₦airaland Forum

Nigeria and the dangers of Fake News

Based on an online research carried out on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram 59.6% of news making the round on the internet are fake news (that is, majority of the news on social media and prints are deliberate misinformation, disinformation, hoaxes, satire, junk, and yellow journalism which is just to discredit an individual, a policy, a programme, an idea, an ethnic group or government.

Fake news are information that cannot be verified, without sources, and possibly untrue, fabricated news, also known as junk news or pseudo-news, is a type of satire, yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate misinformation or hoaxes spread through traditional news media (print and broadcast) or online social media. Fake news have long been in existence and is as old as the news industry itself.

A false information could be ignited by reporters paying sources for stories or are paid to report an unethical and unreal story, this is called checkbook journalism. Digital news has brought back and increased usage of fake news, or yellow journalism.

Fake news is also journalism that consists of deliberate misinformation, news whose main purpose is to distort "the truth for emotional persuasion, seeking to drive action." More recently it has become a catch-all term used to discredit stories, and in the political arena to influence the political process and election.

Nigeria is witnessing increasing fake news which are sponsored for political, religion and tribal gains. This is becoming alarming and if not cautioned could lead to civil unrest or even another civil war. We must collectively as a nation verify news and their sources before publishing or sharing them. For example, the cloning of President Buhari, EFCC raiding Justice Onnoghen’s home, the news of Peter Obi fainting in court, the allegation of Osinbajo heading RUGA, and of recent the report that herdsmen killed Mrs Funke Olakunrin, daughter of Pa Fasoranti.

The Nigerian Police has warned against “false information and incendiary images on Facebook and Twitter, stressing that, it contributed to more than a dozen killings in Plateau state” this is an area turn by ethnic, religion, farmer and herdsmen violence for a long period of time. The fake report and news on social media and print also added fire to the violence in the area.

We need to verify all information in Nigeria, whether in print or on social media. Sometimes reporters, editors and media houses could be given fake news to publish without them knowing it. We need to join hands in fighting the menace called FAKE NEWS; this will also help eradicate ethnic and religion prejudice as well as discrimination while encouraging tolerance and acceptance.

God bless Nigeria
Oladele Peter (from Ekiti)

Happy birthday ma, long life and prosperity. May your years be long.


As for you wailers SMH for una��

political group in Nigeria has accused Punch Newspaper of allowing itself to be used by the Peoples Democratic Party to propagate its Dubai strategy aimed at tarnishing the image and goodwill of persons in government, especially the President and Vice President.

The Initiative to Save Democracy, ISD, in a press statement on Saturday said the latest report by the newspaper:  OSINBAJO’S FIRM LINKED TO COMPANY FINGERED IN ALLEGED N100B ALPHA BETA SCAM, was a pointer to the fact that it was working to spread fake news and be mischievous.

Sunday James Akinloye, President of the group, said even though Punch Newspaper failed to establish any clear cut relationship between Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s former law firm and Ocean Trust Limited, it still went on to publish the report.

“To think that three reporters and perhaps two editors sat down to deviously concoct a fake news against the Vice President is rather frightening. Prof. Osinbajo has nothing to do with this old and stale matter, yet the paper used his name as the headline, trying so hard and desperatly to link him to it.

“Is Punch saying that if the VP has stakes in First Bank, MTN or any other company he is responsible for the actions and inactions of such organizations? This is the worst kind of reporting particularly from Punch, a newspaper that is fully implementing PDP’s Dubai strategy. Nigerians and all people of goodwill are hereby reminded of the evil intentions behind the whole charade against the VP.

“Let me state categorically that Simmon Coopers is not Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s firm as alleged by Punch Newspaper. Even the skewed report stated that Simmons Coopers was listed as a company in which Prof Yemi Osinbajo (now Vice-President) ‘had’ a stake in his asset declaration form in 2015. The VP could not have continued with the firm and resigned before he became VP. This is public knowledge.”

Mr. Akinloye then went on to explain that not only does VP Osinbajo have nothing to do with the law firm or its transactions; Simmon Coopers again has said it is not the Company Secretary. This is also in the public space.

“Our checks with Corporate Affairs Commission officials show that Simmon Coopers were never appointed Company Secretary instead there was a resolution to appoint Simmon Coopers but they were never appointed.

“Punch was handed fake documents which they published on their website. Anyone can go to CAC to verify the documents, they are completely fake claims. A paper submitted by a company to CAC of its plans or intentions is not the same thing as a CAC document.

It is intriguing that Punch editors and reporters could not understand or comprehend this basic things.”

He pointed out that the inaccurate report by Punch tried to link the VP to a case he knows about.

“This is what Punch Newspaper has become and it is no surprise that two of its editors were recently sacked for this poor sense of judgment and professionalism. We hope these reporters are served same treatment,” he said.

“Students of history, will be perplexed that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in July 2018 had investigated this matter, and the Vice President was not associated with the case in anyway.

He said the reporters who wrote the story, they have a track record of reporting falsehood especially against the VP, a part of the Dubai strategy.

“Nigerians still remember the fake news by Eniola Akinkuotu, one of the many lies on VP like “Osinbajo puts TraderMoni tour on hold” or Tobi Aworinde’s “Buhari return and sidelines Osinbajo” or “Tinubu, Ambode alleged feud puts godfatherism in the spotlight” where they all sought to malign the person of VP Osinbajo.

“This is unacceptable to attempt to link a man to an issue he has no business with and this is the way that Punch newspaper has been conducting itself for many years.

“Prof. Osinbajo is a man of integrity, he is a honest man who has served Nigeria in every way possible, the least he deserves is this kind of fake reportage. Nigerians must be weary of reports like this.”

This story is a clear malicious attempt to impugn the stellar credentials of perhaps Nigeria’s most influential & hardworking Nigerian VP, ISD noted, adding that such will not fail.”

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/punch-newspaper-story-on-vp-another-dubai-strategy-group/

The Buhari administration’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, NHGSFP, now feeds over 9.8 million pupils daily in 32 states as Yobe State joins the programme.

Under the NHGSFP, school children in over 53,000 public primary schools are fed with one free, nutritious meal a day, while it has engaged over 106,000 cooks in the 32 states.

The 32 states currently benefitting from the school feeding programme are: Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Sokoto, and Nasarawa.

Others include Taraba, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Plateau, Delta, Zamfara, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Niger, Katsina, Ondo, Edo, Gombe, Ekiti, and Yobe states.

In the second term of the Buhari administration, the programme has a target of reaching well over 12 million pupils in all the 36 states and the FCT.

In the same vein, the Federal Government has commenced the distribution of aluminium bowls and spoons for pupils in public primary schools in 6 states currently benefiting from the School Feeding Programme.

Under the first phase of the distribution, over 2.4 million bowls and spoons would be distributed in Plateau State (314,082), Adamawa (182,144), Kaduna (834,130), Katsina (742, 689), Oyo (199, 922), Delta (136, 710) and Ebonyi (73, 513).

The School feeding programme has not only helped to increase enrolment rates of pupils in the states, it is also effectively tackling early year malnutrition and the problem of stunting, while improving the cognitive skills of children.

The programme has also provided sustainable income for local farmers, jobs for cooks, increasing growth and productivity in the local economies.

Once again talks of Fulanis invading Nigeria and taking over the country has surfaced barely one week after Ruga Settlements were suspended by the Presidency over fears that the scheme was designed to empower Fulanis across the country especially in the south and west.

A statement credited to the Fulani Nationality Movement, FUNAM from 2018 is the latest message making the rounds by those who are working relentlessly to ensure that Nigeria burns. Their goal is to pitch ethnic groups against themselves, and hopefully ignite a war.

Since they lost the 2019 elections, they have determined amongst themselves that Nigeria MUST be ungovernable. They have developed and laundered messages that have both religious and ethnic coloration and they will stop at nothing to make sure Nigeria burns.

Only yesterday, two siblings named Chinaza and Emeka, kidnapped their 88-year old father for ransom but it did not make the front pages because they are not Fulanis, in fact, northerners. That is not even the talking point; the crux of the matter is that we shouldn’t put up one ethnic group for the other.

Nigeria will not break in spite of misguided fabrications and propaganda by haters of this country. One thing that comes to mind when talk of ‘Fulanization’ is mentioned, is the fact that Nigeria is evenly represented in the National Assembly. Are we saying all our lawmakers are naïve of this plan?

Here are some things Nigerians must know because ignorance is no longer bliss.

1. For starters, not everyone from northern Nigeria is Fulani or Hausa, there are over 10 major tribes in the north of Nigeria including Kanuri, Bornu, Nok, etc to mention a few, so how do they go along with this laughable plan?

2. It’s ridiculous that in 2019, some Nigerians and indeed people across the world still believe that every northerner is a Muslim. This is completely gross and unacceptable. There are Christians and pagans in the north of Nigeria. States like Benue, Plateau are predominantly Christian states while Kaduna and other northern states boast of a healthy amount of Christians. Are this Christians in on this plan too?

3. The South East, South South and South West of Nigeria are predominantly Christians. How will they allow the Fulanis to take over their lands? Is the rejection of Ruga settlements not the clearest indication of their stance?

4. When Babatunde Fashola was governor of Lagos, didn’t he take action against non-Lagosians by sending them back to their states? What are the governors doing now? Do they have the political will to replicate this action?

5. Or is it because Muhammadu Buhari is President and because he is Fulani that these purveyors of bad news are feasting on this narrative? What exactly do our governors do with security votes? These are questions that must be asked.

There are heavily vested interests who are even more disgruntled than we can understand, ever since the Buhari administration decided to enforce the payments for renewal of oil block licences. These are men with means to assemble sizable armed groups to unleash mayhem under the cover tag of ‘Fulani herdsmen’. We need to ask the carriers of fake news how they identify the attackers whom they always label as Fulani, since they do not speak the language.

Only recently we have seen the Benue state governor Ortom, who had initially accused herdsmen and the Buhari administration of attacking his state to foment trouble before the presidential elections, later coming out after the elections to say it was his own deputy governor that engineered the unrest for political reasons.

Any mischief maker can come up with a WhatsApp broadcast message tilted towards the most unreasonable ethnic and religious sentiment one can imagine. This is where public awareness plays a major role. A stranger cannot know the people more than themselves. Nigerians need to learn how to sieve through messages and separate the real from fake news.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has praised the Nigerian Air Force for its digitally accurate bombings on terrorist hideouts in the northeast of the country.

In his address at the passing out parade of Direct Short Service course 28/2019 of the Nigerian Air Force in Kaduna on 10 July, he said Nigeria’s military will become Africa’s greatest very soon.

“The Nigerian Air Force will, as part of the Armed Forces, continue to be at the forefront of our national security interventions.

“I note in particular, the extremely successful digitally accurate bombings of terrorist hideouts in April and the destruction of Boko Haram mechanic workshop in Borno in May, the air strikes on Tumbun Hamma on the fringes of Lake Chad, inflicted heavy casualties on ISWAP forces, under Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE. In June, there were air strikes on Sambisa Forest further eliminating insurgents,” he said.

“It is particularly commendable that you are adopting measures to ensure that the resources available to you are used judiciously in a manner that delivers optimal results and maximum value for money.
 
“I am aware that in line of ‘doing more with less’, which is one of the guiding philosophies of the Buhari administration, several moribund assets of the Air Force, aircrafts in particular, have been reactivated in the last four years, and a lot of effort has gone into building local technical capacity to fix and maintain your operational assets.

“In addition, the increasing emphasis of the Nigerian Air Force on local innovation is noted. The recent launch of the Tsaigumi, Nigeria’s first operational, locally-developed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, is confirmation that you are on the right path. I charge you to continue to be open to innovative ideas and collaborations with academia and the private sector.

“I would like to leave today’s graduating cadets with this important reminder: this nation is great and can only become greater. We are Africa’s largest economy by GDP, the States of Nigeria have larger economies than many African States. We have become the last frontier for major economic growth.

"We are the world’s largest growers of cassava and yams, we are top 5 in the world in sorghum, millet and we are approaching self-sufficiency in paddy rice production. 

“Our potential in technology and entertainment has been attracting huge attention.  First is the market, at 174 million GSM phones, we are among the top ten telephone users in the world, and we have the highest percentage of people who use the internet on their phones in the world. We are also number 2 in mobile internet banking in the world and there are 17million Nigerians on Facebook.

“Microsoft has announced that it will establish a 100million dollar African Development Centre in Nigeria. We are already building our own drones. But not only are we building drones, we are also making spare parts for our aircrafts. We are manufacturing armoured personnel carriers, and all sorts of different military platforms. All of these are things that Nigerians are doing in this country.

“Just last week, we saw at the Army Day, sophisticated minesweepers that are manufactured in this country. In a few short years, this country will be, by far, the greatest military force in Africa and certainly the most developed economy in Africa.

“All of these have been built on the sacrifices of many with blood and sweat, especially men and women of the Armed Forces. What will undermine our efforts now and in the future is disunity.

“We must resist all those who are preaching narratives of divisions along ethnic and religious lines. We must resist all who try to destroy our present gains and in particular, our future. The future of our country is bright, what we all need to do is to keep focus, not to allow anyone preach division amongst us. If we remain stable and united, everything that we desire for our great country will be ours. 

“As I conclude this address, let me commend the Chief of Air Staff for providing inspiring leadership for our Air Force. His farsightedness and innovativeness have greatly advanced the prestige and capacity of the Air Force.

“Our gratitude also goes to everyone involved in the training that these graduating cadets have enjoyed during their time here; the Air Officer Commanding, Ground Training Command; the Commandant of the Military Training Centre, and all the hardworking men and women who are the committed tutors and trainers.

“As the gatekeepers of a major pipeline of talent for the Nigerian Armed Forces, I implore you to continually strive to devise ways of improving the quality of training that you provide. To the Governor of Kaduna State, thank you for being a welcoming and supportive host to various units and bases of our Armed Forces.

“On our part as the Federal Government, we will continue to give priority attention to the operational requirements and the welfare of the personnel of the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“Finally, let me extend, on behalf of the President, Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Muhammadu Buhari and on behalf of the entire country, our heartfelt congratulations to the graduating cadets.

“This is both the end of one important journey and the start of another, longer and potentially, more fulfilling one. We rejoice with you and with your families, friends and loved ones. You have every reason to be proud of what you have achieved, and to look forward with excitement to what the future holds for you.

“On that note, I wish you all happy celebrations today, and a safe journey back to your various destinations,” he noted

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/osinbajo-lauds-air-force-digitally-accurate-bombings-on-terrorist/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, says the Buhari administration will continue to commit to Human Capital Development, stating that the Federal Government is creating economic opportunities for young people, and ensuring a conducive environment for businesses to thrive in the country.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when he received in audience a delegation from the Kingdom of Netherlands led by its Minister for Foreign Trade and International Cooperation, Mrs. Sigrid Kaag.

During the meeting, the Vice President also witnessed the signing of a communique on the bilateral consultations between Nigeria and Netherlands. While the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Sunday Akpan, signed for Nigeria; the visiting Netherlands Minister signed on behalf of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

The Vice President stated that one of the primary objectives of investments and Human Capital Development is to promote inclusive growth.

“That is particularly important for us because we have a large population and we also have significant problem of poverty. We recognize that our population constitute a strength, even in potential. And we have been committed to human capital development, especially in the areas of education and healthcare; where we are ramping up our investments.

“What we are trying to do in terms of Human Capital Development is for the Federal Government to intervene so that we are able to encourage the states to do more and to follow much more on the national plan.

“On June 20, the President announced the plan for free and compulsory education for the first nine years of a child’s life and the enforcement of that.

“And it’s very important for us in terms of policy because we believe very strongly that if we are able to do so, we will be in a position to strengthen that foundational part of the life of young people, because these young people constitute over two-thirds of our population, and they represent, in our view, the strength of the nation going forward in practically every aspect of life.”

“We are really committed to Human Capital Development, and that’s an area where we really would appreciate your collaboration, especially with respect to some of what we are doing with young people in terms of training and technology.

“We have, at the moment, about 500,000 people who are engaged in what we call N-Power, where they are given devices with lots of training materials across all the states in Nigeria. They are also trained as extension workers, teachers, in technical areas, building, electronics and technology.

The Vice President added that the Buhari administration intends to ramp up this policy focus so as to empower more young people with skills and opportunities for economic development, noting that Government was “working hard to create opportunities for our young people, because we have a duty to provide for our people and we don’t take that responsibility lightly at all. We should work together to see how we can beat some of these challenges.”

According to him, “we have a lot of young people who are at the moment very engaged in the areas of various technology startups, which is a big area for us. What we’ve done in that area is to invest in technology hubs across the country, so we are partnering with civil societies and some private companies; like Cisco. Microsoft is building the first African Development Centre here in Nigeria.

“So, we are partnering with some of the big companies to look at how to do more in terms of encouraging tech startups and also improving broadband connectivity, which we hope will also help our plan for financial inclusion.”

The meeting discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral economic relations, within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) concluded and signed by the two countries following President Buhari’s visit to the Netherlands in July 2018.

During the meeting focused on concrete areas of closer collaboration and intensified cooperation, it was agreed that a working group would be established that will focus on the growth of trade and investment between the two countries; and would explore opportunities to further increase trade and investment volumes between the two countries, especially in the areas of agriculture, food production and distribution, and food security.

Also, in the overall objective of creating a mutually beneficial business environment, the working group will also pay special attention to youth employment and entrepreneurship, capacity building and knowledge sharing, and on promoting Dutch and Nigerian private and public investment in the agricultural sector in line with the Buhari administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

In her remarks, Kaag said Nigeria remains a global player and strategic partner of the Netherlands, adding that the Netherlands Government would establish programmes that will focus on knowledge exchange, capacity building, private sector development and value chain transformation.

Also present at the meeting, beside the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment; were Mr. Lot Egopija, who represented the Permanent Secretary, Foreign Affairs; Executive Director/CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Mr. Segun Awolowo; Executive Secretary/CEO, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission, Yewande Sadiku; and other senior government officials from both countries.

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/human-capital-development-top-of-our-economic-policies-osinbajo/

A protest by the musician Eedris Abdulkareem against the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor E. A. Adeboye has been described as misguided with ulterior motives., with a lack of understanding and offensive to the institution of the Church by the Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD).

The Initiative to Save Democracy (ISD) described the protest as one that is offensive to the institution of the church.

The President of the socio-political and democratic group, Akinloye James, in a statement said the protest had certain politicians behind it, and had found a pawn in Eedris Abdulkareem to carry out such distasteful move against the Church.

The group went further to describe the protests as a waste of time, as the protesters had little or no understanding of the issues they were raising, most of which bordered on what it described as “The delusion of Islamization.”

“Over time Nigerians have been bamboozled by an idiotic delusion that the country is being shepherded into islamization. Nothing could be more idiotic. Forgive the hard words, but it is expedient. Anyone who cries out that there is an Islamization agenda has zero understanding of Nigeria’s laws. And cannot comprehend what it means to Islamize a country where the population is divided equally between Christians and Muslims.”

“There can be no Islamization of Nigeria. It is impossible. The leadership of the country is already shared between a Muslim President and a Christian Vice President. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who I know personally is a Christian and the leader of the men’s fellowship in his Church in Wuye, Abuja.”

“We have a legislature that is abundantly filled and divided with members of both faith, so how is it possible that a law for Nigeria’s Islamization would pass through? In fact who would sponsor it?”

The group also stated that the claim that the Church had been silent on the issue of the abduction of Leah Sharibu was absolute falsehood.

It noted that Churches, both individually and collectively were constantly praying for Leah Sharibu.

“Asides the fact that the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has been a leading voice for the release of Leah Sharibu, he is in full knowledge of the facts that would lead to her release and is making the needed interventions for its hasty but diligent execution as the number two man in government. In unison, the Church is also praying. Daddy Adeboye is praying. Daddy Oyedepo is praying. Daddy Adeferasin is praying. Among many others. Both in the face of the public on their pulpits, and also in their closets. They don’t have to tell you.”

“But we don’t expect a man who has no known morality, and who doesn’t understand Christianity to know these facts. A man who has been sponsored by demonic elements would not know these things.”

“Idris and his group of dense protesters would not also know that over 12,000 women and children have been released from captivity from Boko Haram – both Christians and Muslims. He also seems to be unaware that the Ruga policy has been suspended.”

The group accused Eedris Abdulkareem of being used to push an agenda of fear and evil.

It went further to blast Mr. Abdulkareem for having a comatose career that he was seeking to refresh by turning himself into a protester-for-hire.

“Eedris Abdulkareem has presented himself as fodder to be used to desecrate the house of God. That a man who has no career, who has no moral standing, is being used to pitch the house of God against men of God is unfortunate and offensive.”

“We as a socio-political group would not condone, nor accept such insulting moves. We call on those behind this to leave the house of God out of their dirty and crude politics that disrespects the divine.”

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/group-condemns-eedris-abdulkareems-protest-against-adeboye/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says Nigeria needs alliance across faiths and ethnicities to enable her destroy the evil of extremism.

Prof. Osinbajo made the remark at the public presentation of Chief Olusegun Osoba’s memoir titled ‘Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics on Monday.

“The collapse of our national achievements and attainments at every stage of our history has been that Achilles Heel, the tribal and religious suspicions,” he said.

Noting that, “The inability at crucial moments, to bridge the gaps of ethnic and religious prejudice. So, from the execution of the coup of 1966, the counter-coup, later that year, and the civil war, starting in 1967, it is clear that these tragedies occurred because the once united military wing of the Nigerian elite, finally gave way to its basest instincts – ethnicity and tribal prejudices. Years later, the scars and fractures remain,” he added.

The Vice President described Chief Osoba as a dogged and well accomplished journalist and politician who has led the way for many behind him.

“Chief Olusegun Osoba’s illustrious career as a journalist and later politician, have also by some uncanny stroke of good fortune, placed him at the centre of many defining moments and situations of post-Independent Nigeria.

“Arguably the most memorable is his January 1966 scoop; the tragic discovery of the bodies of Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa and Finance Minister Festus Okotie-Eboh, not long after the coup that ended Nigeria’s first Republic.

“He was there on the frontlines in many sectors of the Civil War, recording and reporting the horrors and tragedies of a factional war. And it was he who witnessed the surprise visit of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe to Lagos during the Civil War.

“He was also right there on the frontlines, nine years later with exclusive reporting during the coup that brought General Murtala Mohammed to power.

“He happened to be in the Governor’s office in Enugu when the then Commissioner of Police, Kafaru Tinubu, sent word of the capture of Lt. Col. Bukar Dimka, the man who assassinated Murtala Mohammed. He was the only journalist to see Dimka in handcuffs in police custody in Enugu.

“But his scoops went beyond the political, he exclusively reported the case of British born Patrick Chadwick, who slapped a Nigerian sales girl, Adekunbi Adeite, at the Kingsway Stores in Lagos (this despicable business of slapping women seems to have been around for a while), and how the UAC and some other journalists tried to cover it up. It became a national issue and the UAC eventually punished the culprit and he resigned.

“At different times, Chief Osoba ran two of Nigeria’s most important and influential papers; Daily Times and Sketch, also The Herald, before joining a distinguished cast of journalists who went into and succeeded at politics, (I’m thinking of illustrious names like Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Papa Obafemi Awolowo, Anthony Enahoro, Ladoke Akintola, Bola Ige, Lateef Jakande, Bisi Onabanjo, and many others.)

“He was there when General Ibrahim Babangida took over and was also at the centre of Abiola’s campaign, from the Jos primaries to the annulment.

“He was in the NADECO resistance. He was one of those hunted by the Abacha’s strike force. I was the prosecuting Attorney General who led Sergeant Rogers in evidence when he described how they had trailed Chief Osoba in a bid to kill him.

“He was elected governor under the Military Diarchy of 1990-92, and under the new civilian dispensation in 1999. He was in the opposition in its various iterations for all of 16 years and now in the ruling party. His life story is the insider’s view of the socio-political history of post-independence Nigeria.

“But perhaps the most remarkable attribute of this Illustrious Nigerian is his pan-Nigerianism; that effortless ability to build bridges and make friends from across various divides.

“That gift of connecting with people, earning their trust and confidence, of being able to get along with a diverse cast of Nigerians from all walks of life. This has evidently contributed greatly to the successes he has notched up in his twin careers of journalism and politics.

“There is a paradox here, the subtext of Osoba’s autobiography “Battlelines: Adventures in Journalism and Politics,” is the tragedy of ethnic and religious jingoism in Nigeria.

“The collapse of our national achievements and attainments at every stage of our history has been that Achilles Heel, the tribal and religious suspicions. The inability at crucial moments, to bridge the gaps of ethnic and religious prejudice. So, from the execution of the coup of 1966, the countercoup, later that year, and the Civil War, starting in 1967, it is clear that these tragedies occurred because the once united Military wing of the Nigerian elite, finally gave way to its basest instincts – ethnicity and tribal prejudices. Years later, the scars and fractures remain.

“Chief Osoba’s story also tells us how the political elite also played the ethnic card to defeat, what would have been a national struggle for democracy; the struggle to restore MKO Abiola’s mandate won by votes enthusiastically given by men and women of all tribes and faiths across the country, including the Kano home State of his opponent.

“But it wasn’t difficult to begin a process of delegitimizing it. The tactic is the same and the consequences devastatingly effective: ethicize it. And so, they did. Northern Governors of the NRC, the party that lost the election, issued a statement saying that Abiola should be advised to give up his campaign for the restoration of the June 12th mandate, that any such restoration should begin with the restoration of the sacred mandate given to Shehu Shagari and forcefully taken from him in the wake of the 1983 Military coup.

“The Eastern NRC Governors had earlier issued a statement threatening a secession of the Eastern States from the rest of the country, if the annulment of the June 12 election was reversed.

“The military dictatorship took advantage of the ethnic divisions, to make it seem like a Southwest struggle for one of its own, rather than a struggle for democracy and justice, in the process imposing one of the most fearsome repressions of liberties anywhere in the world.

“Our recent history is the same. The religious or ethnic card is pulled out regularly to win the argument or the votes. The problem is that the resort to our fault lines is a cover-up for the failure of a vision and a genuine programme to address the real concerns of the millions of our countrymen and women. It also breaks our ranks and prevents the pursuit of our real enemies, poverty and its causes and manifestation, poor education and healthcare, violent extremism, etc.

“There are, for example, those who for political reasons, promoted the point of view that violent extremism of Boko Haram was the brainchild of the APC and its putative presidential candidate, a plot to Islamize Nigeria.

“This wicked lie was only debunked when then General Muhammadu Buhari was attacked by the same Boko Haram, he barely escaped with his life and he lost seven close aides and relations. Not long after, the same group attacked the Emir of Kano who sustained serious injuries.

“In the lead up to the 2019 elections, similar accusations on the Boko Haram insurgency, the Fulani Herder and farmer clashes were made. The attempts by the political elite to delegitimize the government by the suggestions that it promotes insurgency are, of course, dangerous mainly because they help the insurgents by weakening the opposition to them.

“What is the truth? As we have seen, there has been a curtailing of the threat represented by Boko Haram, but we have also seen other threats emerging; Islamic State West Africa (ISWAP) and others in the Lake Chad islands and parts of Southern Borno, radical Islamist terrorism, is an evil that must be seen as the common enemy of all faiths, including Islam.

“As the President said and I paraphrase, “anyone who says Allahu Akbar and goes on to kill is either insane or dangerously ignorant of the tenets of Islam.”

“The likes of Boko Haram, ISIS, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and many Salafist-Jihadist ideologies are expansionist ideologies that feed purely on hate, hatred of any person or group that does not belong to their particular sect.

“They have no redressible grievances, so there are no terms of reference for peace. They are fanatics committed to a twisted creed. They exploit the ignorance of the tenets of Islam, poverty and exclusion, recruit men and women and use children to perpetuate the most heinous atrocities.

“They are motivated by a satanic desire to control communities by murder and terror. Whether it is in Iraq, Borno or Syria, their victims are men, women and children, Muslim or Christians, so long as they do not share their sick ideology, they target churches, mosques, markets and motor parks, where people gather, using children as human bombs to kill randomly, regardless of tribe or faith.

“I have seen the charred bodies of the dead men, women, children killed by suicide bombers in Gombe, Borno and Kano. The bombs are the ultimate agnostic destroyers, no discrimination in death. The challenge for us is to recognize this extremism for what it is. To form alliances across faiths and ethnicities, to destroy an evil that confronts us all. Every evil that confronts our nation and our people can be defeated by the power of unity; a recognition that we are stronger together than apart.

“Chief Osoba’s life and times speaks most eloquently to the power of building bridges, finding common ground, and resisting divisive narratives, especially in a country as diverse as Nigeria, a country where it is extremely easy to find reasons to languish in stereotypes and suspicions, where far too many of us by default, lapse into ethnic camps.

“Virtually every major actor in the Nigerian story over the last six decades shows up in the pages of Chief Osoba’s book. He tells us and I quote from page 177 of the book, “There was no nightclub I did not visit with the likes of Babangida, Ike Nwachukwu, Air Marshal Abass, Air Marshal Bello and Sam Amuka, Moses Gowon, Fela Marsh, Alhaji Usman Nagogo, Ciroma Minna, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and Isyaku Ibrahim. We tagged Isyaku Ibrahim as the Godfather of our social circle of the era.”

Source :https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/nigeria-needs-alliance-across-faiths-ethnicities-osinbajo/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has stressed that Nigeria’s growth lies more with the people than in its widely celebrated natural resource in oil and gas.

Prof. Osinbajo made this submission at the 40th anniversary of the reunion symposium of University of Ife’s Economics Class of 1979 held at the Muson Centre in Lagos on 5 July.

He also explained that the federal government is working with state governments to get 10 million children who are out-of-school back into the classroom.

Adding that, N200 billion Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) fund was available this year.

“The conventional wisdom is that growth depends on productivity which itself results from getting right the appropriate mix of labour, capital and technology which is human capital. 

“Taking this perspective, it comes to reason that with its huge population, Nigeria’s growth potential lies more in its people than in oil and gas. The examples of India, China and Indonesia, also show the growth possibilities if we get human capital right.

“So really at the root of the problems of development that we have, is human capital. What is the quality of those that do productive business? 
 
“What are the qualities of those who we rely on for economic growth? But what is more compelling is the prospect of being by 2050, (as we are told repeatedly) the world’s third largest country by population without a sound plan for the education of 70% of the population, which is the young people.

“No, if you don’t have a sound plan for the education of 70% of the almost 400 million people that we expect, (as we will be the third largest by population of the world,) then that will be a tragedy indeed. 

“This is why in addition to the Federal Government’s visible efforts in the real sector, as well as in hard and soft infrastructure, our focus in the next four years would be to lay and implement a relevant and dynamic educational plan for Nigeria.

"When I say relevant, I mean a plan capable of providing jobs and entrepreneurial skills for an increasingly globally competitive job market. But the challenge we must immediately acknowledge is that the Federal Government’s role in the first nine years of a child’s life is slight.

“It is primarily the constitutional role of States and local governments. But we (Federal Government) consider the matter of basic education a matter of national emergency, consequently it is the role of the Federal Government to guide, to inspire, to coordinate, co-fund and also co-implement the basic education strategy.
 
“Improved educational outcomes are crucial to our overall strategy to end extreme poverty, reduce inequality and remain in the path of sustainable growth. Everybody talks about poverty. 

“People say oh, Nigeria is now poorer in terms of relative numbers more than India which used to have that large number than ourselves. But the question, of course, is that poverty does not happen overnight, poverty doesn’t appear in a year or two years.

“In 2012, when the last household study on poverty was done, we were earning the highest in our oil earnings and poverty figures at the time stood at 112 million Nigerians living in extreme poverty.
Read more : https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/nigerias-growth-lies-in-the-people-than-oil-gas-osinbajo/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has assured Nigerians that the federal government led by President Muhammadu Buhari will end kidnapping and banditry.

Prof. Osinbajo who was representing President Buhari at the Nigerian Army Day celebration 2019 held at the Ikeja Army Cantonment said the government will continue to invest in military equipment to ensure safety of lives and property.

“A year ago, I joined you in the town of Monguno in Borno State, for the military equipment exhibition event held as part of the 2018 celebrations,” he said.

“There is, I must say, a reassuring feeling that comes from knowing that, year in year out, the Nigerian Army will always be here, growing from strength to strength, and fulfilling its primary responsibility of securing the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This has been true for the last 156 years, and I am confident it will remain true for the next 156 and beyond.

“I am told that this year’s celebration, taking place here in Lagos, is holding simultaneously with the Combat Support Arms Training Week, which provides the combat support arms of the Nigerian Army with a platform to re-appraise their performance.

“It is gratifying that this year’s celebration has again provided the Nigerian Army with another opportunity to celebrate and honour deserving personnel who excelled in the fight against insurgents and other criminal elements.

“Let me use this opportunity to reiterate our absolute determination to achieve success in our fight against insurgency and other forms of criminality in the country.

“You, the members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, have continued to put in your best on behalf of our country; several of your colleagues have indeed paid the supreme price in order to keep us safe and secure.

We acknowledge and appreciate these sacrifices, and pray for the repose of the souls of the deceased. Our hearts are with their families and loved ones.

“It is our responsibility as Government and as political leaders to ensure that they did not die in vain. We have a duty to continue to make available to you, our Armed Forces, all the moral and material support that you require.

“Let me again assure you, on behalf of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic, that we will faithfully discharge all our obligations to you.

“We also must and will continue to demonstrate the political will and determination towards ensuring that our land is rid of insurgency and that criminality is kept to the barest minimum.

“During the first term of the Buhari administration, we worked tirelessly to lay the foundation for a Nigeria that works for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, religion, or partisan affiliation. Our priorities were – and remain – Security, the Economy and the fight against Corruption.

“The challenges we faced were grave, but we faced the task resolutely. We rolled back the footprints of Boko Haram; where once they controlled 17 local government areas in Northeast Nigeria in early 2015, today they control no Nigerian territory.

“Independent observers have reported a drastic decline in the fatalities caused by Boko Haram, and the various factions of the group that exist today are no more than shadows of what existed when we came to office.

“We are surrounded by evidence of the progress we have made in the fight against the insurgency. As you all know, Monguno, where you held the Military Equipment Exhibition and Mini Trade Fair last year, was once a stronghold of Boko Haram.

“Sambisa Forest, once the spiritual heartland of the insurgents, hosted the 2017 Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship.

“More than a hundred of our Chibok girls, abducted in April 2014, have been rescued and reunited with their families, in addition to the Dapchi girls, and tens of thousands of other Boko Haram hostages and victims freed across the northeast.

“Let me use this opportunity to reassure the affected families and friends that the Buhari administration will not relent in our efforts to see that all the remaining girls, including Leah Sharibu, are freed and reunited with their families.

“But even as we have seen a curtailing of the threat represented by Boko Haram, we have seen other threats emerging. Islamic State West Africa ISWAP and other in the Lake Chad islands and parts of Southern Borno.

“Radical Islamist Terrorism is an evil that must be seen as the common enemy of all faiths, including Islam.  

Quoting President Buhari, he said and I paraphrase, “anyone who says Allahu Akbar and goes on to kill is either insane or dangerously ignorant of the tenets of Islam.”

“The likes of Boko Haram, ISIS, Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and many Salafist-Jihadist ideologies are expansionist ideologies that feed purely on hate, hatred of any person or group that does not belong to their particular sect. They have no redressible grievances so there are no terms of reference for peace. Fanatics committed to a twisted creed. They exploit the ignorance of the tenets of Islam, poverty and exclusion, recruit men and women and use children to perpetuate the most heinous atrocities.  

“They are motivated by a satanic desire to control communities by murder and terror. Whether it is in Iraq, Borno or Syria their victims are men, women and children, Muslim or Christians so long as they do not share their sick ideology, they target churches, mosques markets and motor parks where people gather, using children as human bombs to kill randomly, regardless of tribe or faith.

“The challenge for us is to recognize this extremism for what it is. To form alliances across faiths and ethnicities to destroy an evil that confronts us all. Fulani herder and farmer conflicts, random killings banditry and kidnapping some attributed to Fulani bandits, in different parts of the country are extant challenges that the army has had to intervene in on several occasions.

“I want to reassure all Nigerians that these issues are being seriously tackled by the Federal Government, working with the States, through a multi-pronged approach. Nobody will be allowed to maim, kill or commit other crimes and escape. It is our duty to apprehend and punish these criminals and we are doing and will continue to do so.

“You will be hearing a lot more about these solutions in the weeks and months ahead. Law enforcement is, of course, an important element of the response. We have seen an unprecedented ramping up of the deployment of military personnel – multi-agency intervention squads like Operation Whirlstroke, the training and deployment of Special Forces, new Forward Operating Bases, and so on – to the flashpoints, in the last eighteen months.

“Several bandits’ hideouts and camps have been destroyed, and hundreds of arrests have been made, and it is now up to our judicial systems to ensure that justice is meted out not just comprehensively but also in a timely manner. 

“The Nigerian Army through the years has exemplified the ideals of a united country regardless of ethnicity or religion. You have fought side by side with your brothers and sisters of different faiths and ethnicities and you have seen many fall by your side as they paid the supreme sacrifice in battle.

“Enemy fire does not distinguish one tribe from the other, nor does it distinguish one faith from another, the blood of so many and the abounding grace of God has kept this nation together. This is why we must never let the self-serving ethnic and religious jingoists, whoever they may be,   create the circumstances for strife and bloodshed.

“This is also an opportunity to remind all Nigerians of the need to live in peace with one another; the importance of choosing unity and tolerance over the impulse to be sectional, vengeful or violent in any way.

“In this second term, the primary focus of the Buhari administration is to build on the foundation we have laid over the last four years, and correct the lapses observed. One of the priorities of the Next Level is the welfare of serving and retired personnel. You have already seen demonstrations of our commitment in this regard, in recent years. We will not relent.

“On this unique day of the Nigerian Army Day Celebration, let me again join millions of Nigerians to thank our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcement agencies, all working diligently to protect us, at great cost to personal comfort and survival.

“We must commend and congratulate the Chief of Army Staff for his dedication, patriotism, loyalty and doggedness in leading the Nigerian Army in the fight against terrorism and other security challenges.

“To today’s award recipients, let me make it clear that you are our heroes, and we are very proud of you. I congratulate you all on the honour coming your way today, in recognition of your selfless and exceptional contributions to the successes recorded by the Nigerian Army in the last 12 months.

“To the awardees in the ranks of veterans of the Second World War, the veterans of the civil war and members of the Nigerian Legion, our nation remains indebted to you for your service, congratulations.

“To our gallant serving men and women of the army, I implore you all to continue to discharge your duties according to existing Rules of Engagement and in line with constitutional provisions.

“But perhaps the most impressive feature of today’s celebrations is the demonstration of our local capacity to manufacture armoured vehicles.

“We have seen the what DiCON in collaboration with Command Engineering Depot of the Nigerian Army has done with the manufacture of infantry patrol vehicles, tactical patrol vehicles, sophisticated mine clearance systems and other equipment of warfare.  

“Proforce, a local vehicle company has also displayed its Mine resistant anti-ambush protected vehicles, these are designed 100% at Proforce, in collaboration with the Nigerian army.

“Already some African countries have purchased armoured vehicles from this company. Nigeria, will in another decade, manufacture most of its military hardware,” he said.

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/fg-will-end-kidnapping-banditry-osinbajo-assures-nigerians/

Completely taken aback that the promoters of the controversial RUGA Settlement programme proceeded with the implementation of the scheme as opposed to the National Livestock Transformation Plan, NLTP, developed by the National Economic Council and approved by the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari opted Tuesday evening to suspend RUGA.

Insider sources explained to Chronicle NG that the President on hearing about the RUGA matter first expressed surprise about the programme, and then anger on finding that it was different from the NLTP which NEC and the FG had agreed on. 

The president then ordered a swift review of what RUGA was about and sought clarifications on its connection with the NLTP. The Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, according to sources had also strongly resisted the RUGA plan, arguing that it made nonsense of the NLTP, a very deliberate and elaborate plan developed by NEC, under his watch, and a plan which the FG had okayed.

When news about RUGA broke, it immediately raised widespread controversy as State Governors and other interests expressed surprise and a consternation regarding how it was developed and the fact that there were no consultations with States especially regarding land, which according to the law are vested in the Governors.

Another source told Chronicle NG that the President was annoyed that the plan, promoted by senior officials in the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and other FG officials, purports to use gazetted lands in the States for the purposes of building RUGA settlements without carrying along the States, creating a wrong impression that the FG was trying to take over land belonging to States and the people in those States.

There was visible panic in the Villa on Monday when senior officials in the President’s office were trying to get information about RUGA and its connection to the NLTP, although some in the office had tried to suggest that RUGA and NLTP. 

The President later discovered that not only was RUGA not under the VP, but that the programme was not aligned to the NLTP. He then ordered a suspension Tuesday afternoon. 

It was also discovered that the contract sums allocated for various aspects of the RUGA programme, were heavily overpriced, and incurred the wrath of the President. For instance purchases of solar panels were put at tens of million naira each, while boreholes were also to be procured at an average cost of N20m each.

The Vice President had been publicly drawn into the fray last Friday when the Secretary of the MACBAN, Baba Uthman Ngelzarma claimed on a TV interview that the RUGA was being supervised by the Office of the VP.

An apparently angry VP same day issued what was seen as a disclaimer, disclosing that his office was not supervising RUGA and explaining that the NLTP is a different programme altogether.

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/exclusive-the-inside-story-that-led-buhari-to-suspend-ruga/

Young Nigerians should rise above divisive ethnic and religious narratives about the country, and actively advocate for causes and issues that would deepen national unity, progress and development, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when he received a delegation from ONE Campaign, Nigeria Chapter, led by its Country Director, Ms. Serah Makka-Ugbabe.

The delegation comprised of members of the ONE Campaign, champions, and policy advocates representing the country’s six geopolitical zones who were selected to present the Vice President a Youth Declaration.

The Vice President stated that young people should focus their energies on championing causes that unite the country rather than divide it, while stating that ethnic and religious divisions and corruption are major issues that impede the development of any nation.

“There is no Muslim, Christian fighting this country, it is not true at all. That is not the issue. A lot of you who are here are Muslims and Christians, and young people want the same things, the same jobs. If you allow such false narratives, it would destroy and divide the country.

''Some people don’t care what they say or do, so long as they can get into power. And it is a very dangerous thing. And we have to preach against it openly.

Vice President Osinbajo noted that when it comes to stealing of resources, there are people of different religions and tribes involved.

“So, people don’t talk about ethnicity and religion when they are stealing resources, why? Why don’t they say that it is an attempt to Islamize Nigeria? The same way you have Nigerians cooperating in business across everything, across ethnicity or religion. But when it is convenient for some, the person pushes an ethnic agenda,” he said.

He further stated that the issues of ethnic and religious divisions and corruption must be addressed frontally by all Nigerians, including young Nigerians.

Referring to the composition of the Federal Executive Council of the administration in the first term, the VP said, “look, our cabinet has 20 Christians, 18 Muslims, the President is a Muslim. How does he want to Islamize the country? How, when we are all sitting down there? They make those stories up, just to push an agenda.”

While emphasizing on the impact of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) and the plan to take more Nigerians out of poverty and create jobs for young Nigerians through programmes like the N-Power job scheme, the Vice President stated that the SIPs would be expanded to further improve the welfare of youths and Nigerians generally, while the Federal Government will also focus on improving areas such as healthcare, education and agriculture.

In her remarks, ONE’s Nigeria Country Director, Serah Makka-Ugbabe, said, “ONE’s members and champions are honoured to present the Youth Declaration to the Vice President.” She also commended the spirit of openness and dialogue with which he has received the delegation.

Source :https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/07/rise-above-divisive-ethnic-and-religious-narratives-osinbajo-tells-nigerian-youths/

Abimbola Adelakun, a Nigerian writer is obviously not aware that investigative reporting is to journalism what theoretical research is to science, having the potential to present new realities and shatter old paradigm. We need to move away from presenting mere unfounded hearsay as the present day reality.

In this day of social media, with its attendant misuse and abuse, it is a disservice to all the education we have received for years and decades, to just copy and paste headlines and stories with zero factual evidence.

Many have only followed misleading headlines and click-bait blog posts hook, line and sinker, without reading the body of the articles they hold as truth. Abimbola went beyond all rational thought to say Osinbajo said the stories of kidnappings in Nigeria were “wildly exaggerated”.

If this was some random fake news WhatsApp broadcast message or Facebook post going mischievously viral, one would pay no heed. This is a journalist with enough years on the beat to be teaching Journalism as a course in any university, who has chosen to be clever by half, and mischievous in full.

The direct transcripts of the remarks by VP Osinbajo are here QUOTED for all clarity and zero ambiguity. The reader is very free to use any word search tool available on your device, to see where the words ‘exaggerated’ or ‘wildly exaggerated’ show up. Follow the quotation marks.

“I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections. And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians’ arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem”.

“When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are.”

“With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway. Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that….and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place. The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place. That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there is a rash of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.”

“I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home.”

We know it takes a lot of guts to admit an error, especially for someone who is chasing clout on social media by twisting every utterance of others, in order to suit personal flawed narratives. It is still honorable to take the high road and publish only what has passed through rational thought and analytical scrutiny.

In her haste to jump on the bandwagon, Abimbola Adelakun has sacrificed all journalism ethics for the lure of her misinformed cheerleaders. She wants all false narratives to be upheld as the truth, even in the face of clear evidence to the contrary. I will bid her Godspeed on this journey, even as we all know it never ends well when journalists start diving to such ghastly conclusions, the way she is wont to do.

When she wrote that she agrees with Osinbajo that some of the stories in circulation are embellished accounts. She immediately does a quick 180 degrees ‘about-turn’ that would make trained soldiers look ordinary, to say what she does not fully buy is the idea that the motive behind creating those stories is all political mischief nor does she agree that it is a problem of social media.

In the same breath she claims to have seen countless stories of kidnapping, abuse, and rape circulated on social media forms like WhatsApp that look too contrived to be true.

It becomes rather unclear what academic or enlightening discourse she is trying to initiate by being neither here nor there.

Felicia Obasa-Adejuwon is a political and public affairs analyst

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/06/herd-mentality-vs-journalism-ethics-the-case-of-abimbola-adelakun/

Nigeria’s Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, and his American counterpart, Mike Pence, held discussions yesterday in the White House, with both leaders affirming the mutual benefit inherent in a deeper bilateral relationship between both countries.

At a meeting laced with friendly banter, cordial exchange of pleasantries and sharing of faith values, both Vice Presidents in their discussion on economy, military assistance and other issues, affirmed the need for continuous observation of the rule of law, while also noting Nigeria’s pride of place on the African continent and America’s reputed global leadership.

Issues discussed at the nearly hour-long meeting & interaction between the two leaders include how to counter extremism, the threat of global terrorism, and the continuous observation of the rule of law, among others.

While both leaders agreed on the need to strengthen the economy and markets generally, Prof. Osinbajo added that, “The US is a natural ally of Nigeria, as Nigeria and US have many things in common.”

He noted that with Nigeria being the largest economy in Africa, its market offers great opportunities to US investors.

The Nigerian VP stated that his visit to the White House is to further deepen the relationship between the two nations and its people.

In their discussions on economic matters, Mr. Pence said, “Nigeria is a great country with a history of 200 million people, that’s a great nation. I want to see Nigeria prospering more.”

US VP Pence then told his Nigerian counterpart that, “I am grateful that you reached out, the door is open for more dialogue.”

He said Nigeria should continue to pursue market reforms in the economy and encourage an independent judiciary, adding that the rule of law will contribute to Nigeria’s future.

Both leaders also discussed Nigeria’s economic diversification efforts, during which Prof. Osinbajo spoke on how Nigeria is deepening the manufacturing industry and trying to reform the power sector to allow for more investors.

He appreciated the support of USAID through its Power Africa initiative that is helping Nigeria to further open the space in the power sector.

On the issue of security challenges and military assistance, the Nigerian VP thanked the Trump administration for its support on the purchase order for the Tucano aircrafts, stressing that such military equipment will help the Federal Government in the battle against terrorism and insurgency.

Discussing government’s efforts to secure the release of Leah Sharibu, Prof. Osinbajo expressed the commitment of the Buhari administration to continue to negotiate for her release and that of the remaining abducted Chibok girls.

“Over 100 of the Chibok girls that were abducted even before President Muhammadu Buhari came into government, have been released under the Buhari administration, “the VP explained adding that most of the Chibok girls, 90% of them, were also Christians.

The American VP appreciated the efforts of the Nigerian government and offered US’ support in ensuring the release of others still abducted. Mr. Pence said he “appreciates the perspective on Leah Sharibu,” adding that, “I am aware of the sensitive nature of her plight,” while also noting that most of the girls that were released in the Chibok abduction were Christians.

Recalling how President Muhammadu Buhari was himself attacked by Boko Haram terrorists in 2014, the Nigerian Vice President said it is the firm and often publicly stated view of President Buhari that anyone who kills an innocent person and then says “God is great” is either insane or simply does not understand what he is saying.

Vice President Osinbajo returned to Abuja this morning.
Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/06/were-release-leah-sharibu-osinbajo-pence/

Who will help Afenifere faction, Reno Omokri and PDP?

Gush! What Afenifere? Is it that notorious faction of Afenifere that has Yinka Odunmakin as its publicity secretary? Is that what you're talking about? Please, I can't begin to lose sleep over those ones; in any case, they are in our past.

Please, what is making them a talking point? Oh, I see, it's Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's comments on kidnapping while in the United States, but I heard the man has said he was misquoted, upon watching the video I learnt he never said what they claimed. Let’s leave those hungry old men to go and sit down jo.

You mean Reno Omokri also commented on it? Are you really sure he said the VP said there are no kidnappings in Nigeria. Well, I have concluded on that lad called Reno, he is a confusionist. He tries to twist everything the Vice President or anyone in the current government says.

Come to think of it, this guy was sacked even before Goodluck Jonathan lost the 2015 election. Biko, why is he crying more than the bereaved? But let’s remember ooo, they robbed this country blind. He is probably very broke now after gallivanting across nations, especially for someone that has never held a decent job in his life.

I even heard that he is using the name of Leah Sharibu to sell books and shirts for a living. Yes, the Dapchi school girl that was abducted by Boko Haram, he is milking that girl and her family. Let me tell you something, a fraudster is a fraudster, they never change.

Apostle Suleman is benefiting from the Leah Sharibu scam? I don't know that one oooo. Well I don't agree, he is a man of God. But if it's true, God will judge plenty people on the last day.

Now you're talking. I can agree that Sola Kuti, Henry Shield and the other wailers are part of that scam. These guys are desperate, I mean very, very desperate. On Twitter, they drop their account numbers in DMs of those doing giveaways, I won't be surprised if they are caught doing blood money.

This is what Nigeria has become, miscreants don't want a good government to work. So what? What if PDP issued a statement on the VP's comments. Do you mean that party still exists? Or is it the remnant of PDP that is issuing the statement? Hahaha, wonders shall never end.

Nothing good has ever come out of PDP, I mean when they were in government and even now that they are opposition. Nothing good will ever come out of them too, it’s not a curse oooo, unless their mentality changes, I tell you.

Why are you are asking me what Prof. Osinbajo said in the United States again? Don't take me back, biko. Didn't you watch his video? Didn't you read his statement?

But I shared it with you now, why didn't you read it? Oh, you were reading that Wole Soyinka drama, abeg that's a tale for another day.

Since you refused to click on links I sent to help your career, let me just share what VP Osinbajo said but I most definitely will not gist you about his visit to the White House to meet Vice President Mike Pence.

For the last time, this is what Prof. Osinbajo said;


“I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections. And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians’ arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem”.


“When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are.”

“With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway. Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that….and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place. The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place. That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there is a rash of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.”

“I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home.”

I really will urge that you don’t rely entirely for information on social media. I think that the social media tends to be hysterical about practically everything.

In the last three days, there have been misleading and deceptive reports on social media about what Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on the security situation in Nigeria during his four-day visit to the United States.

From videos and reports I’ve seen so far, the Vice President was totally misinterpreted, he never said ‘’Kidnapping in Nigeria is exaggerated” as a matter of fact, he said the Federal Government was working with State Governments to rid Nigeria off kidnappings.

I’m not surprised with the way he was falsely accused of using the word ‘’exaggerated’’, a lot of people from the opposition party, PDP and some miscreants on social media have been looking for several ways to tarnish the image of Prof. Osinbajo just because he is doing better than their leaders. The man is gifted and may Almighty Allah perfect everything that concerns him.

We all know this man truly cares for Nigerians; he’s a pastor and really does fear God, what would he gain from lying and hiding kidnapping cases in Nigeria which are very obvious.

At present, Osinbajo is the favourite of many Nigerians. His popularity is soaring and he has been praised for his administrative style and his style of leadership. In fact many of us would like him to take a shot at the presidency come 2023.

We know 2023 election has begun for some but not for the erudite Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He is focused on governance and all these pockets of misguided distractions won’t stop him from achieving his goals.

As for what Prof Osinbajo really said, read it here, “I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections. And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem.

"But let me dimension it so that you can really understand it better.

"When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are."

"With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway. Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that....and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place. The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place. That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there are rashes of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.

"I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home."

Much Ado about Osinbajo's US comments

In the last three days, there have been misleading and deceptive reports on social media about what Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said on the security situation in Nigeria during his four-day visit to the United States.

From videos and reports I’ve seen so far, the Vice President was totally misinterpreted, he never said ‘’Kidnapping in Nigeria is exaggerated” as a matter of fact, he said the Federal Government was working with State Governments to rid Nigeria off kidnappings.

I’m not surprised with the way he was falsely accused of using the word ‘’exaggerated’’, a lot of people from the opposition party, PDP and some miscreants on social media have been looking for several ways to tarnish the image of Prof. Osinbajo just because he is doing better than their leaders. The man is gifted and may Almighty Allah perfect everything that concerns him.

We all know this man truly cares for Nigerians; he’s a pastor and really does fear God, what would he gain from lying and hiding kidnapping cases in Nigeria which are very obvious.

At present, Osinbajo is the favourite of many Nigerians. His popularity is soaring and he has been praised for his administrative style and his style of leadership. In fact many of us would like him to take a shot at the presidency come 2023.

We know 2023 election has begun for some but not for the erudite Senior Advocate of Nigeria. He is focused on governance and all these pockets of misguided distractions won’t stop him from achieving his goals.

As for what Prof Osinbajo really said, read it here, “I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections. And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem.

"But let me dimension it so that you can really understand it better.

"When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are."

"With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway. Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that....and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place. The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place. That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there are rashes of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.

"I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home."

Vice President Mike Pence has described his Nigerian counterpart Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his ‘friend’ after the pair met at the White House on Wednesday.

Prof. Osinbajo who was in the United States on a four-day working visit culminated his trip with a closed door meeting with Mr. Pence.

The two discussed strengthening the Nigeria-US relationship and deepening the economic ties between both countries.

Even more, was the instant chord and chemistry between the two leaders that made Mr. Pence walk Mr. Osinbajo to his car before wishing him a safe trip back to Nigeria.

Shortly after the meeting, Laolu Akande, the spokesperson to VP Osinbajo explained what Nigerians should expect from the productive meeting.

On Twitter he wrote, “Vice Presidents Yemi Osinbajo and Mike Pence just ended a meeting now in the White House.

“After their discussions, which centered around deepening relationships between Nigeria and the US, VP Pence decided to walk his Nigerian guest to his car, describing Osinbajo as “a friend.”

Prior to Prof. Osinbajo’s meeting with VP Pence, the Nigerian Vice President was guest at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York where he met with investors and other stakeholders.

Pitching Nigeria to the world, Prof. Osinbajo said, “Our potential in technology and entertainment has been attracting huge attention. First is the market, at 174 million GSM phones, we are among the top ten telephone users in the world, and we have the highest percentage of people who use internet on their phones in the world.”

Continuing he said “we are also number two in mobile internet banking in the world, and 17 million Nigerians are on Facebook. Microsoft has announced that it will establish a 100 million dollar African Development Centre in Nigeria.

“Second is the ever-growing number of technology startups, young digital entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to value chain and logistics challenges and creating thousands of jobs in the process. Andela, a software company training software developers for many Fortune 500 companies received a $24m dollar investment from Facebook.”

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/06/prof-osinbajo-is-my-friend-says-vp-pence/

Vice President Mike Pence has described his Nigerian counterpart Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as his ‘friend’ after the pair met at the White House on Wednesday.

Prof. Osinbajo who was in the United States on a four-day working visit culminated his trip with a closed door meeting with Mr. Pence.

The two discussed strengthening the Nigeria-US relationship and deepening the economic ties between both countries.

Even more, was the instant chord and chemistry between the two leaders that made Mr. Pence walk Mr. Osinbajo to his car before wishing him a safe trip back to Nigeria.

Shortly after the meeting, Laolu Akande, the spokesperson to VP Osinbajo explained what Nigerians should expect from the productive meeting.

On Twitter he wrote, “Vice Presidents Yemi Osinbajo and Mike Pence just ended a meeting now in the White House.

“After their discussions, which centered around deepening relationships between Nigeria and the US, VP Pence decided to walk his Nigerian guest to his car, describing Osinbajo as “a friend.”

Prior to Prof. Osinbajo’s meeting with VP Pence, the Nigerian Vice President was guest at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York where he met with investors and other stakeholders.

Pitching Nigeria to the world, Prof. Osinbajo said, “Our potential in technology and entertainment has been attracting huge attention. First is the market, at 174 million GSM phones, we are among the top ten telephone users in the world, and we have the highest percentage of people who use internet on their phones in the world.”

Continuing he said “we are also number two in mobile internet banking in the world, and 17 million Nigerians are on Facebook. Microsoft has announced that it will establish a 100 million dollar African Development Centre in Nigeria.

“Second is the ever-growing number of technology startups, young digital entrepreneurs who are creating solutions to value chain and logistics challenges and creating thousands of jobs in the process. Andela, a software company training software developers for many Fortune 500 companies received a $24m dollar investment from Facebook.”

A Yoruba youth group has mocked the breakaway faction of pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, for deliberately trying to mislead Nigerians by quoting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo out of context.

The Yoruba Youth Vanguard at a press conference in Abeokuta on Wednesday said that the Afenifere group does not represent the interest of the Yorubas but of certain old men who are after personal gains.

Leader of the group, Akomolafe Kolawole explained that if truly Afenifere represented the interest of Yoruba’s they will not take the lead in misleading Nigerians on comments from Prof. Osinbajo a true Omoluabi.

Mr. Kolawole stressed that Afenifere is not worth listening to because they have sold their soul to the devil and highest bidder.

“Afenifere as we know it today especially Yinka Odunmakin do not represent the interest of the Yorubas in anyway, they are only speaking for their stomachs and pockets, they have since lost relevance and anything they say or do should be disregarded.

Mr. Kolawole explained that the Afenifere leaders are only motivated by corruption and since the Vice President is a honest and truthful person they are trying hard to tarnish his image.

“For students of history, you will agree with me that Afenifere have been working tirelessly to tarnish the image of Prof. Osinbajo because he is bigger and better than all of them collectively.

“They do not like the fact that his popularity amongst Yorubas and Nigerians generally is soaring, so therefore they try to drag him down but unfortunately he is man that God has blessed, no man not even Afenifere can curse him.

Kolawole then read what the Vice President said to the Nigerian community in New York during a Town Hall meeting on Sunday.

Here’s what Prof. Osinbajo said, “I really will urge that you don’t rely entirely for information on social media. I think that the social media tends to be hysterical about practically everything.

“I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections.

“And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians’ arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem.

“But let me dimension it so that you can really understand it better.

“When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are.”

“With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway.

“Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that….and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place.

“The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place.

“That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there are a rash of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.

“I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home.”
Sourcehttps://www.chronicle.ng/2019/06/yoruba-youths-mock-breakaway-afenifere-faction-for-misleading-nigerians-over-osinbajos-comment/

A Yoruba youth group has mocked the breakaway faction of pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, for deliberately trying to mislead Nigerians by quoting Vice President Yemi Osinbajo out of context.

The Yoruba Youth Vanguard at a press conference in Abeokuta on Wednesday said that the Afenifere group does not represent the interest of the Yorubas but of certain old men who are after personal gains.

Leader of the group, Akomolafe Kolawole explained that if truly Afenifere represented the interest of Yoruba’s they will not take the lead in misleading Nigerians on comments from Prof. Osinbajo a true Omoluabi.

Mr. Kolawole stressed that Afenifere is not worth listening to because they have sold their soul to the devil and highest bidder.

“Afenifere as we know it today especially Yinka Odunmakin do not represent the interest of the Yorubas in anyway, they are only speaking for their stomachs and pockets, they have since lost relevance and anything they say or do should be disregarded.

Mr. Kolawole explained that the Afenifere leaders are only motivated by corruption and since the Vice President is a honest and truthful person they are trying hard to tarnish his image.

“For students of history, you will agree with me that Afenifere have been working tirelessly to tarnish the image of Prof. Osinbajo because he is bigger and better than all of them collectively.

“They do not like the fact that his popularity amongst Yorubas and Nigerians generally is soaring, so therefore they try to drag him down but unfortunately he is man that God has blessed, no man not even Afenifere can curse him.

Kolawole then read what the Vice President said to the Nigerian community in New York during a Town Hall meeting on Sunday.

Here’s what Prof. Osinbajo said, “I really will urge that you don’t rely entirely for information on social media. I think that the social media tends to be hysterical about practically everything.

“I think there is also a lot of politics involved in some of the information as it comes up. I think it is also important to point out that this new wave of issues of security came immediately after the elections.

“And there is always a connection between this issue of security and elections because many times, politicians’ arm several of these individuals during the electioneering period, and immediately after an election cycle, many of them, having nothing to do and with arms all over the place, resort to the fastest way of making money which is to abduct somebody and ask for a ransom. And that is just one side of the problem.

“But let me dimension it so that you can really understand it better.

“When people say there is security problem here and there, it is not one thing, it is several different things but if it is described as one thing then it will look bigger than it really is. And I am deeply worried about the fact that we might find ourselves unable to resolve these problems unless we drill down to see what the problems are.”

“With respect to general kidnapping which we have seen in certain parts of the country, again this is not entirely new. When you listen to some of the stories, some of them are simply not true anyway.

“Some are fueled by politics, but there are cases of kidnapping, there is no question at all about that….and every story we try to track and trace. When you track them, you find out that people just tell some stories, but the truth anyway is that there is kidnapping in places where it has taken place.

“The way to check it is the work we are doing with State governments namely using technology to track cases. These are economic crimes; if people know that they will be caught, and they will not be allowed to get away with their loot, it will stop in the places where it is taking place.

“That is really the work we are doing with the State governments. We are doing this in the various zones where we see that there are a rash of incidents. We are trying to put in place trackers and all sorts of other equipment that can be used to locate these criminals.

“I am not so sure how many follow the number of arrests that have been made in different state police commands, several have been made. I don’t think the problem is as massive as that, I think we can deal with the question of kidnapping quite easily. I am sure that not so long a time, the news will be a lot better in terms of kidnapping and we will feel more comfortable about life at home.”

A policy group in Nigeria says Reno Omokri, a former social media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan is ridiculing the former number one citizen of Nigeria.

The Global Economic Policy Initiative, GEPIn, said it was wrong for Mr. Omokri to be peddling lies and issuing statements on behalf of President Jonathan.

President of the group, Mr. Bernard Okri said that the world will be laughing at Mr. Jonathan for trying to undo the abject poverty which he thrust Nigeria into by falsifying figures.

“Mr. Omokri has a record for impersonation, identity theft and blackmail but who would have thought that he would do it to his former boss and former President of Nigeria,” Okri quizzed.

“In an attempt to slander Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on the poverty figures that he quoted while addressing the Council of Foreign Relations in New York City he dented the reputation and goodwill of his former boss.

Okri stressed that Prof. Osinbajo was right when he said the poverty level in Nigeria as at 2010 was over 112 million, which was over 67 per cent of Nigeria’s population at the time.

Quoting the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), he said about 112 million Nigerians, which is about 67.1 per cent of the country’s total population of 167 million were living below poverty level.

He said Nigeria only became the poverty capital of the world because the Peoples Democratic Party which had been in government impoverished Nigerians and looted all the resources.

“In 2010, over 112.47 million Nigerians were living on less than a one dollar a day. The NBS data showed that 67% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in “absolute poverty” – this figure had risen from 54.7% in 2004.

He added that the NBS report revealed that Nigerians considered themselves to be getting poorer at the time. “According to the report in 2010, 93.9% of respondents felt themselves to be poor compared to 75.5% six years earlier,” Okri added.

He said it was a shame that Mr. Omokri could not do a simple Google search to confirm the statement of the Vice President before jumping on Twitter and even issuing a statement.

“This is a disgrace to President Goodluck Jonathan, he has made him the laughing stock of the world, I think he deserves better than to be dragged in the mud by Mr. Omokri. A simple Google search would have saved both of them this embarrassment,” he said.

He, however, urged Mr. Omokri to apologise to President Jonathan, Vice President Osinbajo and all Nigerians for dragging the name of the country in the mud.

“He (Omokri) has record of telling lies and he is a very fraudulent person. Nigerians still remember Wendell Simlin, the name Mr. Omokri stole in his bid to blackmail then former CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, accusing him of sponsoring Boko Haram but he was busted.

“Only last week I read that he was using the name of abducted Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, to make money for himself by selling shirts and a book he wrote in her name.

“He has a past and most us know that he relies heavily on this type of fraudulent activity to survive, things have not been easy for him since the PDP left government,” Mr. Okri.

He urged Nigerians never to believe or take anything Mr. Omokri says seriously. “We should engage in constructive criticism if we really want Nigeria to succeed, persons like Mr. Omokri exude bad vibes, Nigerians should not believe anything he says.”

NPOWER ALERT NIGERIANS OVER FAKE SCHEME
N-Power has alerted Nigerians over a fake product call N-Power Moni.
N-power scheme, one of the Federal Government initiatives under Social nvestment programmes urged citizens to disregard any news or links on N-Power Moni in a tweet on Tuesday the verified social media account stress that all information spreading across social media and blogs on N-Power Moni is false.
“Dear N-Power Beneficiaries, Please disregard news about a product called N-Power Moni. This is NOT from the Federal Government or the National Social Investment Programme Office.
"Any news or links NOT shared by our verified social media handles should be deemed as FALSE.”
N-Power is job employment and empowerment scheme for unemployed Nigerian graduates under the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIPs).
The programme has provided jobs for 500, 000 young Nigerian graduates in the last two years.
The Federal Government is expected to train 10 million graduates in Nigeria under the N-Power programme by 2023.
To be recruited in the programme, there are some requirements to be meet;
i) NPower is only open to people who are between 18 and 35 years.
ii) Candidates who wish to register for NPower are expected to have a sincere interest in the field of activity they are bracing up for.
iii) Graduates who wish to join the programme must be a holder of the following educational qualifications from National Universities Commission (NUC) accredited educational institution – a Higher National Diploma (HND), an Ordinary National Diploma (OND), Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE), and Bachelor’s degree.
iv) Successful passing of tests
v)  Willingness to push one's self out of one's comfort zone.
vi) Enthusiasm and ability to exhibit a flair to make the most of all the skills you need to be the best you can be.

The programme features the following packages:

N-Power Agro Volunteers provides advisory services to farmers across the country.

N-Power Health Volunteers helps to improve and promote preventive healthcare in their communities to vulnerable members of the society including pregnant women and children and to families and individuals.

N-Power Teach Volunteers helps to improve basic education delivery in Nigeria.

N-Power Tax volunteers work as Community Tax Liaison Officers in their states of residence with the state's tax authorities.

Nigerians say Reno Omokri working to divide country

*says Buhari is for Muslims, Osinbajo for Christians

Nigerians have blasted Reno Omokri, the former Social Media aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan for working tirelessly to divide Nigeria along religious paths.

Youths who attacked Mr. Omokri on Twitter said he was trying to ignite a civil war in Nigeria while living in California with his family.

Mr. Omokri had written on his official Twitter page that President Muhammadu Buhari is for the Muslims and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was for Christians sparking an outrage that he was trying to turn religions against each other.

He also claimed that President Buhari worked for Zainab Aliyu, who was wrongly accused to have transported Tramadol to Saudi Arabia was freed because she was a Muslim while Leah Sharibu, a Christian who was abducted Boko Haram terrorists was still in custody.

Reacting to his claims, James Sunday Akinloye said Mr. Omokri was suffering from a self-induced post election traumatic stress disorder and that he needs to see a doctor.

“I must tell you that those who listen and follow Omokri are merely doing so to be entertained. We know Mr. Omokri don’t mean well for Nigeria. He only wants to ruffle things up so that the unsuspecting can ignite a violence in our country.

“He has forgotten so quickly that over 200 school girls were abducted during the Jonathan government and it took Buhari/Osinbajo to reunite most of them with their families.

He added that Mr. Omokri’s attempt to draw comparison between negotiations between legitimate governments and a terrorist sect was baseless to say the least. He urged Nigerians to stay clear of Omokri and his ilks.

Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa who is the Senior Special Adviser to the President on Foreign Relations and Diaspora said it’s not true that the Federal Government wasn’t working to have Leah Sharibu released.

“Leah’s case is different. She is held captive by terrorists. The Buhari administration is not leaving any stone unturned to get her back. We are optimistic she will return,” she said.

Similarly, Bernard Okri pointed out that both the President and Vice President do not represent the interest of any religious groups as they were both elected by Muslims and Christians.

“It’s petty that Mr. Omokri is trying to draw a religious divide in Nigeria just because he wants the country to burn. Nigerians should be weary of him and those who reside in the United States but are strategising to make Nigeria burn.

He also shamed Mr. Omokri for trying to draw Kiki Osinbajo, the daughter of the Vice President into the matter. “Mr. Omokri claims that he wants Ms. Sharibu rescued are lies. He takes pictures and brandishes the good life he is living but will never return to Nigeria to help free Leah Sharibu.

Reno Omokri derives orgasm from lying

Satan the father of all liars will feel threatened by Reno Omokri’s constant and steady rise in his area of expertise. Omokri has told so many lies that one begins to doubt if he was born Reno Omokri. But Satan can take comfort in the fact that he is crafty and clever while Omokri is dumb and ignorant, he can’t keep up with his strings of lies.

His latest attempt was in a poorly written piece titled “Sadly, Nigeria has a Pinocchio for a vice-president” published online. Omokri, a supposed pastor who was thrown out of Jonathan’s administration just like Satan was thrown out of heaven tried to malign the personality of Prof Yemi Osinbajo, Nigeria’s Vice President.

What Omokri attempted to do was to compare the successes and achievements between the Jonathan and Buhari administration but what he succeeded in doing was to praise the Buhari administration for its achievement.

Omokri claimed that “former President Jonathan can point to exactly 8956 projects that he initiated, started and completed, I challenge the Buhari government to name just three projects that they have initiated, started and completed in the last three years.”

Many Nigerians cannot readily recall any project that Jonathan started and finished talk less 8956 projects, this is just another bad dream by a drowning man whose followers are fast dwindling because of his Multi-Personality Disorder syndrome.

Since he wants to know the projects initiated, started and completed by the Buhari administration, he will get it.

The National Home Grown School Feeding Programme was introduced by the Buhari administration and overseen by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. The programme currently feeds 8.5 million pupils across 24 states on daily basis.

Then there is the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme which was launched by President Buhari’s administration six months after it was sworn-in. The programme creates a linkage between anchor companies involved in the processing and small holder farmers of required key agricultural commodities.

The programme has increased banks’ financing to the agricultural sector, reduced agricultural commodity importation and reduce level of poverty among smallholder farmers among others. Over 600,000 farmers currently benefit from this scheme.

N-Power is another project that is designed to create employment and empower the youths. N-Power provides an opportunity to achieve inclusion and productivity in Nigeria. N-Power creates jobs and is one of the initiatives of the Social Investment Programme.

As at today over 500,000 people have been recruited and it will be over one million by the end of 2018.

The creation of opportunities for youths to leverage innovation in technology through the introduction of the Aso Villa Demo Day (AVDD) through which over N700 million has been disbursed to young entrepreneurs so has the revitalization of the Made-in-Nigeria campaign.

The Buhari administration has improved fertiliser distribution and access across states through the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative. This has increased Nigeria’s production of rice and has not only help us stop importation but has made us potential exporters.

The ongoing Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme commenced in November 2016 in collaboration with the Bank of Industry, where soft loans ranging from N10, 000 to N100, 000 have been given to over 350,000 market women and traders across different states. These are all collateral-free loans.

Conditional Cash Transfer scheme, under which over 400,000 less privileged Nigerians so far are now being funded with the monthly N5,000.

The establishment of MSMEs Clinics, a small Business support programme to support entrepreneurs and small businesses in different states as well as the establishment of One-Stop-Shops to support policies on Ease of Doing Business.

There’s no gainsaying that electricity generation and distribution has improved greatly. During the Jonathan administration, Nigerians bought generators every year always had at least two because they perpetually had no light but that’s all changed. There is a fair share of electricity for all.

Buhari’s administration commissioned the super fast 187-kilometre Abuja-Kaduna railway and the Abuja metro. Even though Omokri claims his former boss completed both projects we know it’s a BIG FAT LIE.

If he did it would have been in use but that was not the case. There are major infrastructural achievements recorded. The Lagos-Ibadan expressway; Enugu-Onitsha expressway, East-West road, Abuja-Lokoja-Benin expressway, Kano-Maiduguri expressway, Second Niger Bridge, Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway among others.

Another giant stride of the Buhari administration is the creation and successful completion of Modular Refineries. Only recently, a team from the office of the Vice President visited the OPAC refinery site located at Umuseti, Kwale, in Delta State.

Thirty-eight modular refineries were granted licences to operate in the Niger Delta region and at least two will be ready by December 2018.

Feel free to throw in June 12 as the new Democracy Day and as recognition of late Chief MKO Abiola feat during the 1993 general election.

The list of achievements is endless, and I can go on and on. For people like Omokri sowing the seed of discord is what they have been ordained to do. He lives with his family in the United States but will stop at nothing to see Nigeria burn.

It’s important to note that for “End Time” pastor Omokri and his ilk they will stop at nothing to take away peace from Nigeria once they don’t have access to steal our commonwealth.

They will prefer to bring down any government they cannot steal from, and It’s time we ignore this E.T. looking dude and concentrate on more important issues.

The need for elites and the rich to support Federal government’s Social Investment Programmes and the fight against poverty cannot be overemphasized as a new dispensation kicks in.

Poverty is a state of not having enough material possessions or income for a person's basic needs while Absolute poverty is the complete lack of the means necessary to meet basic personal needs, such as food, clothing and shelter. Poverty occurs in both developing countries and developed countries. While poverty is much more widespread in developing countries, both types of countries usually undertake poverty reduction measures.

Poverty reduction or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty, This in Nigeria Includes National Home grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP), Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), TraderMOni, MarketMoni, FarmerMoni and Npower.

Those targeted in these programmes are petty-traders, enterpreneurs of MSMEs, the poorest of the poor (CCT), jobless youths (Npower) and pupils of Public primary schools across all states of the federation. The poorest of the poor belong within the class of absolute poverty while petty-traders and the unemployed youth can be categorized as poor.

Effects of Poverty on Individuals and the Family
Children born in poor families are much more likely to have low birth weight and infants living in poor households face higher rates of food insecurity, which impairs healthy development. As adults, lower-income individuals experience higher rates of illnesses, diseases and disabilities than those who earn higher incomes.
They are afflicted with higher rates of chronic diseases such as hypertension, high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol. These conditions are exacerbated by the frequent lack of health insurance and access to medical care among lower-income individuals. Consequently, the life expectancies for poor individuals are much lower than those with high incomes.
Low-income and poor families face significant economic pressure as they struggle to pay bills and make ends meet. This economic pressure, coupled with other stressful events that are more prevalent in the lives of poor families, create high levels of psychological distress, including depression among poor parents.

Effects of Poverty on the Nation
Economic strength is based on a strong middle class with purchasing power to fuel our economy and workforce contributions to increase our economic growth and productivity but Poverty weakens the middle class which is the engine room for economic growth of all nations of the world. This is due to over dependence of the poor class. This is part of what we are experiencing presently in Nigeria
There’s an old adage that says, “An idle man is the devil’s work shop.” That’s the case for a large number people living in poverty. The lack of basic needs often leads them to crime. This we can see in the high rate of criminal activities currently ravaging the nation (ranging from Cyber crime {Yahoo Yahoo}, Arm-robbery, Kidnapping, Banditry, Terrorism and communal clashes). All these are results of poverty and inability to meet basic needs.
Way forward to safe guard the future of our Nation.
The Federal Government alone can’t end poverty in Nigeria. The State governments and the Private Sector which encompasses the Elites (Rich and the Wealthy) should also invest in the NSIPs or create their own model of helping the government in poverty reduction, or poverty alleviation programmes and also the religious organizations should also join the fight.
Finally I will personally appreciate President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo on their committed fight against poverty in Nigeria but they really need to intensify their efforts on the fight.

God bless Nigeria

Olasunkanmi from OAU, Ile-Ife

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the problem of extreme poverty in Nigeria keeps him up at night and that the government will take Nigerians out of poverty.

Osinbajo disclosed this at a dinner and Interactive Session with Faculty Members, Harvard Business School (HBS) in Lagos.

The Vice President featured alongside Srikant Datar, Professor of Business Administration (HBS), and Bayo Ogunlesi, a Nigerian investment banker at a question and answer session moderated by Hakeem Bello-Osagie, Chairman of Metis Capital Partners.

“I think what keeps me up at night has to do with extreme poverty; the issue is that the largest number of those who vote for us are the very poor.

“The promises that government makes to them is that their lives will be better and obviously they are looking at their lives being better in the shortest possible time.

“I will like to see Nigeria being an industrialised nation in the next 10 years; a very strong middle class and most people living above poverty line.’’

Osinbajo said that a lot of government policies were taking into account people at the bottom of the pyramid with a focus on agriculture and getting credit facilities to farmers in order to achieve self sufficiency.

He said that many farmers in the country had been lifted out of poverty by this administration.

According to him, a lot of attention had also been given to the Social Intervention Programmes (SIPs) which factored the provision of cheap credit to petty traders at the bottom of the pyramid.

The vice president told the HBS that Nigeria was open to business with its various potentials and urged Nigerian investors abroad to look homewards.

“If you are going to do business anywhere in Africa, it has to be Nigeria.

“This is where you have the energy; you have the drive.

“We are already seeing that kind of activity; business people will always be driven by profit.

“Talent will always go in the direction where it is best rewarded; one can’t afford to be sentimental about that.

“As people see that the environment is getting better for business, they will come back; the opportunities for making huge profits are here.

“Practically everything we are doing is to ensure that there is environment for business to thrive. People are leaving but people are coming back.’’

He said that the Federal Government, through the Special Economic Zones (SEZ) was encouraging the manufacturers.

The vice president said that the government was looking at natural economic clusters and had set up shared facilities and power.

He said a lot was going on the agro-allied sector and of course, resolving the power challenges.

“In the next few months, we will unveil a plan that deals with most of the critical issues in the power sector,’’ he said.

On climate change, Osinbajo said that the momentum was in favour of renewable energy and Nigeria was doing a lot of investment in renewable energy; solar power and opening up opportunities.

On his part, Datar said he was particularly proud of Osinbajo as an academic in governance, adding that academics provide enabling environment for good governance.

He pledged HBS’s support in providing needed support for human capital development in Nigeria and proffering solutions to tackling Nigeria’s infrastructure challenges.

Speaking, Ogunlesi said that the era of depending on government for infrastructure was gone, adding that the Federal Government had no business running infrastructure in Nigeria, especially the airports.

In a vote of thanks, Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II, called for urgent action to address the high poverty rate in Nigeria especially in the North West.

He also advocated for a committee on girl-child education to boost enrolment in schools and uplift their living standards.

The event also attracted Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Stuart Symington, immediate past Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr Okechukwu Enelamah, immediate past Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma among others.

Source: https://www.chronicle.ng/2019/06/well-take-nigeria-out-of-extreme-poverty-osinbajo/

*IRI/NDI commends INEC for conduct of 2019 election*

The International Republic Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI) has praised Nigeria’s electoral agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for introducing far reaching reforms prior to the 2019 general elections.

The United States based group made the commendation at a press conference held at the Benue Plateau Room, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja on Tuesday.

In its final report, the IRI/NDI noted that its comprehensive analysis of the electoral process includes important recommendations ahead of Nigeria’s 2023 general elections.

“This final report builds on the findings and recommendations of three pre-election assessment missions in July 2018, September 2018, and December 2018 as well as preliminary statements released following the February 23, 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections and the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial and state House of Assembly elections,” Dr. Daniel Twining, IRI President said.

The groups, however, noted that the last-minute postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections on the morning of February 16 and delays in opening some polling units and other administrative challenges on Feb. 23 undermined public confidence in INEC.

Ambassador Derek Mitchell, NDI President called for a national dialogue on election reforms. “The 2019 elections highlighted for many Nigerians the need for a national conversation about the country’s democratization since the 1999 transition to civilian rule.”

He added that, “We hope this report may both spur and contribute to enriching that national conversation.”

The final report provides recommendations to enhance the credibility of elections in Nigeria going forward, including areas of improvement for political party conduct, civic engagement, election security, and legal frameworks around election disputes.

Honourable Simon Karu representing Kaltungo-Shongom in Gombe state in the House of Representatives said the National Assembly will do its share in ensuring that electoral reforms are implemented.

“There are lots of reforms, what we need is implementation. Policies and laws should be implemented by NASS. There should also be comprehensive education of the larger society. We need proper engagements of youths and strategic implementations not just for 2023.

''We should be able to guard our votes; I will project it to the NASS when the opportunity arises. For the rural areas, we should use a collective effort to get internet network to those areas just like the banks. We should not wait for 2020, the private bodies should rise up and not just leave it to the Federal Government. Telecommunications bodies should arise to plant network in these areas to,'' he urged.

He noted that INEC’s conduct of the 2019 election was a notch higher than that of 2015. “In previous elections, accredited voters ended up not voting and their ballots were thumb printed falsely just to meet the figure of those accredited.

“But in 2019 elections, INEC came out to say although this figure were accredited, not all of them voted due to one reason or another.


The high-level delegation for the joint Nigeria International Election Observation Mission included His Excellency Festus Mogae, former president of Botswana; Her Excellency Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former president of Latvia; Her Excellency Fatoumata Tambajang, former vice president of The Gambia; Ambassador Johnnie Carson, former U.S. assistant secretary of state for African affairs; Randy Scheunemann, vice chairman of IRI’s board of directors; Ambassador Derek Mitchell, NDI president; and Dr. Daniel Twining, IRI president, along with 40 observers from Africa, Europe, and North America. Five thematic experts were also deployed to provide in-depth analysis on key issues identified during the pre-election assessments: electoral violence, election administration, inclusivity and the political environment.

SOME QUOTES FROM THE EU ELECTION OBSERVER REPORT RELEASED TODAY:

On page 3 in its Executive Summary:

According to the EU report, “positively the elections were competitive, parties were overall able to campaign and civil society enhanced accountability “



INEC made a number of improvements, including making electoral participation more accessible through simplified voting procedures. INEC made efforts to strengthen electoral integrity by issuing regulations making smart card readers mandatory.

On page 4

The elections were competitive with a large number of candidates for all seats although competition was primarily between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Parties and candidates were overall able to campaign, with freedoms of assembly, expression and movement broadly respected

Page 5
EU EOM media monitoring over 46 days showed federal government-owned Radio’s commitment to balanced election coverage

Positively in almost all observations Party agents received copies of the results forms.
The national collation Centre for the presidential election was open to party agents and observers, and was continuously televised

Again on page 37
The national collation Centre for the presidential results was open to party agents, observers and the media with each state’s results projected on a large screen. There was continuous live television coverage and the media published the results as announced by INEC, thereby increasing access to results information.

Page 41 under section RESULTS AND STAKEHOLDER REACTION
EU SAID:
YIAGA Africa announced that the results were consistent with its parallel vote tabulation that INDEPENDENTLY projected the results based on a sample of 1,515 polling units. The two leading parties won 96.8% of the valid votes between them

PUBLIC DISCLAIMER ON VIDEO OF POLICE OFFICER DUPED BY INTERNET FRAUDSTERS USING THE VP'S NAME


Our attention has been drawn to a video on social media showing a police officer saying he was duped by an Internet fraudster allegedly using the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.


This is a brazen act of defamation and fraud by criminally minded individual(s) carried out on a Nigerian police officer who was oblivious of their dubious intent. Such shady fellows are not only lacking in character and conscience, but also have no regard for the person and office of the Vice President.


The Vice President does not and will not condone any such acts of illegality. He has never asked, and will never ask anyone to carry out such brazen extortion in his name.


The security agencies have been informed and investigations are ongoing to ensure that the perpetrators of this crime are dealt with.


Nigerians should disregard such brazen acts of impersonation and fraud and be wary of  scams carried out by dubious individuals for their selfish gains.

Laolu Akande