₦airaland Forum

Francis Ottah Agbo, the House Committee on Narcotic Drugs chairman, says he will sponsor a bill that will allow the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency to carry out compulsory and routine drug tests on security agents, students, and politicians.

Politicians seeking political offices will undergo the test too.

In a statement posted on Facebook, Mr Agbo asserted that the routine drug checks will cleanse the system.

“I’m proposing a bill to empower the NDLEA to carry out a mandatory and routine drug test on politicians seeking public offices, top public servants, military and paramilitary officers and men, and for youths seeking admission into higher institutions,” the statement said. “This will check excesses, madness in the country, and sanitise the system.”

Mr Agbo’s proposed bill sets out to screen all serving and intending personnel in the service delivery sector and candidates seeking admissions into universities to mandatory checks on drugs.

“The more drug abusers or addicts are entrusted with critical service delivery, the more endangered our society becomes,” the statement explained. “NDLEA will be empowered to carry out the integrity test on them, rehabilitate those that fail the test before they are reabsorbed in their organisations or admitted into schools as the case may be.”

Mr Agbo further stated that certain misconducts by serving politicians and most crimes committed in society result from substance abuse.

He reasoned that regular drug screenings by NDLEA would help.

Mr Agbo’s proposal tallies with recent push by NDLEA chairman Buba Marwa, who has also made known his intention to make politicians, students, job seekers and even intending couples undergo compulsory drug test.

gulfer:
No be car seat cover be dat, abiu na juju be dat

E e shock me

Omoluabi1stborn:


What a joke

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has revealed that the rate of kidnapping across Nigeria has increased by 169 per cent in two years.

In a report posted on its website titled: “Six Alternative Ways to Measure Peace in Nigeria”, which is part of its ongoing research to understand how Nigeria measures peace, USIP stated that when measured by death toll, Nigeria seems beset by violence.

USIP’s team went in search of how people in Bauchi, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Plateau states define peace and found out that respondents understand peace as being more than the absence of violence and insecurity.

The research discovered that there is substantial evidence that violence in Nigeria is highly gendered and women value the absence of violence and insecurity as an indicator of peace more than men.

The Institute attributed the increasing rate of insecurity to poor performance of security agencies which it says has caused Nigerians to resort to selfhelp by setting up vigilante groups without minding the disadvantages.

“When measured by the death toll, Nigeria seems beset by violence. By some accounts, the COVID-19 pandemic has made experiences of violence even more common — notably, Nigeria recorded a 169 per cent increase in abductions between 2019 and 2020.

“We went in search of how people in the states of Bauchi, Kaduna, Nasarawa and Plateau define peace and we found out that respondents understand peace as being more than the absence of violence and insecurity. While many respondents equate peace with the absence of direct violence and insecurity — adopting a classical definition of “negative peace” — this is by no means their only understanding of peace. For example, more than 70 per cent of survey respondents in Kaduna State felt that peace meant having “good relations with my neighbors and/or in the community.”

“In Plateau State, nearly 80 per cent of respondents agreed that peace meant the presence of “good relations between different ethnic or religious communities.”

In addition to these definitions, majorities or near majorities in all four states also agreed that peace meant “harmony in the family.

“The absence of violence and insecurity is consistently more important for women than men. There is already substantial evidence that violence in Nigeria is highly gendered. Our research finds that women value the absence of violence and insecurity as an indicator of peace more than men. In Kaduna state, for example, 75 per cent of female respondents answered that the absence of violence and insecurity was the “most important” meaning of peace, versus only 65 per cent of male respondents. In Plateau, 67 per cent of female respondents gave the same answer, versus only 56 per cent of male respondents. While the gap in Nasarawa was narrower, it was still present — 60 per cent of female respondents felt the absence of violence and insecurity was the “most important” meaning of peace, versus 55 per cent of male respondents.

“The freedom to practice religion and the ability of people from different religions to socialize together are among the most important indicators of peace.

“In-person interviews identified more than 50 possible indicators of peace among the study’s communities. These indicators were then ranked by survey respondents. Among these, indicators related to religious practice were among the highest ranked by respondents. When asked which are the most important indicators of peace to you, in the community in which you live, nearly nine in 10 respondents (89 per cent in Bauchi, 87 per cent in both Kaduna and Plateau, 85 per cent in Nasarawa) ranked the “freedom to practice my religion and/or conduct religious activities” as a “most important” indicator of peace.

“Our research finds a correlation between those who have had difficulty in getting police assistance and perceptions of police presence being associated with insecurity, even if their interaction with the police was unrelated to insecurity. Of respondents indicating that they had requested assistance from the police in the past 12 months, 64 per cent of those who rated their experience of getting police assistance as “difficult” or “very difficult” felt that the visible presence of the police meant that there was insecurity, versus only 21 per cent of such respondents who felt security was good when the police were visible. This echoes earlier survey research that showed that victims of insecurity were less trusting of state institutions.

“There is strong support for vigilante groups. While many observers have concerns about the accountability and discipline of these vigilantes, and there is limited oversight over their activities, Nigerians who participated in this research express strong support for vigilante groups. More than eight in 10 respondents in all the surveyed states agreed that “vigilantes make a positive contribution to security in Nigeria.”

“Fewer than one in 10 respondents agreed that “vigilantes make a negative contribution to security in Nigeria.” The poor performance of the state’s security actors has sent Nigerians, across all states and genders, to look for alternatives such as vigilantes, despite the drawbacks,” the report stated.

Buckeyemedia1:
You that if you don’t see kpomo with your amala eti ewedu the whole neighborhood will not rest until mama put the kpomo?

Buckeyemedia1:
Joker old man, advocate the boycott of cow beef in South west Nigeria, if you & him are serious, silly papa.

Kriss216:
To warn you not to call someone within your age gap Mummy.

Former governor of Nasarawa State and Senator representing Nasarawa West, Abdullahi Adamu, has said it is wishful thinking and not practical for the Southern region to think the presidency in 2023 will be zoned to them.

He stated this on Monday, at an interactive session with newsmen in Abuja.

He argued that there was no provision for zoning in the 1999 Constitution and admonished any geopolitical zone anxious to clinch the ticket of the two major political parties to galvanize support for the exalted seat within the parties.

He said, “The Nigerian constitution that I have, there is nowhere it says we should zone any office. There is a federal character, that is in the constitution. The constitution is being reviewed. If you want to review and you want a provision, specific, that presidential office to be zoned in such a manner you tell us how you want it zoned.

“You can’t just wish away a situation that is fundamental to the life of a country.

“You can’t talk of merit and talk of zoning. The issue of rotation, let’s just go by merit. Let every party find a way of selling itself in a manner as to garner the kind of votes to deliver the presidential result. It is as simple as that.

“It is the government of the people, by the people and for the people. Why do you want to change it? It is wishful thinking only. We are not being practical.

”Is there zoning in the United States Constitution?. Are we more democratic than them? Any zoning in the UK with all the problems with Ireland? Did our colonial masters do it? The Constitution says you can only become the President through the ballot.

“The political party has the last card. As far as I know, the right to field a candidate rests squarely with the political party; we can only preach for fairness. That is how far we can go.”

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, has said its September 14 sit-at-home order is in honour of victims of the military raid in Afaraukwu, the home town of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

On September 14, 2017, military operatives had invaded Afaraukwu in Abia State in an attempt to arrest Kanu.

During the raid, about 28 people were said to have been killed by soldiers.

However, IPOB’s spokesman, Emma Powerful, said the Tuesday sit-at-home is sacrosanct across the Southeast.

According to Powerful: “We the global movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) wish to remind all Biafrans, friends of Biafra and lovers of Biafra freedom across the globe that the sit-at-home order issued by the IPOB leadership to be observed tomorrow, Tuesday, September 14, 2021, is sacrosanct.

“The peaceful protest is for the remembrance of the victims of the genocidal invasion of our Leader’s compound at Afaraukwu Ibeku Umuahia on September 14 2017. No fewer than 28 innocent Biafrans were killed that day by the Nigeria Army during the raid.

“We advise all Biafrans, both men and women, to stay indoors tomorrow as a mark of honour to these fallen heroes and heroines. We must not fail to remember the supreme sacrifices of these great freedom seekers. Nothing done to honour them should be considered too much for they have watered the tree of Biafra freedom with their blood.

“Our Leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has also made a lot of sacrifices for the restoration of Biafra. So, all of us must be prepared to play our roles to accomplish this great task. Biafra independence is a mandate that we must live to accomplish.”

Powerful maintained that the alleged killings of Biafra agitators would not deter IPOB from its agitation for secession.

“We won’t be deterred by the killings of Biafra agitators by Nigeria compromised security agencies who cannot confront Fulani bandits and herdsmen rampaging the country. They derive pleasure in killing and torturing innocent people agitating for their freedom while fleeing from real terrorists,” he said.

Lostchild:
BeeBeeOoh

Keep doing the work of your father - the devil.

You will receive the wages of Satan in abundance.

Presentday:
It's normal.
My own problem is that if I try this before eating breakfast, my stomach will ache so bad it'll spoil my morning.

Jennifer Madueke, the 29-year-old woman arrested over the missing pistol of a Lagos Divisional Police Officer, CSP Adegoke Atilade, has been released.

The police also removed Atilade as the DPO of the Denton Police Station, Ebute Meta.

PUNCH Metro had exclusively reported that the police officer and Madueke were in a romantic relationship before Atilade was transferred out of Lagos seven years ago.

The former love birds met recently and exchanged phone numbers.

On Friday, August 27, the officer allegedly invited the woman to his office, where they allegedly made love.

A week later, Atilade arrested her and accused her of stealing his service pistol.

The officer, who denied sleeping with her, said he only assisted her to pass the night at the police station after she claimed to have been stranded.

He insisted that she took his pistol.

The suspect was detained at the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, where she was held for three days.

A source close to Madueke said the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the SCIID, DCP Adegoke Fayoade, contacted Madueke’s relative to come for her bail after receiving a call from our correspondent on the matter.

The source said, “After the DCP discovered that the press had been involved, he called the girl’s family member to come for her bail. That was how she was released on Thursday when you called him.”

Another source said the DCP attempted to cover up for Atilade due to their ties, adding that they hailed from the same Ila area in Osun State.

“They also bear the same surname. He was trying to cover for him when PUNCH blew up the case,” the source added.

But an officer denied the culpability of the SCIID boss, saying he was a professional who would not allow parochial sentiments to stop him from doing his job.

“The DCP is a fantastic and highly credible officer. He will never demand money or returns from his men. Petitions or complaints don’t last more than two days on his table. In fact, he has reformed Panti.

“But this case, I believe he could not do anything because he knows only the Inspector-General of Police and the Police Service Commission can take action against the DPO,” the officer added.

Fayoade also denied covering up for the senior cop, saying they did not share surname or hail from the same community.

He said, “We only share the same first name; I don’t condone indiscipline.”

A relative of Madueke confirmed to our correspondent that she had been released, but said had been asked to report at the Denton Police Station.

The family member said he could not tell the reason for the fresh invitation.

Meanwhile, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Adekunle Adebutu, in a statement, said Atilade had been removed and redeployed.

The statement said, “This is to inform the general public that the Lagos State Police Command is not oblivious of the reported case of theft of service pistol against one Jenifer Madueke and the allegation of sex in the office against the DPO, Denton Police Division, CSP Adegoke Atilade, as published on pages 4 and 5 of today’s edition of The PUNCH.

“In the interest of fairness and justice, the Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, has ordered an independent, thorough and unbiased investigation into the case.

“Members of the public are hereby assured that appropriate actions will be taken against anyone found culpable at the conclusion of the ongoing investigation such that at the end, justice would have been served.

“Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police has directed the immediate redeployment of the officer in the eye of the storm so as to pave way for diligent and unbiased investigation.”

A resident in the Ebute Meta area confirmed that a new DPO, Segun Abifarin, replaced Atilade.

iramure:
what is 90%?.. you miss it!.
It's actually 101%! Even the ones you believe are mega are criminals in disguise

THE vice presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 general elections, Peter Obi, has faulted the latest National Bureau of Statistics report which stated that the country’s economy has recorded a five per cent growth to Gross Domestic Product growth.

He added that growth with rising poverty in the country was meaningless.

Obi spoke on Sunday evening when he featured on a Channels Television programme, ‘Politics Today’.

He specifically said rather than celebrating growth to GDP, which had no impact in the citizenry, the Federal Government should stop borrowing for consumption and face investment.

The former governor of Anambra State said the fact that the Federal Government had been borrowing money and spending it on consumption had not made the NBS report to make significant impact in the lives of an average Nigerian.

Obi noted that the Federal Government should concentrate on the small and medium enterprises, education as well as target its citizens in the Diaspora if it really wanted to make significant impact in the lives of its citizenry.

Obi said, “The type of growth I want to see is the one that will pull Nigerians out of poverty by making the people to have disposable income and be able to feed themselves.

We need the type of growth that will educate our children, provide primary health care for all the communities. We don’t need growth based on speculations that government officials are celebrating all over the places.”

Obi insisted that growth to GDP could only be celebrated in a country when people are happy with their disposable income and be able to take good care of themselves and members of their family.

He said, “The biggest engine for economic growth is the micro, small, medium enterprises. That is the practice all over the World.

“That engine today is not being supported in Nigeria. Nigeria has a total of 40 million SMEs but there is not properly articulated fiscal and monetary policy to support the critical sector.

“The entire loan to private sector on Nigeria today is about N30trn. Less than N1.5trn is going to the SMEs. This is less than five per cent of the entire loan. This means Nigeria is not supporting its engine that can enhance the nation’s economic growth.

“The SMEs are the biggest employer of labour in many advanced countries of the world. We need fiscal monetary policies that would invest in this engine of growth in order to create jobs.”

Orubebe01:
It means that they are not called by God, rather, it was their pockets that called them.

There are indications that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) may have invited 20 disciples of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) for questioning over alleged financial fraud and diversion of funds left by the late founder of SCOAN, Temitope Balogun Joshua.

The invitees include Nigerian and foreign prophets and prophetesses of the church.

According to the letter of invitation sighted by The Guardian, yesterday, the church is expected to release them to report for an interview through the Special Investigation Team (STI).

The letter signed by EFCC’s Lagos State Zonal Commander, Ahmed Ghali, said the disciples are being investigated for allegedly syphoning funds and breaking of the church’s vault.

Those expected to resume at the office of the Commission today (Monday morning) are, Obasa Damilola Tinuola, Obasa Folake, Mosun Adeloju, Yakubu Abeni, Omoitoh Omoye, Adebola Olamide Morenike, Bousso Racine, Eugune Rademeyer, Cindy Elizabeth Widjaja, Fanny Elma Alfred, Angela Marie Brandt, Graham Nadine, Tonge Christopher, Catherine Ann Farr, Enrique Miguel, Olayinka Deborah Egbejobi, Mari-Anne Uchechi Ibe, David Omojevbe Joseph, Tonge Ruth, Polo Sandoval Allison.

A source, who spoke in confidence with The Guardian yesterday, said the invitees include prophets from Nigeria, Mexico, South Africa, Senegal, who had been in close contact with the deceased prophet, are alleged to have emptied a vault of money located in the church since the passing of T.B Joshua, and also put up his private aircraft for sale.

“They have carried out huge fraud that has made many of them multi-millionaires since Baba’s death. Many of them are on the list of EFCC. They are up to 20. They seized the church immediately after the Prophet died in June and didn’t want his wife, Mrs. Evelyn Joshua, to be part of the church. They have made themself Overseers. They have established a governing council with some living in the prayer mountains. They went to the vault at night and used a Ghana-Must-Go bag to loot money. They also went to open the Emmanuel global network where they asked international partners to donate without the knowledge of Evelyn,” the source said.

The source revealed that contact information on four of the late T.B Joshua’s mobile phones was wiped off weeks after his death.

“T.B Joshua’s phones were seized by some disciples for some time and when Mama was asking for his phones and it became an issue they returned the phones to Evelyn and wiped out both the memory and contacts in the phone. They had worked with Baba over the years and they are Prophet and Prophetess and people who travelled a lot with Baba before his death. Some of them are 50 years of age and some were asked to go in the past. ”
MEANWHILE, the church has officially named the wife of the late T.B Joshua’s wife, Evelyn, as the new leader.

In a statement on its verified Facebook page, SCOAN said all church activities would be under the guidance of God and the leadership of Mrs. Evelyn.

It also urged members and followers to pray for Mrs. Evelyn as she takes on her new role.

“We urge you all to join us in prayers as we wish for God’s guidance and divine wisdom in her new God-ordained role. Mrs. Evelyn Joshua will shortly address the teeming members of The SCOAN and Emmanuel TV Partners who have waited so long for this new phase in the Great Commission,” the statement added.

Recall that there have been reports of the leadership tussle in the church following the death of TB Joshua. The alleged tussle had led to the eviction of some disciples of the late prophet from the church premises.

Following the forceful eviction of some disciples residing in the church at the weekend after Mrs. Evelyn was announced Chairperson, Board Of Trustee ( BOT), the church has said it was in the process to secure major assets of the church and for a comprehensive audit.

It was gathered that the leadership tussle began when concerned members of the church moved for Evelyn to be among the BOT, which was formerly occupied by T.B Joshua, his daughter, Promise, and a disciple, Joseph David.
A Federal High Court, Lagos has already appointed Mrs. Evelyn as a trustee of SCOAN based on a petition brought by concerned members of the church, represented by Mr. Kola Kareem and Mrs. Moji Oguntoyinbo against the Incorporated Trustees of the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN).

Justice Tijjani Ringim gave judgment in suit No: FHC/L/CP/1109/2021.

Also, a statement signed by a lawyer from the legal department of the church on Sunday, James Akhigbe, said there were no arrests and detention of some disciples by the newly appointed SCOAN Board of Trustees (BOT) Chairperson and leader of the church, Mrs. Evelyn. He appealed to the public and friends of the church to discountenance reports of alleged victimisation as it is a narrative conjured to discredit the church.

Sirjamo:
If he uses the communication commission to deal with them, you will call him a dictator. Hypocrites like you cannot be satisfied.

Sirjamo:
The majority of Nigeria media work for PDP and ipob terrorists

sukar886:
. You are a fool, did he mention anyones name

The Presidency on Sunday cleared the air on the varying interpretations drawn from the concluding remarks of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), during his visit to Imo State last Thursday.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, explained this in a statement titled Presidency ‘What President Buhari said (didn’t say) in Imo State’.

According to Adesina, “purveyors of misinformation” have “deliberately contorted” the president’s speech out of context.

The statement read, “We have observed that President Buhari’s concluding remarks at the meeting with South-East Leaders during his one-day visit to Imo State is being deliberately contorted and twisted out of context.

“The purveyors of disinformation want Nigerians to believe that the President bluntly told Governor Uzodinma, ‘’I’ll be careful with your future invitations.’

“They have adduced different meanings to the phrase, contrary to the context wherein the President spoke during his successful dialogue with leaders of thought from Igbo land.

“When he arrived at the banquet hall of Imo State Government House for his last assignment in Owerri, the President was welcomed by over 50 leaders from the South East who had waited patiently for him for a Town Hall engagement, after commissioning strategic projects in the state.

Adesina said that an elated Buhari made it clear that he was expressly overwhelmed by the reception and galaxy of personalities that travelled from the five South Eastern States to have a heart-to-heart discussion with him in Owerri, the Imo State capital.

He quoted the President as saying, ‘‘I am overwhelmed by this reception, overwhelmed in the sense that when I accepted the invitation by the Imo State Governor, who wants to justify investments the government has done to the people of Imo State, I thought I would see the bridges, the roads, and a few renovations.

“He didn’t tell me he was going to get the whole Igbo leadership here. So in the future when he invites me, I’ll know what to do. But I think he has done what the military didn’t like. He has achieved surprise. He has surprised me beyond description.’’

Concluding, Buhari referenced his earlier remarks on the ‘‘surprise’’ action pulled by the Governor. On a lighter note, he quipped: “‘Governor of Imo State, I cannot thank you enough, but I will be careful with your future invitations.’’

This, the Presidency says, has no other meaning other than the light nature with which Buhari made the statement.

It said, “the President’s historic visit to Imo State was very successful and the Igbo leaders who met him shared the same enthusiasm that his coming to the Eastern heartland would bring peace, foster unity, encourage good and better understanding among the citizenry.”