News

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, said he will grant scholarships to outstanding students if elected president.

Mr Kwankwaso made the promise while addressing mammoth crowd at the inauguration of the Kano State NNPP office on Sunday.

“Those of you supposed to be in primary school will have access to free education, the university students will be back to school, while outstanding secondary students stand the opportunity for scholarship in both Nigeria and foreign universities,” he said.

Commenting on his chances of winning the presidential election, he told the crowd that he will defeat candidates of the the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

“This crowd signifies the need and urge for new leadership, not only in the state but the country at large. The biggest surprise will come when our party, the NNPP wins the 2023 presidential election, God willing,” he concluded.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Federal government intervened in the struggle for ownership of the Dangote cement factory in Obajana, Kogi State, on Monday.

The Federal Government intervened following the shutdown of the factory by the Kogi State government over the issue of ownership and allegation of tax evasion.

A reliable source in the Presidency confirmed the meeting at the Office of Chief of Staff to the President in the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

It was learned that the meeting had in attendance the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).

It said that the management of Dangote Group has concluded a plan to drag the state government to the court over its legality.

It was alleged that the vigilante members in the state stormed the factory and many of the company’s staff were wounded in the process.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) promised to end its strike after meeting the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbanjabiamila.

The union, which has been on strike since February 14, disclosed this yesterday after meeting with Gbanjabiamila and some ASUU members.

The lecturers down tools to press their demand home which include the Federal Government’s failure to meeting the agreements reached with the union.

The meeting was a last-minute move to persuade the striking union and came after the Court of Appeal, Abuja, on Friday intructed the union to call off its incessant strike.

Gbanjabiamila said, “This is a recap to seal the deal on what has been a long-fought battle; a long hard road for everybody – for ASUU, the students and the government.

“As you would recall, some weeks ago the House got involved in this crisis and we had long, tough, intense meetings with ASUU.

“We had meetings with those on the government side and we are happy to report that as the result of the consultation and intervention of the House, very significant progress has been made and we are more or less at the end of the road save for dotting some “I”s and crossing some “T”s.

“I believe we have covered ground, covered most of the thorny issues and it is basically, what we have agreed with ASUU is basically to put everything on paper and sign off. I believe if we had met yesterday and the papers had been drawn up, ASUU, I am sure, would have called off the strike today.

“But we only just met behind closed doors now and so we have to draw up the agreement as I have stated to you, and hopefully in the next couple of days, of course, ASUU has to get back to its bases as well. Once that is agreed, I am very hopeful and very excited about the possibility or probability the strike would be called off in a matter of days.”

“We did this for the sake of our students and children and I hope it would be a thing of the past. I thank you very much, ASUU. I also thank Nigerians for their patience, and the students, having endured these many months. But I believe that this has hopefully come to an end in a matter of days.”

The ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, commended the House leadership for its intervention.

He said, “If the way the National Assembly has intervened; if you have done that long ago from the beginning, or those who are in charge of labour and education have done exactly this, we will not be where we are today.”

By Uzair Adam Imam

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the conferment of the national honour on Ass. Prof. Sheikh Sani Umar Rijiyar Lemo in the rank of OON (Officer of the Order of the Niger).

However, the conferment of honour was disclosed in a letter to the sheikh dated October 7th, 2022, by Sen. George Akume, fnim.

Rigiyar Lemo is a Senior Lecturer at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), and also a prominent Islamic scholar in Nigeria with expertise in Hadith and Tafsir. His numerous authored books are being read in many mosques and circles of learning in Nigeria and beyond.

Popularly known As Dr Sani Umar R/Lemo, he was born in Saudi Arabia in 1970. He bagged 1st, 2nd and 3rd degree in Hadith in the reknowned Jami’atul Islam of Madina. He established name as the successor of Sheikh Ja’afar’s tafsir in Kano, Maiduguri and Bauchi State respectively. His popular weekly radio program “Fatawowin Rahama” endears him the love of millions of people who see him as peace ambassador.

The honor was in recognition of his tremendous contributions towards developing Nigeria through his teachings and enlightenment to ensure peace in the country.

The letter read in part: “I have the honour to formally inform you that the President of Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Muhamadu Buhari, GCFR, has approved the conferment of the National Honour on you, in the rank of OON (Officer of the Order of the Niger).

The investiture ceremony is scheduled to take place at the International Conference Center (ICC), Abuna on Tuesday, 11th October, 2022, at 9:00 am.”

By Muhammadu Sabiu

Reports reaching The Daily Reality have indicated that residents and drivers were in a panic on Monday as fuel shortages hit many filling stations in Kaduna State and the surrounding area.

Many petrol stations had long lines of vehicles, and this forced buses drivers and commercial motorcycle riders to increase transportation costs by 50%.

Madam Ashatu Suleiman, a local, claimed that it cost her N150 to move from Sabon Tasha to Kaduna Central Market, where she sells food, adding that she paid N200 this evening as she was heading home.

According to a report, the cost of transportation from Kaduna to Zaria has jumped from N800 to N1,000.

Many people feared that the state’s fuel shortage was caused by floods in Kogi, which made it difficult for fuel trucks to pass.

The Kogi flood, according to Mr. Samuel Ebiko, station manager of Enyoojo filling station, has nothing to do with the Kaduna station’s gasoline shortage.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Uknown shooters descended on the Butura Community of Plateau State and killed two village heads and two other residents.

Batura is a community in Kulias village in the Bokko Local Government Area of the state.

It was gathered that the tragic incident happened around 9:00 pm on Sunday.

The victims were Mataru Mahwash, 67 (village head), Mallan Amalam, 50 (village head), Ishaya Fompun, 50 and Daniel Ishaya, 22.

One of the residents, Josiah, who reported to have lost his brother, told journalists that the attackers were in dozens.

“Dozens of armed men stormed our community at about 9:00 pm, last night. As a result, four persons including my elder brother, Mr. Mataru Mahwash were killed.

“Upon hearing the heavy gunfire by the attackers, everyone including myself scampered for safety in the nearby bushes until the shootings were over. On our return, I found my elder brother and three others in a pool of blood.

“Our people are in serious state of mourning. They are uncertain of what would befall them next,” he said.

The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Plateau State Command, Alabo Alfred, confirmed the attack to journalists in the state.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

A Nigerian lady, Aisha Abubakar Hassan, has emerged as the second-position winner in the just concluded sixth edition of the Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Holy Qur’an Competition for women in Dubai. 

Fifty countries participated in the competition that was held from the 1st to the 7th of October at the Dubai Culture and Science Society.

Aindati Sisi from Senegal came first, while Aisha Abubakar Hassan from Nigeria and Shima Anfal Tabani from Algeria took the second and third places, respectively.

According to the organisers, the participants were women Quran memorisers with mastery of tajweed. They also have to be under 25 years old. 

The first position-winner received 250,000 dirhams; the second got 200,000 dirhams, and the third 150000 dirhams. Other participants who performed brilliantly in the competition were also handsomely rewarded.  

The Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award, DIHQA, hosts and organises the event for women worldwide annually.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, disclosed that it has intercepted 2.4 million tramadol pills from Pakistan at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport in Lagos

NDLEA Spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, announced the seizure of the drug in a statement released on Sunday, October 9, 2022.

According to the spokesperson, the drugs were intercepted by the agency’s operatives at the Murtala Muhammad International Airport on Friday

He also said the drug weighs 2,356kg and the value is estimated to be 1.4 billion naira

“Desperate attempts by the tramadol drug cartel to smuggle into Nigeria over two million four hundred and sixty-five thousand (2, 465, 000) tablets of the pharmaceutical opioid in 225mg and 250mg, weighing two thousand, three hundred and fifty six kilograms (2,356kgs) with an estimated street value of one billion, forty million naira (N1, 040, 000, 000) through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA, Ikeja Lagos have been foiled by operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (NDLEA),” the statement reads.

The NDLEA Chairman, Buba Marwa, commended the officers for their great works and advised them to remain “steadfast, resolute and unrelenting until the last gram of illicit drugs is taken away from the streets of Nigeria”

By Uzair Adam Imam

The Minister of Interior, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, said he would meet with the state governors to agree on the mass release of inmates in the country’s custodial centres.

The Minister said the meeting would lead to the mass release of about 30 per cent of inmates from custodial centres across the country.

Aregbesola made this known when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

The Daily Reality reckons that the reason of the mass release is unconnected with the conjection in most of the country’s costodial centers.

However, the minister said the interface was necessary as more than 90 percent of the inmates were being held for contravening state laws.

He said, “I have written to the Nigerian Governors Forum to allow me to come and address them on how they can support the process of decongestion.

“Because the governors must buy into this system for us to do a massive decongestion, especially of Awaiting Trial Inmates.

“If we get the buy-in of state judicial authorities and the government of the states, we can pull out 30 percent of those who are there,” he said.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Reports from Lagos indicate that the supporters of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) roamed the state’s major roads and caused a gridlock. 

The supporters were said to have taken the streets as a solidarity rally for the candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

The former Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Musiliu Akinsanya, announced on Sunday. 

He said, “Many vehicles struggled to make their way as the crowd occupied a significant portion of the road.

The Daily Reality recalls that this is coming after the supporters of the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, marched on various streets of Lagos last week.

However, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenged the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) for not having a valid presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections. 

The National Publicity Secretary, PDP, Debo Ologunagba, disclosed this on Saturday while addressing the party’s conference on Saturday. 

However, the challenge appeared to have been unfavourable and did not sit well with the APC and Tinubu supporters.