Bad Government Policies And Poor Governance Have Dampened The Hopes Of Most Nigerians – Peter Obi
AdminThe 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has urged Nigerians not to lose hope or allow despair to creep in despite the current difficulties and challenges in the country.
Obi in a Christmas message released on Monday identified bad government policies and poor governance as the cause of the current situation in Nigeria.
He, however, called on the people of the country not to allow the current situation to hinder them from celebrating the joy of Christmas.
The former Anambra State Governor expressed optimism that Nigeria and Nigerians would overcome the current challenges.
Taking to his account on the X platform, Obi wrote: “My Dear compatriots,
“I wish you all a Merry Christmas as you join the Christendom to celebrate the anniversary of Jesus Christ.
“This season epitomizes love, peace and joy for all mankind. These are values and longings that unify our common humanity in a feast of love.
“This is why I wish to share the spirit of this season with all our compatriots irrespective of station, circumstance and persuasion. I fully acknowledge the difficulties of these times in our dear country.
“The hardship in the country, the biting effects of bad government policies and poor governance have dampened the hopes of most Nigerians. The difficulties and challenges of this moment should not however hinder us from appreciating the essence of our creation and the importance of seeking God’s mercy at all times.
“Furthermore, our current setbacks should not stop us as a people from aspiring to overcome present difficulties and realize the full potential of our blessed country. I therefore enjoin you to use this great feast to offer special supplications to God for our country so that we can have the opportunity of joining others in the global community to give thanks to God for the abundant gifts he lavished on us as a nation. As leaders, we must embrace the spirit of this season which emphasizes charity.
“For leaders, charity underlines compassion for the people in their present hardship. For us as a people, charity means sharing with our neighbours and the less privileged our material blessings.
“On this unique occasion, I wish to reassure our people that our adversity shall not persist for too long as we look forward to a New Nigeria.
“Merry Christmas to all. -PO”
[NaijaNews]
Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta will refuse to sanction a move away for Eddie Nketiah, amid interest from two Premier League clubs.
Nketiah, who has played 23 times in all competitions this season, will not be sold or loaned out in the January transfer window.
The UK Sun reports that Arteta regards the Englishman as a key part of his squad.
Nketiah has drawn interest from Brentford and Crystal Palace in recent times, while Arsenal have been linked with a move for Brentford’s Ivan Toney.
But even if Toney ends up joining Arsenal, they will not allow their 24-year-old player to leave as they would need a strong bench if they want to go all out for the Premier League title in the second half of the season.
[DailyPost]
A former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, has described the report of the Special Investigator appointed by President Bola Tinubu, which indicted him, as as satanic, baseless, defamatory and false.
Emefiele, in a statement on Sunday, said he had instructed his lawyers to immediately commence legal process to clear his name from the defamatory statements contained in the report.
One of his lawyers, Maxwell Okpara, who released the statement to Daily Trust, confirmed that it was issued by the embattled former CBN’s governor.
The Special Investigator, Jim Obazee, in the documents obtained by journalists, had, among other allegations, accused Emefiele, of opening 593 foreign bank accounts without approval of either President Muhammadu Buhari or CBN’s board of directors.
The investigator, in the report which was said to have been submitted to Tinubu last Wednesday, had said the accounts were in different banks in the United Kingdom, the United States and China, especially £543, 482,213 in fixed deposits in UK banks alone.
The investigator, according to the documents, had also claimed that the recent naira redesign was not expressly approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The report had alleged that Buhari’s aide, Sabiu Tunde Yusuf, came up with the idea.
“Emefiele took the redesign, a mere change of colour to De La Rue in UK for a fee of £205,000; and only N1,000, N500, and N200 were ‘redesigned,” the document said.
It added that, “As of August 2023, N769 billion of the new notes were in circulation. The printing cost was N61.5 billion, out of which N31.79 billion has been paid,” the investigator had reportedly claimed.
But reacting yesterday, Emefiele stated that his attention was drawn to the publications after he was released on Friday from the Kuje Correctional Centre where he had been detained for 34 days over alleged N1.5bn procurement fraud.
The erstwhile CBN governor said he handed over Buhari’s approval to Obazee during the process of his investigation in the presence of senior CBN officials and his (investigator’s) team.
Emefiele, who stated that he had gone through the publications, said the contents therein were false, misleading and calculated to disparage his person, injure his character and to serve the “selfish” interest of the private investigator.
“Because of my present situation, I have been advised by my lawyers not to say anything in respect of the matters which have been submitted to the court for adjudication.
“However, I need to address some of the issues raised in the publication which are barefaced lies told by the investigator in order to achieve his satanic agenda,” Emefiele said.
“First, it was reported that contrary to the provision of the CBN Act 2007, there was no presidential approval for the naira redesign.
“I wish to state unequivocally that there was indeed a presidential approval, and the said approval was handed over to the same Jim Obazee during the process of his investigation in the presence of senior CBN officials and his own investigative team.
“Moreover, the former President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR has stated on a number of occasions that he authorized and approved the naira redesign. I am therefore at a loss as to why Mr. Jim Obazee will mislead Nigerians that there was no presidential approval.
“The report also claimed that the sum of 6.23 million dollars was withdrawn from the CBN vault based on a false presidential directive bearing the signature of the former president Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, and that of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha.
“About two weeks ago, Jim Obazee, in company of a certain Deputy Commissioner of Police from Force CID, came to Kuje to ask me questions in respect of the said document in the presence of my lawyers.
“I stated verbally and in writing that I have no knowledge of such directive from the former president and the former SGF. In fact, I told them that that was the first time I would be seeing the documents. On this, I challenge Jim Obazee to publish the said documents and also the statements that I made to them.
“The final issue that I will like to respond to is the issue of the 593 accounts which were purportedly opened in different parts of the world. I state categorically that I am not involved in the opening of these accounts and I do not have knowledge of their openings. The fixed deposits in those foreign accounts are definitely outside my knowledge.
“However, let me state clearly that the relevant departments of the CBN have the authority to carry out such activities in line with their lawful mandate within the CBN. I, therefore, join well-meaning Nigerians who have spoken on this matter and have demanded a thorough and transparent investigation of all these alleged frauds.
“Meanwhile, I have instructed my lawyers to immediately commence legal process to clear my name from the defamatory statements contained in the report and by extension the publications,” stated Emefiele.
[DailyTrust]
Nobel laureate Prof Wole Soyinka visited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday and discussed a seven-point agenda of his expectations with him.
Soyinka also said he had refrained from criticising the government because it is too early to do so.
He spoke to reporters after his visit to the President at his private residence in Lagos.
Soyinka said: “My first visit, actually it was an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office.
“I think I’ve written about that. I told Atiku and himself that they should please leave the ground for young people. That was the last time we met, about five years ago.
“I call him, secretly, Olorikunkun (a stubborn man). So, he ignored my advice completely.
“So, I came to see how’s doing after neglecting my advice, I wanted to see if both he and his wife were weathering Nigeria as well as can be expected and to wish them happy Christmas. You know we’re friends, as you know, very well, and it was as a friend that I told him don’t run, leave this thing alone, but he ignored me.
“So, I have this personal policy, whether it’s Obasanjo o, Buhari o, or Jonathan, you will notice that during the first year, I hardly say anything, then people will ask me why are you not talking and I will tell them, go and ask the last person whether I spoke during the first year. So, I’m adopting the same principle. At the end of one year, ask me this question.”
Asked what he would like to see the Tinubu administration achieve, he said “that’s very simple. I came here with a seven-point agenda and we had a very thorough discussion on those items”.
[TheNation]
The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah, has charged President Bola Tinubu to find a way to put a permanent end to the killings of Nigerians by whatever means or name.
Kukah, in his Christmas message with the theme, “Time to Reclaim Nigeria’s Greatness,” and made available to our correspondent in Sokoto on Monday, said the President, having got what he always wished for as the President of the country, must use his wealth of experience to end the ugly instrumentalisation of religious, ethnic or regional identities.
He also spoke on the 2023 elections and their consequences on the nation so far and called on leaders on every front to, as a matter of urgency, find healing as soon as possible.
He explained that this is not an easy job for any nation, and there are no shortcuts to nation-building.
He, however, said the last few years did test the nation’s collective resolve to stay united.
He said, “Now, the government must devise strategies for achieving reconciliation, which has eluded us.
“Our injuries are not invisible. Many national conferences have been held to chart a way forward. The trove of grievances and hopes is there, and all the government needs to do is to dust them up. No need to reinvent the wheel or attempt some new diagnosis.
The bishop added, “Mr. President, Sir, congratulations and a happy Christmas. Now, you have what you prayed for, what you dreamt of, what you longed for. For the better part of over 20 years, you have plotted to be our President. For years, you campaigned for a new Nigeria through restructuring or overhauling the defective machinery of the Nigerian state.
“For years, you fought the military and other forms of dictatorships. For years, you fought for the victims of a deep state. For years, you sought to create an egalitarian society. For years, you sought a just society. For years, you have built networks with individuals, communities, and institutions. Now is harvest time.
“You are in the driving seat now. Under your watch, Nigeria must turn the corner. Under your watch, we must end the ugly instrumentalisation of religious, ethnic, or regional identities. You have had enough time to think of the answers to many questions that are crying for answers. Your future and that of our country is in your hands.
” Mr President, you have no excuses before God or the people of Nigeria. Neither God nor history will not forgive you if you fail. This is our moment, our date with history. Now, all eyes and ears are on you. Our prayers for a united country are with you.
“We have seen the first faltering steps of policy decisions, which have elicited a mixture of controversy, anxiety, and praise. This is to be expected. You have promised us a Renewed Hope Agenda, but know that hope has worn thin in our dear nation.
“Nigerians have almost lost hope in the fact that a government can really and truly care for them. Nigerians have lost hope in the fact that our politicians will put our interests first and find a way to deal with the cancer of corruption. We had lost hope in being united again, given the seeds of division that had been sown. Ignite our hope again, Sir.
“We now have seen some renewed hope in your effort to run an inclusive government. We want an end to partisanship. The problems of Nigeria are deep-seated, and they are based on a culture of corruption that has become the foundation stone of governance. This evil structure has to be dismantled.
“Palliatives will not resolve Nigeria’s problems. The problems are deep and structural. Please do not be afraid to reset the template of power, regardless of the cultural or historical myths. We are tired of promises and stories. We want evidence we can see and touch.
“Mr. President, the killings of Nigerians by whatever name must end and end now. These senseless killings, abductions, extortions, and kidnappings have to end, and the sacredness and sanctity of human life must be restored. Blasphemy laws have no place in a democracy. We are not in a theocracy.
“Those who take life by whatever means must be fished out and punished. A culture of compensation to victims must be institutionalised and states must take full responsibility while criminals or those who hide them are fished out. We cannot go on this way. The seeds of hatred that have sprouted in Gaza show us the consequences of allowing a culture of distorted narratives to grow among us.
“You must rid the public service of criminals who have turned the opportunity to serve into an ignoble enterprise. We concede that there are millions of decent men and women who genuinely wish to serve but are crushed by the deadweight of corrupt ogas at the top who use corruption as their oxygen! This surgery must happen if you are to succeed in any of your dreams of delivering much-needed services to our people.
“To be able to have credibility, your Renewed Hope agenda must be based on a solid foundation of faith and hope for the restoration of glory for our country. So far, a few of your key policies have unleashed a raft of suffering on the masses of our people. There must be a deliberate effort to restore hope to the faces of the poor and vulnerable in our society.
“We have heard the familiar stories of empty treasuries and the efforts at investigations. We wait to see if anything will be different. Lay the foundation for ending the unnecessary sufferings of our people.”
Kukah also appealed to Nigerians to continue to have faith in the country and stay the course in hope. “God will do great things for our nation, but we each must renew our commitment towards self-examination and repentance.
“Good politics and good politicians can bring about change, but all of these require the commitment and honesty of citizens to be honest at all levels. I therefore call on Christians, in particular, in this season to become real models of our faith.
“The call to be a Christian is not a call to join an Association or a Club. The fourteenth-century English poet Alexander Pope said, “Christ may be born a thousand times in Bethlehem, but if he is not born in your heart, his birth has no meaning for you.”
[Punch]
2024: I foresee president’s assassination, gov’s death, attempted takeover of Tinubu govt – Primate Ayodele
AdminThe leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele, has predicted the assassination of a sitting president and the death of a governor.
Primate Ayodele also predicted that cabals would attempt to take over President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He disclosed that people around Tinubu will deceive him by things he wants to hear.
In a statement by his Media Aide, Oluwatosin Osho, Ayodele said: “Tinubu’s Government: I foresee the Cabals will want to take over the Tinubu government. As a matter of fact, Tinubu will be deceived as people will be telling him what he wants to hear.
“Nigeria will not be the same Nigeria during the Tinubu Government. His efforts will not show as much as expected. There will be serious cases of corruption under his government, and nepotism, favouritism, and tribalism will be the order of the day in this government.
“The government needs to do a lot that will change and make the government to move forward. People will prevent the President from seeing the truth. This government will not listen to constructive criticisms and will not like the face of critics.
“Kidnap: I foresee that a Commissioner and an aide in a Governor’s convoy will be kidnapped. The spirit of God says kidnapping will take another dimension. Let us pray for all governors in Nigeria that none of them will be bedridden.
“WORLD AT LARGE: The voice of the Lord whispered to me that in 2024 we must pray against the assassination of a sitting President, a former President, a Prime Minister and a former Prime Minister whose assassination will be successful. Let us pray against coup in Africa or mounting pressure or an uprising that can lead to the removal of a sitting President.
“The spirit of God says there will be a lot of financial crises globally. I foresee a sitting President will escape assassination. Let us pray there will be no uprising against any President and that no Presidential Villa shall be burnt in the world.”
Nigerian foremost dramatist, Prof Wole Soyinka has said that President Bola Tinubu ignored his advice not to run for presidency.
Soyinka, who paid a courtesy visit to Tinubu, at his Lagos home, said he was there to see how the President and his wife were doing after ignoring his advice.
The literary icon said he has submitted a seven-point agenda to the President during the visit he described as an “embarrassing” one.
“I came here with a seven-point agenda. And we had a very thorough discussion on those items,” Soyinka told reporters after the visit.
“Actually, it’s an embarrassing visit because when I visited him the last time, it was to try and persuade him not to run for office.
“I told Atiku and himself to please leave the ground so young people could run. That’s the last time we met about five years ago.
“So I came to see how he was doing after ignoring my advice. I came to see how both he and his wife were weathering Nigeria, and to wish them a Happy Christmas,” he said.
Attempts by transnational criminal organisations to flood Nigerian communities with large quantities of assorted illicit drugs during the yuletide season have been thwarted by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, who, on Thursday, arrested a 70-year-old grandma and her son a day after they intercepted millions of tramadol 225mg pills, thousands of codeine syrup bottles and bags of Canadian Loud in consignments arriving the country ahead of the Christmas celebration.
According to the NDLEA, its operatives raided a house in the Mushin area of Lagos on Thursday, December 21, where a 70-year-old grandma, Selifat Cole and her son, Babajide Cole, were arrested with 117.900kg of cannabis sativa.
The spokesperson for the NDLEA, Femi Babafemi, revealed the development in a statement on Sunday, while noting that the arrests were made with the support of the Nigerian Customs Service and other stakeholders.
Babafemi revealed, “At the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja Lagos, all tricks employed by the drug syndicates to smuggle into the country 7,500,000 pills of tramadol 225mg through the NAHCO import shed of the airport were frustrated by the NDLEA officers with the cooperation of men of the Nigeria Customs and other stakeholders.
“The consignment which was taken into custody on Friday, December 22 came onboard Turkish airline with no country of manufacture or origin. Apart from being the first time such a shipment would be seized on the airline’s flight, it was equally the first of such coming from Hamburg, Germany.
“The 7.5 million tramadol 225mg pills were also specially designed and packaged as tamol-x concealed in 100 big cartons weighing 7,150kg, which arrived the country on December 11 and placed under surveillance until last Friday. Preliminary test of the tablets proved positive to tramadol hydrochloride.”
Meanwhile, operatives of the Lagos Command of the agency on Wednesday, December 20, conducted a search operation on two shops marked Chex Mat Global Link Limited at the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos where 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets were recovered. The NDLEA spokesman noted that the cartons contained: 49, 200 bottles of codeine syrup and 46, 200 tablets of the same opioid.
He added, “The following day, Thursday, December 21, NDLEA operatives raided a house in Mushin area of Lagos where a 70-year-old grandma, Selifat Cole and her son, Babajide Cole, were arrested with 117.900kg of cannabis sativa.
“A consignment of spare parts that originated from Asaba, Delta state and going to Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, India was intercepted at the cargo terminal of the Lagos airport on Wednesday, December 20. NDLEA sniffer dogs were deployed to examine the spare parts; the dogs were able to identify the particular shipment containing illicit drug concealment, which a physical examination later confirmed to be cocaine measuring 200grams.
“Not less than 70 parcels of Canadian Loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 35kg were seized by operatives of the Tincan Command of the NDLEA from a container, marked BEAU 4993525 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada. The container contained four used vehicles, including a Honda CRV 2006 model, where bags of the psychoactive substance were concealed.”
Babafemi further revealed that in the Federal Capital Territory, the NDLEA operatives on Monday, December 18, intercepted a waybill consignment of 25,000 pills of tramadol while their counterparts in Anambra arrested two suspects at the Onitsha head bridge.
He noted, “Ejiro Emmanuel was driving a bus marked EFR 31 XB conveying 61,100 tramadol capsules; 1, 025 bottles of codeine; 1,350 tablets of rohypnol and 46grams of designer drug, while Daniel Ogbiyoyo was caught in a bus marked SAP 540 YK conveying 55,950 tramadol capsules; 3,117 bottles of codeine; 1,530 tablets of swinol and 1,350 tablets of rohypnol.
“Operatives in Delta State on Monday, December 18, in a joint operation with the military raided the home of a drug kingpin, Chukwuma Eneriku, at the Okanaro Street, Abbi town, where bags of cannabis weighing 353kg were recovered. The same day, the NDLEA operatives in Enugu recovered bags of cannabis sativa weighing 435.1kg in a warehouse located at Trans Ekulu, Enugu East LGA.
“In Edo State, five persons dressed in the NDLEA operational jackets were arrested with a fabricated gun and pistol carved from wood following intelligence that they were impersonating as officers of the agency and conducting illegal operations. The suspects included: Sebastine Asekiamhe, 22; Raymond Otaru, 28; Emmanuel Wisdom, 23; Solomon Edogamhe, 27; and Bonaventure Oghibui, 22. While some others in NDLEA jackets escaped, a bottle of codeine-based syrup was found with those arrested.”
The police officer, who reportedly shot movie director, Azeez Ijaduade at a movie set at Ilisan Remo, Ogun State, has been arrested and investigations have commenced into the sad incident.
Ijaduade was shot on Saturday while at Napoli Hotel Iperu Remo with members of cast of a movie under shoot.
He was reportedly rushed to a hospital within Babcock University, Ilisan Remo.
The manager of the hotel had reported to the Divisional Police Officer that during Bramaj Company end of year party in the hotel, the mobile policeman attached to the Chinese expatriate expended a shot into the air and unfortunately the ammunition shell hit Ijaduade in the neck.
The State Command Police spokesman, Omolola Odutola disclosed this to newsmen on Sunday.
The statement read, “The Ogun State Police Command received a report of a shooting incident on the 23rd of December 2023 at about 11:24hrs from one Fakoya Adewale “m” Napoli Hotel manager In Iperu where he reported to the Divisional Police Officer that during Bramaj Company end of year party in the hotel, a mobile Policeman attached to the Chinese expatriate expended a shot into the air and unfortunately the ammunition shell hit one Azeez Ijaduade “m “an actor on the neck”.
“He was rushed to hospital in Ilishan and he is in a very stable condition”.
She added, “the Mobile Policeman has been identified and investigation into the shooting incident has commenced by the Command, adding that members of the public will be updated accordingly”.
She however said the actor/movie director is in stable condition in the hospital, where he was rushed to after the incident.
Odutola further revealed that the Commander Mopol 16 has contacted the actor and also visited him in the hospital, where he will be discharged soon.
“The Commander has also taken up responsibility for the medical bill.
Wike to Rivers people: Don't get into political crisis you know nothing about
“The actor speaking to the Commander Mopol 16 has confirmed that he is in stable condition ,members of the public will be notified when he is discharged”, Odutola added.
Nigerian TV presenter, Frank Edoho has revealed that he was not sacked from ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire (WWTBAM),’ the popular game show.
Recall Edoho hosted WWTBAM from its start on October 8, 2004, till September 2, 2017.
Rumours on social media had it that he was sacked for undisclosed reasons.
However, in a recent interview on the Bants and Boujee podcast, Edoho addressed the rumours.
According to the TV presenter, he was never sacked, adding that the claims were untrue.
Edoho said he needed to clarify the misconception after a troll attempted to use it to taunt him.
“Nobody has ever fired me in my career, and the employer that makes a mistake to leave me, they have always regretted,” Frank Edoho said.
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British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has agreed a deal to buy a 25 percent stake in Manchester United for a reported £1.25 billion ($1.6 billion) and will take control of the Premier League club’s football operations.
Ratcliffe, the chairman of petrochemicals giant INEOS, will also provide substantial funds for future investment in the club’s Old Trafford stadium.
A club statement said Ratcliffe “will acquire 25 percent of Manchester United’s Class B shares and up to 25 percent of Manchester United’s Class A shares and provide an additional $300 million intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford”.
“As part of the transaction, INEOS has accepted a request by the board to be delegated responsibility for the management of the club’s football operations,” it added.
Ratcliffe said he wanted to see the struggling 20-time English champions back on top of European football and committed himself for the long term.
“As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the club,” he said.
“Whilst the commercial success of the club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
“We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the club.”
The agreement ends more than 12 months of speculation over the ownership situation and heralds a new era at a club that has fallen well behind cross-town rivals Manchester City.
Unpopular owners the Glazers, who bought the club for £790 million in 2005, announced in November 2022 that they were considering “strategic alternatives” to help United grow, sparking a protracted process.
Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani made rival offers in the region of £5 billion for a complete takeover, but that fell short of the Glazers’ valuation.
Sheikh Jassim withdrew from the process, while Ratcliffe continued to pursue a minority shareholding.
Commercial experience
Executive co-chairmen and directors Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer said Ratcliffe and INEOS “bring a wealth of commercial experience as well as significant financial commitment into the club.
They added: “Through INEOS Sport, Manchester United will have access to seasoned high-performance professionals, experienced in creating and leading elite teams from both inside and outside the game.”
Ratcliffe’s group have extensive involvement in sport, owning French Ligue 1 club Nice and Swiss side Lausanne-Sport, as well as the INEOS Grenadiers cycling team.
United have not been crowned Premier League champions since Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge, in 2013.
They languish eighth in the Premier League, 12 points behind leaders Arsenal, and have been knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League.
Manager Erik Ten Hag’s position is also likely to come under close scrutiny after the Dutch coach failed to build on ending United’s six-year trophy drought by winning the League Cup last season.
Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) said fans would be left with “mixed feelings”, with the Glazers still in overall charge at Old Trafford.
“During 18 years of debt, decay and mismanagement, Manchester United fans have loudly and consistently called for change at our club,” MUST said in a statement.
“When the so-called strategic review was announced nearly a year ago, it finally appeared that the sale of the club was on the horizon, potentially bringing the new investment and new direction MUFC so clearly needs.
“Against that backdrop, fans have very mixed feelings today. We welcome the investment from a boyhood red, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS company, but many will wish his ownership stake was greater.”
Graduating in the First Class category from a university anywhere in the world is not easy to achieve. It means the person must have A passes in all his/ her courses and have 4.50 and above in the Cumulative Grade Point Average, CGPA.
But some undergraduates are so endowed that they break the barrier by getting CGPA of 5.0.
People in such category are seen as talented and whiz kids of sorts and societies treat them with great respect.
A scrutiny of First Class graduates produced by seven public universities across Nigeria in the last one year shows that a total of 1,899 of them were produced out of 115,255 students who graduated.
The universities are the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile Ife, which produced 158 First Class graduates out of 7,910 graduands during its 47th convocation ceremony.
Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (ABU), on its part, produced 273 out of 35,758, the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), which held its 37th and 38th convocation ceremonies together, 450 out of 25,234, and the University of Lagos (UNILAG) which had 238 out of 12,272.
Others are the University of Ibadan (UI), 314 out of 6,865, the University of Benin (UNIBEN), 178 out of 14,254 and the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), 288 out of 12,962.
Importance
Because those who graduate from universities in the First Class category are seen as eggheads and probably sold to academic and research work, efforts are always made to retain them in the system.
Those who are not retained, especially in the developed world, are recruited for research and development (R&D) among other key areas of the economy.
But the Vice Chancellor, OAU, Ile Ife, Prof. Adebayo Bamire, while briefing journalists prior to the recent convocation ceremony of the university, spoke on what is happening in Nigeria.
“We are ready to retain our First Class graduates; there is no need to even think twice on that, but then what is the policy of government in respect to recruitment in the universities? We can’t do that on our own”, Banire had said on that occasion.
“Before you can actually recruit any one into any department in this university now, your paper has to go through seven agencies of government.
“It is not like you just pick anybody on the street and just say this is what you want and bring them in. You can’t because it has implications on the budget that is done for your school.
“For us, we don’t want to throw away our First Class students but because of the limitations that we have, it appears very difficult for us to retain them.
“You know the university is not autonomous to that extent. We just have to be looking ahead that policies of government will favour us to be able to do so”.
What it used to be
Relating his experience to Sunday Vanguard, a septuagenarian, Pastor (Dr) Peter Olayinka Sonaike, a First Class graduate from then-University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, said, “I graduated in 1970 with First Class from the Department of Economics, University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University).
“I was the first person to graduate with First Class in the Faculty of Social Sciences of the university and the only person to graduate with First Class in the whole university in the year 1970.
“Immediately I graduated, I was appointed Assistant Lecturer in the department. After one year, I was sent to Oxford University on sabbatical leave to do a doctorate programme.
“My four-year post graduate programme was financed by the United Kingdom Technical Assistance programme to Nigeria and the University of Ife.
“I also had scholarship award from the Population Council which I did not utilize.
“In those days, the University of Ife was growing and needed many lecturers, and brilliant students who graduated with Second Class Upper Division and above were encouraged to go back to their departments as graduate assistants or assistant lecturers, and thereafter sponsored to undergo post-graduate programmes locally and abroad.
“All the arrangements for admission, visa, travelling and reception abroad were usually made by the university authorities and the foreign sponsors where appropriate.
“We were treated as staff on sabbatical leave and given generous allowances to cover all our expenses.
“It was a deliberate programme of the university authorities to develop manpower for the university.
“The sponsorship was usually with a bond for the beneficiary to go back and serve the university for a number of years.
“In those days, federal universities had full autonomy and were administered by their Governing Councils and Senates.”
Sonaike later worked for then-University of Ife for some years before joining the private sector where he served as a consultant to many local and international agencies and bodies.
Current realities
When Miss Amina Yusuf made the headlines early this year when she became the first person to get 5.0 CGPA at the Lagos State University, LASU, she was given N10 million by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and got an offer of automatic employment.
But there are other First Class graduates too who went home literally unsung.
When one talks about a perfect 5.0 CGPA in recent times, the name that may probably first come to mind is Ayodele Daniel Dada, who stole the show during the 2014/2015 convocation ceremony of UNILAG.
He graduated from the Department of Psychology.
Because he was the first to record such a feat in the university, the school gave him one million naira reward and then-Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, facilitated his appearing before the House on March 22, 2016.
The Ekiti State-born Ayodele was also honoured by then-Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose.
A year later, Miss Taiwo Bukola and Miss Ajoke Omotuyi also graduated with the same 5.0 CGPA from UNILAG in Cell Biology and Genetics and System Engineering respectively.
Not much was heard of them afterwards.
Covenant University, Ota, Ogun State produced its first 5.0 CGPA graduate in the person of Miss Motunrayo Ajia in 2018/19 from the Department of Petroleum Engineering and Ewerechukwu Asaka from the Department of Computer Engineering followed in the 2020/21 session.
Where are some of these eggheads?
Investigation showed that Ayodele later went to Stanford University in the United States (US) in 2019 for further studies in Psychology.
He is probably still there contributing to the knowledge base of the US.
For Miss Ajia, after working as a consultant at Boston Consulting Group in Lagos, she left for the University of Oxford, England for her master’s degree in Energy System and has been part of the Africa Oxford Initiative of the Oxford University.
Miss Asaka, from Igbanke in Edo State, was offered employment by Governor Godwin Obaseki (it is not clear whether she took the offer) last month, but she won a master’s degree programme scholarship courtesy of Rhodes Scholarship for West Africa and will be attending Oxford University.
It is obvious that many of these brains are lost to other nations, especially developed ones where they go to for further studies.
No law to give them jobs – NUC
Speaking on the issue, the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission, NUC, Dr Chris Maiyaki, said there is no law that mandates universities to offer First Class graduates automatic employment.
“It is just a convention, and not the law, that First Class graduates are taken by these universities to serve as a core of their academic programmes, that is, to teach”, Maiyaki said.
“It means the universities are not under compulsion to employ these people. However, they are encouraged to go for higher degrees and get employed if there are vacancies.
“You may go to convocation (ceremony) and there are over 100 First class graduates. “The number may not be evenly distributed. Some departments may produce some and some departments may not have any for some years. It means even if the university wants to retain such graduates, the distribution won’t be even.
“Now, if the university wants to retain a First Class graduate, the employment of such or any other is done through the Governing Council following the necessary procedures.
“If there is no Governing Council in place, the university does the employment through the NUC, and agencies such as the Federal Character Commission, the Budget Office etc will be part of the procedures before approval is given”.
What parents, students expect
The National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, wants government to have a programme to engage First Class graduates.
According to him, with the huge vacancies existing in the university system in the country, such people should not be allowed to waste away because of needless bureaucracy and lack of planning.
“Government has failed in the provision of job opportunities for our youths beginning from the federal to state and even local level”, Danjuma said.
“They keep telling us that our children should not think of white collar jobs, that they should go and acquire skills, and do something for themselves, it means our leaders have failed. That is not what they promised us when they were campaigning.
“Most of those engaging in fraud are graduates who can manipulate computers and other gadgets. Millions are in the labour market. Those children are already becoming threat to us because they don’t have anything doing”.
Also commenting, the National President of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, Comrade Lucky Emonefe, noted that while it is good to get a First Class degree and appreciate those who do so, the type of degrees might not determine what one’s contribution to the society would be.
“Generally speaking, the potentials of our youths should be harnessed so that the country won’t lose them to other nations or to frustration that may turn their lives upside down”, Emonefe stated.
What ASUU says
The National President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, faulted the high turnout of First Class graduates by universities, especially private ones.
Osodeke said: “If you look at JAMB documents regarding candidates seeking admission to universities and those admitted, you would see that most of those private universities lower their cut off marks than public ones.
“Despite that, those students would still come out with First Class in the end. The NUC should look into the matter. In those days, getting a First Class is rare, now in some convocation about 10 percent may come out with First Class.
“Be that as it may, the labour market is terribly bad. If the University of Ibadan, with over 200 departments, produces say 30 First Class graduates in a year, it should not be difficult to retain them. This is where our agitation for university autonomy comes in.
“The law says a Vice Chancellor has the right to engage people on temporary basis. Such engaged lecturers can say, after two or three years, go for his appointment to be regularized and, if found good, be employed.
“But the reverse is the case as the laws establishing these universities have been trampled upon and desecrated.
“It is the National Assembly that approves the budgets of these universities and when such is signed into law, it becomes effective. “It is not the Head of Service of the Federation or Federal Character Commission that should decide who to employ. A VC will drop a name for employment, they will add their own”.
Also, the National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr Niyi Sunmonu, said, “In the time past, Nigerian universities nurtured their best graduates and incentivized them to pass through the conveyor belt of academic training and eventually replacing their teachers.
“This was done by retaining and sending them for training abroad (in most cases) for higher degrees, while keeping their faculty positions with their salaries getting paid. “This breeds a sense of commitment to the Nigerian University System.
“Due to dwindling and inadequate funding of Nigerian universities, this practice began to take a downward turn and peaked with lack of autonomy and embargo on employment by universities.
“What some universities in Nigeria are left with, with respect to their best graduates, is to keep tab on them and when there are job openings, to contact them (provided they are still available).
“Also due to deplorable situation of salaries of academics, most bright and promising graduates are not encouraged to stay and work within the system that produced them.
“For the above reasons, concerted efforts have to be made to bring back the glory of university education in Nigeria by improving all that is connected with it and grant autonomy to universities, as a form of international best practice.”
With the Japa Syndrome and the manner our best brains are thrown to other nations, they are becoming wastes to the country rather than the gains we deserve to get from them.
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, says its operatives have intercepted millions of tramadol 225mg pills, thousands of codeine syrup bottles and bags of Canadian loud in consignments arriving in the country ahead of the Christmas celebration at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos.
According to the NDLEA, the development followed the cooperation of men of the Nigeria Customs Service and other stakeholders.
The agency stated that the consignment, which measured seven million five hundred thousand (7,500,000) pills of tramadol 225mg, came onboard a Turkish Airlines plane with no country of manufacture or origin and was taken into custody on Friday, 22nd December.
Giving further details, the NDLEA said that the 7.5 million tramadol 225mg pills were specially designed and packaged as Tamol-x concealed in 100 big cartons weighing 7,150kg.
This was disclosed on Sunday by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy.
Babafemi also announced that the operatives of the Lagos Command of the Agency on Wednesday conducted a search operation on two shops marked Chex Mat Global Link Limited at the Trade Fair Complex in the Ojo area of Lagos, leading to a seizure of 258 cartons of codeine-based cough syrup and eight cartons of codeine tablets were recovered.
He further added that the cartons contain 49,200 bottles of codeine syrup and 46,200 tablets of the same opioid.
The spokesman also disclosed that NDLEA operatives raided a house in the Mushin area of Lagos, where a 70-year-old grandma, Selifat Funke Cole and her son, Babajide Ayorinde Cole, were arrested with 117.900kg of cannabis sativa.
Announcing further interceptions and seizures made over the week by the anti-narcotic agency, Babafemi said: “A consignment of spare parts that originated from Asaba, Delta state and going to Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, India was intercepted at the cargo terminal of the Lagos airport on Wednesday 20th December. NDLEA sniffer dogs were deployed to examine the spare parts. The dogs were able to identify the particular shipment containing illicit drug concealment, which a physical examination later confirmed to be cocaine measuring 200 grams.
“Not less than 70 parcels of Canadian loud, a strong strain of cannabis, with a gross weight of 35kg were seized by operatives of the Tincan Command of NDLEA from a container, marked BEAU 4993525 coming from Toronto via Montreal, Canada. The container contained four used vehicles, including a Honda CRV 2006 model, where bags of the psychoactive substance were concealed.
“In the FCT Abuja, NDLEA operatives on Monday 18th December intercepted a waybill consignment of 25,000 pills of tramadol, while their counterparts in Anambra arrested two suspects at Onitsha head bridge. Ejiro Emmanuel was driving a bus marked EFR 31 XB conveying 61,100 tramadol capsules; 1,025 bottles of codeine; 1,350 tablets of Rohypnol, and 46grams of designer drug, while Daniel Ogbiyoyo was caught in a bus marked SAP 540 YK conveying 55,950 tramadol capsules; 3,117 bottles of codeine; 1,530 tablets of swinol and 1,350 tablets of rohypnol.
“Operatives in Delta State on Monday 18th December, in a joint operation with the military, raided the home of a drug kingpin, Chukwuma Steven Eneriku, at Okanaro street, Abbi town, where bags of cannabis weighing 353kg were recovered. The same day, NDLEA operatives in Enugu recovered bags of cannabis sativa weighing 435.1kg in a warehouse located at Trans Ekulu, Enugu East LGA.
“In Edo State, five persons dressed in NDLEA operational jackets were arrested with a fabricated gun and pistol carved from wood following intelligence that they were impersonating as officers of the Agency and conducting illegal operations. The suspects include Sebastine Asekiamhe, 22; Raymond Otaru, 28; Emmanuel Wisdom, 23; Solomon Edogamhe, 27; and Bonaventure Oghibui, 22. While some others in NDLEA jackets escaped, a bottle of codeine-based syrup was found with those arrested.”
Reacting to the development, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) commended the efforts of the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Edo, Anambra, Enugu, Delta, FCT and Tincan Commands of the Agency as well as the K-9 Unit for jobs well done in the past week.
Marwa urged them and their compatriots across the country to remain vigilant and get ready for the next phase of operations in the new year.
I stabbed my friend to death for demanding N7000 I borrowed from him - Murder suspect arrested in Ogun says
AdminA scaffolder, Onuh Thomas Stephen, who allegedly killed his colleague and friend, Anayo Francis, during a fight over a N7,000 unpaid loan, admitted to having taken a sniff of marijuana before the incident.
Stephen was arrested by detectives from Sango Division in Ogun State Police Command for stabbing 23-year-old Francis to death with a kitchen knife because the deceased demanded the N7,000 the suspect borrowed from him.
After repeated appeals to Stephen to pay him his money, Francis was reportedly infuriated when the suspect refused to do so even after he got his salary.
It was gathered that on the fateful day, Francis had information that Stephen had got his salary, so he went to him to ask for his money, but the suspect insisted that he did not have money, resulting in a hot argument which led to a fight.
The suspect who was occupying a single room reportedly went for a knife during the fight and stabbed Francis in the chest.
Spokeswoman of the police command, SP Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident, said the injured victim was rushed to a hospital but was later pronounced dead, leading to the arrest of the suspect.
28-year-old Stephen, an Idoma from Benue State, in an interview with the Sunday Tribune, said he came to Ogun State in January 2022 and started doing scaffolding work at a church in Ota.
Narrating what led to the stabbing of his friend and colleague, the suspect said: “My friend (Francis) was from Imo State. He was also into scaffolding. I gave him my certificate to get the job. He was brought to me by a friend I knew in Benue
"My wife delivered our baby and I was short of money. I told Anayo to help me out and he lent me N7,000. I added money to pay N20,000 out of the N30,000 the hospital charged as a fee.
"After this, we could not get food to eat for over a month. There was no money from my workplace. Eventually, when I got money, I told Anayo to be patient with me as I owed many people more than N70,000, and he was my friend. I told him I would pay him when next I get money. This was discussed while we were at work.
"However, he left the office before me and went to my room, dragging the issue with my wife and asking if I was not back from work. When I returned home, my wife asked me about what happened between me and Francis that made him come to start banging on my door and asking for my whereabouts.
"Angry, I turned to Francis, asking him why he came to embarrass me because I was owing him. I told him that I did not collect any money after giving him my certificate and making photocopies for him to present for employment.
"Before I finished speaking, Francis charged at me and we started a fight. As we engaged in fisticuffs, I turned to take my kitchen knife and mistakenly stabbed him.
"When I saw him bleeding, it dawned on me that I had stabbed him. I quickly carried him and rushed him to the General Hospital in Ota. There, I was told to get a police report. By the time I returned to the hospital with the police, I was told that Francis had died.
"Till now, I can’t just understand how this thing happened. My brain has yet to decipher how things got to that stage. I’m not someone who is used to having fights with people.”
The suspect, however, confessed to smoking marijuana, saying that he had taken a whiff before the fight with his friend.