Biodun556:
https://saharareporters.com/2024/08/17/team-23-russian-engineers-arrives-kogi-over-moribund-ajaokuta-steel-plant

New research suggests a strong link between long-term daily marijuana use and head and neck cancers.

A recent study analyzing millions of medical records found that individuals with cannabis use disorder—characterized by symptoms such as cravings, tolerance, and withdrawal—are three to five times more likely to develop these cancers compared to non-users.

Cannabis use disorder is diagnosed when a person exhibits two or more symptoms as defined by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including intense cravings, reduced effects over time, excessive use, continued use despite negative consequences, and difficulty quitting.

According to Dr Niels Kokot, a professor of clinical otolaryngology-head and neck surgery at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, research shows that people who use cannabis, particularly those with a cannabis use disorder, are significantly more likely to develop head and neck cancers compared to those who do not use cannabis.

“While our study did not differentiate between methods of cannabis consumption, cannabis is most commonly consumed by smoking, The association we found likely pertains mainly to smoked cannabis.”

Some 69 percent of people with a diagnosis of oral or throat cancer will survive five years or longer after their diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute. If the cancer metastasizes, however, that rate drops to 14 percent. About 61 percent of people diagnosed with cancer of the larynx will be alive five years later – a rate that drops to 16 percent if the cancer spreads.

The study used insurance data to look at the association of cannabis use disorder with head and neck cancers, said Dr. Joseph Califano, the Iris and Matthew Strauss Chancellor’s Endowed Chair in Head and Neck Surgery at the University of California, San Diego. “The researchers used a huge, huge dataset, which is really extraordinary, and there is enormous power in looking at numbers this large when we typically only see small studies,” said Califano, also the director of University of Californ8a, San Diego’s Hanna and Mark Gleiberman Head and Neck Cancer Center.

“On average, people with cannabis use disorder smoke about a joint a day and do so for at least a couple years, if not longer,” said Califano, who coauthored an editorial published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery in conjunction with the new study.

However, he added, the study does not find an association between “the occasional recreational use of marijuana and head and neck cancer.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo for the first time reacted to the claim of his Igbo paternity, declaring that such insinuation makes him laugh.

This is just as the former President said he doesn’t believe anybody in Nigeria should be driven away from any part of the country declaring that, “we own this country together.”

Obasanjo, according to a statement on Friday issued by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, said this when he received on Thursday the leadership of Ndigbo Amaka Progressive Market Association, an umbrella body of major markets in Lagos State at the boardroom of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Some people had in the past claimed that the former President was born to an Igbo father from Anambra State.

The former President, who was said not to have spoken much about the allegations simply said, “It just makes me laugh.”

Speaking about the meeting, the Obasanjo said the leadership of the group reached out to him to support the establishment of the Owerri Central Market positioned to be the best of its kind in the country.

He acknowledged that the Central Market Owerri had been contemplated since the creation of Imo State, adding that for one reason or the other, it has not been implemented, “but, I am glad it is coming up again and I hope this time, we are all going to make it real. It is going to be big, the first of its kind.”

“And, I am happy also that the governor is showing the desired interest and understanding. And, I am confident that the Owerri Central Market will be,” he said, expressing the desire to lead the marketing team for the market.

Obasanjo said he doesn’t believe anybody in Nigeria should be driven away from any part of the country asserting that, “we own this country together ”

He said, “Having ensured that the Yorubas, Igbos and Hausas all came together to fight the war of unity in Nigeria, and not to fight Igbos to go, but to come. So if anybody says to me, that somebody should leave any place, he will be the one to leave.”

In his remarks, the group’s spokesperson, Chief Emeka Emmanuel, who read a letter jointly signed by Chinedu Ukatu and Iwuchukwu Ezenwafor, said the market will be a hub for innovation and entrepreneurship, assuring the group’s determination to play its role to the growth of the market and the nation.

He further sought the help of the former President towards the actualisation of the international market capable of taking a vast majority off the streets.

Emmanuel added that the assistance of the former President will go a long way in helping their members obtain loans to purchase shops and spaces at the market.

The Senate has broken its silence on the claim by Senator Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South) that each serving senator receives N21 million monthly.

In reaction to the claim, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu (APC Ekiti South), said the National Assembly receives only 1% of the federal budget.

Sumaila had in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service said he receives N21 million as monthly take home in salaries and allowances.

Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Mohammed Shehu, had earlier said each senator receives a total of N1,063,860 million in salary and allowances per month.

But Adaramodu said, “The National Assembly receives about 1% of the federal budget and has never exceeded this, even when the non-availability of funds is pervasive.

Adaramodu said: “For the umpteen time, the Senate is compelled to react to the obsolete allegations of a phantom salary and personal emoluments spuriously credited to Senators monthly.

“The Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, the agency of government that fixes political officials’ salaries and allowances, has duly disclosed the monthly personal take-home of Senators.

“However, all arms of Government and their personnel, Governors, Ministers, Permanent Secretaries, Directors-General, State Commissioners, even Boards and parastatals, including local government councils run their activities with running costs and the National Assembly is not an exemption.


“Thus the money referred to by Senator Kawu Sumaila is neither his salary nor personal allowance.

‘It’s for the daily running of offices by Senators and other attached statutory officials. It equally provides funds for Constituency office staff. It is also for oversight functions and community engagements.

“This funds are not static and it’s provided for in the annual budget. Such funds are retired by relevant officers after being used for official purposes and proof of genuine expenditure.

It’s not a personal allowance or salary of the legislator.

“The National Assembly receives about one per cent of the federal budget and has never exceeded this, even when the non-availability of funds is pervasive.


“The Nigerian Senate is an Assembly of accomplished and successful professionals, administrators and captains of industries, who are not driven by these often touted egregious pecuniary bits, rather for their patriotic zeal in the nation’s quest to breathe life to Nigeria’s political and socio-economic dry bones.”

The Lagos State Government (LASG) has decried the recent trend of hoodlums attacking passengers and its Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) buses, warning perpetrators to desist from the act.


Mr Idowu Oguntona, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Lagos Bus Services Limited (LBSL), condemned the development in a statement signed by Mr Afolabi Olawale, its Public Affairs Officer, on Wednesday.

According to Oguntona, the trend of hoodlums attacking buses has become both alarming and unacceptable.

“The Lagos State Government will not stand by idly and allow such acts of lawlessness and illicit acts to continue in the state,” he said.

Oguntona said the incident of attack on the company’s buses by hoodlums, who vandalised the bus and caused panic among the passengers was inhumane, intolerable, and totally unacceptable.

“The bus, which was traveling from Mile 2 to Leventis, was approaching the Ore-Ofe bus stop on the Orile axis with 35 passengers on board when a large mob suddenly emerged and swarmed the bus.


“The attackers assaulted passengers, stabbed them with sharp objects, and robbed them of their phones and other valuables,” he said.

The LBSL boss reiterated government’s commitment in ensuring that those responsible for the heinous act are punished.

“These criminals, who cannot be true Lagosians but rather agents of anarchy, have no place in any decent society,” he said.


He assured Lagos residents that their safety remained LBSL’s top priority, adding that security agencies are actively pursuing perpetrators of the crime.

Oguntona issued a stern warning to anyone considering engaging in such despicable acts, adding that their actions would not be tolerated under any circumstances.

“The Lagos State Government is committed to taking all necessary legal steps to protect residents and visitors.


“There is no need for fear, we assure all commuters of their safety while traveling on all public transportation platforms in Lagos State,” the LBSL boss added.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was allegedly the most implicated, according to Daily Sun.

No fewer than 22,074 suspicious personnel have been identified on the Federal Government’s payroll by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

It was learnt that the personnel were found across various Ministries, Departments, Agencies and tertiary institutions.

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF) was allegedly the most implicated, according to Daily Sun.

The total financial impact of these 12,174 personnel was estimated at N34,808,740,634.37.

The commission found that last year, the government disbursed N37,103,337,614.40 to these suspicious employees, despite the implementation of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

The findings were contained in a report that resulted from a comprehensive review of the IPPIS conducted by the commission as part of the anti-corruption system assessment initiated by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to the report, there were 12,714 personnel in the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), listed on the payroll who were not included in the service-wide nominal roll from January to December of last year.
Investigators also revealed that the IPPIS has been subjected to tampering, manipulation, and alleged padding with ghost workers or suspicious personnel.

While, approximately 4,190 former police officers were found on the IPPIS payroll.
According to investigators from the ICPC, numerous instances of fraud have been identified in the IPPIS payrolls of the Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Corrupt practices observed in 20 MDAs include double salary payments, inclusion of fictitious names on the IPPIS, the use of fake identities to embezzle public funds, the operation of two IPPIS accounts, and the presence of ghost workers.

Approximately 95 personnel across various MDAs were found to have names listed on both the payroll and the nominal roll, yet discrepancies arose when their identities were verified through banking applications.
Among these 95 suspicious beneficiaries, eight share the same family name, and one individual is connected to two different IPPIS accounts.

Twenty-four workers from approximately 20 MDAs were reportedly receiving double salaries from their respective agencies, and in some cases, from additional sources.
212 officers at the Ministry of Works, listed on the IPPIS payroll, with a combined monthly salary amounting to N31,986,324.40, were found to be absent from both the ministry’s nominal roll and the service-wide nominal roll of IPPIS.

The commission said: “The general overview of the Nominal Roll and Payroll of MDAs furnished by IPPIS and subjected to an analysis established a quantum disparity of 12, 174 personnel between the two parameters (nominal roll and payroll) used in the analysis.
“The said 12,174 personnel were visibly on the payroll but not on the service wide nominal roll between January and December 2023.
“The monetary value of the 12, 174 personnel is put at N34,808,740,634.37within the period under review. Included in the service wide disparity between the payroll and the nominal roll were the specific discoveries made from some MDAs used as a pilot scheme.”
“But the fraud was allegedly more entrenched in the Nigeria Police Force with thousands of ex-employees on the payroll.”

The report added: “The analysis of NPF payroll focused on December 2023 nominal and payroll obtained from IPPIS for the purpose of comparison. The nominal and payroll have populated names of 350,028 and 312,047 respectively.

“It was discovered on the nominal roll that 37, 160 staff were described as “ex-employees. However, on the same nominal roll spreadsheet, 37,129 were described as “inactive” whilst the balance of 31 staff were also categorized as having “Active” status.
“Furthermore, 4,190 staff of NPF, described as “ex-employees” were found on the payroll of IPPIS to have received December 2023 salary amounting to N980,273,690.51.

“It was discovered that 3, 228 of the 4, 190 have their records consistent in all parameters used for validation on the payroll such as the names, IPPIS numbers and account numbers.
“Conversely, the account numbers of the remainder 962 staff were compared with that on the payroll and the findings revealed that the names of staff and bank names were inconsistent."

The Port Harcourt Refining Company, a refinery under the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited in Rivers State, has again failed to commence operations after about six postponements, The PUNCH reports.

It was observed that promises made to Nigerians by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources and NNPC about the refinery have continued to witness multiple failures.

Since December 2023, NNPC, which is in charge of all the government refineries, has given Nigerians different dates, assuring citizens that the refinery would begin the sale of refined products soon.

In July, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, stated categorically that the refinery would come into operation in early August.

The same Kyari said in 2019 that the NNPC would deliver all the country’s four refineries before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

While appearing before the senate recently in July, Kyari boasted, “I can confirm to you, Mr Chairman, that by the end of the year, this country will be a net exporter of petroleum products.

“Specific to NNPC refineries, we have spoken to a number of your committees, and it is impossible to have the Kaduna refinery come into operation before December, it will get to December, both Warri and Kaduna, but that of Port Harcourt will commence production early August this year.”

However, as August nears midpoint, the refinery has yet to commence operations, creating concerns that this might be another failed promise from NNPC.

Replying to inquiries from our correspondent on Tuesday, the NNPC said it was on course, even when the early August promise has expired.

In a chat with our correspondent, the NNPC spokesperson, Olufemi Soneye, tersely replied, “We are on course.”

Soneye did not reply to further questions, asking if he meant the refinery would still operate this month.

The PUNCH recalls that the 210,000 barrels per day refinery was said to have reached what the NNPC called mechanical completion of rehabilitation work in December.

It stated that the facility would start refining 60,000 barrels of crude oil daily after last year’s Christmas break.

Later in January, Kyari said the refinery was being tested and would be ready by the end of January.

During the second month of the year, the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited completed the supply of 475,000 barrels of crude oil to the Port Harcourt refinery, raising the expectations of marketers that production was set to commence.

This came a few weeks after NNPC said in January it was seeking to engage reputable and credible operations and maintenance companies to run the Port Harcourt refinery. NNPC did not disclose whether or not it had secured bidders to run the refinery.

In mid-March, Kyari said the Port Harcourt refinery would commence operations in two weeks, April.

“We are serving this country with honour and dignity. And we will make sure that the promises we make on the rehabilitation of these refineries will take place,” Kyari stated after he appeared before the Senate Ad-hoc Committee investigating the various turnaround maintenance projects of the country’s refineries.

As the April deadline elapsed, independent petroleum marketers told The PUNCH that the facility would begin production by the end of July.

Commenting on this, NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Soneye, said regulatory approvals from international bodies were the only impediment stalling the operational commencement of the refinery.

“We have said that the mechanical completion has been done and every other thing is done. There is crude oil and all the pipes are working; we are only waiting for regulatory approvals. As I said, some of our materials and the things we use have to do with nuclear, and we need the nuclear authorities to give us approval to use all those things at the site.

“And some of these approvals come from bodies outside of Nigeria. Until they give us those approvals, we can’t begin operations. We are ready to go but if something happens without it, which would be another issue. Everything has been completed in terms of our work, and once we get those approvals, it will start operations,” Soneye revealed in May.

Some Nigerians have expressed disappointment that the nation’s refineries have remained moribund for years. The country has since depended on imported fuel as it lacks refining capacity, spending up to N2tn monthly.

The President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, said $4bn had been spent by the Federal Government in an attempt to revive the nation’s refineries.

Obasanjo talks tough

While addressing some House of Representatives members who visited him in Abeokuta on Friday, former President Olusegun Obasanjo recalled how Shell refused his pleas to help run the refineries when he invited them during his days as the President, blaming corruption and poor management.

According to Obasanjo, some Nigerians later paid $750m to take over the refineries, however, his successor turned it back.

“I ran to him, I said, ‘You know this is not right’. He said, ‘Well, NNPC said they can do it’. I said ‘NNPC cannot do it’. I told my successor that ‘the refineries, from what I heard and know, will not work and when you want to sell them, you will not get anybody to buy them at $200m as scrap’. And that is the situation we are in.

“So, why do we do this kind of thing to ourselves? NNPC knew that they could not do it, but they knew they could eat and carry on with the corruption that was going on in NNPC. When people were there to do it, they put pressure. In a civilized society, those people should be in jail,” Obasanjo posited.

He told the lawmakers that he was aware they were investigating the $1.5bn the NNPC has spent on the Port Harcourt refinery.

The refinery, situated in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, has been in operation since 1965, but later became moribund for several years. The Alesa Eleme refinery complex is approximately 25km east of Port Harcourt.

In March 2021, the Nigerian government acquired a $1.5bn loan for the renovation and modernisation of the refinery; a move that was criticised by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who advocated the sale of all government refineries.

While reacting to the plan to hand the refinery over to private managers, Atiku tackled former President Muhammadu Buhari and the incumbent President Bola Tinubu for failing to heed his advice that the refinery and others owned by the government should be sold to private individuals.

Earlier, NNPC disclosed that it signed an agreement with the African Refinery Port Harcourt Limited for the subscription of 15 per cent equity by ARPHL in the Port Harcourt Refining Company.

Parties in the deal said the agreement would lead to an increase in the refining capacity of the Port Harcourt refinery from 210,000 barrels per day to 310,000bpd.

PHRC is one of the three national refineries under the management of NNPC.

Meanwhile, the Senate has raised questions over the $1.5bn approved in 2021 for the renovation of the refinery.

The upper chamber lamented that it is “unfair and wrong to treat government businesses or public companies as an orphan while private businesses were flourishing and thriving.”

The Senate Leader and Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc Committee to investigate the alleged economic sabotage in the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, Opeyemi Bamidele, raised the questions at a session with stakeholders in the industry in Abuja.

At the session, Bamidele expressed concerns over the dysfunctionality of the government-owned refineries despite investments to carry out turn-around maintenance.

Nigerians are hopeful that the refinery will stop fuel importation and crash the pump price of petrol when completed.

Max24:
Obidients are semi - illiterates. They were busy selling gala when omoluabis we're attending schools. Same way they were arguing 25% of Abuja during last elections until Supreme Court trashed their arguments. Dem no dey tire. Dem go wail tire ! No evidence !

DevilsEqual:
300k barrels?
Point is, we're still far off where we are supposed to be and this shouldn't be a news

There are 10000 other things u can hold him accountable for,not some slight mistake in statistical Data

There is a Chinese proverb which is very popular among contemporary economists and leaders: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and you feed him for life”.

The path a government chooses in its economic policy making and implementation tells much about its intentions towards the people. Good governance creates economic policies that increase opportunities for self-fulfillment among the generality of the populace through bailouts, subsidies and critical financing for productive activities.

When the government of General Sani Abacha increased the price of petrol in October 1995, he created the Petroleum Trust Fund, PTF, and appointed retired Major General Muhammadu Buhari as its Executive Chairman. The Fund was charged with the responsibility of using the difference between the old and new pump prices of fuel to rebuild the nation’s broken infrastructure.

It did not exactly teach Nigerians how to fish, but it offered them genuine socio-economic cushions. PTF effectively intervened in reconstructing federal roads, re-equipping public hospitals and rebuilding schools. It was so effective that some called it an “alternative” government. PTF was only criticised for being partial to the North, and the large-scale corruption that was later unearthed.

Ironically, it was when Buhari came back in 2015 as president of Nigeria that government palliatives were bastardised and reduced to outlets for corruption. They introduced what they called “School Feeding”, “Trader Money” and “Conditional Cash Transfers” even while battling economic recessions. They ignored all calls to put the money into the productive sectors of the economy.

His successor, President Bola Tinubu, has continued in the same direction, offering palliatives that go to a few privileged and connected people after taking away petrol subsidy, electricity subsidy and floating the Naira.

The promised Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, mass transit buses are nowhere to be found. The grains allegedly released from the national reserves have made no impact, while many are yet to see the trucks of rice sent through the State Governments for people to buy at N40,000 per bag.

We reiterate, for the umpteenth time, that palliatives are only to be applied as short-term emergency measures as we did during the COVID-19 lock-downs. People needed to be given fish because they were forcefully locked down to tackle the pandemic emergency.

Economic reform measures like petrol subsidy removal and Naira floating require government heavy reinvestment in the productive sectors to boost production. Our economic reforms must be aimed at boosting productivity and self-reliance. They must target employment and wealth creation.

Sending rice to the people 15 months after ending petrol subsidy amounts to giving them fish. We do not need government feeding bottle. Sharing of rice, cash and other corruption-laden inducements is weaponisation of hunger and hardship. Nigerians are being reduced to mendicants.

It is unacceptable!

adenigga:





Source: https://punchng.com/I-still-play-squash-thrice-a-week-Obasanjo

TemplarLandry:
The lion share piece 🥧 these vampire senators eat from the Nigerian national cake is too much.

Only a revolution can save our national cake from their claws and fangs.

I diss them with "Stop Being Greedy" by DMX.

Great jam!

The Nigerian Senate has issued a strong denial of allegations suggesting that it is involved in determining its own salaries or receiving special fiscal packages from the Presidency.

These claims, which reportedly surfaced during a visit by members of the House of Representatives to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, have sparked widespread public concern.

In a statement released by Senate Spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South, the Senate described the allegations as an attempt to "crucify the legislature by the centurions of political hypocrisy."

Senator Adaramodu emphasized that no Senator has received any financial patronage from the Presidency.

He clarified that the constituency projects often linked to the legislature are merely suggested and nominated by Senators, following practices common in other democracies worldwide.

To set the record straight, the Senate stressed that it only receives the salary allocated to it by the Revenue Mobilisation Fiscal Allocation Commission, in strict accordance with constitutional provisions.

The Senate challenged anyone with credible evidence to present contrary facts, describing any suggestion that the National Assembly fixes its own salaries as "uncharitable and satanic."

The Senate further explained that "the Executive arm of government, through its various Ministries and agencies, is responsible for awarding contracts for the constituency projects. The funds allocated for these projects, vary depending on the number of constituencies in each state and the intention is to ensure that every region of Nigeria benefits from federal resources".

As the country enters what some describe as a "season of political pontificating, Adaramodu assured the public that the 10th Assembly remains a "responsible and responsive chamber."

It reaffirmed its commitment to upholding the economy and growth of Nigeria, insisting that it only receives what is constitutionally allocated to it and would never seek additional perks from other branches of government.

chiiraq802:


Na exactly this kind statement dem for release. you know dem well.

SmartPolician:


That thing is an agbadorian; don't waste your time on those folks. But then, I don't think there's any need reversing fuel subsidy removal. It was costing Nigeria a lot of money and it needed to go. We should explore alternatives. CNG is a cheaper alternative to PMS.

Salewa97:
Tinubu is a leader who understands the complexity of governance. It's crucial to learn from experiences, but let's not forget the long-term benefits these policies will bring. Change is hard, but it’s necessary for progress.

A former governor of Kano State says the Bola Tinubu-led government should review its policies and admit to its mistakes.

Nigeria’s economic fortunes have plummeted in the wage of the subsidy removal policy and the floating of the naira – all implemented by the Tinubu government.

The value of the naira which is the nation’s currency has sharply fallen in the wake of these policies, prompting protests by Nigerians.

To address the issues, Shekarau said Tinubu and his team should have a review of its economic policies and admit to mistakes where necessary.

“As we say in the teaching job, the best learning is when you learn through your mistakes,” the former governor said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.


“Let the government sit back and identify: ‘What areas have you made some errors? What mistakes have you made? What pronouncements have been made in error? What policies were put in place that are really breeding this kind of crisis of hunger and high cost of living and inflation [food] of 40 percent’?”


Since the famous “subsidy is gone” statement by President Tinubu at his inauguration in May 2023, the price of petrol is now about thrice higher, pushing inflation figures up.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s inflation figure was at 34 percent in June 2024, making the cost of essential items beyond the reach of millions of people.

Although Tinubu signed a new minimum wage bill into law and introduced a raft of measures to cushion the impacts of the economic policies of his government, thousands of Nigerians in early August poured into the streets across cities in the country to protest over harsh living conditions.

Some of the demands by the demonstrators include a return of subsidy on petrol among others. But in his address following the rallies, Tinubu insisted there was no going back on the policy.

However, Shekarau argued that the Tinubu government should admit to its mistakes.

“Admit there are some wrongs that have been committed; some errors and probably certain things have been taken for granted,” he said. “This is the time to sit back and address them.”

Matabue1985:
well said pastor tunde for speaking out unlike other pastors that kept mute like pastor adebayo and co. because the only thing they are synonymous with is collecting tithe and offerings from helpless and guillible Nigerians.

The Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Wednesday, said Nigerian politicians were not living lean or sacrificing like the rest of the citizens whom they asked to sacrifice for the country by enduring economic hardship.

The cleric and politician said this at the Wilson and Yinka Badejo Memorial Lecture 2024 held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event, organised by the Wilson & Badejo Foundation, was to honour the memories of former General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Wilson Badejo, and his wife, Yinka.

Bakare delivered the keynote address with the theme: “Cultivating a Culture of Dialogue: Nurturing Understanding in a Culturally and Socially Diverse Nation.”

He stressed the need for dialogue rather than confrontation to resolve the challenges facing the country.

Bakare said, “All parties must approach the dialogue table with open minds, effective communication and empathy. Open and honest communication helps to establish transparency, making intentions and actions clear. When leaders communicate transparently, they demonstrate that they have nothing to hide, and that builds trust.

“Empathy is a bedrock of dialogue. It requires us to see beyond our own perspective and seek to comprehend the experiences of others. The ability to feel with others, to share in their joys and sorrows.

“It also means sitting where the people sit, as in the book of Ezekiel – feeling their pains and sharing their burdens. An empathetic leader does not feed fat while asking the people to tighten their belts. Nigerian political leaders have mostly not demonstrated empathy. Otherwise, how do you live so large while your people are ravished in (penury)?”

According to the cleric, who also spoke on the heels of the #Endbadgovernance protests in Nigeria, hunger knows no religion, tribe or political party.

He noted that at the root of even a religious crisis was a struggle for economic resources that manifested itself in politics.

“And you say, why? Because politics is the authoritative allocation of value.”

He stressed, “This is why it’s often said that hunger is a unifier. This is why citizens are responding or reacting to the hashtag #EndBadGovernance protests across the land, from the North to the South, to the East to the West. Hunger does not ask whether you are a Muslim or a Christian, male or female, Yoruba, Hausa, Fulani, APC, PDP, or Labour Party.”

Bakare also said he did not believe the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party had any ideology.

According to him, the two major political parties are the same.

“The process of disagreement of methodologies is the way political parties are formed around ideologies. I don’t think the PDP and the APC have any ideology.”

He cited the fact that the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, had been a member of the APC before joining the PDP.

Bakare said, “Obaseki contested on the platform of the APC for his first term and he won, and he contested on the platform of the PDP for his second term and he won. What’s the difference between the APC and the PDP? Two sides of the same coin.”

Bakare, who contested the 2022 presidential primary of the APC but lost, has been known to be outspoken and critical of the ruling class, especially the APC government.

Last August, the cleric said the results of the 2023 elections revealed that Nigerians were tired of the ruling APC.

During his speech with the theme, ‘Vice, Virtue & Time: Three Things That Never Stand Still,’ the cleric said the APC he joined to form had deviated from the principles it was founded on.

At the Wednesday event, the opening speaker, Debola Deji-Kurunmi, who is an author and Public Policy Advisor, stressed the need to foster unity in diversity.

She said, “Imagine we were more interested to see what the other tribes bring to us even when they don’t speak our language or look like us. Imagine we esteem our collective heritage higher and greater than our differences. What manner of nation could we build? And the question begins with us again, what will I do from where I stand within my sphere of influence to make a difference without thinking that my difference is too little to resonate in the country?”

DDK, as she is popularly called, noted that the foundation since its inception had rehabilitated several youths and offered hundreds of scholarships to indigent students.

Part of the highlights of the event was the presentation of the Stewardship Excellence Award to The Managing Partner, PAC Solicitors, Rev. Peter Ameadaji.

At the event, 52 students from various universities bagged scholarship awards.

The event was graced by the General Overseer of the Foursquare Gospel Church, Rev Sam Aboyeji; Chairman of the foundation, Rev. Akin Akeju; Vice Chairman of the foundation, Femi Badejo, among others.

Kobojunkiee:
These things don dey read like an action movie script.

Some youths in Bauchi State have burnt down the palace of District Head of Lere town in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of the state.

Daily Trust gathered that the youth attacked the palace following a clash between military and supporters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from Lere.

At least one person was killed while six others sustained injuries in the incident.

Zaharedden Mohammed, a resident of Lere who was shot in the eye during the military raid, said the mob who torched the palace acted on the suspicion that it was the district head of who encouraged the military to impose curfew on the community.

“Some youths in the campaign team had a misunderstanding with the military and the military decided to hide under the curfew to attack certain individuals; before the time of the curfew, they launched their onslaught,” he said.

Another resident of Lere, Alhaji Sule Abdullahi, told Daily Trust that the youths ventilated their anger on the district head.

“On Wednesday, the angry youths trooped to the palace and set the buildings on fire.”

Effort made to get the reaction of the District Head was not successful at the time of filing this report.