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Boro Day: IYC Wants May 16 Declared Public Holiday, Other Honours

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...sends powerful message to Ijaw nation, N’Delta Govs

…speaks on Rivers politics, Warri delineation

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By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide has called on the Federal Government to declare May 16 of every year public holiday as a way of honouring Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, who, according to the apex body of Ijaw youth, “fought and died for the indivisibility of Nigeria as a nation.”

The IYC also suggested that the Port Harcourt International Airport and other Federal Government institutions either in Abuja or any other city outside the Niger Delta be named after Boro as a way of “immortalising him for his struggles not to go in vain.”

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During a press conference in Warri to mark the 57th celebration of the late the hero with the theme, ‘Maj Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro, Celebrating the Legacy, Rekindling the Struggle,‘ IYC spokesman, Amb. Princewill Yerin Binebai, lamented that despite Boro’s sacrifices during the civil war, he remains the unsung champions of the Nigerian civil war.

Binebai said: “In 1966, Boro established the Niger Delta Volunteer Force, an armed group primarily composed of members of the Ijaw ethnic group, and proclaimed the Niger Delta Republic on the 23rd of February 1966. This declaration led to a conflict with federal forces, lasting twelve days before Boro and his associates were apprehended and charged with treason. They were later granted amnesty by the federal government under General Yakubu Gowon in May 1967, shortly before the Nigerian Civil War.

READ ALSO: IYC Condemns Delta Poly Final Year Student Killing, Tasks Police On Impartial Investigation

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“However, Boro, after being released from prison by the Federal Government of Nigeria, was one of the unsung champions of the Nigerian civil war; he fought and died for the indivisibility of Nigeria as a nation. He died while fighting and defending our dear nation from disintegration.

“Considering the sacrifices of Boro, it is our call on the Federal Government of Nigeria that it is now time for the Federal Government of Nigeria to honour Boro as a young man who laid down his life for the nation at the age of 29 years. The Federal Government should do well by declaring May 16th every year as a public holiday to honour the late Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro.

“The IYC is suggesting that the Port Harcourt International Airport be named after Boro, Federal Government Institutions either in Abuja be named after him, it could be major roads within and outside the Niger Delta or other critical facilities in order to immortalise him for his struggles not to go in vain.”

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The IYC spokesman, while commending the Bayelsa State Government for the efforts put in place to immortalise Boro, urged Rivers State Government to follow suit, stressing that “Rivers State was also created to compensate the late Ijaw hero, late Maj. Jasper Isaac Adaka Boro.”

READ ALSO: IYC: Opudu, Otuaro To Lead Dignitaries At 57th Boro Day Celebration In Western Zone

– Message to the Ijaw Nation –

Binebai, who appealed to Ijaw people to be united regardless of the state they fall under, urged them to support political office holders from the Ijaw ethnic nationality.

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He appealed: “Dear sons and daughters of Ijaw nation, as we deeply reflect on what Boro fought and died for, let us always protect ourselves as Ijaw people in the Nigerian State; till date, we are still struggling to have a sense of belonging in the Nigerian State as major stakeholders that we should be.

“We are one united big family. What binds us together is greater than what can divide us. Our strength lies in our unity.”

He continued: “Let us give support to our leaders holding positions in the Government; we must learn from others. Hardly have we seen youths from other ethnic groups attacking their leaders holding positions in the Government publicly despite their inefficiencies.

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“We must not paint a picture that our people occupying political offices are not doing well when, in the real sense, they are the best in the current Tinubu-led government.”

READ ALSO: IYC Commends INEC For Delineation Of Warri Fed. Constituency, Warns Saboteurs To Steer Clear

On Warri Federal Constituency delineation controversy, the IYC spokesman called on INEC to “quickly work with the stakeholders in Warri Federal Constituency with a view to quickly implementing their draft report on the wards’ delineation.

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“INEC must know that we are no longer going back to the previous fraudulent and illegal arrangement in Warri Federal Constituency.

“The DSS and the federal government must bring to justice the criminal elements who try to smuggle arms into Delta State to cause trouble.

“The federal government and its security agencies must not continue to remain silent on this life-threatening matter.”

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Speaking on Rivers and its politics, the IYC spokesman appealed to Tinubu to “reconsider and review the suspension of the Rivers State Governor with a view to lifting the suspension before the six months for Fubara to return back to the Government House.”

He commended President Bola Tinubu for signing the Nigeria Maritime University, (NMU) Okerenkoko, Delta State, Bill into law, and other good works he has done in the Niger Delta and to Ijaw sons and Delta.

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FG Unveils Revised Curriculum For Basic, Secondary, Technical Education

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Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad

The Federal Government said it completed a comprehensive review of school curricula for basic, senior secondary and technical education aimed to make Nigerian learners “future-ready.”

The Ministry of Education disclosed this in a statement signed on Friday by its Director of Press and Public Relations, Boriowo Folasade, and made available to newsmen on Sunday.

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Folasade said the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Suwaiba Said Ahmad announced the curriculum on behalf of the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Alausa, while speaking in Abuja.

READ ALSO:FG Shuts 22 Illegal Tertiary Institutions

According to the minister, the review was carried out in collaboration with key education stakeholders, including the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the Universal Basic Education Commission, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission and the National Board for Technical Education.

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The new framework is designed to reduce content overload, improve learning outcomes, and ensure Nigerian students are equipped with skills relevant to today’s global demands.

Prof. Ahmad said the exercise went beyond merely trimming subjects, stressing it focused on improving content to promote deeper learning and reduce overload for pupils and students.

Under the revised structure, pupils in Primary 1–3 will study a minimum of nine and a maximum of 10 subjects; pupils in Primary 4–6 will take 10 to 12 subjects. Junior secondary students may offer 12 to 14 subjects, senior secondary students will take eight to nine subjects, and technical schools will offer nine to 11 subjects,” the statement read.

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READ ALSO:FG To Disburse Interest-free Loans To Farmers, Small Businesses – GEEP

The revised curricula will reduce content overload and create more learning time for students,” Prof. Ahmad said, adding that the changes reflect the government’s commitment to delivering quality, practical and relevant education in a rapidly changing world.

The Ministry of Education commended stakeholders for their role in the review and said implementation will be accompanied by strict monitoring to ensure a smooth transition across schools nationwide.

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The ministry did not give an exact date for rollout, but said the new curricula will be phased in with oversight from relevant agencies to guarantee effective adoption.

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Over 23,000 People Still Missing In Nigeria — ICRC

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The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 23,659 people remain missing in Nigeria, leaving 13,595 families in anguish, most of them women struggling with uncertainty and hardship.

Protection of Family Links Team Leader of ICRC in Damaturu, Mr Ishaku Luka, disclosed this on Sunday during activities to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.

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He said 68 per cent of those still searching for answers were women, while 59 per cent of those missing were minors at the time of their disappearance.

According to him, Yobe State alone accounts for 2,500 cases, the majority recorded in Gujba Local Government Area.

Behind every missing person is a family living in pain, uncertainty, and economic difficulty.

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READ ALSO:‘Court Of Corruption’ — Obasanjo Knocks INEC Chairman, Judiciary In New Book

The anguish is compounded by legal, administrative, and psychosocial challenges. These families deserve acknowledgement, care and support,” Luka said.

He explained that the issue of missing persons was one of the most devastating consequences of armed conflicts, disasters, and migration.

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He urged parties to conflicts, authorities, and communities to take greater responsibility in preventing disappearances.

Sharing ICRC’s interventions, Luka said by June 30, the organisation had collected 451 new cases in Nigeria, and closed 515 cases.

Luka added that the organisation had facilitated the reunification of seven separated children with their families.

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READ ALSO:FG To Earn N180bn From Fire, Cassava Investments – ICRC

Every day, worldwide, we help reunite 20 people with their families. Every hour, we help clarify the fate of two missing people. Every minute, we help four separated persons contact their loved ones,” he added.

Head of ICRC Sub-delegation in Damaturu, Mr Rashid Hassan, said families of the missing should not be left alone in their struggles.

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Time does not heal. Acknowledgement, answers and respect do. Families must know that their loved ones are not forgotten and their demands are heard,” Hassan stressed.

He said the ICRC, working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society (NRCS), had provided mental health and psychosocial support, livelihood assistance, and orientation programmes for families of missing persons in Borno and Adamawa states.

Hassan urged authorities to fulfill their obligations by clarifying the fate of missing persons, protecting the dignity of the dead, and addressing the economic and social needs of the affected families.

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READ ALSO:Why Super Eagles Coach, Peseiro’s Contract Should Not Be Renewed’

He also called on society to show solidarity, avoid stigmatisation, and support the resilience of families searching for answers.

Globally, Hassan said, more than 94,000 people were newly registered as missing in 2024, bringing the total to 284,400.

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He stressed, however, that the figure represented only a fraction of the real number.

As we commemorate this day, we renew our commitment to advocate for the rights of the disappeared and to push for continuous efforts in searching for answers.

“No family should live with the torment of uncertainty,” Hassan said.

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(NAN)

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Ex-TVC’s ‘Your View Host,’ Afolabi-Brown, Admits Ignorance In Past Criticism Of Peter Obi

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… narratives how she once considered suicide

Former Your View host, Morayo Afolabi-Brown, has said her past remarks about former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi, were made without knowing much about him or his record in office.

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The veteran media personality, in an interview with Chude Jideonwo, explained that her comments on the Labour Party presidential candidate at the time were not based on personal familiarity with his record.

“It was because I did not know him. After I made that comment, people called me and said, ‘Morayo, do you realise that when he was governor, he actually served us?’

“So that was him. I said, ‘Oh, I did not know,’” she said.

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The broadcaster also opened up about her battle with depression, recalling how she once considered taking her own life.

READ ALSO:Your View Host, Morayo Brown, Resigns From TVC

“I was depressed. It got so bad that I thought I was suicidal. I just left everything behind.

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“I remember just walking on the express, hoping a car would hit me. It was that bad,” she revealed.

Afolabi-Brown explained that she decided to step away from Your View after the show’s tenth anniversary, saying she had long harboured the thought of moving on.

It was when we were 10 years old that I knew it was time to move on to the next thing.

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READ ALSO:Ghana Threatens To Suspend DSTV Licence Over Price Hike

I’ve been harbouring that thought for a while, but I just didn’t know to what or where, you know.

“But I think last year, I got that light bulb moment,” she said.

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Brown further narrated how she was sacked from TVC until her identity became known to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

People now call Asiwaju, ‘Do you know whose child was sacked?’ He said, ‘I’m not aware.’

READ ALSO:Naira Abuse: Don’t Condemn Tompolo Over Mere Allegation, Says EFCC Boss

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He said, ‘This is the Alao Aka-Bashorun’s daughter. That’s when he knew it was me,” she recalled.

On controversies during her career, she revisited the uproar that trailed an on-air interview in which she was accused of calling her husband a pedophile.

According to her, the First Lady’s intervention helped her make peace and publicly apologise.

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Her exit from Your View, she noted, marked the end of her 12-year journey on the breakfast show.

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