News
YCE replies ACF, says North is Nigeria’s problem
The Secretary General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr. Kunle Olajide, has said the North is a big problem and a great obstacle to the development of Nigeria.
Olajide said this in reaction to the statement credited to the Chairman of the Arewa Consultative Forum and a former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomassie, who said that Nigeria could not survive without the North.
Olajide spoke in Osogbo on Thursday at the first memorial lecture of Nathaniel Abimbola organised by the Osun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists.
Abimbola, who was a reporter with the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, died in an accident along the Ife-Ibadan Expressway last year.
Olajide, who was the chairman on the occasion, said the North was home to the Boko Haram which was costing the Nigerian government billions of naira, religious crisis, killer herdsmen as well as numerous negative indices of quality of life.
He said, “The newspapers reported the Arewa Consultative Forum as saying that Nigeria cannot survive without the North. Whatever was meant by that statement credited to the ACF chairman remains to be understood.
“However, I congratulate him for accepting that the North as it is today represents all that is wrong with Nigeria. The North-East is ravaged by insurgency costing the country billions of dollars annually. The North-West is home to religious crisis, the North-Central is ravaged by herdsmen of northern extraction. Collectively the North is home to all negative indices of the quality of life. Infant mortality rate is highest in the North.
“Illiteracy rate is highest in the North and the number of out-of-school children is highest in the North. The poverty index in the North is high while the twin evil bedeviling the North is feudalism and religious fatalism. It will not be out of place to say the North has in fact been dragging Nigeria down since independence. All sorts of mischievous phrases were coined by the very tiny political / military elite of the North to give undue advantage to the North.”
The YCE scribe said the North staged-managed the military coup which removed President Shehu Shagari from power on December 31, 1983. He said the northern oligarch feared that there could be revolution in the country and they allegedly planned the coup with the military in order to ensure that power remained in the North.
Olajide stated that the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo spent greater part of his political career and his resources struggling to liberate the talakawas of the North from their elite but feudalism and religious fatalism frustrated his efforts.
He said the Yoruba people were not only insisting on the restructuring of the political architecture in the country, they were also insisting on the wholesale reform of this elite-centered system of government.
The Yoruba elder said the unfair wages and remuneration of the political leadership in the executive and the legislature must be reviewed downwards. Likewise, he said the outrageous pension benefits and severance allowances of political office holders must be scrapped and the entire political system must not be made financially lucrative to ward off political contractors and charlatans.
He said if these were done, only the service-minded people would begin to show interest to take over the political leadership of the country.
“Let me assure Alhaji Coomassie that much as we want a fair and egalitarian Nigerian society, it is not at all costs. The rest of Nigeria will survive, flourish and join the league of first world countries within two decades if the North exits. If it desires to leave Nigeria, join me in saying goodbye to the exiting North, I wish them a safe journey into the desert,” he added.
A member of the House of Representatives from Osun State, Prof. Mojeed Alabi, who delivered the lecture, said corruption was not the main problem of Nigeria but the constitution which he said was faulty.
The lawmaker said corruption was just a manifestation of the fundamentally faulty constitution which had raised regional suspicion.
Alabi added that Nigeria needed to convoke a Sovereign National Conference to determine its existence and how to go about it.
He explained that the word sovereign would not stop the executive, the legislature and judiciary from carrying out their functions.
Alabi said, “In essence, my colleagues in government have nothing to fear by the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference. That is the way to go if Nigeria must be returned to the path of sanity and greatness in our march to political stability, social harmony and economic prosperity.
https://iso.keq.mybluehost.me/buhari-appoints-members-of-national-food-security-council/
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development, Nentawe Yilwatda, has announced the Federal Government’s plan to reach 15 million households, representing 75 million people, through its conditional cash transfer scheme.
Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, Yilwatda explained that the initiative is part of President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to mitigating the economic hardships faced by vulnerable Nigerians.
“The president was so specific,” Yilwatda noted.
“There are policies that he brought in to see if that can ease those challenges for people at the lower end of the pyramid. One of those policies is to reach out to 15 million beneficiaries under the conditional cash transfer, targeting households rather than individuals. Each household will receive ₦25,000 monthly, paid three times a year.”
Yilwatda further clarified that the 15 million households being targeted translate to 75 million Nigerians, assuming an average of five persons per household.
So far, the Federal Government has reached five million individuals but is facing challenges in fully sanitizing the social register, particularly with the implementation of the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) policy mandating digital identities for transparency and traceability of payments.
“Currently, only 1.4 million people on the social register have digital identities. Many of those we are targeting are outside the formal banking system,” the minister disclosed.
Yilwatda emphasized that women are specifically targeted as household leaders under the program to ensure the funds are used effectively for the benefit of children and other vulnerable members of society.
The conditional cash transfer programme, which is administered under the National Social Investment Programme, had earlier been suspended by President Tinubu in January due to allegations of corruption. However, the scheme was reinstated in February, with plans to extend the initiative to an additional 12 million households.
The Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) has assured Nigerians of a reduction in the pump price of petrol within the week, following adjustments to the ex-depot price by key players in the industry.
Last week, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited and the Dangote Refinery announced a reduction in the ex-depot price of petrol to ₦899 per litre in Lagos. Despite this, the pump price at many filling stations across the country has remained unchanged.
However, PETROAN President, Billy Gilly-Harry, during a Monday appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, expressed optimism that the price change would soon reflect in retail outlets.
“But I believe from today when members start loading from both NNPC and Dangote at this new price reduction, it will reflect in the market,” he said.
Gilly-Harry lauded some members of PETROAN, particularly in Abuja, for proactively reducing their pump prices to below ₦1,000 even before the official announcement. He emphasized that while members strive to serve Nigerians by providing affordable fuel, they must maintain marginal profitability to sustain operations.
“We don’t encourage our members to try to sell products at a loss because our focus is to serve Nigerians. And the only way we can serve Nigerians is when we have the resources to do so. The resources can only be there if we’re making marginal profit enough to pay for the cost of money and ensure continuity in business,” he noted.
Addressing concerns over the delay in implementing the price reduction, Gilly-Harry explained that some retailers are still selling old stock purchased at higher prices.
“This reduction, if you apply it immediately, don’t forget that some of them bought at ₦970, paid transportation costs and logistics that have taken it quite high,” he said. “By the time it gets to their retail outlets, it’s quite much more than that. And so they must also sell at a profit – minimal marginal profit as provisioned by the PIA. So, that’s the reason.”
The PETROAN boss commended both the NNPCL and Dangote Refinery for their efforts in reducing the ex-depot price, which he described as a significant step toward easing the burden on Nigerians.
Nigerians are now hopeful that the price adjustment will translate into tangible relief at filling stations in the coming days.
The Federal Government has declared Wednesday, December 25, and Thursday, December 26, 2024, as public holidays to mark Christmas and Boxing Day, respectively. Additionally, Wednesday, January 1, 2025, has been declared a public holiday to celebrate the New Year.
This announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, in a statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Magdalene Ajani. The minister extended warm greetings to all Nigerians, urging them to embrace the festive period as an opportunity to reflect on the values of love, peace, and unity that the season represents.
Tunji-Ojo emphasized the significance of the season in fostering harmony and strengthening family and community bonds.
“The Christmas season is a good moment for both spiritual reflection and national renewal. As we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, let us demonstrate kindness and extend goodwill to one another, irrespective of our differences,” he stated.
He further encouraged citizens to remain committed to peace, unity, and progress for the development of the nation, stressing the Federal Government’s dedication to ensuring security and prosperity across the country.
While wishing Nigerians a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year, the minister expressed confidence in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
He assured citizens that the coming year would usher in a stronger and more prosperous economy that would set Nigeria on a global pedestal.
The minister concluded by calling on Nigerians to celebrate responsibly, maintaining peace and unity throughout the festive season.
-
Metro2 days agoGrim Friday: Man, Wife, Grandson Perish in Ibadan Fire
-
News2 days ago
NNPCL Refutes Shutdown Claims: Port Harcourt Refinery Fully Operational
-
News4 days ago
Bank Robberies Now History in Lagos Since 2014 – IGP
-
Crime & Court4 days ago
Human Rights Lawyer, Dele Farotimi, Granted ₦30m Bail
