News
Darret foundation holds two days workshop for Christian and Muslim youths in maiduguri
Darret foundation holds two days workshop for Christian and Muslim youths in maiduguri
By: Bodunrin Kayode
The Cardinal Onaiyekan and Dr Tim Darret foundations both focused on peace and development have held a two days workshop to bridge the peace gap between Christianity and Islam in the country.
The workshop with theme “youth and conflict: interfaith challenges and opportunities for peaceful co-existence” was held in maiduguri recently mainly to open the eyes of young people in the “Muna community” on how to further strengthen the peace in the state and the region respectively.
Declaring the workshop open, Bridgid O’Connor from the Catholic Relief Service (CRS) who is also the Chief of Party for a project known as “Thrive” noted that it was a workshop to strengthen the capacity of young people of the state especially on promoting peaceful co-existence within themselves instead of living in crisis.
Speaking with newsmen during the occasion, she said that most of the young people assembled at “kirika sama” in maiduguri had training in social cohesion and trauma management which is vital to their keeping of the peace.
She revealed that the talk shop was an opportunity for adherents of both Christianity and Islam to gather together and jaw jaw about the way forward in promoting peaceful co-existence.
O’Connor stated that since peace is not something that comes within one or two days but a phenomenon that should be worked on by parties involved to get a long term solution, she expects the people to be able to rationalize the advantages and go for it at all costs.
“Nobody can eat peace. It has to be worked upon. You also have to have a form of living to be able to provide or create peace. I will not necessarily advise them on how to run their lives but I believe that as matured adults, they have their individual competencies and know what to do.
“They should trust in their own skills and competencies and take the initiatives to their own communities to reach their neighbors and see what they can do together especially by promoting and ensuring a fair share of the resources they have in their communities together. ” said O’Connor.
The convener of the peace project Dr Timothy Darret said he expected that each of the 50 participant who attended will turn out as peace ambassadors in their neighborhoods.
In his presentation, he regretted that the love of worldly things such as money, materialistic materials, was a very big challenge to both religions, as it can lead young people to do things beyond their comprehension.
“This is because a lot of youths today do go to their early graves because of their worldly desires, they engage in rituals, yahoo, kidnapping, etc.
” These desires at times makes them to even sacrifice their parents and loved ones. So, people are advised to engage in legal hustling in order to make a leaving, by doing so, we can be able to overcome this challenge.
” Illiteracy is another challenge faced by interfaith, because lack of knowledge about one’s religion, can lead to certain misinterpretations about one’s religion. So, it is advisable to always look for knowledge, although knowledge is expensive, but if you think so, try ignorance, then you will find out that it is more expensive than knowledge.” He stressed.
On lack of mentorship, he went on: ” You will observe that a lot of people give little or no attention to mentorship, as they think they know everything and don’t need any teaching or guidance from anyone. Most especially in the case of religion. There are lots of things that needs mentorship, Professional guidance and deep understanding, because without good guidance, it can lead to misinterpretation, which can trigger religious crises and misunderstanding.
“Most of the problems faced today in religious perspectives is due to bad mentorship guidance or due to misinterpretation by your own understanding. So, consulting a good mentor or leader for religious guidance is most needed in order to prevent this challenge.” he concluded.
Also speaking Dr Timta Musa said he expects that peace would be fostered and maintained in the state at all times after the two days training.
Speaking on commitment Dr Timta Musa asked what they can do for peace in their own commitment and what can they do to promote peace and understanding among people.
To him, “that’s what we should first decide and then do what’s needed to be done. At times some religious leaders do engage in hate speech, which might trigger some misunderstanding, so we should try to commit our self in any activity that can promote peace and people’s commitment.
Several papers were presented during the two days sessions which include: “Understanding interfaith dynamic in Borno” by Sheikh Talha. “Role of youth in preventing Radicalization.” by Fr Saminu Gabriel. “Interfaith Challenge the common drivers” Sheikh Talha and Peaceful co-existence by Fr Saminu Gabriel. Of course forgiveness was amply handled by Dr Tim.
Darret foundation holds two days workshop for Christian and Muslim youths in maiduguri
News
Zulum Dissolves Borno State Executive Council
Zulum Dissolves Borno State Executive Council
By: Our Reporter
Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, has approved the immediate dissolution of the State Executive Council.
The decision is to provide an enabling environment for any member of the council who may wish to contest elective positions in the forthcoming general elections.
The Governor has therefore directed all Commissioners to hand over the affairs of their respective ministries to the Permanent Secretaries on or before Friday, April 3, 2026.
Governor Zulum expressed his profound appreciation to the outgoing Commissioners for their dedication, commitment, and invaluable contributions to the development and service of the people of Borno State.
Zulum Dissolves Borno State Executive Council
News
How corp member Samuel Orji bowed to humanity at the recent Monday market tragedy
How corp member Samuel Orji bowed to humanity at the recent Monday market tragedy
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Corp member Samuel Orji is not new to Monday market because he was raised in a restaurant right in front of the place as a kid because his mother used to be a food vendor to the traders within the vicinity.
Till the day of his death, he had friends and associates along the popular Ahmadu Bello way right down to Ali Kotoko Street where traders used to patronize his mother’s buka food.

But his mother have since left the town for Abuja leaving him and his brother Steve because he was still a student attending Ramat Polytechnic where he studied Electrical engineering when she left.
Having grown up in Maiduguri, he already knew that Improvised explosive devices IED could explode at any time during the day but never knew a semblance of the worse days could return to the city of yerwa.
For people who grew up in Maiduguri, the worse days are really over when everyone goes home before six pm so he was obviously rounding off his hustling that night when the explosion went off on Ahmadu Bello way which hit his legs and brought him down.

Though we all share a common humanity, living in the north east war theatre of hadin kai, we all go out each day for our daily bread not knowing what the end of the day will be like but taking each day as it comes.
Likewise, when corp member Samuel Orji left the house of his next of kin in Maduganari that fateful black Monday, he never planned not to return home, but as fate would have it, he was one of the victims that got hit by the suicide bomb explosion in front of the Monday market.
After being called up to the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) with number NYSC/RPM/25/185709, the young Orji was still serving at the engineering department of the Nigerian television authority (NTA) Potiskum in Yobe state when he lost his life.
Orji with YB/25B/1003 now serving in Damaturu found himself in Maiduguri the weekend before that black Monday because he had taken a pass to spend the public holiday with his brother and next of kin Stephen Orji who lives in Maduganari a suburban area of Maiduguri.
Speaking with this reporter after the tragedy, Borno State coordinator of the NYSC Bashir Nasir said the entire tragedy was a shock to him after a long spell of calmness in the city.
As soon as the incident happened, he was contacted by his headquarters (HQ) in Abuja to conduct a census of his Corp members to ensure all was well and report back to them.
It was in the process that he realized that his team was fine and that the fellow that died was indeed a Corp member but was serving the nation from Damaturu and that he had died as a result of the Monday blast on Ahmadu Bello way at the entrance of the market place.
“I quickly went into action by visiting all the places I know my corp members are based. And I was sure the fellow was not serving here in Borno after the roll call.
” Later a call came from his next of kin Steve to one of our staff in Yobe who indeed linked up with us here and that was when it was ascertained that Samuel Orji was a corp member serving in Yobe.
” I then went to the home of his next of kin Stephen Orji at Maduganari and that was how we took charge by handling all the preliminary expenses to ensure he is taken home for burial.
” The Yobe axis arranged for an ambulance and staff to convey his corpse to Enugu on Monday last week for burial.
” As a result of that triple blast I had to halt routine activities of corp members in the state except the medical officers among them who were released to assist in the hospitals on the condition that management will release ambulances from them to go and return safely to their bases. ” Said the state coordinator.
Challenges of the Corp in Borno state
The main challenge is obviously tied to their security which is why they are using the Arabic Teachers secondary school as a temporary location for now.
The original location has been tendered not usable after idps used it from 2012 to 3021
However, the governor in his magnanimity has given them a new camp of one km by one Km at Auno in the outskirts of the city.
Meanwhile the coordinator who would be one year next month since he assumed duty hinted that 506 Corp members of the batch A stream one of 2005 will pass out this week on the 31st of March.
Another bold set of Corp members of the batch A stream one of 2026 will however be sworn in on the 22nd April.
How corp member Samuel Orji bowed to humanity at the recent Monday market tragedy
News
Tension in jos north council area as government slams curfew over sunday’s killings in Plateau
Tension in jos north council area as government slams curfew over sunday’s killings in Plateau
By: Bodunrin Kayode
Reports coming from Jos North council area of plateau State indicates that there is palpable tension in the city as suspected gunmen on motorcycle allegedly opened fire on some residents of Angwan Rukubu area Sunday evening.
The unprovoked shooting of innocent citizens caused serious pandemonium in the area forcing many residents to flee from the scene and avoided the general area until late at night when the government resultantly slammed a curfew in the area.
Residents were advised to avoid wandering around the general area from tomorrow in view of the incident so as not to fall victim of possible reprisals by young residents of the area.
PLATEAU STATE GOVERNMENT ORDERS 48 HOURS CURFEW IN JOS NORTH COUNCIL AREA
Reacting to the situation, the government has placed a 48 hour curfew on the area which is highly tensed according to eye witnesses for now.
A release signed by the Commissioner of information Joyce Ramnap stated that “Following the tragic security incident that occurred at Gari Ya Waye community Angwan Rukuba today Sunday 29th March 2028 resulting in the loss of lives, while several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
”The Plateau State Government in conjunction with security agencies wishes to inform the general public of the imposition of a 48 hour curfew within Jos North Local government Area with immediate effect, commencing from 12 midnight of 29th March, to 1st April, 2026.
“The government under the leadership of His Excellency, Governor Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang strongly condemns this barbaric and unprovoked attack on innocent citizens and assures the public that all necessary measures are being taken to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
“Citizens are urged to remain calm, stay vigilant, and cooperate fully with security agencies by providing any useful information that may aid ongoing investigations.” Noted the release.
Tension in jos north council area as government slams curfew over sunday’s killings in Plateau
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