…As Uzoka-Anite assumes office as Minister of State Finance

Nigeria’s economy is now at a new dawn of the threshold to attract investments, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun has said.

He spoke this morning while welcoming the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Doris Uzoka-Anite, who assumed office at the ministry, in Abuja, this morning.

Mr. Edun said that the two reforms (removal of fuel subsidy and the market determined foreign exchange rate) had opened the Nigerian economy to investors.

According to the minister, “All will be well as we go forward together to help complete the on-going economic reforms which are showing sustainability and signs of success.

“We do have for the first time in decades, the foreign exchange rate that is market-based.  We do have market pricing of petroleum products.  Those are the two fundamental reforms that were necessary and long over-due that Mr. President had the courage and boldness and dexterity socially and politically to implement and the determination to keep them implemented.

“So we stand on a threshold of a new dawn in terms of the ability of the economy to attract investment thereby increasing productivity, growing the GDP, creating jobs and reducing poverty.”   

He said he and the staff were excited at the posting of Dr. Uzoka-Anite to the ministry as Minister of State.

His words, “They are excited at this opportunity to have a woman of elegance, substance, refinement and diligence and with a known passion for hard-work.  So we thank Mr. President on behalf of the ministry for giving us the Minister of State.  I thank him for giving me a helper.

“I assure you of every support, encouragement and cooperation and let you know we want you to be free to express yourself, contribute and excel.  As the Permanent Secretary of finance has said, we are all one family.

“As President Bola Tinubu has always encouraged us, it’s all about consultation, cooperation, collaboration and team work.  That is the basis of our efforts here together.  And we are sure that you fit in smoothly.  You will be like a duck going to the water.”

In her response, Dr. Uzoka-Anite who was formerly the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, said she was apprehensive at the posting but determined to complement Mr. Edun and make a success of it, in the interest of the economy.

She said, “It’s a big privilege for me to be here to contribute to the development of Nigeria in this particular crucial sector-the finance sector.  I just want to say that I am here to complement the efforts and the jobs that CME has been doing.

“It has been a challenging one year for you CME, especially since May 29 (2023) when the President took over and made that pronouncement.  That was when that responsibility fell on your shoulders to guide and steer this economy towards economic stability and prosperity and also to make sure that the president’s vision and mandate to his people, especially during his campaign manifesto is materialized.

“It’s a no small task that you have been given and coming to work with you, to be honest, I am a bit apprehensive.   I know the amount of work and the pressure that you are under but again it is a privilege.

“I can only promise you sir, I am here to work with you, to support you, to complement your efforts to ensure that we achieve the mandate of his Excellency Mr. President and to uphold the honour and dignity of all Nigerians through your hard work.

“I am happy to be a part of your family and again to complement whatever everybody has been doing and I also look forward to more cooperation, collaboration, team and everything that will make us successful because when we succeed, Nigeria succeeds.”

The Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno has once again addressed those criticising him for delegating the duties of the First Lady to his daughter Helen Obareki following the death of her mother, Patience Umo Eno.

Obareki was appointed by governor Eno following the sudden death of his wife who was the coordinator of Golden Initiative For All (GIFA), a pet project which was used as a platform to touch many lives.

While some people say the appointment should have been silent about the office of the First Lady and perhaps concentrated on the coordination of GIFA activities, others say by appointing his daughter as the First Lady and GIFA coordinator, the governor has given recognition to an office which has not been provided for in the country’s constitition.

However, responding to the criticism, Eno explained that the coordination of activities and engagements of women in the state rest solely on the shoulders of the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare.

He stated this at the national combined service of the All Nations Christian Ministry International in Eket LGA.

The Governor said that the responsibilities of the Ministry of Women Affairs were well spelt-out in relation to the management of women affairs, stressing that there shouldn’t be any form of conflict, ambiguity or confusion between its role and that of the Office of the First Lady and its pet project, the Golden Initiative For All, GIFA.

He said all the aides to the Governor on women mobilisation were expected to work with the Commissioner for Women Affairs to ensure seamless coordination of all women related matters in the State.

The Governor who reiterated that Obareki is the Coordinator of the Office of First Lady, and the Golden Initiative for All, added that GIFA, besides being a pet- project of the late First Lady, the programme would outlive the office, and remains a foundation in her memory, for the purpose of continuously touching lives.

He explained that the choice of Obareki as Coordinator of the Office of the First Lady was basically on the grounds of competence having worked closely with her mother, the First Lady, as Personal Assistant, a position that gave her vantage opportunity to understudy her.

He said that besides being his first daughter, Obareki’s experiences over the years distinguished her as the most competent person to coordinate the activities of the office.

A man who claimed to be a former ritualist and now a follower of Christ has confessed to how he killed over seventy women for ritual purposes.

The individual, who hails from Ibadan and is known locally as ‘Mistina Orobo’ and originally from the Foko area of Ibadan, claimed to have transformed into a pastor and stated that the figure he mentioned does not include individuals he was contracted to kill or those he has consumed throughout his life.

The man explained that the blood of these women was essential for the renewal of his mystical powers, and he consumed their bodies after extracting the necessary blood.

“My idol takes about 73 to 76 women for over seven years. These women are always gotten from the club or other popular places. When I eat people, it is purposely to renew the voodoo in my body. Sometimes, when I’m shot, it won’t penetrate; even when I’m hacked, the machete breaks. The sweetest human parts are the tongue, palm, and foot.

“I also work for bank managers, politicians, and some other rich men. I’m very popular among them. When I first worked with a bank manager, it was one wealthy man that we killed, and the info was supplied in the bank.

“The only person who was left to sign refused to sign; we visited him, made him sign, and killed him in the aftermath. I charge up to N50 to N80 million to get people killed, and we always work as a team. I taught some people to work, some as highway or armed robbers, and I usually get my fair share,” he added.

The man also narrated the roles he and his boys played during elections in Oyo State while soliciting that his identity be kept away from the public until it was time for him to reveal it.

In his early beginning, ‘Mistina Orobo’, the mysterious man confessed to eating sacrifices since the age of nine as the son of an herbalist and how he became a hired assassin.

“As a child of an herbalist, I always eat sacrifices in seven different junctions; this was what fortified me before I grew up to become a dreaded hired assassin and, sometimes, highway robber,” he noted.

However, sharing the story of how he turned a new leaf, the man said he met Jesus in his dream after he attempted to avenge people who had earlier fought with him.

He noted, “I had been killed before but I woke up because of the idol I had at home. The day I went to retaliate those people who fought and killed me. When we got to the first person, I had a change of mind. When we got to the house of the other one, he was drunk, and my boy was about to unleash on him when I begged that he should be spared, since then, I have been sympathetic and have left the wayward life. Now, God has taken over my life.

“I am now in a seminary. I spent four years learning to be a prophet. I am not ready to establish a church, I just want people to know my terrible story. I had sold all three houses and cars I bought while engaging in these acts. I met Jesus in my dream.”

He further emphasized that the late Temitope Olatoye, known as Sugar, a former member of the House of Representatives, passed away while he was in Ghana at that time; had he been present, the tragedy might have been prevented.

He noted that he had consistently warned Sugar about the imminent threats he faced.

Sugar succumbed to his injuries on March 9, 2019, in the Intensive Care Unit of the University College Hospital, after sustaining gunshot wounds to the head inflicted by suspected political assailants in the Lalupon area of Ibadan.

The news of his assault circulated rapidly, with some suggesting that he had died instantly.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bode George, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of manually manipulating election results.

George, in an interview with Punch, stated that the country’s problems are linked to the multiplier effects of the mismanagement of the electoral process by INEC.

The former military governor of Ondo State asserted that the call for the military in governance was unacceptable, having experienced both the military and civilian governments.

George maintained that the government’s failure of the day was the primary bait behind some people giving a spot for military intervention.

He submitted that the supervisors of the country’s election must be fair, just, and equitable, which he added are the tripods of a stabilized government.

He said, “We knew what we suffered during the military. It’s an unusual thing to happen. Yes, I know we haven’t reached the level where we would all be happy with civilian government. I went through the two (military and civilian governments) and have seen the two,” he said, mentioning power under the democratic system comes “from the base up – It belongs to the people.

 “The major issue of disappointment in the country now is that INEC is not doing their job.

“If they’re doing their job properly, and we know if we go through the electoral process, it is fair, the right people would be managing the government and then they would know they derive their power from the people.

“When you have an election, they manipulate the results manually and all kinds of things; so people who are not voted for emerge as the manager of the country. So how do we get the right thing?” he questioned.

“What is happening now is as a result of the type of the management of the electoral process. If whoever is there knows for sure that the people would play a major path in electing or denouncing him on the day of the election, he would wake up and work for the people, not fight for his pocket.”

A former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen who was convicted for false asset declaration by the Code of Conduct Tribunal has been discharged and acquitted by a Court of Appeal in Abuja.

Onnoghen’s conviction, handed down on April 18, 2019, by the Umar Yakubu Danladi tribunal, was overturned by the Appellate Court following the resolution of the issues that led to his trial and conviction.

Justice Abba Bello Mohammed, in a judgment based on the terms of settlement adopted by the federal government and Onnoghen, ordered that the four bank accounts previously ordered to be forfeited be returned to him.

In a brief statement, Onnoghen’s lawyers, Adegboyega Awomolo and Ogwu James Onoja, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), expressed gratitude to President Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) for ensuring the resolution of the issue.

The National Orientation Agency, NOA, has announced plans to embark on a nationwide birth registration social mobilisation drive.

NOA said this would ensure that every child in Nigeria was able to access essential services such as education, healthcare and social protection.

NOA Director General, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, represented by Director of Special Duties and States Operations, David Akoji, said the agency was focused on registering children aged 0–5 years and providing them with a National Identification Number, NIN, free of charge.

His words: “NOA, in partnership with the National Population Commission, NPC, and UNICEF, is launching a nationwide birth registration social mobilisation drive. This drive aims to ensure that every child in Nigeria has access to essential services like education, healthcare, and social protection. We are focusing on registering all children aged 0-5 years and providing them with an NIN free of charge.

“Birth registration is a fundamental right of every child, and this initiative highlights its importance to the child, family, community, and nation. It is the first legal acknowledgement of a child’s existence, safeguarding their rights and privileges, and unlocking access to basic services crucial for their development and future.

“Accurate birth registration is vital for national planning and development, providing essential data for education, healthcare, and public services. By registering a child’s birth, families ensure recognition by the state, protecting them from abuse, exploitation, and statelessness.

“We encourage parents and guardians to visit the nearest NPC registration centre to register their children. The process is simple, free, and requires only supporting documents like an immunisation card or existing birth certificate.

“During this drive, every child aged 0-5 years will receive a NIN upon face capturing and birth registration. We urge all parents, guardians, and community leaders to participate in this crucial exercise. Let’s work together to give every child in Nigeria the best start in life.

“The birth registration drive, which started in August, will run until November 2024. Don’t miss this opportunity to ensure every child in your community has access to vital services.”

A heartbroken Kenyan businessman, Francis Ng'ang'a has narrated the sufferings his wife, Lucy Wambui, went through after undergoing cosmetic surgery at a clinic in Nairobi, which led to her passing.

Lucy developed complications from the surgery.  She was then admitted to a city hospital, where she was rushed for treatment and d!ed four days later.

There was a heavy security presence on Monday, November 4, at the Oyo State High Court at Ring Road, Ibadan, as the former Chairman of the Park Management System’s (PMS) Disciplinary Committee, Alhaji Mukaila Lamidi, popularly known as Auxiliary, was brought for trial.

Security around the court premises was tight, with patrol vans positioned strategically and a mix of uniformed and plain-clothed officers from the police and Amotekun Corps stationed at key areas.

This heightened security underscores the gravity of the charges against Auxiliary, which include armed robbery, murder, attempted murder, and illegal possession of firearms, notably an AK-47 assault rifle and two SMG rifles with magazines.

The charges, outlined in a 17-count charge sheet, fall under the Robbery and Firearms (Special Provisions) Act, CAP RII, Vol.14, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

The case, numbered i/74c/2024, is being heard before Justice Olabisi Adetujoye in Court 5.

Auxiliary’s arrival in court was closely monitored, with Executive Assistant on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde, Cmpl Sunday Odukoya (rtd), also present.

Proceedings are expected to commence shortly, with the trial drawing widespread attention due to Auxiliary’s high-profile role and the serious nature of the charges.

Nigerians rank among the world’s top social media users, with 2024 data placing the country fifth globally for average daily time spent online.

According to figures from Cable.co.uk and We Are Social in 2024, posted by World of Statistics on X on Sunday, Nigerians spend an average of 3 hours and 23 minutes per day on social media.

Leading the list is Kenya, where people spend the most time on social media, at 3 hours and 43 minutes daily. South Africa follows closely with 3 hours and 37 minutes, Brazil at 3 hours and 34 minutes, and the Philippines at 3 hours and 33 minutes.

Nigeria’s average of 3 hours and 23 minutes places it just behind these countries in social media engagement.

Other countries with high social media usage include Colombia (3:22), Chile (3:11), and Indonesia (3:11). Saudi Arabia and Argentina round out the top ten with daily averages of 3 hours and 10 minutes and 3 hours and 8 minutes, respectively.

In comparison, some countries record lower social media engagement, such as Ghana with 2 hours and 43 minutes, Egypt with 2 hours and 41 minutes, and Thailand with 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Among European nations, Portugal (2:23), Romania (2:20), and Italy (2:17) rank lower on the list, indicating that social media usage varies significantly by region.

Full list:

Kenya – 03:43
South Africa – 03:37
Brazil – 03:34
Philippines – 03:33
Nigeria – 03:23
Colombia – 03:22
Chile – 03:11
Indonesia – 03:11
Saudi Arabia – 03:10
Argentina – 03:08
Mexico – 03:04
Malaysia – 02:48
Ghana – 02:43
Egypt – 02:41
Thailand – 02:30
Bulgaria – 02:26
Vietnam – 02:23
Portugal – 02:23
Romania – 02:20
Italy – 02:17