▪︎ Says fixing sports infrastructure more important than grass cuttingThe Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare, has emphasized  that spending scarce resources to fix sporting infrastructure is more important than spending money to cut the grass around the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja.The Minister stated that merely cutting the grass would amout to not just gross waste of scarce resources, but misplacement of priorities.Dare made the clarifications following  a misleading and out-of-context newspaper report, which stated that the  Ministry budgeted N81 million for the cutting of the grasses at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja.A  statement  by the Minister’s  Media Adviser,  John Joshua Akanji, said the headline by the author of the story was not only misleading, but also incongruous with the content.“It has become imperative and a necessity to clear the air on the misleading headline by a newspaper that the Ministry would spend N81 million to clear grass at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium Abuja.“What the Minister said was that it would be wrong and a misplaced  priority to spend a huge amount to cut grass when there  are so many other competing  matters that need to be attended to, ” the statement said.Akanji stated further that, “the Minister said, ‘a one-time clearing of the stadium would cost N81 million. If I tell  Nigerians that I would be spending N81 mIllion  to cut grass so that there would be no rats and grasscutters, what do you think of their response. The same press would condemn such action as waste of money and misplacement of priorities. This statement was made at a public function.“It is therefore  unethical, mischievous, unprofessional and unfair to twist the statement  to  suit the interest  of the writer.”The  Moshood  Abiola National Stadium Abuja which sits on a 43- hectare of land needed government attention for many years until the Minister convinced business mogul Alhaji Aliko Dangote to rehabilitate it. Work is on-going  and is expected to be completed early next year. (TGN)

It is not true that a Yobe State indigene by the name Dagona Usman Umar came second and won $400,000 in an AkzoNobel Chemistry competition.

A trending rebuttal, and also confirmed by Everyday.ng, came through a research by an unnamed gentleman. His findings: “The gift amount ($400,000) involved set a doubt in my mind, which set me to seek a confirmation. Europeans don’t play with money like that. Even the Nobel Laureate price which is one of the highest gift prices when shared between the beneficiaries in different categories is nothing close to the winning price of $600,000 in this Chemistry competition.

“First I looked up the AkzoNobel Imagine Chemistry annual contest started by AkzoNobel Specialty Chemicals, the last competition was in 2019. Nothing for 2020 came up.

“I also observed that there are no cash awards in the contest, just Joint Development Agreement.

“The competition is not for individuals but companies winners of the 2019 competition were Sironix Renewables, Seattle and Ionomr, Vancouver, B.C.
(https://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2019/imagine-chemistry-two-startups-win-novel-contest/(

“Lastly on this first point, contrary to the claim of an exam, the AkzoNobel competition is research based.

“Secondly, I looked up the names (Winner: Adalet Adam of Turkey, Second: Our own Dagona Usman Umar, Third: Nicolas Mateo of Argentina). Unfortunately no such name as Adalet Adam turned up and only 2 Nicolas Mateo from Argentina that turned up. One is a singer the other an actor. No name came up as having come third in a Chemistry competition recently. The only name that turned up on Nigerian related websites and unsafe weblinks was our very own Umar Dagona. For that kind of price, CNN and other world media would certainly have carried it.

“Thirdly, I looked up the name of the Secretary Mr Arden Peter Flank and no such person with these 3 names came up. For a recent competition in a country like Netherlands and with such amount, the name should not be limited to Nigerian related webpages alone. Even the phone number does not exist, using a phone tracker tool. +31 208 909 530

“I still want to leave the room open for the possibility that such a competition truly took place and, perhaps, I have not looked at the right webpages. But as far as my search has so far revealed, I would take this claim a 5% credence.”

A similar web surf by Everyday.ng came up with similar findings, even though the story was published by a few reputable publications.

It appears they all belong a lie allegedly started by a prominent indigene.

One of the newspapers reporte: “Yobe State indigene who represented Nigeria at the World Chemistry competition beat candidates from many countries to secure the second position.

“Umar Usman Dagon, from Gashua town of Yobe state, took part in the “Imaginechemistry” competition and made it to the top five that appeared in the final round.

“He eventually made it to the second position, winning the sum of $400,000.

“Dagona obtained NCE in Chemistry Education at Yobe State Umar Suleiman Collage of Education in Gashua town.”

Even former Vice President Atiku Abubakar appeared sucked in as a tweet a day after the story broke last week Monday attests to.

He tweeted: “I celebrate Umar Usman Dagon, from Yobe state who won $400k in the World Chemistry contest. Mr Dagon is another proof that Nigerian youth are an invaluable resource with capacity to excel in various spheres of human endeavours.”

Everyday.ng

The military on Monday said it is worried about the trend of some locals in the northeast declining to provide useful information to security agencies.

At least 43 farmers were killed in a deadly assault in Zabarmari, Borno on Saturday by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.

The United Nations has said the death toll is as high as 110.

The attack was one of the latest in a series of violent events being reported across the northeast.

But military spokesman, Major-General John Enenche, while appearing on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, said some local residents reduce the military’s effectiveness to combat the insecurity scourge in the region by not providing relevant information.

“That has been our worry,” he said. “It’s a concern to us. You need a guide, you need information. Will they tell us? That’s a question that we have to ask. Yes, sometimes. And most times, no. And that was one of the issues we have been ensuring to overcome, with civil-military cooperation activities, reaching out to them, even sending people by proxy to talk to them.

“Those are the things that have been one of the banes of the final success in the whole of this operation.

“Our patrols will pass through a route, in a village. By the time you are going, some people are looking at you. When you are coming back, the next thing is that you meet an IED planted on the road. And people saw them, they won’t tell you. So that’s the area I think we are all working together as stakeholders.

“And it is not possible to force information out of people. It’s not possible, just like they say you force a horse to the river, but not to drink water. So all we are trying to do is to build up their confidence in the system and encourage them that look, this is not good for you. Now they do not expect that this will happen, even those ones that they deceived, that they are preaching to them.”

43 Bodies Counted, Yet
Responding to the United Nation’s report on Sunday that 110 people had been killed in the Zabarmari attack, Enenche said the military’s casualty count still stood at 43.

“I have to respond, it is coming from the United Nation,” he said. “This is a source that identified itself that 110 persons specifically were killed.”

According to him, military officials accompanied Governor Zulum to count the site of the killings where the 43 bodies were counted.

But some persons had fled the scene, as they tried to escape the onslaught.

The spokesman added that the military is still searching for casualties.

“Probably we may count up to the figure he gave in the future,” Enenche said. “But as it is, up till the time I came here, what we have counted with the locals is still 43. And we are hoping that we don’t get beyond that. So that’s the real situation.”

Replacing the Service Chiefs
The Zabarmari attack has intensified calls for the nation’s service chief to be sacked.

The hashtag #SackTheServiceChiefs was one of the top trending topics on the social media site Twitter on Monday morning.

When asked what the Military’s position was on the issue of refreshing the military top hierarchy, Enenche declined to respond.

“You are not being fair to me, asking me that question about change of service chiefs,” he said. “It is beyond me.”

Thenigerialawyer

Donald Duke, former governor of Cross River state, has alleged that security operatives sell weapons to Boko Haram.

According to the United Nations, Boko Haram killed more than 100 civilians in an attack on farmers in Borno state on Saturday.

Speaking on Channels TV on Sunday, the former governor said there is a need to investigate the source of the insurgents’ arms and ammunition.

He said most of the weaponry used by Boko Haram come from military armoury.

“Most of the weaponry used by Boko Haram come from our armoury. We will need to look into that. Why are we selling weapons to the enemy?” he asked.

Duke said there is a need for a “complete revamp of our security network” to avoid losing the country.

He said there should be police presence in every five kilometres, adding that their “presence is a deterrent”.

The ex-governor said graduates who can think like perpetrators of crime should be recruited into the force to improve intelligence gathering.

He asked the federal government to train and motivate policemen and soldiers fighting the insurgents.

“The level of people we bring into the force is a bit too low. Crime is a lot more sophisticated than that. We need people who can think alongside the perpetrators of the crime. We need to up the ante and train them and motivate them. There has to be an insurance scheme to look after them,” he said.

“Motivate the soldiers in the northeast. I think they are under-motivated. We need to task them on intelligence gathering. More of intelligence than firepower.

“On the other front, by now, we need to develop a strategy on kidnap. Are the police properly motivated? I doubt it, and they don’t have enough weaponry.”

It was a weekend of horror in Abuja, Borno, Plateau and Kaduna states following carnage unleashed by suspected Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram terrorists, and bandits in the three states and Federal Capital Territory.

A top official of the Kuje Area Council was murdered on his farm by suspected herdsmen when he allegedly confronted them as their cattle were ravaging his farm.

Emmanuel Auta, a former Social Mobilization Officer (SMO) of Kuje Area Council of FCT was the officer-in-charge (OIC) of Gaube Primary Health Care Centre in the Council.

An angry friend lamented of the late official, “can you help to call the attention of FCT administration to this sustained lunatic killing of human lives and wanton destruction of farms and properties in this particular area by this same group of people.”

In the same community, it was learnt that a would-be bride was abducted a week to her marriage which would have been last Saturday.

In Borno State on the same Saturday, at least 45 farmers were beheaded by suspected Boko Haram members in Zamarmari area of Jere local government area of Borno State. There are speculations that the number may be double of the official figure.

Not less than 10 women were said to have been abducted from the same area where the rice farmers were murdered.

In 11 years, not less than 30,000 have been mauled down in the north-east with another two million displaced.

In Kaduna, eight persons were confirmed dead, two children missing, while four houses were burnt down in Ungwan Bido village, Jama’a Local government Area of Kaduna State.

In Jos South Local Government Area, the Police confirmed the killing of two persons in a market.

Said Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Ubah Ogaba, “Yes, the Command is aware of the case of culpable homicide where two persons were found dead at Kugiya Market.

“Immediately detectives and operational men of the Command were deployed to the scene to ensure that there is no break down of law and order.

”Investigation is on to unravel the circumstances behind the death. As we speak, the area is calm,”he said.

In Kaduna, the eight villagers were killed by suspected Fulani militia men early Sunday morning. The killers were said to be retaliating the attack and killing of an herder.

The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has directed the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief materials to citizens whose houses were burnt as well as those injured in the attack.

In Borno, there was loud crying as the 45 farmers were buried, and Governor Babagana Zulum lamented the deaths and called for the recruitment of indigenes into security agencies to enhance security in the embattled state.

President Muhammadu Buhari, again expressed grief over the killings, describing the act as insane and prayed that the souls of the victims rest in peace.

A statement by his spokesman, Mr Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying, “I condemn the killing of our hardworking farmers by terrorists in Borno State. The entire country is hurt by these senseless killings. My thoughts are with their families in this time of grief. May their souls Rest In Peace.”

The President said he had done what was was necessary to protect the populace.

But the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not impressed with the President’s handling of security.

It condemns the gruesome killing the of farmers by the insurgents.

The party describes the act as extremely wicked, devilish and must not be left unaddressed.

The PDP notes with pain that the horrific killing adding that it “comes as yet another of the recurring horrid testament and badge of failure of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration to secure our nation and guarantee the safety of lives and property in our country.”

It adds in a statement, “Indeed, our party is distressed by the escalated killing and maiming of innocent Nigerians by insurgents, bandits and marauders, who have continued to ravage and pillage our communities, while the lazy and lethargic Buhari administration continues with its lip service, rhetoric and false performance claims.

“The PDP is particularly disturbed because of the failure of the Buhari Presidency to take decisive action despite series of concerns raised by Borno state governor, Baba Gana Zulum, of security compromises in the state.

“The Buhari administration appears helpless while our national security structure under President Buhari seems to have collapsed. Our nation appears to be on auto pilot with no one in charge while the ship of state continues to drift.

“All our nation gets from the Buhari Presidency is that ‘Mr. President is shocked’, ‘Mr. President is saddened’, ‘Mr. President regrets’ and such lame responses without any decisive policy direction or directive to definitively tackle the situation at hand, leading to escalation of killings in our country.

“Such attitude by the Buhari administration has continued to embolden insurgents to the extent that they now attack military formations, convoys of state governors and engage in wanton beheading of our compatriots.

“It is distressing that despite this sorry situation, Mr. President, who promised to lead from the front, has receded into the safety of Aso Presidential villa and refused to act on the consistent demands of Nigerians to rejig the national security architecture and replace the service chiefs with more capable hands to affectively tackle our security challenges.

“The PDP charges President Buhari to stop his unhelpful rhetoric. He should sit up and take actions that will safeguard the lives of Nigerians who have been subjected to all manners of mental and physical torture under this incompetent administration.

“Mr. President should immediately move to Zabarmari in Borno state, empathize with the families of the victims and lead from the front in restoring security in the area.

“Our party commiserates with the government and people of Borno state and urge Nigerians to remain at alert particularly in providing useful information for our security agencies in this fight against insurgency in our land.”

Meanwhile, a farmer who escaped the Borno attack, Nasiru Usman, said the attackers also abducted seven farmers. Usman said trouble started after some farmers apprehended a Boko Haram insurgent who approached them with request for food.

“Unknowingly, he was accompanied by dozens of other militants who were hiding around the bush. So immediately they tied him and seized his guns, his other colleagues quickly stormed the scene, and opened fire on the farmers, while they took to their heels. At exactly 11am, the group declared a blanket killing against all the farmers harvesting their products.

“They began by abducting seven, then went on rampage and began killing every one in sight. So far, we have recovered up to 45 bodies. Our civilian JTF, police and Military are still searching for more bodies. We won’t know how many are missing so far for now since more bodies are still being found,” he said.

According to AFP, the victims were mostly labourers from Sokoto state in northwest Nigeria, who were contracted to harvest paddy in the rice fields.

Everyday

The Minister of State for Environment Sharon Ikeazor, has called on the media to partner with government to publicise information on the Extended Producers Responsibility (EPR) programme.

At a virtual conference, which had the theme : “Extended Producer Responsibility​ Programme under the Circular Economy :Tackling E-Waste”, the minister said, “On a daily basis, we can see the news that flood the media on the state of the nation, the economy, the environment and also mismanaged waste, which affects the environment as well.”

She further stated that it’s important to publicise the latest lluding projects aimed at addressing emerging challenges and also ensuring joint efforts with the media in promoting and protecting the environment for future generations.

She added that Nigeria has made a lot of strides in the environmentally sound management of e-waste through the implementation of the EPR programme noting, however, that there’s need to do more.

To achieve this, she urged journalists to publicise information on the EPR programme to bring about a change in the ideology of the general public towards a sustainable  development and to foster effective environmental governance.

At the online summit, Mr Feng Weng, the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP) representative,gave a lecture on:”Circular Economy Approaches for the Electronic Sector in Nigeria. ” He stated that his organisation is working with the electronic sector in Nigeria to redesign a system to keep the value of the products and materials in the value-chain with best function in value while they do not pollute the lands and oceans, rivers and air of electronics.

Mr. Weng disclosed that GEF and UNEP are bringing international experience in the management of e-waste, give inspiration in the advancements of polcy work adding that the international organisations can use Nigeria as a role model for other African countries.

He stated that work started in June 2019 and will last for another two years.

Mr Weng said that the major components of UNEP’s​ work is to support the ministry of environment and National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) to implement the EPR Policy and System, support government to enforce legislation by providing more detailed technical guidance, and support the private sector to establish and manage a collective system to collect and treat e-waste.

“We’ll collect 300 tonnes of different electronics from different channels and recycle them.”

He declared that UNEP supports NESREA to gazette technical guidance for EPR, which gives a clear framework target of how producers should takie care of e-waste in a very efficient way.

By publishing the document, he added, the organisation provides support to further amend the regulation of e-waste. He said that they also help the E-Waste Producers Responsibility Organisation of Nigeria (EPRON), to improve management and operation through technical support, as well as bring networks of global companies or agencies to support the EPR project.

He also addressed the need to partner with consumers to help protect the environment, agreeing with the minister that journalists have a very important role to play in terms of spreading the news and raising awareness about the new policy, helping the government and NESREA to send information to e-waste producers.

The UNEP representative said that Nigeria is one of the early countries in Africa that introduced legislation on e-waste, including domestic EPR legislation, management,​ transpondary movement, control of import and the introduction of license for collectors and recyclers.
An official of EPRON, Mrs Ibukun​ Faluyi,
enumerated the role of EPRON in the implementation and value -chain management of the EPR project and the significant role of the media in raising awareness of the EPR project .

In his keynote address, Professor Aliyu Jauro, Director-General, NESREA, spoke on government’s role in the circular economy and the EPR framework. He highlighted the provisions of the EPR project, its benefits in the creation of jobs, among other things.

Professor Jauro concluded that if the EPR programme is properly implemented, it will solve the e-waste management problem in the country.

He however stated that the implementation of the EPR programme is currently being carried out for three waste streams: plastics, electrical electronics and batteries.

Professor Lai Oso, Professor of Communication, University of Lagos, stressed that the capitalist industrial system run by Nigeria, seems to contribute largely to the environmental problems in the country, adding that any public initiative needs public support, underscoring the importance of the mass media.

“The media are important tools or instruments of the development process, especially, in national development.” he opined. He stated that the media in today’s world, are the main social institution for the creation and dissemination of public information and knowledge.

According to the university teacher, the media provide the most accessible forum for people to acquire knowledge about what is going on, around them.

Professor Oso, however, expressed his displeasure at the lopsided coverage of environmental issues in Nigeria. “The environment and issues connected to it, do not attract regular media attention, unless there’s a problem,” he said. 

Media attention to the environment, he noted, tends to be crisis or problem-driven, stressing that most of the stories in media coverage of environmental issues are tilted towards assigning blames.

The communication expert added that journalists should avail themselves of several workshops organised by NESREA and other agencies, for capacity building and training on e-waste management, adding that will help them to provide the right kind of information to the public.

▪︎seeks immediate spiritual cleansing of the land

From Chuks Collins, Awka

Barely a fortnight after the elders and people of Ojoto community, headquarters of Idemili South Council of Anambra state stormed Gov Willie Obiano’s office in Awka demanding official investigation of their Igwe Gerald Mbamalu over acts they said were unbecoming of a royal father, youths of the community Thursday, Nov 26, 2020 lent their voice to the call.

The angry-looking youths led by Nwajimgbede Chukwuka took over the villages bearing placards with disturbing inscriptions that enumerated their apparent grievances. Some placards said, “we denounce abomination(alu) in Ojoto”, “ikpucha alu (cleansing/purification) must be done at once”, “ichi Eze (crowning/enthronement) of Igwe Ojoto must follow tradition”. Others stated, “…, Ojoto is not a conquered territory”, “ANSG please restore peace and liberty in Ojoto”, “No more closure of churches again in Ojoto by Mbamalu”, and “desecration of church altars, programmes/activities must stop”, amongst others.

The peaceful demonstration which coincided with the courtesy visit of Otu Omenana, Ojoto Akanasato to the community’s President General, Ichie Donatus Anozie, was used to distribute some leaflets detailing eleven (11) point issues they considered key to way forward in the community. They cautioned that anarchy might be looming if these issues were neglected further.

Amongst other issues, they denounced abomination (alu) and “Iri Ogholi” in Ojoto. “Ikpucha alu” (cleansing/purification) must be done at once for all abominable acts against the customs, tradition and culture of the community

They also called for “ichi Eze” (crowning/enthronement) of Igwe Ojoto must follow the laid down principles, tradition and norms of the community. The concerned youths called for Ojoto leadership to organise without delay a peace summit on the way forward. They insisted that desecration of Ojoto values, culture and tradition in the community must stop.

According to the youths, “the (alleged) closure and imposing of levies on Pentecostal churches by Igwe Gerald Mbamalu must stop. While all such churches should be opened at once. The desecration of church altars, programmes/activities must stop.”

All illegal and forceful lands stripping/sales owned by the poor, widows, and the vulnerable must stopped, investigated and restituted immediately, while the illegitimate Taskforces/levies be disbanded immediately.

Addressing journalists shortly after a meeting with the representatives of the community’s town Union led by Ichie Anozie, the Otu Omenana leader, Chief Anthony Uzokwe, called for prayers from all quarters for Ojoto to rise again from the present ashes of shame.

He described their meeting as fruitful and heartwarming, as they were assured that all their initial letters that were ignored would now be considered alongside their submission in today’s meeting.

Uzokwe expressed worries that before then all letters to Anozie’s executive as well as Mbamalu were ignored but that they have been assured they would be addressed adequately.

Anozie described the meeting as a step in the right direction meant to move the community forward, which he admitted was a collective responsibility, adding that all groups and stakeholders would thenceforth be carried along.

The Assistant Secretary of the town Union, who incidentally is the spokesman to Igwe Mbamalu, Chief Romeo Anyisia, commended Anozie for his views. He pointed out that no leader would do well without listening to plural views. He assured that the monarch would positively consider all the issues raised by Uzokwe and his members.

Everyday