gen. Yushau Ahmed Dogara has reiterated the scheme’s zero-tolerance policy for protests and indiscipline among serving corps members.

Dogara, who handed down the warning during a working visit to the temporary orientation camp in Kaduna, said, in the last three months, several corps members have attempted to protest, resulting in disciplinary actions against them.

He reminded corps members that the scheme’s bylaws clearly outline the consequences of indiscipline, and corps members are expected to adhere to these rules.

“In NYSC, just like in the Army and the Police, we don’t allow protest because we are disciplined and law-abiding. So whenever anybody wants to deceive you, go back and read your bylaws.

“In the last three months, we have a few corps members who are indiscipline. They attempted to protest. So, we are keeping them behind due to their act of indiscipline”, he said.

He expressed concerns over the safety of corps members, particularly with regard to night journeys, warning that most night journeys are hazardous and have resulted in accidents and kidnappings.

According to him, the scheme has lost several corps members to night journeys, and it is essential to take proactive measures to prevent such incidents, urging corps members to desist from night journeys and prioritize their safety.

“My concern has been these incessant night journeys that have claimed so many lives. Sometimes they are involved in accidents and some other times kidnapping and we never recover them.

“One of my top agenda is the security and welfare of corps members which is why anywhere I go, I must stress these two issues”, the DG added.

On corps members allowance, he announced that the government has agreed to double the monthly allowance from N33,000 to N77,000.

The increase is expected to reflect in the corps members’ allowances soon, pending the completion of necessary processes, especially the cash backing, he assured.

“I need to tell you that whenever the government increase salary, we in the NYSC approach the government for increment in corps members allowances and there was never a time the government did not respond to us.

“This time, the government has agreed to double the amount from N33,000 to N77,000. We are only waiting for cash back because other processes have been communicated to us”, he confirmed.

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has accused a powerful cabal of hijacking power shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari’s electoral victory in 2015.

Speaking on the Mic On Podcast on Sunday, Dalung explained that a cabal is “a group of ambitious individuals, often appointed by the president, who end up manipulating the presidency to serve their personal interests rather than the public good.”

According to him, shortly after Buhari’s victory, an influential group emerged unexpectedly and sidelined those who had actively campaigned for the president.

Dalung recalled how his access to Buhari was suddenly restricted, an event he described as the moment the cabal took control.

He recounted, “On the day Buhari was declared winner, I went to see him in the evening. To my surprise, I was blocked from entering his house — a house where, just a day earlier, I had stayed until 2 a.m. I had to make several calls before I was finally allowed access. From that day, it became clear that the cabal had taken over.”

Dalung criticized the role of Buhari’s supporters, noting that they went out celebrating, leaving the president exposed to those who “understood power” and had the capacity to take over the administration.

“These people, who understood power, took over and ran the government to their interest until eight years were gone,” he said.

When asked whether Buhari’s administration was influenced by a Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) cabal, Dalung dismissed the idea.

He argued that key CPC figures like Tanko Al-Makura were not part of the group controlling power.

“The CPC did not succeed in having a cabal. Instead, the government was hijacked by people who were not politicians but ‘like bandits who laid an ambush’ immediately after Buhari’s victory,” Dalung stated.

He claimed that the individuals who seized power in Buhari’s administration amassed substantial wealth and influence over the years, becoming some of the most powerful figures in Nigerian politics.

“Of course, they are very, very wealthy, and Nigerians should expect them. They are very powerful,” he added.

On the possibility of a similar situation in President Bola Tinubu‘s administration, Dalung suggested that the dynamics had evolved within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He described the ruling party as a “sophisticated political machine” and likened it to a “zoo,” reflecting its complexity.

“It is the same APC we formed, but it is now more sophisticated. The party has become a complex political architecture, more like a zoo,” he remarked.

Despite making these bold claims, Dalung said he had no fear of retaliation. He revealed that he had survived over 10 assassination attempts, including one where his car was riddled with bullets by gunmen wielding AK-47 rifles.

“I’ve been into the struggle for 40 years. I’ve survived more than 10 assassination attempts. There was a time five people carrying AK-47s sprayed my car, and I am still alive,” he said.

He also shared accounts of previous attempts on his life, including efforts to poison his food and ambushes from armed attackers.

“I am not afraid of death. My mother confirmed to me that I will not leave this planet until the day ordained by God,” Dalung stated.

The Supreme Court has imposed a N5 million fine on a former presidential candidate, Ambrose Owuru, for harassing President Bola Tinubu with frivolous and vexatious suits.

Owuru, who contested the 2019 presidential election against former President Muhammadu Buhari on the platform of the Hope Democratic Party (HDP), was ordered to pay N5 million to Tinubu.

Justice Uwani Musa Aba-Aji issued the order against the former presidential candidate while dismissing his fresh suit praying for the removal of Tinubu as Nigeria’s president.

Apart from the N5 million fine, the apex court ordered its Registry not to accept any frivolous suit-originating summons from Owuru again.

At the day’s proceedings, Owuru, who claimed to be a lawyer called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984, sought to argue his case wearing his wig and gown.

He was ordered out of the Bar and directed to remove his wig and gown before he could be allowed to argue his case.

Upon complying with the orders, Owuru was asked why he came before the court again, having had his suits dismissed three times.

Although he tried unsuccessfully to convince the Apex Court to grant him adequate audience, his explanations were rejected as unconvincing.

Following his recalcitrance, the court threatened to refer him to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee LPDC.

Justice Aba-Aji ruled that Owuru’s conduct was unbecoming of a lawyer of over 40 years, as he claimed to be.

In the end, the Court dismissed his suit and ordered him to pay Tinubu N5 million.

The court lambasted him for taking the Supreme Court for a ride, wasting its precious time with baseless suits and grossly abusing court processes.

Before the suit was thrown out, Bode Olanipekun SAN who appeared for President Tinubu had drawn the attention of the court to several cases of Owuru that were dismissed on account of frivolity.

He added that the direction of the fresh suit could not be understood because of the poor ways and manners it was couched by the applicant.

Olanipekun SAN also said that it was difficult for him to apologize to the court on behalf of Owuru because the conduct of the applicant had become something unbearable in the practice of the law profession.

In his own response, a professor of law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Taiwo Osipitan assured that the conduct of the former presidential candidate would be referred to the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA.

The Court of Appeal had previously imposed a fine of N40 million on Owuru, to be paid to Tinubu, INEC, and others, for filing a suit against them.

The new suit prayed the Apex Court to sack Tinubu on two major grounds: alleged non-qualification to hold office as Nigeria’s President and alleged usurpation of the office in contravention of the law.

Defendants in the suit were former President Muhammadu Buhari, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Tinubu as 1st to 4th defendants, respectively.

He claimed that his suit at the Supreme Court, which would have removed Buhari from office, was technically jettisoned by the Apex Court due to a mix-up in hearing dates.

He also prayed the Apex Court to disqualify Tinubu on account of the forfeiture of $460,000 to the United States of America over an alleged drug trafficking-related offence.

Besides the alleged forfeiture, Owuru accused Tinubu of being an active agent of the CIA, a position he claimed disqualified Tinubu from holding the office of President of Nigeria.

Specifically, Owuru prayed the Supreme Court to invoke Section 157 of the 1999 Constitution to remove Tinubu from office on the grounds of being under the control of foreign authorities.

He also asked the Supreme Court to declare him Nigeria’s President and order his immediate inauguration to reclaim his alleged usurped mandate.

[TheNation]

Comedian and actor AY Makun has spoken out about the recent controversy surrounding Netflix’s supposed halt in funding Nigerian original films.

The controversy was ignited by filmmaker Kunle Afolayan, who claimed that Netflix had ceased commissioning Nigerian originals, raising concerns about the streaming giant’s commitment to the Nigerian market.

In an interview with Nollywood on Radio, Makun clarified that Netflix is not exiting the Nigerian market but is likely re-strategizing its approach due to financial concerns.

“I had a meeting with Netflix recently and it was never mentioned to me that they are opting out of business in this part of the world,” Makun stated.

“At the last meeting, we discussed my next project and how they can be a part of it. I also do not want to believe strongly that they are leaving Nigeria.”

Makun noted that Netflix’s struggles in Nigeria stem from financial challenges.

“The truth is if you are doing business in a particular region and you are not making money but spending much more than you’re making, you would want to re-strategise. That is what is going on with their system and structure,” he said.

The comedian explained that Netflix’s spending in Nigeria has far exceeded its earnings, prompting the company to reassess its business model.

He pointed to the widespread practice of subscription sharing and low subscription rates as key factors contributing to Netflix’s challenges in the country.

“For example, the subscription basis for Netflix in a country that has a population of over 200 million people is just about 300,000, so there is a leakage somewhere that needs to be corrected,” Makun noted.

He added that many Nigerians are accessing Netflix content through shared subscriptions rather than purchasing individual subscriptions.

“You would see a person with a Netflix subscription sharing with several people, so that’s the problem. It is not just about the filmmakers,” Makun concluded.

Vanguard News