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I’m Proud Of My Igbo Origin, Culture – First Igbo Chief Imam Of National Mosque, Tochukwu Usman
AFOLABI
The first Igbo Muslim to be appointed as Chief Imam of the National Mosque in Abuja, Professor Iliyasu Tochukwu Usman, has said he is unapologetic, being an Igbo and the culture of the Igbo nation.
The Chief Imam of Abuja National Mosque and the first Igbo Professor of Arabic Studies said like all cultures there are good and negative ones.
He stated that while his religion is against some of Igbo culture, some are in line with what the religion teaches.
Usman from Enugu stated this at the unveiling of the Imams of the National Mosque, Abuja, by the Secretary-General of Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Prof. Is-haq Oloyede.
“I want to say this, unapologetically. Actually, every tribe has a culture and every individual has a culture, whether you are Muslim or Christian. In every culture, there are positives and negatives.
“For instance, in Igbo land, there was a time when twins were killed because they are seen as abominations in the society and we know that even a practicing Christian would not accept this kind of culture.
“For instance, as a Muslim, my religion prohibits me from indulging in alcoholism and I know that part of my culture is that whenever we have festivals, alcohol is consumed. As a Muslim, this kind of culture is an abomination because my religion prohibits it.
“So in every tribe, there are good and bad cultures. I accept good Igbo culture. In the South East, we have good communal relationships where we are our brothers’ keeper. I accept that.
“When a brother, whether Muslim or non-Muslim has a problem, I assist. This is a good culture. But any culture that has to do with idol worshipping, for instance, even our Christian counterparts don’t accept that. I am a Muslim and Igbo man who will always try to foster the good Igbo culture that is in line with the teachings of my religion,” he said.
Earlier, Oloyede said the NSCIA, since the establishment of the National Mosque in 1984, has been appointing, in succession, qualified Muslims who are worthy in character and scholarship to oversee the spiritual activities of the faithful.
Oloyede stated that the clerics were unveiled after their consideration by the General Purpose Committee and endorsement by the National Fatwa Committee.
“So you can see that we are not just appointing an Imam from the South East, South-South Zone, we are indeed appointing two imams from that zone. That shows clearly that in Islam, it is about qualification,” Arise TV quoted him.
The Central Bank of Nigeria has described as fake a circular that it authorised the sales of foreign exchange to Bureau De Change operators in the country.
The circular dated Tuesday, 10 December, had claimed that the apex bank sold $20,000 to each legible BDC operator at N1,300 per dollar rate.
“Following the ongoing reforms in the foreign exchange market, aimed at achieving an appropriate market-determined exchange rate for the Naira, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has observed the continued price distortions at the retail end of the market, which is feeding into the parallel market and further widening the exchange rate premium,” the fake circular reads.
However, CBN, in its official X account on Wednesday, described the circular as fake.
This comes as the Naira has firmed up in the past seven days against the dollar at the FX market after CBN introduced the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) for transparent FX transactions.
Although in the past two days, the Naira had weakened at the black market to N1660 per dollar, the country’s currency gained against the dollar on Tuesday at the official market to close at N1,525.
DAILY POST reports that the last time CBN intervened in the black market was in September 2024 when it sold FX at N1590 per dollar to BDC operators.
Former lawmaker, Senator Dino Melaye has expressed excitement over the decision of the Federal Capital Territory High Court on the former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello’s money laundering case.
Recalls that the FCT High Court, on Tuesday, remanded Bello in Kuje Correctional Centre pending his bail application.
Justice Maryann Anenih also adjourned hearing in the N110bn money laundering case brought against the former governor by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to January 29 and 30 and February 25 and 27 for hearing.
Reacting, Dino in a post on his official X handle, said he predicted Bello’s imprisonment about six years ago.
According to the former lawmaker, “6 years ago, SDM predicted Yahaya Bello would end up in prison.
“Today, he will be spending Christmas in Kuje prison. All powers belong to God”.
Ghana Election: You Are The Architect Of Nigeria’s Suffering, You Owe Nigerians An Apology – LP Knocks INEC Chairman
AFOLABI
The Labour Party (LP) have lashed out at the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu for commending the conduct of Ghana’s presidential election.
Naija News reports that Yakubu, in a video clip on Sunday, praised the rancour-free conduct of Ghana’s election, pointing out lessons for Nigerian politicians.
Reacting in an interview with Punch, the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Obiora Ifoh, accused Yakubu of manipulating the 2023 presidential election to favour President Bola Tinubu and asked him to apologise to Nigerians.
He insisted that the INEC boss should be the one to learn from Ghana and not the other way round.
He noted that there were no stories of ballot boxes snatching and glitches during Ghana’s presidential election.
Ifoh said though the LP had moved on from what transpired in 2023, “It is a shame that the INEC Chairman should be talking when, in this case, he should be the one to learn from Ghana.
“He was the architect of exactly what Nigerians are suffering today.
“He owes Nigerians an apology. We didn’t hear of electoral violence, snatching of boxes or any glitches whatsoever (in Ghana). The people spoke through their votes. Their votes counted and the Ghanaians are happy with it,”
The Nigerian Senate has declined approval for the dismissal of an employee from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).
On Tuesday, the Senate instructed the Corporation to reinstate Engr. Aniekan Paddy Ukpe, a former District Engineer, whose employment was terminated in March 2023.
The Senate also mandated that the former District Engineer receive all due entitlements, emphasizing that there was no evidence connecting him to the vandalism of railway tracks within his area of responsibility.
Senator Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), who chairs the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct, and Public Petitions, brought this issue to the Senate’s attention.
The matter arose from a report submitted by the senator, which was based on a petition from the Engineer, claiming wrongful termination of his employment by the Corporation.
In his petition, Engr. Ukpe stated that he served as the Senior Civil Engineer overseeing the North Central District, which includes Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, and Nasarawa states.
He recounted being informed of a vandalism incident involving railway tracks on September 19, 2022, at Kamuru Station in Zonkwa, Kaduna State.
Upon receiving this information, the Engineer reported the incident verbally to the District Manager and filed a formal complaint with the police.
This action resulted in the arrest and prosecution of the offenders, two of whom received two-year prison sentences.
Ukpe’s petition indicated that rather than receiving praise from the District Manager, he was accused of underreporting the incident.
Consequently, the District Manager issued him a query and referred the case to an investigative committee.
He contended that the conclusions reached by the committee were prejudiced and tainted by inconsistencies, resulting in his termination without a sufficient chance to present his defence.
The NRC, through its Managing Director, Engr. (Dr.) F.E. Okhiria, defended the decision to terminate his employment, attributing it to a failure to fulfill his responsibilities.
The NRC asserted that Engr. Ukpe failed to inform his superiors about the incident promptly and exhibited a lack of urgency in addressing the situation.
The corporation maintained that his conduct was in violation of the Railway General Rules of 1964, justifying his dismissal.
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has apprehended 10 persons on INTERPOL’s watch list while attempting to enter the country.
Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the Minister of Interior, disclosed this on Tuesday during the inauguration of the NIS Technology Innovation Complex in Abuja by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“In the last couple of days, 10 people on the INTERPOL and immigration wanted list were apprehended in one week.
“Before now, those individuals would have entered Nigeria, causing terror. But under the new leadership, Nigeria is a no-go area for any criminal element,” Tunji-Ojo stated.
The newly inaugurated NIS Technology Innovation Complex boasts advanced features, including a command and control center for monitoring regular migration, an NIS data hub, an ECOWAS biometric card production center, an interior data center, and a solar power station to ensure sustainable energy supply.
The minister stated the ability of the complex to assess the risk levels of individuals entering Nigeria, detect irregular migration, and oversee unmanned borders across the country.
He said the solar-powered station is projected to save the country over N300m annually in energy costs.
“We decided to implement an end-to-end energy solution. The 0.5KW solar power plant is 100 per cent operational and connected to the facility,” Tunji-Ojo said.
The minister further noted that the NIS has trained 250 officers to ensure 24/7 surveillance, operating in eight-hour shifts.
“For the first time in the history of this country, we now have over 200 borders under comprehensive surveillance. This state-of-the-art technology has revolutionized our border governance,” he added.
Tunji-Ojo also revealed that the facility houses an automated visa system that ensures visa approvals within 48 hours and produces ECOWAS travel documents for seamless regional mobility.
“We now have an ECOWAS travel document that will facilitate easy movement and travel. “We now have an automated visa regime with 48 hours of visa approval,” he added.
President Bola Tinubu commended the innovation and described it as a vital step in modernizing Nigeria’s immigration infrastructure and enhancing national security.
The minister reaffirmed his commitment to improving service delivery while declaring that the measures will not only fortify Nigeria’s borders but also reduce inefficiencies that have cost the country billions annually.
Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has revealed that his administration will never consider negotiating with bandits.
He stated that the Zamfara State Government is not in any rush to strike a deal with the militants in order to restore peace to the state.
The governor also debunked reports of kidnappings by bandits in the Maradun Local Government Area of the state.
Reports had emerged that gunmen kidnapped more than 50 women and children in a raid on Kakin Dawa village, with the State Police Command allegedly stating that more operatives had been deployed to the area.
However, during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Lawal described the news as false and inaccurate.
“I am not aware of that incident. I am here in Zamfara State, and I haven’t heard about that incident,” he said.
“I am not aware that 50 people were kidnapped in Maradun Local Government. Whoever gave you that information, it’s not correct.”
According to Lawal, the North-Western state has not recorded any kidnapping incidents in the last six months.
“There may be pockets of kidnapping here and there, but I can’t rule that out. These and all the measures put in place are not what they used to be in the past. In the past, hardly a day went by without hearing that 300 people were being killed.
“Within the last six months, I don’t think there has been any such incident reported in Zamfara State. Insecurity is still there, but we are making conscious efforts to handle it to the best of our ability,” he said.
The nation’s political elite has started the process of rigging the 2027 general elections, Prof Adele Jinadu has said.
Delivering his keynote address at the Policy Dialogue on “State of Anti-Corruption Policy and Practice in Nigeria,” in Abuja, yesterday, the Professor of Political Science said known party members were being appointed as commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
His words: “They have started the process of rigging the next general election through the appointment of known party members. Next year, many commissioners will be due for re-appointment. They will use the power of appointment to put those who will do their bidding.
‘’Vote buying is done through procurement, they are amazing war chest for 2027. EFCC should go to party primaries where they give huge amounts of not only naira but even dollars to buy party tickets, instead of going after poor voters who get just N2,000 or N4,000.
“Nigerian citizens have been deceived for too long. The battle has begun. We are at a critical point. Time is running out but it is not too late. We have to adopt the Night Watch Man approach.
“You must fight for the future. We should not just fold our arms doing nothing. I am not tired of fighting. We must give not give up. We must speak truth to power.”
Assessing the nation’s anti-corruption fight, he observed that political interference had not allowed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and Independent Corrupt Practices and Offences Commission, ICPC, to do their jobs.
According to him, the interference comes in various ways, including the constant removal and replacement of chairmen on the two organisations, with EFCC having the ninth chairman since its establishment in 2003.
On the wide-spread corruption in the country, Prof. Jinadu said: “The tragedy of our democratic politics and the underlying causative roots of the problem of corruption is that our political class continues to push its self-interest, almost to the point not only of their own self-destruction but also of stultifying our national development.
“What we need to do now is to bring morality back into our politics and firmly reject the politics of immorality, that is at the heart of our country’s problem of corruption.”
Describing abuse of power as the worst form of.corruption, Prof Jinadu said: “The abuse of the power of incumbency has reached disturbing heights of impunity in our country’s Fourth Republic.
“The worst form of political corruption, it fuels other forms of corruption in the country. It makes nonsense of the ex-ante indeterminacy of democratic elections, the possibility of today’s winners becoming tomorrow’s losers and the possibility of today’s losers becoming tomorrow’s winners in our politics of electoral succession.”
He called for judicial reforms in order to properly tackle corruption, saying “we must begin a process of reforming our legal system in fundamental ways, and away from their excessive formalism and elitist bias, in order to engender a more progressive, activist and public interest legal culture, which will provide legal anchor for social and distributive justice as state policy.”
The Emir of Kano, Muhammad Sanusi II, has disclosed he encourages his daughters to retaliate whenever their husbands hit them.
Disclosing that domestic violence and wife battery form 45 percent of cases in nine Shari’a courts of Kano in the past five years, Sanusi said he usually tells his daughters this when they are getting married.
He made this known at the National Dialogue Conference on Gender-Based Violence, GBV, prevention from an Islamic perspective themed: ‘Islamic Teachings and Community Collaboration for Ending Gender-Based Violence.’
According to Sanusi: “You can take that verse and say that as a husband, I’ve been given this permission to beat my wife light. And nobody will deny that, nobody will say it is haram if you comply with all the rules. But if you live in a society in which those rules are never applied, nobody who is angry remembers to look for a chewing stick or a handkerchief.
“They just slap these women and punch them and kick them and beat them. I just wrote a doctorate thesis on family law, and I researched nine Shari’a courts in Kano. 41% of the cases over a five-year period had to do with maintenance. 26 per cent had to do with harm. And out of those, 45 per cent were cases of wife beating, or domestic violence. And when we go to the content analysis, not one case of wife beating was light beating.
“It just does not make sense. Now I said it before, and I know I’ve been attacked for it, and I’ll continue saying it. When my daughters are getting married, I say to them, if your husband slaps you, and you come home and tell me my husband slapped me, without slapping him back first, I will slap you myself because I did not send my daughter to marry somebody so he can slap her. If you do not like her, send her back to me. But don’t beat her.”
The Naira is back to appreciation against the dollar at the official foreign exchange market 24 hours after it depreciated.
The Central Bank of Nigeria exchange rate data for Tuesday showed that the Naira strengthened to N1,525 per dollar from N1,538.50 traded on Monday. This represents an N13.5 gain against the dollar compared to the N1538.50 exchanged the previous day.
Meanwhile, the black Naira failed to appreciate as it closed at N1665 per dollar on Tuesday from N1630 traded on Monday.
DAILY POST reports that the Naira weakened for the first time in the FX market on Monday since CBN introduced the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System (EFEMS) for transparent FX transactions.
Economists are optimistic that if the Naira can maintain its gain against the dollar in the FX market, this would impact the price of imported goods.
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The United States offered a $10 million reward on Tuesday for information leading to the arrest of a Chinese man and co-conspirators wanted for hacking computer firewalls.
Guan Tianfeng, 30, is believed to be living in China’s Sichuan Province, according to the State Department.
An indictment charging Guan with conspiracy to commit computer fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud was unsealed on Tuesday.
The Treasury Department said it had imposed sanctions on the company Guan worked for, Sichuan Silence Information Technology Co Ltd.
Guan and co-conspirators at Sichuan Silence allegedly took advantage of a vulnerability in firewalls sold by UK-based cybersecurity company Sophos Ltd, according to the indictment.
“The defendant and his co-conspirators exploited a vulnerability in tens of thousands of network security devices, infecting them with malware designed to steal information from victims around the world,” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said in a statement.
Some 81,000 firewall devices were simultaneously attacked worldwide in April 2020, the indictment said, with the aim of stealing data, including usernames and passwords, while also attempting to infect the computers with ransomware.
More than 23,000 firewalls were in the United States, of which 36 were protecting “critical infrastructure companies’ systems,” the Treasury said.
“The zero-day vulnerability Guan Tianfeng and his co-conspirators found and exploited affected firewalls owned by businesses across the United States,” FBI agent Herbert Stapleton said.
“If Sophos had not rapidly identified the vulnerability and deployed a comprehensive response, the damage could have been far more severe.”
According to the indictment, Sichuan Silence sold its services and the data it obtained through hacking to Chinese businesses and to government entities, including the Ministry of Public Security.
Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), says the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which secured electoral victory through protests in 2015, is now clamping down on demonstrations.
Odinkalu spoke on Tuesday at an event hosted by Global Rights, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), with the theme “Protest in Nigeria: A democracy that disqualifies dissent.”
The event was held on the X microblogging platform to commemorate International Human Rights Day.
“I’m not quite sure it’s within my pay grade to assess the performance of the Nigerian government on the right to protest. Partly because the right to protest is not given by the government,” Odinkalu said.
“It is a right that belongs to the people. What you do under the existing law and really in a republic is liaise with the state, notify the state, so that the state and its assets can lend you its assets for the purpose of protecting the protest, making sure that other people who wish to exercise similar rights can do so peacefully.
“Nigeria is currently led by people who specialised in protests over the years, from the president to several other people within his government.
“They protested their way to an electoral victory in 2015 as a political party, the APC, the All Progressives Congress. That’s for the benefit of the non-Nigerians in this conversation.
“And, you know, so to that extent, if you were talking about the past decade, the fact alone that people who were serial protesters came to power by political alternates is itself evidence that the right to protest in Nigeria, at least up to that point, was strong and reasonably well-respected.
“Not without some pushback, but reasonably well-respected and fruitful. Now, that said, it’s also the case that since then, since they came to power, they’ve done a heck of a lot to shut down the right to protest.
“And if you’re looking for physical evidence of that, you’ll find it in the venue in Abuja from which the Bring Back Our Girls protests convened.
“And the Bring Back Our Girls protest, by the way, was part of the infrastructure of protest deployed by the current ruling actors in Nigeria to gain public support in order to win political power in the country at the time they did.
“But after coming to power, they shut down that venue and they shut down those protests.
“And having not done anything to alter the fate of the girls who were lost or stolen or abducted, they then shut down those protests.
“And they have basically fenced off that site of protest and therefore made it unavailable for that.”
The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) says its operatives have seized fake currencies worth N129 billion in Kano state.
In a statement on Tuesday, Muyiwa Adejobi, force spokesperson, said three suspects were arrested in connection with the fake currencies.
Adejobi identified the suspects as Nura Ibrahim, Muhammed Muntari, and Usman Abdullahi.
“Recently, in Kano, the police successfully recovered the sum of N129,542,823,000 in counterfeit currencies, with a breakdown of 3,366,000 in counterfeit US dollars, 51,970 in counterfeit CFA franc, and 1,443,000 in counterfeit naira,” the statement reads.
“This momentous achievement was recorded on the 8th of December 2024, at Gwale, Kano state, where police operatives acting on credible intelligence accosted one Nura Ibrahim ‘m’ and, upon a conducted search, discovered N392,000 counterfeit notes, $7800 counterfeit notes, and 5 different ATM cards.
“Further investigation led to the arrest of his accomplices, Muhammed Muntari ‘m’ and Usman Abdullahi ‘m,’ as well as the recovery of the other counterfeit currencies.”
‘THREE SUSPECTED GUNRUNNERS ARRESTED’
In a related development, Adejobi said police operatives arrested three suspected gunrunners along the Kaduna-Kano expressway.
The suspects are Buhari Suleiman, Jamil Yakubu, and Aliyu Abdullahi.
“The suspects were apprehended after the police operatives noticed their suspicious activities and approached them to question them,” Adejobi said.
“A subsequent search was conducted, which led to the recovery of 216 rounds of 9mm live ammunition and 1 round of AK-47 ammunition.
“Similarly, on the 8th of December 2024, police operatives in Kebbi state rescued 36 victims of kidnapping along Mairairai/Bena Road in Danko/Wasagu LGA who were returning from their respective farms.
“As a follow-up to the rescue, police operatives have visited the community to engage its members, debrief the rescued victims, and assure the people of its continuous readiness to ensure their safety and security.”
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has denied reports suggesting it is opposing President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills, describing the claims as “grossly misleading, false and malicious.”
RMAFC Chairman Mohammed Bello Shehu said that the commission is fully engaged in the reform process and is aligned with President Tinubu’s vision for an equitable and sustainable fiscal framework.
He also noted the importance of the proposed tax reform bills in addressing Nigeria’s fiscal challenges.
“We applaud President Tinubu’s strong commitment to repositioning Nigeria’s revenue base through bold initiatives. The proposed tax reform bills are a significant step towards integrating untapped revenue sources, enhancing Nigeria’s revenue-to-GDP ratio, and positioning the country favourably among nations with high fiscal performance,” Shehu said during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
Shehu also spoke on concerns surrounding Value Added Tax (VAT) allocation and derivation and assured Nigerians of the Commission’s proactive involvement in ensuring that global best practices guide the reform process.
“As a responsible and patriotic institution, we have submitted a comprehensive memorandum that emphasises adherence to global best practices. This position aligns seamlessly with Mr. President’s vision,” he added.
Shehu condemned the spread of misinformation, emphasizing that the RMAFC has never opposed the bills but has instead provided professional advice to support their refinement.
He called on Nigerians to disregard baseless reports and urged the media to uphold ethical standards in their reportage.
“It is disheartening to note that, despite our explicit support for the proposed legislation, some individuals have chosen to peddle falsehoods for reasons best known to them,” he said.
“These inaccurate statements can undermine the ongoing efforts of patriotic Nigerians tirelessly working to support the President’s vision for the country.”
The Chairman further explained that the proposed tax reform bills are currently undergoing consultations, with inputs being sought from expert bodies.
He cautioned against misinterpretation or misrepresentation of professional advice during this process.
“The Commission is a critical stakeholder in Nigeria’s fiscal framework, and we take our responsibility to provide expert advice seriously. We have been working closely with the National Assembly to ensure the proposed legislation is robust, effective, and aligned with global best practices,” he said.
He noted that the proposed bills aim to promote fiscal equity, reduce tax evasion, and increase revenue generation—objectives that align with the RMAFC’s mandate.
However, he acknowledged concerns about potential impacts on businesses and individuals, assuring stakeholders that the Commission remains committed to addressing these through constructive engagement.
Shehu stressed the importance of relying on factual information to avoid unnecessary controversies and called on all Nigerians to support the president’s bold fiscal reforms.
“At this critical juncture, the President needs the support of all Nigerians. Let us work together to support his vision for a more prosperous Nigeria,” he noted.
[Guardian]