According to him, Tinubu said he does not want any part of Nigeria to be cheated.

He noted that the new airport would transform the state into a commercial hub of the South East region.

Keyamo stated this on Tuesday at the flag-off ceremony of the Abia International Airport in Nsulu, Abia State.

Abia Airport project is primarily a federal government initiative, with the state government contributing through runway upgrades.

The airport, initially an airstrip, was upgraded to an international airport.

Keyamo said, “We held Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, and when I told him I was coming, he was very glad to dispatch me to this occasion.

“It was shortly after we took office and I was briefing the president about the aviation sector that the president asked me why Abia does not have at least an airstrip.

“He told me he doesn’t want any part of this country to be cheated, and in the South East, it is only in Abia State that you cannot land an aircraft. He said, we should make sure in the 2024 budget we give Abia an airstrip.”

Keyamo said the president’s motivation is propelled by his love for the the governor. “He (Tinubu) loves his spirit. I know comments he has made about the governor of this state and how much his people here love him.

“When I called Dr. Alex Otti and broke the news to him about an airstrip, he said no. I will partner with you; I will also put in counterpart funding and let us upgrade it to an international airport. This was what happened.

“Because Abia is the heart of industrialisation of the South East, it doesn’t add up at all that the heart of industrialization of the South East doesn’t have an airport and I can tell you that there are already plans that it is not going to be only a passenger airport but a cargo airport too.”

[NaijaNews]

The Jigawa State Government says it has uncovered 6,348 ghost workers in its staff verification exercise in the state.

Mr Sagir Musa, Commissioner for Infomation, Youths, Sports and Culture, said this in a statement on Tuesday in Dutse.

He said the report of the Statewide Staff Audit Biometric Data Capture and Validation Exercise, showed that 6,348 ghost workers had been detected, allowing the government to save over N314 million monthly.

Musa said the State Executive Council had studied the report and approved the establishment of the Continuous Capture Centre (CCC) at the Office of the Head of Civil Service.

This, he said, would fast-track completion of the data capture and validation exercise, as part of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Management System (IPPMS).

“The exercise resulted in the detection of 6,348 ghost workers and significantly saved cost with an average of N314,657,342.06 per month and N3,775,888,809.72 per annum,” he said.

[DailyTrust]

The water is poisoned! The whole of the water system is tainted and absolutely unusable for its purpose,” Thomas Stockmann, medical doctor, accomplished scientist, informs the people around him. He is employed to look after the health of the people and the public baths, the mainstay of his town’s economy. It is in the course of that job that he makes a scientific discovery that the baths are dangerously polluted, and that they spread typhoid. And he says so.

Dr. Thomas Stockmann is the protagonist in Henrik Ibsen’s 1882 play, ‘An Enemy of the People’. We were taught long ago that literature is a reflection of life. We were also taught that literature is the lamp that lights the way of life, past to present – and back to the past. We were taught that drama as a mirror shows us what life truly is. Life itself is a drama, a stage on which we all fret and strut until the light goes out on us. Ibsen’s Thomas Stockmann, public enemy number one, is used here in my celebration of the near end of a particularly dramatic year, our love for false gods and our stoning of the wrong Satan.

I have skimmed through Gabriel Fallon’s ‘Prophecy in the Theatre’ (1956), his quote on drama as a member of the human life – human thought and morality. I have scanned J.C. Kamerbeek’s ‘Prophecy and Tragedy’ (1965), his discussions on dramatic structure and tragic meaning. There is a sense in which the dramatic can be prophetic.

Back to ‘An Enemy of the People’. The drama is in the plot. The setting is a coastal town in southern Norway. Authorities of the town get a hint of Dr Stockmann’s findings on their polluted water. Alarmed and agitated, they meet with him for negotiations. They ask their medical doctor to keep quiet, to shut up. The public must not hear what he is saying. It will create a panic in the town. It will hurt the town and its economy; tourists will stop coming, investors will lose money.

But this doctor is a loud-mouthed stubborn dude. He insists on speaking ‘the truth’. He thinks he has a moral obligation to protect the community from avoidable diseases, from even death.

On more than one occasion, Doctor tells the people that previous unexplained deaths are due to the poisoned water: “Last year, there were people who died from a disease that spread through the town, and I am certain that the cause of it was the poisoned water. I told you then, and I tell you now—this water will kill us all.” His decision to talk, he is certain, is the right course of action. “It is my duty to lay bare the facts in the matter. Every conscientious man must support me in this!”

But the system supports only the “moderate.” Dr Stockmann’s own brother, Peter Stockmann, is the mayor of the town. And it is this brother that openly leads the opposition against this doctor, against his discovery of the pollution and against his audacity to tell.

When the state is on your case, it doesn’t rain; it pours. The press soon shuts out our doctor. His editor friends renege on their promise to publish his findings. They claim they can’t offend their funders. The stubborn medical doctor turns to himself. He resolves to speak directly to the people “in a way that they shall understand” and “drive all the wolves out of the country.” There is a town hall meeting where Stockmann proposes to officially announce his findings: “I am telling you the truth! The entire water system is tainted. People are going to die from this. We must close the baths and have them disinfected. We must stop this typhoid epidemic before it spreads further.”

His brother, the Mayor, hijacks the town hall meeting from him. The Mayor addresses the people. He tells them that his brother’s proposal is injurious to everyone in the town. The repairs he proposes will cost ratepayers “an unnecessary expenditure of some thousand pounds.” From the crowd comes a voice suggesting that the doctor be officially declared a public enemy.

Dr Stockmann watches as the townspeople he is fighting for respond with shouts:

“Yes! Yes! He’s an enemy of the people!”

“He hates his country! He hates his own people!”

“We can’t have someone like him in our town!”

Then a motion follows from someone our medical doctor trusts as his key supporter:

“Dr. Stockmann has shown himself to be an enemy of the people. Therefore, I propose that this gathering officially declares him an enemy of the people.” The vote is by ballot; everyone votes. Dr Stockmann gets one vote – the lone vote comes from a drunk attendee, the village drunkard.

Our man is defeated, but the crowd is not satisfied with what they have done to their doctor.

“Let us go and break his windows! Enemy of the people!” The whole crowd yells.

The consequences are grave. He is dismissed from his job. His daughter loses her teaching job; his landlord ejects him; his little boys suffer bullying in school and are told to excuse classes until further notice. Everyone who should help him avoids him. They say they dare not annoy “the majority” and their “public opinion.”

The play ends without a reprieve for “the enemy of the people.” But the man insists that he is the strongest man and that “the strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.” I think he is naive. That is not what the world is. The one who stands alone stays alone and lonely and without power. Power resides where people stand. The people stand where power is. That explains, perhaps, why Donald Trump is Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’.

We started 2024 eleven and a half months ago bitterly divided over what was truly evil and what was godly. We are ending the year divided still over who is angel and who is Satan. In the next two weeks, it is almost certain that we will roll over into the new year the raging Dele Farotimi vs Afe Babalola war of ‘justice’. There is also the tug of war over whether the tax reform bills potentially threaten or benefit the poor. In those two cases, we will be made to state who our “enemy” is. Unfolding also is the Kemi Badenoch/Yoruba vs Kashim Shettima/ Northern Nigeria debate. In 2025, Ibsen’s ‘An Enemy of The People’ will be staged across the entirety of our court and political systems. May God keep us alive – and well.

Anambra State governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has offered amnesty to criminals in the state, declaring that they have until the end of February 2025 to lay down their arms.

The governor also announced plans to launch a joint security operation to tackle insecurity in the state.

Soludo said the operation is codenamed ‘Operation Udo Ga Achi’, which means ‘Let Peace Reign’.

The governor who briefed journalists at the Anambra State Governor’s Lodge on Tuesday, said his government has identified armed robbery, kidnapping, cultism and touting as the principal problems causing insecurity in the state.

He said: “As for touting, the State Anti-touting Agency codenamed SASA is tackling that in Onitsha and they are doing quite well.

“When we came in as governor, about seven local government areas were in the grip of hoodlums, but we took on them head on and liberated all those communities.

“Today, we hear that a handful of some of those criminals earlier dislodged have now come together and have been terrorizing the state.

“We have had reports of people being kidnapped, and vehicles snatched, but in the coming days, we will launch Operation Udo Ga Achi. We have procured here 168 patrol vehicles which would be distributed to various security agencies.

“Apart from the support we will be given the security agencies, we are also deploying ICT in the fight against insecurity.

“We are calling on criminal elements who would want to partake in our amnesty programme to come forward and surrender themselves and their arms. We are giving them from now to end of February to come and surrender and we will be ready to help them start life afresh.”

Speaking on the continuous incarceration of separatist leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and the fact that many of the criminals hide under the cover of his detention to perpetrate crime, Soludo insisted that indications have shown that what is happening is organized criminal enterprise and has nothing to do with Kanu’s detention.

He said: “I have been at the forefront of the call for the release of Kanu, I even said that in the worst case scenario, I was ready to keep him here at the Government House and produce him anytime he is needed.

“Part of the reason was that we really need to sit down, to interrogate this whole idea. But for people saying that the insecurity is because of his detention, I want to tell you that Nnamdi Kanu himself and IPOB, the organisation he leads, have made several press releases dissociating themselves from the kidnap for ransom and criminality that is ongoing.

“The truth of the matter is that criminals have now emerged, hordes of them organize themselves, using his (Kanu’s) name. I’m not so sure that even if he comes now and says stop that they will hear him. They have tasted blood and they will not stop. They go for kidnappings and they are making millions from it, so they will not stop.

“Imagine someone who is riding okada and they recruit him and he goes into the bush and all his life he has never had N100,000 at once and he joins the group and all of a sudden they do a successful kidnap operation and he gets one million or two from ransom. Tomorrow you think he will want to leave? In fact the one who tells him to leave the business will be his enemy.

“So the matter is much more complicated now and it is taking a life of its own. It is now lucrative business. All of them talking about agitation are just using that as a cover to get the sympathy of the people, especially those who are not informed. They present themselves as liberators. You are a liberator and you stay in the bush and you want us to believe you? They now add to it idolatry. The first thing they put in any town they go to is a massive shrine.”

The governor said henceforth, his government will begin to revoke lands of any community who harbour criminals. He added that members of such communities who give food or contribute money to take to them in the bush will be treated as collaborators.

He said: “Also, any house that is found to have harboured kidnappers will henceforth become the property of the government.”

[DailyPost]

The Edo State House of Assembly, on Monday, suspended all 18 local government chairmen and their vice chairmen for two months. 

The lawmakers further directed the leaders of the legislative arms in the councils to assume control of their administration during the suspension period. 

The decision followed the adoption of a motion moved by Isibor Adeh, representing Esan Northeast 1 Constituency, and seconded by Donald Okogbe of Akoko-Edo 2 Constituency. 

Governor Monday Okpebholo, in a petition dated November 16, 2024, titled “Insubordination and Gross Misconduct by the 18 Local Government Chairmen Over Their Refusal to Submit Financial Records for Scrutiny,” called on the Assembly to address the issue. 

While moving the motion, Adeh cited Section 20(b) of the Local Government Act, which empowers the House of Assembly to suspend any local government chairman for two months pending an investigation into allegations of misconduct. 

The motion was supported by 14 lawmakers, and opposed by six, while three members abstained from voting. 

Speaker of Edo Assembly, Chief Blessing Agbebaku, who directed the Clerk of the House, Yahaya Omogbai, to do a head count of the members, declared that insubordination and gross misconduct would not be allowed from the council chiefs.

In a related development, the lawmakers also screened and confirmed four nominees as Chairman and members of the Edo State Sports Commission.

The commission to be chaired by Amadin Enabule, has Godwin Bazuaye, Frank Illaboya, and Anthony Odianosen as members.

[TheNation]

The National Bureau of Statistics has revealed that Nigerians paid a total of N2.23tn as ransom over the 12 months between May 2023 and April 2024.

This sum was paid by households affected by kidnapping incidents, highlighting the growing threat posed by criminal activities in the country.

According to the NBS’s latest Crime Experience and Security Perception Survey report, an estimated 51.89 million crime incidents were recorded across Nigerian households in the reference period.

The survey showed that the North-West region had the highest incidence of crime, with 14.4 million cases reported, followed by the North-Central region with 8.8 million incidents.

In contrast, the South-East region reported the least crime, with 6.18 million incidents.

The findings also revealed that rural areas were more affected by crime than urban areas, with 26.53 million crime incidents in rural households compared to 25.36 million in urban areas.

The report highlighted the severity of kidnapping, with 4.14 million households experiencing home robbery.

Of those affected by kidnappings, 65 per cent were forced to pay ransom to secure the release of victims.

The average ransom paid was N2.67m, contributing to the total of N2.23tn paid by Nigerians to criminals during the 12 months.

Despite this, only 36.3 per cent of those who experienced home robbery reported the incidents to the police, with a similarly low reporting rate for kidnapping.

The report read, “Nationally, an estimated 51,887,032 crime incidences were experienced by households. The North-West (14,402,254) reported the highest incidences of crime at the household level, followed by the North-Central (8,771,400), while the South-East (6,176,031) reported the least. The result also shows that the crime incidence in the rural area (26,526,069) was higher than that of the urban area (25,360,963).

“In Nigeria, 4,142,174 households experienced home robbery. Less than half (36.3 per cent) of the households who were victims of home robbery reported their experience to the police. Among households that experienced kidnapping incidents, 65.0 per cent paid a ransom.

“The average amount paid as ransom was N2,670,693, with an estimated total ransom of N2,231,772,563,507 paid within the reference period.”

Many victims cited a lack of confidence in law enforcement and a belief that police intervention would not lead to meaningful action as the main reasons for not reporting.

The survey also revealed that 21.4 per cent of Nigerians fell victim to crime at the individual level, with phone theft being the most common crime, affecting 13.8 per cent of the population.

While 90 per cent of phone theft victims reported the crimes to the police, only half of those victims were satisfied with the police response.

Also, the survey estimated that 1.4 million Nigerians were victims of sexual offences, with most incidents occurring in someone else’s home or the victim’s residence.

Only about 22.7 per cent of sexual offence victims reported the crimes to the police.

Despite the widespread nature of crime, public perception of safety remains low.

The survey found that 9.6 per cent of Nigerians believed they were at risk of becoming victims of crime within the next 12 months.

The fear of crime was higher in rural areas, where 13 per cent of the population felt vulnerable, compared to 7 per cent in urban areas.

The report also questioned the effectiveness of Nigeria’s security agencies, particularly the police, in responding to emergencies.

Only 33.1 per cent of Nigerians reported that security agencies responded to emergency calls within 30 minutes.

The survey revealed that approximately 4 out of 10 households interacted with state or local security forces during the survey period, with half of these households contacting the Nigerian Police.

However, satisfaction with police responses was notably low, especially in cases of livestock and crop theft, where only 42.9 per cent and 42.4 per cent of victims expressed satisfaction, respectively.

In many rural areas, local vigilante groups were seen as a more reliable source of security.

[Punch]

…..Senate Urges Federal Government to Fund Modern Ranches for Safety Enhancement

The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has criticized the media, stating that they thrive on bad news, emphasizing that only negative stories are deemed newsworthy.

According to Akpabio, while security agencies prevent numerous criminal activities, these successes are rarely reported, as only bad news makes headlines.

Akpabio made these remarks during a debate on an urgent motion regarding the ongoing banditry and killings in Billiri Local Government Area of Gombe State, moved by Senator Anthony Siyako Yaro (PDP, Gombe South).

In response to contributions from former Senate Deputy Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), Akpabio stated, “When you become a governor, you will understand what happens with security votes. The number of attempts foiled by security forces surpasses the ones that succeed, but those are rarely reported. Security agencies often intercept criminals before they commit their acts, but these successes are overlooked.”

He continued, “It is true that state governments play a vital role in security, and that the responsibility for maintaining peace and order should not fall solely on the federal government. Every Nigerian must contribute to security, peace, and harmony.”

Earlier, Senator Ningi had questioned the role of state governors in ensuring security, pointing out that each state receives at least N500 million monthly as security votes. He stressed that the constitution designates governors as the chief security officers of their states, meaning they must take responsibility for the safety of lives and property.

Meanwhile, the Senate has called on the federal government to fund the establishment of modern ranches across the country to improve safety and enhance economic productivity for both herders and local communities. The Senate also resolved to create laws defining the limits of economic activities under the ECOWAS treaty and to regulate movement to protect the rights and safety of Nigerians.

The Senate urged the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Olufemi Oluyede; and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to investigate the recent attacks in Gombe, apprehend the perpetrators, and prosecute them.

Additionally, the Senate called for the urgent establishment of a joint police and military taskforce in Billiri to prevent further killings and requested the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and the North East Development Commission to provide relief materials to displaced victims.

The Senate also mandated its committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs, and National Security and Intelligence to ensure compliance with these resolutions and to seek long-term solutions to insecurity in the region.

Senator Yaro, who introduced the motion, called for urgent action to address the recurring banditry attacks in Billiri, particularly following the deadly assault on several villages by suspected herders on December 11, 2024. He condemned the killings, arson, and widespread displacement caused by the attackers.

In his contribution, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP, Bayelsa West) advocated for the establishment of federal government-funded modern ranches, which he believes would promote safety and economic productivity for both herders and local communities. Dickson emphasized the need for a comprehensive approach to implement the ranching initiative, citing the economic challenges faced by herders who travel long distances.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) reminded the Senate of a previous agreement to hold a national public hearing to explore legislative solutions to security challenges tied to economic activities and movement. He also stressed the need to define individual rights within the context of ECOWAS, ensuring that the rights of one person do not infringe on the rights of others.

The Senate continues to seek legislative action to address the escalating security concerns and promote national stability.

[Vanguard]

Bovi Ugboma, the Nigerian comedian, has opened up about his parenting philosophy, stressing the importance of communication over physical punishment.

In an interview with The Honest Bunch, Bovi said he prioritizes talking to his children about their mistakes rather than flogging them.

The comedian shared his personal experience, stating that the beatings he received as a child had no positive impact and instead contributed to abusive tendencies.

He also encouraged parents to reflect on their motivations for disciplining their children.

“They will still go wrong, offend you but it will reduce gradually. All the beatings we got from our parents made no difference. It just made us abusive.”

Bovi also revealed that his family relocated to London due to concerns about his children’s education.

He said he desires to protect his son from bullying, which he argued was prevalent in Nigerian boarding schools.

“We moved abroad because of my children’s education. My son moved first when he wanted to start secondary school. I went to boarding school so I know the effect and benefits but the last thing I would be alive to witness is the bullying of my child,” he added.

“So I said to myself I will send my son to a boarding school because of it’s benefits but not in this environment.”

Bovi is married to Kris Asimonye Ugboma and they have three children.

[TheCable]

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Aisha Garba, an international development specialist, as the Executive Secretary of Universal Basic Education (UBEC).

Garba, a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank, brings more than twenty-four years of experience driving impactful programmes in education for human and economic development, working in Nigeria, Ghana, Somalia, Kenya, the USA, and the United Kingdom.

With over 15 years of hands-on experience at the World Bank, Garba has consistently led end-to-end design and management of education programmes and reforms, from conceptualisation to completion and impact assessment.

Apart from being actively interested in and involved in human development issues, the development specialist will share her rich network with governments, development partners, and communities, as well as the skills she acquired working in fragile, conflict, and violent settings to deliver sustainable solutions in basic education.

Garba had previously worked on the team that met the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets in Nigeria and consulted for the World Bank, Department for International Development, BOND-UK, Regent Foundation, and Muslim Aid Organization.

She is an alumna of Petra American University in Jordan, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts combined degree in English and Computer Studies in 2000. She later got a Master's in International Development at the University of Birmingham in the UK in 2007.

The President expects the new Executive Secretary of UBEC to drive the renewed hope and vision of providing and supporting quality education and ensuring that Nigerian children become globally competitive.

Bayo Onanuga
Special Adviser to the President
(Information & Strategy)

Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), has been awarded the inaugural "African of the Decade" title, recognizing his exceptional contributions to Africa's development over the past ten years. The award was presented during the 2024 Africa Investment Forum in Rabat, Morocco, hosted by the All-Africa Business Leaders Awards in partnership with ABN Group and CNBC Africa.

The award celebrates individuals who have driven profound, lasting changes on the continent. Dr. Adesina, who concludes his decade-long tenure as AfDB President in 2025, has been a transformative leader, lauded for his visionary achievements in improving the socio-economic fabric of Africa through strategic initiatives like the Bank’s "High5" priorities: Light Up and Power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialize Africa, Integrate Africa, and Improve the Quality of Life for the People of Africa.

During the ceremony, ABN Group Chairman Rakesh Wahi described Adesina as an emblem of ethical leadership, emphasizing his ability to deliver results that address Africa's most pressing challenges. CNBC Africa Chief Editor Godfrey Mutizwa echoed these sentiments, highlighting Adesina’s innovative partnerships and development strategies.

Revolutionizing Agriculture and Infrastructure

Before his AfDB leadership, Adesina served as Nigeria’s Minister of Agriculture, where he spearheaded groundbreaking reforms. Among his notable achievements was the introduction of the e-wallet system, a digital innovation that eliminated corruption in the fertilizer sector and directly delivered subsidized inputs to millions of Nigerian farmers via mobile phones. This system dramatically increased agricultural productivity and enhanced livelihoods for smallholder farmers.

At AfDB, Adesina championed partnerships with global institutions, including a landmark collaboration with the World Bank to bring electricity access to 300 million Africans. Under his leadership, AfDB has mobilized billions of dollars in investment, positioned Africa as a global economic hub, and tackled challenges ranging from infrastructure gaps to climate resilience.

Driving a Vision for Sustainable Growth

The awards committee noted that Adesina’s leadership embodies a commitment to addressing socio-economic and environmental challenges. Among his key contributions:

• Attracting global investment to Africa’s renewable energy and infrastructure sectors.
• Launching initiatives that align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Empowering women and youth through targeted programs such as the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative.
• Responding to crises, including AfDB’s pivotal role in mitigating the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across African nations.

A Heartfelt Dedication

Accompanied by his wife, Mrs. Grace Yemisi Adesina, Dr. Adesina expressed his deep gratitude upon receiving the honor. "This award is a testament to what is possible when we believe in the transformative power of Africa’s potential," he said, dedicating it to the people of Africa.

"God did not make a mistake when He made me an African. I will do all I can, to my final breath, for Africa," Adesina vowed, underscoring his unwavering dedication to the continent’s progress.

Inspiring a Legacy of Leadership

As Dr. Adesina prepares to conclude his presidency, his legacy serves as a benchmark for ethical and impactful leadership. His work has not only uplifted millions of lives but also redefined Africa's global narrative as a continent of innovation, resilience, and opportunity.

The "African of the Decade" award sets a high standard for future leaders, celebrating the achievements of individuals who drive meaningful, transformative change on the continent. Dr. Adesina’s accomplishments, from agricultural innovation to infrastructure investment, stand as a testament to the power of visionary leadership in unlocking Africa’s vast potential.

[https://www.devdiscourse.com]