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FCT CP meets traditional rulers after Hausa, Gbagyi youths clash

Bankole ABE
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FCT CP meets traditional rulers after Hausa, Gbagyi youths clash

THE ACTING Commissioner of Police (CP) of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Ahmed Musa has met with traditional rulers of Hausa and Gbagyi communities following violent clashes in the Gwarimpa area of Abuja.

The Hausa and Gbagyi youths clashed in the 3rd Avenue axis of Gwarinpa on Saturday, April 22, and Monday, April 24.

The ICIR reported that two persons were confirmed dead in the violent clashes.

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In a statement released on Monday, April 24, the FCT Police Command said it has mobilised and deployed operatives to the affected areas to douse tension and effect necessary arrests.

“The Acting Commissioner of Police for the FCT, DCP Ahmed Musa, has met with Traditional Rulers of both the Hausa and Gbagyi Communities in Gwarinpa at his office in the Command Headquarters to broker peace between both groups, deliberate on possible collaborations necessary to keep the youths in check and oust troubleshooters in the communities.

“The fracas between the two groups which caused the grievous wounding of two (2) youths who were conveyed to the hospital where one was eventually declared dead after attempts to attend to his wounds failed, led to the arrest of one suspect who is currently assisting the Police in their investigations to ascertain the immediate and remote causes of the affray,” the Command said in the statement signed by its spokesperson Josephine Adeh.

The Acting CP charged the traditional rulers to consistently encourage the youths to imbibe peace and pursue grievances through legally approved channels rather than taking laws into their hands. 

Meanwhile, the Acting CP said he has intensified surveillance patrols to monitor the situation and ensure it does not escalate further.

He urged all well-meaning residents of the FCT to go about their lawful businesses and report all suspicious activities, persons, or groups via Command emergency lines.

The ICIR reported that peace has been restored after a violent clash that erupted in the Gwarinpa area of the FCT on Monday, April 24.

The clash, which erupted on Saturday, April 22, lingered till Monday, April 24 and claimed two lives, according to medical officials at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Medical Centre in Gwarinpa, where wounded residents were taken for treatment.

Some traders were also attacked in the process, and residents warned other members of the Public to avoid the area via Twitter.

“They are rioting in Gwarinpa. If you live in Gwarinpa, a riot is going on in 3rd Avenue, and it’s very much heated,” a Twitter user, Dr_Youngy, tweeted.

Tinubu returns to Nigeria after The ICIR report

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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Tinubu returns to Nigeria after The ICIR report

PRESIDENT-Elect Bola Tinubu has returned to Nigeria almost a month after he left the country.

The former Lagos State governor arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja on Monday, April 24, to the waiting hands of government officials, stalwarts of his party – the All Progressives Congress (APC), and other supporters.

Thunderous shouts of ‘Mr President!’, ‘Welcome, your Excellency!’ rented the air at the airport as everyone sought to catch a glimpse of him.

He was conveyed in a convoy of black SUVs amidst heavy security around 4:58 pm along Bill Clinton Drive, along the Airport Base and Nigerian Correctional Service Headquarters, Airport Road.

Tinubu returned to Nigeria two days after questions were raised over his whereabouts in a report published by The ICIR, five weeks to his inauguration.

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The ICIR published the report after some of his party chieftains confided in the organisation that the President-Elect’s ‘prolonged disappearance’ and ‘elusiveness’ had become a source of concern to those who worked for his victory.

Tinubu will be inaugurated as Nigeria’s President on May 29, when the eight-year leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari ends.

Tinubu travelled to Europe in late March after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the presidential election conducted on February 25. 

Nothing has since been heard from him, except when he appreciated Nigerians for voting for him, and other statements issued through his social media handles. He also reportedly expanded the Presidential Transitional Council on Thursday, April 20.

Reactions from Tinubu’s media spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, and other aides to the former Lagos State governor appear not to convince those who doubted that all is well with the President-Elect.

While rumours spread that Tinubu jetted out to Europe in late March after the governorship and state houses of assembly election to attend to a medical emergency, Rahman debunked the claims.

But some party stalwarts and other Nigerians remained unconvinced because Tinubu has not been seen since he left Nigeria.

Rahman argued that Tinubu needed rest after touring the 36 states and working hard for his victory at the presidential poll.

He said the President-Elect travelled to France to rest and would proceed to Saudi Arabia during Ramadan for Umrah, the lesser Hajj.

Those who suspected that all is not well with Tinubu had pointed at a picture of Buhari and the former Lagos State governor, purportedly taken when they participated in the lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia during the just-concluded Ramadan.

Sam Omatseye, one of the heads of Tinubu’s media outfits, tweeted the picture.

The picture, when fact-checked, was found to be misleading, raising suspicion over Tinubu’s whereabouts.

The picture was from a news report published by Premium Times on May 11, 2019. It showed President Buhari breaking Ramadan fast with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The image caption on the media report indicated that the photo was shot by Sunday Aghaeze, President Buhari’s Personal Assistant on Photography, on May 10, 2019.

An APC chieftain who was worried over Tinubu’s whereabouts told The ICIR, “A Northern governor reached out to his (Tinubu’s) people so that he could join him to Umrah, but the governor was ignored. That further heightened concerns.”

Tinubu embarked on a similar journey before the elections

Shortly after he won the APC presidential primary in 2022, Tinubu travelled to Europe and was inaccessible to many of his party’s leaders.

He arrived in Nigeria after the election campaigns had started.

Speaking with The ICIR on the telephone on Friday, April 21, Rahman, his media aide, confirmed that Tinubu was not in Saudi Arabia for the lesser Hajj, Umrah, during the just-concluded Ramadan.

Rahman said the former Lagos State governor would return to the country soon.

“He’s not in Saudi Arabia. He should be returning anytime from now. He’s not in Saudi Arabia because there are a lot of people lurking around the corner to see him there. What he is doing is planning for his inauguration, and he needs to reflect on the things he has to do as he plans for his inauguration.”

Speaking on the rumours that the President-elect has been treating an undisclosed ailment since he jetted out of the country, Rahman said, “All I can tell you is that His Excellency is there. He’s okay. He’s in fine spirits, and he’s strong. He’s not taking a break. At the appropriate time, he will talk.”

The ICIR reports that Tinubu’s lawyers are representing him in court after the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Abubakar Atiku and his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, disagreed with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that Tinubu won the presidential election. Atiku and Obi filed petitions before the Presidential Election Tribunal.

“How will you boast that you have a President-Elect who is elusive to his people and could not be seen to have been visited or discussing with anyone from around the world? Where does that happen? 

“If he had done that in the past, he needs to change. Nigeria needs to see him that he’s alive and doing well,” one of the party leaders told The ICIR.

The APC leader said Nigerians must not have a repeat of how Buhari spent months treating ailments outside the country, without paying any attention to governance.

Order restored after Abuja violent clash

Ijeoma OPARA
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Order restored after Abuja violent clash

NORMALCY has been restored after a violent clash that erupted in the Gwarinpa area of Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The clash, which erupted on Saturday, April 22, lingered till Monday, April 24 and claimed two lives, according to medical officials at the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Medical Centre in Gwarinpa, where wounded residents were taken for treatment.

Some traders were also attacked in the process, and residents warned other members of the public to avoid the area via Twitter.

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“They are rioting in Gwarinpa. If you live in Gwarinpa, a riot is going on in 3rd Avenue, and it’s very much heated,” a Twitter user, Dr_Youngy, tweeted.

However, security operatives, including the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other members of the FCT Joint Task Force (JTF), were present at the scene to restore order following fresh unrest on Monday.

The ICIR reached out to the FCT Police Command to confirm the death toll and cause of the clash, but Public Relations Officer (PRO) Josephine Adeh said she could not give details of the incident at the time as she was in a meeting.

“Sorry, I’m in a meeting, I will call you when I can talk,” she said.

In 2022, there were violent clashes between traders and commercial motorcycle riders in the Dei-Dei area of the FCT, during which five people died and properties worth million were destroyed.

The crisis began after a motorcycle rider, conveying a female passenger, fell on the road in an attempt to overtake a trailer, leading to her death.

FCT Minister Muhammad Musa Bello ordered the temporary closure of the market following the incident, although it was reopened a week after.

Sudan: FG plans evacuation by road, tells Nigerian students to stay indoors

Beloved JOHN
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Sudan: FG plans evacuation by road, tells Nigerian students to stay indoors

THE evacuation of Nigerians trapped in Sudan can only be carried out by road as flight operations in the country have been difficult, according to the Nigerian government.

About 10,000 Nigerian students are studying in Sudan, and thousands of others are engaged in businesses. The Federal Government says rescuing those stranded in the country has to be by road.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, said this on Sunday, April 23, while speaking on Channels Television.

He said the citizens would first be evacuated by road to the Egyptian or Ethiopian border before they are flown to Nigeria.

According to him, preparation for this mode of transportation is currently ongoing. He noted that evacuating Nigerians from Sudan has been daunting due to the number of nationals there.

The minister said efforts to coordinate the movement out of Sudan are on, noting that relevant parties have been “working round the clock in the past two days to get Nigerians out of Sudan”.

“First, we have told our embassy there to put up a platform where all the Nigerians in Sudan can log on to and information will be available and to coordinate the process.

”Obviously, in a situation like this, what we need is where everybody can congregate before you start moving them out. And because the airport is unsafe, the only viable way out is by road,” he said.

A vicious power struggle between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has led to violence across Sudan for more than a week.

As the crisis deepens, a growing list of countries are evacuating diplomats and citizens from the country.

The United States and United Kingdom on Sunday, April 23, announced that they had flown diplomats out of the country. France, Germany, Italy and Spain have also been evacuating diplomats and other nationals.

Also, the United Nations has relocated hundreds of staff members and their dependants from Khartoum and other locations in Sudan.

However, Onyeama said Nigeria’s diplomatic staff cannot be evacuated until students in the country are moved out.

He said the diplomatic staff are needed to coordinate the evacuation of students and other Nigerians.

“We cannot evacuate our diplomatic staff at the moment because they also need to coordinate the evacuation of the students, but we are going to evacuate them.

”The option available to us is the Egyptian border, which is close to Port Sudan and the Ethiopian border. There is a border with Chad as well, but the three we are looking at are the Ethiopian border, Port Sudan, and the Egyptian border,” he added.

FG asks students to stay indoors

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has warned Nigerian students in Sudan to remain indoors while arrangements are made for their safe evacuation. The government also advised the students to disregard the notice circulated by the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) in Sudan, calling on students to pay $100 or $200 for evacuation.

In a statement issued on Sunday, April 23, and signed by the Charge D’ Affairs of the Nigeria Embassy in Khartoum, H.Y Garko, the government urged students to prioritise their safety and wellbeing.

“As the Embassy had earlier informed students, you are therefore requested to stay calm and remain indoors while the embassy is working on final approval to commence evacuation,” the statement said.

The government warned that it was dangerous to embark on a journey toward the borders of Sudan without security clearance and guarantee from the Sudanese authorities.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), at least 400 people have died in the fighting, and almost 3,500 more have been wounded in Khartoum, the western region of Darfur and other states.

The Nigerian embassy has also created WhatsApp and Telegram platforms for the students and other Nigerians in Sudan for proper coordination and regular updates.

Nigerians can contact the embassy on any of the following numbers: +249 90 765 0702, +234 803 698 1824, +249 90 132 5359, +249 92 440 1217.

Wijhat calls for applications for grants program

Blessing OTOIBHI
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Wijhat calls for applications for grants program

“Wijhat” (Destinations) program, launched by Culture Resource, is accepting applications for grants to support cultural actors in the Arab world.

Each grant is up to EUR 7,000 (US$7,658) to support travel within the Arab region and internationally, allowing grantees to present their works to new audiences and to engage in diverse cultural exchange experiences.

The program supports the following events: artistic and cultural fairs, artistic residencies, forums, conferences, seminars, workshops that promote creative and artistic production, and training and capacity-building workshops.

Journalists, documentary filmmakers, writers and cultural actors across the Arab world can apply for grants.

The deadline for the submission of  applications is May 15, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Kenya: Over 50 bodies dug up in investigation of pastor who told members to ‘starve to meet Jesus’

Oghenekevwe UCHECHUKWU
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Kenya: Over 50 bodies dug up in investigation of pastor who told members to ‘starve to meet Jesus’

MORE than 50 bodies have been exhumed from a land belonging to Pastor Paul Makenzi of the Good News International Church, in coastal Kenya, who was arrested for telling his followers to fast to death.

The followers said they were starving on the pastor’s instructions in order to “meet Jesus”.

Malindi sub-county police chief John Kemboi said that more shallow graves have yet to be dug up on the land belonging to Makenzi, who was arrested on April 14 over links to cultism.

The pastor has also been fingered in the death of two children who were starved and strangled to death by their parents “to please God”.

The chilling discovery of the bodies was made after a tip off from members of the public led police to raid the pastor’s property in Malindi, where they found 15 emaciated people, including four who later died last week.

Police had been told there were dozens of shallow graves spread across Makenzi’s farm and digging started on Friday, April 21.

The pastor has been arrested twice before, in 2019 and on March 22, this year, in relation to the deaths of children.

Each time, he was released on bond, and both cases are still proceeding through the court.

Police have asked a court to allow them to hold Makenzi longer as investigations into the deaths of his followers continue.

VOA’s Russian Service seeks digital media, multimedia specialists

Blessing OTOIBHI
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VOA’s Russian Service seeks digital media, multimedia specialists

VOICE of America’s (VOA) Russian Service is hiring a digital media specialist and a multimedia specialist.

The digital media specialist will use social media to enhance the Russian Service’s online presence, increase audience reach and engagement, and improve the quality of reporting through the use of internet marketing, digital distribution networks, video production and graphic design.

The multimedia specialist will use video and digital journalism techniques and equipment to record, select and edit multimedia materials and make enhancements that add value and interest to digital presentations and website capabilities.

The employer says both positions offer a competitive salary.

To apply for the digital media specialist position, click here.

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To apply for the multimedia specialist position, click here.

Journalists fluent in English and Russian can apply for a full-time position in Washington.

The deadline for submission of entries is April 27, 2023. Interested applicants can apply here.

Students threaten showdown over Buhari’s refusal to end Bsc/HND dichotomy 

Marcus FATUNMOLE
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Students threaten showdown over Buhari’s refusal to end Bsc/HND dichotomy 

NIGERIAN students under the umbrella of the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), have vowed to shut down polytechnics and other institutions awarding Higher National Diploma (HND) if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to assent to a bill to end the dichotomy between HND and BSc awarded by universities.

They gave the President 14 days to sign the bill and make it one of his achievements in office or face the wrath of “over 20.1 million” students and graduates of polytechnics and related institutions in the country and the Diaspora.

In the students’ letter, signed by the NAPS Deputy Senate President, Adeniji Temitope, and posted on his Twitter account on Monday, April 24, the students’ body said the “Bill for an Act to Abolish and Prohibit Dichotomy and Discrimination between First Degree and Higher National Diploma, passed by the National Assembly in 2021 and transmitted to Buhari, failed to enjoy his assent.

“The Senate arm of the National Association of Polytechnic Students through the Office of Deputy Senate President has agreed on shutting down all Polytechnic, Colleges of Technology and allied institutions that award Higher National Diploma across Nigeria if President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, the President Federal Republic of Nigeria, doesn’t assent to HND/Bsc dichotomy Bill in the next fourteen (14) days.

“For some time now, we observed that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has been assenting to many bills, but HND/Bsc dichotomy Bill hasn’t been attended to. In line with this, if the President Federal Republic of Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR fails to assent to this bill within Fourteen (14) working days, the polytechnic students across Nigeria will occupy Presidential Villa in Abuja and continue to cry until President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR assent to the bill.” 

The students argued that polytechnic students and graduates had supported Buhari’s government since he came into power in 2015 and shouldn’t be treated like outcasts.

Buhari leaves office on May 29 after serving two terms of four years each.

Letter from Nigerian polytechnic students urging President Buhari to sign the bill ending Bsc and HND dichotomy

The ICIR reports that the students’ threat follows appeals by Nigerians to the President to sign the bill.

The Civil Service in Nigeria has different entry levels for employees with Bsc. and HND certificates. The career of HND graduates terminates at most on Level 14, while those with Bsc reach Level 17, the highest in the civil service.

The dichotomy also plays out in the country’s security institutions. HND graduates are recruited on a step lower than those with BSc, who are engaged as commissioned officers.

But the Civil Defence, Fire, Immigration and Prisons Services Board abolished the policy in 2019, leaving other government departments, agencies and ministries with the policy.

Another disadvantage suffered by HND holders is that they don’t progress directly to Masters Degree, but will have to enrol for a Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD).

At several meetings she headed or attended, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Folasade Yemi-Esan, pledged that the Federal Government would remove the dichotomy, but Buhari’s refusal to sign the bill that will end the gap has voided such promises.

The ICIR reports that the crisis has lingered after the Federal Government had in 2006 (during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s government) constituted a White Paper Drafting Committee on the Consolidation of Emoluments in the Public Sector to end the dichotomy.

NiMet tackles NGO over lightning advisory

Bankole ABE
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NiMet tackles NGO over lightning advisory

THE Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has tackled a non-governmental organisation, Nigerian Lightning Safety and Research Center (NLSRC), over a lightning advisory issued by the latter.

In a statement released on Monday, April 24, NiMet dissociated itself from an advisory purportedly issued by the NLSRC in which the organisation alerted Nigerians of the possibility of lightning strikes across the country in May 2023.

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In the statement titled ‘Disclaimer’, signed by General Manager Public Relations, NiMet, Muntari Yusuf Ibrahim, the agency said it did not permit NLSRC to provide any such weather forecasts to the public.

NiMet stressed that it was not accountable or liable in any way for any consequences brought on by relying on or acting on weather information provided by NLSRC or any meteorological information obtained from any source not approved by the agency.

“It has come to the notice of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) that there is a publication purportedly issued by the Nigerian Lightning Safety and Research Center (NLSRC) to the Nigerian Public, alerting them to the possibility of lightning strikes across Nigeria in May 2023.

“NiMet wishes to inform the Public that at no time did it authorise NLSRC to issue any such weather forecast to the Public, as this is the statutory function of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.

“NiMet is statutorily mandated under Sections 7 (1) (a) and (i) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency Establishment Act, 2022 (NiMet Act), to advise the Federal Government on all aspects of meteorology and to collect, process and disseminate all meteorological data and information within and outside Nigeria.

“NiMet is also the sole authority to prescribe and issue the meteorological data and information required for all sectoral activities in Nigeria (Section 7(2)).

“Further to the above-stated provisions, any person who collects, uses or disseminates weather forecast or any other meteorological information obtained from any other source outside the approval, licence or authority of the Agency for a commercial or Public purpose commits an offence and is liable upon conviction to a fine or a term of imprisonment or both (Section 30 (2) of the NiMet Act),” NiMet stated.

NiMet further warned the public to disregard the material released by the NLSRC completely.

In its reaction, NLSRC acknowledged that it had not sought NiMet’s permission before publishing the weather forecast.

In a statement released by Michael Adebayo Omidiora, NLSRC also stated that it did not intend to compete with NiMet or any other government agency responsible for weather forecast and dissemination of meteorological data and information.

The NLSRC, a a non-governmental organisation registered in the United States focusing on lightning safety education and awareness, had on April 15 said about 2.9 million lightning incidents are expected to accompany rainfall in May.

The centre advised Nigerians to be careful when moving around and engaging in activities outside during the rainy season.

It cautioned members of the public to safeguard their appliances and electronic devices, saying that some states would experience more powerful cases of lightning.

The states mentioned include Enugu, Ebonyi, Nasarawa, Edo, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba, Anambra, Osun, Bayelsa, Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Cross River and FCT.

The centre advised Nigerians to be ready for potential fatalities and fire outbreaks, noting that the listed states were more likely to experience catastrophic lightning strikes and flooding.

Five-storey building collapses in Lagos

Vincent Ufuoma
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Five-storey building collapses in Lagos
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