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The National Rescue Movement (NRM) is urging Nigerians to use this year’s Eid-el-Kabir to imbibe life of total trust in the Almighty God in all spheres of life.

The Eid-el-Kabir celebrations offered man great lessons on selflessness and absolute trust in God, as exemplified in the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

We hereby call on all compatriots to use the occasion to pray for our party NRM, the nation, reach out and share with the less privileged, the deprived as well as victims of escalated insecurity in various parts of the country. and the recent flood victims.

Also charges leaders in all walks of life, including public office holders, faith-based and community leaders, captains of industry and employers of labour to note that their positions are bestowed on them by God for service to humanity, and for which they must give account.

Its necessary to use this medium to inform all NRM members across the globe that the 2023 General Election Review is on going at the level of National Management Committee (NRM – NMC) whereby every complaint and allegation concerning some of our candidates and majorly what transpired during the Presidential election is been scrutinised.

Be rest assured that justice will be served accordingly as no matter shall be swept under the carpet. We are also looking into every action and inaction within the ranks and files of the party.

This is the best way to redirect our party NRM to the parth of greatness.

Let us continue to pray for the unity, peace, stability and development of the nation, while wishing Nigerians, particularly the Muslim community, a happy Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

Sola Afuye
National Publicity Secretary
National Rescue Movement (NRM)

Happy Eid el Kabir  to all Muslim faithful in Nigeria and all around the World. This is a time to remind ourselves of the need for love for one another and the need to seek peace with all men and, most importantly, to look after one another. Especially in our nation that so many citizens have been going through a lot lately. From poor new Naira notes rolled out, to poor subsidy removal, from hikes in standard of living, and of course a high expense of daily  survival.

As citizens of the great nation called Nigeria, we must do our best to be our brothers helpers in the face of these hostilities, inflation, high cost of living, poverty in the land, hardship, joblessness. Cashlessness and hunger; like Nigerians have never seen before.

Our country is a nation where we have everything but we lack everything, a nation of oil but has the highest price of gas in her country, a nation of so much human resources but the people struggle in the midst of it all. A nation of love, but hatred overtakes the land,  a nation of giants, but giants struggle like weakling, a people that work like lions but eat like ants.

Those in our government, especially our newly elected leaders starting from the President, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu down to the Senators, Honourables in House of Representatives and State House of Assemblies, State Governors, Local Government Chairmen and every elected officials; must do so much to change the narrative of African giants that is crawling to eat, struggling to feed, a hungry nation. Nigeria today is one of the poorest nations on earth. A  nation that was once feeding neighbouring countries and beyond. A nation the world once used to come to, but now turned to a nation its citizens are daily looking for a way to escape.

This Eid-el-Kabir celebration must remind us of the basis for religion, to bring hope to the hopeless and life to the  lifeless, to bring help to the needy and peace to to the troubled citizens.

Those in government in the past have so much mismanaged the resources of the nation, and it is time to turn the table and change the narrative.

It is time for Nigerians to for once to say, “yes we have a government”, this administration is still new and there is not much yet to say about it.

But I want to use this festive period to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu that Nigerians are going through a lot, the president must do his best to come to the rescue of Nigerians, he must do all it takes to bring hope back to Nigerians again. We must start rebuilding our dilapidated nation, bad roads, insecurity, kidnapping; as a result of hunger must be tackled not with guns but with jobs, and enabling environment to survive, that will turn the players away from those evil acts, a hungry man will steal, a hungry man will kill, will do anything to survive. It’s the survival instincts that makes many commit havoc in our nation. And if government can create jobs and better life for Nigerians; all these anomalies are definitely going to drop to bearest  minimum.

President Tinubu must not allow corruption to continue in public office. A nation that must succeed must fight corruption and bring it to the lowest minimum. A nation that wants to fight corruption must punish offenders and not reward them with medical treatments abroad. Until people start paying for corruption and we start  punishing offenders, our dear nation won’t move forward and people won’t have faith in the government

. 

Every elected officials must take governance seriously and not just seen as a place to enrich themselves, but call to service. 

Our nation has been destroyed by corruption. Those we trusted with our treasury have looted it all, those we trusted with power have overpowered us and it is time for this next generation of leaders to start rising up to rebuild our nation. We must be sincere to fight poverty and bring better life to Nigerians once again. We must create suitable environment for business to strive.

Youths must be made a priority with the government creating jobs that reduced unemployment and getting our able youths back to the workforce. Our working force is daily migrating away in millions. 

Every policy of this government must be geared towards alleviating poverty for Nigerian people, reducing and totally eradicating hunger in the land. 

Yes, we can 

Yes, it is possible .Yes, we can achieve this if we put our might at it.

We Must look for the good of our nation. We must all as citizens too, play our part as all of us have a role to play if this Nation must succeed. every where we find ourselves we must do things with the consciousness of God who sees us even when no one sees us. We must love our country and think of what we can do for it to succeed, not just what only our country can do for us: every Nigerian, both home and in diaspora, must seek the success of our nation, and we must all contribute to its survival. I believe that someday Nigeria will still be great again. 

Happy Eid-el-Kabir to all Muslim faithful in Nigeria and all around the World.

And May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Signed:

Faduri Oluwadare Joseph 

Former Presidential Aspirant Labor Party Leader

Rescue Movement for New Nigeria (RMNN)

By Adewole Sanusi

An Islamic group called the Imams For Peace and Unity has expressed confidence and admiration for the leadership style of President Bola Ahmad Tinubu and his deputy, Kashim Shettima .

In a press release on Tuesday, May 20 2023, the Leader of the group, Sheik Abubakar Musa Muhammad, it was satisfied with the proactive steps taken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu  led government to reposition the  dwindling  economy and the country at large.

The group  added it  watched  with keen interest  the body language of the Mr.President  discovered  his  passion and commitment to work as well as  deliver dividends of democracy to the common man in the streets subsequently it is  convinced that  the President as very good plans for progress and development of the country .

The Islamic group said that it noticed  that all action taken by the President, so far, from the removal of petroleum subsidy;  to signing of significant Bills that touch on lives of the ordinary citizenry into law to opening of the borders and balanced appointments , Tinubu is fully prepared for the highly coveted number seat .

The statement by the leader of the group added that 

” It  is against this background that as religious leaders under the umbrella of  Imams  for Peace and Unity,  held a meeting and resolved to commend the President for identifying  the problems  and fighting the battle of restoration from those agents of destruction that looted the nation common wealth.

“We want to categorically state here that that sacking of all the Service Chiefs is long overdue .It regrettable that despite the huge amount of money pumped into fighting banditry and Boko Haram , Nigerians are still leaving in fears of the unknown.

Similarly, the Islamic body also defended the actions and utterances of Vice President Shettima during the campaign for be comes the Senate President .

According to Sheik Muhammed, Shettima was right to have supported a Christian Southerner for the post of number man adding that the Vice President was also misquoted when he was alleged to said that  “under the current dispensation, the worst incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim for the Presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

“it is apparently clear that he was  misquoted out of context ,hence our resolve as a Northern based Islamic group to  defend Vice President, Kashim Shettima,a good Muslim  and commend his efforts to ensure that a  Christian Senate President emerged in the interest  of justice and fairness in line with tenets of Islam.

It further noted that the Vice President had done much for Islam than many politicians,

“From information gathered , Senator

 Shettima has contributed to Islam more than any other Governor in Nigeria since 1999 in terms of the kind of situation he found himself during the heat of Boko Haram war. The criticisms against are  baseless .

The bitter Truth is that most of  those criticizing him today , couldn’t even stay in Borno during the  battle with Boko Haram insurgents, when he was a constant target of terrorists . 

Infans advocacy initiative international is extremely saddened over the sudden passing away of one of her patrons and the chairman of Daar communication plc, owner of AIT/Raypower 100 . 5 fm, High Chief Raymond Aleogho Dokpesi. A caring father, visionary leader, media mogul and philanthropist. Society thirsts for courageous individuals like high Chief Raymond who are authentically expressing the qualities of love and service to humanity, not drive n by self- promotion, but by any one knocking in need at his door.

High Chief combined a fierce devotion to national development with love for mankind. Those of us who are privileged to meet him were enriched by his simplicity and principles. He was highly sought after by many organizations as he gave his best to help them achieve their short-term and long-term goals.

History will always remember you for the key role you played in transforming the media industry in Nigeria in your life time. You have left an indelible mark for generations yet unborn to see and applaud.
Nigeria and the world will miss you.

Adieu Legend!

Management/ Officials, Infans advocacy Initiative International, IAI Nigeria

Sabo Dana

Mah

….

The Northern Emancipation Network (NEN) has descended hard on a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba for demanding the removal of Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmoud Yakubu by President Bola Tinubu, describing it as frustration of a bad loser.

Attributing Agbakoba’s demand to symptoms of irritation of the electoral defeat suffered by his Labour Party, the Northern Network advised him to seek lessons in political tolerance, and sportsmanship.

A statement issued by the Network’s Chairman, Sulaiman Abbah, said it is unfortunate that Agbakoba, a SAN, from whom ordinary sanity and decency are expected, should be so blinded by prejudice as not to acknowledge the almost universal recognition of the February 2023 election as most credible, free and fair.

The Group wondered how a Senior Advocate would stoop so low as to make remarks that potentially ridicules the respected legal profession and falsely attempt to review, rewrite and distort facts.

“How can anybody in his right senses, fail to see credibility and fairness in an election in which Bola Tinubu for instance, lost his major enclave of Lagos, or where Buhari, a sitting president at that time, lost his two main catchment states of Katsina and Kaduna, ” Abbah quarried in the statement.

He recounted that only in the most credibly conducted election process could seven serving Nigerian state governors lose bids to the Senate while in Kaduna and Kano for instance, the ruling All Progressives Congress lost almost all their Senate seats to the opposition.

“It is ridiculous, unfortunate and embarrassing that Agbakoba and his ilk would not be fair as to see the simple fairness in an election that saw for instance, the ruling APC lost the governorship offices of Kano and Zamfara States to the opposition.

“Without the need to give people like Agbakoba any reason to feel important, we join the vast majority of responsible Nigerians and the civilized global community in acknowledging that the elections conducted by Mahmud remain the most fair, free and credible in the recent history of Nigeria’s political development, ” Abbah said.

ENDS

By: Zuwaira Dalhat

A former Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, had advised President Bola Tinubu to fire Yakubu.

Agbakoba had praised key decisions already taken by the Tinubu administration, including the sack of CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, as well as EFCC chairman, Bawa Abdulrasheed and the uniform exchange rate. He asked Tinubu to take a step forward and sack Yakubu.

But in a statement made available to journalists on Saturday by the National President of the Igbo group, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, he urged Tibunu not to throw away the baby with the bath water.

Okwu said though he agreed with Agbakoba on the other decisions taken by the Tinubu presidency, there was no need for Yakubu’s sack at this material time.

He was of the view that “despite the shortcomings we witnessed during the 2023 general elections, it was one of the best elections ever conducted in Nigeria history.

“In the same election conducted by Yakubu, we had sitting governors lose elections across the country; we had popular National Assembly members lose election. This did not happen before in the country’s election.

“We are not making excuses for the lapses during the elections, but it is wrong to totally disparage the efforts of the commission.

“There is no perfect election in any part of the world, even the United States, which prides itself as the capital of world democracy.”

Okwu further advised that any attempt to remove Yakubu at this time was ill-timed, stressing that “aggrieved candidates are before the election tribunals ventilating their anger; how then can we remove the INEC chairman on whose table the bulk stops?

“Yakubu should be allowed to remain as the INEC helmsman at least pending the conclusion of the cases.”

He further advised that efforts should be made to improve on the gains made during the 2023 general elections.

By : Faduri Oluwadare Joseph 

OPEN MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT TINUBU

While so many Nigerians are praising the Student loan policy that President Tinubu is introducing to the Nigerian educational system whereby students0062352805 can take a loan after gaining admission to attend institutions of higher learning and then repay in 2yrs after graduation? I am concerned it is doing the last thing first and a rushed policy to please angry Youths to buy their conscience without thinking it through.

My caution and reservations are that this step is not the first step to take in the educational sector of our Nation which has so many twists and turns and so many failures around it.

The system is setting itself up for failure 

In as much as we are building a home on no foundation.

During my Presidential campaign tour to some of our nation’s universities. I realized that many of the colleges, Polytechnic and universities we have in Nigeria are comparable to elementary schools of the developed Worlds in terms of structures, infrastructures;

Most of our schools don’t have adequate or standard classrooms, and most do not have any science labs, in the era of technology I am not sure if any of our schools can boast of modern technologies like laptops, digital blackboards for teaching, science labs, computer centers to mention a few, not to talk of stable electricity on campuses, comfortable classrooms, books in the libraries among many factors militating against our educational system especially most of the govt schools that have been relegated to worst with the advent of private schools in Nigeria.

Many Nigerian universities’ science students are learning many things from books as some of the technological equipment is nowhere to be found in many of our Govt institutions not to also mention the Jamb examination which has not been the best way of admitting students into schools all across the country, so to start overhauling the educational system by starting with student loans is an exercise in futility as this may not yield the needed results to help the lives of Youths in our Nation.

The lecturers’ unions across some of these institutions also have their issues that are yet to be taken care of by Govt as I am aware that many demands of ASUU are still there begging for resolutions so these teachers can shut down the system anytime when they feel their need is not been attended to not to finally talk of where would govt raise the money he will use to pay for these loans we talking about.

 Or are we Borrowing again to pay for student loans?

Having highlighted all these Grey areas, Had expected the govt who wants to copy the educational system of the Western developed world to start by making education free and compulsory from elementary to secondary school first and free to all Nigerians because what are the statistics of Nigerians able to send their kids to school from elementary to secondary school today? The statistics are very low, so many of our Children are roaming the streets and are uneducated. Many don’t even make it to secondary school much less colleges, if we must revive the educational system in our Nation we must start by making education affordable, free, and compulsory for all children born in Nigeria from 4yrs old to secondary school which will, in turn, help the parents to focus on other needs like accommodation and feeding of the family and even safe some money ahead of their colleges.

Secondly, we would have to set up an educational reform board to see how govt can upgrade most of our schools, and equip them to be able to meet up with modern international standards  so that we start producing graduates who can contribute to growing and creating a New Nigeria and A new economy.

After we have made education compulsory and free from kindergarten up to secondary school and after we have upgraded most of our higher institutions up to modern and international standards then bringing students loans would have been a great idea to institutions where we will now build the new tomorrow of Young Nigerians who would have the tools and environment to learn and take something to the World to contribute to our economy and country at large .infact if we create an enabling environment we can start having institutions of higher learning in Nigeria producing Nigerian locally made kinds of stuff but to start with students loan is to build something on nothing and eventually a failed policy from the beginning and a policy rushed through just to please the Youths of Nigeria not just to bring about educational advancement in our Nation.

I will appeal to the govt of President Tinubu to look through my submission and retrace his steps to embark on a complete overhaul of the educational system in Nigeria not just this fire brigade approach to solving part of it.

May God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria 

Signed:

Faduri Oluwadare Joseph 

Former Presidential Aspirant Labour Party Leader 

Rescue Movement for New Nigeria

Olije Amos

Progressive Youths Aligns With Betera, Endorsing Tajuddeen Abbas For Speaker

…..

The convener of the Progressive Youths lobby committee for Betara, arising from an emergency meeting has declared its full support behind the speakership aspiration of Rt. Hon Tajuddeen Abbas, the position was made known to members of the press by its convener Mallam Salahuddeen Shuaib Planner in a statement issued in Abuja.

Hon. Salahudeen while explaining the rationale behind the decision noted that as Democrats and true party men, they are aligning with the National leader of the party and President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who they say is a man of vision and foresight who has seen the potentials of Abbas before endorsing him for the position.

The group further said having looked at the prevailing political situation in the country and the need for cohesion and political inclusion in the polity Abbas who hails from the northwest zone and his running mate Hon Benjamin Kalu are excellent choices that will go a long way in assuaging the feelings of Nigerians who feel cheated by the current status quo.

Hon Salahudeen also called on Hon Abbas to be magnanimous in victory should he emerge as speaker and reward adequately individuals who sacrificed their political aspirations and investments to pave the way for his emergence saying that is the only way that he can gain confidence and total loyalty of the house.

The group further reiterated its loyalty to its Principal, Hon Mukhtar Aliyu Betara, who they say ran a good cause during the entire period of the race hailing him for Crisscrossing the Length and breadth of the country seeking support and further concluding that he ran an inspiring campaign that was second to none among all contenders.

They called on him to hold his head and shoulders high for the industry and ingenuity displayed during the entire process expressing optimism that there are better days ahead, the statement said.

… Insists VP was quoted out of Context

As tension is stirred up over the choice of the President of 10th Senate, Senator Shehu Sani has backed Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima on the appeal for the senators to elect a Christian to occupy the highly coveted seat against the position of Northern Elders Forum that either Islam or Christianity, should not be a deciding factor in who leads the Senate.

The northern elders had knocked Vice President Kashim Shettima for saying, “under the current dispensation, the worst incompetent Southern Christian is better than the most puritanical Northern Muslim for the Presidency of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

But in a reaction on the matter, Senator Shehu Sani via his Twitter handle explained :I watched the video clip, where the VP Shetima spoke about the comparative suitability and competence of a Northern Muslim and Southern Christian.

“My understanding is that he spoke within the context of their effort to balance the religious scale with regards to who becomes the Senate President. He is evidently making a case for a Christian Senate President in view of the lopsided religious configuration.

“With a Muslim President and VP and a Muslim Speaker and CJN,the ruling party’s only opportunity to score a balance is the Senate Presidency.If they lost this,definitely the accusation against them will be a proven case.

According to the Human Rights Activist, It was very clear that Shettima made a statement of appeal. Adding, “I viewed him as making a case for Akpabio as the only possible option left for APC to clear the air over the issue of alleged Islamization Agenda.”

He said a situation where, “The President is a Muslim;the Vice President is a Muslim , the Speaker is a Muslim, the Chief Justice of Nigeria is a Muslim is capable of creating more disharmony and certainly the reason Shettima said, the worst Southern Christian is better that a Northern Muslim as far position of Senate is concerned.”

He however said the Northern Elders must have quoted Vice President Shettima out of context. Noting ,” I didn’t see where Shettima said a Christian Senate President is better than any Northern Muslim candidate in the race.”

Shehu Sani, who said ,”Professor Ango Abdullahi as the leader the Northern Elders Forum(NEF) and Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed are respected elder statesmen, whose contributions remained invaluable on issues of National discourse and development, noted , “But on matter of the election of President of the 10th Senate ,I want our elders to see reasons for fairness, equity and justice.

” If a Christian is denied the seat of Senate President, it will only corroborate the claims of alleged Islamization Agenda.”

He therefore, urged the the 109 senators to consider a Christian to emerge as the President of the 10th Senate to avoid undue political friction and tension.