Sahara Reporters Latest News Today Thursday 31st December 2020
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 31/12/20
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Group Laments High Food Prices, Advises Nigerian Government On Food Security
Nigerian government has been urged to ensure ordinary citizens have access to food during the festive period and beyond in order to keep them healthy and reduce crime in the country.
Making the call during the distribution of food items and other support materials in communities across Benue State recently, President of Idoma International Carnival (IIC), said such a gesture by the government would go a long way in ameliorating the suffering of the masses.
According to him, COVID-19 has greatly hampered the lives of many people and therefore the government must support indigent citizens in every way possible, including through the supply of regular food items.
He said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has seriously affected every sector of the economy.
“No gainsaying that the people at the grass roots are the most affected at this time which is the end of the year and that is why food must be made available to them.
“Though as a group we have brought together people of various religions to benefit from our philanthropic gesture, we need the government to rise to the occasion to make food available to the people in large quantities in order to reduce tension families go through and bring down crime rate.
“We will continue to partner with relevant stakeholders to support members of the public in the best ways we can.”
Months of coronavirus lockdown and decades of armed conflicts have combined to put food out of the reach of many ordinary Nigerians in recent times.
Rising inflation rate and cost of transportation have also contributed to the hikes in prices of basic commodities, including food items across Nigeria.
Experts say the situation could get worse in the coming weeks if the government fails to nip the crisis in the bud.
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Brexit: Air France Reintroduces Transit Visa For Nigerians Travelling To UK
Air France-KLM has reintroduced an Airport Transit Visa for citizens of some countries, including Nigeria and Ghana, travelling to the United Kingdom after Brexit.
The airline said this in a statement titled, ‘Travel on Air France or KLM to and from the United Kingdom after Brexit – January 1, 2020’, as reported by PUNCH.
According to the statement, it is compulsory for citizens of some African and Asian countries to have ATV before they pass through France or the Netherlands.
It also noted that citizens of the affected countries with British Visa, long-stay visa or British residence permit citizens must still have ATV to pass through France to the United Kingdom.
“As of January 1, 2021, citizens of the following countries who are holders of a British visa, long-stay visa or a residence permit issued by the British authorities will need to be in possession of an airport transit visa (ATV) if they transit through France and or the Netherlands,” part of the statement read.
The countries affected are Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Ghana.
Others are Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia, Senegal, Syria, Palestinians, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and Sri Lanka.
Air France said exception to the ATV requirements are “Citizens of the above-named countries holding a visa or residence permit in addition to the UK visa/residence permit from Canada, Japan, the USA or European countries are allowed to transit through France or the Netherlands without an ATV.”
British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, on Wednesday signed a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union, acclaiming it as the start of a “wonderful relationship” across the Channel.
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E2%80%93-federal-lawmaker Buhari Not Fit For Job, I Can Give 20 Reasons Why We Need Leadership Change – Federal Lawmaker
Member of the House of Representatives representing Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency in Rivers State, Kingsley Chinda, has said President Muhammadu Buhari lacks the capacity to solve the problems in the country.
Chinda, who is the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, House of Representatives Caucus, had earlier called for the impeachment of Buhari over worsening insecurity in the country.
The lawmaker who spoke at the grand finale of sensitisation and verification of wards and local government area offices of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI) in the state, explained that his earlier call for the impeachment of the President was not out of hatred or anything personal.
He said it was because it was in the best interest of Nigerians.
He said, “We do not hate Mr. President. He has done nothing personal to us, but we are saying that Mr. President is not fit for purpose.
“If we look at our country and we do nothing and keep quiet because we are afraid, because we want to please people, by the time this country collapses, we will have no other country to go to.
“I can give you 20 reasons why we should change the leadership in this country because we are talking about life, we don’t even care about the economy. If we love ourselves, I have told my colleagues, it is either the President goes or we should all be ready to go.”
Chinda, in a press release on December 7, 2020, called on Nigerians irrespective of political party, tribe, or religion to compel their representatives to commence impeachment process against the President.
The House of Representatives later said it would take disciplinary measures against Chinda for calling for the impeachment of Buhari.
Also, House Majority Leader, Ado Doguwa, said Chinda was not representing the position of the PDP caucus of the House.
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Crossover Service: Lagos Vows To Fine Defaulters N500,000
On Wednesday, the Lagos State Government warned residents of the state to comply with all restriction measures imposed by the authorities to curb the spread of the coronavirus amid the second wave of the pandemic.Lagosians who violate the 12 am to 4am curfew imposed by the Federal Government and other protocols would be fined up to N500,000 when caught, the government said.
The government stressed that all churches in the state must respect the curfew in place and avoid physical crossover services and large gatherings on December 31, 2020.Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, stated this in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday.He said, “If you disregard any of these rules, you can be fined. You will be taken to court and the magistrate will decide on the sanction. The fine can be between N20,000 and N500,000. It depends on the magistrate’s discretion.”But it is not just about punishing people. People are being advised to take responsibility. The regulations were rolled out as an advisory and people have been obeying while people who have disobeyed have faced the consequences.”However, the commissioner expressed optimism that religious leaders in the state would comply with the directive of the government on the crossover services.Omotoso said, “With what we have been seeing, I don’t think churches will flout the protocols. CAN (Christian Association of Nigeria) agrees with the government. Covid cases are going up, and everybody is worried. Some of the big churches have also announced that they won’t be holding physical crossover services.”Furthermore, the Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, said the commission would be working with men of the Lagos State Police Command to enforce all restrictions announced by the government, especially during the New Year period.Mojola, who also spoke with The PUNCH on Wednesday, said the commission would not wait till the night of December 31, 2020, to swing to action.”We are not waiting till tomorrow (Thursday). There is an ‘Operation No Tolerance’ and we have had a meeting with the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Task Force and Governor’s Monitoring Team. We will start patrolling tonight and the patrol will be two-ways – we will begin to warn people to observe the curfew and after the curfew, we will then start clampdown.”For the churches, Mr Governor has made it very clear that there should be no crossover services. There is already an advisory from CAN that the churches should close very early by 11 pm and join virtually into the New Year.”Enforcement is going to be on another level this period. We are working very seriously with the police on this,” he said.The director-general also urged well-meaning Lagosians to alert the commission of any contravention by churches in the state.”Our men will be on the road patrolling the streets and these locations, and if people find these places, they can always call us, and we will send operatives there to enforce the protocols,” he stated.Lagos, which is one of the epicentres of coronavirus management in Nigeria, has recorded over 26,000 infections and more than 200 associated deaths since the country’s outbreak.
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E2%80%99s-opposition-party-challenge-akufo-addos-victory-court Ghana’s Opposition Party To Challenge Akufo-Addo’s Victory In Court
Nana Akufo-Addo (left) and John Mahama (right)
Ex-President of Ghana and candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama, has filed a petition to challenge the presidential results of the recently concluded 2020 general elections in the country.
The petition, filed against the country’s electoral commission and current president, Nana Akufo-Addo, who was re-elected, comes after Mahama earlier vowed to dispute the election results
Nana Akufo-Addo (left) and John Mahama (right)
Kola Sulaimon and Stephane de Sakutin/AFP
Mahama, in the petition submitted by his lawyers, argued that the presidential results as declared by the country’s electoral commission chairperson, Jean Mensa, were flawed and did not represent the will of the people.
The NDC presidential candidate has also described the electoral commission’s verdict as fictitious, stating that the results were manufactured to favour the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The petition, dated December 30 with Writ Number J1/5/2021 and titled ‘Presidential Election Petition’ has been submitted before the Supreme Court of Accra.
The party’s stance has since been strongly defended by NDC supporters who have hit the streets to demand that the announcement be overturned.
The party has, however, maintained that it will continue with all legitimate actions that are currently being used by party supporters to drum home their demand.
Akufo-Addo was declared the winner of the December 7 vote with 51.59 percent, ahead of the opposition National Democratic Party’s (NDC) candidate, former President Mahama, who had 47.37 percent of the votes.
The development comes amid preparations for President Akufo-Addo’s swearing-in ceremony scheduled for January 7, 2021.
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E2%80%93 How Fulani Herdsmen Constantly Rape Our Women, Daughters, Destroyed Crops Worth N500m – Ogun Community Residents
File Photo: Herdsmen.
Fulani herdsmen on Tuesday launched attacked Eggua community in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, destroying crops worth N500m and raping women.
Popoola Olugbenga, one of the victims whose vegetables farm was also destroyed, told SaharaReporters on Wednesday.
File Photo: Herdsmen.
“They came in their numbers at night; they did not only destroy the crops on the farms, they also went to the barns to destroy and burn them,” Olugbenga lamented.
“They went as far as burning down the houses of our people in the village. They burnt the barns where crops were kept. When our women were going to the river during the day, they attacked again and raped both the married women and their daughters.
“When we noticed the atrocities that were carried out, we assembled a team to meet with them. Then, we now saw the presence of the army. We have had a series of peaceful meetings with them in the past, but they don’t follow the guidelines given by the security agents.”
Explaining the role of the army in the village, he said, “We have told them to leave. The army personnel have to leave our community because they are here to intimidate us. They were sitting with the Fulani people. They did not come through the proper channel. Their presence is not known to the police. We told them that in the past, we always have a joint task force that defends the community. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO), the police and our traditional ruler should be aware.
“We discovered it was the herders that brought them (army). They mounted a roadblock at Kajola market in Kara-Shangisha, Eggua. Our traditional ruler, Oba Michael Adeleye, was not informed that they were coming.”
Confirming the situation in the community, Ogun State Secretary, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Biodun Ogunjimi, said the rural communities in the state, including Eggua have been experiencing brutal assaults by killer herdsmen, without any solution in sight.
“Fulani herders kill farmers at will in the interior places. They maim them and rape their women and daughters constantly. This has to stop. We can’t continue like this. Insecurity is not only in the North, we are facing hell as farmers in Ogun rural communities,” Ogunjimi said.
A meeting was held on Wednesday and the resolution was that the military men should evacuate the community, and then the next line of action would be taken.
“We are law-abiding citizens in Eggua, but we know our rights. We want the military to first leave our village. Then the Fulani people will be called for a meeting. If they don’t agree to abide by our rules and terms, they can’t live peacefully with us, they have to leave our community too,” Olugbenga added.
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Yoruba Summit Group, Momodu Reconcile Pastor Bakare, Fani-Kayode
The Yoruba Summit Group (YSG) and Chief Executive Officer of Ovation Media Group, Chief Dele Momodu, have intervened in the dispute between a former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, and the Senior Pastor of the Citadel Global Community, Lagos State, Tunde Bakare.
The YSG Spokesperson, Gboyega Adejumo, and Momodu on Wednesday reportedly held a meeting with the two parties where a truce was reached.
Fani-Kayode confirmed the peace meeting on Wednesday, noting that his “respect for Pastor Bakare remains high.”
“Just concluded a three-way conversation with Pastor Tunde Bakare and Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, spokesman for the Yoruba Summit Group; we clarified all issues and put the matter behind us. My respect for Pastor Bakare remains high. I thank Mogaji and Chief Dele Momodu for their intervention,” Fani-Kayode said.
On Tuesday, the former minister criticised Bakare, saying the cleric was not God and should respond to the questions raised about some comments the cleric had made, praising the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
On Monday, Fani-Kayode had called out Bakare over his accolades for Tinubu, noting that he did not know “who was dragging Bakare’s balls.”
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Who Is Squeezing Bakare’s Balls? By Femi Fani-Kayode
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Bakare later on Tuesday dared Fani-Kayode and the spokesperson for Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Mr Yinka Odumakin, to expose his “supposed ugly past and feel free to publish it.”
In a statement he personally signed on Tuesday, Bakare said, “I have only one appeal to make through you to him; Tell him to expose my supposed ‘ugly past of 1990’ he must know about and the shady deals involving some bank that just changed hands that involved me in any shape or manner.
“If Femi does not do so as soon as possible then he has published deliberate falsehood about me. I will await this publication soonest. For the sake of Femi’s mother who I ministered Christ to in their Papa home while Femi himself was still in the grip of Satan, I will hold my peace for now,” Bakare had said.
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Expose My Ugly Past Over Tinubu Comment, Pastor Bakare Dares Fani-Kayode, Odumakin
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To this, Fani-Kayode had replied in another statement, “Yinka, tell Tunde Arewa that I only asked questions. I made no assertions and indulged in no falsehood. I simply asked him to clear the air. Can’t we ask questions? Is he God? Why is he so upset? Why can’t he just answer the questions rather than get his knickers in a twist?”
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You’re Not God So I’ll Give You Fire For Fire, Fani-Kayode Replies Pastor Bakare
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*-party-says-elrufai-deeply-disturbed Kaduna Police Arrest Organisers Of S** Party, Says Elrufai Deeply Disturbed
Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai
The Kaduna State Police Command said it had arrested the organisers of the maiden edition of a Kaduna S** Party.However, the party which received high publicity on social media and slated for December 27, 2020, at an undisclosed venue in the capital, had been aborted.
Part of the participants’ requirements on the invitation card was that males and females were expected to be naked, Punch reports.The party was expected to last till daybreak during which participants would have s** for a fee ranging from N2,000 for the popular side and N3,000 to N5,000 naira for the VIPs.However, the state swiftly moved to abort the party, directing the police to arrest the organisers.Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai on Media, Abdullah Yunus, said the police had waded into the matter and that arrests had been made.He said the police acted promptly through an advertisement placed on social media platforms.”When we got to know of this development, the government was disturbed, so the governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, informed the police,” he said.Confirming the development on Wednesday, the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, said operatives could trace the venue and made some arrests.However, he failed to give further details as to the number of those arrested by the police.The police spokesman said the command had launched an investigation to unravel those behind the s** party, saying, “We are investigating those behind the s** party and will soon give details of our findings.”
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#EndSARS: Court Grants Bail To Osun Protester, Seizes His Passport, Forbids Interviews
#EndSARS Protesters
A Magistrates’ Court in Osogbo, Osun State on Wednesday granted bail to a leader of #EndSARS movement in the state, Emmanuel Adebisi, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS).
According to Vanguard, Adebisi was arraigned by DSS on four counts bordering on forgery, impersonation and illegal possession of Nigerian Army Uniform, and had since December 14, 2020, been remanded in Ilesha Custodial Centre.
#EndSARS Protesters
The presiding magistrate, Mr Isola Omisade, had declined oral bail application of the defendant, ordering his counsel to apply for his bail formally.
However, when the matter was called for hearing on December 21, 2020, counsel from the Ministry of Justice, Barrister Oyedele Akintayo, applied to formally take over the matter from the DSS, a request which was granted by the magistrate.
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DSS Detains Osun #EndSARS Coordinator, Adebisi
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The prosecution counsel, Mr Akintayo and the counsel for the defendant, Mr Niyi Akinsola, argued over the formal bail application filed before the court on December 23, 2020, and the magistrate adjourned ruling on bail till Wednesday 30, December 2020.
Omisade granted bail to Adebisi with the sum of N1 million and two sureties. One of the sureties, according to the Omisade, must be a state civil servant of Grade level 12, while the other must own a house in the state.
The magistrate ordered that Adebisi should submit his passport and not grant an interview to journalists.
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Court Remands Convener Of #ENDSARS Protest For Impersonation In Osun
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E2%80%9Cwiseman-east%E2%80%9D-1957-2020-nduka-otiono Farewell, Jimanze Ego-Alowes, aka “Wiseman From The East” (1957-2020) By Nduka Otiono
And Jimanze Ego-Alowes passed on before we could hatch his next-level proposal. A prolific author, he described himself on his Twitter handle as a “journalist, poet and writer with a passion for new knowledge and human development.” He was the founding Director of The Brace Institute, a Lagos-based think tank; and founder of a fledgling civil society advocacy group, Minority Rights Defense Initiative, MRDI; and Publisher of The Stone Press Ltd., with which he reissued his remarkable 2006 book, How Intellectuals Underdeveloped Nigeria and Other Essays, originally published by the University of Michigan Press. Prior to eventually dying from liver cancer at 63, fans and friends had begun to worry about his health condition which had slowed down his intellectual productivity.
As part of a recent research for an article, I found an intriguingly titled work by my friend, publisher, philosopher, and prolific writer and scholar, Dr. Jimanze Ego-Alowes. I contacted him to arrange how I could buy a copy of the book, The University-Media Complex. Afterwards, my dependable research assistant in Nigeria, Ifesinachi Nwadike, promptly bought it for me. But beyond obtaining a copy of the book, I was not prepared for the mail that would follow.
Typically, I would not share this mail. But I am doing so because it highlights not just the ephemerality of life and how Death robs us of some of our finest, but also how much the living may owe the departed to help fulfill their unfinished work as best we can. An audacious and original thinker and public intellectual par excellence, Jimanze wished that his “humble missives” be given “more exposure than they can get in Nigeria.” By this post, I am hoping that I can be connected to the executors of his estate by whoever has their contact. I also wanted to draw attention to the depth of his work from his personal voice. Here is the mail:
Hi Prof,
Nice to read from you. It gladdens our heart to hear you wish to read our University Media Complex….
Actually, I have done about 7 books. Four or five of those are considered to be ground-breaking. And this is particularly so for Minorities as Competitive Overlords and the University Media Complex.
What is interesting is that these two books are powered by the African concept of ofo na ogu. All we did was to scale it up and apply its inherent logic expressively.
Even more interesting is that the concept as I further developed it may be applied several in many departments and areas of human endeavours. In a sense then though the University Media Complex is about politics, it is actually from the same stock of insight as Minorities as Competitive Overlords which is ostensibly about economics. It was in Minorities that I first introduced the scaled-up idea of ọfọ na ogu. The point is that the same insights can be applied in several many areas and disciplines, including literature and African cooperation. These two I believe is your area of specialization.
My humble suspicion is that these my humble missives need more exposure than they can get in Nigeria. Of course, they say in times of war you consult the warriors. Nduka that is why I am writing you. Are there things that can be done to push the novel ideas in these books across Canada and the rest of the West? Would you be in a position to help do so?
Additionally, we could collaborate in works that are informed by ofo na ogu as scaled up and developed.
I am enclosing links of a two-part essay I did in The Guardian Literary Series. You may find it interesting, if you have not read it already. Remain in His Grace.
Jimanze sent this mail to me in June, at the peak of the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. I replied with excitement and a promise that we would work together to advance and realize his dream. Six months later, he passed on in the same week as we lost Dr. Jerry Agada, a notable writer and “educationist” as we say in Nigeria, and Chico Ejiro, one of Nollywood’s most prolific filmmakers also known as “Mr. Prolific.”
Dr. Jimanze Ego-Alowes’ demise indeed calls attention to the necessity of showing some love to a family member or a friend that one has not heard from or of for a while. For just seven weeks prior, some Facebook friends of our departed compatriot became worried about his absence from the commentariat and began to ask questions. One of his followers, Chijioke Egbo, actually posted on his FB Timeline: “I have not seen any post from you for a long time now. Hope Facebook has not separated you and I. I also hope it’s well with you.” And when Jimanze posted again on November 12, my friend, former flatmate, and fiery writer whom I nicknamed The Spirit, Dr. Ike Okonta, wrote: “Dr Jimanze Ego-Alowes
welcome back! Your long absence from this forum was like an endless night… Missing you sorely,” I knew Jimanze was back on the beat. Coincidentally, it was The Spirit who introduced Jimanze to me in the early 1990s when living in Lagos was like living on a war front, as Achebe would say.
No one knew that the final call was imminent! The crashing incidence of deaths this season invites us all to ask after someone we know but have not heard from in a while. The demise of Jimanze (and other wayfarers on this ephemeral plane) proves yet again that in the end, we are all stories! Do go gentle into that good night, Wiseman from the East, a.k.a. “Ahiazuwa,” a philosophical Igbo expression about the world as a marketplace with which he signed off his column in The Sun newspaper. We will continue to treasure his bold and provocative works which include the seven books he cited in the above email to me, as well as scores of op-ed articles on political economy, spirituality, and philosophy.
Indeed, Jimanze’s is one other death too many in this growing funereal orchard. Rest in power, Jimanze. Our consolation however is that his bold works will endure and travel beyond the Nigerian space as you wished in the last email you sent to me. Fortunately, as close friend of his Iheanyi Ohiaeri, informs me, “Some of us, his friends and collaborators, are in touch with the executors of his estate. We are also producing a compendium of all his works, especially his “Turf Game” column renderings in The Sun newspapers, for a fitting biography.” He concludes that, Jimanze was “indeed a great mind, an intellectual oasis in the knowledge desert that is present-day Nigeria.” Veteran journalist Chief Tola Adeniyi reinforces the intellectual stature of Jimanze in a short tribute as he asserts: “A profound philosopher of uncommon depth, Jimanze was bold, forthright and stubbornly unapologetic about his convictions. Great minds live forever, so shall your noble soul.”
As we await further briefing about his funeral, we must continue to ponder how life spins on its head in this season of fatalities and funerals. May Dr. Jimanze Ego-Alowes’ soul rest in power.
Nduka Otiono is an award-winning writer, Associate Professor of African Studies and English, and Graduate Program Coordinator at the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Canada.
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