Singapore News Channel, Singapore News Network

Gen. Dr. Yakubu Gowon, GCFR.,
Gen. Domkat Bali, GCON
Rear Admiral SB Atukum,
Gen. JT Useni, CFR
Gen. JN Dogonyaro
AVM Abbas Umaru,
Air Marshal JD Wuyep,
Air Commodore B Banfa,
Gen. Jonathan Temlong,
Gen. ID Pennap,
Gen. N. Rimtip,
Air Commodore (Sen.) Dr. JD Jang,
etc. etc.

Where are…

The Gbong Gwom Jos
The Long Goemai,
The Ngolong Ngas (Acting),
The Mishkaham Mwaghavul,
The Emir of Ease,
The Ponzhi Taroh,
The Emir of Kanam,
The Saf Ron (acting),
The Long Pan,
The Long Tehl, etc. etc…

Where are…

Amb. Yahaya Kwande,
Sen. Nasiru Mantu, CFR,
Sir Fidelis N. Tapgun, CON,
Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR,
Amb. Ignatius Longjan,
Alh. Yakubu Hussaini,
Barr. M O Shittien,
Chief SG Mafuyai,
Amb. Bagudu Hirse,
Nde James Dimka,
Hon. Josephine Tapgun,
Hon. Sarah Ochekpe,
Chief SD Lot,
Chief Jethro Akun,
Prof. Dakum Shown,
Nde Joshua Waklek,
Sen. Satty Gogwim,
Sen. Victor Lar,
Hon. Leo Dilkon,
Rt. Hon. E. Goar,
Rt. Hon. J. Dabwan,
Rt. Hon. I. Mwansat,
Hon. Beni Lar,
Hon. Idris Ahmed (Maje),
Mr. Fred Durlong,
Dr. Joseph Golwa,
DIG I. Lokadang, (rtd),
DIG PL Dabup, (rtd)
Chief SD Makama,
Chief Garba Paul, (SAN)
Prof Dakkas CJ Dakkas, (SAN),
Justice I. Gofwen, (rtd),
Barr. MM Puepet,
Justice Thomas Naron,
Justice Pius Damulak,
Justice HA Othman,
Justice ASF Kanam,
Justice M. Dongban,
Justice Yakubu Idris,
Justice A. Sagai, etc.

Where are…

Dah Ezekiel Gomos,
Nde John Gobak,
Nde S J Dimka,
Dah John Hirse,
Arc. JLS Alkali,
Arc. PD Gyang,
Dr. Haruna Dabin,
Nde Jonathan Ishaku

Where are…

Prof (Mrs.) Sabina Gomwalk,
Prof. (Mrs.) Rahila Gowon,
Prof GG Lombin,
Prof NE Gomwalk,
Prof MY Mangvwat,
Prof SG Tyoden,
Prof JW Wade,
Prof HB Mafuyai,
Prof SG Best,
Prof DS Matawal,
Prof SJ Mallo,
Prof LE Wapmuk,
Prof AL Lannap,
Prof DL Wonang,
Prof Rahila P. Gowon,
Mnsgr Prof C T Gotan,
Prof. (Mrs). LH Lombin,
Prof SH Garba,
Prof. Rotgak Gofwen,
Prof. B. Mandong,
Prof. (Mrs) A. Miri,
Prof. E. G. Best,
Prof. Febian Puepet,
Prof. SS Maimako, etc.

Where are…

Dr. Jonah Madugu,
Nde Gideon Barde,
Amb DN Sheni,
Prof. DDD Sheni,
Chief SD Makama,
Prof JF Jemkur,
Prof. YD Izam,
Ngo Naomi Jugu,
Rev. Prof. Pandang Yamsat,
Pharm. Fati Kyari, MFR,

Where are…

Panshak “IcePrince” Zamani,
Kevin Pam,
Dorcas Nanret Bentu,
Adu Deme,
Jeremiah Gyang,
Jerry “Baruq” Pam
MI Abaga,
Jesse Abaga,
Tuface Idibia,
John Mikel Obi,
P-Square, etc. (You all owe the Jos-Plateau)

Where are the…

Community Development Associations,
Youth Associations,
Religious Associations,
Ethnic Leaderships,
The Churches,
The Mosques,
The Shrines etc.

Amongst many, many, many others!!!

HAVE WE ALL LEFT THE WHOLE RESPONSIBILITY TO THE GOVERNMENT AND CERTAIN TRIBES?

Where is the ” Home of Peace and Tourism”?
When do we speak up and act? The enemies are fully motivated and coordinated while our intellect is behind at meeting the continuous crimes Statewide.

My name is Arc. Fentah Bankat…

I can’t find myself either.

Oct. 4, 2018.

’

The Federal Ministry of Education on Wednesday debunked the news trending on social media that the Federal Government had approved the hike in tuition fees of Nigerian universities to N350,000.

Mr Sonny Echono, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry made the clarification at a symposium in Abuja.

Echono, who said the Federal Government was not planning to increase the tuition fees, urged Nigerians to remain calm on the issue.

The symposium has its theme: “The Right to Education means the Right to a Qualified Teacher’’.

“The Federal Government did not and has no intention of introducing new tuition fees in our public universities not to mention the figure to N350, 000.

“What is true is that the present administration is committed to guarantee quality of education.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has directed the ministry of education along with the ministry of finance to jointly organise a workshop that will inform on a very sustainable and workable recommendation of funding education in Nigeria.

“And to this end, we have been engaging various stakeholders including ASUU who can come up with a very useful contribution that will bring all these recommendations achievable.

Echono added that the ministry was working toward re-establishing the education bank to address the role of education funding as the government cannot do it alone.

He said the role of the education bank would be to give loan at a low interest rate, saying this would not be limited to students alone but also parents.

On the right to education, Echono said every child has the fundamental right to quality education, adding that the ministry had developed strategies to ensure pupils and students with special needs were carried along.

Echono said that the National Teachers Institute (NTI) had also concluded plans to train and develop the capacity of primary and secondary school teachers in the 36 states and FCT.

He said that the right to education was sine qua non to national development, saying the Ministerial Strategic Plan (2016 to 2019) had been designed to guarantee expanded access to all levels of education.

Echono said that the plan was geared toward providing adequately the necessary infrastructure and facilities to ensure that the right to the basic level and standards were maintained.

He, therefore, called on teachers to upgrade themselves as effective from January 2020, any teacher who did not present the prerequisite qualifications would be pushed out of the system.

Echono urged the teachers to take advantage of the professional examinations made available in 35 states and online resource materials to guide them as a teacher.

He, however, called on states governments owing teachers’ salaries to take a step in ensuring that teachers were paid as when due and as well motivate teachers adequately for optimal performance.

Earlier, Mrs Justina Ibe, the Director, Education Support Service of the ministry, said the Federal Government had not relented in its efforts to ensure that the teaching profession was provided with qualified personnel.

Ibe said that this informed the Ministerial Strategic Plan which were now being implemented gradually with positive results.

Daily Trust

My paternal great grandfather (my grandfather’s father), Rev. Emmanuel Adelabi Kayode, was an Anglican priest. He was educated by the Christian missionaries and the Anglican Church and he studied theology at Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leonne which was at that time a satellite campus of the United Kingdom’s Universty of Durham. In 1892 he graduated with honors with a Master of Arts degree in theology. 

He was the first Anglican priest to introduce Christianity to the ancient town of Ile-Ife in the Osun province of the western region of the old Southern Protectorate of Nigeria and he was the first to build and Pastor a Church there.

He pastored the Church in Ile-Ife for many years before he was later transferred to Ondo province to head another branch of the Anglican Church for a further 16 years. After that he was posted to Ijebu province where he headed the local branch of the Anglican Church until he went into retirement in the old Lagos colony.

He was a deeply courageous man who loved the Lord passionately, who was totally dedicated and committed to the spreading of the gospel, who served the Church all his life and who was a great, powerful and fiery orator and preacher.

My second paternal great grandfather was
Rev. Joseph Suberu Fanimokun. He was my grandmother’s father. He was also educated by the Anglican Church and he also graduated with honors in 1892 from Fourah Bay College in Freetown, Sierra Leonne.

He was also later ordained as an Anglican priest. He was appointed Principal of the famous Christian Mission Society (CMS) Grammar School in the Lagos colony in 1896 and he remained principal until 1914. CMS Grammar School is the first and oldest secondry school in Nigeria.

These facts, coupled with the fact that I am a devout and practising Evangelical/Pentecostal Christian, are a  pointer to my rich Christian heritage and I am very proud of that.

It is precisely because of that heritage that I have profound respect for the Body of Christ and that I revere all genuine men and women of God.

I have the deepest affection for each of them even where and when I do not totally agree with all their views, actions and submissions.

Yet despite that once in a while that affection is put to the test and my patience and good faith is exhausted.

The picture below provides a good example of this. Frankly it is difficult for me to fathom or fully comprehend what is going on there.

I see the much-loved and highly respected Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi of Deeper Life (one of the greatest Churches on the African continent and a pioneer Church within the Pentecostal denomination in Nigeria) and his wife felicitating with a man under whose watch more innocent and defenceless Nigerians, and particularly Christians, have been slaughtered than any other in the history of our country. 

So much innocent blood has flowed under Buhari yet Pastor Kumuyi is still comfortable with smiling and shaking hands with him and neither has he said one word publicly about Leah Sharibu.

I and many others are saddened by this. This is all the more so because I happen to love Pastor Kumuyi and the Deeper Life Church. I always have and I always will.

Yet sadly I also feel a deep sense of shame and outrage about this outing. This is especially so when it has been reported by the media that he told the President that under his leadership “Nigeria is safe”.

Is this the same Nigeria that President Donald Trump of the United States of America was constrained to tell its leader pointedly and publicly that “the killing of Christians must stop?”

Is this the same Nigeria that Vice President Pence and senior members of the American House of Representatives described as “the most dangerous place in the world for Christians to live?”

Is this the same Nigeria where Boko Haram and Fulani herdsmen thrive and in which a courageous young Christian school girl from Dapchi was not released by her terrorist Boko Haram abductors simply because she has refused to renounce her faith?

Is this the same Nigeria where thousands of Christians have been butchered in their homes, hundreds of Christian clerics slaughtered whilst preaching and thousands of Christian communities and Churches burnt to the ground in the last 3 years and six months?

For how long must a few of  our clerics embarass the Body of Christ and Christendom by bowing before our oppressors and encouraging them to continously torment, afflict and terrorise our people.

Pastor Kumuyi’s photoshoot with Buhari reminds me of the famous picture of Pope Pius X11 shaking hands with and commending Adolf Hitler during the course of World War 11. The Catholic Church never lived it down and was compelled to tender a public apology for this grave error almost 50 years later.

Let us hope that one day every man and woman of God, whether he or she be a Pastor, Bishop, General Overseer or Archbishop, that has in any way supported, encouraged, applauded or colluded with the evil tyrant that has afflicted, scourged and plagued our land and our people over the last 3 years and six months will find the decency and courage to apologise for it.

Let us hope that more of our clerics can find the courage of the late Bishop Ajayi Crowther, the late Apostle Ayo Babalola, the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa, the late Rev. Musa Asake, the late Rev. Jolly Tanko Yusus, Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, Bishop Emmanuel Bolanle Gbonigi, Bishop Jasper Akinola, Prelate Sunday Mbang, Bishop David Oyedepo, Pastor David Ibiyomi, Dr. Paul Eneche, Prophet T.B. Joshua, CAN President Rev. Samson Ayokunle, Pastor Paul Adefarasin. Bishop El Buba, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, Apostle Samson Suleiman, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, Pastor Rhoda Awiliki and so many others.

They and countless other leaders of the clergy from all over the country that have remained true to their calling, stood firm in the face of tyranny, refused to bow to evil, spoken truth to power and stood up against the manifest injustice that has gripped the land are our pride and joy.

The Dr Mahmoud Halilu Ahmed(Modi) campaign organization would wish to debunk the Media hype which suggests that   it’s principal and Guber-hopeful, Dr Modi,  has opted for a senatorial seat as against his Guber-ambition.

A released signed by Ibrahim Modibbo, consultant on Media strategy indicates that the said press statement, coming from desperate and despicable loosers is shallow and a figment of infantile imagination of the Bindo camp. 
The Modi campaign organization is surprised that these old tricks that was
the hallmark of predatory politicians that lack rhyme and rhythm still exist in these modern times of development and change.

The campaign organization would like to notify the public that Dr Modi is very much in the race with the full potentials to win tomorrow’s direct elections in a free and fair democratic contest. 

As the opposition camp seems to be in disarray and total confusion due to its short term Vision and long term inadequacies on what democractic dividend entails to the  generality of its people, the Modi government,  if voted in to office promises to run a people oriented government that would have as its cardinal principles zero tolerance for corruption, total accountability and a seal to profligacy in public expenditure.

Adamawa has for long been enslaved by a cabal of parasitic and insensitive leaders that openly declared feast on our common patrimony, and the coming of Dr Halilu to the political turf is to change the old order and bring an open door policy that will be  masses oriented. The days of recklessness and open lies are over as no credible government can be built on on scandalous corruption and deceptive impunity.

We have noted with great enthusiasm that the name of Dr Halilu Modi brings joy and admiration to the masses and the oppressed and of course terror and trepidation to the oppressors and failed politicians.

Dr Halilu is passionately committed to the general welfare of Adamawa people as his administration if given the mandate, would herald some revolutionary policies that would place Premium on social development,  Education,  health, agriculture, industrialization, economic prosperity and fiscal responsibility. 

Dr Modi will tame insecurity,  especially the wanton destruction of human lives in the southern zone of the state and would form a government that will be all inclusive and encompassing with a view to giving every section of the state fair represation. 

As an educated citizen, Dr Halilu would turn round the economy of the state for the better,  lay solid foundation for it’s growth and development and take care of the welfare of workers. He said,  when voted in to office salaries would always be paid by the 25th of every month and pensioners would never suffer in vain.
A vote for Dr Modi In tomorrow’s election is a vote for peace,  progress and sustainable development of Adamawa state.

Finally, Dr Modi is in the race and promises to reclaim a promising mandate that was hopelessly and helplessly vandalized.

President Muhammadu Buhari will Friday depart for China to participate in the 7th Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) scheduled to hold September 3 – 4, 2018 in Beijing.

The President’s first engagement in Beijing will be an interactive session with the Nigerian Community in China at the Nigerian Embassy.

Before the formal opening of the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari in his capacity as current Chair of ECOWAS, is expected to deliver remarks at the High-Level Dialogue between Chinese and African leaders, business representatives and African entrepreneurs.

The Nigerian President is scheduled to join President Jinping and other African leaders for the opening and roundtable sessions of the 2018 FOCAC Beijing Summit under the theme: “Towards an even Stronger China-Africa Community with a shared Future.”

After the FOCAC Summit, President Buhari will hold bilateral meetings with President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li Keqiang to discuss infrastructure financing for strategic projects in Nigeria and the upgrading of Nigeria-China relations “from strategic partnership to comprehensive strategic partnership.”

The President will also use the occasion of his audience with the Chinese leadership to assess the progress made so far in Chinese interventions in Nigeria’s key priority infrastructure projects, particularly on-going projects in the railway and power sectors.

It is noteworthy that since the last FOCAC VI Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa in December 2015 – the first attended by the Nigerian leader – and his successful State visit to China in April 2016, the current administration has pushed forward practical cooperation with China in the areas of infrastructure construction, trade, investments, finance, power, agriculture, education cooperation, among others.

It would be recalled that President Buhari has consistently acknowledged Chinese support for infrastructure development in Nigeria.

In January 2018 while receiving the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group, the President had said:

‘‘We send our gratitude to the Chinese for all their support to Nigeria. Since independence, no country has helped our country on infrastructural development like the Chinese. In some projects, the Chinese help us with 85 percent payment, and soft loans that span 20 years. No country has done that for us.’’ 

President Buhari will be accompanied to Beijing by his wife, Aisha, who is scheduled to participate in a Spouses’ Programme on China-Africa at the Great Hall of the People, under the theme, ‘‘Joining Hands for a Future of AIDS.’’

Also on the President’s entourage are Governors Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, Akinwunmi Ambode, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar and Rochas Anayo Okorocha of Bauchi, Lagos, Jigawa and Imo States respectively.

Others are Senators Abdullahi Adamu, George Akume, Godswill Akpabio and Aliyu Wamakko representing Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom and Sokoto States respectively.

Also accompanying the President are: the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; Minister of FCT, Muhammad Bello; Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma; Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu; Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika.
Others are the National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; the Director General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Abubakar; and the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Maikanti Baru.

GARBA SHEHU
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 30, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured Nigerians that he would not interfere with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before, during and after the 2019 general elections.

The president also gave an undertaking that he would ensure that next year’s polls are free, fair and credible.

The Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojodu, expressed the Buhari’s positions when he read the president’s speech at the 2018 Annual Nigeria Political Parties summit held in Abuja yesterday.

“Today, I pledge to Nigeria, my country to promote free fair and credible election devoid of any form of interference in the activities of INEC, to ensure security and promote a violence free election devoid of animosity and hate speeches, to abide by the extant laws governing political parties and adhere strictly to the code of conduct of political parties in Nigeria. So help me God,” he said in the speech read at the summit, organised by Nigeria Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, Jos with the theme, “Political Parties and Peaceful Conduct of the 2019 Elections.”

Buhari said the federal government would also ensure violent free polls devoid of rancour.

The president said, “What has brought us together is our strong desire to build a budding democracy through a peaceful 2019 general election. No matter the nature and level of our political influences, we do not have another nation than Nigeria. These differences should not divide us but should make us stronger. With commitment and perseverance, we will triumph.”

He said that the country had surmounted the challenges of the past 19 years of constructive democracy with wisdom, courage and sacrifices and taste for glory.

“On our part, I want to reassure the nation that this administration is committed to a democratic process characterized by free, fair and credible election. We are committed to providing an enabling environment and a level playing ground for all political parties in the electioneering process without hindrance,” he said.

The president further said that he remained indebted to all the silent patriots that had piloted the nation’s democracy to this point.

According to him, “Democracy is not an event, but a process to ensure that power is always exercised on behalf of the people by their representatives. It is the political parties that carefully select and present candidates for the electorates to choose from, while the elections present the opportunity for the people to make their choices freely through a free and fair contest devoid of violence, intimidation, hate speeches and blackmail.

“Let me emphasise here that electioneering must be approached with the highest level of decorum and strict adherence to the rules of the game, particularly as enshrined in the constitution, the electoral act and indeed the code of conduct which the political parties freely put in place.

“Electioneering must never be seen as a do or die. All over the world, developed and developing, we see nations making huge successes of their electioneering and Nigeria must not be an exception in this global trend of peaceful and transparent election.’’

The president explained that while it is the right of political parties to freely present candidates to the electorates, the parties must also respect the right of voters to freely make their choice without intimidation and negative inducement, saying his administration was absolutely committed to ensuring that the will of the people prevail and not the will of the elites.

Buhari said the interest of Nigeria is higher than the individual interest of any person or group of persons no matter how highly placed, adding that it is the duty of government to protect and defend the life of every Nigerian while exercising his right to vote.

Claims by the failing Peoples Democratic Party that President Muhammadu Buhari had taken a  10-day leave in order to leave the stage for illegal and unconstitutional actions by the administration are both ridiculous and a hollow narrative to garner cheap sympathy.

That the President, himself a sworn democrat had handed power to his deputy without compulsion is itself exemplary and innovative, something that the PDP failed to produce in their sixteen years of monumental mismanagement and sadistic plunder.

For the benefit of the doubters, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, the Vice President who acts in the absence of the President is a lawyer of the highest rank and a social rights crusader who had received local and international acclaim before he took the present office. It is inconceivable that this is the team to copy the bad manners cast in stone in the PDP.

We welcome objective criticism and take them seriously and humbly, but Nigerians must by now be tired of a party, the stock in trade of which is to cry wolf where there is none, ostensibly to spread negativity and distract the President’s attention from the cleansing operations he has been mandated to carry out.

The President is carrying out difficult reforms for the future growth of the country, such as the implementation of the ease of doing business, the Treasury Single Account, TSA, the whistleblower process, and hundreds of others, including the massive investment in rail, roads and power. If such reforms had happened in 16 years of the PDP, it would have made things much better for the country.

Instead, they seem to be fixated with a desperate quest for power, nothing but power for its own sake because they have nothing to offer. They draw a sadistic pleasure when things appear to be going wrongly, yet they offer nothing by way of remedy or solutions.

The whole country is fighting corruption and the ordinary citizen is happy about all that is happening. The economic parameters have changed for the better, a clear indication that the administration’s political and economic strategies are working but the opposition is not interested.

If the PDP doesn’t have anything that would help our farmers, women, the common man and the youth, they should just keep quiet.
In the end, one thing Nigerians should take away from the cacophonous falsehoods from the PDP and the tenants back in their tent is that they all fear one thing, that their old records will be reopened.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
August 2, 2018

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday assured All Progressives Congress (APC) party supporters in Bauchi that his administration will continue to work hard to surpass its campaign promises for a better Nigeria.

President Buhari also told supporters not to be perturbed by the recent defections in the party, saying “God will continue to fish out the bad eggs among us,” as the 2019 general elections approach.

The President spoke at the commencement of the campaign rally for the Bauchi South Senatorial District bye-elections and the formal presentation of APC Candidate for the August 11 poll, Hon. Gumau Lawal Yahaya.

President Buhari told the rally that the APC-led government had remained faithful in implementing its campaign promise of improving the economy, securing the country, and the fight against corruption.

“The work we are doing is because of God, our country and you. I want to inform you that the knowledge we have garnered over the years, we won’t allow you to be cheated.

‘‘Like we promised, what will determine a good future for the country are security, strong economy and to stop corruption.

“We campaigned on these things, you voted for us and we will never forget, “the President said to a thunderous applause by party supporters at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium, Bauchi.

Endorsing the APC candidate for the senatorial bye-election, the President who was accompanied by the party Chairman Adams Oshiomhole, Governors of Bauchi, Plateau, Kano and Imo States, and other party officials declared: “we have confidence in him and we trust him.”

He, therefore, urged the people of Bauchi South senatorial district to vote Hon.  Yahaya in the upcoming election.

The President also thanked the people of Bauchi for defying the heavy rainfall and coming out en masse to welcome him and show solidarity to the party’s candidate in the Senatorial election.

FEMI ADESINA
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
Aug. 2, 2018