Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Sunday 10th October 2021
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 10/10/21
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E2%80%93-buhari-admits Nigeria Now Facing Politically Motivated Killings – Buhari Admits
President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday said Nigeria was facing politically motivated killings across the country, while vowing that the government would strive to eliminate all forms of violent crimes.
The president said this in Kaduna State adding that his administration would continue to do everything within the ambit of law to stamp out heinous crimes, creating fears among the citizenry.
He gave the assurance during the Passing Out Parade of 68 Regular Course of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA).
The president said, “As you’re aware, our beloved nation Nigeria, is facing many security challenges at this period.
“We continue to face security threats and violent crimes such as insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and politically motivated killings which threaten our national integration.
“It’s pertinent to state in this regard that we have received new equipment in our fight against any form of insecurity from our friendly countries.”
Buhari said that the assets would be deployed to accelerate the fight against insecurity in all parts of the country.
“It’s against this backdrop that we introduced a new Landing Ship Tank early this year to replace the first set of naval ship tanks which were decommissioned by the Nigerian Navy.
“The introduction of the Landing Ship Tank is expected to bolster the Navy’s Sealift capability and promote our global maritime commerce.
“The action will also bolster peace and safety within the Gulf of Guinea and our maritime neighbourhood,” the president said.
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E2%80%93-governor-ortom Zoning Presidency To North Brought Buhari But Nigeria Gained Nothing – Governor Ortom
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has said that zoning of political offices to any part of the country is actually not the country’s problem.
Ortom made the remarks while answering questions from journalists in Makurdi shortly after he returned from his party’s meeting in Abuja.
The governor stated that President Muhammadu Buhari emerged in 2015 as a result of the zoning arrangement but the country had not gained anything from his administration despite the zoning.
He said, “Is zoning the problem of Nigeria? I have always said that zoning is good but it’s the cause of the marginalisation of our people and the cause of the poverty. Beyond that, America where we borrowed the presidential system of government from, you will recall that they don’t do zoning. George Bush was president of America. At a point, two of his sons were governors and one of his sons became president of that country.
“So, it doesn’t matter. You look for the best and that is where we are getting to 20 years after this current experience. Some of us are also looking at where we will look for credibility. We will be objective to get somebody who will lead us at the party level and even at the presidential level. I think this is the thinking of all Nigerians.”
The governor recalled that arising from the recent challenge occasioned by divergent views of governors from southern and northern parts of the country, Nigerians are saying, that zoning isn’t the problem of the country.
He added, “We should look for the best, somebody who can deliver. Yes, from Goodluck Jonathan, we zoned to the north and President Buhari is there, are we getting the dividends of democracy? Has the country been secured? Have we been able to improve on the economy of this country? Have we been able to improve in education or in infrastructure? That is the problem.
“So, you just find zoning and do micro zoning and go to look for a stooge who doesn’t have much to add value to the development of the country. But I think that nobody is against what we have done.
“Yes, we (the Peoples Democratic Party) made some mistakes in the past until 2015. But now, PDP has apologised and we are willing to move forward from there.”
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E2%80%93-case-study-tolu-ogunlesi-tony-ademiluyi Tragedy Of Serving A Dictator – The Case Study Of Tolu Ogunlesi, By Tony Ademiluyi
The late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo once described journalists as the floatsam and jetsam of society when he was asked about his experience as a journalist with The Nigerian Worker long before his famous 1944 sojourn to the UK to study law.
Journalism all over the world is the easiest profession to enter. It is open to all professionals who either have a flair for speaking or writing. The idea of studying journalism in the University is a relatively recent one and it emanated from the United States in the 1960’s which later spread to all parts of the globe.
Tolu Ogunlesi didn’t initially set out to become a journalist as his first degree was in Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan. He later followed it up with a Masters Degree in Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. His first job was in Accenture before he caught the journalistic bug which is highly addictive and landed a job at the now defunct Next Newspapers as its pioneer Features Editor.
It was at Next which had a knack for investigative journalism that his talent greatly blossomed as he won numerous awards for his earth shaking stories among which was the CNN African Journalist of the Year Award. He later won the prestigious award for the second time when he was the West Africa Editor of The Africa Report Magazine.
He took advantage of the social media and built a massive followership on Twitter where he freely aired his views on politics, business and culture. He later wrote a widely followed column in Punch on Mondays. He was a role model to many young journalists and was a poster boy for the best of Nigerian journalism.
Having paid his dues in the profession he was tapped by the Buhari media campaign organization in 2015 to be part of the media team and I remember a scathing article he wrote in the London based Economist Magazine which was highly critical of the then Goodluck Ebele Jonathan administration.
When he accepted the offer to be a Digital Media Aide to President Muhammadu Buhari in 2016, I knew that he would come out with a bloodied nose and go the way of former brilliant journalists who couldn’t resist the lure of public office. One wonders why he accepted the appointment in the first place as if he couldn’t read and comprehend the signs. It took Buhari close to six months to constitute his cabinet and the names were mostly made up of recycled political jobbers. It was clear at the end of 2015 that Buhari had nothing to offer. Couldn’t he have politely rejected the offer?
In 2018, he was quoted to have said this in response to the criticism by a section of Nigerians who criticized his meeting with controversial British Super Model, Naomi Campbell.
“Naomi Campbell met Nelson Mandela more than once. He hugged her, called her his “honorary granddaughter”. She visits Nigeria for a fashion festival and meets President @MBuhari, and some of you animals are slandering her,” Tolu Ogunlesi said on Twitter Friday, and further emphasised that: “YOU’RE RAVING MAD WITH NOBODY TO TELL YOU.”
The zenith of his complete removal from reality came when he had a recent interview with CNN’s Larry Madowo. He was asked a simple question whether he supported the Twitter ban. He stuttered like a Caucasian trying to learn Igbo and it was so bad that Madowo asked him to either say a Yes or No to which he faltered the more.
It has elicited reactions from many of his now estranged colleagues like Fisayo Soyombo, the popular investigative journalist, Rufai Oseni of Arise News and even Reno Omokri who once held his position under Jonathan. Nigerians watched the shaming and humbling of one of its brightest journalism stars by a foreign news network not known to be too friendly to Africans.
The major challenge of journalists in Nigeria is balancing their public interest work and meeting their financial obligations. The hunger in their bellies makes them see the profession as a mere stepping stone to some juicy political appointment or a corporate job. It is seen as a mere stop gap and many journalists have an inferiority complex which make them grovel before the policy makers rather than effectively holding them to account or speaking the truth to them.
How can we salvage this noble profession so that the best and brightest are not poached by politicians who have nothing to offer? How can we reduce the best brains here from being reduced to nonentities because of ‘stomach infrastructure?’ How can we stop future Tolu Ogunlesi’s from being the mouth pieces for anti-people policies?
The media all over the world is going through a rough patch as a result of the twin incursion of the internet and new media. The duopoly of Google and Facebook has cornered a substantial portion of the advertising market leaving the rest to scramble for crumbs. There are massive layoffs and the conversion of some full time members of staff into freelancers.
Despite the media challenges, there is still the demand for good journalism as the Press will forever remain the Fourth Estate of the Realm. Nigerian journalists should think beyond chasing fading brown envelopes and hustling for declining adverts to taking advantage of the gargantuan global opportunities that the internet offers. Nothing stops a journalist who is an authority in a particular beat or who is popular from getting lucrative paid speaking gigs abroad especially in the United States which is the world’s largest market for speaking engagements. They could engage the services of an agent who will do all the sourcing and ground work for them. The Co Founder and CEO of Red Media Africa, Adebola Williams once had a speaking tour of some Ivy League Universities some years ago. Nothing stops our journalists from following suit. Amazon and Barnes and Noble have democratized the publishing industry. Nothing stops them from writing books on issues of global interest to a foreign audience that will pay for their oeuvres. Media owners can also give a share of the advertising revenue to journalists whose work attracts a huge audience to their platforms as a way of encouraging them to put in their best. Journalists should also be more entrepreneurial and adventurous and can do what they quartet of Dele Giwa, Dan Agbese, Yakubu Mohammed and Ray Ekpu did in 1984 with the formation of News watch Magazine. There are numerous grants that can be obtained from international donor agencies to support their work. Many media houses in the west have gone under a paywall either the complete or freemium model. The likes of the New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, Financial Times, Wall Street Journal etc are the leaders of the pack. Locally, Business Day and Stears Business have adopted it. Stears Business a barely four year old publication was able to attract a $600,000 investment which enabled them transit from giving out their information free to putting it under a paywall and damning the advertisers. Journalists can learn this new model.
Somebody must be a media aide to a public office holder but we hope that there will be that courage to either say no or to walk away after saying yes so that we do not have a recurring decimal of clones of the tragic Tolu Ogunlesi.
Tony Ademiluyi is the Co Founder of The Vent Republic wrote from Lagos; he can be reached on anthonyademiluyi@yahoo.com and 08167677075.
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South-West Group Moves Against 1999 Constitution, Begins Campaign To Demand Referendum
A Yoruba Group, Voice of Reason Advocacy for Social Development Foundation, VOR, has launched a grassroots campaign to sensitise the Yoruba people to the need to unanimously support the campaign for the abolition of 1999 Constitution of Nigeria to pave way for a regional referendum.
The group, comprising of accomplished Yoruba Elders in the medical, academics, law, media, public relations, finance, public administration, accounting and Information Technology, said it initiated the move to let the Yoruba people know that the major factor responsible for under-development and bad governance in Yorubaland is the 1999 Constitution which they described as fraudulent.
To actualise its vision, the group said it is sponsoring radio jingles in frontline radio stations in Ibadan, Oyo State, to pilot its mobilisation drive.
Also, VOR said in preparation for a million-man consultative forum scheduled to hold in Ibadan, it launched a registration portal requesting the formal and informal sectors in Oyo State to register for participation.
In a statement by a member of VOR sub-committee on Mass Mobilisation, Dr. Seyi Roberts, the group said VOR is committed towards ensuring that the masses are actively carried along in the struggle for the restoration of Yoruba Nationhood which he said “must begin with the abolition of Military Imposed and fraudulent 1999 Constitution that breeds poverty, under-development, poverty, starvation, corruption and gross mis-governance.”
Aside the ongoing Radio Campaign in Ibadan, VOR said it has erected banners and bill boards in all strategic locations in the ancient city, urging the people to register to support the #End1999Constitution.
One of the billboards was placed along Lagos-Ibadan express way, inward Ibadan, after Guru Maraji. Two banners were also sighted opposite the Ancient Mapo Hall, Ibadan while some banners were sighted in the popular Iwo Road of the ancient city and directly opposite the Premier University of Ibadan, Oyo State.
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Bandits Invade Sokoto Market, Kill 19 Traders, Injure Others
File Photo
At least 19 traders were killed by bandits who raided a weekly market at Unguwan Lalle in the Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday.
The attack also left several others injured, majority of whom are currently receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Sabon Birni.
File Photo
According to Daily Trust, the attack was a reprisal as there had been tension since Yan Sakai, an outlawed vigilance group killed 11 men at Mamande’s weekly market on Thursday.
Unguwan Lalle, a community located along Goronyo-Sabon Birni road, has suffered a series of bandits’ attacks in recent months.
Five soldiers who were on a rescue mission in the area were ambushed and killed by bandits few months ago.
A resident said the Friday’s attack happened during the market hours.
Unguwan Lalle market is among the popular markets in the eastern part of Sokoto state and is being patronised by traders from different parts of the state and from Zamfara, Kebbi and neighbouring Niger Republic.
However, the identities of the victims were not ascertained yet, but another source told our reporter that two biological brothers who trade in hide and skin were among those killed.
“The two brothers came to the market from the city. We just buried them at Tudun Wada cemetery in Sokoto South local government area,” our source said.
The attackers reportedly stormed the market shortly after all the traders had returned from the Juma’at congregational prayers.
“They came around 3pm, surrounded the market and started shooting sporadically.”
“I counted about 19 bodies and many were still unaccounted for,” the witness said.
Confirming the attack, member representing Sabon Birni North, Aminu Almustapha Gobir, said the whole Sabon Birni was in a mourning state over the attack.
“Sabon Birni is under siege, this is what I have been telling you people and the government is not happy about it,” he said.
Gobir, who witnessed the burial of the two brothers, noted that traders from different places were killed by the attackers.
However, the state government has blamed the traders for the attack because all rural markets in the eastern part of the state were banned as part of measures to curtail banditry.
The Commissioner for Carriers and Security Matters, Colonel Garba Moyi (rtd), stated this in an interview with our reporter.
“The state government has suspended markets in some parts of the state experiencing Banditry because these are where bandits are getting their goods.
“But some communities are not complying with this temporary measure despite the fact that it was for their own good,” he said.
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E2%80%99s-democracy-%E2%80%93 Zoning Chairmanship Of Peoples Democratic Party To North Threatens Nigeria’s Democracy – Coalition
The Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) has frowned at the resolution taken at the National Executive Committee meeting of the People’s Democratic Party zoning the national championship to the North, describing it a contradiction and threat to the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria.
The PDP NEC had recently approved the recommendation of its committee to zone the position of national chairman to the North.
Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, Spokesperson of the CNG on Saturday said it is contradictory and deceptive for the party NEC to leave the contest for presidential ticket open to all while restricting the national championship position to the North.
“It is as much an abuse of acceptable democratic process as it as is contradictory, deceptive, ultra vires and alien to political party traditions everywhere.
“One fails to understand why the PDP would rather exclude the entire Southern Nigeria and deny them the right to vote and be voted for in a free and fair process for the highest position in the party and at the same time, allow open contest for the presidential ticket.
“This is only a veiled tactic to deceive the North into ultimately ceding the presidential slot which must be rejected by insisting on an inclusive process for all party and offices in all the parties.
“It is unfortunate that the PDP after the humiliation of 2015 has still not learnt from lessons of history and is still bent on enforcing arbitrary, undemocratic practices that are harmful to internal party democracy and potentially threaten the consolidation of democracy in the country.
“We at the CNG are insisting on the emergence of a purposeful, credible, capable, and result-oriented leadership that would be achieved through a free, fair and inclusive process and not by deceit, blackmail, threat or grandstanding.
“We therefore reiterate our call for all the political parties to internal democratic processes to prevail in the selection of both party and elective positions freely and fairly without the need to disenfranchise any group of people or tribe for whatever intent and purpose.
“We therefore warm that any party that attempts to disenfranchise any group or section of the country stands to be roundly rejected by the North,” Suleiman said.
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Kogi State Residents Live In Fear As Gunmen Abduct Two Chiefs, Kill Others
Residents of communities in Kabba town and Lokoja, the Kogi State capital are now living in fear following renewed abductions of persons by yet-to-be-identified gunmen in their areas, PM News reports.
On Friday, multiple abductions were reported in Kabba, the headquarters of the Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, and Lokoja, the state capital.
In the ancient town of Kabba where there have been series of kidnappings in the last month, the rampaging gunmen killed a man, and abducted four others including two chieftaincy title holders.
Some gunmen also abducted two persons along Zone 8 to Crusher Road of Lokoja, the state capital.
In Kabba, the kidnappers were said to have first attacked the Headmaster of Otu Egunbe primary school around Ayedun and whisked him away.
The headmaster was said to be on his way to Egbeda community for a programme before he was abducted.
The gunmen then proceeded to Kakun -Kabba where they killed one Chief Raphael Tolufashe Asa and abducted his daughter.
The gunmen who reportedly stormed the village around 8.30am also abducted one Chief Obamakun Maji, and a Fulani man whose name was yet to be ascertained.
The gunmen have made contact with families of the victims and demanded for N30million ransom as a collective fee to set the abductees free, it was learnt.
The Kogi Police Command Police Public Relation Officer, DSP William Aya who confirmed the incident, said security personnel had been mobilised to secure release of the victims.
The series of abduction is the fourth in Kogi West as the area witnessed breakdown of law and order in the past five weeks.
First, was the attack on Kabba Prison in which five people were killed and about 200 inmates were set free.
Not long after, three poultry farmers were abducted in some communities in Kabba.
Also, there was the attack on ECWA church during Sunday service in the area.
One member of the church was killed while three others were abducted during the attack.
Chief Julius Oshadumo, a retired civil servant who was one of the abductees later died in a gun battle between kidnappers and vigilante officials who were on a rescue mission.
The worsening insecurity has forced residents and travellers around to now live in fear.
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E2%80%93-attahiru-jega Nigeria Suffers From Clueless Leadership From Federal To Local Levels – Attahiru Jega
Chairman Jega, of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC)
A former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Attahiru Jega, has said that both the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party led Nigeria astray in the last 21 years of democratic governance.
Speaking at the maiden inaugural lecture of Kwaravisioners Network for Rural Development, in Ilorin the Kwara State capital, on Saturday, Jega advocated for the creation of new special vehicles to free Nigeria from its present strangulation.
Chairman Jega, of the Independent National Election Commission (INEC)
According to Daily Post, Jega spoke on the theme, “Politics, Governance and Leadership Recruitment in 21st Century Democracy” describing Nigeria as a failing state.
He urged Nigerians to work hard to change their ways for the country to move forward.
“From the local, state and federal government levels, we have clueless leadership because of the way they got into power,” he declared.
He warned that Nigeria may run aground if the needful is not done at the right time.
The former INEC chairman also called for development of a people-oriented party structure that would be accountable to the people, adding that the people must also elect leaders with integrity and competence.
Jega, used the occasion to dismiss speculation about presidential ambition, saying, “I have no presidential ambition, all I am doing is to contribute to a credible, reliable and acceptable process of election and leadership recruitment in the country.”
Also contributing, Tope Kolade Fasua, blamed both politicians and intellectuals for the rot in the country.
Apparently referring to the degree of corruption in Nigeria, Fasua compared Nigeria with Ghana saying the difference between the two countries was wide from the entry point of that country at the Kotoka International Airport, Accra.
He said available data indicated that Nigeria has now become the third most unsafe country in the world, due to the present insecurity challenges facing the country.
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Nigerian Army Sets Up Court Martial To Try 158 Officers, Soldiers In North-East
File photo used to illustrate story
The Nigerian Army’s Joint Task Force North-East Operation Hadin Kai, on Saturday, inaugurated two court martials to try defaulting personnel serving at the operation ground in the North-East.
The military personnel numbering 158 will, according to the Theatre Commander of the Joint Taskforce, Maj Gen Christopher Musa, be tried on matters that pertain directly to the regimentation, discipline, efficiency and morale of the military.
File photo used to illustrate story
According to Punch, Musa made this assertion while inaugurating the general and special court-martials in Maiduguri, Borno State.
“To maintain the armed forces in a state of readiness, the military as an institution must be ready to enforce internal discipline effectively in accordance with the extant laws,” the Theatre Commander stated.
“The military has its code of service discipline to meet its peculiar disciplinary needs. In this regard, emphasis shall be laid on statute laws and the traditional military regimentation with due adherence to the fair hearing requirements as enshrined in the Constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria as amended,” he noted.
Also speaking, the President of the General Court Martial, Maj Gen. Bainze Mohammed, said there are 28 officers to be tried while the remaining 130 are soldiers serving in the various units of the operation ground.
He said further that the two courts martial inaugurated were in line with the two set of laws guiding the command. As such, the court martial is not only a jury for trial but also a court to speedily dispose cases and award punishments in the event of conviction of any personnel.
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E2%80%93-all 2023: Nigeria Needs Institutions, Not Rallying Round Personalities Like Tinubu – All Progressives Congress Lawmaker
A federal lawmaker from Oyo State, Shina Peller, has stated that the next president of Nigeria should not be chosen based on personality, cult or subjective feelings.
Reacting to a question on whether a former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, should be president of Nigeria in 2023, Peller said the president’s office should be based on strong institutions rather than individuals.
According to Peoples Gazette, Peller said the criteria should be set, leaving whoever meets the criteria to occupy the office.
“We need to build an institution now, we do not need to take any single person and be saying we want to now rally around that person. I think let us form an institution, let us identify a criteria and let us see who meets up with the criteria.
“There is no institution that has set up the criteria yet, if the criteria says the next president should be christian, is Asiwaju a christian?,” Peller said.
Peller, like Tinubu, is a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The House of Representatives member further stated that relying on personalities to save Nigeria was a mistake, and that the next president should be elected through institutions capable of ensuring the competency of the individuals.
“We have made the mistake two times. There was a time in Nigeria when President Obasanjo was brought from prison and everybody was saying he is the best person that could do this and we started to run around him. The Same thing happened to President Buhari, everybody was saying Mohammadu Buhari is a saint, he is not corrupt and then everyone starts to run around him, I believe this must stop,” Peller said.
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