From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

The Central Planning Committee (CPC) of the annual Takete Ide Day (TID)festival has announced October 25 as the date for this year’s celebrations.The ceremony will be held at the primary school field, Takete Ide, MopAmuro Local Government Area.

Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, who doubles as Chairman of the committee, made this known in Lokoja on Tuesday, adding that it will kick-start at 10 am. He said the ceremony will also feature a 200 million Naira fund raise to step up the tempo of development and self-help projects in the community, assuring that the CPC is not leaving any stones unturned in its pursuit of a hitch free and successful festival.Themed love, celebration and development, he noted that the festival is being packaged as an elaborate reminder of the history, culture, and practices of the ancient Takete Ide people.”Every son and daughter of Takete Ide knows that TID is held either on the last Saturday of October or the first weekend of November. Guided by God, the peculiarities of each year determine how we alternate within this statutory window. Last year, it was held in November, and this year, it has been scheduled for October 25. We encourage our people, friends, and guests to join us in this important feast of harvest.”The President of Takete Ide Progressive Union (TIPU), Prince Richard Fiki said aside from its air of gaiety, the festival provides ample room for deep reflection and stocks taking on the state of public infrastructure and other challenges to decent living in the largely agrarian community.

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

Former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar has said that the only reason former Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal is being detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is because he is a member of the opposition party.Atiku noted that the detention of Sen.

Tambuwal was the continuation of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration’s agenda to harass, intimidate, and decimate the opposition. The EFCC had alleged that Tambuwal withdrew N189 billion from the Sokoto State Government account during his tenure as Governor of the state and took him into custody on Monday for questioning.However, Atiku vowed that the opposition would never succumb to the anti-democratic machinations of railroading Nigeria into a one-party dictatorship.He said in recent times, anti-corruption agencies were being used to coerce political leaders into the ruling party.Atiku in a statement on Tuesday said the reality unfolding now is that the Tinubu administration, as with other aspects, has objectified the fight against corruption as a political tool to coerce opposition leaders into the ruling party.”We are living witnesses to a growing trend where the state and its operators have assumed the roles of a bully by making corruption and the fight against it a political agenda.”Certainly, that is not the objective for which I worked hard during our administration to create the EFCC.”It is as though today, anyone who associates with the opposition is a target for phantom corruption allegations and, it is as though, as soon as they are coerced into the political agenda of President @officialABAT, their ‘sins’ are forgiven,” he alleged.The former Vice-president added: “That, definitely, is not how to build institutions. That, certainly, is not how to fight the monster of corruption. Indeed, such tendencies provide the stimulant for corruption to thrive.”We have seen how the EFCC has been used to empty opposition state governors into the ruling party, and the tea party is not about to end anytime soon.”He noted that the genuine fight against corruption was a matter that required the total support of all Nigerians, adding that the objectification of it as a political agenda should be roundly condemned by all in civil society spaces and friends of Nigeria in the international community.

By Tony Obiechina Abuja

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has reaffirmed its zero tolerance for illegal and substandard imports following the interception of 16 containers laden with prohibited goods valued over N10 billion.The Comptroller General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this during a press briefing in Lagos, at Apapa Area Command.

Representatives from key enforcement agencies, including the National Centre for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (NCCSALW), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), attended the event. The CGC explained that the seizures resulted from sustained intelligence-driven operations to protect the country from harmful imports and enforce existing trade laws.”Today, we have seizures of 16 containers laden with prohibited drugs, expired medication, expired food, and other items that run foul of our import prohibition guidelines, including arms and ammunition. These smuggled items have a harmful effect on the health and well-being of unsuspecting Nigerians who would have consumed them, in addition to causing insecurity in the country.”He noted that among the intercepted items was a container, which initially passed inspection but, upon a second search prompted by intelligence, was found to contain 202 cans of Colorado Loud, a Canadian hard drug, weighing 101kg. Further scanning revealed concealed arms and ammunition, including two pump-action rifles, 25 ammunition cartridges, one pistol with 55 rounds, and related accessories.According to the Customs Boss, the consignment was linked to a Lagos resident, Babatunde Ogidiolu. Other seizures included seven containers of expired drugs and prohibited medicaments, three containers of expired food items, particularly margarine and three containers of absolutely prohibited used clothing.The CGC stressed that the NCS would continue to work closely with sister agencies to ensure that harmful, substandard, and counterfeit products do not reach Nigerian markets.”Our vow to protect the national economy and the well-being of citizens and residents of Nigeria remains unshaken. He warned that the NCS, with the support of our strategic partners, will keep delivering uncompromising enforcement backed by intelligence to detect and seize prohibited items”.Representatives of sister agencies commended the Service for its vigilance. The Director of the South-West Zone for NCCSALW, CP Alamutu Abiodun (Rtd), noted that the seizure of arms and ammunition significantly aids in curbing the proliferation of small arms in the country.”I wish Nigeria Customs more success because their breakthroughs assist us. They have helped solve half of the problem we collectively face”, he said.