Connect with us

News

Yoruba group seeks end to bitter campaigns among  Osinbajo, Tinubu’s supporters

Published

on

Share this story

The Yoruba Leadership and Peace Initiative (TYLPI) has expressed concern over the current campaign of calumny emanating from the support groups of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, both of who have indicated interest in the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 election, which they observe will not augur well for the Yoruba and Nigeria as a whole.
Allegations and counter allegations of betrayal, greed and perceived heavy moral burden have been going back and forth among the supporters of the two foremost contenders for the presidential slot since the duo declared interest in the ticket.
Rising from a roundtable which  examined the issues concerning Yorubaland and the 2023 polls, the group, in a statement, warned that the bitterness fuelling the mudslinging by the supporters of both aspirants portends grave danger for the social and political health of the region.
TYLPI, in the statement signed by its Director of Publicity, Mr. Tunde Ipinmisho, while noting that both Osinbajo and Tinubu were once allies, said the tempo of the campaign of hate from the two sides could trigger chaos unless urgent steps were taken to put an end to it.
It therefore urged both parties to cease hostilities in the interest of Yoruba land and the nation as a whole.
The group also appealed to traditional rulers, religious leaders and all leaders of  opinion in Yorubaland to rise to the occasion and call those behind the campaigns to order.
According to the statement, the current bitter exchanges would, if unchecked, raise the political temperature in the South West and could degenerate into the kind of civil disorder experienced in the defunct Western Region in the 1960s.
TYLPI, a think tank of Yoruba professionals, entrepreneurs and intellectuals, lamented that the ongoing brickbats were diverting attention from the significant issues that were of current concern to the Yoruba race.
Such issues as restructuring, devolution of power, state police, resource control, justice, fairness and equity in the Nigerian state, the statement noted,  had been swept under the carpet in the current diatribe between the supporters of the two contenders.
The group said the Yoruba race and indeed the Nigerian nation were experiencing serious existential challenges and implored men and women of goodwill to do all in their powers to stave off anything that could create further tension in the polity.
It said both Osinbajo and Tinubu were eminently qualified to contest for the presidency and that their decision to go for it should not cause rancour among their supporters.
TYLPI further appealed to the two politicians to rein in their supporters and allow peace to reign in the land.
It urged Osinbajo and Tinubu to refocus their campaign on issues that would bring about positive development in the country, restore peace,  activate economic turnaround and generate solutions that would improve the lot of the common man in the country.
TYLPI also called for improved security in the country ahead of the the general elections, scheduled for early next year.
 
 
 

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

Food Crisis: Obi raises f alarm over terrorists, bandits effect

Published

on

By

Share this story

The Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 General election has expressed apprehension over looming hunger and famine acasioned by tye activities of bandits and terrorists. That have continued to deny farmers access to their farms

Obi who was reacting to publications and the international agency’s warning on the matter, said the alarm should be given adequate attention.

Writing on his X handle the LP standard bearer said “I just read on the daily this morning, about the concerns being expressed by stakeholders in our agriculture sector over the worsening food insecurity in Nigeria.
“I have remained consistent in public voicing out my worries over this growing food crisis, which has even continued to claim the lives of our fellow citizens.
“I do believe that the urgency required to address these issues cannot be over-emphasized.

“The report this morning reads, in part, “The number of food-insecure Nigerians increased significantly, from 66.2 million in Q1 2023 to 100 million in Q1 2024 (WFP, 2024), with 18.6 million facing acute hunger and 43.7 million Nigerians showing crisis-level or above crisis-level hunger- coping strategies as of March 2024.

“While the above report gives an understanding of the present and impending food crisis looming large on the nation, the present realities show that we are already in a worse situation than is presented in the report.

“An earlier similar report by Cadre Harmonise stated that about 31.5 million Nigerians are projected to face acute hunger by the June-August of this year.

“What is now very worrisome is that many Nigerians have lost their lives in their quest to find food, reflecting a very acute level of hunger not yet captured in the media. We are gradually descending to the level of the survival of the fittest, where, driven by hunger and a quest for survival, one loses every sense of order to do the unthinkable.

“With the recurrent bandits and terror attacks on farmers, many of them have abandoned their farms. It is reported that in a state like Sokoto, farmers have paid an accumulated sum of N3 billion in ransom to bandits, others pay as high as N100,000 to bandits to gain access to their farmlands. About 165 farmers have reportedly lost their lives to insecurity this year alone.

“It is, therefore, a matter of urgency, for the government to solve the problems of insecurity in the country. This will in turn reduce the problems of food insecurity when farmers safely return to their farms. A New and hunger-free Nigeria is Possible.

Continue Reading

News

Slain Soldiers: Tinubu at funeral, announces death benefits, scholarship for children

Published

on

By

Share this story

President Bola Tinubu has led top government officials, including service chiefs and other heads of security agencies to the funeral rites for the soldiers gruesomely murdered in Delta State at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
At the commencement of the rites, prayers were rendered for the repose of the souls of the slain soldiers.
It would be recalled that 17 personnel, comprising four officers and 13 soldiers, were murdered in Delta state during a peace mission
Tinubu at Burial of Slain Soldiers
President Tinubu use the ocasion to confer national honours on the 17 slain members of the Nigerian Army who were killed in Delta State on March 14, 2024.

This was as he announced the provision of housing facilities for the surviving family members and scholarships for all their children to the university level.
He also directed the payment of death benefits to the family members within 90 days.
He announced these during the burial ceremony of the slain servicemen at the National Military Cemetery in Abuja.
The President, who arrived the venue exactly 4:10pm, was accompanied by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume; the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
State governors on his entourage include: Abba Yusuf (Kano), Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Hope Uzodinma (Imo) and their Bayelsa State counterpart, Duoye Diri.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa; Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-General Taoreed Lagbaja; Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar, and Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla were present to pay final respects to the fallen heroes.

The Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas led members of the upper and lower chambers to honour the slain military personnel.
The slain military personnel responded to a distress call after a communal land dispute when they were gruesomely murdered.
The beheaded corpses of the slain soldiers were later recovered from a neighbouring river, while the stomachs and hearts of others were ripped off.

The Defence Headquarters later released the list of 17 military personnel killed in the attack.

The Defence Headquarters said 17 personnel including the Commanding Officer of 181 Amphibious Battalion, two majors, one captain, and 12 personnel of the battalion were killed.
Authorities in Nigeria have continued to condemn their brutal murder
Tinubu had described it as an attack on the nation and gave marching orders to security agencies to fish out the masterminds of the attack. The President also said the slain military personnel will be conferred with national honours.

Continue Reading

News

Jigawa Widow Breaks down in tears as she receives 10kg Rice palliative

Published

on

By

Share this story

By Ahmed Rufa’i Dutse

A widow by the name Shafa’atu Abdullahi, a mother of three children could not hold back her tears after receiving a bag of 10kg Rice at Dutse central mosque on Saturda

Shafaatu while narrating her ordeal said she lost her husband in 2016 and since then she has been battling with life struggles while taking care of the three children without help since the pasy seven years.

While expressing her gratitude to Dangote foundation for the palliative, she indicated that saying before the distribution she was not having any food to use to break her fast.

Another beneficiary, Hafsat Maishanu

Another widow, Hafsa Maishanu
who said she has nobody to take care of her prayed for Dangote and his entire family for coming to their aid.

She said, “Food in this era is priceless because this ramadan we hardly eat to our satisfaction due to inflation and hardship”.
Aliko Dangote foundation had donated 30,000 bags of 10 kilograms of Rice to widows and other vulnerables across the 27 local government areas of the state.

Flagging off the distribution in a mini celebration at Dutse central mosque, the chief Imam Dr Abubakar Sani Birninkudu said the rice is part of Aliko Dangote foundation palliative sent to brought to the state.

Dr Birninkudu explained that “the rice is given by Aliko Dangote foundation to the people of Jigawa state to alleviate the present headship in the holy month of Ramadan”.

The chief Imam noted that the foundation had donated bags of Rice across the country, adding that Jigawa state has benefited with 30,000 bags of 10kg rice to be shared among the less privileged in the state as assistant in the holy month to ease present headship over the high cost of food prices”.

He said “The foundation’s choice in channeling the rice through this central mosque working committee is for the confidence that it will be judiciously be distributed to reach the targeted people”.

“We received 30,000 bags we have 30 state assembly constituencies in the state. We shared it equal by 1000 bags far each state assembly constituency, he emphasised.

Dr. Birninkudu added that “Upon receiving the rice we also constituted distribution committee from three eminent and popular Ulmas in each of the local government areas who received and distributed them to the beneficiaries in their respective areas”.

The chief Imam stated further that each local government area committee is responsible for choosing the beneficiaries in accordance with guidelines laid down by the main committee to ensure it get to the targed persons

“We made the selection of the beneficiaries according to the guideline, we registered them each with their mobile telephone number. We are going hand over with the register to Aliko Dangote foundation after distribution as evidence and if they want to confirm, the foundation would call any of the benefitiaries for confirmation”.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Dutse district head, Alhaji Jamilu Basiru Sunusi commended the foundation for the gesture, saying it came on a good time.

The district head assured that the bags of Rice would be distributed judiciously, adding that priority would be given to widows, orphans and Persons Living with Disability.

He called on the foundation to expand its activities to health, education for Jigawa state as it is also doing in Kano and Lagos state.

Continue Reading

Trending