Month: February 2023

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is set to inaugurate the Commission’s Integrity Club in a Lagos secondary school.

On Wednesday, the Lagos Command of the EFCC said the inauguration of its Integrity Club in Crescent College, Lagos, is in line with its strategic objectives to continuously enlighten and reorientate the youth about the menace of economic and final crimes commission.

The EFCC made the promise to the students during the former’s visit to the Lagos Command of the EFCC. 

Addressing the students, the Deputy Zonal Commander, Lagos Zonal Command, Emeka Okonjo, urged the students to join the EFCC Integrity Club. He said joining the Club affords them an opportunity to become ambassadors of the Commission in the anti-graft campaign.

He said,  “We want you, the leaders of tomorrow, to join in the campaign against economic and financial crimes and become change agents in your environment, schools, churches and mosques.

“We want you to join hands with us to tell everyone that integrity, honesty and hard work are the sure routes to living a successful life”.

A representative of the school, Shukrah Odunola, expressed profound gratitude to the EFCC for honouring the school invitation, adding that the lunch of the integrity club in the school would go a long way in ensuring that the students “are enlightened on the consequences of corruption in the society and Nigerian as a whole.”

By Zulkifil Aminu Adam

Over the years, people with hearing loss, primarily those who cannot speak, particularly the uneducated ones, experience the stereotype of being naturally aggressive. And that’s nothing but a misunderstanding that continues to remain despite continuous awareness against it.

The terming of deaf people as aggressive is not only done by ordinary people but also by lecturers, doctors, and even special educators. And as a matter of fact, the absence of a psychological approach in how people reflect on this matter leads them to conclude so grossly incorrect.

Imagine you cannot hear and you cannot talk. And you’re living in a community that has deprived you of the privilege of effective communication and self-expression, given the fact that nobody knows how to communicate with you. So you will surely be lonely and depressed. And then an incident happened where you were maltreated and stigmatised.

Psychologically, people naturally react and respond to treatments directly to indirectly. They speak and complain to defend themselves and their dignity when mistreated. But you’re deaf and can’t open your mouth to exercise self-expression. You can’t say, “I don’t like how you treat me. Please, treat me with respect.” At that point? What would you do?

You will think of what to do to ensure the person who maltreats or stigmatises you learn a lesson. A deaf person has three options: exhibiting frustration or using physical violence to respond to the treatment they received, and the third option is crying. The weak do the last chance because that’s the only thing left for them. They will always look for a language that the people who maltreat them will understand, i.e. crying, showing their frustration, or applying violence.

Deaf people are not aggressive. Instead, they use aggression as a defence, a means of self-expression, or a way of showing their inner disapproval because they often have no other means of communicating their feelings to people who don’t have a genuine knowledge of the deaf or sign language.

As long as deaf people can effectively communicate and have a mutual understanding with a person, the person will surely realise that they are no different from normal people who possess various traits, both positive and negative.

The only thing the Deaf needs from their family, colleagues, and society is attention and understanding. And these two require the presence of effective communication. For this reason, the Deaf continues to spread the knowledge of sign language and continuously create awareness and advocacy, for they know that the most powerful method for eliminating the conflicts between them and normal people is to connect both with the wire of communication. It is to bridge the communication gap that disconnects the two communities. 

I have talked with different deaf children and older ones regarding their stay with their families. All of them expressed a disheartening amount of loneliness and anxiety, the cause of which is the iota of attention they receive at home that is inadequate and depressingly isolating, harming their lives. Yet, at the same time, it stays unnoticed by their family members.

Moreover, when deaf family members attempt to bring it up, they hardly get the attention they expect. Even if they do, once another family member interrupts, that’s always the end of the conversation. Their effort to retrieve the attention that deviated from them to another family member often fails, making several deaf family members give up on discussions with their parents and siblings.

Zulkifil Aminu Adam is a 100-level student at Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached via zulqeepil19@gmail.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The National Universities Commission ( NUC), has approved a new university for Kano State.

Consequent of the approval, Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education, Kumbotso is now a university of education.

On Tuesday in Abuja, the Executive Secretary of NUC, Prof. Abubakar A. Rasheed, presented the letter of recognition of the institution to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje .

Ganduje said, the new university was part of his administration’s efforts to meet the growing demand for education in the state.

According to him, the university, which is the third under Kano State, has 116 lecturers with PhDs.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 
 
Service outages were observed by some MTN subscribers throughout Nigeria.
 
It was learned that the subscribers were unable to make a phone call, use the internet, and SMS services offered by the mobile network operator.
 
The telecom provider expressed its regret for the inconveniences in a tweet that read, “Due to an unexpected technical issue, some customers have difficulty using our services at this time.
 
“Work is ongoing to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.
 
“We regret all the inconveniences this may cause.”

By Aishat M. Abisola

Now that 2023 has begun, we are at a time when it is not uncommon for people to start feeling ill. This can be either physical or mental.

Already, a throat disease (diphtheria) is spreading fast in the North, affecting many Nigerians. Even though this disease can be cured and prevented with vaccines, not many people will be able to gain access to them.

Every single disease in the world works by attacking the immune system without rest, and this is exactly why people need to be more concerned about their bodies. Although the human body is strong, it can still be damaged quite easily, either internally or externally.

Your immune system operates in a very specific manner. It must be strong and complex enough to fight off a variety of illnesses and infections but not so strong that it overreacts to small issues.

It is because of this that we need to be more attentive to our health, especially in times like this. If you look around you, you will see many supplements and products claiming to help boost immunity. However, supporting a healthy immune system is a lot more difficult than just taking a mix of vitamins and minerals packaged into a pill or powder.

From fighting off a cold to flu and then to COVID-19, there are things you can do to help give your immune system what it needs to function optimally, though.

For those who do not have access to vaccines or medicines that can help them boost their immune systems, there are things you can do to help give your immune system what it needs to function properly. None of these methods involves taking supplements.

1. Stay up-to-date on recommended vaccines
If you do have easy access to vaccines, make sure to stay up to date on them. A strong immune system means taking advantage of whatever we are provided with to protect ourselves from harmful illnesses: vaccines.

The human immune system is smart, but vaccines train it to be even smarter by helping it learn how to recognize and fight off certain disease-causing illnesses. Vaccinations make it for your immune system to learn than through infection with harmful germs.

2. Maintain a healthy diet

Just like most things in your body, a healthy diet is vital in maintaining a strong immune system. This means ensuring that sure you eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats. These micronutrients include:

Vitamin B6 (Chicken, Fish, Bananas, Green Vegetables and Potatoes with the skin)

Vitamin C (Citrus fruits like oranges and, strawberries, Tomatoes, Spinach)

Vitamin E ( Almonds, Peanuts and Leafy Vegetables)

Zinc ( Red meat like beef, Poultry, Beans, Dairy products like milk)

Magnesium ( Whole Wheat Products, Nuts, Seeds)

Many health experts believe that your body absorbs vitamins better when they come from dietary sources instead of supplements. So, the best way to support your immune system is by eating a well-balanced diet.

3. Exercise regularly

Despite what many may think, physical activity isn’t just for building muscles and helping yourself de-stress — it also plays an important role in being healthy and supporting a healthy immune system.

Exercise helps in mobilising the immune cells that are outside of the bone into the bloodstream, and it also moves immune cells that are already in the bloodstream in the cell tissues. By doing this, immunity surveillance is increased.

It is your immune system’s monitoring process, and exercise helps the immune cells to be more efficient at detecting and reacting to infections. Staying active and exercising regularly is vital for this to occur.

4. Hydrate

When it comes to supporting the immune system, water plays an important part alongside other roles in your body. Blood and lymph have immune cells in them, and they need water in order to flow and circulate in the body.

You constantly lose water by breathing as well as through urine and bowel movements. It doesn’t matter whether or not you are exercising. If you want to support your immune system, replace the water you lose daily with water that you can use. In order to do so, you need to know what your daily water intake is.

5. Get plenty of sleep

When you sleep, it may not feel as if anything is happening, but there are a lot of processes going on when you’re not awake. Knowing how much sleep you should be getting on a nightly basis as well as what to do if you have trouble sleeping, is the best way to give your immune system the best chance to fight off infection and illness.

6. Minimize stress

Chronic stress can have dangerous effects on your health, whether it comes quickly or builds up over time. Stress can either cause major or minor impacts on how well your immune system functions if it leads to sleep disturbances, a tendency to eat less healthy food, reduced water intake, less frequent exercise, and more.

Stress appears differently for everyone, and however way we choose to relieve it is different too. When you take into consideration the effect it can have on your health, it’s important to know how to identify stress. If you want to reduce stress, it is necessary that you get familiar with any type of activity that helps you relieve it, such as deep breathing, meditation, prayer, or exercise.

7. Limit Alcohol Intake

A moderate consumption of alcohol doesn’t have any positive effect on your immune system. Evidence suggests that binge drinking, or having more than four drinks in two hours for women and five for men, impairs immunity.

Alcohol can temporarily increase the number of white blood cells, which fight infections, in your bloodstream, but when your liver clears the alcohol from your system, your white blood cell count falls below the normal amount for at least five hours. If you want to work hard to stay healthy, it is best for you to avoid or limit your alcohol intake.

8. Practice Proper Hygiene

If you want to have a strong immune system, proper handwashing is one of the most important things to keep in mind. All you need is just normal soap and water. You should scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds—the length of singing “Happy Birthday” twice. This is the minimum time needed to significantly reduce the number of microorganisms on your skin.

However, it doesn’t matter how good your handwashing skills are if they won’t help prevent infection unless you know when to scrub up. It is advised that a person should wash their hands before and after any type of risky exposure. This includes after using the restroom, sneezing, or coughing.

Your hands should also be washed before you prepare food, after caring for a sick loved one, treating a wound, or touching any publicly used door handles, knobs, switches, or surfaces. If your hands get very dry after washing, make sure to moisturize them with cream or Vaseline.

9. Use the Right Hand Sanitizer

Hand sanitiser tends to kill most microorganisms, which is the next best thing if you don’t have access to soap and water. Before you use it, make sure to look at the alcohol percentage first. Alcohol (ethanol) is the active ingredient in hand sanitiser, working to kill viruses and bacteria. It is advised to use a hand sanitiser with an alcohol percentage that is greater than 60%.16

The human body requires a lot of care so that it can stay healthy and fight off most diseases (or, at the very least, reduce their effects). If you don’t care for your body, you are just setting yourself up for a very bad experience in the future.

Your body is a temple. Keep it clean and tidy. Prevent it from decay with any method that is available to you.

Aishat M. Abisola is a member of the Society for Health Communication, Wuye District, Abuja. She can be reached via aishatmohd02@gmail.com.

By Aisar Fagge

The Dangote Group Tuesday has bagged the First Runner-Up award at the just concluded 44th Kaduna International Trade Fair in Kaduna State.

The group was awarded for its enormous contribution in buoying investment opportunities across Africa through numerous businesses and philanthropic forays.

The Dangote Group made the disclosure in a news release issued to journalists on Monday.

The statement disclosed that Professor Umar Dantsoho, an economist, while speaking to journalists on the event, said the Dangote Industries Limited has been creating investment and job opportunities for Africans through its cement establishments in Nigeria and in Africa.

He said the key to developing the African economy is through the growth of the manufacturing sector, which is a major preoccupation of the company.

The statement added that, “Only recently, Dangote Industries Limited sealed a fresh deal of six million tons per annum with China Sinoma International Engineering which will strengthen local and African production to 57.6 million tons per annum.

“Aside government, Dangote Group is adjudged the biggest employer of labor in Nigeria.

“Speaking also Second Vice President of the Kaduna Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture (KADCCIMA). Alhaji Faruk Suleiman, commended the company for creating opportunities across Africa, adding that the upcoming Dangote petrochemical refinery will change the face of the African economy.

“General Manager, Sales, Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) North-West, Alhaji Abdulsalam Waya said the conglomerate would continue to provide opportunities for all willing Nigeria to invest as distributors or as investors in the stock market.

“He added that the theme for this year’s Trade Fare: Value Addition for Sustainable Growth and Development is apt, as Dangote Cement exports its product to several African countries, thereby creating jobs and opportunities across the value chain.

“The company is the major sponsor of the 44th annual event.

“Speaking, President of KADCCIMA Alhaji Suleiman Aliyu described the partnership with Dangote as very important for deepening commercial activities in the country.

“He said the support of the Dangote Group towards the success of the Fair cannot be quantified.

“Speaking to newsmen, the Director General of the Chamber Mr. Usman Saulawa said the Dangote Group is a major sponsor of this year’s Trade Fair and has been sponsoring the annual event.

“He said Dangote Group has been playing the role of supporter and partner for many years. It participation has been adding value to the Chamber.”

“The DG described this year’s fair as unique as there would be a Business Roundtable session that will further help deepens business opportunities for participants.

“The companies that participated under Dangote Industries Limited are Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, NASCON, Dangote Fertiliser, and Dangote Sinotruk West Africa Limited.

“A statement from the Corporate Communication Department of the Dangote Group said participants who seek to do business with any of the company’s subsidiaries can avail themselves of such opportunity through a special help desk at the pavilion.

“It described Kaduna State as one of the biggest markets in the country, given its historical position as the political capital of Northern Nigeria,” the statement added.

By  Sunusi Umar Sadiq

A few days ago, the Supreme Court of Nigeria delivered a judgment, the most significant outcome of which is the emergence of Alhaji Ahmad Lawan, the current President of the Nigerian Senate, as the All Progressives Congress’ senatorial candidate representing Yobe North Senatorial District in the forthcoming general elections. The public is naturally and expectedly, too, thrown into an abyss of confusion because, for all that is known, Senate President Lawan had obviously relinquished the senatorial seat he has been occupying since 1999 or thereabout when he contested for the APC presidential primaries sometime last year.

Politics is the manifestation of the immaturity of mankind. Politicians across times and spaces have always been very shrewd and crafty. The popular virtues are turned upside down. Selfishness becomes a guiding principle. Deceit and manoeuvre are articles of faith. Self-interest takes the position of justice, and fairness is something that is virtually and practically unknown. The end is all that matters. And anything is to the politician permissible to attain that end.

In a setting such as this, a heap of mess will surely pile up. And in a democratic setting, the unenviable onus of clearing such a mess or at least containing it is placed on the judiciary. And the Nigerian courts, the Supreme Court especially, have been grappling with that onus, coming under public attacks and bashing every now and then.

Unfortunately for judges, they cannot come out to defend or even explain themselves. In this kind of situation, it is the lawyers, as the primary constituents of the judicature, that ought to be the sentries for the hallowed chambers. They should educate the people and enlighten them.

There are two things to consider in order to understand any given judgment: the facts of the case and the issues raised before the court. Without knowing these, the most honourable thing for anyone to do is to remain mute. Let me briefly state here the facts of the case at hand so as to understand the context and reason behind the supposedly controversial judgment delivered by the Apex Court.

For whatever reason, Senator Ahmad Lawan decided to give a shot at the country’s Number One Seat, the Presidency. He bought the presidential Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms. It automatically followed that he had no further interest in keeping his senatorial seat. A Bashir Machina seized the opportunity. He aspired for Lawan’s seat, and on 28^th May 2022, the primary election for that seat was conducted, and Machina got it on a platter, some might say.

Some eleven days later, 8^th day of June 2022, the APC had its National Convention, and the presidential primary election was conducted. Lawan and twelve other aspirants lost to Bola Tinubu. As a cartoonist depicted it, Lawan had torn himself between the presidency and the senatorial seat. He ultimately lost both. Unknown to the cartoonist and other Nigerians, the Senate President had his Plan B in the closet. In hatching the plan, the APC maintained that Danjuma Manga, the party’s official that chaired and officiated the 28^th May primary election, was not authorised to do so by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). That primary election was therefore cancelled. Another was held on 9^th June 2022, less than twenty-four hours after Lawan lost his presidential bid! Nobody needs to be told that there is something amiss and shady here. It is crystal clear that a heap of mess has piled up.

Machina then decided to cry out against this apparent and obnoxious mess. He took his grievances to the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Damaturu Division. He prayed the court, among other things, to hold that the 28^th May primary election that produced him was the only legitimate and valid primary election, and the other one that produced Lawan was fraudulent and therefore null and void. And this is the beginning of the intricacy and the controversy.    

The court is the repository of laws. It is the aggrieved party that will trigger the courts to invoke and apply those laws. For the litigant to succeed, therefore, they have to, firstly, be armed with hard facts that can be proved with acceptable evidence. And, secondly, such a litigant must, in ventilating the grievance, approach the court in strict compliance with the procedure provided for doing so. The success of every case depends on these two pillars.

The facts of some cases may be straightforward. The Rules of the Court provide for the commencement of such cases via Originating Summons. In using this mode, no witnesses need to be called. All you need is to state what transpired in an affidavit and present the documents that strengthen the facts in the issue, then invite the court to invoke appropriate laws and apply them to the case.

Some other cases are not this simple, more so when there is a criminal allegation. For such cases in which the facts in issue are contested, the Writ of Summons is the appropriate mode to be used in presenting one’s case to the law court. And whenever there is an allegation of a crime, the standard of proof is that of beyond reasonable doubt. Witnesses must be in court in flesh and blood to be examined, cross-examined and, if need be, re-examined.

From 9^th June 2023, Machina’s Legal Team had up to 23^rd of that month, a total of fourteen (14) days to build up their case and file same. I could imagine the mental race the team must have undergone to formulate the questions and the issues. Allegation of fraud is easy to come up with because Section 17 of the Penal Code intimates that ‘fraud’ is when one does something with the intent to deceive and by means of such deceit to obtain some advantage for himself or another or to cause loss to any other person.

It is on that ground that Aspirant Machina went to the court challenging the return of Senator Lawan as the Senatorial Candidate and the validity of the primary election held on June 9^th. Commencing the suit by Originating Summons is just one of the issues raised. But since the suit failed, the primary election it sought to be declared fraudulent and therefore null and void remains valid, and Senator Lawan consequently remains the rightful candidate.

The Supreme Court is not to blame. If anything, the Supreme Court is the scapegoat. The real culprits are Machina’s co-travellers, and the politicians. After all, it is Machina’s own party that cancelled the primary election he had won. And it is also the party that took the matter up to the Supreme Court to ensure that Lawan remains its rightful and lawful flagbearer. The Supreme Court’s hands are tied as it is a court of law, not emotions.

Sunusi Umar Sadiq is a legal practitioner based in Kano State. He can be reached at sunusiumarandco@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Turkish officials reportedly issued arrest warrants or detained about 113 people who were allegedly involved in some illegal construction methods six days after earthquakes caused buildings to collapse and lost of many lives.

According to CNN, at least 12 people, including building contractors, have already been detained by Turkish authorities. Reports have it that rescue operations have been hampered in some areas due to protests in southern Turkey. More than 33,000 fatalities in Turkey and Syria have now been officially confirmed.

The arrests of building contractors, according to CNN on Monday, were perceived by many as a move by the Turkish government to shift full responsibility for the catastrophe.

According to findings before the natural disaster occurred, it was expected that the destroyed structures were built to withstand earthquakes. Since many new buildings in Turkey are unsafe because of widespread corruption and government practices, experts have been warning about this for years.

In order to promote a construction boom, including in earthquake-prone areas, those rules permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who flouted building regulations.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The presiding pastor of an Abuja church, Pastor Uche Ugbe, has brought himself to great disrepute and backlash after he took gun to the church on Sunday.

Pastor Ugbe, while on the altar addressing christian faithfuls, had an AK-47 dangling from his shoulder.

He was reported to have said he came to church prepared because some people are looking for his trouble

However, his action do not sit well with many Nigerians and they have taken to different social media platforms to lambast him.

Abdullahi O. Haruna, a journalist and public affairs analyst, described his action as insensitive.

Haruna said, “Yes, he is not a security guy,
He is a pastor wielding unabashedly this weapon of death, to a congregation that had children, exuberant youths, not minding the sensitivity. He reigns with such impunity. Don’t worry, this is Nigeria. Anything goes…”

Another Facebook user, Nasir Muhammad Salis, said, “I can’t fathom the high level of panic or tension some people will ignite in the country if this was Sheikh Gumi or Sheikh Pantami. But now, they are ignoring it. I don’t see, in my view, any justification for this childish dramatic action!”

Other persons have described him as silly, childish and attention-seeking.

As at the time of writing this report, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), is yet to comment on the illegal possession of firearm by the pastor.

Interestingly, the Nigerian Police Force has also been conspicuously silent on the issue.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has shut down Wellcare Supermarket for refusing to collect the old naira notes.

The governor instructed Baffa Babba Dan’agundi, the Acting Chairman of Kano State Consumer Protection Council, to shut down the supermarket.

Dan’agundi, who made this disclosure after shutting down the supermarket, said legal action would be taken against the supermarket.

Wellcare is a prominent supermarket that sells food products and drugs among other provisions stuffs.

The Daily Reality gathered that the closure order was a result of its refusal to accept the old naira notes from costumers.

It can be recalled that the Kano State Government instructed supermarkets and other marketers to continue accepting the old notes.

The Acting Chairman also warned other traders in Kano against refusing to collect the old naira notes.

He added that any supermarket caught refusing the old notes will be dealt with decisively.