₦airaland Forum

It is quite commendable that the Lagos State Government is considering an official public holiday set aside for traditional worshippers in the state. Commissioner for Tourism, Uzamat Akinbile-Yussuf, and the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Tourism, Arts and Culture, Solomon Bonu, hinted this while giving an account of their stewardship in the past two years.

Bonu said the bill on the proposed public holiday for traditional worshipers is currently before the State House of Assembly. He assured that it would soon be passed by the lawmakers and signed into law by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. The Special Adviser explained that there will be a specific day or week earmarked for traditional worshippers as a public holiday or work-free day:

https://thejournalnigeria.com/cultural-heritage-lagos/

The House of Representatives is presently considering the discontinuation of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Alteration Bill, 2020, which is seeking to repeal the NYSC Act, is billed for a second reading.

The sponsor, Hon. Awaji-Inombek Abiante, in the explanatory memorandum of his proposal, listed insecurity as the first among other reasons why the NYSC programme should be scrapped.

It reads in part, “This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds: the incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism, ethnic violence, and incessant kidnapping across the country.”

Another reason given by the sponsor is that public and private agencies/departments are no longer recruiting able and qualified Nigerian youths, thus relying heavily on the availability of corps members who are not well remunerated, and also get discarded with impunity at the end of their service year without any hope of being gainfully employed.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/national-service-scheme-security/

The legalisation of industrial hemp and medical cannabis for economic and medical benefits is gradually coming close to reality in Nigeria. Recently, the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu stated in a press conference in Akure, Ondo State that the House of Representatives is set to legalise the use of Indian hemp for economic benefits. This legalisation will start to take shape with the passing of the Dangerous Drugs Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, presented before the House of Representatives. It will become law if the Senate concurs and the President signs it into law.

Hon. Kalu noted at the press conference that there will be a stakeholders conference on 7 and 8 June 2021. The core of the discussion will be on the economic and medical benefits of the plant; the licensing and regulation of the production; as well as the distribution channels for the plant.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/economic-diversification-marijuana/

The kind of relationship that existed between the Federal Government under Muhammadu Buhari and Reverend Father Ejike Mbaka in the last six years could best be described as a sizzling romance between the cassock and the soapbox. Interestingly, the romance went sour a few months ago.

Recently, Garba Shehu, the spokesman of the president, issued a statement attempting to discredit Reverend Fr. Ejike Mbaka over his criticism of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government.

Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the clergy was angry with the president for allegedly refusing to circumvent contract award procedures in his favour.

Mbaka, according to the president’s spokesman, had requested an audience with the president but to the chagrin of presidential aides, he came with three contractors, demanding compensation for his support with contracts to his friends.

In a rejoinder, Mbaka, who is the Spiritual Director of Adoration Ministry, Enugu, demanded immediate apologies from Garba Shehu.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/buhari-mbaka-fall-apart-1/

As Leah Sharibu, one of the 110 Dapchi schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists turned 18 on 14 May 2021, the human rights community and many Christian institutions marked the day with sad reflections. Her condition has remained a huge source of concern to many Nigerians and the international community as well.

It was on 19 February 2018 that Boko Haram kidnapped 110 schoolgirls from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College located in northeast Nigeria. After a month of negotiations between the Nigerian government and Boko Haram, 104 out of the 105 girls were released and returned home to their families.

The jihadist militant terrorist group kept one girl and that was Leah Sharibu who was 14 years at the time. She has remained in captivity till date owing to her refusal convert to Islam. For the past three years, she has been held hostage and deemed a “slave for life” by her captors.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/leah-sharibu-18-boko-haram-captivity/

When President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Hadiza Bala Usman as the first ever female Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) in July 2016, many Nigerians received the news with mixed feelings.

Prior to her appointment, she was the Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, helping to spearhead reforms in a state that badly needed rejuvenation.

By entrusting the herculean task of reforming one of the most important agencies of government to a young Hadiza, President Buhari seemed to have dispelled all sentiments of his perceived aversion to youth and women inclusion in government.

The appointment also signalled the intentions of his administration to tackle corruption in a major revenue generating agency, as well diversify the nation’s revenue stream with a major break away from over-dependence on oil.

However, Hadiza Usman was recently suspended by the president because of issues bordering on corruption.

Ms Usman was suspended following the recommendation of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi to the presidency.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/hadiza-usman-npa-transport/

Over the years, national and international courts have prosecuted a good number of political leaders who incite others to commit acts of violence that have engendered war, terrorism, and genocide.

For example, a federal court in the United States sentenced Sulaiman Abu Ghaith, an al-Qaeda propagandist, in 2014 to life imprisonment for what his defense attorney called “mere talk”.

Even in Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Rwanda Genocide convicted eight persons, including a radio broadcaster and a Rwandan pop star for public incitement.

The huge punishment meted by international tribunals to individuals who promote and incite violence shows why the global community sees it as a dangerous crime against humanity.

In Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) or otherwise called Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, in the last decade have shown that they are nothing but purveyors of dehumanising statements aimed at inciting one region of the country against another.

Miyetti Allah has been in the news since the inception of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for so many negative reasons.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerians-violence-miyetti-allah/

Census has remained a veritable mechanism through which countries around the world garner the data of their citizens for sustainable development.

Constitutionally, Nigeria’s census should be done every 10 years by the National Population Commission (NPC), but it has been difficult to sustain due to the pressures on the economy and lack of political will to follow the timeline. Oftentimes, the government might be avoiding the political, social, ethnic, and religious controversies, as well as the geopolitical mistrust and disputes that have followed headcounts in Nigeria. Since 1866, census exercises have triggered national disagreement and mistrust.

The country has organised a handful of censuses — 1871, 1896, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1952, and 1973. The census in 1973 was never accepted by the government. In 1988, the Federal Government established the National Population Commission.

The fact that Nigeria still does not have effective and reliable census data have repeatedly been bemoaned as being responsible for the country’s policy summersault and under-development.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/national-census-threats-insecurity/

Maybe you should educate us]

Nigeria is in a state of war. A few months ago, the war was in the northeast. But today, it is ubiquitous. The entire country is now the theatre of violent engagement.

Up until January this year, and raging as they were, Boko Haram had no Nigerian territory under their control. But today, they are looking stronger and have conquered new territories not only in Borno, but also in Yobe and Niger. They are threatening and aggressively pushing southwards.

Bandits have taken over a good part of the northwest, and states like Sokoto, Zamfara, Kaduna and Katsina are no longer safe territories for residents. Many schools in these areas have become no-go areas for pupils and students. Hundreds of innocent citizens of this country are still being held in the dens of kidnappers.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigeria-state-of-emergency/

Mixed reactions have trailed Nigeria’s public financial sector since Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki on 10 April 2021 disclosed that the Federal Government printed N60 billion as part of the federal allocation for March. This earth-shaking disclosure was made during the state transition committee stakeholders’ engagement.

After four days of anxiety, as the public waited for government to confirm whether the allegations were true or false, the Ministry of Finance on 14 April 2020, finally said that Godwin Obaseki was “lying through his teeth”. Addressing the issue at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja, the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed said the governor’s comments were unfortunate and a tissue of lies. In her words, “The issue that was raised by the Edo State Governor for me is very, very sad because it is not a fact. What we distribute at FAAC is revenue that is generated, and in fact distribution of revenue is public information. We publish revenue generated by FIRS, the customs, and the NNPC, and we distribute at FAAC. So, it is not true to say we printed money to distribute at FAAC. It is not true.”

Contrary to Obaseki’s depiction that the country’s financial status is in such a state that it will take the grace of God to pull out from the doldrums, the Finance Minister insisted that the nation’s debt profile is ‘still within sustainable limit’, but stated that revenue must be improved to enhance capacity for debt servicing and running the government.

The revelation by the Finance Minister came as a huge relief for quite a number of Nigerians who were already dissecting the implications of Obaseki’s exposition, especially in view of an economy that was already in dire straits.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/central-bank-money-printing-controversy/

Twitter recently announced that it is opening its first African office in Ghana. In an official statement, the company took time to elucidate the reasons for choosing Ghana over other locations.

In their explanation, the social media company said Ghana was prioritised because, “as a champion for democracy, Ghana is a supporter of free speech, online freedom, and the Open Internet, of which Twitter is also an advocate.

“Furthermore, Ghana’s recent appointment to host the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area aligns with our overarching goal to establish a presence in the region that will support our efforts to improve and tailor our service across Africa.”

The move by Twitter has continued to generate huge debate among Nigerians both at home and in the diaspora. On the one hand, some Nigerians have blamed the Federal Government for Twitter’s decision to site their headquarters in Ghana.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/twitter-ghana/

It was the great socialist and author, Dashanne Stokes who said that “when we allow violence against some, we enable violence against all.” No statement perhaps best captures the way some Nigerian leaders have been stoking violence recently even in the face of all the tensions and crises unsettling the country. Last time, it was the Zamfara State Governor, Bello Matawalle, with talks about monopoly of violence, and CHURAC president, Alaowei Cleric. Now the focus is on the Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and Senator Smart Adeyemi.

Governor Abdullahi Ganduje

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, is one of the country’s political leaders who deserve commendation for the decorous way he joined other stakeholders in seeking solutions to the farmers/herders crises when it got to a boiling point and was equally threatening the country’s unity.

He was perspicacious to admit that open grazing was largely responsible for the constant feud between farmers/herders that was fast degenerating into a national crisis. As a member of the Northern Governors Forum, he noted that open grazing was not sustainable in view of growing modernisation, and that the Nigerian government should put a law to ban the movement of cattle from the North to other parts of the country.

The Kano Governor said he believed this move would help strongly in resolving the problem of clashes between farmers/herders and also the issue of rustling. His words:

“Those herders traveling from the North to South should be banned from doing so. This is a national issue. A robust bill by the National Assembly is the only answer to the issue of farmer/herder conflict,”
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerians-violence-ganduje-smart-adeyemi/

The Chairman of Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State, Hassan Farawa, on 8 April 2021, stunned the public when he disclosed that he has appointed about 55 special advisers and special assistants, to facilitate what he calls “good and effective governance” of the local government.

Speaking at the inauguration of the new appointees, Farawa commended the state governor, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, for his commitment to eradicating poverty in the state, and thanked the state’s acting chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas and the Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Alhaji Murtala Garo, for their support.

Politicians are the visible faces of public service, but much of the work and processes by which political decisions are made are handled by political staffers in form of aides and assistants. They prepare reports, conduct researches, draft legislations, and prepare negotiation briefs that allow public service to flow smoothly. An effective aide is a valued advisor and resource.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/army-of-special-assistants-a-method-of-fraud/

Nigeria’s Sugar industry has been in existence since the 1960s although, for years, it could only supply about 2% of the country’s requirement. This is in spite of the comparative and competitive advantage sugar production has in the country. This poor performance stripped the country of virtually all the benefits that could have accrued from the vibrant sector. The impact was more evident in the annual drain on the country’s foreign exchange earnings placed at N101.9 billion as of 2011.

Nigeria was equally losing a great number of employment opportunities for skilled and semi-skilled labour and food insecurity following the dependence on the importation of sugar. In a bid to turn things around, the Federal Government in 2008 directed the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), to develop a road map for the attainment of self-sufficiency in sugar within the shortest time possible. In compliance, the Council came up with the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) in 2012.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerian-sugar-plan-feud/

It was quite surprising to many listeners of a phone-in programme of a popular radio station in Abuja that food vendors were admitting on air that they still use paracetamol tablets to “soften” meat because it helps them to spend less on kerosene, cooking gas, firewood or charcoal.

According to them, no matter the quantity of meat, paracetamol will soften them within a few minutes of being placed on the fire. They added that the drug is also accessible and affordable as one sachet of 12 tablets is sold for only N50.

A bar attendant who claimed he is based in Mararaba, Nasarawa State, explained that when ten or twelve tablets of paracetamol are used to cook cow leg and skin popularly known as “ponmo”, they get very soft and ready for consumption within a few minutes.

The surprise was that even after this negative practice was roundly condemned when it was first reported about two years ago, when it was quite common in bars and pepper soup joints, there are still some food vendor holding on to this nefarious practice and endangering the lives of over 60 percent of Nigerians who eat out of home on a daily basis.

The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in its recent report described eating out or too much ordering of food as the possible cause of sudden sickness and death in both developed and developing countries. This report is corroborated by experts who believe that there are chemical substances that cause contamination and therefore make food unhealthy for human consumption, especially during preparation and processing.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/unsafe-food-preparation-money-saving-lives/

The International Monetary Fund plays a significant role in moulding economic policies of the world, including Nigeria. Accordingly, the IMF (Nigeria) Staff Country Reports gives kudos to the government in areas they reason are commendable, while offering options to areas they believe can have damaging effects on the economy.

Recently, the agency released a report wherein it raised Nigeria’s 2021 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate from 1.5 per cent to 2. 5 per cent.

This was contained in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) in which it also reduced next year’s growth forecast from 2.5 per cent to 2.3 per cent.

The IMF raised the 2021 projected Global growth from its October 2020 position of 5.5 per cent, to a new 6 per cent.

Global growth is projected at 6 per cent in 2021, moderating to 4.4 per cent in 2022. The projections for 2021 and 2022 are stronger than in the October 2020 WEO.

The upward revision reflects additional fiscal support in a few large economies, the anticipated vaccine-powered recovery in the second half of 2021, and continued adaptation of economic activity to subdued mobility.

The organisation noted that global prospects remained highly uncertain one year into the pandemic as the “New virus mutations and the accumulating human toll raise concerns, even as growing vaccine coverage lifts sentiment.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/imf-ray-nigeria-global-economy/

A traditional proverb states that a wise man keeps his tongue. This statement is even more pungent in the area of leadership. The wisdom to say and what not to say is quite important for anyone that occupies a leadership position. Some Nigerian politicians have however failed in this regard as their utterances are replete with violent undertones.

As Femi Adesina puts it, Nigeria is in a war of tongues. Nigerian leaders have continued to make careless statements along ethnic and religious divides, without considering the implications. Governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle and CHURAC president, Alaowei Cleric are two examples of such leaders.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerians-support-incite-violence-bello-matawalle-alaowei-cleric/

Patriotism is one of the defining elements of every true citizen. Having the capacity to stay true to one’s country, not only when things are favourable but in difficult times, is the hallmark of a patriotic citizen.

It is of a truth that Nigeria is going through hard times. But while major stakeholders and well-meaning Nigerians are doing everything to ease tension and salvage her from present challenges, others are in the business of deriding and escalating things. Reverend Mathew Kukah and Omoyele Sowore more recently have been at the centre of adding fuel to fire than dousing the heat in Nigeria today.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerian-incite-violence-kukah-sowore/

Looking at the political history of Nigeria, in every presidential race, there are at least three levels of aspirants. There are the frontline contenders, the middle-level players, and the back-benchers, also referred to as the pretenders.

The frontline contenders are those with financial muscle and political structure to make maximum impact in the race. The middle-level players are those in the race with respectable antecedents. Although they may not have the type of resources and structures of the frontliners, they bank on different kinds of permutations to elevate their candidacy and pick the coveted ticket. In Nigeria, this happens so many times.

Those in this group may be banking for them to emerge as a consensus candidate on either an irreconcilable clash among the frontline contenders, a court case against a frontliner with huge baggage, or a sudden realisation by the political elite of the advantage in picking him or her as the party’s candidate.

The pretenders are those in the race either to prove a point, create some “nuisance value” to elevate their political profile or negotiate for relevance in the next political dispensation. In their political heart, they know that they can’t win the race or even be among the first five in a free and fair electoral process. But just like most politicians, they are incurable optimists; so they hang on with the hope that somehow, something positive will emerge or they would be called for “settlement”.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/presidential-contenders-succeed-buhari-ibikunle-amosun/

Political activism has always been a noble cause. The likes of Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, among others, will forever be remembered in history for the decorous ways they went about advocating the rights of the people. Many who are today activists and human rights advocates were inspired by these lots.

In recent times however, some Nigerian activists have deviated from the noble cause. This is the case of Femi Falana and Reno Omokri. They have allowed their own personal interests to override the public good. Pure objectivity which should be the main focus of the cause has been thwarted for subjectivity. Both Femi Falana and Reno Omokri have failed to delineate the thin line between activism and rascality.

For what anybody knows, activism has always been sincere and honest. But in the case of Reno Omokri, he plays to the gallery to score cheap political points. For Falana however, it is a political vendetta.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerians-violence-falana-reno/

The eligibility of Atiku Abubakar, a leading PDP presidential aspirant, to run as president has propped up again. This time, the attorney-general of the federation is the one handling the issue. It is frontal attack as seen in the affidavit published on 6 April 2021. The AGF’s affidavit is in support of a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/177/2019 and filed before a Federal High Court in Abuja by the Incorporated Egalitarian Mission for Africa.

Despite the fact that the suit was filed before the last presidential elections, it was yet to be heard in court. It was exhumed on 15 March 2021 as Justice Inyang Ekwo declared that the suit was ripe for hearing. May 4 was fixed as the date for the first hearing.

Asides the presidency, Atiku’s political future in Nigeria is on the line given that the suit borders on his citizenship as a Nigerian. Some of the requirements to run for the office of the president in Nigeria are: the candidate must have attained the age of thirty-five years; must be a member of a political party and sponsored by that political party; have been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent, and the candidate must also be Nigerian by birth. The circumstances surrounding Atiku’s birth nonetheless have always been a bone of contention, especially in the last 16 years that he has been pushing to become Nigeria’s president.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/atiku-eligibility-contest-president/

It seems quite unbelievable that Femi Fani-Kayode, former minister of aviation, recently had his first AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine jab. This is after he had, on different social media posts, condemned and warned against the vaccine, even tagging it “Gates’ killer vaccine” and “EVIL”.

Fani-Kayode has vociferously been claiming that the vaccine’s purpose was part of the depopulation agenda which would kill millions of people especially Africans.

Many people, thanks to deviant characters like Fani-Kayode, still doubt the existence of the COVID-19 virus. To some. it is just a game of politics. Looking at the coronavirus pandemic, conspiracy theories range from entirely fabricated content to speculative findings shared via what looks like a game of Chinese whispers. Genuine sources are never known.

Conspiracy theorist advocate the existence of secret plots which the powerful elites are hiding from the public’s eye in a bid to politically manipulate the people or eliminate a particular race. Many forms of conspiracy stories have been circulating in several countries.

In Nigeria, for instance, there were reports that some patients who visited the hospital gave information of how mere malaria cases were recorded as COVID-19.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/femi-fani-kayode-finally-die/

The agitation for a drastic reduction in the cost of governance is gaining traction in the country’s political circles. With Nigeria currently facing the challenges of dwindling revenue, the need to cut costs to stabilize the polity keeps propping up at different fora.

Recently, Plateau State’s Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, who was Guest speaker at this year’s Arewa House Annual Lecture, delivered a lecture on “Reduction of the Cost of Governance for Inclusive Growth and Development in Northern Nigeria in a Post-COVID-19 era.”

Lalong spoke extensively on the need for governors, especially those in the North, to reduce the cost of governance if current security challenges and youth unemployment must be mitigated in the region.

According to Lalong, this could be carried out by keying into e-governance at all levels and reducing the size of civil service and political offices.

In the same vein, an international human rights organisation, ActionAid Nigeria said the Federal Government should close all leakages along the revenue collection value chain and reduce the cost of governance.

While demanding that government expedite action towards the process of diversifying the economy, the organisation said blocking the leakages became necessary to reduce Nigeria’s debt profile.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/national-income-reduce-cost-governance/

The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, has made a solemn pledge to resign if he is asked to do anything against his conscience. Bawa made this promise during a guest appearance on Saturday, March 27, when he appeared on One-on-One, a programme on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA). According to Bawa, he will be guided by the law in carrying out his utmost prerogative as EFCC Chairman. His words:

“I will continue to do what is right. The Commission under my watch will continue to abide by the rule of law. If anybody asks me to do anything contrary to my conscience or against the rule of law, I will resign my appointment.”

Almost anyone would admit that corruption is the bane to national development and good governance. In Nigeria, the malady cuts across all aspects of national life, from the public sector to the private sector. Acknowledging these realities is the more reason there are commissions and other bodies to tackle the menace that has continued to stifle the nation. One of such commissions is the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), as well as the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
https://thejournalnigeria.com/bawa-resignation-threat-efcc-manning-up-chickening-out/

Although the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. -Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, has said that the Nigerian Army has resolved to deal with all secessionists who are threatening the peace of the country, it is important to note the words of Mehmet Murat who opined that a lost soul often looks for another congruent soul. This is the case of Asari Dokubo and Banji Akintoye. Both are aligned in their quest to see Nigeria split.

Their recent campaign for secession is far from what they claim. They maintain that theirs is political activism to achieve justice in the interests and protection of groups they did not consult.

But if one were to search their souls and read their minds especially that of Asari Dokubo, one would discover a cesspool of sheer deceit and lies with everything revolving around themselves.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/nigerians-violence-asari-dokubo-banji-akintoye/

Although most political gladiators in the country are yet to make any open declaration, underground preparations towards the 2023 presidential elections are already in top gear.

In the first two parts of this series, we examined the chances and prospect of two top contenders from the South-West geopolitical zone: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo. Another serious contender from the South-West, speculated with serious ambition for the country’s top seat, is the current Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

The dominance of contenders from the South is really not coincidental. Although it is not codified, with the zoning understanding reached at the foundation of the All Progressive Congress (APC), power is expected to return to the southern part of the country in 2023.

Fayemi is seen as one of the closest allies of President Buhari in the southern part of the country, especially in the South-West. Many analysts believe that if the Northern groups, including the Buharists eventually agree to support a southern candidate, the most likely personality they are going to reach out to would be Kayode Fayemi.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/presidential-contenders-succeed-buhari-kayode-fayemi-3/

The Anambra State Police Command two days ago declared a government official wanted over child trafficking. The woman identified as Mrs. Sabina Izoura is said to have sold three children who were recently rescued from a home in Onitsha, where a woman and her mother who operates a church ministry locked them up.

It is both a sad testimony and a heartrending melody when those who are supposed to uphold the law are the perpetrators of heinous crimes in society. Even more dismal is the fact that their position as women elicited no sympathy or feelings of motherhood when harvesting these evil seedlings. This not only reveals man’s inhumanity to man, it also exposes the level of moral decadence in our society.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/bizarre-tales-anambra-child-trafficking-government/

Mixed reactions have continued to trail the N2.5 billion loot recovered from former Delta Sate Governor, James Ibori by the UK government. The money is expected to be transferred to Nigeria in the next two weeks. The Federal Government is planning to use the recovered funds to finance projects outside of Delta State. Recall that the United Kingdom had on 9, March 2020, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) to return to Nigeria the sum of 4.2 million pounds (N2.5 billion) looted by former Governor James Ibori.

The Attorney General of the Federation who doubles as the Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, opined that the stolen funds will be used for the construction of the second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano road, and Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The decision has nonetheless met with varying shades of opinions as to why the money should or should not be returned to Delta State.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/utilisation-ibori-loot/

Jesus Christ made a profound statement when he asked Christians not to store up treasures for themselves on earth, but in heaven. Those who should be proponents of these religious teachings seem to be doing the obverse. In a world where poverty, hunger, and unemployment are rife, one still finds men of God storing up immense treasures and wealth for themselves on earth. It wouldn’t be a fallacy to posit that no time in the history of man have we seen men of God with so much wealth than now. As it is, there are hundreds of pastors who are reveling in sheer opulence while a good number of their congregation who “feed” them from the little they have via religious obligations, are languishing below poverty line.
It is sad enough that this is the reality, but to muster the temerity to shove it in the face of the congregation is reprehensible. In a video that went viral on social media Apostle Suleman was seen boasting of his wealth in front of the congregation. He stated that while people were complaining about the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, he bought his third private jet:
https://thejournalnigeria.com/marketing-heaven-profit/

More than 600 students have been abducted from schools in Northwest Nigeria since last year December. Zamfara State is the latest in this disturbing development in the country’s kidnap-for-ransom conundrum. The Jangebe abduction of nearly 300 schoolgirls was the second mass kidnap that had ravaged schools in less than ten days. Another kidnap was executed in Zamfara few days after the release of the schoolgirls.
Following concerns over rising banditry and kidnapping in the Northwest and North-central, particularly with schools as soft targets, the Federal Government recently declared Zamfara State a “no fly-zone”.
Babagana Monguno, the National Security Adviser, made this known at the end of the National Security Council meeting held at the presidential villa.
https://thejournalnigeria.com/no-fly-zone-banditry-zamfara/