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Ogun: APC Governorship Aspirant, Paseda Dumps Party

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Otunba Rotimi Paseda

By Akinwale Kasali

The gale of defection rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has continued, as two-time governorship candidate in Ogun State, Otunba Rotimi Paseda has dumped the party.

In a letter addressed to the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, Paseda, cited the decision of the party to chose Prince Dapo Abiodun, the incumbent Governor as its  governorship candidate, for his action.

Paseda, the 2015 Unity Party of Nigeria, UPN, governorship candidate in the state, said he has lost interest in the party, which he claimed has abandoned its core democratic values.

He added that the choice of Governor Abiodun as APC governorship candidate   for the 2023 election will cost the party dearly.

“Sir, the decision to terminate my membership of this great party was borne out of my personal conviction, having x-rayed the event that led me into joining the party, and having worked for the party, particularly with our collective efforts that lead to the winning of for the 2019 governorship election in the state,” he said.

According to him, “I am of the strong opinion that it would be unwise, in my usual character, to remain in the party with a faulty, faulted and erroneous choice of the party governorship candidate that will not earn the party the needed electoral victory at the 2023 poll.

“Though, it is a painful decision, considering the vacuum which my exit will create with my various groups of APC card carrying members in the state, 6000 Reformed OPC members, 2000 Ijebu Youth Association members and thousands of various Paseda Movement loyalists, as the National resuscitator, sole financier and 2015 Governorship candidate of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN) and the 2019 Governorship Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Having made extensive consultations it has become necessary that I make this move.

“Mr. Chairman sir, no doubt, I’ll be missing some of my colleagues with whom we have worked together within the period of my stay in the party. I’m however left with no option than taking the decision which I have just done.

“I, however, want to believe and hope that we all will surely meet again at a better and more rewarding platform that will catapult us towards achieving our political goal.”

The exit of Paseda from the APC is coming days after former APC Chairman in Rivers State, Magnus Abe left the Party.

Earlier this week, Theodore Georgewill,  the Campaign Director General to APC’s Governorship Candidate in the 2019 Election, Tonye Cole  tendered his resignation letter to the party.

Georgewill in a letter dated July 18, 2022, formally resigned from the party citing  Personal reasons.

Ibim Semenitari, the former Commissioner for Information and Communication of Rivers State had also left the APC.

Others, who announced resignation  from the APC in their letters to their respective wards chairmen were Dawari George,

Marvin Yobana (former Africa’s Representative at the World Youth Assembly), Nkemka Amadi and Robinson Elechi.

Cross Rivers: Ayade Tackles Igini Over Senatorial Ticket

By
The Source
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Mike Igni

By Stanley Ekpenyong

Cross River state Governor, Prof. Ben Ayade has described as personal opinion, comments by the Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Mike Igini, on the recently conducted Senate primary for Cross River Northern Senatorial Zone.

Ayade who spoke through his Deputy Chief Press Secretary, Linus Obogo, insists that Igini’s comments do not represent the position of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

According to him, Igini’s attempt at interpreting Section 115(D) of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended, amounts to a perverse and unwholesome meddlesomeness and a cheap usurpation of responsibility assigned only to a spokesperson.

“I beggars belief that Igini who is a staff of  INEC, an agency of the executive arm of government, would brazenly meddle in the duty of the judiciary as well as playing the role of a spokesman to INEC.”

“No doubt, Igini’s feverish attempt to offer judicial interpretations to Section 155(D) of the Electoral Act, is clearly a reckless exercise in executive rescality” Obogo said.

Further taking a swipe at the Akwa Ibom REC, Obogo stated:  “In Igini’s usual hysteria, “he sought to conflate the presidential and constituency primaries as one and the same, and in doing so, he attempted to set Governor Ayade up against the Electoral Act, by giving contrary interpretations to what the law says about double nomination forms.

“There is no doubt that Ayade bought a form and equally participated in the March 26 APC presidential primary, but at no time did he obtain a form to contest another political party’s presidential primary, which was what Igini would want the public to believe during his ill-tempered outing on one of the national television stations recently. The governor neither took part in multiple presidential nor constituency primaries.”

Obogo said further that  his boss’ participation in the July 14 primary was the outcome of the previous ticket holder withdrawing from contesting the 2023 senatorial election, culminating in the vacancy of the ticket and subsequent conduct of a fresh primary. He said the governor’s participation in the fresh primary held on July 14 was within the ambits of the Electoral Act.

He accused Igini of “trying to lay legal ambush against Ayade by seeking to disingenuously smuggle into the Electoral Act what the framers of the Act never intended.

“The Akwa Ibom REC cannot be allowed to go on brewing the storm everywhere he goes, especially as the sun is about to set on his turbulent reign as INEC Commissioner.”

Obogo wondered why Igini usually displays overly partisanship towards candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who took part in similar fresh primaries, citing Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed and his Sokoto counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal who participated in a similar exercise a few days after losing the bid for the PDP presidential ticket.

He said, “In spite of his posturing as Mr. Integrityof INEC, Igini cannot hoodwink us that he is not sympathetic to the PDP, by maintaining tight lips when Governors Bala Mohammed and Aminu Tambuwal had  fresh primaries conducted for them barely a few days after losing out in their party’s presidential primaries.

“Besides, why is Igini pretending not to be aware that the electoral umpire, INEC, which he is a REC, monitored the fresh primaries, which was in any case a validation of the exercises he is dissipating energy to malign?”

Entreating Igini to leave his boss alone, Obogo said: “Please, Mr. REC, in your less than one month to your exit, leave Ayade alone and focus more on ending the confusion you have created in Akwa Ibom APC. You have enough on your hands already, even as you try to do the job of Mr. Festus Okoye, as the curtain draws on your chequered and troubled REC stewardship.”

Why The Opposition Is Celebrating The Awo Omamma Incident – Imo Govt

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodinma

The Imo State Government has accused the opposition of celebrating the Awo Omamma incident because of their mischievous vested interest in the security breaches in some parts of Orlu zone.  Their hasty conclusion on the incident, the Government said, has further exposed them as the  sponsors and perpetrators of violence in the area

It noted that the ferociousness with which they jumped to blame and condemn the Government , even when the Department of State Services, DSS, has admitted carrying out the operation, should leave no one in doubt as to those behind security breaches in the State.

In a statement he issued in Owerri, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Honourable Declan Emelumba, expressed surprise that those accusing the Government of killing wedding guests in Awo Omamma on Sunday, have refused to listen to the explanation of the DSS that those killed were bandits who were planning to attack innocent  citizens the next day to enforce their sit-at- home order.

He recalled that the same opposition elements who did not condemn the not-too- distant incident of random beheading of people, and the displaying of their heads in market squares as well as the discovery of a dungeon where hundreds were buried and cannibalism practiced, have suddenly become rabid crusaders against the shedding of blood as if the blood of those other people was ordinary water.

The Commissioner said the fact that these same elements could also not find the voice to condemn the burning of the country home of the Governor and that of members of his Government, in the same zone, equally comfirm their complicity  otherwise  “why should they condone blood letting and criminality in the same Orlu axis only to hurry to condemn the Government for a crime it did not commit in the same area?

He said both those arrested during the DSS operation and the Pionter who took the security agencies to the venue where the non-state actors were meeting have confessed that the shoot out occurred at the camp of criminals who were planning how to violently enforce a sit- at-home order the next day

Emelumba said  because these opposition elements have refused to interrogate the submission of the DSS, they failed to notice that  only young boys attended the traditional wedding in question, leaving out women and elders and even children, which is curious.

“They also failed to confirm the fact that the shoot out occurred only at the meeting camp and that those caught in the cross fire were those at the meeting venue. Of course this is only because they are jaundiced with a mindset that finds the government guilty before the outcome of investigations” the statement declared.

The Commissioner argued that the refusal of those pillorying Government  of complicity, to listen to the explanation of the DSS suggests that they are collaborators in the security crisis in the area.

According to him, “why are they in a hurry to accuse the Government  of any killing even when the DSS claimed responsibility and gave reasons for their actions?”

He wondered why those who are rushing to condemn the operation never deemed it fit to speak out against the earlier killings by hoodlums in the State.

Said he,” we were here when hoodlums were beheading people, slaughtering traditional rulers and even eating the flesh of human beings, but these people never condemned the atrocities. We were here when hoodlums burnt the houses of the governor and government officials, there was no whimper from these latter day crusaders. But now that the war is being taken to the hoodlums, they have suddenly found their voices’

The Commissioner was saddened by the fact that now that the security agencies were succeeding in routing the criminals, there appear to be a coordinated campaign of calmuny against it.

He noted that for sometime, the State has been relatively peaceful as a result of the gallant efforts of Security agencies  and wondered why the outcry against their legitimate activities.

Emelumba reiterated Government’s position that the security challenges were politically motivated to make it appear that the Governor was not popular.

“Just take a look at the pattern of the insurrection and concentration of criminal activities. They are in Orlu zone, especially Orlu, Orsu, Oru East and Oru West, giving the false impression that the governor is not wanted even by his own people. Can’t you see that this is a well planned script of the opposition? ”

He, however, assured that there is no where that the Government will condone the killing of any innocent citizen in the state.

” It is absurd for anyone to accuse Government of killing its own youth. That is pure madness. Government is awaiting details of investigation from security agencies. But what has been established so far is that those who died were those at the camp. Once investigations are concluded and there is evidence of any innocent victim, government will take appropriate steps to mitigate the loss”, he submitted

Will Machines Replace Journalists, Too?

By
The Source
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0
Azu Ishiekwene

By Azu Ishiekwene

The advent of any significant changes in technology has often triggered concerns about the fate of journalism. Even at the infancy of social media, TIME covered one of its editions of February 5, 2009, with concern about the imminent death of journalism. To drive home the point, the graphic was illustrated with a copy of the New York Times wrapping a tilapia.

The profession went through similar bouts of self-doubt and anxiety, after the introduction of the movable type and printing press. This same thing happened following the introduction of the telephone, radio and television. In hindsight, it would seem that journalism’s death was slightly exaggerated.

But can the survival of journalism as we know it today be taken for granted in the midst of the extraordinary changes in technology and ICT? In 5, 10 or 20 years, will there be any dots to connect between technology and journalism or would the profession be submerged in a sea change?

In Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, Stuart J Russell and Peter Norvig’s groundbreaking, expansive study on AI, first published in 1995 and released in its fourth edition in 2020, the computer scientists and scholars offer a sharp and comprehensive introduction to the foundations of artificial intelligence. The book covers a diverse range of fields from philosophy to mathematics, neuroscience and psychology, and linguistics.

In a particularly memorable passage, the authors said,“We don’t want machines that are intelligent in the sense of pursuing their objectives; we want them to pursue our objectives.”

The extent to which this goal is achievable, and whether it should be desirable in the first place, has, of course, been a subject of vigorous and prolonged debate.

There are those rightfully concerned that the oncoming waves of automation would exacerbate existing inequalities between workers whose backgrounds have afforded them education and other social privileges that put them at the higher ends of well-paying tech jobs and those who depend on jobs that would most likely be phased out by automated systems.

The stats may not amplify these fears but they do not allay them either. A report from Mckinsey studying skill shifts in the workforce in Europe and the United States says that between 2016 and 2030 the demand for technological skills would increase significantly compared with the demand for manual and basic cognitive skills. The prospects may be slower in Africa, but they are creeping up.

Mass media have long ceased to be the sole domain of professional journalists. That is, not only have established assumptions about the authority of the journalist to witness, record and disseminate news been severely undermined, established assumptions about audience’s expectations in journalists have also been challenged.

When I joined PUNCH in 1989 the dominant way of collecting the news from offices outside Lagos, the headquarters, was by radio. We had a few telephone lines alright, but they were congested and unreliable. Reporters filed in a few copies from the states by telex, but the bulk was by radio. The compugraphic machines, galleys and cow gum did the rest of the prepress job. That was over three decades ago.

We deployed reporters in Sheraton Hotels, Lagos, where they spun war stories from Baghdad by watching the TV at the reception over a bottle of coke taken for hours. Somehow, through improvisation and compelling designs, the paper became a hit.

What happened in PUNCH was emblematic of the crises that the industry faced after the prosperous seventies and eighties.

There were significant changes in the operating environment, partly as a result of ownership and politics, but fundamentally as a result of poor economics and the inability of the industry to forecast where changes in technology might lead and to leverage them.

As production costs increased and infrastructure deteriorated, however, the response of the press, in particular, was not necessarily to find smarter, more efficient ways of distributing content. Instead, media owners embarked on a binge of buying fleets of distribution vans and producing multiple editions, with very little returns on inventory.

This massive investment in a blackhole worsened their already precarious financial positions after General Ibrahim Babangida’s controversial “structural adjustment programme”.

With advertising naira shrinking, advertisers began to insist on data, forcing the opaque newspaper industry to begin to face its own demon. Adoption of new practices, improvements in internal methods to make them more efficient and customer-centric – including deployment of new technologies – became not a matter of choice, but of survival for the industry.

Today, a number of media houses (print and broadcast) have strong social media platforms and even web-first news policies, while strictly online brands such as Sahara Reporters, Premium Times, The Cable and Peoples Gazette, to name a few, have become significant players, using extensive degree of new technologies to collect, process and share content and earn revenue.

However, of all these developments, the arrival of citizen journalists on the one hand and the AI-powered robots on the other, are perhaps the most significant occurrences in journalism.

It seemed OK when technology led to mechanized farming, brought changes in the mode and speed of transportation and even transformed the textile and culinary industries. Journalists were happy to herald these changes.

As soon as technological changes arrived at the doorsteps of the profession, however, with the distinct possibilities that non-journalists could use and deploy them in everyday life, the alarm bells were set off, sounding like a tribal call against the invasion of aliens: AI was The Beast!

Yet, by focusing on more routine and menial tasks, it is believed that automation frees journalists up for more comprehensive, in-depth reporting, significantly improving the quality of journalistic work.

Sharing examples of how journalism and robots are connecting and finding common grounds elsewhere raises the natural question: where does that leave the Nigerian journalist?

Incursions by bloggers, influencers and corporates using non-traditional news channels to share valuable content have challenged the mainstream media. Also, the increased entry into the profession of persons with non-formal-media background has improved the profession both in its diversity and deepened its adoption rate of new technologies.

Through hackathons, collaboration of media and non-media persons, for example, robotics have been deployed in sourcing data that shine the light on community problems on access to healthcare, education and job-creation.

Media organisations either working collaboratively on independently also deploy drones in previously inaccessible communities, to gather content, especially in conflict situations. Although this practice is still not sufficiently widespread because of costs, inertia – and even grey regulatory areas sometimes – an increasing level of training and collaboration might see improvements in the years ahead.

It is true that the role of the journalist is changing, and I believe future developments in the field will give journalists more power and responsibility, not less.

Once, we suffered from not knowing nearly enough. Now, we may be entering an era in which we know too much. Even if we could guarantee responsible use of AI and similar technologies – which we can’t – we would still bear the heavy burden of knowledge in a world that has become more predictable but no less dangerous.

But what is also true is that there are more of us now than there have ever been, citizen and career journalists alike, with significant resources at our disposal, to decide not only what the news is, but what it should mean and what responsible actions it should spur.

A number of media houses in Nigeria are currently battling a range of problems from low, irregular pay to poor training, infrastructure and low trust rating as a result of poor ethics. My anecdotal experience does not suggest that displacement by bots is a serious concern in the face of these current existential crises.

The media is still a long way from where AI may be regarded as a clear and present danger to jobs. Yet, globalisation, which has narrowed boundaries, made travels cheaper and increased connections, has also exposed consumers of media content in Nigeria and across the continent to higher standards.

With greater penetration of smartphones and other home devices (embedded with such bots as Siri, Bixby, Alexa) at lower costs and the expansion of Internet services, my guess is that the demand for more AI services amongst Nigeria’s media consumers would also increase.

And hopefully journalists who are in this business for the long run would have little or no option but to raise their game. The question is not whether the dots are connecting, but how quickly, responsibly and efficiently journalists can connect them in the service of the craft of storytelling.

The future belongs to man and machines.

This is an abridged version of a paper on “Cybernetics, robotics and journalism: Connecting the dots”, by Ishiekwene presented at a seminar at the Department of Mass Communication, Bingham University, Abuja on July 14

National Grid Collapse: Sowore Blames Obasanjo,  Atiku

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP) Atiku Abubakar and publisher turned politician, Omoyele Sowore, have clashed over Wednesday’s collapse of the national grid.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria, (TCN) had announced the collapse of the facility, which led to power outage in many parts of the country.

Even though TCN said the fault has been rectified, many parts of the country are still in total darkness as businesses continue to suffer.

Reacting, Atiku wrote on his Facebook page that “I am reliably informed that there was a total National Grid Collapse at precisely 12:23pm today.

“This is one collapse too many. It is the 6th time this is happening this year alone.

“Due to the priority that I place on the power sector upon which the successes of other sectors are hinged, I am proposing innovative financing of infrastructure that will involve the facilitation of a review of the financial, legal, and regulatory environment to promote private investment in power, among other sectors.

“I’ll promote the incentivisation, with tax breaks, a consortium of private sector institutions to establish an Infrastructure Debt Fund (IDF) to primarily mobilise domestic and international private resources for the financing and delivery of large infrastructure projects across all the sectors of the economy.

“The IDF will have an initial investment capacity of approximately US$20 billion. In addition, I’ll cause the creation of an Infrastructure Development Credit Guarantee Agency to complement the operation of the IDF by de-risking investments in infrastructure to build investor confidence in taking risks and investing capital.”

Sowore, who is one of the many netizens who reacted to Atiku’s post said, “The National electrical grid collapse started when you and Obasanjo invested $16 billion to procure darkness for Nigeria.

“The @MBuhari regime came to gazette grid collapse as a law. Alhaji @Atiku don’t pretend that you care about the national grid.”

2023: Ortom Says Obi Has Impeccable Credentials For The Job; Meets With Him

By
The Source
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0
Peter Obi and Samuel Ortom

The Governor of Benue State, Dr Samuel Ortom, has described the Labour Party, LP, Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi  as a man with impeccable credentials to run the affairs of Nigeria.

Governor Ortom’s lavish eulogies on Obi came after the Labour Party flagbear paid him a courtesy call at his private residence in Makurdi where the two leaders met behind closed doors before jointly addressing Journalists.

The PDP Governor said Obi was one among those qualified Nigerians that the people were looking forward to lead this country as he wished him well.

The Governor said that the situation in this country calls for all to be careful and pray to God for leaders who mean well for the survival of the country

He challenged Presidential Candidates of the various political parties in the coming general elections to put Nigeria above personal interests.

According to him, Nigerians were in dire need of people with “commitment and competence” that would fix the leadership crisis that had plunged the country into outright chaos noting  that the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Obi was one among those qualified Nigerians that the people were looking forward to having to take the country out of the leadership conundrum.

He commended the decision of the former Anambra Governor to engage Nigerians, especially major players in the country’s politics, irrespective of political leaning on his desire to serve as the country’s next President.

He said: Even though I am a major stakeholder of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the candidate considered me as a Nigerian to consult on his aspiration.”

The Labour Party Presidential candidate also spoke about the reason why he visited the Governor saying that the visit was to show respect to his former political ally in the PDP,.

Obi noted that though they were now in different political parties, their friendship as citizens of the country was most important.

In his response to the question that he did not have the needed structures to win elections, Obi reiterated that the millions of Nigerians who had been impoverished by bad leadership over an extended period  are his political structures.

Currency  Collapse: CBN Moves To Monitor Politicians’ Accounts In Bid To Save Naira

By
The Source
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Godwin Emefiele

Aftermath of the apparent dwindling  National currency, the Naira, and the possible concerns recently expressed by the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Mr Peter Obi, on the continued spending of foreign currency by public officials, the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has moved to check the mopping up of dollars at forex market.

The CBN says it is monitoring the Foreign Exchange Market to prevent politicians planning to buy dollar and other foreign currencies to fund their campaigns.

Recall that Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, LP,  Mr Obi in some of his media interviews decried the brazen use of foreign currency particularly the Dollar by politicians and government officials.

Obi had said that every country’s economy is measured by the strength of its currency and described as a deviation from international standard, government officials and politicians blatantly spending foreign currency boldly and without shame.

Apparently in response to Obi’s public denouncing of the situation, the CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele on Wednesday announced that the apex bank is monitoring forex and warned politicians mopping up dollars to fund their 2023 election to note its illegality.

According to Emefiele, such action is illegal and could warrant a clampdown from security agents as he warned “those who want to take Naira from their account to buy dollars because of election should desist”

The CBN boss threatened to freeze any bank account found to be involved in illegal transaction of dollars as Post No Debt, (PND) will be placed on accounts caught in the act.

But economic watchers who welcomed the CBN move as a good development has the LP party Presidential Candidate to thank for crying out and drawing attention to such illicit act that is affecting the economy greatly.

“We have Obi to thank for raising the timely  alarm, the  CBN watched and even aided politicians in the two main political parties, the APC and PDP as they rained dollars freely during their National Conventions last month here in Abuja”

The declining currency is already taking a heavy toll on the nation’s economy with many industries in critical areas like the aviation shutting down.

Aero Cotractors, the oldest privately owned Airline in the country, a few days ago,  shut down its operations until further notice. And, on Wednesday, the NCAA shut down the operations of Dana Airline. The troubles of  both Aero and Dana are linked to financial crisis.

Why Dana Flies No More

By
Uche Mbah
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0
Dana Air

By Uche Mbah

Nigeria’s troubled Aviation industry woke up Thursday to discover  that Dana air, one of the few reliable local airlines, has been suspended indefinitely by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA.

The action came as a shock to aviation experts bearing in mind that another major airline, Aerocontractors had been grounded just few days ago.

In a statement released by the aviation regulator late Wednesday, the Director-general of NCAA Musa Nuhu, said the suspension is in accordance with the nation’s Aviation Act.

“The suspension was made pursuant to Section 35(2), 3(b) and (4) of the Civil Aviation Act, 2006 and Part 1.3.3.3(a)(1) of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs), 2015,” Nuhu said.

A comprehensive audit has been carried out on the airline which found the health of the airline below par, as the airline was found to be in no position to meet its financial obligations to the regulatory agency.

It has become a risk for the airline to continue to operate, the report said.

“The NCAA acknowledges the negative effect this pre-emptive decision will have on the airline’s passengers and the travelling public and seeks their understanding, as the safety of flight operations takes priority over all other considerations,” Nuhu added

He explained that the decision has been communicated to the airline.

The suspension of the airline comes at a time when the aviation industry is still reeling under the economic aftermath of Covid 19 pandemic, compounded with the Jet A1 aviation fuel scarcity.

NCAA decision to ground the airline will undoubtedly bring more woes to air travelers as forex scarcity continues to hamper arilines’ operations, experts in the sector say.

Last Monday, Aero Contractors temporarily suspended its scheduled passenger services operations, a decision it said is purely internal.

According to the airline, its decision to suspend operations, was “due to the impact of the challenging operating environment” on its routine operations. The suspension took effect on Wednesday.

“This does not in any way affect the Maintenance activities of the Approved Maintenance Organisation (AMO) otherwise known as AeroMRO, the Approved Training Organisation (ATO) also known as Aero Training School, the Helicopter and Charter Services operations.

“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused to our esteemed customers and promise to return to service as soon as possible,” it said.

According to the management, “This decision was carefully considered and taken due to the fact that most of our aircraft are currently undergoing maintenance, resulting in our inability to offer a seamless and efficient service to our esteemed customers.

“We are working to bring these aircraft back to service in the next few weeks, so we can continue to offer our passengers the safe, efficient, and reliable services that Aero Contractors is known for, which is the hallmark of Aero Contractors Company of Nig. Ltd.”

Access Bank Excites After Raising $1.7m To Boost Education

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

By Bayo Bernard, Business Editor

Access Bank’s resolve to promote quality education in Nigeria has been boosted after its partners raised a whopping $1.7 million at the recently concluded Access Bank Polo Cup in London, the United Kingdom.
 
The yearly Polo event is organized by the Herbert Igwe-led corporation in conjunction with the United Nations Children Education Fund, UNICEF, an organ of the United Nations, UN saddled with the responsibility of promoting education among children of pre-primary and post primary school age across the world.
 
For two years, the event did not hold due to the corona virus pandemic which affected the global economy and almost rendered the economy of many countries comatose.
Nigerian financial sector was also not left out in the COVID 19-induced economic crisis which limited the operations of commercial banks, especially in the areas of CSR/ charity. 
 
Therefore when the event returned this year, not a few applauded the resilience of the bank, despite the seeming economic challenges in using sports and entertainment to  promote causes that advance humanity, particularly education in Nigeria where paucity of funds has drastically hampered government’s capacity to fund quality education.
 
UNICEF has lamented the rising number of out-of-school children in the country, essentially in war ravaged areas  from 10 million to over 18 million within a few years. 
 

The UN agency said about 18.5 million children, the majority of whom are girls, do not have access to education in Nigeria going by 2021 figure. 

This is a sharp increase, considering that the UN agency had earlier estimated that 10.5 million children were out of school in Africa’s most populous country in 2021.

“Currently in Nigeria, there are 18.5 million out-of-school children, 60% of whom are girls,” Rahama Farah, the head of the UNICEF office in Kano, told reporters.

Viewing the parlous situation of Nigeria’s educational system from this prism, analysts insist that the return of Access Bank Polo Cup this year did not only provide entertainment for lovers of the elite sports, it also means more funds for education in Nigeria.

 
For Polo fans, the event presented an opportunity to enjoy the game at its very peak, after a two year hiatus caused by the COVID 19 headwinds.
 
Nigerian Polo enthusiasts are even more excited that Access Bank team beats Fifth Chucker to lift the cup. But much more,  the icing on the cake for most of them  is that after enjoying themselves from the sterling event, funds raised from the event will be channeled towards supporting quality education in the country.
 
“The bank is sending a good message to the Nigerian public, and the world that it’s investing in entertainment to promote education. 
“The bank has channeled huge funds towards CSR across the country, what has been raised from this event, will, in no small way add value to the nation’s education sector. This is huge considering how many blocks of classrooms and learning materials will be provided from the $1.7million,l. You will agree with me that this is a good news for the nation’s educational system and lovers of quality education around the world” Adejobi Sam, an educationist and public affairs analyst said.
 
He said the bank “has shown itself to be a major stakeholders in Nigeria’s educational sector, it will therefore be safe to describe Access Bank as Nigeria’s education-friendly bank.”
 
According to sources in the bank, the humongous funds will be used  towards building a slew of over 100 well equipped classrooms in the most disadvantage education areas across the country.
 
 
 
 
 

Akeredolu Is Desperate To Sell 50,000 Hectares Idanre Virgin Forest To Chinese Investors – PDP

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Protesting Farmers in Ondo State

By Ayodele Oni

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in ondo State has alleged that Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo state is driven by personal interest in his bid to acquire Idanre forests reserve.

Large protests from traditional rulers, politicians  have recently rocked the Sunshine State over the  state government’s decision to cede the Idanre Forest reserve to Chinese investors.

The state government on its part has explained that a programme is underway to bring farmers of same produce together as a cluster like how it is being practiced in developed countries.

This, government said will be able to meet the disabilities requirement, to get things done in the proper way and make it easier for the extension officers and other agricultural benefits get to them through one road.

Reacting PDP in a statement, warned the Governor Akeredolu- led administration to rescind its plans of selling 50,000 hectares of land at Idanre forest reserve to a private companies at the detriment of the farmers in Idanre local government.

A statement by Leye Igbabo, Director of Media and Publicity, PDP in Ondo State also alleged that the planned sale of the land was meant to benefit the family of the governor.

“It has become necessary to alert the world about the dangerous attempt by the Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu-led APC Government in Ondo State, to violently seize 50,000 hectares of farmland from Idanre people in Idanre Local Government Area of Ondo State and cede it to private companies at the detriment of the agrarian community.The implications, are indeed very grievous!

“From the available records, we verily believe that the said area was constituted as a Forest Reserve for the joint use and benefit of Government and the native communities owning the land and therefore hold that if there was any step or move to be taken by the government on how the said area is to be put to use, it must duly carry along the community.

“We are aware that sometimes in the year 2018, the community through its Traditional Council did a letter to Ondo State Government under the leadership of Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu demanding the release of certain portion of the Forest Reserve to the community for farming purposes due to ever increasing agricultural needs of the people to which the Government acceded. And the community keeps on growing by the day.

“We hold therefore that the reason that government refused to carry the people along was due to the primordial interest of the operators of government, particularly, the Governor and his immediate family who have penchant for property acquisition and have, ipsofacto, been taking over any unutilized government land in Ondo State through their cronies.

“We view that the latest action of the government is capable of brewing avoidable crisis which is being preluded by the peaceful protest organized by Idanre people, warning the government against tampering with, or  snatching their means of livelihood under any disguise.

“The APC Government should know that any attempt to take away the means of survival of a people will be resisted, especially when its government at all levels, including the one being operated in Ondo State, have inflicted more than enough, multi-faceted injuries on the people.

“This latest injury is one too many and copiously demonstrates crass insensitivity and irresponsiveness of the APC led government to the yearnings and well-being of the people it purports to serve. This is not only hypocritical, it is also cynical and farcical and its end-result, may be more tragical than ever imagined.

“We are imploring the operators of government in Ondo State, particularly the governor and his immediate family to control their appetite for property acquisition and therefore desist from acquiring and converting government properties in their custody for their personal aggrandizement as everything in life is vanity upon vanity.

“We hereby advise the APC led government to put human face in governance, and for once, hold the people as worthy partners in governance, and treat them with dignity just as they remain the custodian of the mandate entrusted in their hands.”

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