National

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

Senator Rabiu Kwakwanso, the presidential candidate for the New Nigeria Peoples Party, labelled the proponents of his rumoured merger with another party as failed politicians on Thursday.

Just moments after addressing NNPP members at the party office in the state capital, Kwankwaso made this statement while responding to reporters in Abeokuta.

Kwakwanso was quoted saying, “That’s absolute nonsense. You see we believe that we are not above the three or four parties in this country, but by 2023, next year, by the grace of God, the NNPP will win the election at national and all other levels.

“So, these are people who are failed politicians who have nothing to tell Nigerians other than to spread unnecessary rumour of a merger.

“Merger is already gone. We have our candidates. In all the parties, everybody is campaigning. So, disregard that nonsense.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has condemned a decision by the Lagos State Office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to hold its meeting inside a church in Ikeja, Lagos State.

Prof. Ishaq Akintola, the MURIC Director, made the condemnation in a statement released and issued to journalists on Thursday.

It was gathered that the Lagos headquarters of INEC scheduled a meeting for Thursday and picked Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, as the venue of the meeting.

Akintola advised INEC Lagos headquarters not to hold any of its activities in any church except those meant for church members alone and that same goes for mosques and shrines.

He added that INEC has no business using places of worship for their activities, adding that the development is ‘very disappointing’.

The statement read, “This is very disappointing. How can an electoral body of INEC status pick a religious house of worship as venue for its meeting? Is the meeting for the Christian wing of INEC or what? Is INEC meeting members of the church? It is unacceptable.

“The choice of a church as venue for a meeting of INEC is very insensitive particularly given the very volatile situation, we are in Nigeria today. It is an open secret that Christian pastors are deeply involved in political campaigns.

“Many of them have turned 2023 election into a straight fight between them and the Muslims.

“INEC Lagos Headquarters has taken a false step. Holding an electoral body’s meeting inside a church is like holding it inside the secretariat of one of the political parties.

“It erodes confidence. It is totally wrong particularly in a situation whereby the church has publicly revealed that it is an interested party in the ongoing electioneering exercises.

“Why pick a church when there are hundreds of neutral places all over Lagos? Is INEC promoting the church’s vested interest in the 2023 election? Is some kind of connivance in the offing?

“INEC Lagos headquarters must prove to Lagosians that their votes will count. We call on Lagosians to watch the activities of INEC from now on because we are not convinced that it is going to be neutral,” Akintola said.

By Muhammadu Sabiu

The Senate has scheduled a hearing on the Central Bank of Nigeria’s (CBN) most recent cash withdrawal limit policy for Tuesday, December 13, 2022.

In its plenary session on Wednesday, the Senate voiced its concerns.

In a point of order, Senate Minority Leader Aduda Phillip called attention to the CBN’s new policy because it will have an impact on many people, particularly small company owners.

In response, Senate President Ahmad Lawan instructed the banking committee to speak with the CBN and discuss the issue during the screening of the CBN Deputy Governor, which is anticipated to take place before the next week. 

Recall that Lawan had previously advised the CBN not to approach the policy immediately.

The CBN limited the maximum weekly cash withdrawal over the counter (OTC) by corporate organisations and individuals to N500,000 and N100,000, respectively, under the new withdrawal policy.

The new withdrawal rule set the weekly limit cash withdrawal by Automated Teller Machine (ATM) at N100,000, with a daily maximum of N20,000.

By Aisar Salihu Musa

Dr Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso clearly stated that, if elected as the president of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2023 presidential elections, the Local Government funding (LG Funds) will come directly from the Federal Government’s treasury without passing through the hands of the state governors. However, some people are now making noise about it, maintaining that Kwankwaso was the one in Kano who initiated that LG funds must pass through his hand before going to LG chairmen.

My worry now is; what is wrong in having a second thought? What’s wrong? We do have second thoughts on many things but that’s not a problem. To some, the problem is for Kwankwaso to have it. This your obsession or rather hatred with anything Kwankwaso will cause you serious problem. Adjust, please.

Politician decamp with you from one party to another, that’s not a problem. They come with their trial and error policy, it is not a problem. Clerics change fatwas, it is not a problem. You run from one girl to another, it is not an issue. The problem is for Kwankwaso to change a stand. Guys, what’s your problem? You should know that, Kwankwaso is still the best among all the contenders by whichever form of parameter you choose to judge and assess. He is just the best of all of them in terms of everything.

In the beginning, Kwankwaso saw how LG administrators were recklessly embezzling LG funds without any meaningful projects that will better the lives of their people. In order to solve that problem, he said LG funds will remain in the account of the state government, not his personal account. Any LG administrator with a project should write to the state government and request funding for its execution. I think at that time it was a good decision from him and it was purely out of good intention. Now that things have changed and he thinks giving them their money directly is better than entrusting it in the hands of the state governments, I think is something we should commend him about.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Lagos State Government has announced that the State is ready to comply with the Supreme Court judgement on the use of hijab by female pupils and students in Lagos schools.

In July 2022, the Supreme Court had dismissed an appeal by the Lagos State Government and upheld the use of hijab in Lagos schools.

Lagos State Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola, announced the state’s readiness through a circular he issued and signed on behalf of the government on Monday, December 5, 2022.

“It’s hereby notified for general information that the supreme court judgment SC/910/2016 delivered on the 17th of June 2022 on the use of Hijab as it affects pupils/students in Lagos State schools has delivered that the students should be allowed to wear the hijab if desired,” the circular read in part.

Mr Muri-Okunola stated that a comprehensive guidelines on the use of hijab will be issued to all agencies of the government in due course.

He added that, “you are to note that the judgement is binding on all schools in the State.

“As a law-abiding administration, all accounting officers are to note the contents of this circular for immediate compliance and give it the deserved service-wide publicity,” He said.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Aminu Muhammad Adamu, the detained critic of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has apologized to Aisha Buhari and thanked the people who stood for him on social media.

Following Aminu’s release from detention, he took to his Twitter handle on Saturday to apologize to the First Lady and thank his supporters for their supports.

Aminu, a student of the Federal University Dutse, Jigawa State, was arrested for trolling Aisha Buhari on Twitter. He was then secretly arraigned and remanded at a correctional facility in Suleja, Niger State.

Aminu in his tweet said, “I would like to use this medium to express my sincere apologies to those I’ve hurt especially our mother, Aisha Buhari it was never my intention to hurt your feelings and insha Allah I will change for the better. However, I’m also grateful for your forgiveness, thank u mama😊🤝.”

Aminu also thanked those who supported him in another tweet. He noted that his ordeals amount to a lessons for everyone

“I would also like to use this medium to express my heartfelt gratitude toward those that helped me go through the darkest hours of my life, man cannot escape his destiny but my incidence should serve as a lesson to all of us. Thank you all and one love❤️🌹.” He said

Aminu’s arbitrary abduction and consequent detention was condemned by international human rights organizations, media influencers and many people nationwide.