The Chairman of the House of Representatives on Basic Education and Services, Professor Julius Ihonbvere has raised a very pertinent question that has continued to nag Nigerians in the last few days over the federal government’s decision to reopen schools at a time its own agencies are telling citizens there is a more virulent strain of Covid-19 is in the air.

Said Ihonvbere in a statement:“The Committee on Basic Education and Services, House of Representatives, has received with concern the decision of the Federal Government to reopen schools on January 18, 2021.

“We are particularly concerned that when the infection rates hovered around 500 and under, schools were closed; but now that it hovers well above 1,000 infections daily, schools are being reopened. Why are we rushing to reopen schools without adequate verifiable and sustainable arrangements to protect and secure our children?”

Also, the Committee is asking that schools be kept shut for another three months for a comprehensive review of the situation, according to a media report. (Everyday)

Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has denied that he bribed his colleague, Attorney-General and Mister of Justice, Abubakar Malami SAN, with $5 million dollars to get a sole administrator appointed for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

A statement by his spokesman, Anietie Ekong said: “The attention of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio has been drawn to a piece of fake news which claimed that Senator Akpabio paid $5 million bribe to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami and others to secure the appointment of a Sole Administrator for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

“We wish to state categorically that this is a piece of malicious concoction manufactured from the pit of hell by mischief -makers. It is a figment of the imagination of the author of the fake news. Senator Akpabio denies the story in its entirety. The authors of the fake news should be ready to back up their claim or face the full wrath of the law.

“The story is a desperate attempt by some unscrupulous bloggers to impugn the integrity of the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami as the claim is not only spurious but utterly ridiculous.

“The fact is that in a suit number ABJ/CS/617/2020 filed by a Civil Society Organization, Forum for Accountability and Good Governance, at a Federal High Court in Abuja, Justice Ahmed Mohammed had granted an order restraining the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC from performing the functions of the board and accessing the Commission’s offices and files.

“The Order clearly listed the Managing Director Professor Kemebradikumo Pondei, Acting Executive Director of Projects Dr Cairo Ojougboh, Mrs Caroline Nagboh and Cecilia Akintomide as those restrained. The Order also asked that “the most senior civil servant or administrator in the Commission be appointed” to take charge of the Commission.

“It was based on this order that President Muhammadu Buhari approved the elevation of the Acting Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Mr Effiong Akwa, being the most Senior Administrator to take over the headship of the NDDC as an Interim Administrator pending the completion of the Forensic Audit Exercise.

“It is therefore absurd for anyone to even imagine that the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio would bribe the Attorney General before an Order of the Court is complied with as the purveyors of the fake news have stated. The general public should discountenance this piece of trash.

‘It is obvious that some persons who are scared of the ongoing forensic audit of the NDDC as ordered by President Muhammadu Buhari are working tirelessly to scuttle the exercise by blackmailing the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio. Their modus operandi is to churn out fake news in a bid to stop Senator Akpabio from sanitizing the NDDC. Otherwise, how can a responsible news website make such a grievous allegation without any shred of evidence to back up its claim.

“However, we wish to state that no amount of sponsored fake news and blackmail would deter Senator Akpabio from doing the right thing as directed by Mr. President. The Minister has the overwhelming support of the impoverished masses of the Niger Delta who have borne the brunt of underdevelopment of the region over the years.” (Everyday)

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has approved the deployment of a former Minister of State for Defence, Demola Seriki, to Spain as the Nigerian Ambassador while a former Minister of Mines and Steel, Sarafat Ishola, will serve as the High Commissioner to the United Kingdom

Ishola, who is from Ogun State, is also an ally of a former Governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

Also, the Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian, Debo Adesina, will serve as the Ambassador to Togo.

The postings are included in a list sighted by The PUNCH on Sunday. About 11 ambassadors were re-appointed but eight were retained in their current countries of posting while three others were redeployed.

The current Nigerian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Uzoma Emenike, who is also a career diplomat, was posted to the United States as the ambassador, while M.I. Bashir will serve as deputy ambassador.

In all, there are 52 non-career envoys posted out by the President and 43 career ambassadors based on the confirmed list from the Senate.

According to the list, the eight ambassadors that will remain at their duty posts include: Mohammed Rimi (United Arab Emirates), Jidda Baba (China), Gani Bura (Lebanon), Yusuf Tuggar (Germany), Baba Madugu (Switzerland) and Deborah Illiya (Congo).

Ambassador Tijani Muhammmad-Bande will also retain his position as the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, New York while Adeyinka Asekun will remain the High Commissioner to Canada.

However, Modupe Irele, who is the current Ambassador to France, will be redeployed to Hungary while Eniola Ajayi, the Ambassador to Hungary is expected to be redeployed to the Netherlands.

For non-career diplomats, Ms Ijeoma Chineyerem will resume as the Ambassador to Ireland, Oma Djebah will be posted to Thailand, Abdulahi Shehu (Russia), Haruna Manta (South Africa), Kayode Laro (France), Paul Adikwu (The Vatican), Abubakar Moriki (Japan), Mrs. Opunimi Akinkugbe (Greece) and Ali Magashi (South Korea)

Other postings include M.O. Abam (Italy), N.A. Kolo (Israel), A. Sule (India), G.Y. Hamza (Ghana), A.N. Madubike (Australia) and O.C Onowu (Belgium).

The remaining appointees will be expected to serve as deputy ambassadors or heads of mission. They include A.E. Alleboy (Deputy Ambassador to France), G.E. Edokpa (Deputy Permanent Representative to The UN), Ben Okoyen (Cuba), G.M. Okeke (Deputy Head of Mission to Switzerland), S.Sani to London, (Deputy High Commissioner to UK), I.A Iwejuo (Ethiopia as Deputy Ambassador), I.A. Alatishe (Deputy Ambassador to Russia) and I.R. Ocheni (Germany).

The PUNCH had reported last year how the ambassadorial nominees had been waiting for their postings several months after they had been confirmed by the Senate.
The President, however, approved their postings last week

.▪︎ Report by The Punch

The Miyetti Allah National Secretary, Baba Usman, stated this in an interview with SaharaReporters on Monday in reaction to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s statement that Fulani herdsmen had seven days to vacate forest reserves in the state.

agreement it had with the Ondo State Government was to stop night grazing and use of underage boys to graze cattle, adding that it could not be true that herders had been asked to vacate forest reserves in the state.

The Miyetti Allah National Secretary, Baba Usman, stated this in an interview with SaharaReporters on Monday in reaction to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu’s statement that Fulani herdsmen had seven days to vacate forest reserves in the state.

The Secretary-General, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Mr Usman Baba-NgelzermaChannelsTV

Usman noted that the meeting the cattle breeders had with the state government did not include the vacation of forest reserves in the state.

He said, “I just spoke with my Ondo branch chairman. The governor of Ondo State emphasised on stopping night grazing and not allowing minors to graze cows. These were small boys and that was the agreement we had with the governor during our last visit to Ondo State sometime last year.

“We jointly agreed to stop allowing minors to graze cows. And we jointly stopped night grazing. But that was what was emphasised by the governor. So, it is not true that any Fulani man was asked to leave Ondo State. 

“Nothing like forest reserves; the chairman told me that the governor asked them to stop grazing around towns and schools; they should go to the forests and graze. They should not allow small boys to graze because that is what is causing problems. So, it is not true that he asked Fulani men to leave Ondo State. It is not true.” 

Governor Akeredolu on Monday reportedly ordered Fulani herdsmen to vacate all forest reserves in the state within seven days.

Akeredolu in a statement released on Monday had also banned the movement of cattle within cities and highways, as well as night grazing.

The statement read, “We have taken major steps at addressing the root cause of kidnapping, in particular, and other nefarious activities detailed and documented in security reports, the press and debriefings from victims of kidnap cases in Ondo State.

“These unfortunate incidents are traceable to the activities of some bad elements masquerading as herdsmen.  These felons have turned our forest reserves into hideouts for keeping victims of kidnapping, negotiating for ransoms and carrying out other criminal activities.

“As the Chief Law and Security Officer of the State, it is my constitutional obligation to do everything lawful to protect the lives and property of all residents of the state. In light of the foregoing, the following orders are hereby issued:

“All Forest Reserves in the state are to be vacated by herdsmen within the next seven days with effect from today, Monday 18th, January, 2021. Night grazing is banned with immediate effect because most farm destruction takes place at night.

“Movement of cattle within cities and highways is prohibited. Underage grazing of cattle is outlawed.

“In its usual magnanimity, our administration will give a grace period of seven days for those who wish to carry on with their cattle-rearing business to register with appropriate authorities. Our resolution to guarantee safety of lives and property within the state shall remain utmost as security agencies have been directed to enforce the ban.”

Akeredolu’s directive was informed by the killings and kidnappings happening in the state, which have largely been blamed on Fulani herdsmen. (SaharaReporters)

A 38-year-old sales representative, John Okonkwo, who allegedly broke into a warehouse and stole wristwatches worth N33.8million on Monday appeared in a Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.

Okonkwo, a resident of Shomolu area of Lagos is charged with three counts of conspiracy, entering residence with intent to commit felony and theft.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Police prosecutor, ASP Roman Unuigbe, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 22, 2020, at the Trade fair market, Lagos.

He alleged that  Okonkwo broke into the complainant, Mr Chidi Dimugonabo’s shop and carted away 46 cartons of different brands of wristwatches worth N33.8million.

Unuigbe said the offence contravened the provisions of  sections 411, 280 (1) {b} and 308 (2)  of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015 (Revised).

Section 411 stipulates two years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy, while 308 (2) attracts seven years for entering residence with intent to commit felony.

Chief Magistrate Adeola Adedayo admitted the defendant to bail in the sum of N10 million with two sureties in like sum.

She further directed that one of the sureties must be a blood relation, and both sureties must be gainfully employed with evidence of three years tax payment to Lagos State Government.

Adedayo adjourned the case until Feb. 2 for mention. (NAN)

The timing of Bishop Kukah’s Christmas message, and the ensuing offensives could not be more fortuitous, seeing that it comes at a time when a world powerful nation, still reeling from an unprecedented assault on her corporate definition, is now poised to set, at the very least, a symbolic seal on her commitment to the democratic ideal. Let no one be in any doubt that some of the most extreme of the violent forces that recently assaulted her governance citadel are sprung from religious and quasi-religious affirmations, a condition that still enables many of them to be brainwashed into accepting literally, and uncritically, indeed as gospel truth, any pronouncement, however outrageous and improbable, that emerges from their leadership. As usual, we have not lacked, within our own distanced environment, advocates who, even till recently, claimed to have seen in their vision, the triumph of God’s own anointed in the electoral contest of that same United States. They have been specific in their prophesy that what was denied at the ballot box would be restored in the law courts. And to set a divine seal on the matter, were not our streets in a part of this nation actually inundated by religious processions in support of the candidacy of their supposed Messiah, named Donald Trump? They had conferred on him the mantle of upholder of Christian values, endangered by satanic practices in, of all places, a nation designated as – God’s own Country!

Of course, not all such tendencies represent the true face of any professed religion, we need only remark that all religions are plagued by a lunatic fringe. In this nation we have learnt the painful way what such inbred loonies are capable of. Thus, extreme care, and historic awareness, should be taken in imputing any act or pronouncement as an attack on faith. At base, competitors for recognition as first line defenders of the ramparts of religiosity are often motivated by non-religious agenda, which is yet another reason for the exercise of restraint and collective responsibility.

It should not come as a surprise that a section of our Islamic community, not only claims to have found offence in Father Kukah’s New Year address, what is bothersome, even unwholesome, is the embedded threat to storm his ‘Capitol’ and eject him, simply for ‘speaking in tongues’. Any pluralistic society must emphatically declare such a response unacceptable. On a personal note, I have studied the transcript as reported in the media and found nothing in it that denigrates islam but then, I must confess, I am not among the most religion besotted inhabitants of the globe. That, I have been told, disqualifies me from even commenting on the subject and, quite frankly, I wish that were indeed the case. Life would far less complicated. However, the reverse position does not seem to be adopted by such religionists in a spirit of equity. They do not hesitate to intervene; indeed some consider themselves divinely empowered to intervene, even dictate in secular life.

With the foregoing out of the way, we are compelled to remind ourselves that religion is upheld, and practised, not by robots, not by creatures from outer space, not by abstract precepts, but by human beings, full of quirks, frailties and conceits, filled with their own individual and collective worth, and operate in the here and now of this very earth. That makes religion the business of everyone, especially when it is manipulated to instill fear, discord and separatism in social consciousness. The furore over Bishop Kukay’s statement offers us another instance of that domineering tendency, one whose consequences are guaranteed to spill over into the world of both believers and non-believers, unless checked and firmly contained. In this nation of religious opportunism of the most destructive kind especially, fuelled again and again by failure to learn from past experience, we must at least learn to nip extremist instigations in the bud.

One of the ironic features of religionists is, one is forced to conclude, a need to be offended. It is as if religion cannot exist unless it is nourished with the broth of offence. This may be due to an inbuilt insecurity, a fear that even the ascribed absolutes of faith may be founded on nothing more than idealistic human projections, not grounded in anything durable or immutable. Hence the over prickliness, aggressiveness, sometimes even bullying tendencies and imperious posturing. This leads to finding enemies where there are none. In certain social climates, it degenerates into inventing enmities in order to entrench theocratic power. In its own peculiar way, this is actually a rational proceeding. A perceived threat to a collectivity tends to rally even waverers round the flag. The core mission of faith custodians then becomes presenting religion as being constantly under siege. It all contributes to interpreting even utterances of no hostile intent as “enemy action”.

Was it all that long ago when el Rufai – now governor of Kaduna state – came under blistering attack by the christian community for allegedly insulting the divine persona of Jesus Christ? What did el Rufai say exactly?  Nothing new or startling. All he did was deploy a common, everyday figure of speech to describe an overwhelming challenge. Both the circumstances and his exact phrasing elude me right now, but all it amounted to was that even Jesus Christ would find a particular problem intractable. Or perhaps it was simply that even Jesus Christ, were to return to earth,would be subjected to the Nigerian national culture of calumny? One or the other but, it hardly matters.  What does matter was that instantly, there were demands from the ever-ready Onward Christian Soldiers – led by CAN leadership – for a withdrawal and apology. To my intense disappointment – as I declared at the time –  el Rufai obliged. A huge mistake. Again and again we have warned against succumbing to irrational demands of religionists, yet even the brutal lessons of past surrenders appear to exercise no traction on society’s faculty of cause and effect, especially in that religious propensity for incremental demands. Surrender one inch, they demand a mile!

And how near impossible it is to come to grips with an even more recent and egregious bill of offence that took place over this very last Christmas of the year 2020! The now universal sales pitch of BLACK FRIDAY to lure seasonal shopping addicts to sale bonanzas drew solemn, sanctimonious flak from some religionists from the other side, this time the Islamic. A formal statement was issued, declaring this common placesale tactics an assault on the Islamic religion, since Friday happens to be its day of worship. These are the depths of absurdity into which society is dragged by the coils of spurious purism. Until now, we have yet to learn of Boko Haram, ISWAP, al-Shabbab and other rabid islamists declaring a cessation from killings in honour of Holy Friday.  Again, one station that carried the broadcasts tamely withdrew its promotional campaign. Another piece of secular – that is, neutral- territory ignominiously surrendered. The tail continues to wag the dog.

Lest the point be missed or watered down, the escalation of such irrationality is very simply outlined. Christians, not to be outdone, will seize the next opportunity to remind the rest of the world how their own Holy Day, Sunday, must and must not be used in mundane transactions in the future. Next, the Seventh-Day Adventists will demand no-go areas for Saturdays. After that, the Hindus, the Sikhs, plus the thousand and one religions of the world cornering their own Holy Day, then week, then month until we are moved to reconstruct the present calendar entirely, abandon solar principles and rebuild temporal notation around some newly discovered power planet.  Did that broadcasting station consider, for a moment, the preposterous dimensions of that sectarian demand before yielding ground to a ridiculous minority of extremists?

Of far weightier substance than any vaporous religiosity however, is the early mentioned civic condition of all occupiers of the same demarcated slab of earth, called nation, and their material and non-material entitlement as guaranteed by their enabling constitution. When any individual or group, however lofty and privileged in its own self-regard, orders a citizen to quit his or her chosen place of habitation, then the very concept of nation being is nullified. This is not the first time this fundamental principle of co-existence has been challenged.  Still fresh in one’s mind was the mode of response by the Inspector-General of Police to a similar violation by a northern Youth organizationa few years ago when that group  pronounced a deadline for the Igbo to quit their abode throughout the northern territory of Nigeria. It was a dangerous, provocative act, incendiary under any condition. That worthy maintainer of law and order was asked – and I recall this distinctly –why he failed to take action against this incitement to mayhem, such as even inviting the self-acknowledged leaders “for a chat”. That question was of course posed in the context of the starkly contrasting ‘rapid response’ agility by state security agencies, when a similar inciting proclamation was made by an Igbo group ‘expelling’ northern citizens from their territory. His answer was: such action would have security implications. By contrast, the Igbo group was proscribed as a terrorist organization. It should be chastening to any government that its proclamation remains ignored internationally.

What is Father Kukah saying? Simply what observant and concerned citizens of United States society recently remarked. The conduct of the US security forces, when confronted by peaceful protesters during the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement, was vastly different from that of the same security agencies when a predominantly white mob invaded its seat of government, thrashed it and hunted down a people’s elected representatives, rampaging for hours before they were finally “escorted out”. Such a contrast goes to the heart of nation being, and poses a real and urgent danger. That accusation has been voiced by both sides of the colour divide and across class divisions. Again and again, the warning was loudly voiced, it was unheeded. We remain fools if we fail to learn from the costly complacencies of others.

The obvious issue, to summarize, is – double standards. Lack of equitable dealing. Agreement or disagreement with Father Kukah’s position is demonstration of a nation’s badge of maturity, and should be read, quite obviously, as a continuation of that nagging, provocative discourse. One fails to understand why religion is being sprung centre stage as a legitimate extract from that New Year address. There is a deliberate, emotive displacement of a central concern. It is calculated avoidance, diversionary, and thus, nationally unhealthy. Humans should not attempt to play ostrich. (theconclaveng)