By Nasidi ibrahim Saaal

Chairman/Chief Executive of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Retd) has urged political parties to make drug integrity test part of the screening requirements for aspirants seeking to contest political offices in the 2023 elections on their platforms.

Marwa stated this while responding to questions from journalists at the 2022 First Quarter Best Performing Commands Awards ceremony at the Agency’s national headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday 27th 2022. 

According to him, for politicians, we have long advocated and I take the opportunity again to repeat the advocacy that when they run for public office it demands a lot of responsibility from the person and we need to be certain if he’s a person that is already a drug addict/user who will spend all the money he’s given for public service to consume cocaine and his head will not be in a stable condition to handle the affairs he has been entrusted with. For this reason, we have advocated and will continue to advocate that drug test be conducted for politicians; some state governments like Kano state is already doing this.

“Not just politicians, but government appointees, and I’ve just sent a letter this morning to the National Chairman of APC, who will be the first of the national working committee I wish to pay an advocacy visit on this issue. I recommended that drug tests be incorporated in the screening process for all those interested in running for public office; we’ll do the same to the PDP and other important parties.”

While addressing officers and men of the Agency present at the event, Gen. Marwa said the ceremony has become part and parcel of our corporate culture. Recognizing and rewarding hard work and excellence has always been a pragmatic way of stimulating productivity and enhancing the attainment of organisational goals; making it a tradition for the Agency is our way of enshrining meritocracy in the system.

“Statistics from the first quarter (Q1) report, indicated that our performance level has not dropped off. Indeed, achieving 3, 539 arrests, 677 convictions and seizures of 65, 916 kg of drugs in three months is no mean feat. Little wonder our performance continually earns the Agency deserved accolades from the right quarters within the country as well as from abroad, especially from international partners and peers. While we have not yet achieved the utopia of a drug-free society, the results showed that we are getting it right.”  

He told the officers that the awards and commendations are expected to will spur them to surpass their current feats at the next awards ceremony. The ceremony should be a poignant reminder for us not to forget where we are coming from. And there is no better way to say it other than for us to be mindful of the saying that success has a hundred fathers, but failure is always an orphan. No organisation would understand this adage better than NDLEA in the light of our past rock bottom experience. Therefore, we should all be mindful that we hold the fate of NDLEA in our hands, and that fate will be determined by our patriotism and dedication to duty, as well as our collective resolve to work towards the attainment of the Agency’s mandate. 

“Let me also seize this occasion to remind you about the importance of propagating the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme in your various commands. There is much we can achieve when our communities are working hand-in-hand with us. That is why our roadmap, the NDCMP 2021-2025, strongly emphasises collaboration with all the stakeholders in society. We have to woo members of society to work with us on this very important assignment. Therefore, I charge you to ensure that WADA is correctly and deeply entrenched in the spheres of operation of your respective commands, he stated. 

While assuring the officers that the Agency is proud of them, he said the sacrifice of a narcotic officer cannot be quantified in gold or silver, for he is fulfilling a higher calling. As we go about our duty of securing our society against the corrosion of illicit drugs, we should be aware that we are the direct beneficiaries of our work because for every kilo of drugs seized, we are making our streets and society safer for our children, family and kinsmen.

NDLEA is proud of its workforce; the Agency treasures the effort of its officers and men; the management shall continue to look out for their best interest. We shall continue to reward hard work and excellence.”

By Nasidi ibrahim Saaal

Niger State High Court has awarded N1 billion damages against the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The sum is awarded against the organisations over the blockade of some roads in September 2021. The members had blocked Bida-Lambata, Bida-Minna and Lambata-Minna Roads, all in Niger State.

Consequently, a non-governmental organisation, NGO, Dan Amajiri Initiative, filed a case against the organisations that powered the blockage of the roads, protesting over the deplorable condition of the roads and claiming damages.

The group said that the damages were for the inconveniences to the lives of the general public, especially road users, caused by the gridlock that lasted for about three days on the aforementioned roads.

In his judgment, Justice Abdullahi Mika’ilu of the Niger State High Court II ordered the award of N500 million for exemplary damage and another N500 million for economic hardship against the road transport workers.

However, the judge of the court struck out the fourth to the sixth respondent; the Niger State government, the governor, and the attorney-general of the state, respectively, joined in the case.

By Muhammad Sabiu

Mehdi Hassan, a political journalist, author and show presenter at MSNBC TV has in a 6-minutes video news report exposed how the Indian government appears to be complicit with far-right fanatics in persecuting and bullying non-Hindi Indians.

This is coming amidst far-right movements in major world countries, including France, where Le Pen, the presidential candidate who contested in the recently concluded election, lost to her archrival, Emmanuel Macron, due to what many people attributed as her far-right political views against Muslims in France.

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who has been in office since 2014, has been accused of openly promoting Hindu Nationalist Supremacist Ideology, which aims at segregating Muslims, Christians and other non-Hindi faithful.

The ideology being championed by Narendra’s political party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could, according to scholars and observers, lead to genocide.

According to the TV presenter, Mehdi Hasan, “minorities” in the Indian Muslim and Christian communities are facing the greatest threat since India became independent.

Mehdi recalled also that the great Mahatma Ghandi himself was assassinated by the so-called Hindu supremacists, who believe India belongs to them.

Recall that the Daily Reality has reported that, during the Hindu celebration of Ram Navmi early this month, Muslims in many Indian states were reportedly scared as crowds marched through their towns, shouting anti-Muslim slogans and destroying their property.

This is what prompted the forum of Nigerian Ulama to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to rescind his Neo-Nazi ideology and embrace democracy as envisioned by India’s founding fathers.

In a statement released by the Forum of Ulama, the preachers lamented: “India claims to be a democratic secular State, but in the actual sense it is an undemocratic Hindu supremacist State. There is no other modern state in the world today that oppresses over 200 million of its citizens solely on the basis of their religious beliefs, with brutal determination to strip them of their rights to exist as human beings.”

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

Godwin Emefiele, 60-year-old Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, is one of the presidential hopefuls whose ‘aspiration’ has become a surprise to some people, and admiration to some other people.

Some people were surprised when Emefiele’s name popped up among the presidential hopefuls. This class of people thought that as an experienced economist heading Nigeria’s apex bank, Emefiele should concentrate on his job of formulating monetary policies, controlling inflation, and managing other economic fluctuations, while championing innovation to ensure the nation’s economic and financial stability.

On the other hand, the people who see Emefiele as a strong candidate believe that with the remarkable successes of the programs and schemes initiated or being implemented by Emefiele; if as president of Nigeria he will not only expand them but will also apply his wealth of experience as a development finance expert to stimulate the economy via other economic programs that will reflect on local needs in line with global trends. This group of people always cite schemes like the anchor borrower program- which has successfully created economic linkages between smallholder farmers and reputable companies involved in the production and processing of key agricultural commodities and the COVID-19 intervention that has cushioned the adverse effects of COVID-19 on households and MSMEs.

In the last five years, the CBN under Emefiele has disbursed over N114.09 billion to support the fertilizer industry- Nigeria had seven Fertilizer blending plants in 2016, and only four were operational. As of today, there were 62 functioning blending plants. These and many economic policies and progress are the ladders these people stand on to cheer Emefiele on, as a strong aspirant. There are reports that many farmers in the north, especially rice farmers have termed their successes as ‘Emefiele’.

Furthermore, political pundits are of the view that Emefiele’s candidature can be a very important political balancer for the APC ahead of the 2023 presidency game. Firstly, no camp in the Southwest will feel cheated with the Emefiele candidature since he directly doesn’t belong to any of them; but can be incorporated into any camp seamlessly.

Secondly, Emefiele from Ika South, Agbor region of Delta State, SouthSouth Nigeria, can also be linked to the cousins of the Igbos in the Southeast. This will to some extent calm the nerves of the advocates of the Igbo presidency and achieve geopolitical equity. For example. Goodluck Jonathan’s presidency was a stabilizing force in the southeast’s politics and social order.  Some political pundits believe that Emefiele, as president can also play that role, now that the Southeast is in agitation for the presidential seat. 

The time has come for Emefiele to officially declare whether he will contest or not. This is very important to clear the air- politics or CBN Governor.  If Emefiele will not contest- let him continue with his task as the driver of Nigeria’s monetary policies and other important roles of the CBN. However, if he decides to contest – this will be a big one in the field of the 2023 presidency game in the APC- already groups like the Emefiele Support Group and Arewa Alliance for the Presidency of Godwin Emefiele (AAPGE) have reached out to many quarters in the country campaigning for Emefiele.

So, what remains for Emefiele is political alliances, negotiation, and courting- this will be easy for him because of his privileged position. However, he also needs to understand that politics is not Development Finance. It is a game where a primary school dropout can teach or even ‘scold’ a Central Bank Governor!

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja via zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Uzair Adam Imam

A Nigerian based Islamic organisation, Ulama Forum, has called on the Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to rescind his Neo-Nazi ideology and embrace democracy as envisioned by India’s founding fathers.

The forum urged Modi and other stakeholders in the country to take concrete action to mitigate violence against Muslims to promote peaceful coexistence.

This was contained in a release jointly signed and issued Tuesday by the forum secretary, Engineer Basheer Adamu Aliyu, and its convener, Aminu Inuwa Muhammad.

The Daily Reality gathered that Muslims in several Indian states had been terrorised as mobs came out in processions, making hate speeches and attacking their properties during the Hindu festival of Ram Navmi.

The escalation of violence against the minority communities, particularly Muslims, has recently seen a steep increment, making it hard for the Ulama Forum to believe India is a democratic secular country.

The statement also called on the Indian Muslims to hold on to their faith and avail the rest of the Indian population of the benefits of Islamic justice.

The statement reads: “They should hold on to their faith and avail the rest of the Indian population with the benefits of Islamic justice, which restrains Muslims from overreacting against all provocations.”

“Indian Muslims should use every constitutional window available to them to seek redress on the excesses committed against them by Hindu extremists.”

“Indian press, especially those who believe in democracy and universal human values and who are immune to sectarian tendencies, should continue with the good works of fair and truthful reportage, which will promote justice and fairness to all,” the statement added.

Muslims at knifepoint in India

The statement also lamented that India has been witnessing sporadic violence targeted at its large number of Muslims promoted by the Neo-Nazi BJP Government for the past decade.

It stated that “The most recent of which is during a Hindu religious ceremony which was marked by thousands of youth marching into Muslim dominated areas, brandishing guns and swords, using public address system to prevent Muslims from concentrating in worship inside their mosques.”

“Whenever Muslims react in any way, a combined disproportionate force is used on them with Hindu citizens using guns and the India Police arresting mostly Muslims who are the victims of the violence.”

You cannot eliminate Islam

The statement taunted that it is unwise for any Indian to think of eliminating Muslims in the country, let alone Islam.

India has over 200 million Muslims, ranking the country as having the second-largest number of Muslims globally.

“It is, therefore, perplexing how anyone can think of eliminating such,” the statement concluded.

– Newsbriefs

Russian courts have fined TikTok and Meta for failing to delete LGBTQ+ content. Meta was fined 4mn rubles by a court in Moscow. The US tech giant had failed to remove content that ‘promoted LGBTQ+ rights’, ruled the judges. 

TikTok was also fined 2mn rubles in another trial for a similar violation. LGBTQ+ advocacy, such as gay pride marches, and the pride flag, are banned in Russia.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari.

The Government of Yobe State has distributed laptops to facilitate learning for indigenes of the state at the Nigerian Law School. 

The laptops were distributed to the students through the office of Yobe’s State Scholarship Board on Tuesday, April 26, 2022. 

Maimu Giwa, one of the beneficiaries, disclosed told The Daily Reality that the government also promised them school fees but was constrained due to a lack of funds. 

“But initially, the plan was that the laptops would be given to us along with school fees and wardrobe allowance, but due to financial issues, they only gave us some part of the money, and that was since November last year,” she said.

By Sumayyah Auwal Ishaq

The management of Kaduna State University (KASU), Kaduna, has decided to back out of the ongoing strike embarked upon by the Association of Staff of Universities Union (ASUU) as the resumption date for academic activities is announced.

The resumption notice, which is contained in a statement by the institution’s Academic Secretary, Barrister Abdullahi Zubairu, said that “the University will continue its academic activities for the Second Semester, 2020/2021 Academic Session on Monday 9th May 2022”. 

The Daily Reality learnt that the management has decided to resume in order to avoid stoppage of salary from the Kaduna State Government. The ASUU Chapter in KASU may likely clash with the management about the new development in the institution. 

Recall that ASUU has condemned the Federal Government’s handling of the negotiation on its demands and nonchalant attitude towards the ongoing strike.

By Muhammad Sabiu

In a vicious fire battle along Orlu – Orsu Road on April 25, 2022, troops of the Nigerian Army’s 34 Artillery Brigade eliminated two gunmen and apprehended four other members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed affiliate, Eastern Security Network (ESN).

This is contained in a Facebook statement signed by Onyema Nwachu (Brigadier General), the Director of Army Public Relations, via the verified handle of the Nigerian Army.

The statement read, “The troops, while on routine patrol, made contact with elements of IPOB/ESN around the general area of Aluminium Company and All Saints Church. On sighting the patrol team, the criminal elements opened fire and launched [a] grenade attack on the troops. The vigilant troops responded with superior firepower neutralizing two of the criminal elements, compelling others to flee in disarray. 

“In a hot pursuit that followed the encounter, troops arrested four of the fleeing gunmen and recovered one AK 47 rifle, two magazines, one Police grenade launcher, two Baofeng communication radios, five mobile phones, one IPOB Beret, two Motorcycles, four SIM cards, five wallets containing different ID cards, afrodisiac [sic], charms and the sum of Sixteen Thousand Four Hundred and Sixty Naira only.”

The southeastern part of the country, which houses the secessionist Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been experiencing the violent activities of the Biafran agitators over the years.

By Aliyu Nuhu

The British Queen does not need to steal public funds. She was born rich and will never need to work or hold public office for her to live a comfortable life. This includes generations of her family, including the unborn.

The Queen had inherited private income that includes money from private estates, such as Sandringham and Balmoral Castle, and her personal investment portfolio. She even pays personal income tax to the British government running into millions of Pounds.

She also has 18,000 hectares of property, land and other assets in England and Wales. The income from the assets is called the Privy Purse and is used for the upkeep of the Queen’s private and official expenditure. In 2013, the profit from the Duchy was 19 million pounds.

Way back in 1760, King George III cut a deal with parliament to hand over the Crown Estate — a large portfolio of land and property now worth $15 billion, which includes most of the U.K.’s seabed, Regent Street in London and Buckingham Palace – to the Treasury. As part of this deal, the Monarch is entitled to a share of the profits of the Crown Estate. The Queen now receives the Sovereign Grant from the Treasury, which consists of 15% of the profits from the Crown Estate. In 2019, the Queen received $61 million, which goes to paying for royal travels, investitures, garden parties and the upkeep of official residences like Buckingham Palace.

Technically speaking the British Government does not spend a penny from taxpayers money on the Queen.

Moreover, the British Prime minister earns a salary of roughly 151,451 pounds annually, an equivalent of about 71m naira per annum. The PM takes care of himselt from the salaries including food except during state banquet where such bills are paid by the government.

On the other hand, the Nigerian president goes home with roughly 8m as salary. But President Buhari has “”magnanimously” slashed his salary by over 50% which brings down his take home to about 3m roughly. But that is not the end of the story.

The Nigerian president does not feed himself. Billions of Naira are budgeted for his food, drinks, clothes, electronics, furniture, cooking utensils and fuels. It is safe to say the salaries of a Nigerian leader is vague and unspecified. Only God knows how much is spent to maintain the president.

Similarly, the Nigerian traditional rulers on the other hand gave zero wealth to the states. The monies they squandered on luxurious lifestyles belong to LGs and State governments which by effect makes them lazy and economic parasites.

There is no need in going into the salaries of legislature at federal and state levels. We all know our bureaucracy is the costliest in the world with overhead that will never allow Nigeria grow. Unless we reduce the evil cost of governance and use the money for critical infrastructure, this nation will continue to run in circles.