Dpharisee: Vandals and they didn't cut the wires or steal the metal gantry. The North continues to play the ostrich by playing with words and nomenclature, this is either Boko Haram or ISWAP jihadists modus operandi
Their is a renaissance of Boko Haram.
Boko Haram pro max is also loading with the missing Miyetti Allah Group president.
Unknown Gunmen Behead Nigerian Police Inspector In Akwa Ibom State
Some yet-to-be-identified gunmen have reportedly beheaded a police officer known only as Inspector Osang in Akwa Ibom State.
Osang was beheaded on Wednesday night when the gunmen entered his home on a lane connecting Enen Afaha and Afaha Ube, a suburb of Uyo City.
It was learnt that the invasion of the police officer happened at 8.30 p.m, according to Punch.
A source from the community revealed that the hoodlums gained entry into the deceased's compound and began firing randomly to scare away residents and passersby.
The death of the police officer was the third killing incident reported in the area in January.
Recall that a woman was also beheaded near the banking layout in Uyo, and another lady was slain on Sunday night, her dismembered body stuffed into a Ghana-Must-Go bag and abandoned by the roadside in the state's Nwaniba district.
When contacted, state Police Public Relations Officer Odiko Mac-Don confirmed the event and termed it as unfortunate.
Mac-Don stated that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Olatoye Durosinmi, has ordered a discreet probe into the inspector's death.
He stressed that no effort would be spared to capture the offenders.
“We have received that information and it is an unfortunate situation. Already, the Commissioner of Police has ordered an investigation and we are committed to ridding the streets of criminal elements.
“We are not deterred by the incident but we are committed to ensuring that, criminally minded persons will account for their actions,” Macdon said.
Religious sect indicted for money laundering not church, mosque – EFCC
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has clarified that the religious sect that was revealed by its Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, to have been indicted for money laundering is neither a church nor a mosque.
Olukoyede had revealed that the anti-graft agency traced the sum of N7bn, suspected to be part of N30bn money laundering, to a religious organisation.
He further revealed that another religious group was found to be laundering money for terrorists.
The EFCC chairman made the revelation on Wednesday at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, during a one-day dialogue on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption.”
However, in a statement by the EFCC’s spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, on Thursday, the anti-graft agency said some media platforms and analysts were misquoting its chairman’s comments over the development.
Oyewale said, “The attention of the EFCC has been drawn to some misleading reports, commentaries and analyses by sections of the media, particularly Arise News, regarding the disclosure by the Executive Chairman, Mr Ola Olukoyede about money laundering practices involving some religious sect leaders in Nigeria.
“At the commission’s public engagement on Youth, Religion and the Fight Against Corruption on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 in Abuja, the Chairman had frowned at the conduct of some religious sect leaders whom he accused of being complicit in money laundering,”
Quoting Olukoyede’s words, Oyewale said, “As I’m standing before you, there is a matter we are handling: a pyramid scheme that involves over N30billion fleeced from Nigerians.
“Along the line, some people died, some victims collapsed and all of that. We were able to trace over N7billion to a particular religious body, and I said, to write a letter to the leader of that religious sect, and we did.
“The next thing we saw was a restraining order. We got a restraining order restraining us from recovering the money. Meanwhile, people have died along the line. Money traced directly to your body, and that is what we are battling. Of course, we have appealed, and this is the situation that is facing us, religious leaders.”
Oyewale added that the EFCC Chairman equally disclosed, “When I was the Chief of Staff, we investigated an issue of money laundering, somewhere in this country. There is a particular religious sect that laundered money for terrorists. These are the problems we are battling with.”
Speaking further, the EFCC’s spokesman noted that the EFCC boss neither mentioned a church, a mosque, nor any particular religious entity.
Oyewale added, “Olukoyede neither mentioned a church, mosque nor any particular religious entity. Unfortunately, his comments have been twisted with mischievous connotations.
“The groups fingered by the EFCC chair are religious sects, not a church or a mosque.
“Those subjecting this disclosure to sinister interpretation are on to mischief and should be ignored.
“The EFCC’s boss is focused on his assignment of tackling all shades of economic and financial crimes and would not be distracted.”
EFCC exposes religious sect laundering money for terrorists
Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has revealed that the agency has uncovered a religious sect in Nigeria allegedly laundering money for terrorists.
This was even as he revealed that another religious body was found to be protecting a money launderer after some funds suspected to have been laundered was traced to the organisation’s bank account.
The EFCC boss made the revelation on Wednesday at the Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, during a one-day dialogue on “Youth, Religion, and the Fight against Corruption.”
He noted that religious organisations, institutions, sects, and bodies, have been found culpable of money laundering.
Olukoyede said, “A religious sect in this country had been found to be laundering money for terrorists.”
“We were able to trace some laundered money to a religious organisation, and when we apporached the religious organisation about it and we were carrying out our investigation, we got a restraining order stopping us from carrying out our investigation," he said.
The event is still ongoing as at the time of writing this report.
I learned about these promotions two days ago. Anyway, Abuja faces security challenges, especially in the outskirts. There was a case where a woman kidnapped 20 pupils, and I heard that hundreds of parents have reported their kids missing.
The Police Service Commission (PSC) has announced the appointment of Mr. Beneath Igwe as the new Commissioner of Police (CP) for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command, along with the postings of nine other CPs to various state commands.
The announcement, made on Wednesday by the PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, follows the recent promotion of 14 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) to the rank of Commissioner.
Before his appointment as FCT Police Commissioner, Mr. Igwe served as the Commander of the FCT Special Intervention Squad, appointed on January 17 by Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun.
The newly appointed state Commissioners of Police include Peter Opara, now posted to Osun State; Olughemiga Adesina to Benue State; Akinwale Adeniran to Ekiti State Command; and Mohammed Abba to Adamawa State Command.
Additionally, Abaniwonda Olufemi has been posted to the Delta State Command; Ademola Ayilara, formerly DCP State CID Lagos Command, now leads the Akwa Ibom State Command; David Iloyanomon, former DCP Administration Anambra State Command, heads the Taraba State Command; Abayomi Peter takes over the Ondo State Command; and Hassan Yabnet is now CP of the Plateau State Command.
The Chairman of the PSC, Dr. Solomon Arase, advised the new CPs to focus on rebuilding public trust through robust partnerships with the public.
He stressed that the Commission would not tolerate any excuses for failure in providing effective and efficient leadership.
Dr. Arase assured the new Commissioners of the Commission’s support but cautioned them not to take the security of lives and property in their jurisdictions for granted.
N200,000 minimum wage no longer realistic – Labour
The Nigerian Labour Congress said on Tuesday that the N200,000 minimum wage it earlier proposed to the Federal Government was no longer realistic, considering the country’s CURRENT economic situation.
The congress, which spoke through its National Vice President, Tommy Etim, was reacting to Tuesday’s inauguration of the Minimum Wage Committee by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Etim, in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Tuesday, emphasised that the congress would base its national minimum wage negotiation on the current economic reality rather than what it earlier proposed.
He said, “You are aware that when we opted for the N200,000, the socio-economic challenges were not as biting as they are now. And when you now look at the exchange rate, it was not what it is now. The naira rate not been devalued as it is now. So, N200,000 is no longer tenable.”
When our correspondent asked whether there was a minimum figure the congress would take along to the committee, Etim said, “We are not going there with a fixed amount, but definitely not N200,000. By the time we get there, we will decide based on the socio-economic situation. That’s what we are going to base our national minimum wage discussion and negotiation on.”
The Federal Government had earlier charged the 37-man wage committee to hasten its deliberations and submit its recommendations promptly while directing the Ministry of Finance to ensure its adequate funding and calling for collective bargaining in good faith, emphasising contract adherence even as he urged committee members to consult outside their ranks.
With its membership cutting across federal and state governments, the private sector, and the organised labour, the panel is to recommend a new national minimum wage for the country.
To guarantee sustainability in all tiers of government, President Bola Tinubu said the committee must pay attention to the ability of all parties to pay the new wage, just as he asked the committee members to ensure the timely completion of their assignment.
Tinubu, represented by the Vice President, said this when he inaugurated the tripartite committee on the national minimum wage at the Council Chamber of the State House in Abuja.
“The committee is anticipated to conclude its deliberations promptly and submit its report and recommendations.
“This timely submission is crucial to initiate the necessary processes for implementing a new National Minimum Wage.
“The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy has been instructed to allocate the essential funds and logistics to the Committee, facilitating the timely completion of its assigned task. I hereby inaugurate the Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage and extend my best wishes for fruitful deliberations,” declared the President.
Tuesday’s inauguration follows months of agitation from organised labour who expressed concerns over the FG’s failure to inaugurate the new national minimum wage committee as promised during negotiations last October.
In May 2017, the House of Representatives moved to amend the National Minimum Wage Act for a compulsory review of workers’ remuneration every five years.
Consequently, the Minimum Wage Act 2019, signed by former President Muhammadu Buhari, empowers the committee to deliberate and present an agreed wage to be ratified by the National Assembly after due legislative scrutiny.
Buhari also signed the Minimum Wage Act that approved N30,000 for federal and state workers in the same year. However, Tinubu announced the discontinuance of fuel subsidies on May 29, 2023, which triggered a sharp rise in the general cost of living.
Although the administration approved an additional N35,000 wage award for six months (starting September 2023) to alleviate the impact of the subsidy removal, the organised labour maintained that this was only a provisional solution and called for a complete review of the minimum wage in 2024.
The President said his administration hopes to surpass the basic Social Protection Floor for all Nigerian workers, considering the sustainable payment capacity of each tier of government and other employers or businesses.
He explained why: “I express this viewpoint because the minimum wage represents the least amount of compensation an employee should receive for their labour, and as such, it should be rooted in social justice and equity.”
“I hope that the results of your deliberations will be consensual and acceptable to all parties involved,” the President told members of the committee.
He reaffirmed his administration’s promise to improve the welfare of Nigerian workers and, by extension, the entire nation, saying, “The labour force stands as the cornerstone of the progress of every nation, and ours has been the enduring engine of our pursuit of development.”
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, urged the committee to give its best, noting that the task before it carried the hopes and aspirations of millions of Nigerian workers.
Akume said the new panel fulfilled the promise of the Tinubu administration to embark on a comprehensive review of the minimum wage for the average Nigerian worker.
On his part, the Chairman of the tripartite committee, Bukar Aji, assured the President that the committee would do justice to the task assigned to it.
“We shall, by God’s grace, carry out extensive consultations with key stakeholders to arrive at a new minimum wage that is fair, practical and implementable,” Aji, a former Head of Service of the Federation, said.
Meanwhile, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State, who is a member of the wage committee, told journalists that he foresaw no challenges in the next two months of the committee’s assignment.
“We don’t want to preempt the outcome of this meeting, but you need to understand that the sub-nationals also have challenges and that the Federal Government, in its own wisdom, has brought the sub-nationals into perspective and this discussion will be done together with the sub-national, so I’m not sure we’re going to foresee any challenge,” he said.
On his part, The Vice President of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, Humphrey Ngonadi, argued that raising the minimum wage would make no difference if the prices of essential commodities kept soaring.
“I thank God for this initiative that the government is taking at this particular place, but I’m still worried. We may remember some time long ago, there was the Udoji Award and that was the first time salaries of workers were increased and immediately after the increment, the commodities in the market ran up to meet.
“So while we increase the salary of the workers, let the government work on bringing down the prices of commodities in the market.
“If a worker is paid N1m as the minimum wage and a bag of rice is N900,000, the N1m still has no meaning. So what I think is while we are thinking of minimum wage, to hike the salary of the worker, the government, on its side, has to think of how that money will have value,” Ngonadi argued.
The 37-man tripartite Committee has six Governors, some cabinet Ministers, representatives of the organised labour and the private sector among its members.
The governors include Bago of Niger State, representing the North Central; Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, representing the North-East; Dikko Radda of Katsina State, representing the North-West; Charles Soludo of Anambra State, representing the South-East; Ademola Adeleke of Osun State, representing the South-West, and Otu Bassey of Cross River State, representing the South-South.
The ministers are the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu; the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. (Mrs) Yemi Esan, and the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha
Worst part, he didn't learn under someone in the trade, he just went and open workshop, then forgot to ginger viewers and ask for donations for establishment because he is a charlatan.
Same-sex blessings: Africans’re special but everyone will gradually accept —Pope Francis
Catholic Pontiff, Pope Francis, has said those who criticise his decision to allow blessings for same-sex couples would come to understand it over time, except for Africans, whom he referred to as a “special case.”
Reuters reports that Pope Francis, in an interview with Italian newspaper, La Stampa, yesterday, said Africans perceived homosexuality negatively from a cultural perspective.
“Those who protest vehemently belong to small ideological groups. A special case is Africans: for them, homosexuality is something bad from a cultural point of view, and they don’t tolerate it.
“But in general, I trust that gradually everyone will be reassured by the spirit of the ‘Fiducia Supplicans’ declaration by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith: it aims to include, not divide. He invites people to welcome and then entrust people, and entrust themselves, to God.”
Asked if he was concerned about a split in the church over the development, Francis replied in the negative, saying “in the church, there were small groups that manifested reflections of schismatic colour. You have to let them go and pass… and look ahead”.
Speaking about his health challenges in recent years with hospitalisations, mobility issues, and cancelled trips becoming the order of his day, the 87-year-old said: “There are some aches and pains but it’s better now. I’m fine”.
Last month, a Vatican document, called Fiducia Supplicans (Supplicating Trust), which allowed blessings for same-sex couples, sparked widespread debate in the Catholic Church and around the world.
However, the Vatican made it clear that blessings should not be included in regular church ceremonies or linked to civil unions or weddings.
The Vatican emphasised that it continued to view marriage as between a man and a woman.
According to Reuters, last week, Francis seemed to recognise the resistance that the document generated, particularly in Africa, where in some countries, same-sex activity can result in severe consequences, such as imprisonment or even capital punishment.
He said that when the blessings were given, priests should “naturally take into account the context, the sensitivities, the places where one lives and the most appropriate ways to do it.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, had announced that Catholic churches within the country would not perform blessings for same-sex unions.
“That would go against God’s law, the teachings of the Church, the laws of our nation, and the cultural sensibilities of our people,” the CBCN said in a statement.
According to the bishops, there is a misinterpretation of Pope Francis’s decision to allow the blessing of same-sex marriage.
It stated: “The Declaration reinforces the truth about God’s mercy. For one to willingly ask for a blessing demonstrates one’s trust in God and the desire to live according to God’s commandments.
“Asking for God’s blessing is not dependent on how good one is. Imperfection is the reason for seeking God’s grace.
”Therefore, those in irregular unions are invited never to lose hope but rather to ask for God’s grace and mercy while remaining open to conversion.”
Yul Edochie holds maiden service, shares journey into ministry
Nigerian actor, Yul Edochie, held his maiden church service on Sunday after the launch of his YouTube channel, True Salvation Ministry.
In the service held virtually, Yul narrated the story of his calling into ministry and how others had told him of his potential for God’s work. He narrated how he was saved from a devastating car accident along Ore road which was the moment he fully accepted his calling.
Speaking further, he stated that the experience led to a point after[b] a voice urged him to dedicate his life to serving God and humanity[/b]. He also said the revelation kicked off the start of a “second life” away from his past exploits.
Yul revealed that he opted to start modestly with the resources he has through God’s intervention, although he had planned to kick off with a physical church.
He said partly, “As far back as 2012, 2013, I’ll meet a couple of men of God, pastors and they will always tell me that you are destined to be a minister of God, you can’t run away from it, you are going to be a minister.
“As time went by I started to hear the voice myself like anywhere I am, most of the time when I’m in an enclosed place, just me, I’ll be hearing that voice telling me you are going to work for God.”
Recall that Yul Edochie announced last week on Instagram the launch of his Christian ministry, True Salvation Ministry, where he will deliver sermons on YouTube.
Alhaji Hakeem Amode, the Lagos State spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has confirmed the release of the kidnapped state party chairman, Mr. Philip Aivoji.
In a message on Monday, Amode, the Lagos State PDP Publicity Secretary, informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that Aivoji was released after spending four days with the kidnappers.
“We use this opportunity to appreciate your prayers and to thank you all for your concerns and prayers,” Amode stated.
Aivoji was kidnapped last Thursday in the Ogere area of Ogun on the Ibadan-Lagos expressway while returning from the PDP South-West zonal meeting in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The abductors initially contacted his family, demanding a N200 million ransom. However, Amode did not confirm whether any payment was made before Aivoji’s release.
The party expressed gratitude to the security agencies and government authorities that facilitated Aivoji’s freedom.
If Dangote Petroleum is successful and real, they alone can turn the economy around. The value of his company grew more that of Jeff Bezos last year (as we wait to see the impact or his products).
Education › Re: Tuition Fee Hike: OSPOLY Reveals Next Move As Students Refuse To Pay by sketching: 10:34pm On Feb 03, 2024*. Modified: 10:57pm On Feb 03, 2024
