National News
Power Hungry Political Elites Have Destroyed the Future of Nigerian Youth-Na’Abba

Power Hungry Political Elites Have Destroyed the Future of Nigerian Youth-Na’Abba
The Former Speaker House of Representatives, Hon. Ghali Na’Abba has said the Nigerian political leaders have destroyed the future of the Nigerian youth as they have refused to allow the political, and socio-economic system to grow.
Na’Abba gave this verdict at The Fixing Nigerian National Youth conference 4.0 held by the Earnest and Ibrahim Foundation with the theme: ‘2023- Engagement Strategies For A Better Nigeria’ as the system is wasting the youth which are the future, courtesy of some political leaders for personal gains.
He said: “Soon after the democratic system started, few people, mainly heads of the executive arm of the states and federal government, colluded and ceased the political system.
“The Nigeria of our dreams entails that which it’s youth live in security, peace and harmony. Where every citizen is gainfully employed, where every citizen enjoys robust health, where everyone is treated justifiably and equitably.”
He alleged that the political leaders: “Obliterated internal democracy within the political parties, thereby taking away from the people what rightfully belongs to the people. Since then it is this set of people that decides who becomes what in this country.”
He added that: “Almost no one is allowed to play any important role in the polity unless this power hungry politicians so desire. This singular action by these power hungry people have had disastrous consequences to the polity, amongst them, the denial of the youth to have a voice and space in the polity.”
The former Speaker noted that nothing today is more important than to find a way to ensure the relevance of the youth, not just to be politically relevant but to continue to be so, respecting their dignity, as a situation where the youth see themselves as second or third citizens is not acceptable.
He said: “Our effort more importantly is to desire and establish a more viable, inclusive, efficient and effective political system. A return to the era of internal democracy within our political parties is vital.”
Also speaking at the occasion, a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Muntari Dandutse, said the discourse is happening at an apt time as the agitations of the youth is relatable, adding that there is a need for mentorship as the youth has to be brought up to speed on the happenings as it concerns governance.
According to him, “in Nigeria the youth is about 65 to 70% constituting the larger populace and can change the polity. The youth is the key and engine of progress.they can be used as a tool to work on landmark progress,they should be ambassadors for peace and desist from violence and activities that create more harm to the society. They should be drivers in moving the country forward.
Ambassador Chibuzo Okereke, Co-Convener of the conference stated, a lot of people are not connected to things going on in government and about governance. He said the strategy is to engage for 2023 to get more youth involved. as It is said that Nigeria is practising electoral democracy and not democracy in the real sense.
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He said: “This conference has been going on for the last four years and it is based on trying to find a level ground and an avenue for education, conversation like this help to fix a lot of issues we are experiencing in the country today. And this makes change possible as change is a process and not a one time action.
Ezenwa Nwagwu, Executive Director, Peering Advocacy and Advancement Centre in Africa (PAACA), when making his presentation titled ‘Noise or Impact’, stated that all that needs to happen is a mass education that drives people away from noise and that which creates impact.
According to him, there is a need for young people to go into the dimension of solving problems, thereby creating impact rather than noise making.
He said: “We need to educate ourselves, especially documents that have to do with the policies of engagement as most young people are not interested in reading mostly documents that enlighten them on governance.
“Much of the noise is going on, as young people like glamour. Dubious benevolence has created no opportunity for excellence, as aspiration is now criminalised.
“Now the moving trend in primaries is emerging consensus candidate as high economically standing individuals buys all available forms then gift it to whoever they desired, be it a competent or incompetent imdividual. This will continue to create more ‘ass licking’ and not people of impact.
“Knowledge is lacking and ignorance is parading around. What do you know about the polity? Do you know the reason for the naira devaluation? There is a need for education and I am not talking about going to school. Our problem is that we have glorified public office, they are people who should run in office and then others challenge those in office,”he stressed.
Also speaking, Jeanette Washington, an activist stated that the power of the people as being greater than people in power. When at the decision making table an inclusive agenda should be engaged imbibing the beliefs of all also noting the need to make partners with the youth as the future. Adding that Nigeria has an advantage as there is a huge presence of social media influences and influencers.
Mr. Ernest Nwosu, the Convener, explained that the overall goal of the #FixingNigeria 4.0 Conference is for lawmakers, policy makers, CSOs and the media to share ideas on youth engagement as it concerns the active, empowered and intentional partnership with youth, stakeholders, problem solvers and change agents in their communities and to proffer strategies targeted at nation building for a better Nigeria.
He said: “There is a portentous transition looming that will see a generation of patriots and nationalists rise from the brightest and an often ignored percentage of our populace; a great movement of youth that will build upon the foundations set by past and present leaders to create a Nigeria driven by selfless, visionary leadership and strong institutions deeply set in strong democratic doctrine, ethics and values that will promote patriotism.”
Power Hungry Political Elites Have Destroyed the Future of Nigerian Youth-Na’Abba
National News
Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony

Eid-el-Kabir: IPCR Calls on Nigerians to Peace, Harmony
By: Michael Mike
Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) has called on Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress.
The advice was given by the Director General of the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Dr. Joseph Ochogwu, in his message on Eid-el-Kabir.
The Institute, while extending warm greetings to Nigerians, wished them a joyous and peaceful celebration, marked by love, compassion, and unity.
The Institute while noting that Sallah is a significant occasion in the Islamic calendar, symbolizing the values of sacrifice, gratitude, and community, emphasized that the spirit of Sallah should guide Nigerians in their interactions with one another, fostering a culture of peace, tolerance, and understanding.
The IPCR urged Nigerians to promote peace and harmony in their communities, recognizing that peace is essential to national development and progress, while
encouraging individuals to embrace the values of Sallah, including forgiveness, empathy, and kindness, in their daily lives.
According to IPCR, peace is critical to promoting national stability and cohesion.
The Institute also urged Nigerians to use this period of Sallah celebration to address conflicts and promote dialogue, which could help to build trust and understanding among Nigerians and also contribute to a more peaceful society.
It recognized that the country’s many ethnic and religious groups can work together to build a more harmonious society, celebrating their differences and promoting a culture of tolerance.
End
National News
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing

Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
By: Michael Mike
A community leader and the Waziri Mushere of Bokkos Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chief Yohana Margif has expressed dismay over the incessant killing of innocent citizens of the community.
Margif made this known in an interview with journalists on Thursday in Abuja.
He called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently intervene to halt what he described as genocide against the people, which he said was being perpetrated by suspected herdsmen.
Margif also called on Malam Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and other security chiefs in the country, to rein in the alleged culprits.
He said: “I would like to draw the attention of the topmost leadership in Nigeria to the deteriorating dire security situation in Plateau, particularly in Mushere Chiefdom of Bokkos LGA.
“I urge President Tinubu to take immediate decisive action to halt these endless and senseless killings, protect lives and properties, and secure the future of the Mushere people, and other victims of obvious genocide against the people.
“Herdsmen are killing our innocent people, burning their homes, looting their foodstuff, property, livestock, and taking over their ancestral lands,” he said.
According to the Abuja-based real estate mogul, the attacks and attendant killings have intensified recently since the onset of this year’s farming season.
Margif further said that the people had been displaced from their villages and ancestral homes and were forced to become internally displaced persons in the country.
He emphasised that the situation required immediate intervention by all stakeholders in order to prevent further escalation and inflict an irredeemable harm by wiping out the entire community from the surface of the earth.
He lamented that: “Since President Tinubu’s administration began, Plateau State has witnessed an unprecedented escalation of violence and loss of lives.
“This is the current sad reality. Our people are constantly under the threat of the enemy’s bullets and can’t sleep with two eyes closed due to the perpetual unleashing of violence against them by external forces.
“Something urgent must be done to stem the tide of violence and end this war against the people in order not to
harm this administration’s reputation,” Margif said.
In the past couple of days, suspected herdsmen militia killed no fewer than 35 people in the localities of Hokk, Pangkap, Fokoldep, Kopmur, Margif, Horop, Mbor, Mushere and Kwahas localities in Mushere Chiefdom.
Chairman, Bokkos Community Peace Observers, Kefas Mallai, who confirmed the killings to newsmen, said the victims included a 70-year-old Pastor of COCIN LCC Kwakas-Mushere, Mimang Lekyil, who was attacked and killed in the church.
He said that the pastor’s wife was also shot in the leg and was admitted at the Jos University Teaching Hospital for treatment, he said.
“Bokkos has never been this insecure, with the people being butchered as we are currently witnessing,” Lilian Madaki, from the Mushere community told journalists.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Emmanuel Adesina, also confirmed the incident in a statement saying security forces including police and military personnel, had been deployed in the affected communities.
Community Leader Seeks Tinubu’s Urgent Intervention in Incessant Plateau Killing
National News
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu

VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
** Says Nigeria has lost an intellectual giant
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima today led other Muslim faithful for the Jana’iza (funeral prayers) of the late elder statesman, renowned medical scholar and former Minister of Education and Petroleum, Prof. Jibril Aminu, at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Prof. Aminu, a one-time President of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organisation (OPEC), passed on in Abuja on Thursday after a prolonged illness.
The Vice President, who arrived at the National Mosque at 1:52 pm, commiserated with the family of the deceased and prayed Allah to comfort them and make Aljanna Firdaus the final abode of the late elder statesman.

Noting that the late Prof Aminu’s demise is a great loss to the nation, VP Shettima described the late surgeon, educationist and administrator as a man who saw it all, just as he said the deceased was an intellectual giant who can hardly be replaced.
“It is a very sad loss. Prof Jubril Aminu was the last of the great titans, an iconic figure who enormously contributed to the development of the nation.
“He was variously the Executive Secretary of NUC, Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri and Honourable Minister of various ministries across the country and left his landmarks on the sands of time.
“He is irreplaceable. May Allah grant him Aljanatul Firdaus and give the family the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. His loss is not just to the good people of Adamawa State but to the nation and Africa at large,” the Vice President prayed.

Born in Song, Adamawa in 1939, Prof. Aminu was a towering figure in Nigerian public life.
The late Consultant Cardiologist served the nation in different capacities, including as Federal Minister of Education and later Federal Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources (1989–1992), Ambassador of Nigeria to the United States (1999–2003), and Senator representing Adamawa Central (2003–2011).
He was also President of OPEC in 1991 and President of the OPEC Conference between 1991 and 1992 while he was Petroleum Minister.
Other mourners who joined the Vice President at the National Mosque in Abuja for the Jana’iza included former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Special Adviser to the President on General Duties (Office of the Vice President), Dr. Aliyu Modibbo; former Secretary to the Federal Government, Yayale Ahmed; former Governor of Adamawa State, Admiral Murtala Nyako; former Governor of Gombe State, Senator Danjuma Goje; former Chief of Army Staff, General Tukur Buratai (rtd); former Minister of Education, Professor Tahir Mamman; former Minister of State for Health, Dr. Aliyu Idi Hong, among many others.
VP Shettima Leads Mourners At Funeral Prayers For Late Prof. Jibril Aminu
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