The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) branch in Benue State has praised Governor Hyacinth Alia for his choice to uphold the state’s ban on open grazing of livestock.
The state’s former governor, Samuel Ortom, signed the Prohibition of Open Grazing and Ranches Establishment Law in 2017, and it was intended to operate as a strong barrier against the inflow of herdsmen.
Remember that the governor said the bill will be examined when he took office, causing concern that his administration may repeal the measure.
His administration has, however, adopted the law as a way of tackling the security crisis bedevilling the state.
Reacting, PDP in a statement issued on Saturday by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, welcomed Alia’s final stand on the matter.
The party urged the governor to create an enabling environment for the herdsmen who are willing to embrace ranching to do so, saying those who are unwilling should be chased out of the state.
Part of the statement reads, “We welcome the governor’s stand and urge him to back his words regarding his new stand with action by getting those herdsmen willing to embrace ranching to take to the practice immediately while those unwilling to do so should leave the state.”
Minister Of Finance, Budget And National Planning Not Allowed To Deduct Or Tamper Allocations To States — Court Rules
AdminA Federal High Court sitting in Awka , Anambra State, on Wednesday, 21st June, ruled that the Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning is never permitted to deduct the statutory allocation from the Federation Account that is owed to a State in a suit brought by the Attorney General of Anambra State against the Minister of Finance, Budget and Planning alongside the Attorney General of the Federation who was joined as a party to the suit.
The Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account Etc) Act clearly states that the portion of funds from the federation account due to States and Local Governments shall be paid to the State who should then manage same for the benefit of their local governments. Accordingly, the learned justice Dimgba has posited that:
“Section 162 of the Constitution and the Allocation Of Revenue (Federation Account, Etc.) Act, 1982 does not permit any bilateral interaction between the Federal Government represented by the 1st Defendant and LGCs under a State. Section 162(5)(6)(7)(8) of the Constitution make it clear that any amount standing to the credit of LGCs must be allocated to the States who will in turn remit it to the State Joint Local Government Account and distribute them in the terms and manner approved by the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly. In the event, any direct distribution of funds including refunds from the Federation Account to the LGCs in my view will be an infraction of the Constitution.
“And as I have held earlier, violation of law by a party is not one that is solved by resort to self-help by another party, or by a countervailing breach of the law by the activist party in a knock-for-knock or tit-for-tat formula. Violation of law by a party, where police powers have not been provided or granted to another seeking a remediation, can only be solved through judicial intervention initiated by the activist innocent party.”
His Lordship further added that “neither the Constitution in Section 162 nor the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account Etc) Act gave the 2nd Defendant (Attorney General of the Federation) any role in the allocation or sharing of revenues accruable to any of the tiers of Government in the federation account. I see no reason therefore why the 2nd Defendant should pick up the cudgel and start fighting for local governments in Anambra State when none of them has invited it to do so, and also when neither the relevant statute nor the Constitution given it any role in the relevant legal field.”
The Attorney General of Anambra sort amongst other reliefs had asked the court to hold as follows:
A DECLARATION that upon a proper construction of the provisions of Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), read along with Sections 2 (2) and 3 (1) of the said Constitution, the 1st Defendant cannot appropriate any money standing to the credit of the Federation for any purpose, other than, for the purpose of distribution to the three tiers of government, namely; the federal government, state governments and local governments.
A DECLARATION that by virtue of the provisions of Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), read along with Sections 2 (2) and 3 (1) of the said Constitution and Sections 1 & 3 of the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account, Etc) Act, 1982, the 1st Defendant cannot make deductions from the statutory allocation to which the Plaintiff is entitled from the Federation Account for the purpose of crediting the Local Governments of Anambra State through the State Joint Local Government Account.
A DECLARATION that having regard to the provisions of Section 162 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), read along with Sections 2 (2) and 3 (1) of the said Constitution and Sections 1 & 3 of the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account, Etc.) Act, 1982, the Defendants cannot, on behalf of the federal government, authorize the direct remittance of any funds to the Local Governments of the Plaintiff from the Federation Account.
Justice Dimgba said in delivering his verdict has said that, “In my view, there is no basis for the 1st Defendant to deduct the funds and retain them transitorily, that is, in escrow, Even sending the money directly to the local governments has no basis. As I alluded to before, doing so would be clearly illegal under both the Constitution and the Allocation of Revenue (Federation Account Etc.) Act, as none of them established any provisions for a direct transfer of the 1st Defendant’s entitlements from the federation account to local governments”.
Earlier the defendants had challenged the court’s jurisdiction, contending that the suit constitutes a dispute between the Federation and a State (Anambra) of which the Supreme Court has exclusive original jurisdiction by virtue of Section 232(1) of the Constitution.
While warning against swamping the Supreme Court with every matter that has an agent of the federal government as a party, Justice Dimgba held:
“By virtue of Section 251(1)(r) 1999 CFRN, the Federal Government or any of its agencies can be sued in this Court for a declaration or injunction affecting the validity of any executive or administrative action or decision by the Federal Government or any of its agencies. And in this case, the Plaintiff is challenging the administrative action or decision of the 1st Defendant (a Minister of the Federal Government in charge of Finance) to deduct from its monthly statutory allocation and either withhold or directly remit same to the Local Government Councils (LGCs) as their share of the Paris Club Refund…
“It certainly cannot be that whenever a State has concerns in relation to the manner in which a federal official such as a minister or a federal agency such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) exercises its responsibility that affects that State adversely, then that activates a dispute between the federal government and the state in which only the Supreme Court will have original jurisdiction. May that day never come in which the apex court gets reduced to a magistrate court entertaining all sorts of sundry original matters simply because a state and federal officials are involved…”
The sack of Service Chiefs last week by President Bola Tinubu has provoked harsh words over their performance in office, with many lamenting that they presided over the needless death of more than 22, 000 citizens.
With high-profile killings, abductions and other crimes, their era was regarded as a period of inefficiency, leading to the sigh of relief that welcomed Tinubu’s action.
Since they came in at a time the nation was under the grip of bandits, kidnappers and ritual killers, there were high expectations from Nigerians. But the hope turned into a nightmare as non-state actors operated with reckless abandon across the country.
Though their removal was not surprising given the emergence of a new leader of the country, many saw their exit as overdue.
The President had, last Monday, relieved the Chief of the Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, Chief of the Army Staff, Farouk Yahaya, Chief of the Naval Staff, Awwal Gambo, Chief of the Air Staff, Isiaka Amao, and the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali of their duties.
Of the attacks that took place during their tenure, many were quick to point at the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, the Owo massacre and Kuje jailbreak as their lowest points.
Apart from questioning the capacity of Nigerian security personnel, the incidents exposed many fault lines in the nation’s security architecture.
Security architecture
The human and material losses that accompanied the incidents are countless as many victims are licking their wounds while the victims died for no crime of theirs.
On March 28, 2022, bandits ambushed an Abuja-bound train in Kaduna, bombing the rail track and killing eight passengers.
No fewer than 168 persons were taken away in the attack which was largely attributed to the failure of intelligence.
Security experts had accused the authorities of failing to act as the incident happened a few days after unidentified gunmen invaded the Kaduna airport, killing an official on the runway.
There was also the Owo massacre of June 2022, which saw bandits attacking Saint Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, killing no fewer than 70 worshipers.
The state police command said the attack was carried out by gunmen at about 11:30 a.m., while the church service was ongoing.
Eyewitnesses said the gunmen threw explosives into the church and started shooting as the worshippers scampered for safety.
On the heels of that incident was a deadly jailbreak in Kuje, the heart of the Federal Capit6al Territory, FCT, Abuja.
No fewer than 400 inmates escaped in the attack the Islamic State in West Africa Province, ISWAP, claimed responsibility.
Four inmates, several attackers and a security guard died in the incident, which happened less than 47 kilometres from the Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power. About 1,000 inmates were in the facility when the attack took place, according to officials.
The event increased the number of prison escapees in Nigeria, which was over 5,000 at the time.
They’ll be remembered as inefficient
These, however, led to the conclusion that the outgone Service Chiefs would be remembered for high-profile attacks and deaths of countless citizens.
Coordinator General, Access to Advocacy and Rights of the People, Mr. Akintunde Adedeji, said: “We all witnessed the spate of insecurity under President Buhari. It was unchecked. History will remember them as being inefficient. It will remember them for displaying gross ineptitude as they were unable to reduce the spate of insecurity to the barest minimum. We were all living witness to the allegations of corruption that permeated the military bodies.
“History won’t record anything good about them. It is one thing to be the head of a military organisation, it is another thing to have the will, the patriotic zeal to be exemplary in the discharge of duties. This has to do with a disposition towards addressing or tackling insecurity. The body language of the Commander-in-Chief who is a retired general was not the best. It rubbed off on those Service Chiefs. As the saying goes when the head is rotten, the whole body is useless.
“As a former military man, the Commander-in-Chief did not measure up in ensuring that he put the Service Chiefs on their toes to reduce insecurity to the barest minimum. The lack of will and patriotic zeal to address it was responsible for the inefficiency of the service chiefs.”
Nigerians’ expectation
Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, CACOL, Mr. Debo Adeniran, on his part, said: “Every administration wants to be unique. Whatever the Service Chiefs did wrong was not obvious because it was not significantly different from what their predecessors did. The truth is just that Nigerians are dissatisfied with the state of security and intelligence gathering in the nation.
“In most cases, preventable security breaches do occur, especially in areas prone to terrorist attacks. And that is a minus in the way law enforcement and intelligence agencies do their work. That might be the reason they were removed. Maybe the new administration wants to inject new blood or invigorate the security architecture to send a signal to those that are coming in.
“History will remember them as people who passed through and did their best, which wasn’t good enough for the aspirations of the Nigerians. In Nigeria, you can’t say citizens are well-secured because kidnapping happens always. Inexplicable killings go on in several parts of the country. There are massacres in various states such as Kaduna and Plateau.
“ It could be that during their tenure there was a failure of intelligence. It is either the intelligence gathering was flawed or the means through which they obtained intelligence was awkward. This could have led to the killings and the attack on the railway, the kidnap of passengers and the pogrom that happened on farmlands and several villages in different parts of the country.
‘Nigerians are not happy’
National Coordinator, Activist for Good Governance, Mr Declan Ihekaire, comment on the issue, said: “Rather than say they were sacked or removed, I will say they were relieved of their duties based on the change of guard, which is at the discretion of whoever is at the helm of affairs in every country. We can say that they have not done well in their duties, but it is not to say that they didn’t do their best. Though they did their best, the fact remains that the security situation is still very porous, so porous that the government of today must do so much to give hope and assurance to the citizenry that security will be better.
“I will urge the current administration to endeavour to have a conference of past and present Service Chiefs where questions on what has resulted in the current situation can be asked. Through those questions, they can proffer solutions. Before the service chiefs came in under Buhari, banditry and killings had been in existence. During Jonathan, Yar’Adua and Obasanjo’s administration, insecurity was there. Now, the question should be why hasn’t it reduced drastically? Is it because Nigerians are not happy with themselves? Is it that external forces are fuelling the crisis? Is it that we don’t have the resources to combat the criminals? Is it that there was no money to carry out operations? These questions should be asked.
“The current administration should be able to broaden its knowledge of governance because when they do so, they can capture where the previous administration failed and what will be done differently to get things right.”
Worse
Also speaking, acting National Chairperson, Socialist Party of Nigeria, SPN, and Oyo State Coordinator of Campaign for Democratic and Workers Rights, CDWR, Mr. Abiodun Bamigboye, said: “The job of the Service Chiefs, which is to ensure adequate protection of lives and properties of Nigerians was defeated, not only under the Buhari administration even under his predecessors. The failure was so much under the Buhari-led administration. It showed that they failed in their responsibilities.
“Under them, insecurity got worse. What we used to know under Jonathan was Boko Haram; under Buhari, we began to have banditry, insurgency and herder-farmer clashes. While kidnapping became a big business, youth restlessness doubled. All of these are the scorecard of the service chiefs.
“I don’t think relieving them of their duties is a wrong decision, although it won’t strengthen the security network in the country even though they are replaced with the best. I say this because at the root of insecurity in this country are also economic issues. For instance, what is the population of unemployed Nigerians? It is so massive than the population of many European countries combined.
“The poverty rate is so massive too. When this is looked at, it will be understood that it is not about changing the Service Chiefs but paying attention to the root of insecurity.
“Any government that wants to end insecurity must ensure that the economic root is tackled. It is not just having a general as a president, the rate of unemployment and poverty also fuels insecurity. Without a government that would tackle unemployment and poverty among others, there is nothing that Service Chiefs can do that would translate into improvement in security.”
Six Nigerians have died in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while performing this year’s pilgrimage.
The deceased were among the 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims who made the annual journey to the holy land for this year’s hajj exercise.
The head of the Nigerian medical team for the pilgrimage, Dr Usman Galadima, made the disclosure in Makkah on Saturday night.
He also revealed that 30 persons underwent psychiatric evaluation.
Speaking during a pre-Arafat meeting with stakeholders, he said two of the deceased pilgrims were from Osun State; and one each from Kaduna and Plateau.
He said of the them died of cardiac arrest; and others, of illnesses he did not disclosed.
Galadima, whose presentation was tagged ‘Vital Events as of June 24, 2023’, said the team attended to 30 pilgrims with mental health challenge.
He, however, assured that the patients would perform hajj as they “are now in a stable condition.”
He said seven pregnancies were recorded among the pilgrims; two from Sokoto State and one each from Adamawa, Kwara, Yobe, Plateau and Katsina.
Galadima also disclosed that two miscarriages were recorded; while a diabetic pilgrim had his leg amputated.
He said his team offered consultations to a total of 15, 860 Nigerian pilgrims and referred about 100 to Saudi hospitals.
Earlier, the chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Alhaji Zikirullah Kunle Hassan, said all the 95,000 Nigerian pilgrims had been airlifted for the exercise.
A Federal High Court, presided over by Justice S.A. Amobeda, sitting in Kano, on Friday, granted an Ex-Parte Motion, stopping the state Governor, Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf, from further demolitions of structures and property in the state.
The Motion Ex-Parte, was filed by a citizen, Saminu Muhammad, through his lawyer.
The court restrained the Kano State Government and its agents from demolishing some buildings located along BUK road.
Justice S. A. Amobeda, particularly, ordered Kano state government to stop plans of demolishing the applicant’s property located on No. 41 and 43 Salanta, along BUK Road, Kano.
Respondents joined in the suit are Attorney-General of Kano State, Solicitor General of Kano State, Governor of Kano state, Kano State government and Kano State Bureau for Land Management.
Others include Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority, Inspector-General of Police, Nigeria Police Force, Commissioner of Police, Commandant General of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
The court, after listening to the motion moved by the applicant’s counsel, Prof. Nasiru Aliyu, SAN, ordered accelerated hearing of the case and adjourned the suit to 10 July, 2023.
The Order partly reads: “That Order of this Court is hereby made in the interim restraining the Respondents by themselves, agents, servant or proxies whatsoever called from encroaching, trespassing, entering, invading, demolishing or revoking the Applicant’s titles or doing any other act in respect of the Applicant’s property No. 41 and 43 situate at Salanta, along BUK Road, Kano, covered by Certificate of Occupancy No. KNMLO8228 and Certificate of Occupancy No. KNMLO8229 pending the hearing and determination of the Originating Motion.
“That Order of this Honourable Court is hereby made granting leave to the bailiff of this court to serve the 3rd, 4h, 5h and 6th Respondents with all processes and all subsequent processes in this suit through any staff or officer in the office of the 1st and 2nd Respondents and deeming the service as valid, personal and proper.
“That Order of this Honourable Court is made granting leave to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 7th and 8th Respondents with all processes and all subsequent processes in this suit through the office of the 9th Respondent and deeming the service as valid, personal and proper.
“That Order of this Honourable Court is hereby made granting leave to the bailiff of this Court to serve the 10th and 11th Respondents with all processes and all subsequent processes in this suit through the office of the 12th Respondent and deeming the service as valid, personal and proper.
“Accelerated hearing is hereby ordered. That Order of this Court and al the processes in this suit shall be served on the Respondents. That the matter is adjourned to 10m July, 2023 for Hearing.”
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has threatened to sue the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over its new Regulations on customers’ social media handles.
The apex bank in its new customer Due Diligence Regulations, which is aimed at further deepen the identification process in the banking system, had mandated Financial Institutions to obtain the social media handle, e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, residential addresses, among others from their customers.
But reacting, SERAP urged the Acting Governor of the CBN, Folashodun Shonubi, to immediately delete the provisions in the CBN (Customer Due Diligence) Regulations or face legal action.
In a letter dated June 24, 2023 and signed by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, which was made available to THE WHISTLER in Lagos, the organisation said the CBN Regulations and directive to banks to obtain details of customers’ social media address violate Nigerians’ rights to freedom of expression and privacy, adding that it is inconsistent and incompatible with the rule of law.
SERAP said the CBN ought to contribute to the advancement of respect for the rule of law and human rights in the discharge of its statutory functions, and not undermine or violate these fundamental legal requirements and standards.
According to the organisation, the purported mandatory requirement would inhibit Nigerians from freely exercising their human rights online, stressing that if obtained, such information may also be misused for political and other unlawful purposes.
The letter, read in part: “We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 3 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall take all appropriate legal actions to compel you and the CBN to comply with our request in the public interest.”
“The mandatory requirement of social media handles or addresses of customers does not serve any legitimate aim. Such information may be used to unjustifiably or arbitrarily to restrict the rights to freedom of expression and privacy.”
“SERAP is gravely concerned that the CBN Regulations and directive to banks and other financial institutions would impermissibly restrict the constitutional and international rights to freedom of expression, privacy and victims’ right to justice and effective remedies.”
“Requiring social media handles or addresses of customers as a means of identification would have a disproportionate chilling effect on the effective enjoyment by Nigerians of their rights to freedom of expression and privacy online.”
“The CBN bears the burden of justifying any restriction on people’s freedom of expression and privacy. Under the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] and human rights treaties to which the country is a state party, any restrictions on these rights must be applied strictly so that the rights are not put in jeopardy.”
“There are other means of identification such as passport, driver’s licence, Bank Verification Number (BVN), and Tax Identification Number (TIN), which banks and other financial institutions already require their customers to provide.”
“The additional requirement of obtaining details of a customer’s social media handle or address fails to meet the requirements of legality, necessity, and proportionality.”
“The requirement of necessity implies an assessment of the proportionality of the grounds, with the aim of ensuring that the excuse of ‘regulations on customer due diligence’ is not used as a pretext to unduly intrude upon the rights to freedom of expression and privacy.”
“The CBN Regulation does not demonstrate how the use of social media handle or address as a means of identification would serve to improve banks and other financial institutions’ ability to implement and comply with the laws and regulations relating to customer due diligence.”
In Enugu, the governorship election petition tribunal has recently rejected a request made by Chijioke Edoga, who is the Labour Party's candidate, to question the state governor, Peter Mbah, regarding his credentials.
In a recent development, a petitioner has raised questions regarding Mbah's appointments as chief of staff and commissioner for finance, as well as his educational background, including the year he was called to the Nigeria Bar and the institutions he attended.
In a ruling delivered on Saturday, the tribunal's chairman, Kudirat Akano, deemed the application to be a "fishing expedition".
According to the judge, the questions being posed by the petitioners were not included in their petition.
In agreement with Ikechukwu Onuoma, the governor's counsel, she stated that the petitioners were attempting to amend their petition in accordance with paragraph 14(1) of the first schedule of the Electoral Act.
According to her, the primary purpose of interrogatories is to elicit admission from the parties involved regarding the matter that has been pleaded. She further noted that the petitioner had not pleaded to the matter in question.
During the proceedings, the tribunal reviewed its pre-hearing session report in conjunction with the verdict.
According to the tribunal resolution, the petitioner has been granted a seven-day window to substantiate their case, while INEC has been allotted two days to summon its witnesses.
The second and third respondents have been given a four-day window to summon their witnesses, according to sources.
In a closely contested election, Mbah emerged victorious with a total of 160,895 votes, defeating Edeoga who came in second with 157,552 votes.
Sex in the church-and murder of pregnant choir mistress: Pastors rip apart General Overseer from hell
AdminPastors descend on Church Overseer who is to die by hanging in Rivers State for the murder of his pregnant mistress, her friend and nine-year-old daughter.
The involvement of supposed men of God in heinous crimes has left a big
question mark as to who really is a man of God and how does the public know one?
In a recent case, in Rivers State, the General Overseer of Altar of Solution and Healing Assembly, Pastor Chidiebere Okoroafor, blamed the devil after being sentenced to death by a Port Harcourt High Court for the murder of his choir mistress, her friend and 11-month-old toddler.
And the response from the clergy was “you were never a man of God.”
Manifestation of the beast in Afam, Oyigbo Local Government Area based Okoroafor came into light when operatives of the Homicide Department of Rivers Police Command apprehended him on December 17, 2017 following the alarm raised by one Joseph Ezenwa.
Ezenwa’s wife, Chigozie, with nine months old Christabel strapped to her back, had accompanied her friend, Orlunma Nwagba, to meet Okoroafor, their pastor.
In the police account of his confession, Okoroafor had, in a secret sexual affair, impregnated 25-year-old Orlunma, his church choir mistress.
Both friends on December 11, 2017 set out to confront the General Overseer to resolve the scandalous pregnancy issue.
Evil Genius
Apparently decided on erasing the looming scandal on his own terms, Okoroafor had separated his visitors.
He lured the pregnant choir mistress to an uncompleted building while asking her friend to stay three “poles” away.
According to then-DCP Cyril Okoro of the Rivers Police Command, the pastor strangled Orlunma in the uncompleted building.
He then rejoined Chigozie and left with her and her baby on a tricycle (keke) to Afam Roundabout.
From the roundabout, they took a motorbike on lonely Igberu Road.
Okoroafor murdered his second victim in an isolated bush, using the wrapper with which Chigozie strapped her baby to her back to suffocate her.
“The baby was equally discovered dead. This murder by the suspect was premeditated, callous and devoid of human sympathy,” Okoro had said, adding that the pastor manipulated both friends after taking advantage of the trust they had in him.
Retribution
Eight years after, Justice S.O Benson, in the June 6, 2023 judgment, said the evidence and confessional statements from the pastor showed he committed the crime.
The prosecution, having proven the case of murder against the cleric, the judge ordered that Okoroafor be killed by hanging or served lethal injection which kills faster.
Counsel from the state Ministry of Justice, Precious Ordu, said the prosecution was undaunted despite receiving threats through the trial and that it was gratifying that “justice has been served to state, the complainant, and the convict”, while also thanking the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) which brought up the case before the state took over.
Resolved to appeal the judgment, counsel for the defendant, Dr Innocent Ekwu, said the court ‘misconceived the law’, adding, “The court held there was no eyewitness, not even one throughout the trial. The court also held there was no circumstantial evidence linking the fellow to murder.
“The court convicted him of murder on account of his confessional statements. We, as counsel to the defendant, are going to file our notice of appeal as quickly as possible because we have grounds on which we believe the defendant did not commit the offence.”
The convict, upon his sentence, as he was said to have told the police back in 2017, said his actions were the handiwork of the devil while also apologising to relatives of those murdered.
Clerics Speak
Rev Emmanuel Nwabuikwu, Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Port Harcourt, said, “Crime is a societal thing. Human beings will commit it in different ways, at different times. However, when this has to do with a supposed pastor, there lies the prophetic factor
“Bible lets us know at this period in history that evil will increase and many charlatans, and false prophets will arise, Matthew 24:11. So, from the Christian viewpoint, these things happening are not a surprise.
“People blame the devil for the evil they knowingly and consciously commit. Inasmuch as Satan is a real spiritual entity in Christian belief, every man is responsible before God and society for the crimes they commit, and they will pay. So, it is pointless blaming the devil.
“There are those who present selves as men of God but are pretentious predators that fleece the ignorant and gullible. It is their appetite that called them to ministry, not God.
“The media is quick to flash every news about men of God misbehaving, but it’s important to understand that it’s not every ‘man of God’ that is a man of God.”
Rev Ese Diajiyeren of Good Shepherd Baptist Church, on his part, said, “Truth remains that incidents of this kind abound. Crime is condemnable. I feel the so-called pastor wanted to cover up his crime (2 Samuel 11). See the case of King David and Bathsheba.
“Yes, the devil tempts, but we are told in scripture not to give him a chance (Ephesians 4: 27). It is in giving the devil a chance that usually leads to such regrettable actions.
“A true man of God who is careless can fall into the first temptation, like King David. The issue of temptation is a real issue. Hence we are admonished in scripture to be on guard or alert (1 Pet. 5: 8).
“A true man of God is known by his fruit. His preaching/words must match his actions. Pastoral ministry like some other professions brings the pastor in contact with several people, especially female folks seeking his attention.
“To steer clear of sexual temptation and attendant challenges, pastors should set boundaries for selves in their relationship with the opposite sex.
“Also, they are advised to be mindful of their humanity. That one is a pastor does not remove sexuality from him. He is to be alert to that fact and keep his sexual urge under tight control. Above all, there is no excuse for taking the lives of others. “
The jostle for positions in President Bola Tinubu’s administration, especially for ministerial appointments has reportedly intensified.
Checks by Naija News reveal that there are 27 ministries left vacant by the immediate past administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The jostle for these positions has gotten hotter, as former governors, and lawmakers of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), who lost in the 2023 general elections have reportedly intensified efforts to lobby for appointment.
This platform earlier reported that there are strong indications that some chapters of the APC have completed the compilation for ministerial appointments from President Tinubu.
Also, others as gathered by Naija News are still in the process of compilation to be forwarded d to the party’s secretariat in Abuja for onward transmission to President Tinubu.
While several groups have called on the President not to consider old governors and other categories for appointments, former governors, senators, and other bigwigs in the ruling party have reportedly intensified their lobby for ministerial appointments in Tinubu’s cabinet.
Below are the vacant 27 ministries open to be filled.
Federal Capital Territory Administration
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
Ministry of Aviation
Ministry of Budget and National Planning
Ministry of Commerce and Industry
Ministry of Education
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Finance
Ministry of Health
Ministry of Information and Culture
Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Justice
Ministry of Labour and Employment
Ministry of Petroleum Resources
Ministry of Water Resources
Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development
Ministry of Mines and Steel Development
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs
Ministry of Power
Ministry of Transportation.
Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development
Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation
Ministry of Youth and Sport
Ministry of Works and Housing
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The immediate past Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle, has ahead of the 2023 Eid-El-Kabir celebrations, donated N200 million to some citizens of the state.
Muslims will celebrate this year’s Eid-El-Kabir on June 29, 2023.
A statement, however, made available to newsmen on Saturday through the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairman in Zamfara State, Alhaji Tukur Danfulani, confirmed Matawalle’s donation for the festive event.
Danfulani, who serves as the Chairman of the distribution committee, said that the beneficiaries included the members, stakeholders of the party, women, youth groups and associations.
“Other beneficiaries were orphans and the less privileged, Islamic scholars, media practitioners, and social media handlers, among others.
“The gesture is aimed at assisting people to celebrate the upcoming 2023 Eid-el-Kabir festival with ease.
“The committee had already started the distribution of the money to all the beneficiaries,” the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, quoted Danfulani.
Danfulani thanked Matawalle for the gesture, describing it as timely as it will cushion the economic hardship among the citizens in the state, especially at the grassroots.
The party’s Chairman assured that the committee would ensure that all the targeted beneficiaries receive the gesture before Wednesday.
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The Rivers State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has dissociated itself from calls from certain quarters in the party to the immediate past Governor of the state, Nyesom Wike to defect to the APC to provide leadership for the party.
The former Local Organizing Committee (LOC) Chairman, Tinubu Presidential Campaign Rally in Rivers State and National Chairman of the Protocol/Logistics Committee (TSGICC), Tony Okocha, on Tuesday called on the former Governor, Nyesom Wike to dump the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) for the APC.
Okocha said APC needed the value of the former Governor and appealed to him to come over and lead the party.
But in a reaction on Saturday, the APC described the calls as by imposters who are sponsoring amorphous groupings acting as fronts for Wike, that APC in Rivers State was calling on him, Wike to join the same party he had characterised as suffering from cancer.
“We wish to unequivocally dismiss any such rumour or sponsored story planted in any medium that Rivers State APC had at any forum invited Mr Wike to join our party none the least calling on Wike to take over leadership of a party he never campaigned for”, the party said in a statement signed by its spokesman, Darlington Nwauju.
He went on: “Nothing can be more preposterous than this kite being flown by minions of Wike working hard to justify their pay cheque.
“We dare anyone to provide video evidence of any campaigns where Mr Wike openly campaigned for the APC. The terror unleashed on our party members in the cause of his eight years maximum rulership alone is enough evidence to confirm that Wike has no business with Rivers State APC. Asking him to come and take over is asking an enemy to come and finish off his victims.
“We are aware of his schemes to escape justice over the looting of the collective patrimony of Rivers people which is the major reason for his romancing top APC members.
“For those who may be suffering from amnesia, a non- APC member cannot be cheerleader for the entry of Wike into APC. Nobody can decree his membership of a political party through radio or newspaper publications. All vexatious attempts at distracting our party in Rivers State will keep failing.
“For the avoidance of doubts, the APC in Rivers State has a legally recognized state office where all official businesses are conducted. We do also have standard procedures for convening our meetings according to our party’s constitution. Therefore, it is expedient for the public to be aware that village meetings or gatherings cannot equate with a stakeholder’s meeting of APC in Rivers State, especially a gathering that took place at a hotel belonging to such a non-APC member.
“We therefore disassociate the leadership of our party from any so-called stakeholders meeting suggesting that our party be handed over to Mr Wike. We reiterate our party’s resolve to lend 100% support to the policies and programmes of the Federal Government under the indefatigable leadership of our President, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR.
“We warn blackmailers and ‘conflipreneurs’ to desist from the shameless tradition of using the name of our party to curry favour from desperate politicians seeking relevance at the centre”.
Okocha justified his call by saying that some of those who did not work for the emergence of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Rivers State were currently sending their credentials and claiming entitlements for the new administration.
He said; “At the point we are now this persons should be playing secondary roles and not primary roles. We are told that they have begin to assemble CVs from their supporters and promising them that they have the connection that they are Tinubu’s son and first daughter that they have the capacity to make them take the position that is due Rivers State and we are here to tell the world that it’s against natural laws. Natural laws are the only thing that is fixed”.
“We also want to rekindled and emphasis the fact leadership is as old as creation that in the leadership of the Tinubu’s family in Rivers State that we are pleased 100% with you His Excellence Nyesom Wike as our leader in Rivers State because he who pays the piper detects the tune.
“When it was difficult when even the national could not oblige us funds for the national rally when some group of persons made it impossible for money to move for the campaign in the State but Wike made it possible to fund our agents in the 6868 polling units in the State and do some background works and thereafter make it possible for us to win the election.
“As a demand because we won the election, Rivers State is one of the states that delivered Tinubu outrightly and even in South South it’s in Rivers State that Tinubu won outrightly so we have the right of entitlement.
“Our demand is that nobody should rob Peter to pay Paul. Our own share of the butty should be given to us; it should be handed over to be handed over to Governor Wike.
“We are confident that as soon as the bootie gets to him he knows those who worked for Tinubu and it should get to us. It’s only natural that that’s how it should go”.
He said as a party, there will be election in the next couple of months or years. There will be another election in Nigeria. Truly, APC in Rivers State is bleeding. It does appear to us that the leadership of PDP in Nigeria do not appreciate, understand the pidegree of of Wike.
“It does appear to us that PDP does not know what they have in Wike and we are calling on Wike to come over to APC and lead us”
The 2023 Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi has described the recent flooding at Trademore Estate in Abuja as heartbreaking.
He described the incident as a major disaster, noting that it is not the first time it is happening.
It would be recalled that many residents were reportedly trapped in Trade Moore estate in Lugbe, Abuja, following a heavy rainfall on Friday which flooded the area.
Videos making the rounds online showed that several houses and vehicles were submerged under water.
Taking to his Twitter page to react to the sad development, Obi wrote on Saturday: “The flooding incident at Trademore Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, which has resulted in the loss of lives and properties worth millions of Naira is a major disaster and is very heartbreaking. Reports have it that the estate had suffered similar incidents in the past.”
Meanwhile, Naija News earlier reported that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has appealed to all those living in flood-prone areas of the estate to evacuate to a safer place.
A NEMA official who spoke with newsmen after Friday’s flooding said, “If you know you live in a house built in a flood-prone area, kindly move to a safer place even if for nothing but to save a life. Properties can go.”
Says, “We Messed Up The Altar, We Defiled The Altar Of The Most High God”
The Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, Rev. Fr. Ejike Mbaka, has apologised on behalf of the bishops, priests and pastors for using the church of God as political arena during the 2023 elections.
Mbaka expressed sadness that the church was turned into a campaign centre and place of politicking.
The priest, who made a veiled reference at the Labour Party (LP), said that the priests were teaching people who to vote for in the church, and how to vote.
He added that priests were telling people that the mother, father and child logo represented God, the father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
Mbaka also said that the power of God was buried behind political forces and hawks.
He said: “As a prophet and man of God, I apologise on behalf of the whole men of God – the whole pastors, the whole priests, the whole bishops. I am not worthy to apologise on behalf of the bishops, but I’m apologising.
“Let the mercy of God descend because what we did within this political moment – a lot of indescribable political brouhaha, a lot of political jingoism and a lot of atrocities we manifested.
“We buried the power of the sacrament beneath political forces, political hawks and vultures. They want to vulturise the church, turn the church into campaign centres, into a place of politicking. We messed up the altar, we defiled the altar of the most high God.
“How do you want power to move from such an altar that has been defiled? We cannot continue with such iniqui-tactics. We offended God.
“They were teaching people who to vote for in the church, and how to vote. Telling people that the mother, father and child picture represents God, the father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Giving God’s glory to man, then God’s anger descended on us, but I’m begging for God’s mercy. I pray that God will forgive us.
“Forgive us, oh Lord! Forgive your church. Forgive Christianity in Nigeria. We have gotten it wrong this time. Amen! Just let it be like this. If you want to misunderstand it, that is your business. I am apologising to God.”
Says Attacks Over Alleged Cropping Of Tinubu From Paris Photo Unwarranted
The Director-General, World Trade Organization, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has called on Nigerians to relax and stay united, noting that the attacks on her over her picture with President Tinubu were unnecessary.
She noted that the controversy surrounding why her picture with President Tinubu was posted late on her Twitter account shows how polarised Nigerians are.
Okonjo-Iweala was reacting to comments on social media about her pictures with other world leaders at the just concluded Paris Economic Summit as well as her picture with President Tinubu.
Some Nigerians called out the WTO leader for not posting a picture of President Bola Tinubu in the pictures of her meeting with some other nations’ presidents on her Twitter handle on Friday.
She later posted her picture with Tinubu on Saturday morning.
Reacting, the WTO boss said the controversy has exposed how polarised Nigeria has become.
She tweeted: “Nigerians, please relax! Re Paris, Interesting attacks from both sides. This sadly shows the depth of polarisation in our society.
“I post photos in the order received by accompanying staff or colleagues. Reading more into it is unwarranted. Let’s unite to build our country, not attack.”
The Paris summit, convened by President Emmanuel Macron, afforded President Tinubu the opportunity of projecting, on a global stage, his advocacy for widening the fiscal space, economic justice for Africa as the world accelerates the pace of energy transition and the urgency of addressing the pressing issues of poverty and climate change.