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“Imo Government’s Allegation Against Me Dumb” – Dr. Ihekweme

November 8, 2024

Dr Fabian Ihekweme and Hon Declan Emelumba

By Charles Igbo

A former Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Imo State, Dr Fabian Ihekweme, has dismissed an allegation of extortion made against him by the Government as dumb.

Ihekweme, a two time Commissioner in the first term of Governor Uzodinma’s Government, suddenly turned a bitter political enemy since the Governor’s second term. He was not reappointed.

In the past two weeks, he has been in the forefront of a vicious attack Governor Uzodinma’s Government, a Government he was once part of.

A number of Uzodinma’s loyalists also took to the Social Media, Ihekweme’s preferred mode of communication, to attack him as well as set the record straight.

Not left out is the All Progressives Congress, APC, Okigwe Zone – Ihekweme’s Zone – where stakeholders, including National and State Assembly Members have denounced his activities.

The strongest response to his attacks on Governor Uzodimma, however, came from the State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba which made the rounds on Thursday.

In the statement, Emelumba alleged that Dr. Ihekweme has, in the past few days, been asking Uzodimma to give him a whopping sum of N500 millions in order to stop him from attacking the Governor.

While claiming to have recorded evidence of/from those Dr Ihekweme had spoken to in a bid to reach the Governor, Emelumba provided no names or contacts of such people, but said it was proof that Ihekweme is on an extortion mission.

However, in a swift reaction, Ihekweme dismissed Emelumba’s outing as “the dumbest allegation a Government can level against any citizen. On the contrary, Ihekweme claimed, it was the Government which has been making overtures to him to name his price. His response to such overtures, he claims is he /”is fighting for his people Ndimo.”

Ihekweme, also, went personal and presented Emelumba as one reaping from where he did not sow. He claimed that Emelumba never was part of Uzodinma’s campaign into office.

Following is Ihekweme’s response which trended on WhatsApp on Thursday.

“First of all, this is the dumbest allegation a government can level against any citizen.

“If I had made such request, they wouldn’t have made it public.

“Infact, and on the contrary, they have been asking me to mention my price and I have been telling them that I want the Governor to come back home and provide leadership. That’s all.

“That (invective withheld by us) called Declan Emelumba has run out of ideas. I will expose all of them.

“This is the maggot who said in 2018 that Sen. Hope Uzodinma was not fit to be a Governor. Let him deny this and watch him die.

“Has anybody seen Emelumba in any campaign rally for Hope Uzodinma? But today, he is reaping where he didn’t sow.

“I have never asked anybody for a dime and I will NEVER. I am fighting for my people, Ndimo”

However, not a few people have punctured Dr. Ihekweme’s claims. First, they say Governor Uzodimma would be the last person to offer money to Ihekweme as such criticisms neither shake, nor touch him. And, as for Emelumba reaping where he did not sow, they dismissed Ihekweme’s claims as laughable. For, as they pointed out, Emelumba has been a constant in/on/at all of Uzodimma’s political sojourn – and till date, has never shifted.

The last has not been heard, say many, of this unfortunate altercation between Ihekweme and his now estranged political benefactor.

FG To Pay For Pregnant Women C-Sections- Minister

Tosin Olatokunbo

November 8, 2024

The administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a bold step to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality rates in the country.

Ali Pate, Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Ali Pate made the announcement during the Joint Annual Review, JAR, of the Sector Wide Approach, SWAp, for health in Abuja. the nation’s capital.

According to the Unisef, Nigeria’s is among the top countries globally with fatality arising from women trying to give birth. In most cases, women usually pay with their lives during complications while trying to deliver naturally or as a result of lacking financial resources to pay for expensive caesarean sections (C-sections).

Going forward, Prof. Pate said the federal government now has a policy where pregnant women will be provided C-Sections free of charge.

The minister said this is in line with the Tinubu’s administration’s efforts on improving maternal and newborn health, and prioritizing access to essential healthcare, especially in undeserved communities.

The minister said no woman should be allowed to die because of lack of financial capacity to pay for operation, saying pregnant women deserves better.

The federal government policy “ is in further effort to reduce maternal mortality in the country. No woman should lose her life simply because she can’t afford a C-section,” the minister said.

In its Editorial of May 4 2024, titled “Nigeria’s Maternal Mortality Crisis Needs Actionable Steps” The Punch newspaper had called on the three tiers of government to take targeted steps at ending the malasie, nothing that a pregnant women is like someone who has received a “death sentence.”

The newspaper quoted Prof Pate as saying over 57,000 women had died of from pregnancy and complications during childbirth in 2023 alone.

“IN Nigeria, pregnancy is still akin to a death sentence. Indeed, the high prevalence of maternal mortality in the country gives room for grave concern. All stakeholders, including the three tiers of government, NGOs, and community leaders must play a part in reducing the frequent loss of lives among pregnant women.” the newspaper said.

Bianca Ojukwu: ‘Because Ndigbo Are Involved’

The Source

November 8, 2024

Bianca Ojukwu — Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu

By Ike Abonyi

“ _For unity to be meaningful it has to be creative, not the unity of Jonah in the whale but the unity of holy matrimony. The first can only lead to defecation, the second to procreation.” – Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu

In 1989 the late Biafra hero, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu authored a book titled ‘Because I am Involved?’ which sold like a hot cake as not a few rushed to buy it wanting to read the Biafra story from the main character in the war but they all got disappointed that the war hero was in an amorous not in a war mood while writing the book. The book was all about his love for Bianca Onoh, a multiple beauty Queen and daughter of the former Governor of Enugu state, Christian Chukwuma Onoh, popularly known as C.O.Onoh, who he was to marry later.

Ever since that marriage, Bianca, like the husband, has become a symbol of Ndigbo in a way. With the physical demise of her husband, she became to the people a physical reminder of the man they so much loved.

So when you see Ndigbo react with mixed feelings the way they did on the appointment of Bianca as a Minister, it’s because they are involved as she is the widow of their hero that they are connected to. The people are still trying to figure out the significance of the appointment to Ndigbo because Bianca is not just the daughter of a prominent Igbo or the wife of an Igbo hero but a symbol and torchbearer.

She is also very much aware of her status and tries to dignify it. That was why she enjoyed enormous public goodwill in 2022 when the immoderate wife of the former Governor of Anambra state, Ebelechukwu Obiano, tried to embarrass her publicly and she reacted with a deserving dirty slap on her chick.

Even though Mrs Obiano was the First Lady at the time, Bianca had a bigger status being seen as the former First Lady of the defunct Biafra that still exists in the heart of the people. Ojukwu, dead or alive, in the heart of the people, remains bigger than all the Igbo Governors put together.

Feelers from some parts of the country show that some few bigoted anti-Igbo characters are even grumbling that the Biafra hero is still being recognized even after his death, for such people the civil war that ended 54 years ago is still raging in their hearts and they need to know that Igbos are not even elated by the appointment in any way as they find the position belittling, that an Ojukwu’s wife is getting a junior Minister where the entire Igbos have only two senior Minister just as Ogun state alone. And notwithstanding that, she was being appointed to replace another woman from Anambra state who was dropped as a senior Minister.

Given the raging political perception in the media space that Bianca may have been picked by Tinubu for political leverage in Igboland, if so, it’s necessary to place this caveat loudly that such a dream is not realizable it’s dead on arrival. Even Bianca may find it difficult to convince her Children, Ojukwu’s blood, to vote for any government that shows enormous disdain for Ndigbo.

If Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was alive to see his wife being nominated a Minister of the federal republic, his likely first directive to the wife would be to ask the President what plans he has for Ndigbo. If there is no clear answer to that question including an assurance to release Nnamdi Kanu from incarceration, Ojukwu will ask the wife to reject the appointment. Ojukwu will also not have allowed the wife to serve as a junior Minister. He would be heard asking the wife, to serve as a junior Minister to who? Readers may see all that as arrogance, but that was the man every Ndigbo came to love and admire and who also made all the sacrifices to serve his people in time of need. It was the love to serve that drove Ojukwu into the Army, becoming the first University graduate In Nigeria military straight from Oxford, UK, to enter the Nigeria Army at a time when his father was the richest man in West Africa. There is no better place to serve a nation than in the military, perhaps not today’s military, which has been dwarfed by corruption and unprofessional acts.

But here we are, Ojukwu’s wife with all her qualifications aside from being the wife of such an outstanding Igbo leader, has settled for a Minister of state in a government that has held Nnamdi Kanu in prison even after the court has declared that he be freed. Bianca knows for a fact that she is in a very delicate situation serving in the APC regime, which has, in large quantities demonstrated some contempt for her people.

The thing about Ndigbo in today’s Nigeria is like a man on the ground who has nothing to worry about falling or a man who is not expecting and who has no reason to be disappointed. But that notwithstanding, Ndigbo has resolved not to lower their dignity for any position, no matter how juicy. Igbos do not drink in every cup just because they are thirsty, in need of a drink, or dehydrated.

After Muhammedu Buhari’s eight years and Bola Ahmad Tinubu’s eighteen months reign, Igbo man has developed all the needed thick skin to cope with the most horrendous attitude as being witnessed by the current regime. But on Bianca’s appointment, Ndigbo is involved, and she knows that she would have no business lasting in that position if the disparaging of Igbos is not addressed. Whatever negotiation that led to her getting appointed was supposed to have considered these salient points.

No person in Igboland today stands a better chance of putting the Igbo question on the front burner for this government to see and appreciate than the wife of Ojukwu, who has now found herself in the federal cabinet. What is the Igbo question you may ask? Igbo question refers to the historical and ongoing struggles of the Igbo people, a major ethnic group upon which the political tripod foundation of this country was laid to seek equality, justice, and self-determination within the Nigerian state. Among its major challenges are provocative limitations in representation in government, economy, and military. The economic disparities caused by inadequate infrastructure and security concerns have made virtually every Igbo community vulnerable to violence and extortion.

What are the basic needs of Ndigbo In Nigeria’s space today? They want a restructured country that guarantees greater autonomy for the regions and a right to decide its own political and economic fortune. They want fair and balanced representation and access to resources and a revisit to past injustice arising from the civil war that ended in a no Victor, no vanquished understanding under a 3R- Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction.

It’s the existence of these prevailing injustices that gave rise to some of the self-determination bodies like the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), and the umbrella body of Ndigbo cultural organization, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

Unfortunately for Ojukwu’s wife, the government she is serving has not shown any sign of addressing the Igbo question. Rather, empirical records under this regime, as it concerns Ndigbo, are worrisome. The handling of the Kanu case by this regime has not shown any sign that it cherishes the inclusivity of Ndigbo in any way.

Even the recent cabinet change by Tinubu that brought in Bianca instead of addressing the strongly perceived bias against Ndigbo worsened it. Before the cabinet reshuffle, out of the 52 members, including ministers and cabinet-level officials, Ndigbo had only the mandatory five, one for each state as prescribed by the constitution. Out of those five, it had four senior Ministers(Works, Women Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Science and Technology). But with the latest changes, Igbo senior Ministers were reduced to only two (Works and Science and Technology). The senior Minister from Imo state, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite, was demoted from trade and Industry to Junior Minister of Finance ostensibly to run errands for the Yoruba senior Minister from Ogun state, while another person from the same Ogun state took over her position as senior Minister. Bianca was also directly affected because the person she replaced from Anambra state was senior Minister but she got junior Minister. Out of 22 federal security agencies, South East has only one,

If you are one of those, who argue that a Minister is a Minister, here is the correct definition of junior Minister as captured by the current Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, on May 24, 2023, at Mohammadu Buhari’s cabinet valedictory speeches where he served as junior Minister. He advised the government to scrap the Minister of State because it was a constitutional aberration.

Arguing his point further, Keyamo said, “Ministers sit in the cabinet as the eye of Mr President in each state of the federation. It is therefore against the intendment of the drafters of our constitution for a representative of a state to be reclassified as against another representative of another state.“The schedules of duties of ministers and ministers of state that intend to cure some of these anomalies hardly help the issues.

In addition, the provision that ‘ministers of state’ cannot present memos in council, except with the permission of the minister, is another anomaly. It means the discretion of the minister of state is subsumed in the discretion of the minister, yet both of them represent different states in the cabinet,” he added. “It also follows that it would be difficult to assess the individual performances of the ministers of state since their discretion is shackled under the discretion of the ministers.“As a result, many ministers of state are largely redundant, with many going to the office for symbolic purposes and just to while away the time. Files are passed to them to be treated only at the discretion of the other minister and the permanent secretary.”

What it means is that only two Igbo Ministers can present memoirs in the cabinet. Against this backdrop, Ndigbo will not expect Bianca to continue in this regime if, after one year, she is unable to secure the release of Nnamdi Kanu and make the administration address some of the burning issues on the Igbo question, otherwise, she will be destroying all her husband stood for that made him indispensable Igbo hero. May God bless her endeavor.

Edo: Obaseki Is Ready For EFCC Probe

Tosin Olatokunbo

November 8, 2024

Governor Godwin Obaseki says he has nothing to hide on how he ran Edo state as governor, and will be readily available if called to give account of his stewardship by the anti-graft agency, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

The governor spoke during the EdoBEST National Results-Sharing Session in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Thursday.

Obaseki’s remark comes few days to the end of his administration. He’s expected to quit the government house on November 12 after spending eight years in office as the chief executive of the Niger Delta state.

His party recently failed to win the governorship election, thus making it impossible for Obaseki to install his successor, amidst suggestions that the governor was planning to cover up his tracks if he had succeeded in imposing a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP governor.

Monday Opebholo of the All Progressives Congress, APC, roundly defeated Asue Ighodalo, the candidate backed by the outgoing governor three months ago.

Already, there are rumours in the state that the incoming administration is planning to probe the Obaseki’s administration, on how he managed the states’ resources for eight years.

In the face of all of this, Obaseki said his hands are clean as he has nothing to hide, stressing that he would make himself available to the EFCC for probe anytime he’s required to do so.

“I’m not afraid of the EFCC,” Governor Obaseki asserted yesterday, adding that he has done his best for the state as governor.

“Why should I be? What is important is focus. I came into office and ignored the noise, concentrating on what I felt was important, and today, you can see the results. If the EFCC calls on me, I will hand myself over; I have nothing to hide,” Obaseki stated.

Opebholo, the Governor-elect recently accused Governor Obaseki of hurriedly recruiting some cronies into the state civil service, warning that his administration is averse to the development, stressing that it’s unfathomable for the outgoing administration of Obaseki to employ people few days to the end of his administration.

The Chairman of the APC Transition Committee, Hakeem Afegbua stated the Governor-elect position on the issue during the week.

Following the arrest of two former Governors Darius Dickson Ishaku and Ifeanyin Okowa of Taraba and Delta states by the EFCC for prosecution, political watchers in the country insist that more former governors have been listed for arrest by the anti-graft agency.

Kano: I Will Not Turn My Back Nor Insult Kwakwanso, He Helped Me- Gov Yusuf

Tosin Olatokunbo

November 8, 2024

Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano state has denied any rift with his political godfather and a former Governor of the state, Rabiu Musa Kwakawanso.

According to the governor, who spoke journalists, he will never turn his back on the former governor for helping him to become the state’s helmsman.

Yusuf’s rebuttal comes on the heels of recent reports that the two leading political leaders in the state are no longer on talking terms.

Rumours that Governor Yusuf and his mentor are no longer on talking terms became more vociferous following the defection of a member of the House of Representatives, Aliyu Sani Madakin-Gini, representing Dala Federal Constituency from the Kwakwanso faction of the NNPP to the Boniface Aniebonam faction of the party.

The federal lawmakers had cited Kwakwanso’s perceived control of Governor Yusuf as one of his reasons for defecting. He also described the former governors as an ingrate trying to hijack the party from Aniebonam, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party.

The House of Reps member had urged Governor Yusuf to assert himself by freeing himself from the apron string of the former governor.

Reacting yesterday, Governor Yusuf said there is no disgreement between him and the former governor, saying such only exists in the imagination of those peddling it.

The governor said he has come a long way with Kwakwanso to now abandon him, stressing that he has not stopped talking to his godfather.

Recall also that a faction Abba Tsaya da Kafarka” (meaning “Abba, stand on your own”) had recently broken away from the Kwakwansiya Movement, on which Governor Yusuf rode to power last year. Kwakwanso is the leader of the Kwakwansiya Movement.

In spite of this, Governor Yusuf said he has nothing against the former governor, warning those trying to balkanise the party to desist.

“There is no truth in the rumours of a misunderstanding between” me and Kwakwanso, the governor said on Thursday, adding that he still maintained ‘harmony’ with his benefactor.

“In my 40 years of knowing him, tell me, who among politicians has stayed with someone this long and still maintained harmony?”

Governor Yusuf said further, “To now suggest that I am somehow chained by Kwankwaso is simply unfair,” in response to reports that he’s taking orders fro the former governor.

“Even just two days ago, I visited him and told him about these rumours. I said, ‘I am surprised. Do people expect me to insult the man who stood by me?’” Yusuf stated on the question that he’s no longer on talking terms with Kwakwanso.

On “Abba Tsaya da Kafarka” he said, “This ‘stand on your own’ slogan is the greatest insult I have faced as governor. It implies that I should repay good with bad.

“What has Kwakwanso done to me to deserve this? All the good we are doing for the people is overlooked, and instead, they promote this divisive rhetoric.”

The rumour mills was recently agog that the governor had abandoned the former governor due to his overbearing influence on his government.

For instance, those watching developments in the state had cited a disparagement over contract awards as the major reason for the governor to set up a fight with Kwakwanso.

Critica of the former governor, including Madakin-Gini had alleged that a multi-million drugs and a state scholarship scheme contracts are at the centre of the disagreement between the two political allies.

The magazine reports that Governor Yusuf rode on the wings of Kwakwanso to office last year after defeating the candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Nasir Gawuna in the keenly contested election.

Yufus is an in-law to the former governor.

Unusual Reasons Africa Wanted Trump to Win

The Source

November 7, 2024

By Azu Ishiekwene

I understand wealthy US citizens and conservatives of the evangelical hue rooting for Donald Trump. The rich believe he would loosen regulations and protect them and their businesses from excessive taxation. Conservative evangelicals believe he is the bulwark against wokeism, especially the ultra-liberal variety. And white folks want their country back.

But Africans at home and in the Diaspora – what is their business supporting a guy who described their continent as a “shithole” and has worn his anti-immigrant rhetoric on his sleeves? It didn’t seem to make sense that anyone who saw Trump 1.0 would ever dream or wish for the second version. But now, he’s back.He even has the Supreme Court and the Senate in his Red corner as of press time.

With the media (especially the major networks) awash with polls indicating a dead heat up tozero hours, I became more interested in the pro-Trump sentiment among Nigerians. I also checked in with friends elsewhere on the continent, and the feedback surprised me.

Trump, we want

Some friends told me Trump is just the man the US needs to purge itself of its hubris and arrogance. Once upon a time, the US was a moral force for good worldwide. Its exceptionalism didn’t often require bullying others to make the point.

It did many bad things during the Cold War, as did its arch-rival, the Soviet Union. But after that phase and with the fall of the Berlin Wall, many had hoped to see the emergence of a multipolar world, one in which, if you like, the lion and the lamb would lie side by side.

But that was not to be. From Cuba to Venezuela, Libya to the Persian Gulf and the Middle East, and right up to the old sphere of influence of the USSR, the US stoked—and still stokes—a zero-sumness that hardly brooks “live and let live.” Since then, the world has experienced fewer devastating wars, but it has wrestled with nofewer tensions of a new variety aided and abetted by technology.

Same difference?

Trump 2.0, these folks hope, will do at least two things for the world. It would further hasten the internal decay of the US by aggravating racial tensions and emboldening right-wing excesses.Two, Trump’s America First ultra-insularity and his off-the-fly foreign policy style will distance the US from its traditional allies and enable crazies around the world, like North Korea’sKim JongUn, to run amok.

This sounded more like saying that if US voters were happy to be seduced by their worst selves, they deserve what they get.

But that was not all. Some also wanted Trump’s victory as a stick to beat their leaders back home. On the eve of the election, Larry Madowo of CNN reported that Kenyans wanted Trump to win because “with him, you know where you stand.” The report contrasted Trump’s style with Kenya’s political elite, who could hardly be trusted.

Trumphobes

The CNN report might also have been about Nigeria, where Trumphobes wanted him to win for a slightly curiously different reason. They think his anti-immigration policy will force Nigerians and their government to fix their own country. In the US, Nigeria has the highest diaspora population of Africa, 327,000 citizens, followed by Ethiopia, 222,000, and Egypt, 192,000.

It didn’t matter much to the Trumphobes that Nigeria’s US diaspora sends home $20 billion yearly, an increasingly significant source of support for a distressed economy. What is at work is a reverse schadenfreude, which saysthat the fewer opportunities Nigerian immigrants have outside the country, the more seriously the government would be obliged to fix the country.

Someone even said to me that the “malicious support” for Trump was payback for the bad leaders that the US routinely propped and supported around the world, a list that included Saddam Hussein, Augusto Pinochet and Mobutu Seseko.

Republican African record

Some pro-Trump sentiments are, however, driven by facts. For example, Republicans have a far better record of engaging Africans than Democrats. The Republican Party opposed colonialism. Its support for African initiatives such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and efforts to combat AIDS contrasts with the Democrat’s preference for aid diplomacy.

The hope is that Trump 2.0 will not be an exception. Here, Diasporans are not too far from their Black cousins in the US. A NAACP poll in September showed that one in four Black men under 50 supported Trump for president.

Trump 1.0 showed tough love towards Africa, but it was on his watch, for example, that the US finally authorised the sale to Nigeria of the much-needed fighter jets for the prosecution of the war on Boko Haram, which President Barack Obama had blocked for eight years. On his part, President Joe Biden will only make a brief visit – his first to Africa in four years – to Angola on his way out of the White House.

Better or worse?

Trump’s overwhelming victory might mean one of two things for his presidency: The weight of the responsibility could humble him and increase the likelihood that he would be more restrained than before. On the other hand, it could also bring out the worst in him – that feeling that he never really lost in 2020, that he was cheated of victory as he claimed, that it’s now time to take his pound of flesh with a vengeance.

We’ll have to wait and see. If Trump 2.0 means Africans who were not on the radar during the campaign will now have to look inward and find their way through an uncertain future, then so be it.

Ukraine and Gaza

Trump’s victory might hasten the end of the war in Ukraine and, hopefully, improve the protracted global supply chain crisis that has affected the supply of agricultural products and cooking oils to many African countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky knows he cannot depend on Trump to bear the cost of a war that has, for all purposes, become a meat grinder. The war in Ukraine might end sooner than later.

As for the Middle East, Trump. 1.0 moved the Embassy of the US from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem despite protests by the Palestinians and some Arab countries. If that means anything, it should suggest that Trump 2.0 will not walk on the eggshell of a two-state solution in his approach to the current war on Gaza. He’s flat-out pro-Netanyahu and big on oil deals with Gulf states.

I make no pretence of my dislike of Trump’s politics. Nor do I have any illusions that his second term would be significantly different from his first, which left the world holding its breath dangerously for four years. But if he’s the man American voters have chosen to lead them, so be it. Unfortunately, what America does – for good or ill – affects the rest of the world whether or not we cast a ballot.

Ishiekwene is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and author of the book Writing for Media and Monetising It.

Gov Aiyedatiwa Appoints Osemawe Of Ondo Chancellor Of UNIMED

The Source

November 7, 2024

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo state Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has approved the appointment of the Osemawe and Paramount Ruler of Ondo Kingdom, Oba (Dr.) Victor Adesimbo Kiladejo, as the Chancellor of the University of Medical Sciences, Ondo (UNIMED).

The appointment, which takes immediate effect, is one of the measures being taken by the state government towards enhancing the development of the institution, which is the premier medical university in Nigeria.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan stated that Oba Kiladejo’s appointment was conveyed in a letter to him by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Tayo Oluwatuyi, dated November 7, 2024.

The Governor, who is the Visitor to the university, while congratulating the monarch on the appointment, said his leadership and vision will undoubtedly propel the university to new heights.

Aiyedatiwa said as a trained medical practitioner, Oba Kiladejo’s dedication to medical education and excellence makes him an ideal for the role, which will inspire and motivate the university community.

Ihekweme Demands N500M From Uzodimma To Stop Attacks, Imo Govt Alleges

The Source

November 7, 2024

Imo State Government has alleged that one of its critics has begun moves to reach Gov Hope Uzodimma with a view to striking a deal to stop the verbal attacks on the administration.

According to the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Hon Declan Emelumba, the critic, Dr Fabian Ihekweme has, allegedly, made contacts with friends of the Governor, offering to “cease fire” if he is offered an whopping sum of Five Hundred million Naira( N500m).

In a statement he issued Thursday, Emelumba noted that the demand from Ihekweme has vindicated the government’s earlier position that the former Commissioner for International Affairs is neither fighting for the public nor is he motivated by morality.

” When we described him as an extortionist and blackmailer, the public thought we were too hard on him, but now it is clear that frustration and hunger are his sole motivation for his unwarranted and unsubstantiated allegations against the Governor ”

Emelumba disclosed that many friends of the governor and government officials have been reached by Ihekweme, asking that he be settled with N500m as a condition to stop his baseless attacks on the governor in the media.

Said he, ” We can confirm that Fabian Ihekweme has reached out to several people, including some government officials asking them to convince the governor to release N500m to him so as to stop the baseless attacks on Uzodimma. One of such persons he reached is a Lagos based businessman whom he spoke on the phone with on Wednesday and later sent his Opay account number for his ticket to Lagos to seal the deal. We have records of similar conversations, “Emelumba disclosed.

The Commissioner described as unfortunate the activities of Ihekweme who was offered an opportunity to serve as a commissioner but failed woefully on the job.

He said the most painful aspect of the whole saga is that Ihekweme case files in the police where he was indicted for stealing government’s property were still open.

On whether the government will consider buying the silence of Ihekweme as he is demanding, Emelumba said he should perish the thought as Uzodimma has nothing to hide.

” Never shall we condescend that low to even negotiate with a traitor and blackmailer not to talk of settling him. I just pity some gullible members of the society who have time to read the rubbish he churns out, “he said.

The commissioner insisted that the governor would never be distracted by the antics of one man who had already betrayed the trust of Imo people by selling government property.

“Please Consider Lives Of 20 Million Kano Residents”, Gov Yusuf Apologises To Striking Doctors

Suleiman Anyalewechi

November 7, 2024

Abba Kabir Yusuf - Governor of Kano Sfate

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, has appealed to the Nigeria Medical Association NMA, to reconsider its decision to withdraw its members from the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in the State.

The Source reports that the NMA, Kano Chapter, had, on Wednesday, November 6, ordered its members to withdraw their services from the Specialist medical facility.

The order was sequel to the expiry of a 48-hour dateline which the body issued on Monday, November 4, 2024, for the Governor to sack his Humanitarian Affairs Commissioner, Hajia Amina Abdullahi.

In statement jointly issued by Dr Abdulraham Ali and Dr Ibrahim D Muhammad ,Chairman and Secretary respectively, the umbrella body of doctors accused the Commissioner of assaulting one of its female members at the hospital.

The NMA said during the sad incident which occurred on Friday November 1, 2024, the Commissioner alongside her security and personal aides, physically assaulted the female doctor unprovoked.

The body noted that the assault was provoked by the non-availability of prescribed drugs which it insisted was well outside the professional responsibility of the victim .

“This assault not only undermines the health sector’s integrity, but also violates the ethical obligations public office holders should uphold.

The Commissioner’s actions are a misuse of power by an official expected to uphold humanitarian values, NMA stated.

The Medical professionals, warned that they will withdraw their services from the hospital should the State Government fail to accede to their demands, particularly the one bordering on the dismissal of the Commissioner.

But the Governor, on Thursday, November 7, urged the striking doctors to place the interest and wellbeing of about 20 Million Kano residents above any other considerations.

Governor Yusuf who spoke during a live broadcast expressed disappointment that a mere disagreement between two female adults could be the source of anguish and punishment for the entire 20 million Kano residents.

According to him, the Medical Body should have allowed the Investigative Panel set up to look into the matter to conclude its findings before taking action.

He emphasized the need for NMA to be circumspect in its decision-making process, owing to the sensitive nature of their job.

The Governor insisted the shutting down of the hospital, abandoning and endangering the lives of innocent residents is not the most honourable thing to do in the circumstance.

However, for peace to reign, so as not to punish innocent residents, Governor Yusuf, extended the sincere apologies of the State authorities to the aggrieved Medical Doctors.

While appealing to the striking doctors to call off their action, Governor Yusuf assured that appropriate disciplinary measures will be meted to any official found to be wanting in the matter.

PSC Chair Mourns Lagbaja, Late Chief Of Army Staff

The Source

November 7, 2024

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, has expressed shock at the death of the Chief of Army Staff, General Taoreed Lagbaja. The Army Chief passed on in a Lagos hospital after a period of illness alleged to be cancer-related.

DIG Argungu said the late Army Chief was a brave soldier who played a great role in the fight against insurgency and supported Mr. President’s efforts to free the nation from banditry and terrorism.

Lt General Taoheed Lagbaja — Late General Taoreed Lagbaja.

He condoled Mr. President and the Nigerian Army on the sad loss and prayed that God should receive his gentle and loving soul in paradise.

DIG Argungu said the late General Lagbaja left indelible foot marks on the sands of the nation’s security architecture.

He extended his condolence to the family of the deceased and also prayed that God should comfort them.

The PSC Chairman further prayed that God should give his Successor, General Olufemi Oluyede the wisdom and character to sustain and improve on the cherished legacies of his predecessor.

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