Author

Folarin Kehinde

Headlines

Pass Data Protection Bill Now, Paradigm Initiative Task FG

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Folarin Kehinde, Abuja

The Program Officer, Paradigm Initiative, Ihueze Nwobilor has urged the federal government to immediately pass the data protection bill to ensure data accountability and security.

Nwobilor while speaking in Abuja on Thursday at the 5th edition of the New Media, Citizens and Governance conference tagged ‘Protecting Digital Rights in Closing Spaces’ government should Pass the Data Protection Bill to and laws to prosecute offenders.

Nwobilor explained that one of the greatest challenges that Nigerians are facing today is if ones privacy is bridged, we don’t have the laws even when you catch those that bridged that privacy, we don’t have enabling laws to prosecute them.

“What we are talking about is to put the legal framework that can hold every player in the area of data and security of data accountable and one way to do this is to hold the legislature and everyone in data privacy bill accountable”.

Meanwhile, Nwobilor expressed worry that the government is gradually closing the civic space through excessive regulations that stiffens peoples voices.

“We have seen that government is also bringing actions that are making these spaces we are seeing that they are opening now to be closing through censorship, regulating and over regulating the media space”.

“We are not against regulating what happens on social media”.

“But when regulations becomes excessive, so you find out that it is tantamount to stiffening people’s voices”.

However, he charged that even citizens said they have their rights there is a limitation to the right and should not be abused.

Iyanuoluwa Bolarinwa speaking on behalf of budgiT stated that the conference aim at understanding the intricacies of new media, government and the country how Nigerians are using these platforms to democratize their voices.

Bolarinwa added that the question everybody needs to answer is to know how much data assets we have and how we can bridge the gap between citizens and the government and to make sure that government in the real sense represent the citizens and is able to give answers to citizens when questions are asked.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Entertainment

No be Juju bi that”? : For Standing, Fans to pay 70k, VVIP 10m At Asake December Concert

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The wave of the moment in Nigeria’s music industry, Asake has raised eyebrows on Twitter following the release of the ticket prices for his December concert in Lagos.

The standing ticket to the concert, which is taking place on December 22 at Eko Convention Center, Lagos State, is priced at N70,000 to access the venue for a standing position throughout the event.

Kemi Filani gathered that the ticket fee for Asake’s upcoming December concert tagged the ‘Mr. Money With Vibe Feat’, ranged from N70,000 for regular to N10 million for the VVIP category.

Other ticket prices are N4 million, N8 million, and N10 million being the highest price for the VVIP session at the concert.

Tickets for the concert have since gone on sale, but the exorbitant cost of the various sections of the venue for the concert has grabbed the attention of many netizens.

Fans are really angry and have started dragging him on Twitter. We are sure Asake didn’t see this coming at all. Below are some of the reactions:

One Dr.J@y wrote: ‘If I stand to worship God for free, then I will pay 70k to stand and watch you sing. Which size of rubber did you smoke? 10, 25 or 50litres?’

Paint Artist wrote: ‘Everyone is criticizing the amount to watch a show !! You all are not looking at the bright side !! Na easiest form on money laundering!!! Wake up all !!’

Joshua Aroke wrote: ‘Except if you guys are trying to make this easy publicity and then review the price but if na final price then.’ @asakemusik you too proud but no be your fault na people wey wan pay 70k to stand na them be the problem.’

circle of life wrote: ‘He is overating himself at this point , his stage performance would be very bland and poor. Whichever way it is a lose lose for those that will attend.’

Comr. PHEMITH wrote: ‘Na we dey make things difficult for ourselves in this country and we do abuse politicians everyday.’

Yellow_Jnr wrote: ’70k to listen to music that have been played several times or 70k to watch him jumping up and down singing along…Mr Asake, your fans gat u!’

BOSUN wrote: ‘He dey compare himself to Burna Boy,Wizkid or Davido,even him master(Olamide)can’t try such thing.’

Ning JNR wrote: ‘I blame Nigerians that drool over these artists. Even if it’s Nas or Jay z performing, I’m not paying that ish, I would watch you on YouTube. Smh.’

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

INEC Identifies 2.7 Million Unqualified Registered Voters

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Independent National Electoral Commission, on Thursday, at the end of Automated Biometric Identification System, identified 2,780,756, as the number of ineligible registrants in Kano State.

The new Resident Electoral Commissioner in Kano, Zango Abdu, during a meeting with members of election stakeholders said at the end of the exercise, 12,298, 944 Nigerians successfully completed the registration as new voters.

He said, “The preliminary register of voters in Kano State currently stands at 5,927,565.

“It is preliminary because Section 19 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act 2022 requires the Commission to display the hard copies of the register of voters for each registration area (Ward) and Local Government Area (and simultaneously publish the entire register on the Commission’s website) for a period of two weeks for scrutiny, claims and objections, by citizens not later than 90 days to a general election.”

Also, the REC reiterated that the commission, as mandated by law, would continue to monitor the activities of political parties, as well as track the campaign finances of all political parties as provided by Sections 83, 85, 87, 88, 90, 91,92 and 95 of the Electoral Act of 2022.

To this end, he urged politicians to critically study and pay attention to the provisions of the constitution, the Electoral Act, The Police Act and Public Order Act for the proper and peaceful conduct of political party campaigns, rallies and processions, adding that the commission would continue to track the campaign finances and its activities, as mandated by the law.

Similarly, the REC stressed that there would be no going back on deployment of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for voter accreditation and the transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal on Election Day.

On a last note, he pointed out that there would be no incident form that allowed ineligible persons to vote using other person’s Permanent Voters Card during elections.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Despite Security Challenges, Buhari Approves N134bn Security Allowance for Military Veterans

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has approved N134.7 billion for the payment of Security Debarment Allowance to all military veterans.

Buhari, who revealed this at the launch of the 2023 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Emblem and Appeal fund, announced the donation of N10 million to the Nigerian Legion, on behalf of the Federal Government.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports the inauguration of the Emblem Appeal fund preceded the meeting of the Federal Executive Council.

Buhari pledged the Federal Government’s commitment to the welfare of veterans by ensuring prompt payment of their pension and other entitlements, which had been demonstrated by his approval of the payment of SDA to veterans with effect from 2017.

“However, in order to capture all veterans hitherto excluded from the payment of the SDA, I have approved a review of the effective date of the Manual of Financial Administration for the Armed Forces of Nigeria 2017.

“Accordingly, I have also approved the sum of N134,749,953,243.69 only for that purpose,” he said.

President Buhari also expressed delight that the Defence Health Maintenance Limited was living up to expectation in providing healthcare services to the veterans, noting the expansion of the reach of their services through the establishment of Zonal and State offices.

He promised that government would continue to prioritise the provision of quality healthcare services to veterans and citizens at large.

The president also commended the efforts of the Nigerian Armed Forces in confronting banditry, kidnappings, molestations and killing of innocent citizens head-on, saying that these “vices alien to our culture” are on the decline.

According to him, normalcy is gradually returning to some affected parts of the country due to the methodical approach and increasing military campaign to decimate subversive elements involved in destructive activities, such as “in the insurgency in North East, militancy in the Niger Delta”.

He also lauded the efforts of the military in addressing ethnic and religious tensions in some communities.

He assured Nigerians that the federal government would continue to reposition and strengthen all security agencies to enable them surmount the security challenges in the country.

The president called on business enterprises to appreciate the sacrifice of servicemen and gallant troops by extending support to them in form of discounts and rebates upon purchases and services rendered.

This, he said, would act as a morale booster to members of the Armed Forces and assist them in carrying out their statutory responsibilities.

President Buhari reiterated that he would hand over ”a Nigeria that is free from insecurity to the next generation of leaders.”

He expressed confidence that with the gallantry and sacrifices exhibited by men and women of the Armed Forces in the campaign against insurgency and other Internal Security Operations, “the nation will be returned to normalcy as we continue to battle decisively, all the security challenges.”

The president commended Governors who are Patrons of Veterans in their respective states for their support of the Nigerian Legion.

Buhari urged government’s agencies at the Federal and State levels to continue to patronise the services of the Nigerian Legion Corps of Commissionaires in the provision of security and other administrative services.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Nigerian Lawmaker, Olawale Slumps, Dies At Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Rally In Plateau

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Amember of Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdul-Sobur Olayiwola Olawale, who slumped at the All Progressives Congress (APC)/Bola Tinubu’s political campaign in Jos, Plateau State capital has been confirmed dead.

Olawale, popularly known as Omititi before his demise on Tuesday, was the member representing Mushin Constituency II at the Lagos State House of Assembly.

The lawmaker was among the politicians and members of the ruling APC who stormed Jos for the kick-off of Tinubu’s presidential campaign ahead of the 2023 general elections.

According to report, Olawale slumped at the rally and died moments later.

Similarly in June, the zonal chairman of the APC in Jigawa Central, Isa Burji, reportedly slumped and died at a hotel in Abuja during the party’s special convention.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Amazon To Lay Off 10,000 Employees – NYT

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

E-commerce giant, Amazon is planning to lay off about 10,000 employees in corporate and technology jobs starting as soon as this week, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The job cuts will focus on the e-commerce giant’s devices unit, which houses voice-assistant Alexa, as well as its retail division and human resources, according to the report, which also said the total number of layoffs remains fluid.

The unit that houses Alexa had posted an operating loss of more than $5 billion a year, with Amazon mulling if it should focus on adding new capabilities when customers use the device for only a few functions.

This development is coming at a time when tech giants such as Twitter and Meta are laying off staff.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

There May Be No Election in 2023 – Charlyboy Insists, Gives reasons

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Nigeria’s Maverick entertainer and social engineer, Charlyboy, also known as the AreaFada, has predicted the impossibility of conducting general elections in 2023 due to the current state of the nation.

Worried about hunger, poverty, the dollar rise, attacks on the offices of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and a host of other challenges ravaging the entire country, Charlyboy declared that the 2023 election is currently under threat.

He spoke exclusively to DAILY POST from the United Kingdom where he is currently spending his holiday.

The staunch supporter of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, also expressed pessimism that the political bigwigs that have held the country hostage for years are not willing to relinquish power to Nigerians in the forthcoming elections.

He said: “There may be no election next year going by what I see. I don’t think that these people who have their stronghold on the nation’s political space are willing to relinquish power to the people.

“I repeat, there may not be an election next year. I have been saying this since last year. The way things are going, I doubt it. Nigeria is on a free fall. I have been saying it for years”.

Speaking on the dollar rise and the state of the economy, CB said: “I was telling my family that a dollar will get to N1500. Look at what is happening now; it’s almost getting to N1000. There you are. The redesigning of the Naira is not a solution. How can it be a solution when you are producing nothing and you are not exporting? So you just keep printing money to pay salaries and you think that’s a solution?

“Do you know what will happen at the end of the day? Because anybody who has money now, will not have tomorrow. If you have 5 million Naira today, some people will think it’s a lot of money, but do you know that every day, that 5 million Naira that you have in the bank keeps depreciating?

“If you give it another 4 months, that money will be worth 800k. So where do we go from there? So it looks like there may be no election next year. Everything points to that fact.”

source: daily post

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

2023 Polls: Again, Soludo Reveals Why Peter Obi Cannot Win

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has attacked the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, saying he cannot win the 2023 presidential election.

Soludo said the LP candidate was playing a game with his election bid, adding that Obi did not have the necessary structure in place to win the Presidency on the Labour Party platform.

The governor stated these in an article on Monday, titled, ‘History Beckons and I Will Not Be Silent (Part 1).’

Soludo had last Thursday during an interview on Channels TV ‘Politics Today’ said the investments in Anambra State credited to Obi, an ex-Anambra State governor, were worth ‘’next to nothing.’’

The former Central Bank of Nigeria governor’s criticism of his predecessor in Anambra State triggered a series of backlashes from Obi’s supporters, particularly on social media.

Obi ruled Anambra State between 2006 and 2014 on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance before he defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, and later the Labour Party.

Soludo alleged that some individuals, who were angered by his comments, had launched attacks on him and his family.

He claimed there were suggestions that the Saturday attack in which five security personnel died in his community, Isuofia, in the Aguata Local Government Area of the state, were carried out by those provoked by his comment on the LP candidate.

While describing the attacks on him as an exhibition of desperation, intolerance, he noted that the attempt to bully everyone who expresses the slightest of dissent was reprehensible.

Soludo further cited the attack on the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Nigeria, Enugu Ecclesiastical Province, Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma, by Obi’s supporters commonly known as ‘Obidients.’

He described as tyranny the attempt to muscle out those who were not in support of Obi’s presidential ambition, stressing that this attitude might endanger the future political and economic interests of the Igbos, if not checked.

While acknowledging the anger of some youths in urban cities and the Diaspora over the trajectory of the country or with the candidates of the major parties, the governor lectured his adversaries on the tenets of democracy, stating that the minority would have their say, but the majority their way.

According to him, translating anger and social media agitation into political outcomes requires humongous work.

Weighing the LP standard bearer’s chances in the forthcoming poll, the governor said, “Let’s be clear: Peter Obi knows that he can’t and won’t win. He knows the game he is playing, and we know too; and he knows that we know.

“The game he is playing is the main reason he didn’t return to APGA. The brutal truth (and some will say, God forbid) is that there are two persons/parties seriously contesting for president: the rest is exciting drama!

“That many Americans may not like the fact that Joe Biden (79 years) and Donald Trump (76 years) are two frontrunners for president in their parties does not remove the fact that if both of them emerge as candidates, definitely one of them will be president in 2024.

“As my brother, I wish him well and even pray for him. I told him during his courtesy call that my prayer is that himself or Prof Umeadi of APGA would win, why not?

“That is from my heart, but I also told him that my head and facts on the ground led me to know that it’s probability is next to zero (what I cannot say before you, I won’t say behind you).’’

Stating that Obi might not come third in the race, Soludo contended that the LP lacked the structure to win the presidential election in 2023.

He added, “So, I already told him my opinion. As my brother, I wish him well and even pray for him. Indeed, there is no credible pathway for him near the first two positions, and if care is not taken, he won’t even near the third position.

‘’Analysts tell him you don’t need “structure” to win. Fantasy! Of course, LP won governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun on social media and via phantom polls, while getting barely 2,000 votes on ground.’’

The governor conceded that the LP candidate would get some votes in his home state of Anambra, but noted that this would not take him anywhere.

“Of course, Peter Obi will get some votes, and may probably win in Anambra State— as “home boy”. But Anambra is not Nigeria. If he likes, I can even campaign for him but that won’t change much. From internal state-by-state polling available to me, he was on course to get 25 per cent in five states as of August this year. The latest polling shows that it is down to four states, and declining,’’ he submitted.

Dismissing claims that he was envious of his predecessor, Soludo said he and Obi had been friends for a long time, adding that he vowed never to leave APGA for another party.

The governor added, ‘’The same Peter Obi was one of those who told Ndigbo that APGA was the vehicle through which Igbos would organise to engage the rest of Nigeria politically. He was said to have sworn to Ojukwu and publicly that he would quit politics the day he leaves APGA. The rest is history. When he was the vice-presidential candidate under PDP in 2019, the emotive train then dubbed the ticket “the Igbo project”. As then chairman of planning and strategy committee of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, I cautioned for a more pragmatic approach but the emotive blaze of the time held sway. We were vindicated afterwards.

‘’By the way, in 2016, he visited and proposed that I defect to the PDP and contest the 2017 election against the incumbent Willie Obiano, but I declined. After my victory in November 2021, he called to congratulate me as I did to him in 2010. That is the Anambra way: we fight fiercely during campaigns but share drinks at the next social events. After all, it was the great Zik of Africa who taught us that in politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies but only permanent interests.’’

The governor noted the failure of the LP to field candidates for the two chambers of the National Assembly in Lagos, adding sarcastically that he would have given Obi money if he were the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, for making his victory easier.

He stated, ‘’Not even in Lagos State (supposed headquarters of urban youths) where the Labour Party could not find candidates to contest for House of Reps or Senate.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Elections: National Assembly asked to legalize Presidential, Governorship Debates

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) has charged the National Assembly to make participation in presidential and governorship debates mandatory.

A statement by Secretary-General Willy Ezugwu said a law to that effect would strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process.

CNPP wondered why some standard bearers deliberately refused to attend debates or were excluded by the organisers.

The coalition believes legalizing dialogues with standard bearers in attendance will help citizens make informed decisions.

CNPP said in advanced democracies like the United States, debates are considered an intrinsic part of the electoral process.

Ezugwu noted that no serious contender in the American presidential race could afford to stay away.

“There is a need to make governorship and presidential debates in Nigeria mandatory for all candidates and their parties.

“Debates should be a veritable platform for the public to screen persons seeking to represent them in government.”

The statement urged the National Assembly to immediately set up modalities to make its demand customary.

CNPP suggested a law for the establishment of a National Commission on Election Debates (CED) with a mandate to arrange discourses.

The commission, it added, should be empowered to sanction candidates that fail to participate and also impose penalties.

The 2023 campaign season is in full swing ahead of the general polls in February and March.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Headlines

Fake News: Arise TV to Pay 2 Million Naira Fine – NBC

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Arise Television N2 million over a fake report about the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu.

The TV station had aired a report that the Independent National Broadcasting Commission (INEC) was investigating Tinubu’s alleged crime bordering on narcotics and illicit drugs.

A statement purportedly issued by the INEC had gone viral on social media but the electoral body, on Saturday debunked the report, saying it was a handiwork of mischiefs.

Arise TV had on Sunday apologized to Tinubu and INEC for misleading the general public.

According to The Nation, the television station was fined N2m for breaching the broadcasting code.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts