The government of Kogi State has affirmed its determination to rescue the abducted students from Confluence University of Science and Technology, CUSTEC, Osara, Okene, alive and well.

Naija News earlier reported that unknown gunmen suspected to be bandits, on Thursday night, invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTEC), Osara, Okene in Kogi State.

It was gathered that the bandits stormed the university around 9.00 p.m. and abducted some students who were reading for their upcoming exams

The state government, in a statement by the Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Femi Fanwo, assured the public of their effective management of the situation.

The Kogi government stated its commitment to pursuing the kidnappers with the assistance of security agents, including local hunters, and reiterated its resolve to resist terrorism.

The statement read, “Immediately the report was received, Governor Ahmed Ododo activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended.

“Hundreds of local hunters who understand the terrain, as well as the conventional security agents, are currently combing the area to ensure safe rescue of the abducted students who were kidnapped in the classrooms.

“So far, nine students have been reported missing.

“We wish to assure students, parents and the entire people of Kogi State that the Government is on top of the situation and all the abducted students will be rescued alive.

“Governor Ododo has also directed that security agents be positioned around all tertiary institutions in the State.

“We wish to commend the local hunters and other security agents who rose stoutly to engage the kidnappers.

“Their gallantry and dedication ensured that the kidnappers did not have a field day which would have been more calamitous.

“The state government will spare nothing in ensuring that all the students abducted are safely rescued and reunited with their families.

“We won’t submit to terror. We shall prevail.”

…As FG plans to crash cost of renewable energy supply

The World Resource Institute, WRI, says over 85m Nigerians do not have access to electricity, making it number one country in the world with citizens living without electricity provision.

The Lead of the Energy Access Explorer at the World Resources Institute, Dimitris Mendis disclosed this at a two day Open Source in Energy Access Symposium organized by Clean Tech Hub in Abuja.

He said Nigeria is the number one country in the whole world when it comes to people that have no access to electricity with close to half of it’s citizens wallowing in darkness.

With this, Mendis said provision of modern healthcare, modern agriculture, modern education and modern livelihoods become a mirage in the country.

In order to address this challenge, he said what the country should do is “to be able to understand where these communities, where these underserved communities are and come out with a marshal plan to provide them access in order to bridge the wide gap.

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According to him, ‘‘once we identify and map these communities, we need to assess the best ways to supply energy to these communities. Because energy is critical for socioeconomic development; energy for health, energy for education, energy for agriculture, for livelihoods.’’

He said WRI is pioneering a close collaboration between the Rural Electrification Agency and a number of other stakeholders across numerous countries to develop a digital public good, which is essential to bridge the energy access gap.

‘‘We call this the Energy Access Explorer. It supports with integrated and inclusive energy planning, where are the unserved communities and how shall they be best served.

‘‘And it supports also with effective data management and data governance. This is not a challenge for a single organization. This is a cross-sectoral, cross-thematic challenge.

‘‘So we need to bring together stakeholders from various organizations, key data providers, whether it’s the Ministry of Power and the Royal Electrification Agency, whether it’s line ministries in health,

agriculture, environment, finance, bureau of statistics, subnational governments, clean energy enterprises, development organizations’’

On how this particular infrastructure, which is called the Energy Access Explorer, can support integrated and inclusive energy planning, he said governments are utilizing this open source infrastructure to identify areas where access to energy should be expanded.

‘‘Based on a data-informed approach, we are informed by data. Better data leads to better insights. And better insights can lead to better decisions’’.

The CEO of the Ennexus Foundation, one of the organizers of the Symposium, … advised Nigerian companies and government to collaborate to address the energy challenges and provide energy services.

He called on them to leverage open source platforms available that can help in managing, visualizing and structure their information for seamless sharing in the ecosystem.

Also speaking on energy access, the Director for Energy, Transportation, and Infrastructure at the National Council on Climate Chang, Michael Ivenso said government the current administration is seeking to solve the problem,. particularly for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMEs through the provision of incentive to importers of renewable energy goods and services. Such incentive according to him include reduction of costs of importation of goods and establish opportunities for local manufacturing.

Ivenso, who joined his voice in calling for collaboration between public and private sector establishments noted that government one doesn’t have all the answers but needs support of the private sector to succeed.

“We are looking for this additional support and resources from the private sector to help us come together and co-create something that works for everybody.

“The reason why we’re here today really amplifies what you just talked about. And I mentioned the incentive the government is providing to importers of renewable energy goods and services is to reduce costs and to establish opportunities for local manufacturing.

“So that way, the exposure of local manufacturers and service providers to foreign exchange is actually elevated, significantly reduced.

“So one dollars to N500 today, tomorrow is N1,500, you can’t plan. And your capacity to produce based on this fluctuating thing really becomes hampered. And so if you have local manufacturing, then you have all your inputs here locally. Except maybe for a few things. And so incentivizing local manufacturing is extremely important. Creating and crafting financial products and services that allows the common man, including small businesses and homes, to uptake renewable energy and pay over time.”

Tiwa Savage has revealed how she has been able to balance filmmaking with motherhood and music.

During the press briefing of her debut film ‘Water and Garri’ on Thursday, the ‘Koroba’ hitmaker praised her team members for helping her strike a balance between all the roles she had taken up.

She also spoke about her desire to “inspire people” to be multifaceted, adding that they do not have to “stick to one thing”.

“I hope to inspire people, just be an inspiration to many different talents out there that they do not have to stick to one thing,” he said.

“We can wear different hats and we can execute it excellently. That would be what I would love to achieve.

“I have a great team and I feel like we have been working on balance. The people around me have been able to balance things, even balance motherhood as well.

“For me, it is just having the right people and making the right decisions. We do not always have to answer or accept every offer but we do accept the ones that make sense.”

Asked if she had to make a choice between music and acting, the 44-year-old filmmaker said: “I would go for the one that is paying more”.

The Kano State Police Command has arrested one Sadiq Zubairu who killed his friend, Bello Adam over his failure to help the victim secure a job after receiving the sum of N3 million.

Zubairu had promised the late Adam, who was his former colleague at the Kano Electricity Distribution Company, to help him secure a job at the Federal Inland Revenue Service.

According to a family source quoted by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, tweeting as @ZagazOlaMakama early Friday, he wrote, “A family member of the deceased just contacted us on the story where he reported another version of the story.

“He said, “Regards the story of the guy that killed his friend, his name is Sadiq Jibrin with an active handle on X @sadiqsolar and the deceased is Bello Bukar Adam. He didn’t borrow the money.

“He lied to Bello (his former colleague at KEDCO) that he would help him secure employment with the FIRS. After weeks, there was no job offer and no money. There was pressure from Bello on Zubairu and that was when he invited Bello to his house and carried out the heinous act.”

Zubairu invited the deceased to his house, “tied him up, and hit him with sticks and sharp iron on his head and other parts of his body until he became motionless,” police said.

As contained in a statement on Thursday, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Haruna Abdullahi, noted that on May 5, 2024, at exactly 10 a.m., the command received a report from the deceased’s brother who said Adam left home with his car while his whereabouts is unknown.

Thereafter, the police got a tip-off that there was a body of a deceased male around the Bechi Village in Kumbotso Local Government Area of the state. Upon investigations, the police arrested Zubairu at 9 a.m. the following day.

The statement read, “On 05/05/2024 at about 10:00 am, report was received from a resident of Zawaciki Quarters in Kumbotso LGA, Kano State that his elder brother, Bello Bukar Adam, a KEDCO staff, aged 45 years old of Zawaciki Housing Estate, Kano had left his home with his Toyota Corolla motor vehicle, ash in colour since on 04/05/2024 and his whereabouts is unknown.

‘’On the evening of the same date, there was a report that the deceased body of a male adult had been discovered abandoned at the outskirts of Eastern Bypass, around Bechi Village in Kumbotso LGA, Kano State. The body was removed from the scene by a team of crime-scene policemen led by Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Kumbotso Division, SP Mustafa Abubakar, who brought the corpse to Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, where a medical doctor certified the body dead.

“Accordingly, the team immediately swung into action and arrested one Sadiq Zubairu, aged 35 years old of Hotoron Arewa Quarters, Nassarawa LGA on 06/05/2024 at 9 a.m.”

The state PPRO added that “during preliminary investigations, the suspect confessed that he conspired with two others and jointly lured the victim to his house who until his death were intimate friends. He narrated that he tied him up, and hit him with sticks and sharp iron on his head and other parts of his body until he became motionless.

“Thereafter, he loaded the motionless body inside the boot of the deceased’s vehicle, threw him off by the roadside along Eastern Bypass, around Bichi Village and left away with the motor vehicle, a Toyota Corolla, 2015 model including his mobile phone.

“The suspect further confessed that what led to this regrettable incident was after he deceitfully collected the sum of three million naira (N3,000,000:00) from him on the pretext that he would secure a job offer for him. But having realised that he had no means of returning the money to him, he hired two hefty guys, conspired with them, killed him and hid the motor vehicle at a garage in Hotoro Quarters, Kano. The vehicle has since been however recovered by the police.”

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has rejected the request by the immediate past governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to halt trial in the hearing of the N80.2bn fraud charges brought against him.

Bello asked the court to stay execution in his trial before Justice Emeka Nwite, on the grounds that there is an appeal filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, before the Court of Appeal, against the contempt application filed by the defendant against the EFCC chairman, Ola Olukayode.

Justice Nwite, in his ruling on Friday, however, rejected the application made by Bello through his lawyer Abdulwahab Mohammed.

Nwite held that “The application cannot be entertained unless the defendant is present in the court. In the absence of the defendant in court, the motion on notice filed by the complainant can only be conducted if the defendant is in court”.

Justice Nwite held that Bello was trying to make rubbish out of a criminal case by choosing to stay in his house and not respect the court orders.

Nigerians are choking as the price of rice, garri, yam, beans, and other food items surged by over 100 per cent annually.

The National Bureau of Statistics disclosed this in its latest Selected Food Price Watch for March 2024.

This is as 1kg of rice locally sold loose stood at N1,340.74, indicating a rise of 152.93 per cent in price on a year-on-year basis from N530.08 recorded in March 2023 and a 9.63 per cent rise in price on a month-on-month basis from N1,222.97 in February 2024. 

Similarly, the average price of 1kg of Garri white, sold loose, rose by 112.34 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N353.16 in March 2023 to N749.89 in March 2024, while there was an increase of 3.66 per cent on a month-on-month basis.

In addition, the average price of 1kg of Yam tuber rose by 141.25 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N443.02 in March 2023 to N1,068.78 in March 2024. On a month-on-month basis, it increased by 5.87 per cent from N1,009.56 in February 2024 to N1,068. in March 2024.

The state profile analysis in March 2024 reveals that the highest average price of 1kg of rice locally sold loose was recorded in Niger State at N1,699.98, while the lowest was recorded in Benue state at N985.83.

Regarding the average price of 1kg of Beans brown (sold loose), Ondo State recorded the highest price at N1,596.68, while Sokoto recorded the lowest price at N745.5. Ogun State recorded the highest average price of 1kg of Garri white at N1021.13, while the lowest was reported in Benue at N490.55. The highest average price of 1kg of Yam tuber was recorded in Edo at N 1,695.13, while the lowest average price was recorded in Katsina at N723.39.

The development comes amid the soaring price of headlines and food inflation, which stood at 33.20 per cent and 40.01 per cent in March 2024.

Former president of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Amaju Pinnick,

has explained why Finidi George was chosen as Super Eagles head coach ahead of his former national teammate, Emmanuel Amuneke.

Amunike was heavily seen as a favourite for the role considering his rich CV that showcased success in FIFA U17 World Cup with Golden Eaglets and qualification for AFCON with Tanzanian national team.

However, Pinnick believed the technical committee of NFF was right in choosing Finidi to continue with the Jose Peseiro project, which Finidi was part of as assistant head coach.

“Finidi is well equipped; he played for Ajax and they over there have developmental football mentoring in kicking the ball, trapping and all that. I think he is well positioned for the job.

“For Amuneke, he is also technically sound but I am talking of the seamless transition from Peseiro; it will benefit the team much for Finidi to have the job and thank God he is there,” Pinnick said on Arise TV.

Pinnick, who is now a FIFA Council member, also believed Finidi George was right in turning down the chance to work with some of his former teammates and to insist on foreign assistants.

“Finidi has the right to pick his assistants,” Pinnick said. “For his assistants, it is very tricky. It is normal for him to demand foreign assistants if he desires one.

“Backroom staffing is more scientific right now. If he says he needs three back room assistants, perhaps one for goalkeeper training, the others are for other positions.

“The assistant coaches are the engine room of the success of any coach because they see what the coach can’t see.

“But then, it depends on funding from the federation but I think it is not out of place. Finidi should be allowed to do what he wants to do. But if there is paucity of funds, they can discuss it with him.”

Renowned Nollywood actor Kanayo O. Kanayo, who recently welcomed his son Clinton Mbaise into the world of filmmaking, decided to honour African traditions by accepting his first paycheck for his work on set and gave him fatherly blessings.

Kanayo stated that observing this culture from the ancestors has led to the progress of many people in the country.

Clinton was paid N50,000 after completing his first movie production with his father.

In the video shared on Kanayo’s Instagram account on Thursday, he requested N500 from the salary his son earned and then prayed for him to succeed in the industry.

Kanayo said, “I want to observe a culture from our ancestors which has led to the progress of many people you see today, ”Father blessing.’

“Clinton my son just concluded a few production management with us and he has earned his first salary, his first salary is N50,000 for a movie.

“Clinton from your pocket in the N50,000 give me N500.

“The first salary of a young man, he goes to his father to say Nnayi my salary is N50,000, the father may decide to take the entire money, he may also decide to take any amount and his father will now bless him.

“The idea of his father asking him to know the salary is, so his father would teach him financial management.

“All you going to pastors to give your salary, you are wasting your time, is not part of our culture.”

Member representing Garki/Babura federal Constituency of Jigawa State in the House of Representatives, Isa Dogonyaro, is dead.

Mohammed Bello El-Rufa’i, who is one of his colleagues, disclosed the death of the lawmaker on his Facebook wall Friday morning.

He wrote, “Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji’un. Earlier today, we lost a colleague in the House of Representatives, a brilliant parliamentarian and an overall good man. May Allah SWT forgive him and grant him Aljannatul Firdaus”.

The Deputy House Spokesperson, Phillip Agbese , confirmed the death to Daily Trust, saying he learnt about the death of the lawmaker through posts on social media and on WhatsApp groups of the House of Representatives.

“There are the usual Islamic prayers and tributes by colleagues on various platforms. There is no official communication to the House yet. The family has not communicated to the House.

“That is the tradition. It is when the family communicates through the Speaker that we will officially announce his death. I learnt that the funeral prayer is scheduled in Abuja this afternoon.”

The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele on Friday asked President Bola Tinubu to stop creating more taxes for Nigerians and provide solutions to end hunger in the country.

Primate Ayodele said that increasing Value Added Tax, stamp duty and implementing the cybersecurity levy is not proper at a time Nigeria is still struggling with economic hardship that has made ordinary citizens wretched.

In a statement signed by his media aide, Osho Oluwatosin, he asked the government to review their policies and make them people-friendly because there is so much hardship in the country and what the government should focus on is ensuring that Nigerians see better days.

He said: ‘’Increasing VAT, stamp duty, implementing cybersecurity levy at this time is not proper.Nigeria may not understand all of these and the government in power may not even understand too but the fact remains that the government must review their policies very well.

‘’These policies will only lead to more hardship for the people, the prices of food commodities will skyrocket and even the salary increase will still lead to more hardship if these policies continue.’’

Primate Ayodele called on the CBN governor to scrutinize the policies that can create problems for the government in future and affect Nigerian banks.

He stated that the current policies are too harsh and will affect everyone in the country.

‘’The CBN governor must look at all these policies that will create problems for the future of the government, they must review them clinically and all of these will affect banks. If all these policies still continue, Nigerians will not find it easy.

‘’What Nigerians need now is how they will survive and eat their three square meal. What is going on now will affect every small scale industry and big men. A lot of people surrounding the president are deceiving him,” he added.