On Monday, a Kaduna-bound train was attacked by unidentified gunmen, forcing the locomotive to stop and over 900 passengers on board to be apprehended.
According to reports, the suspected terrorists detonated an explosive device on the railtrack between the stations of Katari and Rijana.
According to one of the passengers who confirmed the incident to a national daily, the attackers also surrounded the train and shot sporadically after it was demobilized.
The attack on Monday comes less than two weeks after residents of communities along the corridor met with railway operators, not to mention the federal government’s deployment of six surveillance vehicles along the same corridor.
The managing director of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) Fidet Okhiria has confirmed the incident to a television but says he is still gathering details on the incident.
Some foreign delegates have expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment they have received at the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention, which is currently taking place at Eagles Square in Abuja.
A foreign delegate from Canada stated in a video circulated by correspondent that they arrived at the convention venue as early as 7 a.m. but were denied admission until 1 p.m.
He claimed that they were asked to wait in line but were beaten, and that some of them had their phones stolen.
“They sent us e-mail that we should come by 7’o clock in the morning. We were there at 7am. Later, they sent another e-mail that we should come at 9am. They gave us a tag, took us on a bus. We went round all this place for almost one hour. They couldn’t let us in”.
“They finally told us to form a line. We got on the line. They started beating us, stealing our phones. As I am talking to you, we are still standing outside. Just look at what they are doing to foreign delegates. This is very unacceptable and the government has to know this.
Saying, I came all the way from Canada and this is what we are getting”.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan is expected to shock Nigerians by defecting from the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and then running on the party’s sole ticket as a consensus candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
As a result, the former President has begun to rally his kin in Bayelsa State’s Ogbia Local Government Area in order to make this dream a reality.
Part of this strategy was to persuade some of his relatives and political associates to support his ambitions in the PDP in the upcoming general election.
Jonathan was said to have carried out an audit of all aspirants in his council and decided to support persons he believed would easily defect with him to the APC at the appropriate time.
Sources close to the former President said he was preparing his kinsmen for his new ambition having been promised a return to Aso Rock by a cabal at the Presidency working for a northern agenda.
“Jonathan is working for his new ambition to return to Aso Rock as a President in 2023. He is using his position in Ogbia to call the shots of who will get the PDP’s electoral tickets for various positions in Ogbia.
“His intention is to select people, who will easily and willingly defect with him to the APC at the appropriate time. So, he is working against loyal PDP members, who are determined to win and remain in the party.
“But Governor Douye Diri is playing into his hands. If Diri allows Jonathan to have his way, he will be the greatest loser because he will be alone to fight for his second term”, the source, who craved anonymity said.
The source said that Jonathan had settled for Prof. Edmund Allison-Oguru as his choice to fly the flag of PDP for the Ogbia Federal Constituency seat in the National Assembly.
He bypassed aspirants, who initially indicated interest for the Constituency’s ticket only to ask Oguru, who was not even in the picture to go and pick the expression of interest and nomination forms to contest the primary of the PDP schedule for May.
To keep his ambition alive, Jonathan was said to have settled for Allison-Oguru ahead of the current occupant of the position, Fred Obua; Local Government Chairman, Ebinyo Turner; a member of the House of Assembly, Chief Mietema Obodor and a former Commissioner, Daniel Iworiso-Markson.
Another close source said Jonathan believed he could only entrust his ambition on Allison-Oguru because of his long-standing relationship with him.
“This is the reason he is not even considering Iworiso-Markson. He believes that Iworiso-Markson will never defect with him to the APC. He knows that Iworiso-Markson will remain in PDP and that will be a big let down for him.
“The former President has been thinking of the direction to take until recently when he was convinced by some stakeholders to choose Prof. Edmund Allison-Oguru. If you recall, it was Jonathan who nominated him as Secretary to the State Government in the first tenure of Senator Seriake Dickson’s administration.
“He also recently nominated him to be among the members of the governing board of the University of Africa, Toru-Orua in Sagbama. So it is him that he has chosen”.
Some of the stakeholders were concerned that if the PDP picked Allison-Oguru as its candidate, the party would lose the main election because of his unpopularity.
“We will lose to any party if Allison-Oguru is our candidate. It is a huge joke for the former President to be insisting that we endorse him as our candidate. I mean this is why people like me are against it. Jonathan is blindfolded by his ambition. The earlier the governor knows this the better for him and for the PDP.
“The man is not popular and we shouldn’t make that kind of huge mistake. This is an election and not comedy. We need our very best and those on parade are worth winning electi
Political thugs loyal to various politicians, as well as hoodlums of all shapes and sizes, have beseeched and taken over the non-security entrance leading to the premises at Eagle Square, the venue of the All Progressives Congress (APC) national convention in Abuja.
Our correspondent on the ground reports that the main entrance has been closed to non-VIPs, forcing some non-statutory delegates and accredited journalists, as well as staff of the APC convention Electoral Committee, to use the inner gate through the Federal Secretariat’s car park.
However, political thugs who obviously experienced the same diversion and directive to use the inner gate have made it difficult for validly accredited individuals to gain access as they throng the place in their numbers overwhelming security guards at the entrance.
Following the chaos which almost brought down the metal barriers, many of them including some tag-weilding delegates and journalists managed to gain entry amid stampede.
It took some reinforcement from by-standing security operatives to regain control of the situation.
Having brought the chaos under control, the visibly angry police operatives charged at the waiting crowd with heavy bombardment of teargas just to disperse them.
The highly fouled air led to another round of stampede as the remaining thugs, banners-wielding supporters, delegates, as well as journalists took to their heels in search of a cover from the teargas.
Even staff of the Convention Organising committee were locked out and teargassed despite spotting T-shirts with ‘APC Electoral Committee’ boldly inscribed on them.
Whether the operatives will be able to institute order in the movement of people in and out of the convention venue still remains to be seen.
As at the time of filing this report, the statutory delegates made up of the President, his Vice, Governors and their Deputies, as well as Federal and State Legislators are yet to arrive the venue.
Sources confirmed to this newspaper that series of meetings have been going on, with movements of party heavyweights from the Party Secretariat in Wuse 2 to the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in an attempt to forge a common front before hitting the convention ground.
Recall that the President had given the governors and other critical stakeholders an opportunity to come up with a “Unity List’ with a view to having consensus candidates through affirmation at the convention and avoid the rigours of election, as well as its attendant post election litigations.
As at early this morning, the Governors were said to be sharply divided regarding the President’s suggestion, insisting that aspirants should be allowed to test their popularity with the delegates.
Whether the President will be able to prevail in this game of interests is a matter of time as the day progresses.
The Albino Foundation (TAF) has affirmed the assistance it has gotten from the Federal Government in the treatment of Persons With Albinism (PWAs) infected with skin cancer. The Founder of TAF and President of Albinism Association of Nigeria (AAFN), Mr Jake Epelle gave the affirmation in Abuja at a press conference.
He expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for being responsible for the treatment of the skin cancer, and added that many members of the foundation had benefitted.
He said that “in Africa, only Nigeria has free skin cancer treatment scheme. We will like to again register our gratitude to government for recommending PWAs who were in need of treatment.” Epelle said that the foundation had attracted free cancer treatment to members with government’s direct sponsorship, in line with its advocacy activities. He further stated that TAF had mobilised for the treatment of PWAs within and outside the country worth millions of dollars. He said that even though he had no accurate number of persons so far treated or referred to hospitals as a result of loss of some documents in course of movements from one office to another, “this is verifiable by the beneficiaries”. Epelle described as fallacious the claim that government had not in any way sponsored the treatment of PWAs for skin cancer. He, however, added that there was discontinuation of treatment as a result of high cost of drugs. He commended the Ekiti Government “for showing care and concern in the affairs and health condition of PWAs.” Also, the Assistant Coordinator of the foundation in Enugu, Ms Nonye Ogbuagu also affirmed government’s involvement in the treatment of PWAs with skin cancer. She said that the foundation had referred many persons to the National Hospital, Abuja, for skin cancer treatment under the auspices of government. Bassey Mbah, the Coordinator of the group in Cross River, emphasised the imperatives of early and timely treatment of skin cancer in PWAs to avoid high mortality rate. Mbah urged TAF members to use the opportunity offered to treat skin cancer by visiting facilities on time.
Vice President,Prof Yemi Osinbajo has hinted that , Nigeria must change and reimagine the education sector in order to ensure learning for all children.
Osinbajo gave the hint during the official launch of the Nigerian Learning Passport (NLP) on Thursday in Abuja, which was organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The Vice President, who was represented at the event by the Minister of State for Education Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, stated that while there has been significant progress in the sector, access to education remains a major challenge.
According to him: “Over the last decade, Nigeria has made great strides in improving access to education. In the last five years, pre-primary school participation has increased from 45% to 61%, primary enrollment has increased by 5 million. The rate of out of school children has decreased by 10% from 42% to 32%.
“These are phenomenal achievements but access to school does not equate learning. Nigeria is facing a learning crisis. Millions of children and young people are not developing even the basic skills they need to break out of poverty due to the disruption to schooling and learning by incessant security, COVID-19 as well as more recent attacks.
“To ensure continuity of learning for all children and the resilience of education systems to future shocks, we must change and reimagine the education sector.
“Deploying innovations that rethink the current methodologies, including new approaches to delivering education in ways that defy the digital divide, and ensuring learning continuity in emergencies, has become imperative.
“This launch set the foundation for creating a system of education where digital technology will be used to transform the way that learning is provided and meet the need of every child. The NLP is an effective tool to ensure the continuity of learning through access to curriculum,” he said.
Earlier, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria, Mr Peter Hawkins, said the platform can be quickly deployed, customised and scaled-up nationally, including in low connectivity areas.
He said that the digital platform will address the over 89 per cent of learners who do not have access to computers in the home and over 82 per cent of learners who do not have access to the internet in Nigeria.
According to him, “It is also an effective tool to accelerate national reforms to make quality learning opportunities available to more children, anytime, anywhere. Before COVID-19, access to quality education was already profoundly unequal, we know that in Nigeria, 28 million children are in school and NOT learning at the appropriate levels.
“Sadly, learning is not always equipping our young people with the sits needed to excel in today’s world if we are to realize the ambition of SDG4, then we need to reimagine education, and the deployment of innovations like the Learning Passport will help to bring us there.
“With 65.6 million people aged 10-24, Nigeria has one of the largest young populations in the world representing an extraordinary opportunity for development and growth,” he said.
Also speaking, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the platform will be an effective tool for learning in the country.
Following growing concern about the city’s increasing traffic gridlock caused by the proliferation of illegal motor parks, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) launched a massive crackdown on operators of such parks on Thursday.
Over 50 vehicles were impounded by the Task Force while combing through the illegal parks in Garki Areas 1, 8, and 10, as well as Apo Bridge.
Dr. Abdulateef Bello, Director of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), stated that the impounded vehicles violated several traffic rules in addition to being parked in various unapproved parks, including improper registration.
He stated that the exercise would become a routine duty of the team in order to ensure sustainability while the administration had put measures to close all the illegal parks.
According to him, the rickety vehicles will be put off the road, and owners of the impounded vehicles would be made to comply with all requirements of the law, before they could get them back.
Bello while pledging to sustain the exercise, also assured that officers who were injured by hoodlums in previous operations would be adequately compensated.
Meanwhile, the Senior Special Assistant to FCT Minister on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah stated that FCT Minister , Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has resolved to deal with all sectoral infractions, while adding that the Task Force will not stop its operations, until sanity is restore completely.
Attah who has been heading the operations for City Cleaning, noted that addressing the traffic issues deserved a special attention from the team, because FCT residents deserve a relief from stress.
He hinted that addressing troubling traffic issues within the city centre, was something the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Bello craves for dearly and has made commitment to achieve.
According to Attah, ” What we are seeing today is the enormity of the complexity of the challenges. We have been doing work on all departments, today we are focusing on traffic issues.
” It is getting more complex, but we are not been deterred at all. We must not allow this city to degenerate to a point where we cannot do what is right . Today many vehicles and motorcycles have been impounded”.
On Wednesday, several members of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Taskforce narrowly escaped death after being attacked by hoodlums wielding stones, cutlasses, and other lethal weapons in the nation’s capital’s Kuchingoro community.
While five Taskforce officers were sustained various degrees of injuries, as ten suspects were apprehended and turned over to police for investigation and prosecution.
The Taskforce team was in the neighborhood as part of its ongoing massive clean-up and crackdown on Okada riders who violate traffic rules along the Lugbe-Airport road axis.
Comrade Ikharo Attah, the Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister who was among the officers who escaped unhurt, said the hoodlums apparently were angered that the shanties and illegal structures housing them under electrical high tension installations were being removed.
He, however, reaffirmed that the Taskforce will not be deterred by the serial attacks by people who are opposed to the enforcement of orders and regulations needed to make Abuja a model City.
Attah said, “While lawless people remain defiant to orders and policies of government, the enforcement team will also remain committed to its mandate.
” We came here to remove illegal structures that are painted Airport road in bad light, we were clearing the roadsides of traders, Okada riders, all of a sudden, some hoodlums appeared and started throwing stones.
” We were able to push them back, because we have to clean up the roads. Unfortunately, about 5 of our personnel sustainable various degrees of injury from the stones that hut them.
” We also learnt that the leader of the mob was also hit by the stone of his own group, we have taken him to the hospital. We arrested about 10 persons suspected to have participated in the attack.
” We are not deterred, the Airport road must be cleaned. So many of the structures were built under high tension wire, and we are pushing Okada riders and taxi drivers back to the community”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Islamic cleric of Kuchingoro Community, Imam Usman Yahaya who was also caught up in the attack, has condemned the actions of the hoodlums, saying he supported the removal of the illegal structures and fight against criminalities in the area.
Yahaya who claimed he has lived in the community for over 20 years, noted that the actions of the hoodlums has brought a bad image to the place.
He pledged to support the Taskforce in fishing out all criminal elements and those who jeopardize government’s developmental efforts.
…Congratulates Esama of Benin On ITV’s 25th Anniversary
The Special Assistant to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement, Comrade Ikharo Attah, on Wednesday lauded the grassroot reportage of the Independent Television (ITV).
This, according to him, has distinguished the media outfit from others because of their focus on issue that boarders on vulnerable Nigerians especially women and children.
He made this known in his congratulatory message to Esama of the Benin Kingdom and the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion on the 25th year anniversary of Independent Television (ITV) Benin and Abuja broadcast stations.
According to him, ” The initiative to set up ITV that has define broadcasting and shape opinion and perception of the greater part of the citizenry and beyond is applaudable.
“ITV has gotten some professionals that focuses on grassroot reportage and development that make the media outfit outstanding.
“ITV is a global brand , it has left it’s footprint on the sound of time, a very reputable media organization that has given birth to very respected professionals.
“Any professional you see in some media house across the country have passed through ITV am very glad to be among the professionals.
“I hope that in years to come ITV will continue it’s cutting hedge programming and will help the station get to it’s full blown recognized and international broadcast station.
“I have worked with ITV before my appointment and I can tell you that ITV is a training ground and bringing the best out of their staff”, he said.
Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, recalled that during the UN High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis in 2008, world leaders agreed to mobilize US$13 billion per year to finance TB prevention and treatment by 2022, as well as another US$2 billion per year for TB research, in response to growing concerns about drug-resistant TB.
However, funding for TB prevention, diagnosis, and treatment services continues to fall far short of estimated global needs and the global target set by the United Nations.
Global spending on tuberculosis services fell to US$5.3 billion in 2020, with research funding totaling US$901 million.
While national strategic plans and accompanying budgets for tuberculosis have grown in ambition, mobilization of funding has not kept pace. In Africa, governments contribute only 22% of the resources required to deliver adequate TB services, with 44% going unfunded, seriously impeding efforts to reduce the TB burden.
Moeti made this in her message to commemorate the World TB Day which is observed on 24 March each year to raise public awareness and understanding about one of the globe’s deadliest infectious diseases, as well as its devastating health, social and economic impacts.
This year’s theme, “Invest to end TB. Save lives”, emphasizes the urgent need to invest the resources necessary to ramp up the fight against TB, and realize the commitments to end TB made by global leaders
According to her, “South Africa and Zambia are the best examples of high TB burden countries that have steadily increased domestic funding specifically allocated for TB. In 2020, South Africa provided 81% of domestic funding to support TB activities. Zambia has increased its domestic funding seven-fold since 2015.
“Increased funding from domestic sources and international donors is urgently needed if we are to counteract a reversal of the significant gains made against TB in the past decades. At the current rate of progress, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) target of ending the TB epidemic by 2030 will not be achievable.
“To reach the target, TB incidence would have had to record an annual decline of 4% to 5% in 2020, increasing to 10% per year by 2025, and then to an average 17% annually in the following decade. In fact, the world saw an increase in the number of global TB deaths for the first time in over a decade in 2021. Contributing factors included reduced access to TB diagnosis and treatment, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With 36% of all TB deaths occurring in Africa, failure to invest in the TB response is set to take a formidable toll on African countries. Increased investment can be a game-changer, and alleviate the preventable suffering and death of millions of our people”, she said.
She, however, called on governments to mobilize additional domestic financial support for TB control, including contributions to the Global Fund, which last month launched its US$18-billion Seventh Replenishment campaign in a bid to counter the catastrophic impact of COVID-19 on the fight against TB.
Moeti also urged all stakeholders to advocate for increased investment, and to ensure that TB services are integrated into the primary health care response. We must all also work more closely with our communities, leveraging their expert local knowledge to tailor response efforts for maximum impact.
While appealing to donors, the private sector, civil society and academia to pay increased attention to urgently boosting investment in the fight against TB and in TB research, in order to accelerate technological breakthroughs and uptake of innovations towards ending TB by 2030.
