THE Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) has said human traffickers now exploit the Economic Community West African States (ECOWAS) travel certificate to avoid security checks while carrying out illicit activities.
In a statement released by the Bayelsa State Command of the NIS on Thursday, December 29, State Comptroller Sunday James said the certificate is being exploited by traffickers because of the low level of suspicion on persons using it to travel within the ECOWAS member states.
“The Command noticed a sudden increase in the rate at which young people patronised the ECOWAS Travel Certificate and did a risk analysis and a checklist of the age group that goes for it, the reasons given for the travel and countries where the holders of the document frequent,” he said.
According to James, an additional document has been introduced for travellers to ECOWAS member states in a bid to further restrict illegal movement and strengthen security measures against human trafficking.
“It was on this ground that the unit directly responsible for the issuance, ECOWAS Unit, was tasked to add an additional security document to the requirement, called the Suspicious Travel Interrogation Form which has zeroed down to any suspected case and has yielded results,” James said.
He restated the organisation’s commitment to combating human trafficking and urged parents to be more vigilant before releasing children to relatives and other persons abroad.
A video has circulated online with the claim that it shows moments Rivers State Governor Nyesome Wike was leading a campaign rally for the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
The footage, now circulating on WhatsApp, shows Obi and Wike walking amid a large crowd, with the campaign song of LP playing in the background.
The clip shows the Labour Party’s logo with a voice-over saying, “My people, see Wike leading rally in Port Harcourt for Obi… Can you beat this? See Wike raising up his walking stick.”
The video, which has been archived here, was traced to John Zino (with the username @johnzino91), one of the party’s loyalist. It was posted on TikTok on November 17, 2022 with a caption that reads: “Wike leading rally for OBIDATTI in PORTHACOURT today.”
The post has since garnered over 4,000 likes, more than 300 comments and 1,700 shares as of Friday, December 23, when it was retrieved from TikTok.
CLAIM
Video shows Governor Wike leading a campaign rally for Peter Obi in Port Harcourt.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE.
The viral video was traced to the TikTok post made on Thursday, November 17, 2022, the same day Peter Obi and his running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed visited Port Harcourt to commission a project for the Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Wike had in November, invited Obi to the state capital for the commissioning of the 9th flyover by his administration.
Screenshot of the news footage showing the moment Wike and Obi arrived the event venue to commission a flyover in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on November 17, 2022. CREDITS: TVC News.
Checks revealed that the viral video shows the moment the former governor of Anambra state, alongside his running mate, was received by a large crowd of his supporters at the venue of the Nkpolu – Oroworukwo flyover inauguration.
Footage of their arrival at the event’s venue uploaded on YouTube by TVC News Nigeria shows people with PDP flags at the venue of the project inauguration.
My team and I just arrived at the Government House in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the Commissioning of a new Flyover constructed by HE @GovWike. -PO pic.twitter.com/u3tI1h6reG
That was not the first time Governor Wike would invite a member of an opposition party for project commissioning in Rivers State.
He had earlier invited current Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and a former Edo state governor, Adams Oshiomole, who were all members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to commission some of the projects executed by his administration.
Wike also invited the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to inaugurate Mgbutanwo Internal Roads in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the video shows Governor Wike of the PDP leading a campaign rally for Peter Obi of the Labour Party is FALSE; as the footage shows the moment Wike received Obi and his running mate for the commissioning of a flyover project in Port Harcourt.
For others it goes further: He was the symbol of soccer played with passion, gusto and a smile. Indeed, he helped to forge an image of the game, which even today lots of people continue to crave.
Pelé wasn’t just a great player and a wonderful ambassador for the world’s favorite game; he was a cultural icon. Indeed, he remains the face of a purity in soccer that existed long before big money and global geopolitics infiltrated the game.
Pelé was born Edson Arantes do Nascimento in Sao Paolo state, Brazil in 1940. His early years were the same as many soccer players who preceded him and countless who then followed and were inspired by him: born into poverty, introduced to the game by a family member, later becoming obsessed by a sport that taught him about life and gave him opportunities.
Youth team football came first, in 1953, when he signed for his local club, Bauru. But it was his first professional club, Santos, that propelled Pelé toward stardom. Having moved there in 1956, he played 636 matches and scored 618 goals before leaving in 1974. Not just the beating heart of the team, Pelé was also an immense, one-club loyalist.
Long before the feats of modern-day stars Cristiano Ronaldo or Erling Haaland, Pelé blazed a goal-scoring trail that marked him out as being significantly different to other players around him. Similarly, he displayed levels of skill which even today mean that some observers of the game place the Brazilian ahead of the likes of other contenders for the title of Greatest of All Time: Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona.
Within a year of signing for Santos, Pelé made his debut for Brazil, three months short of his 17th birthday. He scored in that game against Argentina, and 65 years later he remains the Brazilian national team’s youngest-ever scorer.
Ultimately, Pelé played 92 times for Brazil, scoring 77 goals. By comparison, England’s Harry Kane has scored 53 times in 80 matches. In addition to his national team achievements, for his club Pelé won six Brazilian league titles and two South American championships.
The American years
Later, in 1975, he came out of semi-retirement to play for the New York Cosmos in the North American Soccer League. By then, Pelé was in his mid-30s but still managed to score 37 goals in 64 matches. Some believe that it was his brief stint playing in the United States that kick-started the country’s interest in football.
Pelé’s talent has never been in doubt. Yet it was fortuitous that he played at a time when soccer was emerging from the shadows cast by global conflict, when the world needed symbols of hope and sporting heroes.
The Brazilian was able to serve this purpose, though he did so during a period when television – first black-and-white, then color – brought soccer directly into people’s living rooms. At the time, Pelé was Messi, Ronaldo and Mbappé rolled into one – made globally consumable by this new technology.
Inevitably, during his life, Pelé encountered problems: his commercial activities were sometimes mired in controversy; at one stage he was labeled a left-wing antagonist of the Brazilian government, then was later described as being too conservative in his views of the Brazilian dictatorship. He had numerous children – some the result of affairs – and one of them, a son, Edinho, was sent to prison for laundering money made from drug deals.
However, the abiding memory is of a man who played soccer in a way that many of us – both amateurs and professionals – have all aspired to. Pelé was not only skillful, he also brought great joy to innumerable people across the world, over a period of decades. For all of us, even those with just the slightest interest in football, we will never forget him.
LAGOS State Government, through the Office of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), has announced Messers CCECC – CRCCIG Consortium as the preferred bidder for the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge project.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Private Partnerships, Ope George, disclosed this at the PPP briefing in Ikeja.
He disclosed that the project had gone through the competitive bidding process comprising the Request for Proposal Stage 1 and Request for Proposal Stage ll which was issued to the shortlisted bidders, namely: Mota-Engil (Nigeria and Africa) CCCC&CRBC Consort; CGGC-CGC Joint Venture and CCECC & CRCCIG Consortium.
According to him, the Fourth Mainland Bridge project, is a proposed Public-Private Partnership transport infrastructure development which will comprise the construction and operation of a greenfield tolled road and bridge with a design speed of 120km/h.
He noted that when completed, the bridge will become the second largest in Africa with three toll plazas, nine interchanges, a 4.5km Lagoon Bridge and an eco friendly environment.
“Subsequently, a Request for Quotation (RFQ), was issued on February 10, 2020 to the 32 eligible applicants and responses were received on 15th April, 2020 with a total of 15 responses. Upon evaluation, six bidders met the criteria to progress to the Request for Proposal stage,” he stated.
George explained that the bids have now been evaluated and Messrs CCECC – CRCCIG Consortium emerged as the preferred bidder.
The bridge is expected to span about 37 kilometers starting from the Abraham Adesanya area in Ajah, on the Eti- Osa/ Lekki Epe Corridor.
The Special Adviser reiterated that the bridge will reduce congestion on the existing Third Mainland Bridge while opening new areas of the city for future development. The project is expected to cost $2.5 billion.
ONDO State Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has restated the need for Nigeria’s presidency to shift to the South after President Muhammadu Buhari concludes his eight-year tenure on May 29, 2023.
The governor stated this on Thursday at the Government House in Akure while hosting the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Richard Olatunde, the governor appealed to the former Rivers State governor to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
The ICIR reports that Amaechi contested the APC presidential primary in June against Tinubu and other aspirants. He came second at the primary in Abuja between June 6 and 8.
Akeredolu explained that no loyalist of the APC could forget the lead role of Amaechi as Director-General of the party’s presidential campaign in 2015, which produced President Buhari.
Amaechi had resigned from Buhari’s cabinet, where he served for nearly seven years, in compliance with Section 84(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, which says, “No political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purposes of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
Akeredolu urged Nigerians to vote for Tinubu “in the spirit of fairness and equality.”
Amaechi was in Akure for the presentation of the staff of office to Chief Olu Falae as Olu of Ilu Abo, in Akure North Local Government Area.
Akeredolu appreciated the former minister for coming to Akure to honour Chief Falae, adding that the monarch has served Nigeria creditably well and the state is proud of him.
“Thank you for coming. Chief Falae has served this country creditably well, and we, in Ondo State, are very proud of him. He left the Bank, became the Minister for Finance and served as Secretary to the Government of the Federation. So he has done his best, and up till now, when he is less busy, he will find time to advise us”, the governor said.
According to the statement, Amaechi thanked Governor Akeredolu for recognizing and elevating Chief Olu Falae, describing him as one of the few Nigerian elites who is prominent, patriotic and had served Nigeria diligently.
“Because of my campaign for the presidency, I knew Chief Olu Falae. We visited his house in Akure. So I came to visit Chief Olu Falae, whom you have kindly recognized with the Panel report”, he added.
He lauded Governor Akeredolu for his leadership qualities and for always being at the forefront of good governance in the country.
Globally adored soccer legend, Edson Arantes do Nascimento, is dead.
He was 82.
The death of the Brazilian footballer, widely known as Pele, was announced on his verified social media pages on Thursday, December 29.
Pele died, surrounded by family members, hours after he reportedly spoke faintly in a viral video revealing he was losing the battle to cancer at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein in Sao Paulo, where he received treatment this month.
The statement announcing his death reads, “Inspiration and love marked the journey of King Pelé, who peacefully passed away today. On his journey, Edson enchanted the world with his genius in sport, stopped a war, carried out social works all over the world and spread what he most believed to be the cure for all our problems: love.
“His message today becomes a legacy for future generations. Love, love and love, forever.”
The soccer icon, whose adeptness and professional career spanned three decades, literally trademarked football – or soccer – alongside Argentine Diego Maradona in the 20th century.
He appeared in over 1,300 matches and helped his country win the World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.
Yes, he had Edson Arantes do Nascimento as his childhood name, but that would give way to his most popular name ‘Pele,’ among other nicknames, including ‘Pérola Negra’, or ‘Black Pearl’.
Brazil stopped his transfer bids for decades to big European clubs as he was seen as a huge national asset that his country must protect as early as when he was 20.
Pele was born into a low-income family in Tres Coracoes, Brazil, on October 23, 1940.
A three-time World Cup winner with Brazil, he helped to stop the Nigerian civil war for two days when he appeared at an exhibition in Lagos State in 1969.
At the just concluded World Cup in Qatar, participating countries, including Brazil, honoured him and wished him well while he was at the hospital.
Many football fans, especially those well knowledgeable about football revolution from the last century, snugly situate Pele in the unrivalled ‘Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T)’ position, with many fans of Argentina’s mercurial World-Cup winning midfielder, Diego Maradona, also late now, shooing him in into contention.
Debate has been raging, mostly among fans of 21st century football on who could contest the G.O.A.T. with Pele and Maradona between the ‘little’ genius Lionel Messi, who just won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, and the Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo, both of whom have dominated the Ballon d’or award between them for 12 years.
While, mostly, informed and experienced football analysts have no prevarication about Pele as the G.O.A.T, the mention of Messi and Ronaldo has always been the exclusive of young football fans.
THE Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved the suspension of an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Drambi Vandi, over the killing of a Lagos-based lawyer, Bolanle Raheem.
Recall that the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, had earlier condemned the killing of the lawyer and recommended his suspension and immediate prosecution.
Vandi, who was attached to the Ajiwe Police Station in the Ajah area of Lagos, shot and killed the female lawyer on Christmas Day.
Meanwhile, the PSC spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, in a statement on Thursday, December 29, said the suspension of the cop is with “immediate effect”.
Parts of the statement read: “The Police Service Commission has approved the suspension of ASP Drambi Vandi, AP/no 134901, who allegedly shot and killed a female lawyer, Bolanle Raheem, on Christmas Day in Ajah area of Lagos State with immediate effect.
“The Commission also directed that the final investigation into the matter is concluded to enable the Commission take further necessary action.
“The Commission in a letter to the Inspector General of Police signed by the acting Chairman Justice Clara Bata Ogunbiyi JSC rtd CFR stated that the Commission has carefully examined the facts of the case, observations and recommendation with respect to allegations against the officer and granted approval for the suspension of the officer from duty with immediate effect.”
The Commission restated its condemnation of the killing and demanded a thorough investigation into the matter.
It also called for proper training of Police personnel on weapon handling and management.
WITH barely a month for the old naira notes of N200, N500 and N1000 to cease as legal tender, many point-of-sale (PoS) operators are worried that the newly redesigned notes are poorly circulating in the face of the January 31, 2023 deadline.
Many of the operators who spoke with our correspondent expressed concern that banks and automated teller machines (ATM) were still dispensing the old notes, with the new notes coming out sparingly from banking halls and the ATMs.
They warned that over 41 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) could be affected if the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) did not enforce its monetary policy tool and inject more of the redesigned notes into circulation.
“I own five PoS businesses. I went to Access Bank and applied to get N2 milliom worth of the new notes. Guess what, I only got N10,000 and the rest were the old notes,” a PoS operator in Abuja, Emeka Onyemaechi, who is also a retired banker, told The ICIR.
Onyemaechi explained that the poor circulation had been fuelling rejection by customers, especially traders, who were yet to be convinced of the originality of the few new notes they had been getting because they were not seeing them in wide circulation.
“Some customers are rejecting the notes, telling us it looks like a counterfeit currency. The circulation is poor and many people are yet to get acclimatised to the new currency,” he added.
PoS
Yomi Akintola, who runs his PoS business in Kubwa, a suburb of Abuja, corroborated that banks were sparsely dispensing the redesigned notes.
Akintola was also worried that barely a month to the expiration of the old notes, the redesigned notes were still poorly circulating.
A commercial motorcycle rider in Enugu State, Emeka Onyegbule, told The ICIR that most of his passengers had been rejecting the new notes, describing them as counterfeits. According to him, PoS operators in Enugu were still dispensing the old notes more, with the new notes coming in trickles.
“I get the new notes from my customers more than I do from the PoS and even banks. I don’t know why the money is too scarce. Maybe that’s part of the reason why some of the customers are describing them as counterfeits,” Onyegbule said.
To the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development, Monday Osasa, the policy was being weakly enforced as a result of poor social mobilisation.
Osasa said, “If there’s going to be naira redesigning with set dates of enforcement, and we have not heard the National Orientation Agency and the CBN being aggressive on social mobilisation of the policy, then there’s a problem.”
A food seller in Kubwa was disturbed about how the poor circulation of the notes would affect her business.
“I go to the market everyday, and the old notes remain mostly in circulation. Since December 15, I had been paid with the new notes by only two customers. This is almost a month to the expiration of the old currency, and the money circulates poorly. It worries me,” she said.
Onyekpere: expresses worry over banks’ payment rationing
The Lead Director, Centre for Social Justice, Eze Onyekpere, questioned the rationale behind payment rationing by banks at counters to depositors, even with the old notes.
Onyekpere saw a huge disconnect in the coordination of policies and programmes of the government, a situation he said had made the country rutherless under Buhari.
“Let’s look at the naira redesign: why are people still being largely paid with the old currency, despite the 31st January deadline? The new notes are still scarce and banks are rationing payments even with the old currency, as I witnessed in banks in Owerri,” he said.
Addressing the numerous concerns trailing the new notes, the Senate has urged the CBN to extend the expiration of the notes being rested as legal tender from January 31 to June 30, 2023.
National Assembly seeks extension of 31st December deadline
The Senate’s resolution was sequel to a point of order raised during plenary on December 29 by Mohammed Ndume (APC-Borno).
Raising Orders 41 and 51 of the Senate Standing Rule, Ndume said that the call for extension of the date should be considered as a matter of urgent national importance “in order to forestall imminent hardship for Nigerians.”
He said, “This senate notes that many Nigerian banks on Thursday, December 15, opened their vaults to customers and depositors to exchange their old currency for the newly redesigned currency, which has a stipulated deadline of January 31.
“Some Nigerians are already envisaging long queues in the banking hall across the country as a result of people trying to get access to the new naira note.”
The ICIR had reported on the possible dislocation of the economy by the currency redesign if the CBN insisted on the January 31 deadline. The publication cited lack of banking operations in many local government areas and wards across the country.
The ICIR contacted the Director of Corporate Communications at the CBN, Osita Mwanisobi, for his comments on the development, but he was yet to respond to its inquiries at the time of publishing this report.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has mourned the death of the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide, George Obiozor.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, announced Obiozor’s death late Wednesday.
The President extended his heartfelt condolences to Obiozor’s family, the government and the people of Imo State, and Ndigbo at home and in the Diaspora.
Buhari’s condolence message was conveyed in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, titled ‘President Buhari pays tribute to Prof Obiozor, Ohaneze President General’.
Parts of the statement read, “Describing his demise as an immeasurable loss to the country, the President notes that the former Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States, High Commissioner to the Republic of Cyprus, Ambassador to the State of Israel and former Director-General, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, exemplified leadership skills and values as a thoroughbred diplomat.”
Buhari said he has fond memories of meeting Obiozor on several occasions and values his endearing sense of patriotism.
Former Governor of Enugu State and senator representing Enugu East, Chimaroke Nnamani, also described Obiozor’s death as a massive loss to the nation.
Nnamani stated that Nigeria and the South-East Zone, in particular, had lost a patriot and mentor who stood to be counted when it mattered.
On his part, the governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma, described the deceased as an intellectual whose contributions and wise counsel on national and global issues will be greatly missed.
He described Obizor as a renowned academic, an exceptional diplomat and statesman and a tenacious patriot.
Meanwhile, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia and titled ‘Igbo titan bows out’, described Obiozor as an erudite, reflective scholar of world standard.
“Until his death, he was the President General of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization. Obiozor was a prodigy and an enigma of some sort: an erudite reflective scholar of world renown, prophetic intellectual, astute resourceful administrator, sagacious plebian political submarine, seasoned diplomat, cultural reservoir, detribalized patriot, jovial cerebral discussant, among others.
“The most endearing of the Obiozor mystique can be summarised in character; the courage of his convictions, steadfastness and uncompromising commitment to his goals,” Ohanaeze said.
The group added that Obiozor was sometimes misrepresented and misunderstood because of the silent, cautious strategy and tactics with which he pursued his goals.
Obiozor, a former Nigerian Ambassador to three countries, including Israel, Cyprus and the USA, died at 80 after a brief illness.
THE Kano State Hisbah Board says it arrested 2,260 suspects for committing various crimes in the state from January to December 2022.
The agency also said it evacuated a total of 1,269 beggars from the streets within the period.
The Hisbah board also said it succeeded in dispersing 86 immoral gatherings such as same-sex weddings, drug parties and other similar offences across the state in the past 12 months.
The Commander General of the board, Sheikh Harun Sina, disclosed these while briefing newsmen on Thursday, December 29, in Kano.
He said the beggars were evacuated from the streets of eight Kano metropolitan local government areas.
According to him, 386 beggars were repatriated to their respective states of origin as part of efforts to reduce street begging in the state.
Sina further disclosed that most of the arrested criminals were transferred to security agencies for necessary action, while the underage among them were reunited with their families.
“Most of those arrested for criminal offence were handed over to security agencies for necessary action, the under aged were reunited with their families.
“In the year under review, in order to reduce street begging within the metropolis, about 1,269 beggars were evacuated within one month, 386 were repatriated to their states.”
Sina also disclosed that a total of 822 disputes were resolved amicably by the board, noting that some are still pending at various courts due to their complexity.
“Fifteen couples were married at Hisbah while 22 people converted to Islam during Da’awah in 2022,” he said.
He stressed that the trucks containing thousands of bottles of assorted beer were also impounded while the alcoholic beverages were destroyed. According to him, more bottles of beer would be destroyed before January.
Sina said the State Government recruited 5,700 Hisbah Marshalls and 3,100 Hisbah Corps, and also renovated buildings at Hisbah headquarters and its local government offices.
The Commander General added that a new Shari’a court has been established at the board headquarters, while the Emir of Kano Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero has approved the elevation of Hisbah Mosque to a Juma’at Mosque.
According to him, 1,000 Hisbah corps members were trained at the NYSC camp in the Kusalla Karaye local government area. He added that the state government also provided new uniforms and other working materials to the staff of the agency to further motivate them.
Sina advised parents and guardians to be more vigilant and report any suspected persons to relevant authorities.
He vowed that the agency would not relent in its efforts to sanitize the state of all forms of social vices.
