News / politics

Twitter, Facebook, others must register in Nigeria, says FG

As part of its new move to regulate social media, the Federal Government has said Twitter, Facebook and other social media giants doing business in Nigeria must register in the country before being allowed to operate unhindered.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, yesterday also disclosed that Twitter, which was last week suspended, has called for a ‘high-level’ discussion.

Mohammed made this known in Abuja while briefing journalists after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

Mohammed said he got the message yesterday morning and repeated government’s stance that Twitter was suspended because it provided an avenue for people threatening the corporate existence of Nigeria. He claimed that the owner of Twitter helped to fund the recent #EndSARS protest and is also allowing the leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, to use the platform to call for the killing of security operatives. He added that Twitter failed to take down Kanu’s tweets despite repeated requests to do so.

The minister said he has already directed the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to commence the process of licensing all OTT and social media operations in the country. The NBC as part of implementing the directive has also asked all broadcast stations to suspend usage of their Twitter accounts with immediate effect.

Mohammed listed conditions that must be met even if there is a discussion with Twitter, including that it must now be registered in Nigeria as a business concern. According to the government spokesman, freedom of speech has not been stifled by the suspension of Twitter as he maintained that Nigerians can still use other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.

“We found out that Twitter is actually the platform of choice for a particular separatist leader who resides outside the country and issues directives to its members to attack symbols of government authority, such as the police, military, electoral commission offices, correctional centers, etc. And this is being done willfully and consistently without any consequences from Twitter.

“No country worth its name will tolerate that. …

News / politics

Nigeria better united than separated, says Obasanjo

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Wednesday said Nigerians would fair better staying together than break up.

Obasanjo stated this in Abeokuta at his investiture as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Surveyor by the Ogun State chapter of the Body of Fellows of the NIS.

The elder statesman called on agitators for the disintegration of the country to shelve the idea and work for the oneness of the country.

According to him, it is better for Nigeria to remain as one indivisible nation than for each tribe to go its separate way.

The former president, who acknowledged that Nigeria is passing through challenges, insisted that “disintegration is not the solution”.

According to him, any Nigerian who does not feel concerned about the challenges of the country is a human being without being human.

Obasanjo said: “It is better that Nigeria stays together and find solutions to its challenges than for each tribe to go its separate way.

“I am a strong believer of one Nigeria, but not one Nigeria at any cost, but one Nigeria where every Nigerian can feel proud that he or she has a stake in this country.

“Those of us who have shed part of our blood and sweat for this country, we did so because we wanted a country where every Nigerian can claim as his or her own.

“I believe that if we talk among ourselves the way we should and if we change the narrative, I believe this is a great country.

“The fact that we are not making Nigeria what God wants it to be is not the fault of God, but our fault, particularly the leaders.”

Obasanjo, who noted that Nigeria’s diversity remained a major source of its strength, explained that disintegration would result in “weak republics”.

He added: “One thing that gives us strength is our diversity.

“If all that we have is Republic of Oduduwa for those who say so, members of that country will be diminished compared to being a citizen of Nigeria.

“Citizens of Oduduwa Republic …

News / politics

Nigerians launch legal action against government’s Twitter ban

Dozens of Nigerians and a local rights group have filed a lawsuit at a regional court seeking to lift the government’s ban on Twitter, describing the decision to suspend the hugely popular social media platform’s operations as an attempt to silence criticism of the government.

Authorities announced the ban on Friday, two days after Twitter removed a post from President Muhammadu Buhari that threatened to punish regional secessionists.…

News / politics

Trump hails Nigeria for banning Twitter

Former US President Donald Trump has congratulated Nigeria for suspending the operations of Twitter in the country.

Trump, in a statement on Tuesday night, commended Nigeria for the action, calling on more countries to “ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech.”

He said: “Congratulations to the country of Nigeria, who just banned Twitter because they banned their President.

“More COUNTRIES should ban Twitter and Facebook for not allowing free and open speech – all voices should be heard.”

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The Federal Government had on Friday suspended the operations of Twitter indefinitely due to its use for activities that were capable of undermining Nigeria’s corporate existence.

The former US leader also expressed regrets for not taking action against them while he was president.

He said: “In the meantime, competitors will emerge and take hold. Who are they to dictate good and evil if they themselves are evil?

“Perhaps, I should have done it while I was President. But Zuckerberg kept calling me and coming to the White House for dinner telling me how great I was.”

Trump also made a veiled reference to his speculated 2024 presidential ambition by simply saying: “2024?”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Twitter and Facebook had in January suspended Trump’s accounts indefinitely.

The two social networking sites claimed that he used the platforms to mobilise his followers to invade Capitol Hill over the outcome of the November 2020 presidential election after he lost.

Facebook had also on Friday announced that it had banned Trump from its two platforms – Facebook and Instagram – for two years, effective January 7, 2021.

Facebook, in a statement by Nick Clegg, Vice-President of Global Affairs, cited “severe violation” after Capitol Hill riots of January 6 and that Trump’s accounts would only be reinstated if conditions permitted.…

News / politics

Twitter ban: PDP Reps stage walkout as Gbajabiamila overrules demand

Representatives have staged a walkout over the refusal of the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, to grant their prayer on the Federal Government’s Twitter Ban.

Gbajabiamila had earlier asked relevant committees of the House to investigate the matter within 10 days.

Leader of the PDP caucus, Kingsley Chinda, much later, raised a point of order to make an additional prayer that the House asks the Federal Government to lift the ban pending when the House carries out the probe.

Chinda noted that the implication is that the ban would remain for 10 days, which means the rights of Nigerians would be kept in abeyance during the period. Gbajabiamila, however, cited part of the Standing Orders of the House stating that a matter that had been concluded by the parliament cannot be revisited for a debate.

The Speaker, therefore, ruled Chinda out of order, a decision that did not go down well the members of the opposition.

Insisting on speaking and several leaders of the House shutting him down, Chinda led other PDP members out of the chamber.…

News / politics

President Buhari presides over Police Council meeting

President Muhammadu Buhari is currently presiding over the Police Council meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting would likely discuss the confirmation of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, and the current security situation in the country.

According to reports from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), those in attendance at the meeting include Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Chairman of the Governors’ Forum and Executive Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Others physically attending the meeting are the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Muhammed Bello and the Chairman Police Service Commission, Musiliu Smith.

In case you missed it

It can be recalled that President Buhari on May 25, directed the postponement of the Police Council meeting, which was earlier scheduled for Thursday, May 27, to Thursday, June 3, in honour of the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, and ten other senior military officers and servicemen, who died in a plane crash on Friday, May 21, 2021.President Buhari had on April 6 approved the appointment of DIG Usman Alkali Baba as acting Inspector-General of Police to replace Mr Mohammed Adamu whose tenure was extended by 3 months in February by the President.…

News / politics

Buhari meets Governors of Cross River, Kogi

President Muhammadu Buhari has met behind closed doors with Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State and Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the President met separately with the two governors as Ayade was visiting the Presidential Villa for the first time since his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party to All Progressives Congress two weeks ago.

Fielding questions from State House correspondents after the meeting, Ayade emphasised that he left the PDP for the sake of Buhari, adding that the President’s virtues attracted him to the APC.

He said: I moved into the APC because of my personal relationship with Mr. President.“I have watched him and I found honesty, integrity and I see his wish and commitment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“To that extent, I have a leader that I trust.

“Opposition in the third world means let everything happen that will make the other party look bad.

“I am one of the strong Nigerian Governors who has risen beyond party lines and ethnic lines by virtue of my education and exposure.”

According to Ayade, his decision to join the APC is generating a lot of concern for the PDP occasioned by the fact that it came as a rude shock.

He said: “And sincerely, it is indeed a rude shock because until I defected, I was a very strong member of the party in truth and in spirit.

“And the reality is that PDP had the best result in Cross River – of all the elected offices, all the chairmen of council, all the counsellors, all the National Assembly members, but one, all the chairmen of the local governments, all commissioners, all the appointees, all of them were PDP before I defected.

“So, in terms of performance of PDP, it should be highest performance in the last election in Cross River, which means of all the elected offices, except for one office, PDP cleared all.

“So, for such a governor who led PDP to …

News / politics

Those who want to destroy my government have shock coming their way — Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday issued a stern warning to those bent on destroying the country through promoting insurrection and burning down critical national assets: a rude shock awaits them, and very soon too.

The President spoke after he received briefing from the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, on series of attacks on facilities of the electoral body round the country.

“I receive daily security reports on the attacks, and it is very clear that those behind them want this administration to fail,” President Buhari said.

“Insecurity in Nigeria is now mentioned all over the world.

President Buhari recalled that he visited all the 36 states of the country before the 2019 election, “and majority of the people believed me, and the election proved it.”

He promised to continue leading the country in accordance with Constitutional provisions.

He said those misbehaving in certain parts of the country were obviously too young to know the travails and loss of lives that attended the Nigerian Civil War, adding: “Those of us in the fields for 30 months, who went through the war, will treat them in the language they understand.

“We are going to be very hard sooner than later.”

The President said the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police have been changed, “and we will demand security from them.”

On the dangers posed to future elections by the burning of INEC facilities, President Buhari said he would give the electoral commission all it needed to operate “so that no one would say we don’t want to go, or that we want a third term.

“There will be no excuse for failure. We’ll meet all INEC’s demands.”

“Most of the attacks happened in the last seven months, and they are unrelated to protest against previous elections.

“From the pattern and frequency of the most recent attacks, they appear to be targeted at future elections.

“The intention is to incapacitate the Commission, undermine the nation’s democracy and precipitate a national crisis.”…

News / politics / Stories

Mali suspended over second coup in nine months by ECOWAS

West African leaders suspended Mali from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) at an extraordinary summit Sunday but stopped short of reimposed sanctions, after a second military coup in nine months.

The putsch had sparked deep concerns over stability in the volatile Sahel region and warnings of fresh economic penalties.

Ten regional heads of state and three foreign ministers attended the summit in the Ghanaian capital Accra, with former Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan serving as a mediator in the crisis.

“The suspension from ECOWAS takes immediate effect until the deadline of the end of February 2022 when they are supposed to hand over to a democratically elected government,” Ghana’s Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey said after the meeting.

The final declaration called for the immediate appointment of a new civilian prime minister and the formation of an “inclusive” government.

In a statement, ECOWAS also reiterated that “the head of the transition, the vice-president and the prime minister of the transition must under no circumstances be a candidate for the future presidential election”.…

News / politics

Ripples over Southwest APC leaders’ position on Oduduwa Republic

Recently some Southwest leaders in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) met in Lagos and implored groups involved in agitations for self-determination to desist forthwith. Their position have, however, triggered several reactions form concerned Yoruba groups and individuals.

In the second of nine resolutions arrived at the meeting, convener, Chief Bisi Akande expressed strong opposition to separatist agitations and hate speeches. The leaders directed those indulging in such to desist forthwith while expressing their belief in the unity, stability and sustainability of the country.

But there have been mixed feelings that the Southwest leaders failed to engage the separatists groups on how take the country out of its present security predicament, which is believed to have been aggravated by the menace of armed Fulani herdsmen,whose activities have been perceived as threat to the existence of other ethnic groups in the country, especially the southern region.

…
Covid 19 / News / politics

Buhari receives second dose of COVID-19 vaccine

President Muhammadu Buhari has taken the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine at the State House, Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that president’s personal physician, Dr Suhayb Rafidadi, administered the vaccine on the president at his official residence, State House, Abuja on Saturday.

Buhari had received the first jab of the vaccination on March 6 where he was presented with his COVID-19 vaccination card by officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, who supervised the exercise.
The President is the ECOWAS Champion on the Fight against COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) had disclosed that 1,945, 273 eligible Nigerians had so far taken the first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

It also said that 22,162 of Nigerians vaccinated with the first dose had also taken the second dose.

NAN reports that Nigeria has so far received over 3.92 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines delivered under the international Covax scheme.

…
Breaking News / politics

We’re targeting more 3m children for free feeding, says Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday, said his administration was expanding the homegrown school feeding programme by targeting additional three million children for a free daily meal.

He made the disclosure at an event to mark the 2021 Children’s Day celebration organised by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Social Development Secretariat in Abuja.

Represented by the FCT Minister, Mohammed Musa Bello, the President said the menace of out-of-school children was being given attention through a comprehensive programme where the affected kids are enrolled in school and supported to continue their education wherever they are.

He disclosed that a full range of social intervention programmes would be deployed across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to achieve the vision of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030.

Also speaking, UNICEF Deputy Representative in Nigeria, Rushnan Murtaza, urged Nigerians to see the occasion as an opportunity to commit to the wellbeing of children in policy and practice, as well as put enforceable measures in place to protect their interest.

According to Murtaza, children are protected when they are registered at birth, urging the government to make the process easier for vulnerable families.

RELATED to that, a group, Save the Children International (SCI), has sought innovative local solutions, strategies and International cooperation to redress the devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children.

…
News / politics

Zuma pleads not guilty to arms and corruption scandals

The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma began Wednesday more than 25 years after some of his alleged offenses.

Zuma, who was president from 2009 until he was forced out in 2018 amid multiple graft scandals, pleaded not guilty to corruption, racketeering, fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering at Pietermaritzburg High Court.

Among the charges, Zuma is accused of taking bribes from French company Thales to ensure that South Africa signed a multi-billion dollar arms deal with the company in 1999. Zuma was deputy president of South Africa from 1999 until 2005 when he was fired from that role amid allegations of corruption.

Thales, also accused in the trial, pleaded not guilty to racketeering and money laundering.

Zuma was first implicated in corruption by prosecutors in 2005 but charges against him have been dropped and reinstated several times over the years amid allegations of political interference. Most recently they were reinstated in 2018.

Some of the charges against the 79-year-old Zuma date back to the mid-1990s. Prosecutors allege between 1995 and 2001 Zuma and Thales were involved in an organized criminal enterprise. They also accuse Zuma of taking bribes from a former financial advisor as far back as 1995 in exchange for using his political power to advance the advisor’s business interests. That corrupt relationship lasted for 10 years, prosecutors said.

Zuma could be jailed for 25 years if convicted.

On Wednesday, Zuma’s lawyer filed papers calling for the removal of the chief prosecutor in the case, claiming he was biased and Zuma’s right to a fair trial was threatened. The judge said he would consider the application.

Zuma is also facing allegations of corruption while he was president at a separate and ongoing state inquiry into widespread government graft. Zuma has been ordered to appear and testify but has refused to do so, leading the judge overseeing the inquiry to ask South Africa’s highest court to jail Zuma for two years for contempt of court.…

Gospel / politics

TB Joshua Foresees Interruption Of Nigeria’s Democracy, Calls For Prayer

Pastor T.B. Joshua of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria has called for urgent prayers for Nigeria against “interruption of the democratic practice” in the nation.
Speaking to congregants on Sunday during a service beamed live via the Christian television network, Emmanuel TV, the cleric stated he had received a revelation concerning Nigeria on three different occasions, prompting him to make it public.
Joshua said: “I was in my vision and God told me to tell the nation and leaders to pray against the interruption of the democratic practice.
“The President’s heart is like a stream of water in the hands of God and He can control it whenever He wants.”
Speaking in his customary parabolic fashion, Joshua then reminded congregants of the prophecy he gave in 2016 where he candidly stated Nigeria’s future was “crying for help”.
“You must join me in prayer for the nation because two believers are better than one,” he stressed before enjoining congregants to rise and pray.
Worshippers then joined Joshua in asking for God to give President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigeria’s leaders “a greater understanding of God’s heart, discretion to guide their hearts, understanding that will protect them and wisdom that will rescue them”.
. Contributed by Ihechukwu Njoku, a freelance Nigerian journalist.…