Recovers skuchies, ‘suck and die’, opioids, assorted weapons in raids across Lagos, Ekiti, Kwara; destroys cannabis plantation in Kano
By Ebinum Samuel
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted a consignment of Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, concealed in duvet, packaged for export to the United Kingdom through the cargo shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, MMIA Ikeja Lagos. Two suspects: Adakole Sunday and Austin Balogun linked to the bid to export the consignment to the UK were promptly arrested following the discovery by NDLEA officers on Tuesday 21st January 2025. Six parcels of the psychoactive substance with a gross weight of 3.50 kilograms were concealed inside the duvet. In his statement, Austin Balogun who is the main agent who hired Adakole, claimed he was paid N700,000 to cargo the consignment to UK but spent a fraction of the money on export handling charges and the bulk to pay for an apartment. At least, two suspects: Joseph Oluwasegun Adewale and Biodun Adelakun were arrested at Igbo Olumo, Ikorodu area of Lagos when NDLEA operatives raided their hideout in the community where seven litres of skuchies, a new psychoactive substance produced with black currant, cannabis and opioids, were recovered. Other exhibits seized from the duo include: three locally made double barrel riffles; one locally made double barrel pistol; one English made pistol; one locally made single barrel riffle; three cartridges and one empty 9mm cartridge as well as an iron – head axe. Another raid in Lagos on Sunday 19th January led to the seizure of 47kg skunk, a strain of cannabis, and 25.46kg Nitrous Oxide popularly known as laughing gas at the notorious Akala area of Mushin. In Ekiti, a 26-year-old suspect Adepoju Taiwo was arrested by NDLEA officers on Thursday 23rd January with 1.950kg Canadian Loud at Iworoko road, Ilokun, Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, while Auwal Sani was nabbed by operatives on Monday 20th January at Bode Saadu in Moro local government area of Kwara State. A total of 50,000 pills of tramadol 225mg weighing 36.56kg were recovered from him. A Nigerien, Abubakar Lami, 45, with two others: Abba Sani, 35, and Auwal Aliyu, 32, were arrested by NDLEA operatives at Gadar Tamburawa, Kano, while 13.1kg skunk and 125 litres of ‘suck and die’, a new psychoactive substance were recovered from them.
In Gefen Kasa, Dawakin Kudu council area of Kano state, a cannabis plantation was located and destroyed by a team of NDLEA officers who arrested a suspect, Sabo Ali Muhammad, 45, linked to the farm. Meanwhile, across the country, NDLEA Commands continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization lectures and advocacy visits to worship centres, schools, workplaces, palaces of traditional rulers and communities all through the past week. Instances include: WADA sensitization lecture to students and staff of Army Children Secondary School, Oyo, Oyo state; Government Day Secondary School, Gwadangwaji, Kebbi state; Government Day Secondary School, Suleja, Niger state; St. Dominic Comprehensive College, Oron, Akwa Ibom state; District Junior College, Agege, Lagos; and residents of Pompomari community, Damaturu, Yobe stat, among others.
While commending the officers and men of MMIA, Lagos, Kano, Kwara, and Ekiti Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures of the past week, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) also applauded their compatriots in all the commands across the country for intensifying the WADA social advocacy lectures and sensitization activities in every part of their areas of responsibility.
Ever since I started consciously monitoring the business of the government, I have always wondered why Nigeria’s yearly budgets unfailingly allocate astronomical amounts of money to buy the same items—cars, cutlery, furniture, etc.— that should last for years before needing replacement.What happens to the items that are replaced every year? Who keeps them? And what necessitates the ritual of replacing items in perfect condition every year, especially for a country that says allocating money for subsidies to make life a little easier for people is too much of a burden?I never wrote about this because I had assumed that there must be some arcane justification that I failed to grasp for this profligate annual budgetary ritual.Not wanting to be an ultracrepidarian (as people who comment authoritatively on subjects they have little or no knowledge of are called), I had chosen to simply wonder in silence— or perhaps ask people in government why they expend scarce resources to change items in excellent conditions, something everyday folks never do.READ ALSO :Farooq Kperogi : Petrol is cheaper in Atlanta than in NigeriaHowever, House of Representatives member Bello El-Rufai, who represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency and whose privileged position as the son of a former minister and governor should give him an insider perspective on why this practice happens, piqued my curiosity when he questioned it during a parliamentary debate in December last year.He quipped that since his boyhood every year’s budget has featured new computers, cars, utensils, and furniture even when these items don’t expire in a year.“We need to cut down on costs.,” he said. “The recurrent expenditure issue exists in every budget. Even as a young person like myself, I see that we budget for vehicles every year, utensils every year. To open more revenue streams or block loopholes, we need to scrutinise these ministries’ budgets. If they bought vehicles last year, they should hold off because vehicles do not expire.”The speech went viral because it resonated with vast swaths of Nigerians who had been caught up in what we call a “spiral of silence” in communication theory, which occurs when people suppress their opinions about an issue because they (often incorrectly) assume that their opinions are in the minority and therefore unwelcome.That someone who is deeply inserted into the inner sanctum of power by reason of both birth and positional privilege has articulated a thought that had been hibernating in the minds of millions of Nigerians was liberating. It reassured many people that their gnawing doubts about the moral propriety of Nigeria’s ritualized budgetary prodigality are not ill-informed or out of line.I thought the speech would ignite a soul-searching national conversation about Nigeria’s wasteful budgeting practices. However, it seems it didn’t. If it did, I must have missed it.But let’s face it. There are not many regular people on the face of this earth who change their cars, computers, utensils, etc. every year. Even wealthy people use these items for a few years before changing them.Why does a country whose governments routinely proclaim that they are too poor to be able to afford subsidizing the energy consumption of its struggling population spend stratospheric amounts of money to replenish one-year-old items for people in government every single year?Each time I write about the immorality of visiting avoidable anguish on the Nigerian population through the withdrawal subsidies, the standard retort I get from neoliberal apologists who care more about the happiness of the “markets” than they do about the health and vitality of the people is, “where do you want the government to get the money to pay for subsidies?”Well, how about from the same place where it gets the funds to change year-old items every year for government officials at the cost of billions of naira?Just because Bello El-Rufai raised this issue and his fellow politicians didn’t shoot him down, at least to my knowledge, I got curious and researched what happens in other countries.It turns out most wealthy nations of the world (who, by the way, extend various kinds of subsidies to their vulnerable populations) don’t replace cars, computers, and utensils every year as a matter of course.In the United States, the official vehicles of the president and the vice president are not replaced every year. In fact, “The Beast,” as the presidential limousines of U.S. presidents have been called since 2001, “have largely been on eight-year cycles for the past 30 years,” according to Autoweek.com.
The most recent model of the presidential limousine was introduced in 2018. It replaced the previous version, which debuted in 2009 during President Barack Obama’s administration. So, President Donald Trump doesn’t have a brand new car.Although the official vehicles for the president and the vice president have an eight-year replacement cycle, they undergo periodic upgrades to incorporate the latest security features, including communications, armor, and defensive capabilities. That’s more economical than buying brand new cars every year just for the sake of it.Members of the U.S. Congress (that is, members of the House of Representatives and the Senate) don’t have funds specifically allocated to them for the purchase of official or personal cars. They only receive allowances and benefits that may cover travel-related expenses.Most members of Congress don’t buy cars. They instead opt to lease cars using their congressional office budget called “Representational Allowance” for House members and “Senate office funds” for Senators), and lease terms typically range from 2 to 4 years.
That means they may switch vehicles periodically based on lease expiration.Only high-ranking Congressional officials (such as the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader) or those facing security threats use government-provided vehicles for official duties.I also found that the replacement cycle for vehicles used by U.S. government agencies ranges from 3 to 5 years.The guidelines established by the General Services Administration (GSA), which manages the federal fleet, say sedans and light-duty vehicles should be changed every 3 to 5 years or after or after they rack up 60,000 to 75,000 miles, whichever comes first.Vans and trucks are changed every 5 to 7 years or 100,000 to 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.Law enforcement and emergency vehicles are replaced every 3 to 6 years or after recording between 50,000 to 80,000 miles, with replacements based on performance, reliability, and safety concerns.
What happens to government vehicles that get replaced? According to the General Services Administration (GSA), most government vehicles, once they reach the end of their service life, are sold to the public through GSA Auctions, which is the federal government’s online auction platform.Auctions are open to individuals, businesses, and local governments. But the vehicles can also be transferred to other government agencies or donated through programs like the Federal Surplus Personal Property Donation Program, which provides assets to eligible non-profits, educational institutions, and local governments.Similarly, the replacement frequency of official vehicles for the UK Prime Minister and cabinet members is not yearly, as it is in Nigeria.Although change of cars for UK government officials is not governed by a fixed schedule as it is in the U.S., the Government Car Service (GCS), an executive agency of the Department for Transport, manages the fleet of vehicles assigned to cabinet ministers and other officials and determines when they need to be changed.In sum, most wealthy nations of the world don’t allocate funds every year for the replacement of non-perishable items used by government officials. It’s a wasteful practice that should have no place in a struggling country like Nigeria.
The funds allocated for the yearly needless replacement of cars, computers, utensils, etc. should instead be invested in programs and policies that bring relief to the people.I hope Bello El-Rufai will move beyond rhetoric and galvanize support for legislation that will enshrine a 5-year replacement cycle for items that are currently replaced every year in Nigerian budgets. He would write his name in gold if he did that. Farooq Kperogi is a renowned Nigerian columnist and United States-based Professor of journalism.
Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, makes no pretences about a robust arts and culture tradition, as vivacious as in good old Lagos. The National Theatre in Iganmu; the Musical Society of Nigeria’s (MUSON) Centre in Onikan; the *Goethe Institut,* *Terra Kulture,* and *Silverbird Cinemas,* all in Victoria Island, are some of the more popular cultural venues across *Eko akete,* (one of Lagos’s primordial cognomens). There used to be *Motherlan’* in Ikeja where the masked Afrobeats artist *Lagbaja* used to have regular live performances. Not forgetting the *New Afrika Shrine,* developed by Femi and Yeni Kuti, offsprings of the Afrobeats precursor, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, to replace the primordial model built by their father, in Agidingbi, Ikeja. The older facility elsewhere in the same Ikeja district, was serially buffeted by previous military regimes. It was indeed once reduced to rubble by agents of a *khaki-wearing* regime, because of Fela’s characteristically brave, caustic and relentless denunciations of martial governance. *The Truth Village* in Surulere, also in “mainland” Lagos is yet another culture bubble spot which ensures that culturally savvy in Lagos are spoilt for choice. Abuja does not, as yet have an organic, overarching structure to its cultural life.
True, bars and lounges which in some instances host deejays and smart in-house bands; restaurants, nightclubs are not in short supply. Literary events, theatre productions, musical performances especially by rated artists, stand-up comedy shows, however, only feature from time to time on specific occasions and designated venues. The exquisite *Transcorp Hilton Hotel* at the very heart of Abuja; the *Cyprian Ekwensi Cultural Centre* in Garki and the *Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre* in Abuja’s central area, are favourite hosting venues. The *International Conference Centre,* (ICC), also in Abuja’s central business district; the *Mamman Vatsa Writers Village* ensconced between the rocks of Mpape district, and the auditorium of the *National Universities Commission,* (NUC) are also helping with the cultivation of a sustainable artistic sensitivity amongst Abuja residents. There is also the *French Cultural Centre* in the upscale Wuse district, which is also playing a role in the awakening of cultural consciousness in the federal capital.In over two decades of my sojourn in Abuja, I have been privileged to enjoy performances and productions in many of the venues listed above. I witnessed an outing by the Haitian-American singer and rapper, *Wyclef Jean,* sponsored by Guinness Nigeria Plc, back in August 2004, at Abuja’s International Conference Centre. Nigeria’s *Tuface Idibia* shared the stage with him on that occasion, a performance which spontaneously produced the song “Proud to Be African.” The more polished, studio version of the song subsequently featured *Faze* and *Sound Sultan,* (of blessed memory), making it the product of a quartet and a very important platform for foreign exposure for the young Nigerian artists at the time. The perfected version of the song was released same year, 2004.Back in 2007/2008, *Chams Plc,* an information and communication technology, (ICT) company, got involved in the production of selected Nigerian epics, as a way of reviving the waning culture of live theatre. Led by Demola Aladekomo, Chams Plc obtained the rights to adapt five Yoruba novels written by the iconic Daniel Fagunwa, into stage plays for performance in select Nigerian cities. I was opportune to savour the production of *Ireke Onibudo,* translated into English and adapted for stage by Femi Osofisan, Emeritus Professor andcglobally acclaimed playwright and scholar. It was titled *The Fabulous Adventures of the Sugarcane Man* and performed at Abuja’s Transcorp Hilton, in 2009. Onukaba Adinoyi-Ojo, departed friend and colleague, religiously produced his plays as soon as they were written. *The Killing Swamp,* an imaginary recap of the final hours of the renowned writer and *Ogoni* rights activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa before he was hanged by the regime of Sani Abacha, commanded capacity audience when it premiered at the Yar’Adua Centre.
The Abuja district of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (ANA), flagged off its activities for year 2025 by hosting its monthly “Reading and Writers’ Dialogue,” Saturday January 18, 2025. The theme of the event was “The Writer As Catalyst For Progressive Change.” Abuja ANA Chairman, the tireless Chukwudi Eze, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects, (FNIA), rallied his team to dig out from retirement, Nigeria’s former Minister and Ambassador at various times, Kema Chikwe, to headline the programme. Dr Chikwe was famously known on the nation’s political scene where she was very active since the gestational period of the Fourth Republic, including her stint as National Women’s Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), in its years at the core of national politics. A part of her which not too many people remember is her intellectual and artistic sides. For the avoidance of doubt, Chikwe studied French at the City University of New York, obtained a doctorate in curriculum education at the University of Nigeria Nsukka, (UNN), and taught for several years at the *Alvan Ikoku College of Education,* (AICE), in Owerri, Imo State. She authored children’s literature books like *Dibia’s Secret,* *First School Day for Adaeze,* *Kame Chameleon Tours the Garden,* (1991) and *My Precious Book.* She attempted to encapsulate the experiences of women in Nigerian politics in her 2003 book *Women of My Era* and returned to her first love, writing for young people with her book *Village Boys,* also published in 2003. Dr Chikwe attempted an overview of her stints as Minister, Diplomat, Chairman of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, (JAMB) and PDP National Women’s Leader in yet another book she titled *Across Borders.* Dr Chikwe spoke with a noticeably cracked voice, occasioned, perhaps by the present harmattan dryness and dust. She described the theme of the dialogue as “timely and profound, especially considering the pivotal role writers have always played in shaping societies and nations across the world.” Writers, she noted, have historically been the torch bearers of change, daring to challenge the status quo, advocate for justice and inspire action.
According to her: “Writers have stood at the forefront of revolutions, be it through literature, poetry, prose, drama, pushing boundaries and igniting thought and reflection among readers.” Journeys towards progress and development across the world, she observed, have always been fraught with challenges. “We have faced political upheavals, economic struggles, social inequalities and environmental crises,” she noted. Amidst all of these, writers according to her, “have remained resilient in their commitment to chronicling our stories, sharing our truths, and, most importantly, lighting the way forward.” One of the questions posed to her was about her son Naetochukwu Chikwe, whose stage name is *Naeto C,* and who is a popular Nigerian rap and Afrobeats musician. She confirmed her pride and happiness with how well he had evolved educationally, in his musical passion, and indeed as a family man. Vicky Sylvester, Professor of English at the University of Abuja chaired the panel of discussants. This included Andrew Bula of Baze University, Abuja, and the present writer. Attendees included Dr Joan Oji, ANA National Secretary; Dr Zakama Zabura, poet and author of *The Man Lived,* (1999); Jideofor Adibe, Professor of Political Science at the Nasarawa State University and author of *The Loneliness of Exile,* and Bella Anne Ndubusi, erstwhile Cultural Affairs Specialist at the US Department of State. Sunday January 20, 2025 featured a stage play titled *Tafawa Balewa: Golden Voice of Africa,* written by Ola Awakan and directed by poet and former President of ANA, Denja Abdullahi. Originally scheduled for Yar’Adua Centre, the performance eventually held at the NUC auditorium in Maitama, Abuja. Ola Awakan conceived of a series of stage productions on iconic Nigerians under the broad theme *Tales of Legends.* The first outing of Awakan’s outfit under this canvas was the production last July of *Abibatu Mogaji,* a play in honour and memory of the mother of President Bola Tinubu. It was written by Ahmed Yerima, a seasoned Theatre Arts Professor and staged at the banquet hall of Aso Villa in July 2024. The President, his deputy, Kashim Shettima and their families attended the performance. *Tafawa Balewa: Golden Voice of Africa* is a recollection of the evolution of Nigeria’s very first Prime Minister, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. Much as it is a tribute to Nigeria’s only Prime Minister, the play highlights the fact of the intentional preparation of Nigeria’s earlier crop of leaders, their deliberate self-development, in preparation for service to their people and their homeland at various levels.
The Jeremiah Obafemi Awolowos, Samuel Ladoke Akintolas, the Ayo Rosijis, the Nnamdi Azikiwes, the Michael Oparas, the Ozumba Mbadiwes, the Aminu Kanos, Sa’adu Zungurs, Isa Walis, attended some of the best educational institutions at the time, at home and abroad. They applied themselves to the grindstone of multifaceted grooming educationally and ideologically, empowering themselves for the liberation of their country from colonialism and for the leadership of their fatherland. Balewa attended the famous *Barewa College,* Kaduna, easily an “Ivy League” institution in the north of Nigeria in his days. He equally schooled at the Institute of Education at the University of London thereafter, before returning home to give back to his country as a schoolteacher. He was elected into the Northern House of Assembly and thereafter into the Legislative Council in 1947. In his engagements, his passion for Northern Nigeria was unambiguous. He was Minister for Works in 1952, and later Minister for Transport. Tafawa Balewa was Nigeria’s Prime Minister at independence in 1960, a position he held until the coup d’etat of January 15, 1966, in which he was assassinated. This snowballed into mass protests and violent riots across northern Nigeria. The play was capably interpreted by the cast. It was a colourful celebration of Nigeria’s diverse cultures, interspersed with specific dance interludes, showcasing engaging gyrations in representative costumes from Fulani, Yoruba, Igbo, Bini, Tiv, Nupe cultural repertoires. The dexterity of the musical department was remarkable. They seamlessly traversed the multicultural diversity of the country with corresponding beats, nuances and rhythms.
The production was watched by an urbane audience which included former Information Minister, Lai Mohammed; literary figure and activist, Senator Shehu Sani; and the wives of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN), Lawal Uwais, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El Rufai, Maryam Uwais and Hadiza El Rufai, respectively. Hafsat Abdulwaheed, poet and human rights figure; Albert Omotayo, Emeritus diplomat, and Shaibu Hussein, Director-General, National Films and Videos Censors Board, (NFVCB), were in the house. The Tafawa Balewa family was led to the performance by Saddik Tafawa-Balewa, a renowned filmmaker and son of the former Prime Minister. His brother, Mukhtar, author of the novel titled *Prince of Mali,* (2020) and I served as presidential aides in the Olusegun Obasanjo/Atiku Abubakar government. It was a fulfilling, albeit breathtaking Abuja weekend, during which one was wholly suffused in arts and culture, end-to-end. Football aficionados will rather describe the experience as a “box-to-box” cultural weekend treat!
Tunde Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (FANA), teaches Creative Writing at the University of Abuja
Details of the meeting between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leaders from Ogoniland have emerged, with the President committing to fostering peace, justice, and sustainable development in the region.The meeting, held on Tuesday at the State House in Abuja, was attended by notable figures, including Governor Siminalayi Fubara, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Nyesom Wike, and other prominent leaders from Ogoni communities.According to a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu assured the delegation that his administration would work to address the longstanding challenges faced by the Ogoni people.
He emphasized his commitment to resolving issues related to environmental degradation, economic empowerment, and infrastructural development in the region.The Ogoni leaders presented their concerns, urging the federal government to expedite the cleanup of Ogoniland, address security challenges, and implement sustainable economic programs to benefit local communities.
We cannot in any way rewrite history, but we can correct some anomalies of the past going forward. We cannot heal the wounds if we continue to be angry,” he was quoted to have said.President Tinubu directed the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to coordinate the negotiations, calling for inclusive consultation and mutual understanding.The President commended the delegation for embracing the Federal Government-led dialogue. The president also directed ministers, the NNPCL, and the Rivers State Government to cooperate with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to achieve this mandate.He said, “We must work together with mutual trust. Go back home, do more consultations, and embrace others. We must make this trip worthwhile by bringing peace, development.
President Tinubu said.“It is a great honour for me to have this meeting, which is an opportunity to dialogue with the people of Ogoniland.“It has been many years since your children and myself partnered to resist military dictatorship in this country. No one dreamt I would be in this chair as President, but we thank God.“Many of your sons present here were my friends and co-travellers in the streets of Nigeria, Europe, and America.“I know what to do in memory of our beloved ones so that their sacrifices will not be in vain,” the President said.On his part, Governor Fubara thanked the President for his support of the Ogoni people and for welcoming an all-inclusive representation of the people to the Presidential Villa.
He said the meeting was a follow-up to an assignment the President gave him through the National Security Adviser.“What we are doing here today is to concretise the love and respect we have for the President for being behind this meeting and for him to tell us to go back and continue the consultations with a timeline so that the resumption of oil production in Ogoniland will commence,” he said.The National Security Adviser also took turns in commending the Ogoni people, especially for their trust in President Tinubu.“Guided by Mr. President’s vision that every voice is heard and every interest is considered, my office, the DSS, the government of Rivers State and the Minister of FCT embarked on a diligent and consultative process to assemble this delegation,” Mallam Ribadu said.
He
added, “The presence of this delegation is a testament to the Ogoni people’s readiness to engage constructively in the pursuit of peace, justice, and sustainable development,” he said.
The statement further disclosed that a representative of the Ogoni leadership, King Festus Babari Bagia Gberesaako XIII, the Gberemene of Gokana Kingdom, expressed the community leaders’ willingness to engage in the process of finding lasting solutions to the lingering challenges in Ogoniland.
Governor Fubara arrived at the meeting with Senator Lee Maeba, accompanied by a delegation of prominent Ogoni leaders, including Senators Magnus Abe, Olaka Nwogu, Chief Victor Giadom, and Chief Kenneth Kobani. Also present are Monsignor Pius Kii, Leedom Mitee, and Senators Bennett Birabi Barry, Mpigi, and Joe Poroma.
Other key attendees include the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari; Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abba; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris Mohammed; Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh; and the National Security Adviser, NSA, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.It is understood that the meeting continued at the NSA’s office after the session with Tinubu.
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demanding the reversal of the recent 50% increase in telecommunications tariffs.
In a statement, SERAP described the tariff hike as burdensome to Nigerians already grappling with economic challenges.
The group warned that failure to reverse the decision would prompt legal action against the Tinubu administration.
SERAP emphasized that the tariff hike violates Nigerians’ rights to access affordable communication services, calling on the government to prioritize the welfare of citizens over revenue generation.
“The Tinubu administration and telcos must immediately reverse the unlawful increase in calls and data costs. We’ll see in court if the 50% tariff hike is not reversed within 48 hours,” SERAP said.The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Monday, January 20, approved the raising of telecoms tariff by 50 per cent in what shareholders believe was approved in a bid to improve telecom services.The approved increase was disclosed in a statement signed by NCC Director of Public Affairs, Mr. Reuben Muoka.“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 per cent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100 per cent requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability.
“The adjustment, capped at a maximum of 50 per cent of current tariffs, though lower than the over 100 per cent requested by some network operators, was arrived at taking into account ongoing industry reforms that will positively influence sustainability.“These adjustments will remain within the tariff bands stipulated in the 2013 NCC Cost Study, and requests will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis as is the commission’s standard practice for tariff reviews. It will be implemented in strict adherence to the recently issued NCC Guidance on Tariff Simplification, 2024.”NCC noted that tariff rates have remained static since 2013, despite the increasing costs of operation faced by telecom operators, adding that the approved adjustment is aimed at addressing the significant gap between operational costs and current tariffs while ensuring that the delivery of services to consumers is not compromised.
“These adjustments will support the ability of operators to continue investing in infrastructure and innovation, ultimately benefiting consumers through improved services and connectivity, including better network quality, enhanced customer service, and greater coverage.”
Yagba Federal Constituency in the western Kogi senatorial zone, consists of three local councils, namely Mopamuro, Yagba East and Yagba West. In 1999, at the outset of the Fourth Republic political dispensation in Nigeria, each of the three local government areas fielded aspirants for the seat. The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), the dominant political association at the time, guaranteed success for its flagbearers. In the run-up to the 1999 polls, all eyes were on the PDP primaries. Shola Ojo, (Mopamuro); Tolorunjuwon Joseph Faniyi (Yagba East), Engr Sunday Karimi and Mrs Margret Orebiyi, (Yagba West) were the frontrunning aspirants. Orebiyi would later step down for Karimi. Despite the superior strength of Yagba West, which consists of 14 electoral wards, four more than Mopamuro and Yagba East with 10 electoral wards apiece, the PDP ticket was eventually decided in favour of Ojo (Mopamuro).
Ojo’s emegence was more of a consensus in an arrangement superintended by party elders under the leadership of the respected patriarch and one of the founding fathers of PDP in Nigeria, the late Chief Sunday Awoniyi. Aspirants from the two other local government areas were prevailed upon by the elders to await their turns in subsequent electoral cycles. Meanwhile, Yagba West fielded a candidate for the 1999 election in the late legal icon, Chief Tunji Arosanyin who was the flagbearer of the defunct All Peoples Party (APP). Ojo, also an attorney, hitherto domiciled in Kano, the formidable hub of commerce in northern Nigeria, went on to win the general election of that year.
Ojo served in the “Green Chamber” from 1999 to 2003. At that time, PDP’s internal, mutual understanding based on the rotation principle expressly asserted that each LGA would serve just one term, after which the position would rotate to another. Contestants for the 2003 PDP ticket included Karimi, Faniyi, Mrs Funmi Abiodun, a lawyer; the Port Harcourt based quantity surveyor and expert in the Marine sector, Bode Olorunsola and J.K Odeyemi, an engineer. The primary election was headed for a runoff between Faniyi and Karimi, but, again, the elders in their wisdom settled for a simple majority. Faniyi picked PDP ticket and he went on to defeat his opponent in the reconfigured APP, which had then become the All Nigeria People’s Party, (ANPP), Mrs Justina Abanida. Abanida, a one time Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General. Abanida, a lawyer, hails from Egbe, Yagba West Council.
For Karimi, the waiting game continued even when the seat berthed in Yagba West. Karimi lost PDP’s ticket to a fellow Yagba West opponent, Samuel Bamidele Aro.. Aro, a successful oil marketer, won the 2007 election into the House of Representatives, which took place on April 21, 2007. He defeated Bolaji Oluwafemi of the defunct Action Congress (AC) and served in the lower parliament until 2011.
The extant rotational arrangement forbade Mopamuro and Yagba East from fielding candidates for the 2007 election. In fairness to the past occupants of the seat, performance was not a yardstick for continuity. Based on the extant zoning template of the PDP, the baton was expected to be passed back to Mopamuro in 2011. However, at the conclusion of his first term in 2011, Aro, the incumbent declared his intention for a second term. Backed by the Kogi State governor at the time, Ibrahim Idris and machinery of the ruling party at the state level, Aro defeated his lone challenger for the PDP ticket, Chief Folorunsho Daniyan, (from Mopamuro). However, the outcome of 2011 primary election that threw up Aro did not sit well with the factional PDP who beckoned on Karimi to step forward in another political party.
Karimi’s name was a last-minute inclusion in the portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). In what turned out a historic protest vote, Karimi defeated PDP’s Aro in the general election held on April 9th, 2011. The strength of the PDP had been further decimated in the aftermath of the controversies that trailed its primaries. Daniyan left PDP and flew the flag of the ANPP. He came third in the general election. For the first time, in 2011, Mopamuro, Yagba West and Yagba East all fielded candidates for the House of Representatives.
The 2011 episode effectively marked the fatal end to one term and rotation of the seat in Yagba Federal Constituency.
Highlights
Karimi got the mandate of Yagba people to represent them in 2011 when he did not aspire for it from the start to the race and when it was supposed to be the turn of Mopamuro. He was not even on the list of aspirants jostling for the much-sought ticket of the PDP in that year’s primaries. He also became the first Yagba man to be reelected, thereby setting the precedence for continuity.
As the sitting Rep, Karimi (Yagba West) returned to his old party (PDP) and sought re-election in 2015. He picked the PDP ticket ahead of Kano based business tycoon, Leke Abejide (Yagba East) and successful civil engineer, Dele Obiniyi (Yagba East).
Karimi went on to win the parliamentary election held on March 28, 2015. He defeated Ganiyu Salaudeen of the Accord Party (AP/Yagba East), Kayode Adegbayo (APC/Yagba East), and Joseph Blessing of the Labour Party (LP/Mopamuro). Note again that all three LGAs fielded candidates in 2015.
Subsequently, Karimi’s record was equalled by Leke Abejide (Yagba East), now on his second term. His back-to-back victory in the 2019 and 2023 elections were achieved under the platform of lesser known African Democratic Congress (ADC).
Instructively, to further butress the point that rotation may have become a thing of the past, Abejide’s victories in both elections were far from a walkover, not for him, not for Yagba East. With the exception of Yagba West, the 2019 edition was keenly contested by aspirants from Mopamuro and Yagba East. A total of 15 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to contest in the 2019 election. ADC candidate, Abejide won the election, defeating APC’s Henry Abimbola (Mopamuro), PDP’s Fabola James (Yagba East), SDP’s Oluwafemi Iselaiye (Yagba East) and 12 other candidates from Mopamuro and Yagba East. The list of candidates and their parties for the 2019 polls are as follows: Adebayo Kenneth (PPC); Oluropo Odofin Augustine (MPN); Jonathan Ayokunle Olushola (ACCORD): Balogun Blessing Olumayowa (APM); Somidire Comfort (ACPN); Atteh Oladimeji (PPN); Yusuf Mary Oluwatoyin (DA); Isah Saidu (LP); Omowaiye Ete A. (UPP); Omole David Bolorundoro (UPC) and Abdurafiu Ismail (PT).
The all-commers scenario was again replayed in 2023 when Abejide (ADC/Yagba East) ran against Folorunsho Olafemi (APC/Mopamuro), Joseph Faniyi (PDP/Yagba East).and Jeremiah Oladokun (APGA/Yagba East). The list incuded Alonge Victor Oluwabusayo (Accord), Adekunle Komolafe (NNPP), Bamigboye Sunday (ADP), Musa Lasisi (Action Alliance), Jethro Olusegun Solomon (SDP) and Obiniyi Bamidele (YPP).
Rotation Can Only Be By Negotiation, Not Entitlement Claim
Ahead of the 2027 election, a notable Yagba political figure who preferred anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the debate on the continuity of rotation representation told our reporter that based on the foregoing, if at all there would be further adherence to rotation, “it can only be by negotiation, not by entitlement claim”.
He said: “The rotational arrangement for the HOR election in Yagbaland has been a straightforward and adaptable practice since inception. This arrangement was designed to give each local government in the federal constituency a fair opportunity. The Yagba federal constituency comprises three local government areas: Yagba West, Yagba East, and Mopamuro. Historically, Mopamuro was the first local government to benefit from this arrangement in 1999 with Hon. Sola Ojo, followed by Yagba East with Hon. T.J. Faniyi in 2003. In 2007, Hon. Sam Aro benefited from the rotation, and in 2011, it was Yagba West’s turn again with Hon. Sunday Karimi, who served two terms. This two-term pattern continued with Hon. Leke Abejide from Yagba East in 2019, who is currently serving his second term. Ideally, after Hon. Leke Abejide’s second term, Mopamuro local government should be the next to benefit from the rotation and to spend their two terms. However, Mopamuro’s inconsistent adherence to the rotation has been a significant constraint. In the last two elections, Mopamuro fielded candidates against Hon. Leke Abejide, which was unfortunate as their action demonstrated their disregard for the rotation. Mr Tuesday Abimbola and Engr Folorunsho Olafemi contested twice with Leke Abejide. If they had won, it would have also conflicted the entire process. As an experienced political figure in Yagba federal constituency, I cautioned Mopamuro aspirants to respect the rotation and not contest against Yagba East candidates. Unfortunately, my warnings were ignored, and Mopamuro’s actions have put them at a disadvantage. If Mopamuro had respected the rotation and not contested against Yagba East in the last two elections, it would have been incumbent on Yagba East not to run against them. However, since Mopamuro did contest, Yagba East’s potential third term would alter the rotation cycle, making Yagba West eligible to contest after Yagba East. It will take a proper consultation and a United front from Mopamuro to sustain their alliance with the rotation which they had kicked against”.
As it were, from the viewpoints of public affairs analysts and political pundits, Mopamuro has held the seat one-term of four years since 1999, Yagba West had 3 terms of 12 years and Yagba East two terms of eight years. From the foregoing, Mopamuro’s agitation to have the 2027 HOR seat is not out of order. The point has also been made for the entrenchment of fairness and equity as well as the sustenance of unity within the region. One can not also rule out the fact that, with the exception of 2003 election, Mopamuro has consistently fielded candidates against candidates from Yagba West and Yagba East. Twice in 2019 and 2023, the ruling APC conceded its tickets to Mopamuro. Both chances were lost more to internal divisions within the local government. Power is not given; it is taken. The bottomline is that 2027 election doesn’t look like one to be determined by entitlement. Rotation is achievable only by negotiation. Rotation is not a law. Mopamuro must work hard for it, speak with one voice, and present a formidable candidate, as a prerequisite for negotiation.
Effective Representation As a Factor
While the idea of rotation may seem appealing, the performance of the sitting member and the capacity to drive meaningful development and growth are key factors in effective representation, which should not be overlooked going into the 2027 election. Rotation may seem like a fair and equitable approach, but the electorate is also aware it can lead to a lack of continuity and consistency in representation. This also can result in a lack of accountability, as representatives may not feel compelled to deliver on their promises. Furthermore, rotation can lead to a focus on short-term gains rather than long-term development. Again, anyone thinking of running against an incumbent must make a careful examination of whether it can be done. In the modern-day election pattern in Nigeria, incumbents win elections about 85 percent. An entrenched incumbent is even harder to beat than a more recently elected one. Here are some factors to consider before going into the decision of whether a challenge could be successful. The first step is to consider the overall political environment and the general mood of the electorate. Generally, there are two things that should worry incumbents. One is whether the electorate perceives that things are on the right track. The other is whether the electorate thinks the incumbent care about them. For any sitting representative who receives favourable ratings from his people—based on these two factors—it will require an out-of -this-world strategy for any successful challenge to happen.
● Debo Alabi, a public affairs analyst and native of Yagba, writes from Lekki, Lagos
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it will conduct an electronic auction of 891 forfeited cars between Jan. 20 and Jan. 27. The commission announced this on its social media handle on Monday.
It stated that the vehicles were forfeited in line with the EFCC (Establishment) Act, 2004, Public Procurement Act, 2007 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery & Management) Act, 2022.
Some vehicles listed for auction include Lexus Panamera Porsche, Crosstour, Mercedes Benz, and Venza, among others.
It listed locations of the vehicles to include Abuja, Benin, Sokoto, Uyo, Lagos, Kaduna, Ilorin, Port-Harcourt, Enugu, Kano, and Ibadan.
”Interested parties have been directed to the following websites: www.rihogo.com, https://biznjeg.ng, www.areogunresourcesniglid.com.ng” it stated.
The minutes preceding the arrival of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and his deputy, Atiku Abubakar in the council chambers and convening rooms of the State House, Abuja for meetings, were very useful in our time. Those windows of opportunity were pointedly and positively deployed by presidential aides who were not authorised to attend some scheduled meetings. Those who had issues were able to thrash them out with ministers and senior government officials who participated in the meetings. Obasanjo abhorred being hemmed in, in the name of officialdom, unlike some of his successors. He had tremendous stamina, he was open and accessible in the line of duty. He refused to be garrisoned by the structures and trappings of office. He picked his phone calls, minuted on documents from his aides old and young, and even fixed appointments himself. He told a very senior official in his government at a meeting in the early months of his stewardship, that he, Obasanjo, had information to the effect that the top shot’s office was “over militarised.” It was Obasanjo’s way of describing the elaborate security cordon around the office of that senior man, which he as President considered an overkill in a democracy. By the way, the official in question was but a long-serving bureaucrat.I caught up with Nasir El Rufai, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA), at the time, during one of those pre-meeting windows. I complained to him that a property I had somewhere in *Wuse Zone 4,* Abuja, had been marked for demolition. He studied the document I presented to him and told me that my property was not the only one so scheduled. He reminded me that the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), at the time, Tafa Balogun, (of blessed memory), was also affected.
Yet we had valid approvals from the FCT Department of Development Control, one of the departments under El Rufai’s watch. He admonished me softly, very calmly to arrange to take down the property myself. He said that would save me from being “surcharged by his ministry for the cost of removing an obstruction on a water course!” You should have seen the way I looked at him as though to gobble his head for such cheeky, unfeeling retort to my predicament. Nasir El Rufai established a reputation as a no-nonsense restorer of the FCT, reinstating it as close as possible to the original masterplan. He was the prototype bulldozer, whose cold-blooded earthmoving equipment humbled the aesthetics and arrogance of castles and mansions in split seconds without a care. I attended a meeting in the State House chaired by Obasanjo where El Rufai told participants that the *Aso Villa* complex was at an illegal location. The area was originally a “green area” he said, speaking from documents before him. Trust Obasanjo. The old man cut in and made a joke out of El Rufai’s narrative. Said Obasanjo: “Before I appointed you, I said I was looking for a madman to clean up the FCT. I’m glad l found a good one in you. I will relocate to my farm in Otta while you demolish this place, while you provide another facility where I can do my work!” El Rufai’s style was characterised by “soundproof” practicality, eschewing insults and invectives, beyond threats, abuse and noise making. It is necessary to lay this background as a parallel to the hoopla which tinges the official rhetoric routinely deployed by some officials in the present administration. True they are in a hurry to translate the “renewed hope” mantra of the incumbent government into tangibles. True they crave back slaps and thumbs-up from their employer. The content, colour and context of their communicative register, however, is oftentimes, more suited for wartime or civil unrest, than for clement times. We sure can do with more verbal finesse, more vocalised temperance, more expressive humanness, than presently emit from the throats of some of our public officers. Nyesom Ezenwo Wike’s appointment as Minister of the FCTA, was hailed by many. President Bola Tinubu intentionally unhinged the longstanding stereotype of helmsmen of the ministry always being sourced from the same part of the country. This was in addition to being adherents of the same faith in every instance.
I confess in this wise, that Tinubu demonstrated more resolve than his respected kinsman and predecessor, Obasanjo. For context, the three gentlemen who served as FCT ministers under Obasanjo, namely Ibrahim Bunu, (an architect), Mohammed Abba Gana, (an electrical engineer) and Nasir El Rufai, (a quantity surveyor), were all from the north and are all from the same religious inclination.But here was the same Tinubu who previously ignored public outcry when he settled for a deputy of the same faith, Kashim Shettima, against popular condemnation, opting for a Christian as FCT points-man. I should hasten to express my grief at the probable present dysfunction under this administration, of the beautiful *Aso Villa Chapel,* built by Obasanjo in the present power equation. Indeed, the last and only same-faith presidential pairing in Nigeria’s contemporary history was the military duo of Muhammadu Buhari and Tunde Idiagbon which was in office between January 1, 1984 and August 27, 1985. The administration was summarily torpedoed by Ibrahim Babangida and company. Nigeria’s secularism has been consistently adhered to ever since, including under the regime of Sani Abacha, the famous *enfant terrible.*Wike came into office with a track record of commitment to the massive infrastructural makeover of Rivers State, his immediate past official address. Abuja had gone sleepy since after the activist superintendence of El Rufai. His four successors before Wike barely impacted on the capital territory, their names and regimes mostly consigned to the “spam” compartment of our collective memories. With their salaries yet unpaid right in the middle of yuletide, employees of the FCTA are nostalgic. They remember the established promptness of the payment of their emoluments by Wike’s immediate predecessor who was in office for eight years, Mohammed Musa Bello.
He ensured prompt payments of salaries if that was all he did. Abuja under Wike has re-assumed its erstwhile toga as a sprawling construction site. Projects which were uncompleted by his predecessors are being revisited. Some have been completed and indeed put to use, while work is progressing in other locations. Select rural communities abutting the city centre are also receiving attention.My interest in this piece is not about Wike’s demolitions in the FCT which has culminated in loud uproars from home owners and residents alike. Wike looks to have come to Abuja with the same jarring verbal preferences which typified his years in *Brick House, Port Harcourt,* the pseudonym of the Government House in that oil city. Wike grabs a microphone during a church service in the “Garden City” and rails at his opponents with expressions like *thunder fire you.* Such recklessness. The elegant, cultured Senator representing the FCT, Ireti Kingibe, notes at a media event that Wike had refused her requests to have a meeting with him to discuss the challenges, feelings and expectations of her constituents. This is very much in order. She got into office at the polls at their behest.Wike retorts with *she’s jealous that she has been seeing me with Philip Aduda her predecessor in office. Is it by force for me to be her friend? I won’t see her and I cannot see her.* This is plain uncharitable and unnecessary. Ireti Kingibe should be able, seamlessly, to request for a meeting with the minister overseeing the senatorial territory she was elected to represent, by just a telephone call. While addressing communities and residential estates impacted by the ongoing demolition exercise, Wike on national television tells those who try to engage him to *shut up* their mouths. Reaffirming his obstinacy about proceeding with the “clean up” of Abuja, Wike rails, *let the heavens fall.* Haba. I’ve heard Dave Umahi, Wike’s colleague in the Works ministry on television, address contractors, telling them that successive governments had taken a lot of *shit* from them. He boasted that he was aware he was on camera and was cognisant of his choices of lexicon.
At another engagement, he ordered contractors at a particular project site, to disembark from the location forthwith. If they delayed or attempted to restart the road project, he assured that he would invite the landowners to *beat them up, inflict them with bruises and chase them away.* These are hallmarks of a loose canon. Instructively, very much like Wike and within the same time frame, 2015 to 2023, Umahi was governor in Ebonyi State. That should represent sufficient grooming period, preparatory to mainstream national service.I have, in a previous essay titled *Fela, Basket mouth and Godswill Akpabio* published back in March 2024, drawn attention to some avoidable slips and slurs by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio. Let’s hope he has rejigged the indiscretions characteristic of his public engagements, the most recent being his admonition that the poor should *eat wherever they find food!* He was practically recommending dumpsters and dunghills for our kinsmen and country folk. We are referring to our comrades who are the butt of state-orchestrated weaponisation of poverty. We are alluding to our fellow citizens pauperised and condemned to the vagaries of life in the face of diminished socio-economic opportunities.
We are talking about hordes of despairing literate and skilled, some of them possessors of well-earned first class degrees, vegetating across the land.As we round up the tumultuous year 2024 and look forward with subdued optimism to better days ahead, our leaders and representatives must adopt new, more temperate registers of public expression. The “renewed hope agenda” which is serially sloganeered and referenced at every opportunity must be concretised as real evidence of irrepressible commitment to this credo. It must move beyond being just a vacuous rant, and must tangibly reassure and pacify of our people. Evidence of this must begin from the lips of those who lead us. This is the basic minimum, this is the littlest expectation as we step into year 2025.
Tunde Olusunle, PhD, Fellow of the Association of Nigerian Authors, (FANA), is an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Abuja
Their conviction and forfeiture of their assets a historical blow to illicit drug trade, says Marwa
By Ebinum Samuel
Four drug kingpins arrested in connection with the historic seizure of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine at an Ikorodu residential estate in 2022 have been convicted by a Federal High Court, Lagos, presided over by Justice Yellim Bogoro who sentenced them to various jail terms totaling twenty-eight (28) years with hard labour. The convicts: Soji Jubril Oke, 71; Wasiu Akinade, 55; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu, 67; and Kelvin Christopher Smith, 44, a Jamaican, were charged with six counts in charge number: FHC/L/607C/2022 in October and December 2022, while the trial of the fifth suspect, Oguntolure Sunday arraigned along with them is still ongoing in court.
The charges border on conspiracy to form and operate a drug trafficking organization (DTO); management and financing of a DTO; importation and possession of 2,139.55 kilograms of cocaine, among others. Operatives of a special operations unit of NDLEA had in a well-coordinated and intelligence-led operation on Sunday 18th September, 2022 raided a house located at 6 Olukuola crescent, Solebo estate, Ikorodu, Lagos where the over 2.1 tons of cocaine were seized, the largest singular cocaine seizure in the history of Nigeria’s anti-narcotic operations.
The drug kingpins were picked from hotels and their hideouts in different parts of Lagos between the night of Sunday 18th and Monday 19th September, 2022. After over two years of diligent prosecution, the trial judge handed the Jamaican, Kelvin Christopher Smith four years imprisonment with hard labour; Emmanuel Arinze Chukwu got a total of 16 years; Soji Jubril Oke got five years with hard labour and Wasiu Akinade three years with hard labour. The trial judge however gave the convicts varying options of fine with the exception of one of them who will serve his full jail term without an option of fine.
They were also to forfeit a grey colour Toyota Tacoma SUV marked AAA-734HT registered in the name of Emmanuel Chukwu; $50,000:00 USD (Fifty Thousand US Dollars) belonging to Chukwu; N55,099,509.50 (Fifty-Five Million, Ninety-Nine Thousand, Five Hundred and Nine Naira, Fifty Kobo only) also belonging to Chukwu; the sum of N9,003,168.06 (Nine Million Three Thousand, One Hundred and Sixty Eight Naira Six Kobo only) belonging to Wasiu Akinade and N3,052,295.20 (Three Million, Fifty Two Thousand, Two Hundred and Ninety Five Naira Twenty Kobo only), also belonging to Akinade. The Agency also in another suit marked FHC/L/MISC/672/2024 and filed before Justice Bogoro on 9th December 2024 after an initial interim forfeiture order, secured the final forfeiture of two houses linked to members of the drug cartel.
According to the trial court: “That an Order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number 6 Olokunola Street, Sholebo Estate, Ikorodu Lagos, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 2A, 2B, and 2C attached to this application used for the storage and concealment of 2,139.55kg (More Than Two Tons) Cocaine, an illicit substance similar to Heroin and LSD. “That an Order of final forfeiture and confiscation is granted in favour of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Landed Property/House Number J9, Road 3, Close 1, Victoria Garden City (VGC) Estate, Lagos, Lagos State, as contained in Exhibit NDLEA 3 attached to this application reasonably believed to be bought with proceeds derived from trafficking in illicit drug substances (proceeds of crime) as in relief 1 of this Motion.
“That an Order is granted directing the sale or disposal by any other means provided by law of the forfeited House/Landed Property by the Applicant and the payment of the proceeds therefrom to the Federal Government of Nigeria.” While commending all the officers and men of the Agency involved in the extensive investigation and prosecution of members of the drug cartel, Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) said the case is a historical blow to the drug cartels and a strong warning that they’ll not only go to jail but will equally lose all their investments in illicit drug consignments including all the properties and wealth acquired through the criminal trade.
As Christians across the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Foundation of christianity tomorrow, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, mni has called on Nigerians to renew their faith in our country, insisting that our nation must be great again.DIG Argungu noted that Nigeria is blessed with enormous material and human resources which the present Administration is currently harnessing for optimal functionality. He said Nigerians should believe in the greatness of our nation and support the Government to achieve the required dividends.
He called on Christians to use the occasion of the birth of Jesus Christ to rededicate themselves to the advancement of the ideals of nation building. He also called for prayers against societal ills such as terrorism, banditry and kidnapping. DIG Argungu said Nigeria and its leaders need all the prayers and support at this time to positively change the fortunes of our fatherland.”May this Christmas present for you an opportunity to renew and grow your faith in God and our nation, Nigeria.
And may you and your family be blessed beyond measure”, he prayed.
