Oluremi Tinubu, wife of President Bola Tinubu, has berated Nigerians abroad who have taken on jobs they couldn’t do in Nigeria.

The First Lady stated this during an interview with Arise News on Thursday March 21.

The former senator, while encouraging Nigerians to help each other amid the economic crisis, queried those who “japa” to take on work they couldn’t do in Nigeria.

“Nigerians we can help each other.

“It’s not that the government will begin to give food to everybody.

“It is for people God has blessed to help the poor,” she said.

She added, “Even those people saying they are going to Japa, they go there. What work are they going to do?

“Work that you refused to do at home where you have loved ones, you end up going to do that.

“Even with all their education, they are driving cabs but won’t drive cabs here.”

Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani yesterday convened an emergency meeting with heads of security agencies and stakeholders from the frontline communities in Kaduna Central.

The resurgence of banditry and kidnapping dominated talks at the parley, which was attended by stakeholders from seven local governments of Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Kajuru, Igabi, Kachia, and Kagarko local government areas.

The governor, who said efforts were being made to rescue the 287 schoolchildren abducted from Kuriga, Chikun Local Government Area, expressed concerns about the rising number of informants in the communities, pledging efforts to identify and apprehend them.

Also yesterday, the House of Assembly member representing the Kajuru Constituency, Usman Danlami Stingo, told reporters that members of the communities affected by the recent attacks have been traumatized and economically impoverished.

The governor told his audience that had assurances from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, during his meetings with them that the abducted school pupils will all be rescued safely.

He, however, urged local government chairmen and traditional rulers to report any strange face in their community to security agencies to curb infiltration by informants and other people with dastard intentions.

Sani said: “I have series of discussions with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Malam Nuhu Ribadu, and the service chiefs, they have done so much. Lots of progress have been made, and I can assure you that our children will return back home safely.

“We will continue to fight until we get our children back. At the end of this meeting, we will have enough information, idea and strategy to work together. We would do everything to assist the security agencies in protecting our citizens. We are working to ensure their safe release.”

“We are here this afternoon to have a meeting which would be interactive between Kaduna state government, local government chairmen, security heads, traditional rulers, and members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly from the seven local governments affected by the incident of insecurity in the last few weeks. We are here to look at the efforts towards intelligence gathering and sharing especially at the grassroots level.

“In the last six months, we have been having meetings which showed that we have enough synergy between state, local government, traditional rulers and security heads.

“This is to support the security agencies in the state towards intelligence gathering and sharing. We have some setbacks in the last few weeks. The Local government chairmen and Kaduna state House of Assembly members, we have to look at other areas especially the incident in Kajuru local government area with series of incidents within 48 hours.

“We have people within the community who should have alerted the security agencies when the first incident happened before the second incident.

“We believe that the traditional rulers have important roles to play in monitoring the community and they should have enough knowledge of their subjects to raise the alarm over anything that is strange. They should fish out strange individuals and report them to security agencies.”

He added: “We realised in this meeting that, there are a lot of complaints about some disgruntling elements that are penetrating some communities.

“The issue of security is pertinent to everyone and we believe traditional rulers have massive responsibility in assisting the security agencies and particularly ensuring that all the strangers that come into the communities are identified.

“We are suspecting that some of them are informants and today I have instructed the traditional rulers and the local government chairmen to fish out most of these strange individuals and report to the security agencies immediately. It will go a long way in enhancing security efforts and also deepening our intelligence gathering and sharing information.

“I have also instructed the Local Government chairmen to go back to their local governments and stay there and also report to us any suspicious movement.

“We also discussed the progress we have made so far and I can say here, most of the children in Kuriga community, we are having a lot of interface with the parents in the community.

“Yesterday, the IG deployed some mobile policeman to Kuriga community, we are making progress and we are also having a lot of support from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the service Chiefs are also trying. So it’s only a matter of time.”

Shyngle Wigwe, the father of deceased Access Bank CEO Herbert Wigwe, has explained why well-wishers and loved ones of the ex-bank boss shouldn’t cry over his death.

Mr. Wigwe said this while receiving leaders of the Ohaneze Ndi’Igbo, emphasizing that there was no point crying as everybody would eventually die someday.

The clergyman, who said that he was happy that God gave him Herbert, however, said that Herbert was not dead but had been promoted to a greater realm.

He said, “As a child of God, I’m happy with the gift of God in the person of Herbert, that gift he gave to me for 57 years, gave so much joy, and when it pleased him to take Herbert, yes he called Herbert home.”

“Naturally, one would be sad. I tell you today Herbert is not dead, indeed he has been promoted to another realm. When people come to see me crying, when you look around, there is hardly anybody who is likely to live here for another 70 years. I would want to go to that same place Herbert has gone to.

We are just crossing over; this is like a normal market that we go to, everybody goes and buys and goes back home, we are in transit here, this is a temporary place.

And here in this place, one thing we know is that death has no respect for anybody…One thing is definite, everyone of us here will go, and so there’s no point crying, and what is important is where you are going to.”

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command said its operatives have arrested a pregnant married woman who faked her own kidnap, demanded for N2 million as ransom from her husband.

It was gathered that when ransom was delivered, the lady shared the money with the man suspected to be her boyfriend she connived with to defraud the husband.

The FCT Commissioner of Police (CP), Benneth Igweh, disclosed this to reporters on Wednesday during the parade of suspects at the command headquarters in Abuja.

He said: “On 11/03/2024 at about 19:40hrs, one Chiedozie Ubah ‘m’ of Saburi II Dei-dei, Abuja, reported at gwa gwa division that his pregnant wife Rosemary Ubah left home to the hospital on same date for a scan but did not return home. He later received a call through his wife’s phone number telling him that his wife had been kidnapped and demanded for two (2) million naira ransom before her release.

“He transferred the sum of two (2) million naira into his wife’s account as instructed by the kidnapper. He later brought his wife to the station after her release. During interrogation, the wife freely confessed to have conspired with one man named Walter Ezeala ‘m’ living in the same street with them at Saburi to extort money from her husband.

“The said Walter was arrested and he confessed that his own share was eight hundred thousand (N800,000) naira and the lady took one million two hundred thousand naira (N1,200,000). The sum of Seven hundred and ninety three thousand five hundred naira (N793,500) cash, two (2) FCMB ATM cards and two android phone was recovered from them”.

In a similar development, Igweh narrated how operatives of the command arrested a man who faked own kidnap too to test the loyal of his girlfriend.

He said: “On 14/03/2023 at about 5:30 PM, One Akuh Chinemezeh reported at APO Divisional Headquarters that his younger brother one Pascal Akuh 28 years, called him saying he was arrested by Police and taken to SCID custody. On the strength of this, the police and suspect’s family went to SCID, IRT and FCID detention facilities, only to discover that he is not in any of the aforementioned facilities.

“With the help of a tracker using coordinates, the suspect’s vehicle was traced to an area in Wumba, Apo. Acting on this intelligence, the police operatives from Apo Division swiftly mobilised to the scene, searched the entire axis and subsequently traced the suspect to a hotel in Lokogoma later in the night and arrested the suspect.

“During interrogation, suspect confessed that he only faked his own kidnap to prank the lady he intended to marry to know if she really loves him. Suspect to be arraigned in court soon.”

The police also paraded one Alex Lorjaa, a dismissed military officer who uses military uniform to rob and attempted to kidnap his victims in Abuja.

Lorjaa during interrogation confessed that a serving military man initiated and he is supporting him.

The Commissioner of Police said: “On 17/03/2023 at about 02:30 PM, following a distress call received by Mabushi Division from the victims; one Blessing Mafulul Damia and Haliru Zakari, that some men in an unregistered Toyota Hilux trailed them while on their way home from H- Medix, Gwarimpa to Gishiri village robbed them of their valuables and attempted to kidnap them.

“Upon receipt of the information, police operatives of the division swung into action, trailed the vehicle and arrested two suspects namely;

Gabriel David Elihu ‘m’ of Apo mechanic village and (a dismissed soldier from Gombe state)

Alex Iorjaa ‘m’ of Gboko L.G.A of Benue state

A black coloured Toyota Hilux with Reg No. NBB 03 AH (Nasarawa), a jack knife, and some military accoutrements were recovered from them. Suspects will be charged to court soon”.

The CP said the police is currently investigating the matter and hunt for the serving military officer is on-going.

He reassured that the FCT Police Command, under his leadership, will do all within its power to prevent crime and criminality in all of its forms and ensure the safety of all.

A bill proposing a new structure of salaries and allowances for judicial officers in the country has passed the third reading at the House of Representatives.

President Bola Tinubu forwarded a letter along with the executive bill to the House of Representatives on Tuesday, urging swift passage of the proposed legislation.

In the letter, the president said the bill seeks to end the “prolonged stagnation” of the remuneration of judicial officers.

“The judicial office holders salaries and allowances bill seeks to prescribe salaries and allowances and fringe benefits for judicial officials to end the prolonged stagnation in their remuneration and to reflect contemporary socio-economic realities.”

Yesterday, the lower legislative chamber passed the bill after the third reading.

In the breakdown of the bill seen by TheCable, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, will receive a monthly salary of N5.4 million, amounting to N64.8 million per annum.

The breakdown of the remuneration shows that the CJN will receive a monthly basic salary of N1.1 million and N4.3 million in regular allowances.

The annual pay includes various components such as personal assistant allowance of N3.6 million, hardship allowance of N6.7 million, entertainment allowance of N6 million, utility allowance of N4 million, outfit allowance of N3.3 million, journal subscription allowance of N2 million, medical allowance of N5.3 million, long service allowance of N1.3 million, restricted or forced lifestyle allowance of N6.7 million, dual responsibility allowance of N2.9 million, and legal researchers’ allowance of N6.9 million.

The bill also proposes N61.4 million annually for justices of the Supreme Court.

The naira yesterday appreciated to N1,450 per dollar in the parallel market from N1,580 per dollar on Tuesday.
Similarly, the naira yesterday appreciated to N1,492.61 per dollar in the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) exceeding the parallel market rate by N42.61.

Data from FMDQ showed that the indicative exchange rate for NAFEM fell to N1,492.61 per dollar from N1,560.57 per dollar on Tuesday, indicating N67.9 appreciation for the naira. Consequently, the margin between the parallel market rate and NAFEM widened to N42.61 per dollar from N29.43 per dollar on Tuesday.

President Bola Tinubu, last night, promised that the sacrifices of the 16 soldiers killed last week in Okuama, Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, would not be in vain.

Speaking during the breaking of Ramadan fast at State House, Abuja, with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and the leadership of the House, Tinubu said the deceased military personnel would be given befitting burial and national honours.

The president’s comments came as Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, yesterday, said the killers of the military men must be smoked out and treated as criminals. Diri called for concerted effort and support for the military and other security agencies to enable them to bring the killers to justice.

The governor condemned the killings and expressed his deep condolences and that of the Bayelsa State government to the families of the slain military personnel, the armed forces, and the army, in particular. He stressed that no effort should be spared to bring the perpetrators to book.

Delta State Commissioner of Police, Olufemi Abaniwonda, disclosed that the army was yet to grant the police access to Okuama. Abaniwonda said the area was still volatile and deserted.

Commenting on the death of the military men on national duty, Tinubu said, “In responding to distress calls, they met the end of their lives in a savage manner. Let us work to sympathise and symbolise the fact that they are worth the sacrifices they have made for Nigeria.

“We salute all our men and women in uniform, and we sympathise with them. I will soon make further pronouncements, but they must have a befitting burial and national honours.”

Advising members of the National Assembly on the rate of invitations to heads of MDAs, Tinubu said while oversight was essential to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, excessive summoning of officials could disrupt operations and hinder service delivery to citizens.

He urged lawmakers to show discretion in the exercise of their oversight functions.

The president stated, ”I have been watching various committees summoning ministers and heads of agencies. I have complained to the speaker to let the poor breathe. Let these people do the job. We are not saying that you are not influential. We are not saying you cannot do your oversight.

“But consider the primary duty of each agency, its personnel, or the responsibilities of the governor of the central bank or the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance to you and the entire nation.

“If they are distracted or disturbed, maybe we will shift parliamentary sitting all through the night. We must find a way to accommodate one another. This is an appeal to you. See if you can accept representatives in some instances or even documentations.”

The president, however, expressed confidence in the ability of the National Assembly to uphold good governance, and lauded the existing cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature. He said the harmonious working relationship had resulted in the expeditious passage of several bills to improve the welfare of Nigerians.

Tinubu urged the legislators not to forget their constituencies, saying they should take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan to show compassion and support the less privileged in society.

He told the legislators, “We are making sacrifices for the country, and we are assuring citizens that there is a very bright light at the end of the tunnel. We must have faith and, please, do not forget your constituencies and remember what they are going through.

THE Catholic Church, yesterday, tasked the Federal Government to subsidise food items and stop giving palliatives to a few individuals for selfish ends.

The church made the call through Archbishop Gabriel Leke Abegunrin, Catholic Archdiocese of Ibadan, when speaking with newsmen at the Justice, Development and Peace Commission, in Ibadan.

According to the cleric, instead of giving palliatives to a few people, who will convert them to private use, it will be better if the government subsidizes the costly food items in the markets to make them affordable for the masses.

Abegunrin said: “If the food items are subsidized, it will go round and eventually reach Nigerians. We often hear of palliatives being distributed but we never see them. We hope that the social welfare package should be extended to citizens of the state.

“We would also like to see funds allocated for the good of the people to be used for the purpose and not the endless accusations and counter-accusations that our political leaders continue to engage in, in the hallowed chambers.”

Flanked by the Coordinator, JDPC, Rev Jerome Ajakaye; former Registrar, University of Ibadan, Mrs Moji Ladipo, and other clerics of the church, Archbishop Abegunrin said the economic crisis is further compounded by much distress and anxiety occasioned by the linking of Bank Verification Number, BVN and National Identification Number, NIN.
He said: “While the government may be well-intentioned, the implementation has caused much distress and anxiety. After the cashless policy and scarcity of Naira in 2023, the banking sector must not be seen again as causing pain and stress to citizens who want to have easy access to their money.”

On the rising wave of kidnapping and banditry, he said the Federal Government is just lying to Nigerians.

He said: “They once said they have identified those sponsoring banditry and they have failed to bring them to justice. Economic hardship often leads to deviant behaviours; many communities have resorted to policing their communities, especially at night.

“The government is called upon to ensure that the various security outfits in the state provide security for all and sundry. If this is lacking, individuals will resort to jungle justice as we have been witnessing in recent times.

The church made a fresh call to the government to return schools to the churches that owned them.

“The time has come for these schools to be returned. Results from many Catholic Schools throughout the nation lend credence to this. With her track record of academic excellence and wholistic education and formation of young people, the state stands to gain if and when schools are returned to their original owners.”

GUNMEN, last Sunday evening, kidnapped one Nyaknobong Etuk and his wife in front of the gate of their residence at Akpasak Estate, Mbiabong, off Oron Road, Uyo, leaving their infant twins abandoned.

It was gathered, yesterday, that the couple, natives of Oruk Anam Local Government Area of the state, went shopping along Oron Road in Uyo that Sunday and left their twin babies in the care of their house help.

It was learned that when they returned home that Sunday evening and hooted the horn of their car, but nobody came to open the gate for them, until the suspected kidnappers arrived in a mini-bus decorated with camouflage tarpaulin and ordered them out of their car.

They whisked them away in their mini bus to an unknown destination.

A family source, who spoke to newsmen in confidence, yesterday, expressed concern that the twins dedicated in the church about six months ago cried uncontrollably since the incident occurred.

The source added that the babies even refused other people cuddling or feeding them.

At press time, the suspected kidnappers have not made contact with the victims’ family for any ransom.

However, the State Police Public Relations Officer, Odiko MacDon confirmed the incident to newsmen, yesterday.

His words:“We are aware of the kidnap incident of the Director of Finance and his wife. The matter had been reported to us and the state Commissioner of Police, Waheed Ayilara, has directed the appropriate unit in the police force to investigate the matter with a view to rescuing the victims.”

Dr Richard Somiari, Director of Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, on Wednesday said that results of an autopsy conducted on deceased singer Ilerioluwa Aloba (a.k.a Mohbad) would be ready in the next three weeks or four weeks.

Somiari gave the assurance while testifying during a corner’s inquest into the death of the singer.

The witness was cross-examined on Wednesday by defence counsel in the inquest.

Recall the musician died on Sept. 12, 2023, and was buried the following day.

He was aged 27 years.

His death generated controversies, prompting Lagos State Government to direct a coroner’s inquest into the death.

The inquest, which began on Oct. 13, 2023, is taking place at the Ikorodu Magistrates’ Court.

Somiari told the Coroner, Magistrate Adedayo Shotobi: “We expected to get the first set of autopsy results in three to four weeks and re-confirm to authenticate the cause of the death.

“We searched for multiple possibilities, to check if poison was involved in death of Mohbad since no actual cause was mentioned.”

The forensic expert assured the public of adequate security and monitoring of samples for the autopsy.

“We have a place where items are stored for safety and security of results. There is a procedure for monitoring samples moved abroad,” he said.

Also testifying, Mr Sadiq Ayobami, popularly called Spendy, said that he saw the deceased last a day before his death.

He said that both of them attended a concert at Ikorodu and returned to his house after which he left before the singer’s death.

Mrs Abiodun Kolawole, an activist representing the African Women Lawyers Association, urged the parents of the deceased to channel their grievances to the court of law in respect of the paternity of the singer’s child, instead of going through the social media.

The Coroner, Magistrate T. A. Shotobi, adjourned the case until April 15.

Shotobi directed all parties in the inquest to be present on that day.