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Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna central, says he was insulted for rejecting the $350 million World Bank loan request by the government of Kaduna under Nasir El-Rufai.
Sani spoke in an interview with journalists on Sunday.
On March 30, Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, disclosed that the state is heavily indebted and unable to pay salaries.
Reacting to the governor’s statement on the huge debt profile of the state, Sani said if his advice had been heeded, Kaduna would not have found itself in the present predicament.
In 2018, Sani and two other senators from Kaduna state — Suleiman Hunkuyi, a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) representing Kaduna north senatorial zone; and Danjuma Laah of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kaduna south-central senatorial zone — rejected moves by El-Rufai to take a $350 million World Bank loan.
Sani and Hunkuyi eventually lost their bids for re-election and were replaced by Uba Sani and Suleiman Kwari who lobbied for the approval of the loan.
Eventually, the senate rejected the loan request by the Kaduna state government, following stiff opposition by the three senators from Kaduna state.
At the time, Sani was the chairman of the committee on local and foreign debt — the senate panel that rejected the loan.
In May 2018, El-Rufai, while flagging off a campaign for local government elections in Kaduna, angrily rained curses and insults on Sani, Hunkuyi and Laah for rejecting the loan and called on the people to “shave their beards and heads whenever they come to Kaduna”.
Despite the opposition, El-Rufai confirmed the approval of the loan in 2019, explaining that he had backed up the loan request with pictures of rundown schools.
“The hour of reckoning has come for every citizen of the state,” Sani said, reacting to the current fiscal challenges in Kaduna.
“I was insulted for saying no to that loan. The hour of reckoning is here to every person in Kaduna state.
“Just like the way Lot (in the Bible) warned people, prophets of the past warned people, but they refused to hear and then you see pedition and affliction.
“In the same way, I warned the people of this state, but they were told that the money will bring paradise — land of milk and honey.
“Today, you can see the problems at hand as far as that loan was concerned.
“If you look at what I said about this state, there has never been any of my predictions that has not come to pass.
“Today the state is strangulated because of that money which we couldn’t pay.
“We borrowed $350 million when the naira was N400 to the dollar and we are going to pay when the naira is what it is today.”
The ex-senator said if people had heeded what he had said and “understood me and agreed with me, we couldn’t have been where we are today”.
Olukayode Ajulo, attorney-general and commissioner for justice in Ondo, has appointed 273 lawyers as aides.
The senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) made the announcement in a statement released on Saturday.
The commissioner said the aides are honorary and technical advisers.
“Upon assuming the position of Honourable Attorney General of Ondo State, a total of 273 lawyers, comprising both seasoned professionals and junior colleagues, eagerly presented a multitude of ideas to lend their support to me in serving the government and people of Ondo State,” the statement reads.
“I have graciously appointed all the 273 lawyers, dividing them into two categories: Honorary Advisers and Technical Advisers to the Honorable Attorney General & Commissioner of Justice of Ondo State.”
Ajulo said the terms of engagement for the advisers are “remarkably innovative”, adding that they will enhance excellence and ethical legal services to Ondo state.
He said the names of the appointees will be revealed soon, noting that they are lawyers who have “distinguished themselves” in law practice, government, academia, and social work, among others.
“They will provide invaluable guidance to reinforce the vision of the Office of the Attorney-General of Ondo State to be the best public law office in Nigeria,” Ajulo said.
The state attorney-general listed his eight-point agenda to include access to justice, justice sector reform, uniform law enforcement, law officers welfare, obedience to court order, adherence to executive order and rule of law, and protection of women, children and persons with disability.
At least six new governors have collectively increased their domestic debts by N109.21 billion within six months (June-December 2023) since they assumed office.
This is based on TheCable Index analysis of states’ domestic debt profile data published by the Debt Management Office (DMO) for June and December 2023, respectively.
The six states are Katsina, Niger, Rivers, Zamfara, Plateau, and Cross Rivers.
Under the leadership of Siminalayi Fubara, the domestic debt profile of Rivers surged from N225.51 billion to N232.58 billion. This, according to the data, increased the state’s debt by N7.7 billion or 3 percent within the six months under review.
The DMO said Umar Radda, governor of Kastina, borrowed about N36.94 billion (59 percent increase) between December and June 2023, as the state’s debt moved from N62.37 billion to N99.31 billion.
Also, Umar Bago, governor of Niger, accumulated a debt of N17.85 billion — indicating a 15 percent domestic debt increase from N121.95 billion to N139.80 billion in six months.
Similarly, in Zamfara, Dauda Lawal, the state governor, was said to have borrowed N14.26 billion in the review period, sending the state’s domestic debt to N110.57 billion — from N96.31 billion.
According to the data, Caleb Mutfwang, Plateau governor, increased the state’s debt from N157.62 billion to N173.93 billion between June and December last year — up by N16.31 billion or 10 percent.
The DMO said it recorded an 8 percent increase in the domestic debt profile of Cross River after Edet Otu, the state governor, borrowed the sum of N16.15 billion — moving the debt burden from N204.05 billion to N220.20 billion in six months.
STATES THAT DECREASED THEIR DOMESTIC DEBT BY N119 BILLION
Meanwhile, further analysis shows that 11 states reduced their domestic debts.
The states — Delta, Ebonyi, Akwa-Ibom, Abia, Sokoto, Kaduna, Taraba, Enugu, Jigawa, Benue, and Kebbi — collectively reduced their debt by N119.96 billion.
Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta, reduced the state’s domestic debt from N465.40 billion to N373.41 billion, representing a decrease of N91.99 billion.
Francis Nwifuru, governor of Ebonyi, cut the domestic debt of the state from N76.14 billion to N70.44 billion — down by N6.30 billion.
The debt office said Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom also reduced the state’s domestic debt stock by N9.10 billion, which fell from N199.58 billion in June to N190.48 billion in December.
Alex Otti, governor of Abia, reduced the state’s debt from N142.47 billion to N138.64 billion (a decline of N3.83 billion).
On his part, Ahmad Aliyu, the governor of Sokoto, made a reduction of a decline of N2.46 billion as the state’s domestic debt crashed from N91.68 billion to N89.22 billion.
For Kaduna state, the governor, Uba Sani, moved the state’s domestic debt from N87.28 billion to N85.52 billion — down by N2.24 billion.
Agbu Kefas, governor of Taraba reduced the domestic debt from N83.13 billion in June to N81.33 billion in December, a 2 percent cut or N2.20 billion.
In addition, Peter Mbah, governor of Enugu, also reduced the state domestic debt from N93.20 billion to N92.21 billion – down by 1 percent or N99 million.
Umar Namadi, governor of Jigawa, cut the domestic debt of the state from N43.13 billion to N42.76 billion, recording adecreas of -1 percent to N37 million.
The DMO said Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, also made an effort to reduce the domestic debt of the state from N187.18 billion in June to N186.94 billion in December — a decrease of -0.1 percent or N24 million in six months.
Nasir Idris, governor of Kebbi, also attempted to reduce the state’s debt which moved from N60.94 billion in June to N60.69 billion in December 2023, recording a decrease of N25 million.
STATES WITH INCREASED FOREIGN DEBT
In addition, states such as Ebonyi ($37.54 million), Kaduna ($17.69 million), Kano ($6.6 million), Niger ($1.27 million), Plateau ($831,008), Sokoto ($499,472), Taraba ($1.51 million), Cross River ($59.95 million), and Zamfara ($655,563) borrowed a total of $124.54 million from external sources like World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) within the six-month period.
Using the official exchange rate as at December 31, 2023, the total foreign debt by these states stood at N111.24 billion.
According to the DMO, the total domestic debt for all 36 states and FCT stood at N5.86 trillion, while foreign debt was $42.49 billion at the end of last year.
Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu had assured that his administration would not continue with the massive borrowings of the previous government to fund its expenditures.
In 2023, state governors got the most Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations in at least seven years.
The rise in FAAC allocations to the three tiers of government, especially the states, followed the removal of the subsidy on petrol and currency reforms by the Tinubu administration. The reforms have reportedly led to a 40 percent boost in income.
TheCable Inex analysis of the 2023 FAAC monthly allocations showed that the subnational and local government councils got the highest allocation of N627.73 billion in September, followed by N610.5 billion in December, N555.75 billion in August, N533 billion in November, N514 billion in July, and N497.97 billion in October.
The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has asked the embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Barrister Julius Abure, to resign for allegedly not managing the crisis in the party well.
The CNPP gave the advice in a statement yesterday by its Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Comrade James Ezema, while reacting to the unfolding twists to the leadership tussle in the party.
It also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for resisting what it described as obvious pressure to use its officials to endorse the outcome of the recent “contentious fractional national convention” of the party.
“In view of the obvious lack of internal democracy in most of the political parties in Nigeria, INEC has done well for the sake of advancing our democracy by resisting obvious pressure to use its officials to endorse the outcome of the recent contentious national convention organised by a faction of the party.
“Therefore, we call on Barrister Julius Abure to make himself the hero in the crisis by tendering his immediate resignation as the national chairman of the party.
“Nigeria is supposed to be a liberal democracy, where inclusive representation, rule of law, and protection of the rights and liberties of individuals within the political parties must be encouraged by all democrats and democratic institutions.
“It was against this backdrop of the lack of inclusivity that characterised the build up to the convention held in Anambra State, making it contrary to the Federal High Court’s judgment of Friday, July 23, 2021, which ordered parties in the Labour Party leadership tussle “to maintain status quo ante bellum in order not to disturb the rest of the matter pending further order of the court,” Ezema said.
But the party’s national publicity secretary, Mr Obiora Ifoh, declined comment when contacted to speak on the matter.
It was a narrow escape for 59 passengers on board an Abakaliki-bound luxury bus, on Good Friday night, when armed robbers attacked them at Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State and set the vehicle ablaze.
The dare-devil robbers had earlier stripped them of their belongings, and locked the vehicle from outside before torching it.
But, what would have been the most horrific robbery scene in recent time turned out not to be, as the passengers were said to have smashed the glass windows, and jumped out of the bus before it was completely consumed by the raging inferno.
The management of Ifesinachi Transport Nig. Ltd, confirmed, yesterday, that the attached bus belonged to the company, and that the vehicle took off from Maza Maza, Lagos, on Good Friday, en route Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Speaking to newsmen, yesterday, the Managing Director/CEO of the company, Prince Emeka Mamah, said he was still in shock over “this new dimension to armed robbery, which is now accompanied by terrorism.”
Also, reacting to the incident, the National President of the Association of Luxury Bus Owners of Nigeria (ALBON), Mr. Nonso Ubajaka, bemoaned the rising cases of robberies and kidnapping targeted at the members’ vehicles on various routes lately.
“But, robbing and burning a luxury bus with 59 passengers on board is unprecedented. This is no longer robbery. It is terrorism,” Ubajaka said yesterday.
A passenger, who narrated the incident early, Saturday morning, in a video recording which showed parts of the bus still burning, confirmed that no life was lost, though some of them sustained injuries.
The passenger, who, like many other victims, lost his shirt and other belongings to the robbers, narrated: “This is the night bus (showing the charred remains of the 59-seater vehicle) in which we were travelling home for Easter, on Friday.
“The armed robbers attacked us at Ijebu Ode. They stripped us of our dresses and belongings and beat us mercilessly. They forced us back into the bus and set it ablaze. But, we are grateful to God that nobody was burnt to death, because we all managed to escape from the burning vehicle alive.
Media
Ifesinachi Transport Ltd lost a 59-seater bus to armed robbers at Ijebu Ode after they burnt the entire bus with all the goods of the passengers inside pic.twitter.com/w3w14oZjvG
— Fair Play (@joejossy_12) March 30, 2024
A former Police Public Relations Officer for Zone 2 and Lagos State Commands, CSP Dolapo Badmos Opeyemi, has offered to feed an elderly couple for one year.
She made the promise while sharing a video of the elderly couple seen arguing over food.
In the clip shared on her Instagram account on Sunday, the elderly woman was heard demanding money from her husband for food.
The elderly woman said, “Give me money to eat. I am hungry. Did you buy any land for me? Look at me? I built a shop there, it was destroyed. Give me money. I ‘m hungry. Give me money. That your wallet, bring it out.”
Reacting to the video, Opeyemi wrote, “I saw this video on Facebook, and I took my time to watch it keenly. After identifying the fact that this is not a skit or acting in any form, I couldn’t stop crying. These people are so elderly.
“They should be in the nonagenarian category. It breaks my heart to see them fighting over feeding! Just feeding? It’s believed that at this age, their children should be around them. Where are they? Anyways, the children’s whereabouts are not of concern here.
“My concern is that, please, I need anyone to help me locate them, or my representative will visit them. They surely need help. I want to feed them from my salary for one year. God help me.
“Anyone with useful information should please assist us in finding them….please I beg. My heart aches and won’t rest until I find them, please.”
Media
VIDEO: Police Officer Offers To Feed Elderly Couple For One Year
— Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) March 31, 2024
A former Police Public Relations Officer for Zone 2 and Lagos State Commands, CSP Dolapo Badmos Opeyemi, has offered to feed an elderly couple for one year.
She made the promise while sharing a video of the… pic.twitter.com/cSXjumpLo9
NDLEA Arrests Woman Attempting To Smuggle Cannabis To Qatar Concealed In African Salad & Dried Vegetables
AFOLABIThe National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has detained a 35-year-old lady, Chidinma Chinenye Agbazue for attempting to export 20 parcels of cannabis sativa weighing 10.70 kilograms concealed in African salad popularly called Abacha and dried vegetables to Doha, Qatar through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos state.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters Abuja, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the Lagos airport working in partnership with men of the Department of State Security had on Thursday 28th March intercepted Chidinma, an outbound passenger from Lagos to Doha, on Qatar Airways during clearance of passengers at the screening point of terminal 11 of the MMIA.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that Chidinma was based in Qatar but returned to Nigeria last December for Christmas celebration.
According to the statement, she said preparatory to her return to Doha, she was lodged at Club Dice Hotel in Ikotun area of Lagos where the consignment was handed over to her for trafficking to the Arab country.
Babafemi also said two suspects: Monday Okeke and Chigozie Emeka were on Tuesday 26th March arrested by NDLEA operatives in Oniwaya, Yaba and Agege area of Lagos.
He said recovered from them were 842,560 pills of opioids especially tramadol in addition to 15 litres of codeine syrup and 596 grams of Molly.
The NDLEA spokesman said attempts by Okeke to bribe the NDLEA officers with N5 million cash was rebuffed while the money was documented as part of exhibits to prosecute the suspects in court.
He said in Bayelsa, and attempt by three suspects: Ebuka Eze, 31; Ugochukwu Okoro, 44; and Kingsley Uzim, 27, to smuggle opioids including codeine, molly, tramadol and diazepam weighing a total of 73.425 kilograms to the creeks in Southern Ijaw area of the state was thwarted on Wednesday 27th March by NDLEA operatives at Swali jetty, Yenagoa.
He said Ebuka and Ugochukwu were arrested at the jetty while Uzim was nabbed at Amasoma in a follow up operation.
The drugs were concealed in jumbo sacks and conveyed to the jetty in a tricycle, he said.
He added that while two suspects: Eniola Muyideen and Bankole Shuaib were arrested with 137 blocks of cannabis weighing 71kg during a raid at Orile Imo, Ogun state on Friday 29th March, NDLEA operatives in Taraba recovered 39,980 pills of tramadol from a suspect, Abubakar Mohammed, 33, in Lankaviri village, and another suspect, Apaji Vincent, 29, arrested in Wukari on Thursday 28th March with 131kg cannabis sativa.
The statement reads, “In Abia state, Nwachukwuu Chinedu, 28, was arrested on Friday 29th March at Akara Ahuba, Isikwuato LGA by NDLEA officers. Recovered from him include 46.65kg cannabis and different quantities of tramadol, methamphetamine and rohypnol as well as N71,500 monetary exhibit.
“At least, 127.5kg cannabis loaded in a Volkswagen Vento saloon car marked NTT 215 AA was recovered along Isua/Kabba road, Idoani area of Ose LGA, Ondo State, while a 30-year-old female suspect, Chinasa Christopher was arrested with 400 bottles of codeine syrup in Sabon Gari area of Kano.
“The owner of a consignment of illicit drugs intercepted along Zaria-Kano road, Bakura Goni was arrested at Mile 2 market in Lagos on Tuesday 26th March in a follow up operation and flown to Kano to face charges. The consignment consisting of cannabis and tramadol weighing 73.8kg was earlier seized in a truck conveying it from Lagos to Kano.
While 278kg of cannabis going to Idoani in Ondo state was recovered during a raid at Oloma-Okpe forest, Akoko-Edo LGA, Edo State, not less than 3,065.255kg of the same psychoactive substance was razed on two farms at Amahor waterside forest in Igueben area of the state where three suspects: James Thankgod; Wisdom James and Akpa Festus were arrested on Thursday 28th March.
“In the same vein, Commands across the country intensified their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, advocacy lectures in the past week. These include: Sensitisation lectures for students of Federal University of Technology, Ihiagwa, Owerri, Imo; students and teachers of Community Secondary School, Eyo-Abasi, Oron, Akwa Ibom; students and teachers of Oke Iragbiji Grammar School, Osun; commercial motorcycle riders in Oye Ekiti, Ekiti state; commercial motorcycle riders at Ankpa, Kogi state and Muslim faithful at Aliade Central Mosque, Aliade, Benue state.
“While commending the officers and men of the MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Ogun, Kano, Abia, Bayelsa, Ondo, and Taraba Commands of the Agency for their balanced efforts in the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) equally applauded their counterparts across the country for intensifying their WADA advocacy lectures.”
N16,000 To Correct Date Of Birth – NIMC Lists Fees For Correcting NIN, Biodata On Mobile App
AFOLABINigerians are now required to pay N16,000 to correct their date of birth on the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) mobile application.
Naija News reports that the NIMC recently unveiled the charges that Nigerians must pay in order to update the information on their National Identification Number (NIN).
In a post via its official X handle over the weekend, NIMC revealed that a newly introduced mobile app allows users to change inaccurately registered names, dates of birth, and phone numbers.
The app and online platform enable users to sign up for the service. Following this, users are required to input their NIN, last name, and email address before accessing the data modification feature.
Initially, NIMC did not specify a fee for data modifications, but seven days later, in response to user complaints about technical issues with the mobile app, the commission announced varying fees for different self-service options to modify data such as name, age, date of birth, phone number, and email address linked to the NIN.
As it stands, to correct personal data on the NIMC App, you are required to pay the following fees:
N1,522.5 for Name Correction
N16,340 for Date of Birth Correction
N1,522.5 for Address Correction
N1,522.5 for Email Correction
See the post below:
Good news!!!
— NIMC (@nimc_ng) March 30, 2024
You no longer have to go to a NIN enrolment center to modify your NIN record.
You can modify your date of birth, name, address, email, and phone number on the NIMC SELF-SERVICE APP.
What are you waiting for??? pic.twitter.com/oQEQck2gi8
It is worth noting that the NIMC has previously released fee schedules for various services related to updating information on the NIN database.
In the year 2021, the NIMC disclosed that individuals would need to pay fees ranging from N5,000 to N15,000 for rectifying inaccurate data in the NIN database.
As stated by the then NIMC regional coordinator in Alausa, Lagos, Funmi Opensanwo, the charges differ based on the type of correction needed, such as name, address, card renewal or replacement, and date of birth.
Transgender people in the United States have received fresh backing as President Joe Biden officially designated Easter Sunday as the “Transgender Day of Visibility.”
This announcement was made on Saturday as the Biden administration reminds the people that the International Transgender Day of Visibility was established on March 31, 2009, and has since been observed annually on the same date.
Naija News understands that the day aims to pay tribute to transgender individuals and shed light on the ongoing discrimination they encounter.
Moreover, the White House has revealed that President Biden’s proclamation is supported by the principles outlined in the US Constitution.
“Now, therefore, I, Joseph R. Biden Jr., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.
“I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our nation and to work towards eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity,” Biden said in an announcement yesterday.
Naija News understands that the Biden administration has consistently prioritized LGBT activism since its establishment.
In a statement, President Biden proudly highlighted his appointments of transgender leaders within his administration and the lifting of the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in the military.
However, there have been instances in the past where transgender inclusivity events at the White House have faced unintended consequences.
The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has advocated for a significant rebranding of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, suggesting the country be renamed ‘The United States of Nigeria.’
The proposal was made public through a statement by his Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, following a lecture Adesina delivered where he received the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.
In his lecture titled ‘Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development,’ Adesina articulated his vision for a transformed national identity that reflects a more decentralized governance structure.
He argued that renaming the country would fundamentally shift the perception of the relationship between Nigeria’s states and the central government in Abuja.
According to Adesina, this new nomenclature would position the states as pivotal entities within the federation, with the central government playing a supportive rather than a domineering role.
He said, “We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.
“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.
“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.
“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.
“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope.
“The achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity requires constitutional changes to devolve more economic and fiscal powers to the states or regions. The stronger the states or regions, the stronger the federated units.”
Adesina reiterated that to get out of the economic quagmire, there is a compelling need for the restructuring of Nigeria, saying restructuring should not be driven by political expediency but by economic and financial viability.
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Several passengers aboard a Toyota Hi-Ace bus narrowly avoided death on Saturday evening, when an Iveco truck, heavily laden with bags of cattle horns, overturned and fell on their vehicle at the Iyana-Ipaja area of Lagos State.
Naija News reports that the accident, which took place around 6:30 pm, was attributed to the truck driver’s reckless driving and excessive speeding.
The Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Emergency Management Authority (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osanyitolu, confirmed the incident.
He further detailed that LASEMA’s response team was quickly deployed to the scene from the Igando Base, arriving by 0603 hrs to facilitate road recovery efforts and ensure the normalization of traffic flow.
“Further investigation at the scene of the incident revealed that the accident occurred due to the truck driver’s reckless driving, which led to the truck falling sideways and hitting the Toyota Hi-Ace bus in the process,” Oke-Osanyitolu stated.
Despite the severity of the accident, he noted that the truck driver and his assistant fled the scene, and thankfully, no fatalities were reported.
Several passengers from the Hi-Ace bus sustained minor injuries in the collision and were transported to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The emergency response teams undertook the task of transloading the cargo, consisting of bags of cattle horns, into another truck to clear the roadblock and resume the free flow of traffic.
Nollywood actor cum pastor, Yul Edochie, has contended that for many people, the main issue is not prayers but money.
Sharing his thoughts in a post via his Instagram page on Saturday, the actor urged his followers to go beyond prayers and provide practical aid instead.
According to Edochie, countless individuals face real-life challenges and need urgent help that extends beyond spiritual solace.
He wrote, “Many people don’t need prayers; they just need money. Give people money whenever you can. Lots of people need help.”
Meanwhile, Yul, who hosts online church services, posted on his social media timeline, emphasizing that not all deities are evil.
The actor advised his fans and followers against destroying shrines and deities.
He further commented that it was the Europeans who convinced individuals to perceive their traditions as evil, allowing them to forsake their cultural heritage and embrace European customs, which ultimately facilitated the practice of slavery.
The actor encouraged his fans to embrace their culture, noting that many deities also acknowledge God.
Yul wrote: “Stop burning shrines and deities. Not all deities are evil. Oyibo convinced us that all our ways are evil, so we could discard our ways & embrace theirs, making slavery easy.
“We need to wake up & start embracing our traditions. Many deities acknowledge God Almighty. Bringing them could bring you perpetual trouble. If you don’t understand something, leave it. If it’s not disturbing you, don’t disturb it.“
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has given the biggest hint yet about the possibility of him dumping the party ahead of the 2027 election season.
He said this during an engagement with his supporters on his Verified X space, hosted by Parallel Facts, yesterday.
The former Amambra State Governor explained that his primary focus, which committed members of the Obidient Movement have bought into; is all about making Nigeria work for all citizens; as such, he refuses to be distracted.
According to him, the contrived crisis in the Labour Party was part of a distractive strategy, which neither he nor his supporters were willing to fall for.
Obi said, “Our engagement is about Nigeria, they are trying to change our focus. What we want to do is not about Labour Party; it is about what the Obidients want to do about Nigeria.
“We are thinking about water, we are thinking about power, we are thinking about employment, thinking about security. That should be our focus.
“The other matter we will deal with. We were somewhere, we didn’t start with Labour.
“I’m a Christian. Jesus said, When you go into a city, try to change them, live with them, fast with them. in the end, you can’t, come out and even wash the sand that is on your shoes.
“He didn’t say go there and die with them. I tell you, I’m making spirited efforts to change them (LP), but I’m not going to die with them.
“That will not stop what we set out to do. We will try to change them (LP), if we can’t, we will leave them; we will not die with them.”
The Nigerian Communications Commission has directed telecommunication companies to extend the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to National Identification Numbers from April 15, 2024, to July 31, 2024.
A reliable source within the telecommunication sector disclosed this information to our correspondent on Saturday.
This decision communicated via a letter to telcos came after a careful consideration of various challenges and requests for extensions.
The source said, “So, this particular extension from 15th April to 31st July is for those who have four SIMs linked to just one phone line.”
The disconnection process, which began in February, was rolled out in three phases. The first occurred on February 28, 2024, followed by the second phase on Friday, March 29, 2024.
Originally scheduled for April 15, 2024, the third phase has now been rescheduled to commence on July 31, 2024.
During the initial deadline on February 28, 2024, the industry regulator said about 40 million lines not linked to NINs were barred.
The source said while the exact number of lines affected by Friday’s deadline remains unclear, telecom companies are expected to proceed with disconnecting lines not linked with NINs.
Telecom operators are expected to prioritize the verification of existing subscribers over new ones during this extended period.