Uncategorized
Let’s Make Nigeria Green Instead of Seeking Greener Pastures, VP Shettima Tells Graduates
Let’s Make Nigeria Green Instead of Seeking Greener Pastures, VP Shettima Tells Graduates
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has challenged graduates to embrace their potential and contribute to building a brighter future for Nigeria instead of jolting out of the country in search of greener pastures.
He gave the charge when the Chief of Staff to the President and former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila led the graduating class of the second cohort of the Legislative Mentorship Initiative on a visit to him at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“I believe passionately that in this room, there are future Presidents, Vice Presidents, Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, and governors. We also have future drivers and captains of industry,” Senator Shettima noted.
The VP struck a chord of empowerment when he urged the graduates to reject disillusionment and embrace their potential within Nigeria.
“Let no one make you feel inferior as a Nigerian. One out of every four black men is a Nigerian. Let no one deceive you that the grass is greener at the other end. Certainly, we can make it green on our home turf,” he noted.
The Vice President acknowledged the country’s current challenges, offering a resolute vision for overcoming them.
He said, “Our country is going through some difficulties and challenges, but we are going to surmount it. We are going to cross the Rubicon. We are going to cross the Red Sea and take you to the land of opportunities and blessings.”
VP Shettima specifically praised the graduates’ digital prowess, encouraging them to leverage their skills for national development. “Most of you here are digital Wizkids – you are digitally savvy. Let no one deceive you about careering out of this country. Let’s stay here and make this country work. This is our country. The future belongs to you.”
He further challenged their perception of leadership, shifting the focus from physical strength to intellectual agility, even as he stated that “the hallmark of true leadership is not the ability to lift a bag of cement, but the ability to come up with robust solutions to a nation’s problems.
“Give us a couple of months. This country will bounce back. Say no to the naysayers and to the prophets of doom. It doesn’t serve any purpose. Our ability to accept each other; and our tolerance threshold will determine how far we can go as a nation. And the quality of governance is crucial to the goal and trajectory of our nation,” he added.
The Vice President called on the LMI graduates to become active participants in shaping Nigeria’s destiny.
“Their digital skills, combined with their newfound sense of purpose and national pride, have the potential to transform the nation’s landscape and certainly, we can make it green on our home turf,” he added.
Responding, the founder of the LMI programme, Hon. Gbajabiamila said the generation of young men and women in the cohort is a generation like no other.
He said, “Things have changed and we of the older generation have to change along with the time. These young people here came from a pot of over 5,000 applicants. These young men and women before us are going to be doing greater and mightier things than those who came before them last year. I wish I had somebody to mentor me when I was growing up. You guys are lucky.”
Let’s Make Nigeria Green Instead of Seeking Greener Pastures, VP Shettima Tells Graduates
Bandit attack in Zamfara leaves one dead, three abducted
By: Zagazola Makama
Armed bandits have killed a man, injured another, and abducted three people during attacks in Magazu and Fadama areas of Zamfara State, sources said.
According to sources, the attack occurred in the early hours of Feb. 17 when gunmen invaded the western part of Magazu Village, shooting and injuring Aliyu Musa. His neighbour, Ibrahim Haruna, who reportedly came to assist, was shot dead.
In a separate raid later in the same area, gunmen stormed Fadama, abducting three persons, including Abdulhakim Salmanu, 46, and two others whose identities are yet to be confirmed.
Troops of Operation FANSAN YANMA were mobilized to the scene, but the attackers had fled before their arrival. Efforts to rescue the abducted victims and track down the perpetrators are ongoing.
Bandit attack in Zamfara leaves one dead, three abducted
Uncategorized
Civil Society Storms National Assembly, Demands Mandatory Real-Time Election Result Transmission
Civil Society Storms National Assembly, Demands Mandatory Real-Time Election Result Transmission
By: Michael Mike
Civil society groups intensified pressure on the National Assembly on Tuesday, staging a second day of protests demanding that the proposed Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2026 enshrine mandatory real-time electronic transmission of election results from polling units to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The demonstrations, spearheaded by ActionAid Nigeria alongside other civic organisations, come amid concerns that the Senate version of the bill dilutes provisions for e-transmission, in contrast to the House of Representatives’ version, which civil society groups have endorsed.
Addressing the crowd, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, Andrew Mamedu,, stressed that the demand was absolute. “Real-time electronic transmission of results. Mandatory. Without any condition,” warning that manipulation often occurs at the transmission stage, undermining the credibility of elections.
Mamedu cited India as a global example, highlighting that even with nearly one billion registered voters and limited network coverage, the country successfully implements electronic voting and results transmission — a model Nigeria can emulate. He urged citizens to hold senators and representatives accountable for supporting the mandatory provision.
Convener of Lawyers in Defence of Democracy and Human Rights, Okere Nnamdi, described the protest as a “people’s parliament” rallying behind the House version of the bill. He called on the harmonisation committee of both chambers to adopt the House proposal in full.
Nnamdi warned of legal challenges if the final version falls short, stating, “If anything less than the House of Representatives version is endorsed and signed into law, there will be over 1,000 public interest litigations challenging the 2026 electoral bill.”
On his part, the CEO of TAF Africa Jake Epelle, representing persons with disabilities, reinforced the argument, insisting that credible elections are impossible without real-time result transmission. “No real-time transmission, no credible election. Enough is enough,” he said, pledging continued civic action until the law guarantees electoral integrity.
Protesters emphasised that mandatory e-transmission would enhance transparency, level the playing field for all political actors, and restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral system. They vowed to maintain sustained pressure on lawmakers as the National Assembly works to harmonise the Senate and House versions of the amendment bill.
The demonstrations signal a growing civic insistence that Nigeria’s electoral reforms must prioritise technology-driven transparency to safeguard democracy and reflect the genuine will of the people.
Civil Society Storms National Assembly, Demands Mandatory Real-Time Election Result Transmission
Chairman of hunters killed in checkpoint attack in Kwara
By: Zagazola Makama
Mohammed Ndajeba, Chairman of Hunters in Gbugbu, Kwara state has been killed following an attack on a military and Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) checkpoint along the Gbugbu–Garin Daji Road.
Security sources said Ndajeba was reported missing after the incident, prompting a joint search operation by army troops, police and local vigilantes to locate him.
The search team later discovered his body in a nearby bush at about 6:30 p.m. on the same day. The remains were released to his family for burial in accordance with Islamic rites.
Authorities said investigation into the incident was ongoing to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Chairman of hunters killed in checkpoint attack in Kwara
Operative dies in accidental discharge in Niger
Boat mishap leaves passengers missing in Niger
Armed bandits attack Konkoso Village, kill two in Niger
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
FAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoRoger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions4 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News10 months agoFAILED COUP IN BURKINA FASO: HOW TRAORÉ NARROWLY ESCAPED ASSASSINATION PLOT AMID FOREIGN INTERFERENCE CLAIMS
-
News2 years agoEYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
Opinions4 years agoPOLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
ACADEMICS2 years agoA History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns2 years agoArmy University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions2 years agoTinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
