NEWS
Ooni of Ife to Buhari: We Don’t Want War
By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja
Perplexed by the rising threats of insecurity in the country, the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, on Thursday, said that the South West region does not want to experience any other war.
He said, “the drum of war is sounding loud across the country.
”The revered traditional ruler raised the alarm while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The royal father said that he came to speak to the President on behalf of traditional rulers towards improving security situation in the country.
He said: “How to improve security. I came to speak on behalf of other traditional rulers. The issue at hand in the south west is real.
“The issue of insecurity, we that live in the remote and rural areas of the south western part of the country, most of the bushes are occupied by strange people am we decided to work with the government to fish them out.
“Everybody is beating the drum of war, we don’t want war, who can stand war, we want something better for our youths.
“We should better use them for something good other than shouting war and anarchy. We don’t want that.
“We told the President that and he is on the same page with us. Politicians should be careful not to throw things out of proportion.
“We should make sure things are right. Mr President has actually given good directives to security chiefs especially the IGP, they will visit each and every traditional rulers palaces that are very sensitive in south west with immediate effect, he is going to give that directives. “We need to work very closely with them and every other security agencies in the country.
“We will all put them to use now, it is very important for us to put them to use and work with the locals. It is very important so that we can separate the corn from the chaff.
He said that everything must be done to put all security agencies to good use and work with the locals to separate the bad eggs.
He further stressed: “We shouldn’t keep over hyping it and say what is next is war, no. We know what Mr. President has been saying about South Western part of the country for a long time, the peace and peaceful co-existence in the South West, we still want to keep that, we don’t want any war to happen, we don’t want any attrition, we don’t want any anarchy. So that is the reason why I came to discuss with him.
The royal father said that the President assured him that he will say his own side of the story on the issue of Ruga because ‘it is being taken out of context.’
“Another thing that he assured me before leaving which I will go and give back to much more experienced traditional rulers in the South West and our leaders across board is that he has assured that he will say his own side of the story about Ruga because he wants to let the world and Nigerians in particular know the true side of the story because it’s being read out of context.
“So we should give him that opportunity to speak as the number one citizen of the country.
“What is important for me is the youthful exuberance nature of our youths in Nigeria for them not to take laws into their hands, go into all those places and start to kill and maim, we don’t want that..
“The drums of war is resonating too much and we are very worried.
You were qouted as saying that the South Westners should defend themselves, don’t you think that could be misconstrued as beating the drum of war?
“I mentioned to you that it is real we have wrong people in our midst so when we have wrong people in our midst how are we not going to defend ourselves, that is why I came here that in terms of defending ourselves,we need more federal government apparatus to defend us because we don’t want to be defenceless, it is very important.
“It is about the mission of defending ourselves that I am here, we need reinforcement from federal government and I just mentioned to you that the President has said he will give directives to the IGP to go and see every nooks and crannies of our traditional institutions in South West and that would probably extend across the entire country because he mentioned to me that he worked in North East and North Central discussing and working with the traditional institutions.
“So for us to defend ourselves is for me to come here to meet Mr. President for us to have reinforcement.
“We understand our territorymore than anybody. We understand our territory very well. What is important is that everybody in the South West right now, we are all on the same page. We don’t want war and we want to work with Government to defend our land.
What do you say about stigmatisation of the Fulanis across the whole country?
“Well it is not about stigmatisation, it is about separating the corn from the chaff. “A lot of them are mixed up with the good ones. We are not saying all Fulanis are bad, it’s not only about the Fulanis, it’s not only about them, it’s about the bad miscreants that are even hiding under the name of Fulanis. We want to try as much as possible to work with the government right now.
They have all the security apparatus, they are meant to defend us, that is what we are looking up to now. We have to stand up and meet with Mr. President and he has given us a listening ear and you would see a lot of result going forward.”
NEWS
Ajuri, Tinubu’s Spokesperson Takes Exit, Cites Mesical Reaaona
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Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President Chief Ajuri Ngelale has quit his job. He said in a statement in a Abuja that he would proceed on an ” indefinite leave, to deal with ” medical matters” affecting him amd hia immediate family.Hos statement reads: “On Friday, I submittd a memo to the Chief of Staff to the President informing my office that I am proceeding on an indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters presently affecting my immediate, nuclear family.
While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President; Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home.I look forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit.I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and family”NEWS
Fuel Crisis: 1000 CSOs Fault Tinubu’s Economic Team, Want Immediate Reconstitution
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By David Torough, Abuja
About 1000 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), under the auspices of Coalition Of Civil Society Organisations (CCSOs), on Saturday Faults President Bola Tinubu’s Economic Team and called for immediate reconstitution.Expressing deep concerns over the state of the economy and escalating fuel prices compounding the hardship of Nigerians despite the recent protest, the groups said Tinubu must act now to avert disintegration.
The groups said the current situation across the country has cast doubt on the competence of the Tinubu economic team and called for urgent review. The CCSOs in a statement by its National Coordinator, Mallam Ibrahim Mohammed, pointed out that the plight of Nigerians is sinking low and their patience is wearing off following the deteriorating economy.The statement reads in part, “The Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) is deeply concerned about the deteriorating state of the Nigerian economy, which is becoming increasingly unbearable for millions of citizens.“It is evident that the recent hike in fuel prices and the unstable exchange rate are the direct results of economic mismanagement by those responsible for overseeing our nation’s financial policies. The ripple effects of these failures are being felt in every household across the country, worsening poverty and crippling economic activity.“The floating of the Naira, which was initially sold to Nigerians as a means of stabilizing our currency, has done little to prevent the continued devaluation of the Naira. In fact, the exchange rate disparity has widened significantly, with the Naira losing value daily, impacting the cost of living, basic commodities, and inflation.“While this policy was expected to ease foreign exchange pressure, it has instead deepened economic challenges due to poor implementation and lack of strategic foresight.”The coalition also expressed concern over what it described as a death trap of indebtedness of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which also they claimed had slowed down importation of Premium Motor Spirit, PMS, hence the current shortage of PMS across the country. “Of equal concern is the precarious position of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), which finds itself in a debt trap, with global suppliers of petroleum products losing confidence in Nigeria’s ability to honour its obligations.“Reports have shown that NNPCL has accrued debts totalling over $6 billion, causing petrol supply shortages. International suppliers are now reluctant to continue providing fuel on credit, exacerbating supply chain issues and pushing up the price of petrol at the pump”, they claimed.The CSOs also asserted that, “We hold the managers of the Nigerian economy responsible for these disturbing developments. Their inability to provide sound policies and long-term solutions has left the nation in this predicament.“It is clear that there is no cohesive strategy to address the rising debt, the growing imbalance in the foreign exchange market, or the country’s heavy reliance on importation for petrol supply. The recent hike in fuel prices reflects the collapse of responsible economic management and accountability.“Nigerians are left to bear the brunt of these failures. Businesses are shutting down, transportation costs have skyrocketed, and citizens are spending an increasingly larger percentage of their income on basic necessities. This state of affairs is unacceptable.”The group therefore placed some demands; Immediate intervention from the government: There needs to be a comprehensive and transparent plan to stabilize the Naira, restore confidence in the petroleum supply chain, and negotiate a restructuring of NNPC’s debts to ensure continuous fuel supply.“Accountability for economic mismanagement: Those responsible for the reckless management of our foreign exchange policies and NNPC’s debts must be held accountable. The government must also disclose its plan to mitigate the rising fuel costs and economic burden on Nigerians.“A return to sound financial policy: The floating of the Naira has proven ineffective under current conditions. We call for a re-evaluation of monetary and fiscal policies to stabilize the economy, reduce inflation, and attract foreign investment.“In conclusion, the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations reiterates that without immediate corrective measures, the economic situation will continue to deteriorate, leading to further hardship for the average Nigerian. The government must act decisively and responsibly to reverse this downward spiral”, they added.NEWS
Tension in Makurdi Community as NAF Personnel Demolishes Houses, Destroys Rice Farm
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There is growing tension in Ugondu community, Makurdi LGA, Benue state by young people opposed to the demolition of houses and destruction of rice farms in the area allegedly on the directives of senior Air Force officer, Air Commodore Akinbuwa Ayodele.
It was learnt that Commodore Ayodele, who is facing multiple legal actions following dispute over a plot of land located on George Akume Way Makurdi and owned in blatant disregard to the judicial process embarked on destruction of structures on the plot.
Eyewitness said when the equipment arrived no one imagined it was for destruction.
But in a militray- like operation, two flats of two units each, completely roofed, electrified and plumbing work completed were among the structures demolished as the bulldozers rolled over rice farms in the vicinity as well.
It was learnt that last year, a Makurdi High Court presided by Justice Mary Ijohor, granted an order of perpetual injunction, in the same matter, upon application by the supposed owner of the plot and awarded the sum of One Million Naira (N1,000,000.00) only, as cost. The matter, enforcement of fundamental rights, was marked as MHC/582/M/2023.
Godwin Akor whose rice farm was destroyed in a chat with newsmen said that he was shocked at the development. He however said he won’t speak more on the matter as it is still before the court.