News
Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict
Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict
By Michael Mike
Media aides, alongside social media associates, on Thursday unveiled a compendium, the 3rd Verdict, to celebrate the 53rd birthday of Borno State Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum.
The compendium’s Editor-in-Chief, who is also the Governor’s Adviser on Public Relations and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau, announced the unveiling via a statement.
Gusau explained that the 3rd Verdict is a compendium of published news reports and analysis, features, columns, commentaries, discourses, editorials, selected speeches and updated scorecard in the third year of Governor Zulum’s administration, from May 29, 2021 to May 29, 2022.
The 3rd Verdict came after two previous editions.
On August 25, 2021, a similar compendium, the Second Verdict, was unveiled by Zulum’s media aides and social media associates to mark his 52nd birthday. That 331-page compendium was structured in 17 thematic sections with over 300 articles related to Governor Zulum’s activities from May 29, 2020 to May 29, 2021.
In August 2020, the First Verdict was published. The maiden compendium has 300 pages with 17 thematic sections, the combination of which had 336 published articles on Zulum’s Governor’s activities from May 29, 2019 to May 29, 2020.
Speaking on the newest publication, Gusau highlighted that the 3rd Verdict “has on its cover-page, a unique illustration replicated from a photograph that was snapped at 9:21 am on Monday, the 9th of August 2021 when Governor Zulum was invigilating an impromptu aptitude test he organised for teachers of a primary school in Baga town of Kukawa Local Government Area in northern Borno State.”
He noted that the significance of the cover-page illustration was discussed in the compendium’s editorial titled ‘Our Cover Photo and the Crisis of Public School System’.
The statement further explained that “the 3rd Verdict is a 290-page publication with 20 thematic sections: The Humanitarian; Security News and Discourse; Transport; Infrastructure & Energy; Education; Healthcare; Agriculture, Water Resources & Environment; Religion, Culture & Festivities; Budget, Economic Planning & Commerce; Civil Service, Vocations & Appointments; The First Lady & Women Affairs; Governance & Zulum’s ‘Unusual’ Approach; The Deputy Governor; Witnesses to Service Delivery; Politics; Awards, Tributes & Special Occasions; Foreign, Inter-Governmental & Development Partnerships; Some Sayings of Zulum; North East Governors Forum (NEGF); Newspaper Editorials and The Scorecard.”
These 20 thematic sections, the Editor-in-Chief highlighted, “have a combined number of 196 articles published by dozens of local and foreign news organisations relating to the activities of Professor Zulum in his third year as governor.
“Besides the 196 published articles, the 3rd Verdict also contains a number of selected speeches and updated records of projects, presidential commissioning, programmes and policies as of May 29, 2022”.
These records of projects were updated from the First Verdict, released in August 2020, and the Second Verdict, released in August 2021.
On why the publications are important, Gusau said: “The First, Second and 3rd Verdicts are aimed at preserving Governor Zulum’s legacies to increase access of future leaders to information about government policies and programmes, and to research information.
“Such documentation is important because as years pass by, retrieving information about the activities of leaders tends to get more difficult, especially in this internet age when digital foci are more on newest information than older ones.
“It is our hope that with the First, Second and 3rd Verdicts, accessing sufficient records of Professor Zulum’s activities, whether immediately or in future times, should be as easy as having hard and soft copies of our series.”
“We wish our readers the most informed benefits from these publications as we present to you the 3rd Verdict to celebrate Governor Zulum’s 53rd birthday.
“Happy birthday to His Excellency, the outstanding governor of Borno State,” the statement concluded.
Media aides mark Zulum’s 53rd birthday with 3rd Verdict
News
NBMA Debunks Allegations of Negligence, Compromise Against It
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
News
House of Reps Assures on Passage of Human Rights Defenders Bill
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
News
FG Confirms Arrest of Simon Ekpa
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
-
News8 months ago
Roger Federer’s Shock as DNA Results Reveal Myla and Charlene Are Not His Biological Children
-
Opinions3 years ago
THE PLIGHT OF FARIDA
-
News8 months ago
EYN: Rev. Billi, Distortion of History, and The Living Tamarind Tree
-
ACADEMICS9 months ago
A History of Biu” (2015) and The Lingering Bura-Pabir Question (1)
-
Columns9 months ago
Army University Biu: There is certain interest, but certainly not from Borno.
-
Opinions9 months ago
Tinubu,Shettima: The epidemic of economic, insecurity in Nigeria
-
Opinions3 years ago
POLICE CHARGE ROOMS, A MINTING PRESS
-
National News9 months ago
Fraud and Mismanagement Rock INGO’s IDP Cash Assistance Effort in Bama