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‘There’s Nothing Wrong With Peter Obi’s Statement, Tinubu Owns Private Jets’ – Dele Momodu Knocks Onanuga
AFOLABI
Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dele Momodu, has berated the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, over his reaction regarding the comment of former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, on the plan to acquire presidential jets.
Naija News reported that the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, on Monday, condemned the move by the Federal Government to buy new aircraft for the presidential fleet.
Peter Obi described the move as insensitive while Nigerians grapple with economic hardship occasioned by the Federal Government’s policies.
However, Onanuga, in a swift reaction, described Obi’s comment as insensitive, wondering if he would rather have the life of the President jeopardised by flying faulty aircraft.
In a post via his social media page, Dele Momodu backed Peter Obi’s statement and suggestion, stressing that there is no reason to acquire presidential jets when the country is going through hard times.
The veteran journalist noted that Tinubu owned private jets before he was declared President and should demonstrate the sacrifice he has been preaching to Nigerians.
He wrote, “In these hard times, there’s no compulsory reason for a country to own Presidential jets. In fact, it is an overindulgence. ASIWAJU BOLA AHMED TINUBU owned private jets ever before he was declared President. He can demonstrate the SACRIFICE he preaches by downsizing and returning to them and requesting his retinue to go commercial when absolutely necessary. AIR PEACE has a fleet of Boeing 777 that can be hired for long haul flights and this will keep them in business. Trouble is our politicians are outlandishly flamboyant… There’s nothing wrong with what PETER OBI said and suggested…”
Ohanaeze Distances Self From Peter Obi's Statement Condemning Planned Purchase Of New Presidential Jets
AFOLABI
The Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has formally distanced itself from the views expressed by the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, over the purchase of new jets for President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima.
The group insisted that the safety and security of the nation’s leaders must be treated as a paramount issue.
Speaking via a statement released on Tuesday amid the ongoing controversy, Secretary-General Okechukwu Isiguzoro asserted that Obi’s opinion does reflect the collective stance of the Igbo Nation as embodied by Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
Isiguzoro highlighted that the current Presidential fleet, acquired over two decades ago during the Obasanjo administration, poses significant security risks and could hinder the President and Vice President in performing essential duties.
The statement said, “While we acknowledge Mr. Obi’s concerns about Nigeria’s economic challenges and the necessity to tackle pressing issues like insecurity, poverty, and hunger, Ohanaeze Ndigbo firmly believes that the safety and security of our nation’s leaders must take precedence.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo wholeheartedly supports the Federal Government’s decision to procure new Presidential jets to ensure the safety of President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima.
“The organization recognized Obi’s genuine concerns for the Nigerian populace and his aspirations for economic improvement, urging him to collaborate with President Tinubu to provide constructive input and support for policies aimed at alleviating the hardships faced by citizens.
“Ohanaeze Ndigbo remains committed to fostering unity, progress, and the well-being of all Nigerians. We firmly believe that through cooperation, we can work towards a brighter future for our nation.”
A veteran Yoruba film actor, Lere Paimo, has appealed to governors from the South-West region of the country to control the activities of herders in the region, as farmers could no longer access their ancestral farms due to insecurity.
Paimo, who is widely recognized as Eda Onile Ola, said the people are suffering, and there is much hunger in the land because peasant farmers are unable to carry out their usual farming due to fear of destruction by herders.
The renowned actor expressed his belief that with proper security, infrastructure, and encouragement for agriculturalists, the South-West region could provide for its population and the whole country.
In an interview held on Tuesday in Lagos, Lere Paimo shared his insights on how to address the current socio-economic challenges, inflation, and food shortage issues facing the nation.
He suggested that the governors of South-West states need to work together and implement strategies to curb the activities of violent herders to guarantee food availability in the area.
Furthermore, he emphasized that by ensuring security, improving infrastructure, and offering support to farmers, the South-West could sustainably feed its citizens and the entire nation.
The veteran said: “Let every South-West governor control the activities of herders, who always clash with farmers. This has sent many away from their ancestral farms, and the attendant hunger is staring us in the face.
“The herders have brought a lot of losses to many farmers by making their cattle to feed on farms while some farmers have also lost their lives in the process. Many have left their farms over this.
“This is very bad. Each governor has the authority and power in their various states to ensure that herders are tamed for people to have the confidence to go back to farm without fear of any loss.
“People are suffering and hungry because many people have deserted farms because of security. If we want food security like before, we need to do something in that direction.
“Let each governor in the region take it as a personal responsibility to ensure stiff penalties for any herder who leads his flock to feed on people’s farms.”
Lere Paimo advocated ranches for herders as part of efforts to turnaround the current food crisis in the country.
He added: “We must take actions now to ensure security in the region, especially for farmers to enhance food security.
“South-West has enough arable land to growth its food and also feed the entire nation.
“The herder-farmer clashes is creating a lot of fears for the farmers in the region and our leaders must take urgent action before it will be too late.”
He mentioned that because raising cattle is a personal venture for individuals or collectives, it’s important for the government to step in and protect farmers from any negative impacts.
He argued that it’s the responsibility of the government to allocate a designated area for herders to graze their livestock within every state or municipality.
The Abuja Federal High Court has denied granting bail to the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police, Abba Kyari.
In his ruling, Justice Emeka Nwite held that Kyari’s bail is at the discretion of the court in line with section 161 (2) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
The judge ruled that Kyari had not shown any evidence to warrant the court granting him bail.
On May 22, the judge had granted the former boss of the Intelligence Response Team, IRT, temporary two-week bail to bury his mother.
However, the two weeks were extended by a week upon an application filed by Mr. Kyari for an extension of the bail.
On June 1, Kyari perfected the bail conditions and was released the same day.
At today’s proceedings, Justice Emeka Nwite refused to extend his earlier order but granted accelerated hearing in the case.
Kyari was detained following his arrest on February 14, 2022, by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency for alleged involvement with an international drug cartel.
He, along with four members of the Police Intelligence Response Team—Sunday Ubia, Bawa James, Simon Agirigba, and John Nuhu—was arraigned on March 7, 2022.
Two suspected drug traffickers, Chibunna Umeibe and Emeka Ezenwanne, who were arrested at Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, were also charged.
While Kyari and the IRT members pleaded not guilty, Umeibe and Ezenwanne pleaded guilty and were convicted.
Documentation has exposed how the $6,230,000 in cash, allegedly taken from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on February 8, 2023, was divided.
A special presidential investigative team, headed by Jim Obaze, which examined the tenure of former CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, claimed that the $6.2 million was taken from the central bank’s vault under the pretense of paying election observers.
In court documents obtained by The Nation, investigators described the theft as an insider job, allegedly orchestrated primarily by CBN officials in collusion with two outsiders, identified as Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar.
According to the documents, investigators alleged that Odoh Eric Ocheme, a personal assistant to Emefiele during his tenure as CBN Governor, received $3,730,000 from the funds, while the remaining $2,500,000 was divided among three other individuals.
Ocheme allegedly claimed that he needed to settle other interests within the central bank, which is why he received the majority share.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Emefiele with complicity in the theft in a 20-count amended indictment filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), charges to which he has pleaded not guilty.
However, during a hearing in the case, a Deputy Director and Head of the Service Delivery Division of the CBN, Michael Onyeka Ogbu, confirmed the cash withdrawal from the apex bank’s Abuja branch, where he was in charge.
Testifying in the case on February 12, Ogbu stated that he authorized the payment after being convinced that it was approved by the relevant authorities.
Ogbu recalled that on February 8, 2023, there was a payment request addressed to the Abuja Branch Controller, a position he held at the time.
He said: “On that day the request for the payment of $6,230,000 was received in my office by my Office Assistant, who brought it to my attention.
“When I received the document, I found that it is from Banking Services Department.
“The Director, Banking Services signed the memo, and the content of the memo contained an instruction for the Branch Controller to pay the sum of $6,230,000 to a staff of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation , with the identity and the name of the person mentioned.
“The memo said the payment was for international election observers and that we should debit an account – Naira Forex Account – with the naira equivalent of $6,230,000.
“The memo also said that the money will be refunded in the second quarter of 2023 by the Federal Ministry of Finance. It went on to say ‘find attached the approval of the governor of the CBN for the payment.’
“The attachment had the approval of the governor of the CBN. It also had the approval of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the request letter from the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.”
Ogbu stated that after reviewing the documents and finding them satisfactory, he forwarded them to the Head of Business Services Unit for processing and payment.
On whether the money was eventually released, Ogbu said: “Payment was eventually made. The $6,230,000 was paid on the 8th of February 2023. The payment was in cash.”
According to court documents, it was revealed that certain beneficiaries invested their portion of the loot, valued at around ₦1.4 billion, in real estate, of which a portion has been reclaimed.
An affidavit filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja by a Deputy Superintendent of Police provided details of the investigators’ findings and the progress made so far in connection with an extradition charge against Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Odoh Eric Ocheme.
Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar, and Ocheme are reportedly at large and believed to have fled the country, prompting extradition proceedings against them before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police said: “We commenced investigation into the case and obtained copies of the withdrawal slip as well as the accompanying documents, Central Bank of Nigeria memos, dated 07/02/2023 and 31/01/2023 respectively, staff identity card of one Jibril Abubakar, letter dated 2/01/2023 purportedly written by Muhammadu Buhari to Boss Mustapha and letter dated 20/01/2023 purportedly written by Boss Mustapha to Mr Godwin Emafiele, which the Central Bank of Nigeria, Abuja Branch relied on in making the payment.
“Investigation at the office of the President as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in the Stale House revealed that the letters purportedly written by Muhammadu Buhari and for Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha did not emanate from the offices respectively, while Jibril Abubakar, whose identity card was used to cash the money in question is not a staff of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“We watched the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) footages of the 08/02/2023 being the day the money in question was cashed, and the payee (Jibril Abubakar) could not be identified by the staff of either the CBN or that of the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, where he falsely represented himself to be working.
“A further study of the Closed-circuit Television (CCTV) footage revealed that a staff of the Abuja Branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria, identified as Abdulmajeed Muhammad received the impostor (Jibril Abubakar) at the gate of the bank when he arrived on the fateful date: 08/02/2023.
“Abdulmajeed Muhammad was consequently arrested and in his statement made on 15/12/2023, he admitted helping the impostor into the Abuja Branch of the Central Bank of Nigeria, but claimed that he did that innocently, the impostor having been referred to him by Bashirudeen Maishanu; a Senior Staff of the CBN.
“Abdulmajeed Muhammad further revealed that prior to 08/02/2023 when the impostor came to cash the money in question, he (Abdulmajeed Muhammad) had been invited by Bashirudeen Maishanu to explain the procedure of public officials making cash withdrawal from the CBN as those persons claimed to be officials from the office of the SGF and that the then president had approved certain fund for official assignment.
“We visited Kuje Correctional Centre, where we interviewed Godwin Emefiele, who purportedly approved the memos authorising the payment, as then CBN and he denied seeing, talk less of approving such memos.
“We also arrested some concerned staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, who denied any involvement in the crime, before we finally arrested Bashirudeen Maishanu, who corroborated the account of Abdulmajeed Muhammad and further confessed to have been involved in the crime which, according to him was perpetrated by himself and the first to third defendants/respondents – Adamu Abubakar, Imam Abubakar and Odoh Eric Ocheme.
“Bashiru Maishanu further confessed that himself, the first and second defendants/respondents (Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar) shared the sum of $2,500,000.00 from the stolen money, while the third defendant/respondent (Odoh Eric Ocheme), being a fellow staff of the Central Bank of Nigeria, kept the balance of $3,730,000.00 claiming that he had other interests to settle in the CBN.
“Bashirudeen Maishanu further confessed that both himself, and the first and second defendants/respondents jointly invested the United States dollars equivalent of the sum of ₦1, 440,000,000.00 into real estate business of Afrolyk Global Ltd.
“The Managing Director of the said Afrolyk Ltd, Aminu Lawal has been arrested and he confirmed the investment by Bashirudeen Maishanu, Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar, and already refunded the sum of $200 000 00 to the Special Investigator’s team as part of the money he (Aminu Lawal) received as part of the purported investment.
“Cash of about $400,000 00 has also been voluntarily returned by Bashiru Maishanu from part of his remaining share of the money in question.
“The money (the $6,230,000) was received in cash from the Central Bank at Nigeria and also shared in the same cash by the defendants/respondents and others, making it difficult to trace the monies without arresting the defendants/respondents.
“It was later revealed that the third defendant – Odoh Eric Ocheme – was the Personal Assistant to Godwin Emefiele as the CBN governor while the first and second defendants (Adamu Abubakar and Imam Abubakar) are businessmen and associates of Bashirudeen Maishanu.”
Award-winning Nigerian actress, Genevieve Nnaji has spoken about her experience in Hollywood.
She talked about when she decided to seek partnership in Hollywood after the success of her 2018 film, LionHeart that was bought by Netflix.
She stated that she never found the support she expected in Hollywood, adding that the experience made her realise that she was a commodity.
She explained that Hollywood wanted what she had, but simply for their own benefit.
The thespian disclosed this on a panel at the 2024 AfriCaribbean Trade and Investment Forum/Afreximbank Annual Meeting.
She said, “For the first time, I realised I was a commodity. I thought, you know, given what I had done with Lionheart, and all of that, I was going to have an opportunity to do more. Getting there and having the kind of support, that obviously CANEX is bringing on board, but I thought I could find it in Hollywood. That was not quite the case.
“They wanted what I had but for their benefit. It was all about their story. It was all about how, even if it was our story, I could make it more authentic to their own understanding of whatever Africa is because they did have a lot of literature in their archives.”
She also said that she could have gone to Hollywood years ago but decided to stay back to contribute to the development of Nollywood.
Anambra State Government through the Ministry of Women and Social Welfare has arrested a couple and one other for suspected human trafficking in Ifitedunu, Dunukofia Local Government Area of the state.
The feat was achieved when the community Chairman, Mr Arinzechukwu Azodo, notified the Women Affairs Commissioner, Hon. Ify Obinabo.
The media aide to the Women Affairs Commissioner, Chidinma Ikeanyionwu, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, June 18, 2024, said the couple, Temple and Ndubuisi Nwankwo were arrested alongside one Ebere while attempting to sell their baby daughter for N1m.
The couple is suspected to have sold their other two other children who they claimed have died.
“According to Mr. Azodo, he was alerted by the commander of his team over a report of suspected trafficking taking place in the community which he quickly informed the commissioner who told him to go ahead and apprehend the persons involved,” the statement read."Azodo explained that after the arrest, they discovered that the said suspects were about sealing their deal to the tune of one million naira."On her part, one of the suspects who gave her name as Ebere from Ukpo in same local government area of the state, revealed that it was another of the suspect by name Temple Nwankwo, her very good friend that approached her one day informing her that she has twin baby for sale although she has already sold one of the twins."Ebere said she accepted to partner with her and went further to link her up to a prospective buyer who needed a male child urgently."Ebere in her confession said that after their negotiation, they agreed to meet at Oye Agu to further seal the transaction but instead Temple requested an instant payment of one million naira in her account which the buyer objected to because he hadn't seen the baby in question."This brought disagreement among them before Temple changed her mind and left them."On the alleged seller's part, Temple Nwankwo from Enugu state but resident at Ifitedunu, denied ever having to be in any type of business with Ebere but explained that she only reconnected with her when she was four months pregnant."Temple in her defense said it was Ebere who actually asked for her help in getting a male child because she's not been able to have a child of her own."Temple claimed that after Ebere made the request, she warned her to never involve her in such and that since that day, Ebere has been coming to her house in her absence meeting her daughter even after her several warnings to her."Some members of the community alleged that Temple is into the trafficking business with her husband, Ndubuisi Nwankwo, as an accomplice because they have not seen some of her children for a very long time"When the couple were asked the whereabouts of the two kids, they claimed that they were dead."However, when they were asked where the children were buried, they stated no one had ever been around to witness the burial of the two kids."It was at this point that Hon Obinabo, who was visibly sad over the incident, handed them over to the police for investigation and prosecution.
The bust statue of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has been destroyed by irate youths who stormed the Obio/Akpor council headquarters earlier Tuesday.
Some of the visibly angry youths, who spoke in a mix of the Ikwerre dialect and English, pulled the statue down while the others cheered him on.
The youths, who had invaded the council headquarters, claimed they were there to ensure the safety of council property following the expiration of the chairman’s tenure.
Wike, a former Chairman of Obio/Akpor, and former Rivers State governor, has been involved in a political feud with his former protege the governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara.
No fewer than nine people reportedly lost their lives in 13 road accidents that occurred in Osun, Ondo, and Oyo states in the first three days of the Sallah holiday.
The Federal Road Safety Corps Command of Zone 11, which comprises the three states, added that 78 others sustained varying degrees of injuries in the crashes involving 21 vehicles and 128 people.
The Acting Zonal Commanding Officer for the Zone, Leye Adegboyega, who shared this information in a statement in Osogbo, stressed that those injured were taken to hospitals across the zone, while 41 other people were rescued without injuries during the period.
Adegboyega stated that the 2024 Eid El Kabir Sallah Special Patrol Operation is scheduled to be held between Friday, June 14th, and Friday, June 21st, 2024, across the country.
He revealed that in the major routes within his jurisdiction, the commission deployed a total of 3,018 personnel, 57 patrol vehicles, five ambulances, and two heavy-duty tow trucks during the period.
“Personnel from the command covered about 65 major routes across the zone daily to ensure good visibility and reduce avoidable speed-related crashes, while standby rescue teams were also stationed across all commands in the zone for quick response to distress calls from accident scenes,” Adegboyega said.
Zone RS11 Osogbo of the Corps, which comprises Osun, Ondo, and Oyo states, has aligned with the mission of the Operation, which is to ensure the free flow of traffic, minimize the occurrence of RTCs, provide prompt rescue services in the event of crashes, and ensure timely clearance of obstructions on all major roads and critical corridors across the three states of the Zone during and after the Sallah festivities.
To achieve the mission of the Operation, a total of 3,018 personnel (comprising 2,155 Regular Marshals and 863 Special Marshals), 57 patrol vehicles, five ambulances, and two heavy-duty tow trucks have been deployed across the component commands.
The roads covered daily include the following critical corridors: Ibadan-Lagos Expressway, Ibadan-Ife Expressway, Ife-Ilesa Expressway, Ilesa-Ipetujesa-Akure Expressway, Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway, and Ibadan-Oyo-Ogbomoso Expressway.
“In the first three days of the operation, we have achieved the following:
i. The arrest of 737 traffic offenders who were duly contravened for 766 various traffic offenses that may otherwise have led to avoidable RTCs.
ii. Execution of 219 various public enlightenment activities across the news media, motor parks, churches, mosques, and other public places to drive home the road safety message and create public awareness of the need for safety consciousness.”
“We provided prompt rescue services for the victims of 13 RTCs which involved 21 vehicles and 128 people, out of which nine unfortunately lost their lives and 78 others sustained varying degrees of injuries and were swiftly conveyed to hospitals across the Zone, where we maintain cordial relationships for treatment.
Forty-one other people were rescued alive without injuries and continued their journeys,” he concluded.
A three-storey building under construction in Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi State, on Tuesday, collapsed with two persons trapped.
According to The Nation, the affected building allegedly belongs to a member of the Ebonyi Assembly
The collapsed building is located near the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.
At least one person was still trapped inside the collapsed building as of the time of filing this report, while one rescued person was rushed to the emergency unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki.
One of the labourers, who escaped from the collapsed building, told reporters he escaped because he went to wash his hands.
He said, “I was loading a bag of stones and the owner of the house was here with me, telling me to park it very well. He has finished paying us.
“Only one person, who is dumb was trapped inside and he is still there. One other who was rescued has been rushed to hospital.
“The building didn’t give any sign that it is about to collapse. I was lucky because my tools were inside. I just said let me wash my hands here before I will go inside the building to collect my tools.”
Rescue workers were still trying to rescue the trapped labourer.
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Nvidia, a graphics card-making firm, overtook Microsoft to become the world’s most valuable company on Tuesday.
The American technology company saw its stock value rise by 3.5 percent to $135.58 a share — lifting its market capitalisation to $3.3 trillion.
Nvidia has dominated the technology market with its highly sought-after chips that help power data centres running complex computing tasks required by artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
On its part, Microsoft is also seen as an early AI winner given its investment and partnership with OpenAI, which created ChatGPT.
Apple, which occupies the third position, has also seen its shares rally after finally unveiling a plan to use AI — a move Bloomberg reported appeased investors.
Also, Nvidia’s surging stock price has made Jensen Huang, co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO), one of the world’s richest people.
Huang’s net worth has climbed more than $70 billion since the beginning of the year to $115 billion, putting him in 12th place on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index — the highest gain among his billionaire peers.
Adewale Ayuba, the ace Fuji musician, has revealed why he relocated to America and converted to Christianity.
In a chat with Teju Babyface on Tuesday, Ayuba spoke about his new life in the United States, his religion, and his music career.
He disclosed that he and his band member travelled to America for their three-month summer show in 1995.
Ayuba said they could not return to Nigeria after their show ended due to threats from Sani Abacha, the late military head of state.
The singer said he was threatened after he released an album advocating for the freedom of political detainees, particularly the late Moshood Abiola.
Ayuba said after Abacha’s demise, he returned to Nigeria to perform at the Benson and Hedges Concert in 1998.
The singer said while in the US, he enrolled in school and completed his documentation to become an American citizen. He said he also met his wife in America.
“I left for America with my full band members in 1995 for a summer show and others. We came to America for about three months and then returned to Nigeria,” he said.
“I returned to Nigeria in 1998 when Abacha died. The three years I stayed in America were by the grace of God because he is a good planner.
“When I was in America, I realised that I could only perform shows on weekends. My Mondays to Fridays were free. So, I enrolled in school. That was where I met my wife.
“After that, I took part in a lot of activities. Doing so was like building another foundation in America. That was not easy. From there, I completed my documentation and became an American citizen.
“I don’t see myself continuing in Fuji music, I believe I have done well. This is America, there’s more to explore in life, trusting that God has a plan.”
Speaking about his decision to convert from Islam to Christianity, Ayuba revealed that he was unable to pray in Arabic.
This, he said, prevented him from practising Islam, adding that he would always invite clerics to pray on his behalf.
He also said he was inspired by verses from the Bible quoting Jesus Christ as saying “He is the way, truth, and life”.
Ayuba said he prefers to worship where he “feels closest to God,” adding that his choice to become a Christian “brings me happiness”.
“People claim Ayuba is a Muslim. Have they seen me in the mosque? If I were practising Islam, wouldn’t someone have noticed,” he said.
“Why is this an issue? Can they let me be? They say I should pray five times daily, but I’m not. My mother is an Alhaja, and although my father never went to Mecca, we practice Islam at home.
“So, my name is Ayub, which is Job in the Bible. It’s not that being a Muslim is good or bad. When I attempted to practice it, I had to summon some Alfas to help me communicate with God because I didn’t understand Arabic.
“I questioned whether I should continue despite all that God has done for me, needing others to intercede on my behalf.
“There isn’t an album of mine where I haven’t referenced Muslim words. We all worship God. To me, religion is akin to education.
“I chose Jesus Christ because he proclaimed, ‘I am the truth, the way, and the life’. This is my personal choice, and it brings me happiness.
“Many of my band members are Muslims, and we pray together. I was unable to attend Arabic school due to my profession. I prefer to worship where I feel closest to my God.”
Ayuba began his music career as a teenager and released his first album, ‘Ibere (Beginning)’ in 1986.
The 59-year-old singer is famous for albums such as ‘Bubble’, ‘Turn Me On’, ‘’Ijo Fuji’, and ‘Koloba Koloba’.
In 2015, Ayuba said the day he became a Christian was the happiest day of his life.
The United Kingdom, UK is grappling with a shortage of bricklayers and other construction workers, causing prolonged delays for homeowners seeking building services.
Since 2021, a staggering 415,000 people have experienced over a year-long wait to secure a builder, according to a national construction audit by Fix Radio.
The shortage extends beyond builders, with 301,000 households waiting a year for plumbers and heating engineers, 294,000 for roofers, and 274,000 for carpenters.
On average, the wait for a bricklayer over the past three years has exceeded three months, while landscapers, painters, and decorators have left customers waiting for two and a half months, per report from Daily Mail UK.
Industry experts highlight the severe impact of this skills shortage on major projects, including delays in completing the Co-op Live venue in Manchester.
To meet rising demand, an additional 225,000 skilled workers are to be needed by 2027 with economic repercussions significant as the UK is projected to miss out on £98 billion of growth by 2030 due to the skills gap.
The ageing workforce exacerbates the issue, with a fifth of construction workers now over 50 and a third planning to retire by 2030.
The Construction Industry Training Board’s Construction Skills Network estimates nearly one million tradespeople will retire in the next decade.
While migrant labour has somewhat mitigated the shortages, there is an urgent need to train more British workers.
Last year, bricklayers, plasterers, roofers, and carpenters were added to the Home Office’s shortage occupation list to address the deficit.
UK government initiatives aim to alleviate the problem, including cracking down on non-vocational university degrees and funding 100,000 apprenticeships. Both Labour and Conservative parties have focused on construction in their General Election campaigns, with Labour proposing new towns and Rishi Sunak promising to build hundreds of thousands of homes in major cities.
Clive Holland of Fix Radio emphasized the critical need for more builders, warning, “If political parties, irrespective of their stripe or colour, honestly believe they can address the housing crisis without having the serious conversation of addressing the skills deficit, we’re heading into a very dangerous position.”
A Fix Radio survey revealed that two-thirds of Britons felt insufficiently encouraged to pursue trades in school, and 18% of parents discouraged their children from entering the construction industry due to perceived low earnings.
Unites States President, Joe Biden is set to announce a new policy that will grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of undocumented spouses of US citizens, protecting them from deportation.
The policy will apply to those who have been in the country for at least 10 years and will allow them to work in the US legally.
According to the administration officials, over 500,000 spouses of US citizens will benefit from this policy, in addition to 50,000 young people under 21 whose parent is married to an American citizen.
The policy is the most significant relief program for undocumented migrants already in the US since the Obama administration announced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in 2012.
To qualify, undocumented spouses must have lived in the country for 10 years and been married as of June 17. They will have three years to apply for permanent residency and will be eligible for a three-year work permit.
The White House believes that those eligible for the process have been in the US for an average of 23 years, with a majority being born in Mexico.
Critics argue that the policy is an overreach of executive authority and violates US immigration law.
NumbersUSA, an immigration reform group, in a statement by the Chief Executive, James Massa, referred to the policy as “unconscionable”. He said:
“Rather than stopping the worst border crisis in history, President Biden has overreached his executive authority to use an unconstitutional process, circumventing voters and their elected representatives in Congress, to send a message that amnesty is available to those who enter illegally into the United States.”
However, immigration lawyers and advocates welcome the move as a start towards addressing the complex issues faced by undocumented immigrants.
Alex Cuic, an immigration lawyer and professor at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, told the BBC: “A good majority of them [would have] left the country in order to come back lawfully. It’s like they physically enter the US, but their immigration ‘soul’ doesn’t come with them.”
The application process is expected to open by the end of summer, and the White House is also planning to ease and speed up the visa process for highly skilled undocumented immigrants.
At the time of the announcement, US President Biden urged those who consider the measure “too strict” to “be patient”.
“[In] the weeks ahead, I will speak to how we can make our immigration system more fair and just,” he said.