The Joint Admission and Matriculation Board has announced cutt-off marks for admission into institutions of higher learning in the country.
The examination board has set 160 as the cut-off mark for admission into Nigerian universities for the 2019/2020 academic session, 120 for polytechnics while colleges of education and other innovative institutions stood at 100.
Ishaq Oloyede, Registrar of JAMB, on Tuesday said, 612, 557 candidates were offered admission in 2019 out of the 1.8m that wrote the examination.
He said about 510,957 admission spaces were unused by tertiary institutions in 2019.
He said candidates waiting for their results will only be considered when they are uploaded on its website.
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Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, has begged residents in his home state, Katsina, not to protest incessant attacks on their communities by armed bandits.
Buhari in a statement signed by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, on Tuesday said protests would mar military operations already underway in the state.
Residents in Katsina in recent days have embarked on major protests to demand an end to the killings that have made their lives unbearable.
The statement reads, "The Presidency assures Nigerians that the nation’s armed forces are fully capable of dealing with the challenges of banditry and terrorism, urging more patience as the military takes appropriate steps to block gaps being exploited to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.
"President Muhammadu Buhari, who has approved a joint military and police operation specifically targeted at combing Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states to rid the areas of bandits, assures that surveillance will be improved, with more night vision aircrafts already deployed under “Operation Accord’’.
"The operation was launched three weeks ago. Nigeria’s military has displayed its capabilities in the past and will show it again by dealing with the current challenges."
"President Buhari appeals to the people of Katsina State to be patient and supportive of the ongoing military operations in the state, while sympathising with those who are bereaved, injured and lost properties.
"President Buhari admonishes that taking to the streets for protest could distract the military operations, urging Katsina indigenes not to give up on the military who over the years have a strong track record of quelling crises once given enough time.
“The major forests in North Western Nigeria have been identified as home to the bandits in the region. The operation will clear all these forests.’’
Nigeria's President, Muhammadu Buhari, has begged residents in his home state, Katsina, not to protest incessant attacks on their communities by armed bandits.
Buhari in a statement signed by Garba Shehu, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, on Tuesday said protests would mar military operations already underway in the state.
Residents in Katsina in recent days have embarked on major protests to demand an end to the killings that have made their lives unbearable.
The statement reads, "The Presidency assures Nigerians that the nation’s armed forces are fully capable of dealing with the challenges of banditry and terrorism, urging more patience as the military takes appropriate steps to block gaps being exploited to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens.
"President Muhammadu Buhari, who has approved a joint military and police operation specifically targeted at combing Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto states to rid the areas of bandits, assures that surveillance will be improved, with more night vision aircrafts already deployed under “Operation Accord’’.
"The operation was launched three weeks ago. Nigeria’s military has displayed its capabilities in the past and will show it again by dealing with the current challenges."
"President Buhari appeals to the people of Katsina State to be patient and supportive of the ongoing military operations in the state, while sympathising with those who are bereaved, injured and lost properties.
"President Buhari admonishes that taking to the streets for protest could distract the military operations, urging Katsina indigenes not to give up on the military who over the years have a strong track record of quelling crises once given enough time.
“The major forests in North Western Nigeria have been identified as home to the bandits in the region. The operation will clear all these forests.’’
Chief (Capt) Samuel Owonaro was a great man, a wonderful liberation partner to the late Major Isaac Jasper Adaka Boro, a great soul of matchless courage, one of the great men in history.
Great orators, great soldiers, great lawyers often use their gifts for the most unholy cause.
We meet in this space, a virtual one at that, to pay tribute of love and respect to Chief (Capt) Owonaro because he used his matchless power for the good of mankind.
He was a Chief of Staff of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force in 1966. He was arrested and tried by the Nigerian Government and sentenced to death.
He was in prison waiting execution for a few months until a counter coup brought General Yakubu Gowon (retd) to power and released him from jail.
Between 1967-1970 Samuel Owonaru was a Captain in the Nigerian Army.
He fought on the side of the Federal Government against the separatists for the Biafra State. He sustained a serious injury during the Civil War and was left wheelchair-bound.
Great hero, you have fought a good fight and carved your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.
On whose palm the baton you have handed over lies knows himself.
Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's former Vice President, has accused the Nigerian Government of usurping the future of young people in the country by taking loans to patch an ailing economy.
Atiku said Nigeria was on the verge of economic doom yet maintaining a presidential fleet of aircrafts, which amounts to waste.
He said, “No one should be deceived. This is a crisis! Debt servicing does not equate to debt repayment. The reality is that Nigeria is paying only the minimum payment to cover our interest charges. The principal remains untouched and is possibly growing.
“We are at a precipice. If our revenue figures do not go up, and go up quickly, Nigeria risks a situation where our revenue cannot even sustain our debt servicing obligations. Meaning that we may become insolvent and our creditors may foreclose on us, as has occurred in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“Not only have we squandered our opportunities, we have also squandered the opportunities of our future generations by bequeathing them a debt that they neither incurred nor enjoyed.
“As a matter of utmost urgency and importance, I call on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to drastically reduce its expenditure, especially on wasteful projects, such as maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet, and unnecessary renovations of buildings that could serve as is, limousine fleet for top government officials, overseas travels and treatments, and the ₦4.6bn Presidential Villa maintenance budget, etc.
“We cannot be on the verge of economic ruin, while still maintaining a Presidential Air Fleet that has more planes than the Presidential fleets of those from whom we take these loans. Nigeria must sell those planes and channel the revenue to other vital areas of need while taking additional steps to reduce the cost of running our government.
“Our debt to revenue ratio paints a much more realistic portrait of our financial situation, especially as our revenues are majorly tied to a mono-product, oil and gas, which are very vulnerable to global shocks.
“Again, I warn that Nigeria is facing a crisis, and we cannot continue to keep up appearances by taking out more loans to prop up our economy. That will amount not just to robbing Peter to pay Paul, but to robbing our children to pay for our greed!”
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Atiku Abubakar, Nigeria's former Vice President, has accused the Nigerian Government of usurping the future of young people in the country by taking loans to patch an ailing economy.
Atiku said Nigeria was on the verge of economic doom yet maintaining a presidential fleet of aircrafts, which amounts to waste.
He said, “No one should be deceived. This is a crisis! Debt servicing does not equate to debt repayment. The reality is that Nigeria is paying only the minimum payment to cover our interest charges. The principal remains untouched and is possibly growing.
“We are at a precipice. If our revenue figures do not go up, and go up quickly, Nigeria risks a situation where our revenue cannot even sustain our debt servicing obligations. Meaning that we may become insolvent and our creditors may foreclose on us, as has occurred in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
“Not only have we squandered our opportunities, we have also squandered the opportunities of our future generations by bequeathing them a debt that they neither incurred nor enjoyed.
“As a matter of utmost urgency and importance, I call on the Federal Government to take immediate steps to drastically reduce its expenditure, especially on wasteful projects, such as maintenance of the Presidential Air Fleet, and unnecessary renovations of buildings that could serve as is, limousine fleet for top government officials, overseas travels and treatments, and the ₦4.6bn Presidential Villa maintenance budget, etc.
“We cannot be on the verge of economic ruin, while still maintaining a Presidential Air Fleet that has more planes than the Presidential fleets of those from whom we take these loans. Nigeria must sell those planes and channel the revenue to other vital areas of need while taking additional steps to reduce the cost of running our government.
“Our debt to revenue ratio paints a much more realistic portrait of our financial situation, especially as our revenues are majorly tied to a mono-product, oil and gas, which are very vulnerable to global shocks.
“Again, I warn that Nigeria is facing a crisis, and we cannot continue to keep up appearances by taking out more loans to prop up our economy. That will amount not just to robbing Peter to pay Paul, but to robbing our children to pay for our greed!”
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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Lamido, the three-man panel dismissed Oshiomhole's appeal for lacking in merit.
The panel accordingly affirmed the decision of an Abuja High Court, which had in early March ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as APC National Chairman.
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi had on March 4 ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole.
The judge, Danlami Senchi, gave the order following an application of interlocutory injunction asking the court to suspend Oshiomhole having been suspended as a member of the APC by the party in Edo State.
The application was filed by an applicant, Oluwale Afolabi.
While Oshiomhole is the first respondent, the APC is the second respondent.
Afolabi in his application dated and filed on January 16, had contended that Oshiomhole is currently suspended by the party and has not challenged the suspension.
According to Afolabi, Oshiomhole’s rights as an APC member was currently abated and he cannot continue to act as chairman of the party.
He argued that Oshiomhole cannot continue to enjoy benefits from the APC despite his suspension as a member of the party.
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The Court of Appeal in Abuja has affirmed the suspension of Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress.
In a judgment delivered by Justice Mohammed Lamido, the three-man panel dismissed Oshiomhole's appeal for lacking in merit.
The panel accordingly affirmed the decision of an Abuja High Court, which had in early March ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole as APC National Chairman.
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Jabi had on March 4 ordered the suspension of Oshiomhole.
The judge, Danlami Senchi, gave the order following an application of interlocutory injunction asking the court to suspend Oshiomhole having been suspended as a member of the APC by the party in Edo State.
The application was filed by an applicant, Oluwale Afolabi.
While Oshiomhole is the first respondent, the APC is the second respondent.
Afolabi in his application dated and filed on January 16, had contended that Oshiomhole is currently suspended by the party and has not challenged the suspension.
According to Afolabi, Oshiomhole’s rights as an APC member was currently abated and he cannot continue to act as chairman of the party.
He argued that Oshiomhole cannot continue to enjoy benefits from the APC despite his suspension as a member of the party.
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Samuel Owonaru, a retired Chief of Staff of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, is dead.
He died on Tuesday morning in Kaiama, Bayelsa State, after a brief illness.
Owonaru was the second in command to late revolutionary fighter, Isaac Adaka Boro, who fought for the liberation of the oil-rich Niger Delta region from the Nigerian State.
Owonaru was arrested and tried by the Nigerian Government and sentenced to death.
He was in prison awaiting execution for a few months until a counter coup brought General Yakubu Gowon (retd) to power as Head of State, who immediately released him from jail.
Between 1967-1970 Owonaru was a captain in the Nigerian Army and fought on the side of the Federal Government against Biafran soldiers led by late Odimegwu Ojukwu.
Owonaru sustained a serious injury during the Civil War and was left in a wheelchair ever since until his demise on Tuesday.
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Samuel Owonaru, a retired Chief of Staff of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, is dead.
He died on Tuesday morning in Kaiama, Bayelsa State, after a brief illness.
Owonaru was the second in command to late revolutionary fighter, Isaac Adaka Boro, who fought for the liberation of the oil-rich Niger Delta region from the Nigerian State.
Owonaru was arrested and tried by the Nigerian Government and sentenced to death.
He was in prison awaiting execution for a few months until a counter coup brought General Yakubu Gowon (retd) to power as Head of State, who immediately released him from jail.
Between 1967-1970 Owonaru was a captain in the Nigerian Army and fought on the side of the Federal Government against Biafran soldiers led by late Odimegwu Ojukwu.
Owonaru sustained a serious injury during the Civil War and was left in a wheelchair ever since until his demise on Tuesday.
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The Ondo State Government said it would soon domesticate the Child Rights Act and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act in the state.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adekola Olawoye made the disclosure in an interview on Tuesday in Akure, the state capital.
Olawoye said the move was to further help to curb the rising cases of sexual and gender-based violence. Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
According to him, the state was also looking into other relevant laws to prosecute those found guilty of rape in the state.
He said the law would ensure any person convicted will serve life imprisonment while any offender less than 18 years will serve 14 years in prison among others.
Also speaking, Chairman of International Federation of Women Lawyers in Ondo State, Mrs Bola Joel Ogundadegbe, condemned the rising cases of sexual abuse and violence against women in the country.
Ogundadegbe said the government needed to enact laws that would deal decisively with offenders, noting that the VAPP law will take care of every aspect of abuses in the society.
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The Ondo State Government said it would soon domesticate the Child Rights Act and Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act in the state.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Adekola Olawoye made the disclosure in an interview on Tuesday in Akure, the state capital.
Olawoye said the move was to further help to curb the rising cases of sexual and gender-based violence. Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu
According to him, the state was also looking into other relevant laws to prosecute those found guilty of rape in the state.
He said the law would ensure any person convicted will serve life imprisonment while any offender less than 18 years will serve 14 years in prison among others.
Also speaking, Chairman of International Federation of Women Lawyers in Ondo State, Mrs Bola Joel Ogundadegbe, condemned the rising cases of sexual abuse and violence against women in the country.
Ogundadegbe said the government needed to enact laws that would deal decisively with offenders, noting that the VAPP law will take care of every aspect of abuses in the society.
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Forty years ago, a brand new set of undergraduate students graduated from the Mass Communication Department of the University of Lagos. I was fortunate to be one of them. I remember very well the enthusiasm of fellow graduating students, the hopes and aspirations of a greater and brighter future ahead in uncharted territories. If not, how could I have survived my initial encounter with what I thought was the 'magic door' years later while on a training program in the United States? Here was I face-to-face with doors that would on their own open for me any time without prompting or having to use a key to unlock them. Every day, every time, anywhere such doors open for me to enter or exit a building, my mind goes back to two of my lecturers at the Mass Communication Department, University of Lagos, Professors Alfred Opubor and Onuora Nwuneli. Both were American trained professors of Mass Communication.
Professor Opubor of blessed memory was the first Nigerian to bag a Ph.D. in Media and Communication in Africa while Professor Nwuneli, is an erudite Professor of Mass Communication and one of the brightest minds the department of Mass Communication the University of Lagos ever produced. They both taught my set, (1977/1980) Communication Arts, or was it "The Arts of Communication and Communication Theories?". In their attempts to explain that in communication arts, students study the art of human communication in an ever-changing world of technology, they would give examples of the advancement of technology in developed countries especially America where they both studied and how such advancement would eventually affect our jobs as mass communicators. With their little bit of American accent mixed with their Nigerian diction, both would dish out examples of the latest technology in every aspect of American life. It was on one of those occasions that Professor Nwuneli talked about the automatic doors. I remember my friends and classmates who usually sat at the front row of the class, Mope Ajayi (Nee Sogbetun), Simisola Ogunkoya (Nee Thomas), Ayinke Sanni (Nee DoRegos, Tayo Ekundayo, Tunde Falasinu, Femi Ogundare) and I would giggle "hmmm Fabu! (fabrication) believing Professor Nwuneli was fond of exaggerations. But little did we know that we needed to pay more attention.
Professor Nwuneli would talk about the emerging communication technologies that would reduce the world to a "Global Village" (yes I heard that phrase for the first time from Nwuneli's lecture); one that would enable you see live pictures of breaking news event from different parts of the world from the comfort of your living room. Wow! With hindsight, I later realized the professors didn't even tell us the full scale of the impact communication technology would have on us 40 years after our graduation from the Department. Joke Omotunde
By the way, the Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos was established in 1966 following a bilateral agreement between the Federal Government of Nigeria, the United Nations Development Program, UNDP and the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). As such it was the best Department with modern facilities for studying in our own years. We had the best of everything needed to excel in our studies. We, students of Mass Communication, were the crème de la crème of the University’s society. With fully airconditioned classrooms, appropriate study seats, electronic typewriters, ever clean rest rooms, shining floors etc., we were all proud to be in the Department.
However, our professors probably didn't know that 40 years after our graduation, the state-of-the-art learning facilities would become obsolete in no time. The professors did not tell us that the Department's Secretary, Mrs. Olayinka Dada’s electronic typewriters that we used instead of the manual ones would one day disappear and be replaced with gadgets as small as our palms. They did not tell us that Professor Ralph Akinfeleye's Dark Room for Photojournalism would be useless for today's production or printing of pictures. That Professor Olatunji Dare's Grammar for Journalists would no longer give students headaches because today, there are applications that correct spelling and grammatical errors. Moreover, the small keyboards on mobile phones and other hand-held devices that make typing difficult have resulted in a radical shortening of words and increasing use of symbols and shorthand with little or no adherence to traditional grammatical rules Professor Dare emphasized 40 years back! Professor Idowu Sobowale's Ethics of Journalism have been thrown to the winds because of the emergence of the various social media platforms and online reports which thrive in publishing rumors, half-truths, “alternative facts” instead of verifiable facts. Professor Olu Fadeyibi's Broadcast Class and studios now have speakers that are as small as match boxes and yet more powerful than the huge ones that occupied half of the broadcast studios 40 years ago. I pity Professor Fadeyibi the most, broadcast owners now hire broadcasters whose only qualification for the job seems to be the ability to speak in a foreign accent. This is total contrast to the traditional broadcasters we modelled in Professor Fadeyibi’s class then. Professor Frank Ugboajah's Class for Public Relations and Advertising have been taken over by social media marketing, display marketing, YouTube adverts, and website designs. We did not know about all these technical terms 40 years ago!
My first realization of the seeming realities of the professors’ "fabrications" (as we thought) of those years of study of Mass Communication came about in the very year of our graduation from the Department in 1980. That year, the Cable News Network, CNN, an American news-based pay television channel commenced transmission. It was the first television channel to provide 24-hour news coverage and was the first all-news television channel in the United States. Then came the early 90s with the 24-hour coverage by CNN of the Persian Gulf War, also called Gulf War, (1990–91), an international conflict that was triggered by Iraq ’s invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990. It was amazing! Journalists watched live from the corners of their sitting rooms and offices the devastating Gulf War through the technological innovation of a satellite/cable TV American wonder, called CNN. It dawned on me, yes indeed, Professor Nwuneli's predictions of the world becoming a "Global Village" has been realized.
Then came the invention of new gadgets such as mobile phones which made communication easier by allowing people to communicate from anywhere. And then it was Nigeria's turn to be part of the Global Village with the introduction of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) in 2001. And today, just as the professors predicted, journalists can complete the production of their newspapers, magazines and journals on their hand-held devises.
True to their predictions, many journalists, mass communicators, graphic and visual designers, photographers, film and television producers who are not able to catch up with the digital/technological trend have either been thrown out of jobs or have found other less technologically challenging careers. And today, out of Sixty-Six of us that graduated in the Year 1980, only a few of us (about five or six) retired as practicing journalists, broadcasters or public affairs specialists. Most of us took up roles in banking, hospital administration, business, law, printing and farming.
The most accurate period for Professors Nwuneli and Opubor to justify their 40-year-old predictions came about this year. In spite of the COVID-19 lockdown which brough human activities to a near complete and utter standstill, the media, aided by tech tools, was able to function and perform its key role of informing the citizenry of the guidelines to stay safe during the Pandemic. Today, the proliferation of various online communication channels and deepening internet penetration have led to a decline in face-to-face communications. Citizen journalism and social media have thrown many journalists out of jobs as our professors once predicted.
Over the years, the Department of Mass Communication itself has re-defined and reviewed its curricula. Courses offered now often look at ownership of media channels and the effects of digital technology on the media with modules on smartphone culture, social media and online advertising. The media is in a constant state of upheaval with legacy media operations shrinking their operations and, in some cases, closing completely as professors Nwunneli and Opubor predicted 40 years back.
However, despite these technological developments and the challenges they posed to communications professionals trained in the late 70s and early 80s, we are very proud of our Department and our aforementioned lecturers who taught us the rudiments of the profession and prepared us for today’s challenges. They are not to be blamed for our inability to keep up with today’s technological advancements. The journalists in CNN are also not necessarily better than the ones in Channels TV, AIT, TVC of Nigeria. However, 40 years ago while Mope, Simi, Marie Terese, Tayo, Tunde, Femi and I thought what Professor Nwuneli was saying was Fabu (fabrication), the CNN journalists were working with modern gadgets of that age and preparing for the future of more modern technology, we in this part of the world were still thinking automatic doors were impossible!
What else can we say about these lecturers who predicted the future of our profession and warned us in advance that the changes that would affect it would throw us out of job if we failed to move ahead of the curve.
Thankfully, we Mass Communication students had an added advantage over other students then. We went through different faculties to be well grounded in our major discipline. And that is why today, those who have sought careers in other fields entirely have over the years proved their mettle.
Imagine us passing through over twenty professors of Law, Science, Social Sciences, Languages, Arts etc. including Jadesola Akande of Law, Father Joseph Schyuler, Social Relations, Adeboye Babalola, Language Arts, Femi Ekundayo, Languages, aside from our own professors Frank Ugboaja, Sam Otitigbe, Femi Sonaike, Delu Ogunade and the aforementioned - all experts in their respective fields.
Now that we have seen and passed through the automatic (magic?) doors of life and realized the world indeed is a global village, we shall forever remain grateful to our professors who saw tomorrow, as it were, and prepared us for the challenges ahead. It is time to say "thank you" a thousand and one times again to them, the Department and, of course, the entire University.
And lest I forget (I dare not!) I doff my heart to all the members of the 1980 graduating set for being Great Akokites and more importantly for being great ambassadors of the Department over the years.
Joke Omotunde (Nee Hassan) is a former Information Specialist at the U.S. Embassy, Nigeria. She can be reached at oyejokeomotunde@gmail.com
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos State, is reportedly under pressure to appoint some members of the Governing Council of the Lagos State University, who have in the past been linked with massive corruption in the institution.
SaharaReporters gathered that the governor was been coerced to return former Chairman of the council, Prof Adebayo Ninalowo, Sunday Ajose, an All Progressives Congress chieftain among others previously appointed by former governor of Lagos, Akinwunmi Ambode, but who's tenure had expired since September 2019.
Recall that SaharaReporters in 2017 extensively detailed how Ninalowo upon appointment started to make personal purchases and stash away funds from the university’s treasury for personal use.
In 2019, findings showed that Ninalowo provided cover for the institution's Vice Chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun, to divert the pension savings of workers into the purchase of exotic cars under the guise of preparing for accreditation.
After his cover was blown, he forced members of staff to swear oaths of secrecy to discourage them from speaking to members of the press.
The LASU branch of Academic Staff Union of Universities had also fingered Ninalowo and Ajose as masterminds of the dismissal of staff members, who petitioned other members of the Governing Council to investigate allegations of corruption against the duo.
The matter was never investigated until the end of the tenure of the Council.
Sanwo-Olu, who is aware of all these scandals, is reluctant to return any member of the immediate-past council but is under pressure to do so, sources told SaharaReporters. Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu
"It has generated apprehension within the university, those lobbying for the return of Ninalowo and Ajose are said to be working on a backup plan to ensure a lackey council emerges at all cost to ensure the decisions of the past council and the administration of Fagbohun are not investigated.
"Fagbohun has barely six months left in office, and the non-composition of a new Governing Council is said to be the reason why his position cannot be advertised yet, even as intense lobbying has commenced for the seat," a source said.
"We just want Sanwo-Olu to get it right, LASU is lagging behind in infrastructure, we should be talking about infrastructure and innovation and this cannot happen when people who will loot the school are appointed,” the source added.
The Movement for a Socialist Alternative has condemned the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration for its handling of citizens’ welfare during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The group in a statement on Tuesday by Dagga Tolar for the Provisional Working Committee, said the masses in Nigeria had been the hardest hit and have had to rely on meagre and almost non-existent palliatives from government while wealthy business owners were given exemptions.
The group called for the abolition of capitalism in Nigeria to be replaced with socialism, which they argued will benefit the masses more.
The statement reads in part, "The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has further torn asunder the fabric of global capitalism, demonstrating to all that a system solely driven by the greed for profit cannot be relied upon to meet the needs of the working masses and poor people of the world. Muhammadu Buhari
"From countries to countries, we have seen how the logic of profit and a private sector-driven health sector have proved incapable of meeting headlong the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The capitalist state in several countries, against the logic of the capitalist system they protect, have directly intervened with funds in the health sector, as well as in other sectors of the economy impacted negatively by the shut-down of the world economy.
"This act helps to confirm the superiority of the ideas of public ownership and democratic management of all key sectors of the economy, of both production and distribution of goods and services to meet the needs of the working masses.
"Need we point out that the interventions of these governments, in Nigeria and elsewhere, are a consequence of the refusal of capitalists to take on the burden of any venture that is not profitable, and as well as calculated to assuage the losses of local capitalists.
"The question of providing succour to the vast majority that suffer the most from the effects of an economic shut-down is at best a cover for diverting public funds into private pockets.
"If anything; COVID-19 has torn to shred the façade of social intervention put up by the populist regime of President Buhari with the regime hated more than ever by the working masses.
"It is clear the government has no thimble of goodwill left, other than among the few elites that benefit materially from its existence. A palpable anger at the insensitive conduct of the regime at a period of humanitarian crisis persists among the people.
"The easing of the lock-down is not based on any success or medical breakthrough in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The regime is in complete paralysis and has demonstrated a false sense of surprise at the comatose state of health facilities in the country.”
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The Coalition of Northern Groups has slammed Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, for defending his boss’ inability to put an end to killings of Nigerians in the Northern part of the country.
The group slammed Adesina for his comments against the Northern Elders Forum and Ango Abdullahi, convener of the forum, after the group said the situation in Northern Nigeria was getting worse by the day.
Reacting to NEF, Adesina described the forum as a mere irritant and featherweight group without credible membership.
He said, “NEF is just Ango Abdullahi, and Ango Abdullahi is NEF. It is a quasi-organization that boasts of no credible membership, and its leader is akin to a General without troops.”
The coalition in a statement by its spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said it was shocked, describing Adesina’s reply on behalf of the Presidency as “contemptuous, irresponsible and lazy response”.
Suleiman also said that the responses “only exposes Adesina's hypocritical inconsistency by deliberately ridiculing his master, the President, in the guise of protecting his interest”.
He said, “Adesina in desperate haste to defend the indefensible only succeeded in exposing himself as an ethnic bigot with an endemic hatred for other non-Yoruba ethnicities to the point of rejoicing over the killings of innocent Northerners due to the incapacity of the government he serves.
“Our coalition is not surprised that Mr Adesina stopped at childish insults because he has nothing with which he can defend the Presidency against the position of the NEF, to wit, that the Federal Government has lost control over the security of lives and property of Northerners and Northerners are fed up with being killed by an administration they helped elect.
“The nation knows the integrity and commitment of members of NEF, the group that had consistently stood for the protection of the interests of Northerners.
“Adesina's ignorance in this regard may be tolerated because he works in an environment that puts little store in respecting loyalty and service to the nation.
“Adesina’s response is therefore a sad reminder of the type of people who serve President Buhari. Between their poor service to him and his seeming insistence on retaining liabilities around him, Nigerians do not need to wonder why the North in particular and the country, in general, are in the state they are.”
The coalition saluted members of the NEF and commended their fearless commitment to the interests of Northerners.
He said, “We urge them to continue with their plans to mobilize other groups and associations and create a momentum that should result in relief to the on-going slaughter of our brothers and sisters in the North.
“Typical of the crowd around the old general, Adesina could not exempt the administration of the facts laid out by the Northern elders beyond irresponsible, clumsy and indecorous gaffes devoid of the true essence of the matter.”
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Residents of Niger State have blamed the Nigerian Government for the ongoing killing by bandits in the state.
The residents made the declaration during a peaceful protest on Tuesday to demand an end to the incessant killings in the state by bandits and gunmen.
SaharaReporters had reported that no less than five people were killed in recent attacks by gunmen on some villages under Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger state.
In expressing their anger at the recent killings, residents of the state marched to the palace of the Emir of Minna, the state capital, to demand an end to the activities of bandits in the Northern region of the country.
The residents lamented that their sources of livelihood had been destabilised, urging the government to take responsibility for the killings.
“The most important thing is to let the whole world know that the government has failed us and we are appealing that we are responsible citizens as we cannot carry weapons and fight. We have people who are fighting on our behalf, they have failed us and even some of them have been killed.
“We want the government to be responsible, especially the political class and our service chief. They must be responsible to protect the lives and properties of citizens.
“If that is not done, then there is no nation. They must behave themselves and do the needful, otherwise what is happening will be a tip of the iceberg,” one of the community leaders said.
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