Month: December 2022

By Uzair Adam Imam

Birnin Gwari, a community in Kaduna State, rejoiced a visit by the Presidential Candidate of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Monday.

The traditional ruler of the town, His Roya Highness (HRH) Zubair Jibril Megwari II, who crowned Tinubu Dakari of Birnin Gwari, Fearless Warrior, expressed his happiness over the visit.

It was gathered that Tinubu became the first presidential candidate to ever visit the ancient town.

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufa’i, who shepherded Tinubu to the town, was also given the traditional title of Sadoki Birnin-Gwari.

“I never thought I would see the APC candidate and all of you here because of bandits and the bad road. We are so happy to see you. Whoever comes here cares for us and loves us. We appreciate you,” the monarch said.

Birmin Gwari is a community ravaged by bandits. Speaking on security issues, Tinubu promised he would frontally confront all forms of criminality in the land if elected.

He also said President Buhari would not relent in his efforts to restore peace to the land.

“We promise you we will work relentlessly to change Nigeria,” he said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Registrar of Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said the body would refrain from receiving physical letter from any institution or agency except through its Interactive e-Brochure and e-Syllabus System (IBASS).

He disclosed this during training on the use of IBASS for vice chancellors, provosts, rectors and other administrative staff of tertiary institutions. The training took place in the six geo-political zones.

Oyelede said with the introduction of IBASS, tertiary institutions no longer have to come to the board for programme accreditation or admission processes.

He said, “Communication between NUC, NBTE, NCCE on one hand and the institution on the other hand and in some cases with JAMB have been very chaotic and unnecessary waste because the institution will have to come all the way from maybe Port Harcourt or Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria to say this programme has been accredited or introduced for us.

“Immediately a programme is amended or approved by NUC, NBTE or NCCE, it is immediately transmitted to the institution and once it is transmitted to that institution, it is only that institution that will see it. And JAMB will immediately see it.

“NBTE will not see the NCCE work nor will NCCE see what is going on in NBTE. It is individualised to the issues of the communicators,” Oloyede said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Bauchi State Government appointed Professor Fatima Tahir as the new Vice Chancellor of Sa’adu Zungur University, Gadau.

Professor Fatima is the first female vice chancellor at the university and was appointmented Monday, December 12, 2022.

The immediate-past Commissioner of Education and Higher Education in the State, Dr Aliyu Tilde, disclosed this in a statement.

It was gathered that Prof. Fatima Tahir is the younger sister of the renowned scholar, late Dr. Ibrahim Tahir and has been a lecturer with the university.

Tilde said, “Bauchi State Government has just released the appointment of Professor Fatima Tahir as the new Vice Chancellor of Sa’adu Zungur University, Gadau.”

The statement added that the new VC came first on the list of 12 applicants, who were shortlisted and interviewed for the position a month and a half ago.

Since her appointment by the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, the newly appointed VC’s relatives have taken to their various social media platforms to jubilate.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Reports coming from Gombe State Monday have disclosed how hoodlums attack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign office in the state.

The Gombe State Commissioner of Police, Mr Oqua Etim, confirmed the attack to journalists and said it occurred last night.

He said the campaign office belongs to the state’s governorship candidate, Jibrin Barde.

Etim confirmed that, “Yes the attack happened and we will get full details before going public.

“We have started investigation because the attack happened in the night and it is too early to give details now.

“So just give me a little more time and we will get you the details,” he told journalists.

He also called on the political stakeholders to avoid chaos while carrying out their political activities.

Etim urged the youths to stay away from engaging in any acts that could breach peace, law and order.

“As you are aware we recently arrested and paraded some hoodlums causing disturbance in the metropolis,” he added.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters in Owerri, Imo State, came under heavy bombardment by gunmen in the early hours of Monday.

According to reports, the gunmen threw grenades through the commission’s fence, destroying several offices and vehicles parked in the premises.

However, the police stationed at the INEC office engaged the gunmen in a heavy shootout, leaving three of the gunmen wearing charms and Biafra camouflages dead.

The Imo State Police Command through its spokesperson, Michael Abattam, confirmed that attack at the command headquarters in Owerri, where the lifeless bodies of the hoodlums were paraded. He said five rifles, two vehicles, charms, locally made bombs, phones and money were recovered from the slain gunmen.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A former Central Bank (CBN) governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi ll, said the new cashless policy by the Central Bank of Nigeria will help mitigate the lingering issue of corruption by some politicians during elections.

Sunusi also urged the general public to ignore the rain of complaints against the policy, reiterating that the policy would discourage rigging.

He disclosed this Sunday in a short video that went viral, adding that the policy dates back to 2012 when he was the CBN governor.

He said: “The cashless policy started in 2012 when I was governor of the CBN with Lagos and later spread to five states.

“The explanation we gave that time is that the world is evolving and people shouldn’t be carrying cash around, as such the introduction of cashless policy to ease transactions.

“At first people protested against it but they later accepted the policy and started using the different payment channels at restaurants, shops and other places.

“I want to advise people to be careful with what politicians are saying about the cashless policy because it does not favour them.

“They spend four years without delivering on their mandates and later return with huge sums of money thinking they can bribe the security agencies and the electoral body.

“What the policy entails now is that a politician who wants to bribe the security agencies or the electoral body, he/she must pay it in the persons’ bank account where the transaction can be traced.

“Therefore I urge people to embrace the policy as part of efforts to entrench democracy and also make rigging difficult for politicians,” he added.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Centre for Promotion of Shari’ah (CPS) expressed worries over the utterances of some prominent Christian political and religious leaders concerning the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The centre was also dismayed by the numerous social, political and economic challenges bedevilling the Muslim Ummah in the country.

This was contained in a communiqué signed by Aminu Inuwa Muhammad, the centre National Coodinator, at the end of a one-day stakeholders meeting in Abuja.

It said, “Current developments in the political landscape of Nigeria have become a source of serious concern to CPS and the general Muslim Ummah in the country.

“The decision of some parties in the choice of presidential candidates and their respective running mates has attracted unguarded statements from some religious and political leaders, a development that has worsened the already tense political situation,” it added.

The centre also called on the Muslims to vote for the political parties and candidates who will ensure justice and protection of their rights and interests.

“Muslims in Nigeria need to properly organise themselves in order to take full advantage of their obvious demographic strength during the 2023 elections.

“Muslims need to pursue proactive measures towards countering the negative profiling in the media as well as the moral drift and mischief prevalent in the social media.”

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Women miners in Nigeria under the auspices of Women in Mining in Nigeria (WIMIN), decry molestation and abuse by male colleagues at mining sites in the country.

The Founder and National president of WIMIN, Janet Adeyemi made the disclosure at Lokoja on Sunday, December 11, 2022 and sought the intervention of the federal government to tackle the menace.

Ms Adeyemi while speaking at a capacity building workshop for artisans and small-scale miners in Lokoja, said the abuse of women at mining sites have become rampant.

She noted that women in mining have become subjects of constant molestation, are often cheated, over-laboured, underpaid, and even raped by male colleagues and staff of the mining industries.

Adeyemi who was represented by the Programme Coordinator of WIMIN, Ms Dolaraine Dennis, said that the opportunities for women in mining are enormous and they include: operators, engineers and quarry fields etc.

Adeyemi claimed that research findings have shown that 73 per cent of assault against women are verbal.

“73 per cent of assaults against women are verbal.”she said

In the remark of the Kogi State Commissioner For Women Affairs, Hajia Fatima Buba, she applauded the organisers for their support in building the capacity of women in the mining sector in the state.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked other higher educational institutions to emulate the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in combating the problem of sexual harassment of female students by academics.

At the 46th convocation of the university in Ile-Ife on Saturday, Buhari warned that the future of bright young females in higher education institutions across the nation must not be left in the hands of sexually irresponsible people who were disguising themselves as academics.

He also praised OAU management for its aggressive approach to combating sexual harassment and other forms of harassment without considering the victims.

The president was represented by the Director of Academic Planning, National Universities Commission, Dr Abiodun Saliu.

He was quoted as saying, “I will be failing in my duty as Visitor if I do not commend the Council and Management of this great citadel of learning for dealing, very decisively, with cases of sexual harassment.

“In fact, this university deserves commendation on the way and manner it is tackling sexual and other related harassments headlong without minding whose ox is gored.

“I want other institutions of higher learning to emulate OAU in summarily terminating the appointment or dismissing any lecturer who uses or is using his advantageous position to sexually harass our young, unassuming, innocent and impressionable girls.”

He also warns that the lives of female students must not be entrusted to the so-called lecturers.

“We cannot continue to entrust the lives of our promising young girls into the hands of some sexually reckless individuals who are masquerading as lecturers on our campuses,” he said.

By Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani

In a democratic setting like ours, leaders are expected to set guiding principles from which followers are expected to learn good conduct and moral behaviour. Sadly, the Bauchi state government is setting a bad precedent, which won’t augur well for the unborn generation.

I was compelled by a video going viral on the internet at the instance of the Bauchi state governor, his commissioners, and top government appointees watching as a car painted with the pictures of APC presidential candidate Bola Ahmad Tinubu, the Bauchi State APC governorship candidate, Ambassador Air Marshal Sadique Baba Abubakar rtd. CFR and his deputy, Aliyu Musa Barden Gabas, were destroyed while they were watching with admiration.

Electoral market volatility makes them susceptible to negative campaigns since “voters have loosened their ties with their party.” Not only that, the people of Bauchi are tired of the misrule of the PDP, yet they resort to diverting attention to their abysmal failure. Education is comatose, infrastructural decay, salary has now become a privilege, pensioners are crying wolf etc.

 As patriotic citizens of Bauchi, we strongly condemn the ruling party’s abysmal attitude. However, it’s expected that they set a pace for the younger generation while noting that Bauchi, as a civilised state is much aware of the happenings in the city. What we desire is a rancorous-free campaign, and we, therefore, urge the APC not to tear the line of the ruling party; let us emphasise to our supporters to shun violence in whatever guise while, at the same time, mobilising people to turn out in mass to vote for the APC at all levels.

As a people-focused grassroots party, APC has continued to champion the cause of issue-based politics while snubbing every temptation by the PDP to lower our standards by joining them in their infamous style of uncouth politics fraught with crass incivility. To put the records straight, Sadique had never been found wanting in such negativity.

As the leading opposition in Bauchi state, we are conscious of our responsibility to be law-abiding and concentrate on the issue-based campaign. We shall do everything possible to discharge that responsibility with total commitment to the rule of law and the sanctity of our nascent democracy. Often, we call on Bauchi State not to be deterred by the lawlessness of the PDP; it’s imperative to use our PVC and send them out of Ramat House because this irresponsibility has no place in our nascent democracy.

The many ills that bedevilled our state include corruption, economic underperformance, abject poverty, and a dysfunctional educational system derived from the action of the ruling PDP. How does a government that benefited from the freedom of expression and association to rise to the highest echelons in the state become so insensitive and uncaring to free campaigns? 2023 we need a purpose-driving and visionary government with a mission to transform the state for the benefit of all and sundry. With Sadique as the 2023 governor, the above is assured. 

Tajuddeen Ahmad Tijjani writes from Galadima Mahmoud Street, Kasuwar Kaji Azare, Bauchi State.