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Food scarcity is the biggest form of insecurity…Bishop Bakeni

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Bishop John Bakeni

By: Bodunrin Kayode

The Chair of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Borno state, chapter Bishop John Bakeni has said that the biggest insecurity Nigeria is facing now as a nation is food insecurity.

He said that it was extremely dangerous for residents in the country who have been used to having surplus food to become hungry at any time in their lives either through natural or unnatural means.

Catholic auxiliary Bishop Bakeni who reviewed 2024 with this reporter recently noted that the fact that Nigerians rush for food to feed their families at this auspicious time in our economic history was a dangerous signal that food security must be fixed.

Reacting to the various loss of lives that occurred in 2024 after stampedes over food, he said that food insecurity was the greatest threat to the existence of the average Nigerian now.

“It was very unfortunate that Nigerians would have to loose their lives in such a way. It points out to something bigger towards the desperation, hunger and hardship in the land.

” You only need to go out and try to distribute anything today and watch how people will scramble for it. It would confirm what I am telling you. I don’t want to believe that it was only Catholics that were in the one that occurred in Abuja. There were many others there too because as a church our doors are always wide open for everyone.

“When people are hungry and desperate, it would be difficult for them to listen to commands and order to go about things the proper way. I think it was unfortunate that it was in that situation people had to die. But anything open like this can end up in stampede like the one that occurred in Ibadan.

“But we have not conquered poverty due to economic policies yet, there is hardship and and a lot has to be done to address these issues. Sometimes people shielded in all theses palaces may not be in tune with the reality. It’s only us that mingle that would know. And don’t forget they have 24 hours like us.

” Look, its not enough to tell a leader that your people are hungry.. You have to go out there to feel the pulse of the people yourself because the largest insecurity in this country is food insecurity. Once there is disconnect there is a problem.

“What happened in that catholic church in abuja is beyond being organized. The biggest challenge we have now is not the bandits but it has to do with food insecurity. And it is all because the economy has been adjusted today in Nigeria there by creating food insecurity.

” Food security is key to every thing affecting the residents and there is no substitute to safety and overall security of the people. Its the primary role of every leader and if you cannot fulfil this to your people then you should look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself the truth.” Said Bakeni.

Post flood message to christians as CAN chairman for 2025

Asked for his message to residents in the State, the chairman asked Christians to hold on to hope without which there would not be any need to exist.

He warned residents regardless of faith not to sink to a low level of despondency that they will discard hope which is what should carry them around at this time of economic challenges affecting the state of our nation.

“There is no doubt that 2024 was a tough year for every one. Even the high and mighties were affected by the turmoil. It was a year of hardship, hunger, insecurity, a lot of drama, natural and man made challenges that we cannot forget easily as a people.

” What I have for them is that we have to be a people of hope. Let us believe and hope in our God. We have to equally believe in our state and nation in the face of any challenge or calamity because it tells you how much we can do.

“We are a very resilient people so let’s hold on to that resilience and weather through the storm of 2025 as it comes. The Lord will see us through. There is no promise that it is going to be a bed of roses

” It is said that people can live without food for a month and water for at least a week but you cannot live without hope for a second.. The moment you loose hope and despondency sets in you lose everything. ” said Bakeni.

Food scarcity is the biggest form of insecurity…Bishop Bakeni

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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