₦airaland Forum

Kelklein:
the criminals know too well that the poor masses are easily controlled using religion.. so they use it..

The Nigerian Governors have the powers to turn around the fortunes of this country for good but sadly grèed is not allowing any of them to do that..

Sanusi: Greed, wickedness are greater sins than homosexuality

Muhammadu Sanusi II, the 14th Emir of Kano, says greed, selfishness and envy are “much greater sins” than unlawful sex, homosexuality and gambling.

Sanusi spoke on Sunday as a guest lecturer during a virtual Ramadan lecture titled “Some dimensions of the concept of ibadah”.

The former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) said part of the reason there is a social disorder in the country is that some Muslims forget that they will give an account of their actions before God.

He said people observe prayers and fast but keep committing evil “because our hearts are not Islamic”.

Sanusi alleged that a governor of a Sharia-implementing state in Nigeria stole funds and bought a hotel in Lagos.

While he did not mention the name of the governor, Sanusi said his state remained a “most serious example of backwardness”.

“How do you get a Muslim to become a minister or governor and all he is thinking of is how he is going to steal public funds to build a big house for himself or have billions for his children and deny people?

“We even have had state governors who said they were practising sharia, they were leading the implementation of sharia and they were stealing money and buying hotels.

“There was a governor implementing sharia in a sharia state who stole public funds and bought a hotel in Lagos. And he says Allahu Akbar.

“Meanwhile, his state was left with no education, with no health care, with one of the most serious cases of security, most serious examples of backwardness.

“Greed, selfishness, wickedness, envy. These are much greater sins than zina (illegal sexual intercourse), homosexuality, and gambling. The sins of the heart are greater than the sins of the body. We are focused so much on the external things.

“The purity of our hearts, the love for humanity, the fear of Allah, the knowledge that we are accountable to Allah, all of that is missing.

Sanusi also said the misinterpretation of some teachings of Islam “has been the cause of some of the problems that we are facing today”.

He encouraged Muslims to serve as examples for those in the coming centuries to look up to.

Abia State Governor, Alex Otti has directed that civil servants and pensioners in Abia State must receive their salaries before political office holders are paid.

This is even as he has lamented that pensioners were owed for so long by previous administrations in the state, before the backlog of the unpaid pensions were cleared by his administration.

Governor Otti said this in his Easter message to Abia citizens, wondering why retired civil servants who served the state were denied their pensions for so long.

He noted that paying people their pensions should not be a subject of excitement but explained that the joy in the faces of the retirees stemmed from the fact that they were owed for too long.

“It is indeed regrettable that these great men and women (pensioners), who toiled for the State at the peak of their productive years were owed for so long.

“At any rate, as I mentioned in my address to Abians shortly after my inauguration, never again shall our senior citizens be subjected to the agony of unpaid entitlements.

“I have since directed that full pensions must be paid on or before the 28th of every month, the very same day civil servants in the State get their salaries.

“As a rule, political office holders will only be paid after our obligations to our senior citizens and civil servants have been fulfilled, in full,” Governor Otti affirmed.

He thanked the executives and members of Nigerian Union of Pensioners in the State for their faith in his administration, stressing that the welfare of Abia people was very important to his administration.

He declared that Abia has become one of the safest states in the country and advised Abia indigenes and visitors to tour and invest in the state without fear.

He congratulated Abia people and Christians in general on the celebration of this year’s Easter, saying that no part of the state would be left undeveloped under his watch.

The name of Edo State Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu, was missing as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, displayed the list of candidates of the 17 political parties that would participate in the September 21 governorship election in the state.

The list was displayed at the state office of the Commission in Benin City notice board and in all INEC offices across the 18 local government areas. Ighodalo Asuerinme of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP); Okpebholo Monday of All Progressives Congress (APC), and Olumide Akpata of the Labour Party, LP, made the list.

Others are Boot Party (BP), Osirame Edeipo; Accord party (AP), Enabulele Bright; African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obazele Paul Agbone, People Redemption Party (PRP), Key Ndidi and Young Progressive Party (YPP),Okungbowa Paul Ovbokhan.

The list also showed that Mr Uwaifo Osaro is the governorship candidate of Action Alliance (AA) while the Social Democratic Party (SDP) had Aner Abdullai Aliu. New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) had Azena Azemhe Friday and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) had Osifo Isiah as its candidate.

Others are the All People Movement (APM), Ugiagbe Odaro Syvelster; All Peoples Party (APP), Areleogbe Amos Osalumese; Action Democratic Party (ADP), Akhime kingson Afere; African Action Congress (AAC) Udoh Obersifo David and Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Akhalamhe Amiemenoghena.

The state INEC head of voters education and publicity, Timidi Wariowei, said that the pasting of the particulars was in line with the electoral law, noting that parties and the public can now view the particulars of the candidates and their running mates.

helinues:
Abegi, this na exaggerated news.

$75bn ?

Abeg, no dey serve us nonsense now

ArewaNorth:
Only fool will fall for this news. I don't know why Nigerians aren't good with figures when it comes to money.
This news is talking about 4 people stealing more than ₦90trillion.
This is disgusting news, average income of Nigeria was less than ₦8trillion annually and the income increased to more than ₦10trillion at later years.
Throughout Buhari administration Nigeria didn't make that money!

BitterTruth01:
Don’t worry , after Tinubu , Yoruba must vote Hausa fulani to come and continue looting from where they stopped

*20 states get ultimatum to submit report.

States are slowing down the take-off of state police, the Federal Government said yesterday.

Frowning at the snail-like speed by the National Economic Council’s (NEC) Ad-hoc Committee on State Policing Initiative, Vice President Kashim Shettima observed that responses by some governors were not impressive.

Although President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and 36 governors resolved to set in motion the machinery for the state policing model a month ago, only 16 states have shown a positive response.

Yesterday, during the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting, the Vice President, who chairs that organ of government, urged the remaining 20 governors to submit their proposals during next month’s NEC meeting.

The President and governors opted for state police following the increasing wave of insecurity – banditry, kidnappings, killings and other forms of violence – across the country.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, reiterated the governors’ commitment to the proposed policing agenda.

He said they believed state policing was capable of correcting existing fundamental flaws in the security framework.

AbdulRazaq also said the NGF believes that the proposed constitution amendment should address state police.

Shettima and AbdulRazaq spoke during the 140th NEC meeting, which was held virtually.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, who made a presentation on the progress being made on the initiative, said the responses from the states fell below expectations.

His report showed that the states that have submitted their reports recommended changes in the constitution to give legal backing to the proposals.

Reviewing the states’ responses, Shettima gave the remaining 20 states an ultimatum to speed up their action on the matter.

A statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, said Shettima expressed dissatisfaction about the delay.

“While noting the presentation, the Vice President observed that the rate of submissions by states was not impressive and urged states yet to make input to expedite action to enable robust deliberations on the subject matter at the next Council meeting”, the statement said.

According to the communique at the end of the meeting, the governors “highlighted the need for state policing as a critical amendment in the ongoing 1999 Constitution amendment proceedings to correct fundamental flaws in the national security architecture.”

AbdulRazaq also presented a report by NEC’s Ad-hoc Committee on Economic Affairs, which was mandated to develop a feasible and effective roadmap for addressing economic issues affecting Nigerians at the national and sub-national levels to avert potential economic and socio-political crisis.

Also, the NEC Ad-hoc Committee on Crude Oil Theft Prevention and Control, headed by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, presented an abridged update on its assignment.

Uzodimma said the committee met, had far-reaching deliberations and deployed appropriate technologies for data collection, adding that the full report would be presented at the next NEC meeting.

Also, NEC received a report on the Ease of Doing Business Reforms by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), commending the work done so far by its secretariat.

It noted the need for states to commence preparations for the 2025 sub-national ranking for ease of doing business in Nigeria.

NEC also directed its ad hoc committee on economic affairs to work with the Federal Ministry of Finance and come up with an appropriate approach to averting risks associated with loan facilities from development partners.

An unspecified number of people have been reportedly killed when bandits invaded a market in Madaka community, Rafi LGA of Niger State.

The residents said the attackers invaded the market around 3pm on Thursday when the market was at its peak, shooting sporadically at people.

Details of the attack were still sketchy at the time of filing this report but one of the residents who spoke in confidence said the number of casualties had not been ascertained yet.

The people said the attack came two days after bandits also attacked Pangu Gari, killing the district head and four other people.

The Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Brig Gen. Bello Abdullahi Mohammed (rtd), confirmed the attack.

Though he did not give details of the attack, he said state government was working in collaboration with security agencies to put an end to the incessant attacks on farming communities in the state.

The Nigerian Army is set to deploy 157 officers and soldiers for a peacekeeping mission in Abiye, South Sudan.

The Army authority, however, warned them to avoid acts like sexual exploitation and drug trafficking, capable of bringing Nigeria to shame.

Nigerian Army’s Chief of Operation, Major-General Boniface Sinjen, gave the warning while addressing the troops at the graduation ceremony from their pre-deployment training at the Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre (MLAILPKC), Jaji, Kaduna state.

The troops, who are of the Nigerian Company 2 to the United Nations Interim Security Force in Abyei (NIGCOY 2 UNISFA), consisted of 15 officers and 142 soldiers.

Maj.-General Sinjen, while reminding the troops constantly to be guided by the rules of engagement while observing human rights and respecting diversity in the operating environment, told them to shun acts such as sexual exploitation, drug trafficking and other mission misconducts capable of tarnishing the image of Nigeria.

The Chief of Operations said the contingent’s graduation demonstrated the commitment and capacity of the Armed Forces of Nigeria to deploy quality peacekeepers as part of its contributions to global peace and security.

He noted: “Nigeria’s National Defence Policy remained the security and stability of Africa with specific emphasis on the West African Sub-Region.

“Hence, Nigeria will continue to seek global peace and security by contributing and participating in Peace Support Operations around the world.”

Earlier, the Commandant of the MLAILPKC, Maj.-Gen. Ademola Adedoja said the unit commenced the 6-week pre-deployment training on 27 January 2024, explaining that, the training was to equip the earmarked unit with the requisite skills and knowledge to function effectively and efficiently in their deployment to Abyei.

Adedoja said as part of the training, the troops were taken through crosscutting issues like sexual exploitation and abuse, conflict-related sexual violence, conduct and discipline as well as protection of civilians, amongst others.

The Commandant said, “As the powerhouse of the West Africa subregion, Nigeria has committed both human and material resources to achieving peace in the subregion.

“This graduation is a testament to the capacity and capability of the MLAILPKC as a United Nations accredited Centre to train quality peacekeepers for deployment to multidimensional Peace Support Operations in fulfilment of her mandate.

“The centre has within the last six weeks been able to train, retrain and refresh the troops on requisite knowledge and expertise to succeed in a Peace Support Operational environment.

“It is my fervent belief that these men are better informed and equipped to perform their roles in Abiyei.”