Nigerian Newspapers
Monarch honours Tambuwal
The first year coronation anniversary of Alawe of Ilawe, Ekiti, Ekiti State, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi, was held last weekend. Some dignitaries, including Hon Aminu Tambuwal, were conferred with chieftaincy titles on the occasion. DADA ALADELOKUN and SULAIMAN SALAWUDEEN were there
THE rustic Ilawe community in Ekiti State came alive last Saturday for the first coronation anniversary of its monarch, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi. It was a two-in-one event as the community also marked its Unity Day on that day. Legs and vehicles competed for space at the venue of the carnival-like event. The monarch and his wife, Olori Abimbola, looked resplendent in their traditional outfit.
The sons and daughters of the community from home and abroad bubbled with excitement. The venue, Corpus Christi College, probably had never hosted such a mammoth crowd with some high-profile personalities.
Tradition was in display. Masquerades were not left out. On their outlandish attires, they saluted all in their customary guttural voices. It was a special day of harvest. Itinerant entertainers drummed and sang guests’ praises. Even before guests’ arrival, an Ekiti traditional musician, Major Femi Ariyo and members of Ekiti Cultural Troupe, gave a good account of themselves. They kept people on their feet dancing. Frontline Ikere-Ekiti born Juju music sensation, Micho Ade, later took his turn amid applause.
Policemen, Civil Defence officials and members of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), provided security. They were complemented by the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor (Security), Ade Adesokan and his aides.
Many were pleasantly surprised at the calibre of the ushers, all illustrious sons of the town – former General Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Pastor Dele Adesina and Femi Falana, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN); renowned Estate surveyor, Chief Kola Akomolede and High Chief Gbenga Agbona, the Elemo of Oke-Emo, Ilawe. They were virtually on their feet throughout the event.
The celebration took off about 2pm when Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal and some of his aides and colleagues, including Dr Ifeoluwa Arowosoge and Babatunde Faparusi came in. Senators Olu Adetumbi and Babafemi Ojudu were there.
Monarchs in attendance included the Owa Ooye of Okemesi and Chairman, Ekiti State Traditional Council of Obas, Oba Michael Gbadebo; Oluyin of Iyin Ekiti, Oba Adekola Ajakaye; Onisan of Isan-Ekiti, Oba Sunday Ajiboye, and the Deji of Akure, Oba Adebiyi Adesida.
Bishop Felix Femi-Ajakaiye, the Catholic Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, represented the clergy.
The Chairman, Ikere Local Government, Hon. Adesoji Michael, was there alongside a prominent member of Ikere Caretaker Committee, Chief Julius Aruleba. It was a special day for accomplished indigenes of the town, including Olusegun Faleye, Managing Director, Swede Control Intertek Limited, Lagos, Kayode Olofinmoyin, and Wing Commander Adeyemi Awe (rtd), former Chairman, Ilawe Improvement Union (IPU).
Another indigene, retired Lt. Col. Kayode Olugbade, owner of Command, a popular hotel in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, described the outing as “a major breakthrough for this community.”
Erelu Bisi Fayemi’s arrival excited the crowd. The governor arrived about 40 minutes after his aide, Aderitan said he was on his way.
Highlights of the event included the conferment of chieftaincy titles on some dignitaries. Tambuwal was made the Bobagunwa of Ilawe; Chief Titi Oluwatuyi, the Eyelua of Ilawe and Otunba Henry Ajomale, Chairman, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Lagos State, the Gbobaniyi.
Also honoured for their invaluable services to the community were: Mr. John Jegede who became the Bobajiro and his wife, Yeye Bobajiro. Mr. Babatunde Babalola, the Otunba Bobaselu of Ilawe Ekiti.
Babalola generosity was also hailed by Oba Alabi for his exemplary leadership: “His love for this town and our people is indescribable. He donated N5 million for the planning of this celebration among other contributions. He is a treasure to the community,” he said.
The occasion witnessed the launch of a N500 million ultra-modern Civic Centre, and the presentation of a N2 million sleek car gift to Mr. James Familoni by Chief Yemi Adaramodu, Fayemi’s chief of staff for his impressive community development efforts. Adaramodu gave cash gifts to Mrs. Victoria Adekunle and Mrs. Toyin Akinniyi for being “committed mothers in the community.”
Among those who attended the event were the Deputy Governor, Prof Modupe Adelabu and Speaker of the state Assembly, Dr. Wale Omirin, and Hon Funminiyi Afuye, the Commissioner for Integration and Inter-Governmental Affairs. High Chief Jide Awe, who represented Ajomale; former deputy governor, Alhaji Sikiru Tae Lawal and Director-General, Ekiti State Broadcasting Service, Shina Awelewa, a lawyer.
There was a loud applausee when Tambuwal was invited to take his title. He beamed with smiles in a well-embroidered agbada. His brief address followed. He spoke of the accomplishments of the state under the Fayemi’s administration, saying the progress recorded in the state so far “are too obvious to be denied.”
The Speaker said: “Development is an open process which everyone would see wherever and whenever it takes place. I have been following developments under Governor Fayemi and I can say that he is one of the few Nigerians whose conducts have been commendable. I admonish you (the governor) to continue the good works and the good Lord will continue to be with you.”
He spoke on his chieftaincy title: “I accept this honour and shall never discredit it. I want to inform us that I will build my first house in the Southwest part of this country in Ilawe-Ekiti for the great respect I attach to the honour done me here today.”
Fayemi described Tambuwal as “a leader with whom I am very well pleased.”
“The essence of today’s celebration is to show us a leader in whom the people are well pleased. The monarch has just spent one year on the throne. We can only imagine what the town will become when he marks the tenth year on the throne.”
Oba Alabi said the event would have come up on April 21 but was postponed as a mark of honour for the departed former deputy governor of the state, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayinka.
He said: “I thank God Almighty for His blessings on me and the entire Ilawe Kingdom since I ascended the Alawe throne last year. My unanimous choice by the kingmakers to the Alawe stool, a year ago, has marked unprecedented era of unity, cooperation, and an progress in the town. We have enjoyed peace and prosperity within the constraints of the realities of our society.
“In terms of physical development, we thank the state government for the construction of Ilawe roads and other projects it started in the community, including the renovation of all the secondary schools in Ilawe-Ekiti as well as Agbajeola Hall.”
Adaramodu said the event ensured the coming together of indigenes for the town’s development, adding that it equally fostered unity and progress of the town.
During the donation, Falana and Adesina enjoined their kinsmen to sustain peaceful co-existence and join hands with their monarch to lift the community.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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