The First Lady of Lagos State, Ibijoke Claudiana Sanwo-Olu, has called for more support for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, to enable them achieve their potentials.
The wife of the Lagos State governor was among stakeholders at the 14th Annual Guaranty Trust Company, GTCO, conference in Lagos who advocated support and inclusiveness for persons living with autism.
The confab tagged “ A Spectrum of Possibilities” was organised by the financial services giant with the support of the European Union, EU, to rally support for autism patients, and to draw attention to the challenges they face in their daily interactions in their various communities.
Sanwo-Olu said visual aids should be provided for ASD persons to make their lives easier.
She said, “Assume that the whole community has pictorials all over the place, like in our schools, mosques, churches, and universities. It will encourage more people to take part in these possibilities we are talking about.”
She also encouraged parents to love ASDs children despite the challenges they face in racing them, saying all what caregivers need is to follow expert advice.
“We need to spread love for children with autism. I must applaud parents, caregivers, and teachers for the wonderful work that they are doing to ensure that children with autism thrive. It’s not easy to care for our special needs children, as we need to adapt alternative communication skills and teaching styles to enable us to communicate with them”, Sanwo Olu said
According to experts, persons living with the condition face stigmatization as they struggle to integrate themselves into the broader society.
Speaking at the conference, the Group Chief Executive Officer, GTCO, Segun Agbaje, pledged his continued support for the Orange Ribbon Initiative, an initiative aimed at supporting persons with disabilities.
The chief executive of the financial behemoth stated that the annual GTCO Autism Conference, designed to amplify the challenges faced by persons with the condition is a major part of that support to help them live a normal life.
Agbaje said, “A major component of this initiative is the annual GTCO Autism Conference, designed to amplify the challenges faced by individuals with ASD and provide practical support to help them integrate successfully into society.”
Also speaking, Eniola Lahanmi, a Speech and Language Therapist who who spoke on the topic ‘Fundamental Communication Strategies for Children with Autism’, said that there is no limitations to what people in the spectrum can achieve, what they need basically, she stated, is community support to make them effective.
Lahanmi stressed that the sky is their limit, so long the society can focus on their strength, adding that more awareness should be created to highlight the challenges facing ASD persons in the country.
She said: “Over the years, there have been a lot of awareness, and a lot has been achieved, but we aren’t resting on our oars as there is still a lot of awareness to be done in the hinterlands.
“It is necessary for us to give Autistic Persons a sense of belonging and put aside unnecessary stigmatization. Let us provide an avenue for them where they would thrive, and achieve their goals”.
Similarly, Lanre Duyile, a certified behaviour analyst from, Behaviourprise College of Business and Health Studies, Canada, urged the society to focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities. There is no limitations to what ASD persons could achieved when they are provided the necessary support, he said.
“We focus on their strength, though, we all have limitations, because nobody is perfect. Folks with Autism have limitations but we work on them to be independent and do great things. We just need to understand them, show them love, encourage them and always see the possibilities in them for them to thrive.
“People living with Autism needs inclusivity and Autism is in three phase, Mild, Moderate and Severe, when we talk about inclusion we need to understand them and their diagnosis”, he said.
I had no intention of commenting on the shame that took place in Niger State this other Saturday. It was beneath contempt. And since I subscribe, atimes, to the saying: “silence is the best answer to a fool”, I decided to ignore the scandalous incident where a State Governor, publicly, ordered his Security Aides to slap a citizen “well-well”. But my stance was before Wednesday, June 17, when I read the disgraceful denial, by the Governor, of the incident which scandalized every decent Nigerian.
This comment now is, literally, forced by that brazen lie, the brazen denial of the incident, watched live, thanks to the Social Media, by thousands of shocked Nigerians.
It is bad enough that a State Governor allowed his anger to, unbelievably, rise to that level, but to deny it, instead of acknowledging it and apologizing, is shameful and provocative.
However, as angry as I am over this collective assault on us all, I will try, as much as possible, to be respectful for only one reason.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago.
The guy at the centre of this incident, Governor Mohammed Bago of Niger State, prefixes his name, like his colleague- Governors, with “Your Excellency”.
When one is referred to as excellent, one deserves some respect. But more important, two of the good Books – the Holy Bible and the Holy Quoran – teach us to respect our Leaders.
That injunction by the Holy Books will guide me here otherwise, I would have started by pointing out that Governor Bago neither deserves to be addressed as His Excellency nor a State Governor. He neither has the carriage, nor the temperament to be so addressed.
If anything, the Governor should hide his face in shame.
In the past few years, or so, I have been excited over the crop of young men and women- 50 and below- who took up elective offices – State Legislators, Governors, Federal Legislators; even non-elective offices like Ministers. Look at some of the young Cabinet Members we have, today, at the Federal level, the females, in particular, forget that one of my favorites has since been in a, how do I put it? – cooler. President Bola Tinubu seems to have forgotten that case which has, for months, denied the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs a substantive Minister. When will a decision be taken? Sorry, I digressed.
But seeing them that young, occupying sensitive offices, gives me some hope that, one day, our dear country could possibly have youths in their 30s and 40s become Presidents and Vice Presidents. They would breath some fresh air, bring some vibrancy, new ideas into governance, what with their vast knowledge.
A couple of them, ushered in since 2023, have performed from average to above average. But some of them have performed badly; behaved badly; brought out the worst in them; carried away by power; became power-drunk. They have lost respect for everybody, including Traditional Rulers, their elders, and exhibited youthful exuberance in the most mean and disgusting manner. It is in this later category that the Governor of Niger State falls.
Nothing confirms Governor Bago’s membership there than his disgraceful public exhibition of raw power this other day.
On that day, Governor Bago disrespected the dead. He disrespected the many respectable personalities and the hundreds of ordinary people who gathered to pay respect to the memory of the dead. He played god. He took joy in, publicly, humiliating his fellow man, a husband and father like him. He stripped him of all dignity. He reduced him to a very dirty rag fit for the waste bin.
Why? Simple.
Bago is a Governor, with all the executive powers attached to it. So, how else would he show he is Governor if not by exhibiting raw power publicly? And this day, he regaled in it to the fullest. He took pride in it, with so much arrogance that a peacock will be green with envy.
You already know the story. But I will briefly recap for the sake of this write-up.
The Governor’s Deputy, Yakubu Garba, had sadly lost his wife, Zainab. The burial ceremony had taken place. But as the Islamic Faith dictates, there were follow up religious ceremonies. It was at one of those ceremonies that Governor Bago showed his ugly side. Arrogance. Volcanic temper. Disrespect for, especially, those lower than him in status.
It was time for prayers for the repose of the soul of the dead. And, out stepped this man to offer the prayers. That was when the ugly scene began – Bago’s public order to slap a citizen “well-well”.
I have not been able to confirm, from independent sources, whether the man is a Cleric or not; whether he was qualified to say the prayers or not; whether Bago had encountered him somewhere before and so, knew him by reputation or not. Or if the Governor remembered him as a mad man, a nuisance, an irritant, or just plain “notice-me-or I die?”
However, on Wednesday, in an unnecessary response to a Daily Trust Editorial which abhorred the Governor’s public behaviour, his Spokesperson, Aisha Wakaso, said the man was an impostor who attempted to impersonate an Imam. Perhaps.
But whatever, nothing excuses the Governor’s reaction; the bad example he showed in public which he is trying to deny through his Spokesperson The Governor who everybody heard clearly, watched in shock, is denying the incident. He is assaulting, as they say, “our sensibilities” by presenting us as deaf and blind.
But dear readers, here is what we heard the Governor say with our own ears, and, as Zebrudaya of the New Masqurade would have put it, “witnessed with our naked eyes.”
With the man on his knees, the Governor, microphone in hand, wearing his flowing “babariga”, in a very loud voice, ordered his Security Details to slap the man. “Slap him! I say slap him well- well!!” As he said that, about three-to-four of his Security Aides stepped forward and surrounded the man as if they had seen one of those murderous bandits in Niger State which Governor Bago has been unable to contain. And true to the Governor’s order, one of his Security Details proceeded to give him a couple of slaps.
Yet, the Governor Bago was not satisfied with the public humiliation of his fellow man. He was not satisfied that he had publicly stripped somebody’s husband, somebody’s father, of all dignity. No. He proceeded to order that he be arrested. “Arrest him! Arrest him!! Deal with him.” And, as the man looked on helplessly, he was roughly dragged to his feet, and led out from the arena, obviously to be detained.
Perhaps, I expected too much. Yet, what I expected from Bago was an apology for his bad conduct. Instead, we were served the opposite. Not only did Bago, on Wednesday, deny that he gave any such “slapping order”, he said the humiliated man “has apologized to him and the Council of Imams” for being an impostor.
Not quite a surprise.
Or, what did anybody expect the man to do or say? He had to apologize to save himself from more humiliation than he already got. Who is he to withstand the wrath of an Executive Governor.
Not a few of those in power play god. Once they are there, they forget they are human beings, that blood flows in them as it flows in other human beings. They forget that there will be a tomorrow and they will not be in that office “till thy kingdom come.” That is the only reason they do some of the things they do. That is the only reason the man would apologize to Bago after his public humiliation.
In the year 2001, a State Governor told me, triumphantly, eyes glittering, how he, overnight, ordered the demolition of the mansion of his former political ally just because they parted ways. “The office of a Governor is powerful ooo. Overnight, I revoked the C of O of that man’s plot and demolished his mansion!” I asked ‘why?’, he just laughed, and added, “Power”. I cringed.
Some of them treat, and speak to their subordinates like sub-human beings. Their subordinates kneel down or stoop to talk to them. And worse.
In more civilized countries, Governor Bago’s political future would have ended over that incident. He would have been forced to resign from office. But here, anything goes.
I don’t know if the Security Personnel who slapped that man is of the Nigerian Police or of another sister-agency. Some people have alleged it was the Governor’s ADC. I doubt it. But if he was the one, or if it was any Policeman, I urge the Leadership of the NPF and the Police Service Commission to slam him with severe disciplinary offence. Whoever, obeyed an illegal order. He is neither allowed nor authorized to do so. And should be made to face the consequences, including a law suit by the victim. In that whole ugly incident, only the Governor has an immunity not to be sued, nobody else. For him, however, I have an unsolicited advice.
Bago is a young man. Only 50 years old. His whole political future before him. He should not destroy it by the type of lawlessness he displayed, no matter the provocation. He should show good example to those around him, and not encourage them to be lawless, to physically assault anyone.
So, this is what I think he should do. Apologise to his victim publicly, not privately. Invite him to Government House. Humor him. There is a precedence.
As the Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole, now a Senator, was frustrated by the activities of street traders in Benin, the Capital City. They can be quite a nuisance. They block the streets and roads, and dump all kinds of things on them, and even inside gutters. Angered, one day, on encountering them, he spoke to one of them, a widow, carelessly. The woman had pleaded with him not to let those on his entourage to seize and/or destroy her wares. She added that her husband had just died. In a fit of anger and frustration, Oshiomhole asked the widow to die too. The outrage was defeaning. Oshiomhole’s conscience tugged him. He realised he goofed. And quickly made amendments, beautifully. He invited the widow (I now forget if it was with her children or not) to Government House, apologised to her for his mis-speak, and had breakfast with her. I can, almost, swear he didn’t let her go empty-handed.
Governor Bago, I recommend Oshiomhole’s humility (over that incident) to you.
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, has disclosed names of three candidates who scored 367 in the 2024 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, (UTME).
With the scores, they have emerged as the highest scorers for the examination.
This was revealed at the ongoing 2024 policy meeting by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board on Thursday in Abuja
They are Olowu Joseph from Ondo State, Alayande David from Oyo State, and Orukpe Joel from Edo State.
According to JAMB, the minimum tolerable score for University admission is 140, while Polytechnics and Colleges of Education have been pegged at 100.
The cutoff scores were recommended by the Rectors of polytechnics and provosts of colleges of education, respectively
This development marked that only candidates who scored at least 140 in the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) will be eligible for admission into Universities.
In 2023, Umeh Nkechinyere emerged as the highest scorer with a 360 aggregate score.
JAMB earlier noted that it won’t announce the 2024 highest scorer to avoid a repeat of the “Mmesoma matter.”
Recall that Ejikeme Mmesoma, a 19-year-old student, claimed to have scored 362 as against her actual score of 249 in the 2023 UTME JAMB portal.
Prof Ishak Oloyede, JAMB Registrar stated that “It is common knowledge that the Board has, at various fora, restated its unwillingness to publish the names of its best-performing candidates.
“It considers its UTME as only a ranking examination on account of the other parameters that would constitute what would later be considered the minimum admissible score for candidates seeking admission to tertiary institutions.”
The Federal Government and the Organized Labour have agreed on N70,000 as the new National Minimum Wage.
This was the outcome of the Thursday meeting between President Bola Tinubu and leadership of the Organized labour, which took place at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Briefing State House correspondents on the agreement, the Minister of Information, Alhaji Muhammad Idris, said the President said the government would make massive investments in facilities that would make life better for Nigerian workers.
The Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC) and the Trade Union Congress, (TUC) had earlier insisted that the new minimum wage should not be less than N250,000.
With the latest agreement, brokered by President Tinubu, the bill for a new minimum wage is expected to be sent to the National Assembly.
In tandem with economic realities confronting Nigeria, Members of the House of Representatives have agreed to release N108 million monthly from their salaries.
The amount is expected to be sourced from the 50 percent salary cut agreed upon by the 360 lawmakers for six months.
They described the gesture as part of their solidarity and sacrifice to support the economic hardship and hunger Nigerians are going through at the moment.
This followed the adoption of an amendment to a motion’s prayer moved by the Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, on the need for lawmakers to sacrifice 50 percent of their N600,000 monthly salaries to support Nigerians in view of the hardship in the land.
Kalu’s amended prayer was to a motion by Isiaka Ayokunle calling on proponents of the planned nationwide protests to jettison the idea and engage the government in dialogue.
The Deputy Speaker said the salary cut is to be used to support federal government’s efforts to address rising cost of food stuffs in the country with the view to ameliorating the hardship Nigerians are going through.
The motion was adopted and referred to the committees on Humanitarian Affairs, Finance and Budget for compliance.
The Kano State Government has approved the creation of Anti-Phone snatching Taskforce to combat growing cases of phone snatching by criminal elements in the State
The Executive Council of the State has, subsequently, approved the sum of over N26 million for the conversion and renovation of office spaces for the Taskforce at the Coronation Hall ,Government House.
This is even as the Council approved the sum of over N29 billion for the completion of ongoing capital projects across the State.
A press statement issued on Thursday, July 18 2024, by Governor Abba Yusuf’s Media Aide, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said the approvals were made at the state’s executive meeting held on Wednesday ,July 17.
The projects to be covered by the sum include those in agriculture, roads construction, as well as payments of inherited arrears of Public Servants’ allowances among other things.
“Council approved the release of N7,761,681, 22 for the continuation of 5 km of dualized road projects across the 44 local councils of the State .
“Also the Council approved the sum of N239,536,859,21 for the construction of three rural roads at Ja’en Makera – Salanta Gudduba- Unguwar Baizango Guliya and Fagoge-Kwanar Zuwo in Gwale Ajingi and Kiru/Madobi LGAs .
“Approval for the procurement of 500 relief Transformers to be distributed to various communities across the 44 local government areas in the state at the sum of N 7 ,123,750,000,00 was also given .
“State Constituency projects for the year 2024 have been allocated the sum of over N 6.billion.
“Part of the Council’s resolutions include approval for the construction of 2-coat surface dressed road from Kwanar Gammawa in Gezawa LGA at cost of N 343 ,363,068,78 . Approval for the procurement of 20 Toyota Hilux vans and one Toyota Bus for the state ministries MDAs was also given at the sum of N819,500,00 .
“Approval for additional expansion of the scope of works on crashed barriers and street curbs and painting were also given among others.”
The Media Team of the Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, has described as untrue, malicious and baseless, the rumours circulating that the son of the Governor was arrested over the alleged murder of an Indian citizen.
In a statement issued late on Wednesday, July 17, the Governor’s Media Team said the misinformation as carried by an online media blog, captioned “Son of Borno state Governor Murders Someone in India”, was deliberately aimed at embarrassing and maligning the Governor and his family.
“The blog claimed that the Governor traveled to India, attempting to use diplomatic status to resolve the matter.
“It is on record that Governor Babagana Zulum was on a one-month vacation in Saudi Arabia for the 2024 Hajj and later traveled to Egypt to attend the annual ASUEAN forum conference in Cairo.
“The Media Unit would like to clarify and set the record straight that Nairaland and other online blogs have mischievously spread defamatory content without any speck of truth.
“We hereby warn Nairaland and all those who have spread the false information to pull down the misinformation from its website and platforms within the next 24 hours and offer an unreserved apology to Governor Zulum ,his son and the entire family or risk legal action .
“The Governor shall also not hesitate to take legal action against any media outlet that continues to publicise this defamatory information on its platform .
“We would like to inform the general public that none of Governor Zulum’s sons was either arrested or charged with any crime or involved in any unlawful activities anywhere .
“We urge the public to exercise caution when consuming and sharing information ,particularly when it comes from unverified sources and blogs instead of credible media outlets” part of the statement reads
The statement which was signed by the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on New Media, Abdulrrahman Ahmed Bundi, enjoined all media organizations to always be guided by the ethics of journalism profession.
The Kano State Government has said that Bichi could not make it as one of the newly created three second class Emirates in the State because it has no recorded antecedent as an ancient traditional enclave.
The Source reports that the State Government on Tuesday July 16, carved out Gaya ,Rano and Karaye as second class Emirates.
The three newly created second class Emirates were among the five, including Kano and Bichi, whose first class Emirs were on May 23,2024 deposed based on the strength of the 2024 Emirates Bill that was passed by the House of Assembly and assented to by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf same Thursday May 23,2024.
The dethronement of the five Emirs and the abolition of their Emirates paved the way for the reinstatement of Muhammad Sanusi as the 16th Emir of Kano, four years after he was first deposed by the immediate past Government of Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, based on the now amended 2019 Emirates law.
The 2019 Emirates Law was also instrumental to the balkanization of the, otherwise, behemouth Kano Emirate into five.
The creation of the three new second class Emirates from the ashes of the abolished Gaya ,Rano and Karaye First Class Emirates was sequel to the passage on Tuesday July 16 by the state lawmakers of the 2024 Emirates Establishment Bill,which was also signed into law same day by Governor Yusuf.
The State Government, on Wednesday, July 17, proceeded to appoint Emirs for the three second class Emirates.
Instructively, the deposed first class Emir of Gaya, Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir, was returned as the new second class Emir of the Emirate.
Alhaji Muhammad Mahraz Karaye was appointed the second class Emir of Karaye. Before now, he was the District Head of Rogo.
The newly created second class Emirate of Rano has Alhaji Muhammad Isah Umar as the Emir. He was the District Head of Bunkure .
A statement from the Governor’s spokesperson, Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, said all the newly appointed Emirs are to serve as second class Traditional Rulers.
Speaking on why the Bichi Emirates was not given the same treatment as Gaya ,Rano and Karaye which were dissolved together with it as First Class Emirates, Haruna Dederi, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice noted that it is a well known fact that Bichi is not among Emirate Councils in the history of Kano .
According to him, Bichi Emirate was the creation of former Governor Gandunje for his political gains.
He said much as some people may not be happy that the area was excluded from among the newly created second class Emirates, they should also be aware that Bichi has never been part of existing Emirates in Kano .
However, The Source findings have revealed that there may be more to the exclusion of Bichi than the Commissioner for Justice offered.
Impeccable sources revealed that the entire scenario revolves around pay back time for Governor Yusuf. It was gathered that the Governor, during his campaign visits to two of the deposed Emirs was accorded less than a friendly reception.
One of the deposed Emirs was said to have openly told Governor Yusuf campaign train that they were not welcomed and will never be supported for his ambition to become the Governor of the State.
“It was as a result of the shabby treatment meted out to him that he vowed to deal with them should he eventually became the Governor.
Besides, initially when the Emir of Bichi, Nasir Ado Bayero was deposed, he never posed any problems .But somewhere along the line he was persuaded by his elder brother Aminu Ado Bayero, the deposed Emir of Kano, to join in the legal challenge of the dethronement.
So, his involvement in the court battles, may have also cost him the chance of having a second class Emirate created for him in Bichi”, a source who craved anonymity volunteered.
Governor Yusuf, The Source has authoritatively gathered, was more goaded in the Emirates creation exercise, by the need to compensate the deposed Emir of Gaya for the uncommon equanimity he exhibited during, and after the early days of his dethronement.
” If you can recall, when all the five Emirs were deposed, it was only the Emir of Gaya that came out openly to accept the decision in good faith.
“He never posed any threat. That informed the fact that he was the only one among the dethroned Emirs that returned back, though at a lower level.”
Perturbed by the influx of the under aged into Tertiary Institutions, the Federal Government through the has directed the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB and Nigerian tertiary institutions to give admission only to candidates who are 18 years and above into the various Tertiary Institutions in the country.
The Minister for Education, Dr Mamman Tahir, SAN, gave this directive in his address at the ongoing 2024 Policy Meeting on Admissions into Tertiary Institutions in Abuja on Thursday. But the directive was met with strong protests from various Stakeholders present.
The Policy meeting is a forum of critical stakeholders in the admission processes into tertiary institutions in the country including University Vice Chancellors, Registrars, Rectors, Provosts, JAMB Registrar and other officials of the examination body, among other Principal Officers of Monotechnics.
Mamman said: “JAMB is hereby instructed from admission this year to admit only eligible students. That is those who have attained 18 years by our laws”.
The Minister reiterated that the decision was backed by Nigeria’s law guiding admissions into Tertiary Institutions, and stressed that it shouldn’t require a statement from him for that to be taken seriously by Admission Bodies.
“Our laws require students to be in school from six years —Yes, there are those who do that from five — and remain in primary school for six years, basic education for three years, and secondary school for three years. It doesn’t require a statement of the Minister. We are only restating what is in the law,” he added.
But the Minister’s declaration was met with instant resistance from the packed hall of stakeholders representing tertiary institutions nationwide, forcing him to pause his address.
The session turned rowdy, with the Minister asking: “Are we together?” only to be met with a resounding “No!” from the crowd.
Unperturbed, the Minister continued his explanation for the new benchmark, but the uproar persisted.
It took the intervention of JAMB Registrar, Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, to restore order with his plea, “Please attention please!”
The annual policy meeting is held to authorize the commencement of admission into tertiary institutions in the country and adopt certain admission benchmarks.
Ondo State Chapter of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), has suffered a loss. A former State Chairman of the Party, Ebenezer Alabi, has resigned from the Party. He submitted his resignation letter to his Ward.
In the letter dated July 18, 2024, and made available to Newsmen on Thursday, Alabi said he took the decision after wide consultations with his family members, political associates, friends and followers.
The letter was addressed to the Ward 11 chairman of the PDP in Akure North Local Government Area of the state.
He said, “I write to inform you of my resignation from the party with effect from today 18th July, 2024.
“I came to this conclusion after wide consultations with my family members, political associates, friends and followers on the pariah state of affairs of the party in the state.
“I cannot, in good conscience, further continue to co-habit with some political leaders whose aim is to make financial fortunes at every cycle of election.
“The large chunk of money sent for mobilization during the past general elections ended up in the private pockets of these leaders at the detriment of the party’s victory.
“Some of them found it easy to extort money from many aspirants during primary elections and ended up allocating delegates’ votes to them in the proportion of amounts coerced to cough out.
“The overall success of the party is none of their concern, in as much as their personal aggrandizement is satisfied.
“Unfortunately, the depressing reality is that I am yet to notice any radical departure from this ugly trend, hence my decision to quit in order not to be part of further political misfortunes.
“As I take a final bow today, let me use this medium to express my deep appreciation to you and all other party members for their support, respect and cooperation accorded me for the past 21 years.”
The letter is however silent on his next line of action.
