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UK, Brighter Futures roll out campaigns to tackle cybercrime, cultism in Nigeria

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UK, Brighter Futures roll out campaigns to tackle cybercrime, cultism in Nigeria

By: Michael Mike

The war against cyber crimes in the country gets a boost as the Brighter Futures programme, an initiative supported by the United Kingdom government has launched the Thrive Online campaign.

The initiative, apart from the launch of efforts to curb the rising tide of cyber-related crimes in Nigeria, also launched the Cancel Cultist campaign aimed at reducing cultism and other forms of serious organized crime in Nigeria.

According to a statement on Friday, the Thrive Online campaign aims to reach vulnerable youths and educate them on the dangers of cybercrime while providing alternative pathways to building sustainable livelihoods.

The statement read that while speaking about the campaign during a radio programme in Lagos State, Mr. Oladokun Olajde, a mentorship coach on the campaign stated that Thrive Online is a sustainable development campaign that addresses legitimate ways for youths to be financially independent, and the dangers of serious and organized crimes to themselves, their families, community and the image of the Country.

“We enlighten youths on their roles and responsibilities as citizens in making Nigeria a better place to thrive – both online and globally”, he was quoted saying in a statement issued by the management team of the campaign on Friday.

Over the past decades, serious organized crime (SOC), particularly cybercrime, has caused significant damage to individuals, families, and businesses in Nigeria. The impact of cybercrime can be seen in the data that reveals the devastating consequences it has caused.

According to the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS), Nigerian banks lost N3.5 billion between July and September 2020 to fraud-related incidents, representing a 534-percent increase from the same period in 2019, when it was N552 million.

As part of efforts to reduce SOC activities, the Nigerian government and several organizations have implemented various measures, including the Brighter Futures campaign, to mitigate the tide of cyber-related crimes in the digital space. The Thrive Online campaign aims to complement these efforts by reaching vulnerable youths through a series of awareness events, radio talk shows, school mentorship programs, and community-based and social media influencers.

The primary aim of the Thrive Online campaign is to educate youths on the fact that hardly anyone makes a decent living through cybercrime. Most people waste their time and get nothing in return. Involvement in cybercrime is a criminal offense that can have severe consequences, including imprisonment. Additionally, involvement in cybercrimes can destroy the lives of people affected, including their family members, loved ones, and friends.

The campaign also seeks to highlight the positive ways youths can build a livelihood using online platforms, such as online businesses, learning new skills, and legitimate online-based jobs in tech.

The Brighter Futures campaign management says it is working with the Nigerian government and other civil society organizations to create a safer and more prosperous future for Nigeria.

In the same vein, noted that the Cancel Cults campaign launched in Bayelsa State would primarily focus on vulnerable youths and educate them on the dangers of cultism and provide alternative pathways to build sustainable livelihoods.

It noted that cultism and other forms of serious organized crime have been a significant challenge in Nigeria.

No fewer than 10,000 people have been killed in cult-related violence within and outside school campuses between 1996 and 2019, according to Exams Ethic Marshall International (EEMI).

The Cancel Cults campaign is adopting various strategies to reach vulnerable youths in Bayelsa State, including radio talk shows, awareness events, engagements in schools and communities, and social media influencers, the management stated.

The campaign will also introduce school mentorship programs and sports to sensitize vulnerable youths to the dangers of cybercrime to their communities.

Speaking about the campaign in Bayelsa State, Mr. Emmanuel Diala, a community-awareness facilitator on the Cancel Cults campaign stated, “The Cancel Cults campaign is designed to create an environment where youths can thrive through legitimate means.

“We believe that by educating young people on the dangers of cultism and other serious organized crimes (SOCs) and putting them on the right track in building sustainable livelihoods, we can reduce their involvement in cultism.”

The campaign is working with the government and other Civil Society Organizations to create an environment where youths can thrive through legitimate means. It encourages young people to take advantage of the many opportunities available to them and avoid the trap of cultism and other criminal activities.

Speaking about the impact of the campaign in Edo State, Mr. Odili Adams, a member from one of the target communities of the Cancel Cults campaign stated, “For too long, we have feared that one day our children and young adults would fall victim to the lies of cultists and end up wasting their lives, after all, there is a limit to how much we parents can monitor our children, however, this campaign will augment the efforts made to protect our youths from cultist’s narratives and build their resilience to become valuable members of the community.”

The management team reiterated that the launch of the Cancel Cults campaign in Edo State is a step in the right direction towards curbing cultism and other forms of serious organized crime in Nigeria, saying it will enlighten young people in Edo and Bayelsa State to build a brighter future for themselves and their communities through legitimate means.

UK, Brighter Futures roll out campaigns to tackle cybercrime, cultism in Nigeria

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the group chief executive officer, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments are effective today, April 2.

President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.

Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.

The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris

He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.

Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.

Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.

Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

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Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the recent gruesome killing of 16 traveling hunters in Edo State, who were mistook for kidnappers.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Tony Ojukwu expressed deep concern over the horrific incident, which highlights the dangers of mob justice and the urgent need for effective law enforcement and respect for human rights.

He said: “We commend Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, for his swift and decisive action in suspending the Commander of the Edo State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin (Rtd.), and banning all illegal vigilante groups operating in the state, but more need to be done.”

Ojukwu said the Commission wishes to use this opportunity to remind the government and the people of Nigeria that every individual has the right to life, as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He equally said the Commission emphasized that the freedom of movement, as guaranteed by the Constitution and Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been grossly violated in this dastardly incident.

Ojukwu said: “We at the Commission demand that all the perpetrators be fished out and brought to justice. We call on the government to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future, there is no justification for jungle justice anywhere in the world.”

He emphasized that every Nigerian has the right to life, dignity, and freedom from violence, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or occupation, assuring that the Commission will continue to advocate for the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.

Ojukwu said: “We urge the Edo State Government to continue its investigation into the killings and ensure that all perpetrators face the full wrath of the law. On our part, we will continue to monitor the process of investigation to ensure that justice is served. This will serve as a deterrent to others.

“Promotion and protection of human rights is paramount to national development, let’s all imbibe the culture of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom to make Nigeria a better place.”

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

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Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

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Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

By: Zagazola Makama

Angry youths in Iware, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State, attempted to burn down the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the alleged torture and death of a suspect in custody.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makaka that the unrest began after Yunusa Kaka, 42, was reportedly tortured by security personnel at the NSCDC office in Iware.

Trouble started on March 30 at about 9:00 p.m. when Biliaminu Adamu, 24, was arrested for allegedly stealing two handsets and two packets of Benson cigarettes from Peter Majo of Iware Ward. While in custody, Adamu claimed he had given the stolen phones to Kaka, who denied any involvement.

Security personnel allegedly resorted to torturing Kaka in an attempt to extract a confession. He later became unresponsive and was rushed to Miyetti Allah Hospital in Iware by his brother, where he was confirmed dead.

News of Kaka’s death sparked outrage, with a large number of youths mobilizing to attack the NSCDC office.

However, security personnel managed to prevent the attack, and calm has since been restored to the area.

Authorities say investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

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