Author

Folarin Kehinde

Headlines

BREAKING: Bayelsa Residents Attack Warehouse, Steal Flood Palliatives Stored Since 2022

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Some residents of Bayelsa on Sunday night broke into a warehouse in Yenagoa where 2022 flood palliatives were kept by the state government and stole some food items said to be already decaying.

The warehouse located along Isaac Boro Expressway in Yenagoa, the state capital, was looted by people said to be angered due to the hardship in the country occasioned by the removal of subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) otherwise known as petrol by the Federal Government.

The subsidy removal moved up the prices of petrol from around N190 to about N620 per litre and has adversely affected the prices of goods and services as well as transport fares.

The Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) said that the food items carted away were no longer good for human consumption, because it was stored during the 2022 flood in the state.

President Bola Tinubu-led administration had announced a sum of N5 billion in palliative and grant to the states for onward distribution to Nigerians, but it was unclear if the warehouse looted in Yenagoa housed food items promised by the Federal Government.

Reacting to the invasion of the warehouse, the Director-General of BYSEMA, Hon. Walamam Sam Igrubia, said in a statement on Monday that the agency was preparing for an impending flood this year, when the DG visited the premises, and in his presence, remnants of food items, notably rice and garri that were no longer fit for consumption, were cleared from the warehouse and placed outside for disposal before the invasion.

He said: “The Bayelsa State Emergency Management Agency (BYSEMA) notes with surprise and concern the unwarranted invasion of the premises of a privately-owned warehouse in the Kpansia area of Yenagoa, the state capital.

“The incident occurred about 7.45pm on Sunday, August 27 almost an hour after the Director-General, Hon. Walamam Sam Igrubia, alongside some BYSEMA personnel, left the warehouse premises.

“During the 2022 flood in the state, the Agency used the warehouse to store food items. As part of preparations for an impending flood this year, the DG visited the premises, and in his presence, remnants of food items, notably rice and garri that were no longer fit for consumption, were cleared from the warehouse and placed outside for disposal the next day.

“The remnants, which were swept from the floor and packed in disused bags, were less than 10 bags of rice and garri and with some broken cans of oil.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Edo Govt attracts investors to develop lithium operation, engage local miners

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Edo State Commissioner for Mining and Energy, Hon. Enaholo Ojeifoh has unveiled plans by the government to develop Lithium and other solid mineral mining operations in the State.

This came to the fore at a meeting organized by the Ministry to find lasting solutions to challenges bedeviling Lithium and other Minerals mining in the State.

“The State Government is already working on implementing the agenda enumerated during the last Stakeholders meeting on leasing of Equipment, training of Youth in the mining Business, Power, etc.

Lithium mining is capital intensive, and the State Government wants to know the challenges faced by Miners”, he said.

He harped on the necessity for every Miner to join the Miners Association of Nigeria (MAN) while pointing out that it has become essential to establish a framework for providing power support to Miners through thorough profiling.

Hon. Enaholo further said, “The State Government’s objective is to foster the growth of the Lithium Industry by establishing a Lithium Processing Plant. There is a plan to convert Gas to power for Industrial Park. We intend to create a framework centered around Lithium Partnerships, leveraging connections with International Companies. Some of these foreign entities are willing to cover investment expenses.

The Government also aims to set up a buying centre for Lithium and other Minerals at very affordable prices. We must have a dialogue on the operational aspect of the system”.

Furthermore, the Commissioner said that Government was prepared to develop a model and explore additional minerals like Kaolin, Gypsum, and Coal. Our limestone reserves can also be utilized for manufacturing high-grade products beyond our current usage.

It’s imperative to establish a power cluster, pinpointing the suitable Local Government area as our power hub. Clear consensus is required regarding the specific metrics and criteria for our power facilities”.

Additionally, the Director of Mining, Mr. Ihianle Omoruyi, stated that the State Government plans to set up a Weighbridge to weigh the quantity of minerals carried by Trucks conveying minerals.

The Chairman of Miners Association of Nigeria, Engr. Micheal Okhumode applauded the Commissioner for his interest in the State’s Mining sector.

He stated that the Miners are ready for partnership but will not allow foreigners to mine directly, stressing that the foreigners will have to partner with the Indigenous Companies and follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development.

He appealed to the Government to help in equipment leasing, adding that laboratory analysis would help the Miners to know the percentage of each element present in a mineral.

The Chairman suggested nearness to the source of raw materials as regards the base power. He enumerated some Local Government Areas (Akoko Edo, Etsako West) in Edo North, where minerals such as Limestone, Dolomite, Kaolin, Feldspars, and Lithium are present in commercial quantities. He suggested Auchi for the Lithium Processing Plant.

Oyiro Orumen, a representative of the Freedom Group, pointed out that partnerships from Europe are welcome, but they must collaborate with indigenous Miners. He maintained that the indigenous Miners are knowledgeable and have a wealth of experience.

He expressed the belief that the Mineral Analysis Centre will flourish if established in the State, referencing Kaduna State, which owns one of the best analysis centres with high standards.

Another Representative of Freedom Group, Bamikole Segun commended the Commissioner for implementing the agreement reached with the Miners earlier. He said Edo State can take advantage of the Lithium Processing Plant, maintaining that Edo State is blessed with Kaolin that extends from Igueben-Ubiaja, then straight to Benue.

Bamikole further stated that professionals should have a perfect understanding of the mineral formation and that there is an ongoing plan in Freedom Group to set up Weighbridge in the corridors and strategic points in no distant time in Edo State.

The representative of Goopex Company, Osayanmen Rapheal commended the State Government initiative, noting that miners are ready to participate. He said that the faraway miners were ready to join the drive.

The Secretary of the Miners Association of Nigeria, Engr. Fatai Jimoh stated that the Commissioner is working hard to offer solutions to the challenges in the state’s mining sector. He called on everyone to develop a model for both the host indigenous miners and those who are entering the sector.

He added that Edo State is blessed with Coal around Ugiamen in Ekpoma axis; the cost of sampling is making miners lose interest in mineral evaluation.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Opinion

Ethnicity Is No Barrier To National Unity

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

BY TONNIE IREDIA

The common saying that when a problem is identified, it is half-solved is valid only when it is the identified problem that people conscientiously seek to solve. It becomes a different matter when in the process of solving a clearly identified problem, state actors lose focus and either divert attention to other ancillary matters or begin to imagine that the procedures and processes for attaining a goal and the goal itself are coterminous. Well before independence, the people of Nigeria were fully aware of the heterogeneous nature of their country. Also clear to them was the inclination for a multi-ethnic society to be easily destabilized by innate centrifugal or divisive forces. Unfortunately, the same Nigerians keep failing to downplay divisive forces by embracing the centripetal or unifying forces available to them.

To continue to bemoan the existence of diverse cultures and multiplicity of ethnic groups in the country is unwise because the problem of Nigeria is not her ethnic diversity but the failure of her leaders to manage the phenomenon. Nigeria has failed to read Jawaharlal Nehru’s book “Discovery of India” which had laid bare the expedience of ensuring harmony and unity amongst different regions and cultures through the instrumentality of the principle of inclusivity. Our people have to constantly abide by relevant legal provisions especially section 14 of the 1999 constitution which provides that at all levels of government – local, state and federal, the composition of government or the conduct of public affairs “shall be carried out in such manner as to recognise the diversity of the people within its area of authority and the need to promote a sense of belonging and loyalty among the peoples of the federation.”

Despite the relevant constitutional provisions, the recommendation of “unity in diversity” by Jawaharlal Nehru is yet to take root in Nigeria. But at no time in the nation’s history has inclusivity been as blatantly breached as the last 8 years of the government of former president Muhammadu Buhari. Apart from several federal appointments in which the dominance of particular ethnic groups became the order of the day, it took a few courageous governors of the ruling party to scuttle attempts to foist another northerner to succeed the departing president of northern extraction. In the states, the situation has not been better, perhaps it has only been less publicised. In Benue state, no one has been able to persuade the major ethnic group to allow their neighbours to serve as state governor for once since the state was created. In Kogi state, if the candidate of the ruling party is declared winner in the forthcoming governorship election, the new governor would succeed his fellow tribal brother.

The implication of the love for ethnic dominance is heightened suspicion and mutual distrust by different people at the expense of unity. Interestingly, our leaders cherish self-denial as they continuously make statements that they themselves hardly believe. We keep telling ourselves what we know we are not likely to adhere to. Last Monday, President Bola Tinubu told the ministers he picked on the basis of state of origin that they should work not for their states but for the federation. Tinubu, who spoke at the inauguration of the new members of the federal executive council said: “you are not a minister of a particular state, colony, region or ethnic nationality; you are a minister of the federal republic of Nigeria.” The president’s point is clear but he knows, just as the ministers and the rest of us do that action will not match those words.

The states from which the ministers were picked will not even allow them to be that pragmatic. It is what they can do for their families and their states that will eventually determine their popularity and acceptance in the states. History in fact teaches us that political office-holders are usually bugged down by self interest and other parochial tendencies which every citizen has since taken to be normal. Nigerians who diligently work for the entire nation are quite few. Among them are our high performing sports men and women such as the super falcons. This explains why no one saw anything wrong with the uncoordinated reception for a team which demystified traditional world champions like Australia, Canada and England in the last female world cup. We were all satisfied that the best way to applaud the super falcons that were picked not on the basis of state of origin but on merit was to clap for state governors who honoured some of the team members from their states.

Although we agree that the players did well for Nigeria, we will not allow them to forget their respective states of origin. Accordingly, both the super falcons and our new ministers are better appreciated by their states; yet we occasionally charge them to be patriotic enough to put Nigeria before their ethnic units. Indeed, we are constantly reminded that Nigeria is not only indivisible but that its continued existence is in addition not negotiable. This viewpoint however violently offends the principle of self-determination which recognizes the freedom of people to determine where they wish to belong. It also encourages us to forget that negotiation is what guarantees unity, not bullying. Through such negotiations, leaders are better positioned to delicately address the different concerns of each group thereby encouraging such groups to develop a sense of belonging.

Unity in diversity is more likely to propel a voluntary and positive renewal of a group’s belief in a particular union. On the other hand, mutual suspicion grows when some societal institutions that are central to the attainment of national unity fail to perform. A good example is the federal character commission whose main purpose is to moderate recruitment into government services to avoid the dominance of any group. A few weeks ago, Nigerians watched on national television, how the commission transformed itself into a body that organizes recruitments for sale. In fact, a proper understanding of the endless in-fighting within the commission is that how to secure employment slots from different government bodies for their relations is the main goal of the members. Associated to this negative posture is how to convince a young Nigerian that it is in order for his colleagues with lower scores than his own to get admitted into elite schools because of their states of origin. ‘Quota system’ will no doubt eternally persuade those it favours to embrace loyalty to their states rather than the nation. The situation would have been different if the quota system was used to pick the best from every state instead of officials exploiting the strategy for ethnic dominance.

Another societal institution whose main goal has been thwarted is the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). After the Nigerian civil war, government set up the scheme for the purpose of creating easy integration of different groups. It was then decided that to ensure Nigerians massively interacted with one another for a better understanding of each other’s sensibilities, no one was allowed to undergo the one-year compulsory national service in his or her state of origin. Today, many citizens are able to choose where to serve especially with increased insecurity in the land. A few others are mysteriously able to serve in their states of origin, while a third group does not serve at all notwithstanding that evading service is designated as an offence. In this group, there have been at least three ministers and some governors.

We dare say that if well managed, the NYSC can successfully unite thousands of Nigerians annually. It is such unifying factors that another tool for national integration – the National Orientation Agency (NOA) was set up to propagate for the benefit of all. Painfully, whereas everyone including legislators believe that NOA is moribund, no one has cared to know that unlike its predecessor, MAMSER, the Agency is not equipped to engage in effective value re-orientation of Nigerians. It is only assured of salaries for its workers but no funding to meet the task of mobilizing Nigerians to embrace patriotism. Hence, whereas people have held-on to the erroneous viewpoint that Nigeria’s problem is her multi-ethnic diversity, the failure of leadership to manage the nation’s cultural diversity is in reality the real issue at stake.

August 27, 2023.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Jilted Pastor Who Committed Suicide Buried In ‘Evil Forest’

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Pastor of a Pentecostal Church, Prosper Obum Igboke has committed suicide after the girlfriend he trained in the University left him for another man.

The cleric committed suicide in Nnewi, Anambra State.

Sources said the man jumped down from a two storey-building after he was jilted by his lover.

A source who disclosed this to newsmen and doesn’t want his name mentioned said the man had trained his lover in the university, after which she declined his marriage proposal.

He said, “The incident happened last month. The man (Igboke) was 30 years old at the time of his death. His girlfriend, whom he intended to marry disappointed him after seeing her through the university.

“He jumped down from a two storey-building and died. I am surprised that a man of his age and a pastor can do this. “

The source said according to the tradition of Leru autonomous community of Umunneochi LGA in Abia State, the man had been buried in an “evil forest” for committing sacrilege.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Opinion

Sex-for-grade: of the randy lecturers and students’ ‘misbehaviors’

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Dorcas Egwuje

Nigeria’s citadel of learning is currently distressed with many issues such as hike in school fees, lack of infrastructure, and strike on the part of the students and refusal to pay salaries by government and poor working environment on the part of the lecturer, sadly, cases of sexual harassment by randy lecturers and immoral dressing on the part of female students has become an eyesore that urgently needs attention.

While sexual harassment of female students has been blamed on randy lecturers, university authorities are fighting back by allegedly blaming the “provocative” mode of dressing by female students for the harassment.

Female students have often complained that to pass their examinations, they have to sleep with the lecturers.

Meanwhile, visit to some campuses shows just how scantily and provocatively dressed some of the students could be, majority of the students in their efforts to follow the latest fashion trend, dress in tight fitting trousers or short skirts and tops which show off part of their navels and upper body.

Majority of higher institution as part of admission criteria tells students in their oath form to pledge to always dress decently while on campus, while others erect billboards to pass their message on campus.

Recently, the Vice-Chancellor, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo, Prof Timothy Adebayo, said the university would not tolerate any form of immoral conduct among students. He added that the institution would not bend the rule for anyone found guilty of immoral practices.

In a speech he delivered at the matriculation for new students, Adebayo said, “ACU frowns severely at any form of misconduct. There are stern measures taken against students who engage in the slightest form of examination malpractice. Also, sexual immorality and any other shades of deviant behaviours are not tolerated in the university. The university frowns at indecent dressing, and strict actions are taken against erring students.”

He added that the school would not relent in its effort to produce graduates that are intellectually and morally sophisticated to meet up with the demands of the global market.

It should however be noted that the need to restore morality in Nigeria’s universities has led to the imposition of a mode of dressing or the banning of indecent dressing among female students by some of the higher institutions of learning.

Similarly, the federal polytechnic, ilaro ogun state ruled that no student should come to school without putting on pants and bra also any dress worn must cover intimate parts of the body.

The letter stressed the importance of female students of the polytechnic to add to their dressing while on campus a bra and pants .

It urged the female students to wear pants and bras for their safety, comfort and respect for their fellow students, also to avoid harassment from randy lecturers.

While reiterating the significance of the message, speaker of the student representative council, Sulaimon Adedamola in a letter said wearing pants and bras is a requirement and not a suggestion.

The letter read “It is important to remember that pants and bras are required while on campus. This is not only for your own comfort and safety, but, also out of respect for your fellow students.

“It is absolutely essential that you wear pants and a bra while on campus. This is not a suggestion, it is a requirement.

“If you do not comply, you will face the consequences and may face disciplinary action. Please respect your fellow students and the rules of the school by wearing appropriate clothing at all times.

“This could include warnings and even suspension. The school takes this rule very seriously, and any violation will be treated as a serious offence.”

To drive this home, authorities at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, recently suspended a dean in the faculty of who was indicted of sexually assaulting female students.

In retaliation, several female law students of the University staged a protest in the institution, accusing the Dean of frequently harassing them sexually.

They were seen moving about in groups on the campus late Monday afternoon chanting ‘Ndifon, go! go!’

The students displayed placards with various inscriptions, including “Ndifon Must Go!” “We’re tired of sucking dicks for marks”, “Law Girls Are Not Bonanza”, “Prof Ndifon Must Stop Grabbing our Bum Bum”.

President of the Law Students Association of Nigeria, LAWSAN, Unical branch, Comrade Benedict Otu led the students in the protest against Ndifon

The concept of freedom has been abused in the university. As a result, the university has risen to address the issue of generational stigma by introducing a policy on mode of dressing for its students.

Accordingly students are expected to appear in corporate dressing to lectures and other university functions.

Recently, the senate passed into law bill for an Act to make provision for the prohibition and punishment of sexual harassment of students by lecturers in tertiary institutions.

The objective of the Bill is to prohibit the offence of sexual harassment in tertiary institutions and impose stiff penalties on perpetrators.

It also creates a strict liability offence by removing mutual consent as a defence in prosecution of sexual harassment cases, as it were in the extant law

The new Act when signed to law, will not only prohibit lecturers from having sexual intercourse with underage students; it will also punish lecturers who demand for sex from female students as a condition to giving passing grades.

As against the initial proposal of the sponsors of the Bill that any lecturer who harasses female student shall be liable to 3 years imprisonment; Senator Umaru said the clause has been amended.

“Any person who commits any of the acts specified in section 3 of this Act is guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be sentenced to imprisonment of up to 5 years but not less than 2 years and there shall be no option of fine”, the Bill reads.

It was, however, agreed upon presentation, that the penalty should be 5 years imprisonment or option of fine to the tune of N5m or both.

The Act also provides that the head of an institution upon receiving a written complaint of sexual harassment from a victim, shall set up a ‘Sexual Harassment Investigation Panel’ which shall submit its report in writing within 30 days.

While it will be an uphill struggle to combat the ‘indecent’ dressing in Nigeria where 40 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 18, as long as there exist higher institutions of learning, cases of sexual assault will still remain though may reduce when lecturers caught are named and shamed, also the bill should not just be paperwork but lecturers caught should serve as deterrent to others.

Students should know that dressing indecently does not just expose them to randy lecturers but to other male colleagues who may take advantage of them, of course there is no gain in exposing ones body in the public if not for an ‘intention’, however rather than engage in such immorality, they should face their studies squarely and be fully baked for the ‘bright’ future that lies ahead.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

BREAKING: Nigeria on alert as New COVID-19 variant discovered

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Officer-in-Charge, Port Health Services (PHS), Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Dr Omede Ogu, said on Friday that proactive measures had been taken to prevent the new COVID-19 variant from slipping into the country.

Ogu gave the assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

Recall that the United Kingdom detected its first case of the new COVID-19 variant, BA.2.86, on Aug. 18, and said the strain had also been identified in Israel, Denmark and the US.

“There is currently one confirmed case in the UK in an individual with no recent travel history, which suggests a degree of community transmission within the UK,” the UK Health Security Agency had said.

Nigeria and the UK record a high volume of travellers who shuttle between both countries on regular basis.

Ogu said that information on the new variant had been placed on the Port Health Services Emergency Platform, while other agencies at the airport had also been informed about it.

“ Our mandate is health safety and security at the point of entry and it covers both routine and emergency situations.

“The new variant has been placed on the Port Health Services emergency platform and we have also informed sister agencies at the airport of its existence and they are also on the alert.

“The ambulances are in good condition and our clinics around the tarmac are in the perfect shape to review any form of emergency, and facilities are inspected daily.

“Personnel are trained on a weekly basis and this training is called Weekly Pretentious Infection Training. The purpose of this training is to keep our personnel abreast of steps to take when confronted with emergencies like this.

“ Our personnel are on ground and our structures are constantly reviewed, so we assure everyone that there is absolutely nothing to be worried about,” he said.

Ogu said that the Port Health Service collaborates with Emergency Operation Centres (EOCs) across the country involving stakeholders who deliberate on different strategies and containment mechanisms for emergencies.

He said that there were cameras at the tarmac that capture the body temperature of passengers when they alight from the plane.

“For every passenger arriving at the airport, the first point of call is the port health services, and they are screened to check for irregularities in body temperature.

“The instruments are categorised into three: the hand held thermometer, a tripod tarmac scanner and the distant tarmac camera,” he said.

According to him, the distant tarmac camera is the most effective because it captures everyone and all the health information, and port health officials see the result on the screen.

“We intend to get more cameras in the nearest future for more effective coverage and optimal reporting,” he said.

He urged Nigerians not to panic, noting that the new variant was still at the observatory level

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

BREAKING: Bride Slumps, dies during bridal shower in Oyo

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A bride, identified as Rebecca Oyedotun, slumped and died on her wedding day in Ogbomoso, Oyo State.

The tragic incident happened on the eve of the deceased bride’s wedding while having her bridal shower with her friends.

According to the father of the dead bride, Evangelist Oyedotun of C&S Reformed Church, Isale-High School, the bride did not show any previous signs of illness until she slumped at about 10:30 a.m.

Before she passed on, the deceased bride was supposed to marry Abiodun Oluwadamilare on Saturday, 19th August 2023.

According to the groom’s sister, preparations were in full swing before the tragic event happened.

“The groom’s parents had slaughtered their cow at Ogbomoso, and being an only child, Abiodun, the groom, was excited, unaware that disaster was hiding around the corner.

Though the deceased’s mother, Mrs Ruth Oyedotun, could not talk owing to grief, the father, Evangelist Oyedotun revealed that they took the bride immediately to LAUTECH teaching hospital hoping she will return to complete the marriage rites.

“We quickly took her to LAUTECH Teaching Hospital in Ogbomoso. After some time, she was revived, and she appeared stable, and by dawn of Saturday, her condition deteriorated so she was confined to the bed.

“We were even required to take her to Bowen University Teaching Hospital for some tests, which we promptly did.

“The groom fainted and was anxiously crying, ‘let me take her away.’

“We were in the hospital throughout that Saturday.

Her health worsened till she gave up the ghost on Sunday morning, according to Tori News.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

BREAKING: Protests hit FUTA over death of final-year student

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) protested on Friday the sudden death of a 500-level student of the institution, Ayomide Akeredolu.

The grieving students barricaded the busy Akure-Ilesa highway, causing heavy disruption to vehicular movement and a prolonged traffic jam that lasted for hours.

Akeredolu, popular among his peers, tragically collapsed in his hostel in Akindeko Hall days before his final papers. He was immediately rushed to the University Health Centre, where medical personnel declared him dead. The news of Akeredolu’s unexpected demise sent shockwaves through the university campus, prompting students to gather in protest.

An eyewitness said:

“We rushed the guy to the health centre around 8:30 pm. However, when we arrived, there was a power outage. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, who administered CPR, oxygen, and injections, the electricity was not restored throughout the treatment process.”

Reacting to the development, the university’s Director of Corporate Communication, Adegbenro Adebanjo, said in a statement: “Due to some perceived misgivings about services at the University Health Centre, students embarked on a protest on Friday, August 25, 2023. It is important to point out that the protest was not directly related to the death of the student.

“The representatives of the students, at a meeting with Management, called at the behest of the Vice Chancellor, pointed out some lacunae in the process of accessing services at the health centre. The corrective measures will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that they are being implemented to the letter and to the satisfaction of the students.”

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Africa & World

BREAKING: Niger’s Junta Gives French Ambassador 48 Hours To Leave Country

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The military rulers who seized control in Niamey on July 26 have given the French ambassador 48 hours to leave Niger, the country’s minister of foreign affairs said in a statement Friday.

Faced with “the refusal of the French ambassador in Niamey to respond to an invitation” from the minister for a meeting Friday and “other actions of the French government contrary to the interests of Niger”, the authorities have decided to withdraw their approval of Sylvain Itte and ask him to depart within 48 hours, the statement said.

The coup leaders have not been shy about their relationship with France.

Niger has accused French forces of freeing captured “terrorists” and breaching a ban on the country’s air space in an attempt to destabilise the country.

“We are witnessing a real plan of destabilisation of our country, orchestrated by French forces,” Abdramane said.

ECOWAS has imposed heavy economic sanctions on Niger following the coup and has threatened the use of armed force to restore constitutional order.

France has some 1,500 troops stationed in Niger to aid in fighting jihadist groups that have plagued the country along with the wider Sahel region for years.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

13 students reportedly dead as strange illness hit Enugu State University

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Some officials of the Enugu State Government on Friday visited the state’s University of Science and Technology as a strange illness reportedly killed 13 students in less than a month.

The team led by the state Commissioner of Health, Dr Ikechukwu Obi, Friday, visited the Agbani campus of the university to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the alleged development.

The unfortunate incident which has already caused anxiety among students and staff of the university, our correspondent learnt, has been downplayed by the university management.

A member of staff of the university, Rev Godwin Onah, who spoke to our correspondent, described the situation as alarming and called on the government for intervention.

He said, “There are massive mysterious deaths at the Enugu State University of Science and Technology, yet the Enugu State Government and school management are non-challant about it.

“The Enugu State Government or Federal Government should close the school immediately to avert further deaths.”

However, the National Association of Nigerian Students South-East Zone has called for the immediate shutdown of the university till further notice to allow for proper investigation into the cause of the outbreak of the strange illness.

NANS which made the call in a statement issued on Thursday titled: “Call to shut down Enugu State University of Science and Technology (ESUT) immediately,” warned that it would not stand idly by while the lives and welfare of its students are endangered.

In the statement signed by its Zonal Coordinator, Chidi Nzekwe, NANS, stated that the “leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students NANS Zone F-Southeast expresses our deepest concern and utmost dismay over the frequent and tragic deaths of our students in ESUT.

“Our investigations have shown a high level of negligence on the part of the school administration, ranging from non-functional student clinic, which is a major factor for the unfortunate death of our students.

“In the light of these disturbing findings, the leadership of NANS Zone F has decided to order the immediate shutdown of the institution from tomorrow, August 24, 2023, till further notice.

“This action is necessary to allow us to engage in extensive meetings with relevant stakeholders including the university management, medical experts, security agencies, and student representatives.

“Failure to shut down the institution with immediate effect, we will be compelled to escalate our actions and the university management should get ready to contend with the armless battalion of Nigerian students in the zone.

“The leadership of NANS Zone F is committed to protecting the rights and welfare of Nigerian students. We will not stand idly while the lives and welfare of our students are endangered. As we seek a quick intervention to this crisis, we urge all our students in ESUT to return to their respective homes where they will be safe till further notice.

“May the souls of our dear departed students Rest in peace.”

However, when the Public Relations Officer of the University, Mr Ikechukwu Ezianioma, was contacted by telephone by our correspondent, he described the rumours and reports as fake, insisting that there was no strange Illness in ESUT.

According to him, “The Commissioners of Health, Education and Secretary to the State Government, with a whole lot of other government officials came to the university today and after check, they discovered that the reports circulating were false.

“So, I would advise you to contact the commissioner of health and he will be in a better position to tell you whether there is such or not. All I can tell you now is that there is no strange Illness killing students in ESUT.”

Meanwhile, efforts to speak with the state Commissioner of Health were unsuccessful as he was said to be in a marathon meeting after he left the university campus.

As of the time of filing this report, he had yet to respond to text messages sent to him.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts