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Gov Simon Lalong: setting the template of unity in diversity
Gov Simon Lalong: setting the template of unity in diversity
By Yakubu Dati
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” —Lao Tzu
Gov Simon Lalong was at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Wednesday, to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for the many good things he has done for the government and people of Plateau State recently.
Specifically, the Governor was in the Villa to appreciate the President for approving several projects in Plateau State including
a Cancer Centre for the University of Jos and the over N3 billion approved for the purpose; the establishment of an Orthopaedic Hospital in Jos; the establishment of a Federal Medical Centre in Wase; the Federal Polytechnic Shendam, the conversion of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, to a Federal University of Education; establishment of another Federal College of Education in the state and the establishment of a zonal campus of the Nigerian Law School for North-Central in Jos.
This, the governor made clear to reporters who tried to ambush him with barrage of questions while coming out of the villa, but not so surprisingly given the nature of Nigerian politics, it was his response on the issue of his acceptance to lead the Tinubu/Shettima Campaign Organization that was not only given prominence but made to overshadow all issues with his comment being twisted in the social media to give it a different meaning.
Welcome to Nigerian politics where opposition elements must ply their trade: Downplaying major milestones and confusing otherwise straight narratives through the promotion of self serving angles is the new low.
The slant given to Gov Lalong’s response on his acceptance to lead the presidential campaign falls in this category and is meant to obfuscate these achievements by throwing up sentimental issues that tend to divide the populace.
But one wonders why some are always ready to bring up the religious and ethnic cards when citizen cohesion and nation building as demonstrated by the Governor in highlighting the projects approved for his state, should be the focus.
According to research, there exists about 4,200 religions, churches, denominations, religious bodies, faith groups, tribes, cultures, movements and ultimate concerns, which at some point will be countless.
The Rwandan genocide that led to the slaughtering of about 800,000 persons in just 100 days, has according to a BBC report been traced to the exploitation of existing fault,-lines between the Tutsi and Hutu.
These imply the very intricate and diverse sentiment that prevail as far as religion and ethnicity are concerned, and why rather than use these fault lines to divide, they should form the basis for integration and peaceful coexistence which should be championed by all men of goodwill.
To paraphrase Gen Ibrahim Haruna rtd, on an ARISE TV interview “Why does the mass media think only of failure?”
Gov Lalong is rising above the fault lines of religion and ethnicity to project appreciation of religious tolerance and steer the nation away from plunging into the tenterhooks of war, to setting the building blocks for harmony and peaceful coexistence.
Lalong would, rather than dwell on what divides citizens, draws from his personal experience where his kith and kin are made of a fine mix of Christians and Muslims living in harmony, to build on.
Back to the villa interview. In response to a question about his acceptance to lead the Tinubu/Shettima campaign, the Governor used the analogy of the most respected Vatican potentate to underscore his proud religious heritage to promote the cardinal attribute of peace.
He said: “I hold a Papal knight and as a Catholic, everything we do, we do it and send the advice to the Pope. The Pope has not told me that what I’m doing is bad – as a catholic, we take that direction.”
The attempt by conflict merchants to confuse his metaphoric reference to his Knighthood of Saint Gregory the Great KSGG, is being weaponized for political mileage with the intention of plunging the most populous African country to war.
But the bid to misinterpret this analogy is dead on arrival, as many have come to understand the context it was used.
The Catholic Church has, over the years made it a policy to explore ways of opening avenues for interreligious harmony and the reference by Governor Lalong is an enunciation of this pursuit and his belief in peaceful coexistence.
As one whose worldview is shaped by unity in diversity, the Governor is driven to replicate this win win experience for national cohesion.
Therein lies his motivation to defend peaceful coexistence and promote the Tinubu/Shetima APC presidential ticket without fear or intimidation.
While his political traducers resort to exploiting the Freudian slip to ply their trade, men of goodwill will dig deeper and appreciate his internal train of thought that means no harm.
Yakubu Dati, a Commissioner of lands Plateau State can be reached on Yakubudati@gmail.com
Gov Simon Lalong: setting the template of unity in diversity
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
By: Michael Mike
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer (DG/CEO) of the National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA), Dr. Yemisi Asagbra debunked some allegations level against the agency by some non governmental organisations (NGOs) concerning negligence and compromise.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday, Asagbra said: “The negative statements circulating are misleading and lack credible scientific backing. The agency asks these organisations to present verifiable scientific evidence for their claims and we relies on sound scientific research and internationally recognized protocols to make informed decisions. It is part of the Cartagena Protocol with over 180 parties, our mandate is to protect the health of Nigerians and the environment. It will not compromise on this as it is an agency of integrity.
She added that: “The agency is transparent and accountable in its operations. It invites review of its processes and rigorous evaluations of GMO products. We are confident in our procedures that it’s meet global standards and it is a leader in effective regulation in Africa”.
On the source of the allegations, she said “over the years they have been advocating to have their presence in the board where all these products coming will be thoroughly Investigated, but it hasn’t been given. Most times we rely on the information given by Nigeria Custom Service to furnish them with needed information, which most time is not always easy if they have other things doing.
The Head planning, research and statistics National Biosafety Management Agency Mrs. Bello Scholastica said the agency is concerned with safety to our health and safety to our environment.
She further reiterated that what NBMA stands for is to establish first regulation from identification of the gene of interest, “of what you are interested in, from then till commercialization, and even after commercialization, they still follow suit to make sure that the approvals they gave hasn’t caused any harm, or those that were given approval to that they stay put to what they were asked to do”.
She further explained that the agency has put in effort to promote environmental conservation and biosafety in Nigeria.
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
By: Michael Mike
The House of Representatives has revealed that it is interested in the passage of the Human Rights Defenders Bill into law, saying that the bill has already passed the first reading and will soon be subjected to second reading.
The House also promised to take the necessary steps to ensure an improvement in the 2025 budget of the NHRC, pointing out that the N5 billion approved for it in the 2024 budget is inadequate considering the myriad of human rights violations in the country.
The Chairman House Committee on Human Rights, Hon. Abiola Makinde made this disclosure during the oversight visit of Committee to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
The Chairman, who was represented at the occasion by his Deputy, Hon. Mudashiru Lukeman assured the NHRC that the Committee would continue to advance the course of human rights in Nigeria by ensuring that the House of Representatives passes critical bills on human rights issues as well as makes adequate budgetary provisions to ease the work of the Commission.
Makinde also stated that in a bid to improve some aspects of Civil and Political Rights, the House of Representatives had ensured the establishment of human rights desks in all police formations and Headquarters across the 36 States of the Federation.
Earlier, the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Dr. Tony Ojukwu who received the lawmakers with his management staff told the Human Rights Committee that the Commission relies heavily on them for the enactment of human rights friendly laws and enhanced budgetary provisions to discharge it broad mandate of promotion, protection and enforcement of human rights in the country.
He used the opportunity to commend the legislators for their role in the amendment of the NHRC Act 2010 as well as the support of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the payment of compensation to victims of human rights violations by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
He equally informed the legislators who were on oversight visit about the recent report released by the Commission following the findings of the Special Independent Investigative Panel on Human Rights Violations in Counter-Insurgency Operations in the North East Nigeria , which he noted has saved the country from possible invitation by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
He noted that the aforementioned wide spread allegations of human rights infractions against some government institutions could result in the ICC extending invitations to some of the leaders to respond to the allegations, but the Commission has done the needful in compliance with the international principles of omplementarity.
He thanked the Committee for promising to improve the budgetary allocation of the Commission in the 2025 fiscal year.
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
By: Michael Mike
The arrest of Biafra agitator, Simon Ekpa in Finland has been confirmed by the federal government.
A statement on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Nigerian-Finnish citizen and prominent leader of the proscribed Indigenous People
of Biafra (IPOB), was arrested by Finnish authorities on Thursday.
According to the statement, Ekpa was
charged with inciting terrorism and promoting violence.
The Finnish District Court of
Päijät-Häme ruled to detain him on probable cause for publicly inciting crimes with terrorist intent.
The Finnish authorities alleged that Mr. Ekpa used social media platforms to spread
separatist propaganda, incite violence and encourage illegal actions, which had caused
significant disruptions in the South-East of Nigeria. Finnish investigators had also linked
him to incidents of violence in Nigeria, which were believed to had been fueled by his
online activities.
The statement said “the arrest of Mr. Simon Njoku Ekpa follows sustained diplomatic
pressure by the Nigerian government on Finland, to take action against his activities,
which were linked to violence and instability in the South-East of Nigeria. The request
for action featured during high level engagements between countries.”
The Ministry stated that the arrest of Ekpa, is a significant development in addressing the activities of IPOB, and also neutralizing the influence of transnational actors and “their impact on our national security.”
The Ministry promised to continue to monitor the legal proceedings and provide further updates as the case progresses.
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
Nigerian lawyers Ask to Collaborate with Chinese Colleagues in Law Relating to Investment and Dispute Resolution
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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