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Ezekwesili Slams N’Assembly’s Constitutional Amendment As Charade

Published

2 months ago

July 31, 2025

A former Minister of Education and Chief Executive Officer of Human Capital Africa, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, on Thursday, knocked the National Assembly over its efforts on the ongoing constitutional amendment, describing it as a charade and a conduit pipe to waste public funds.

Ezekwesili equally lamented that hijack of the nation’s political space and, by extension, that of the continent by a set of criminal enterprise gangs who now sit at the table and slice governance in the direction that best suits them while the larger interest of the people suffers.

The former minister stated this on Wednesday while delivering her keynote address on “Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism” at the 7th Penpushing anniversary and annual lecture.

Ezekwesili said that rather than acceding to the people’s demand for a fresh constitution that will help address all the imbalances and the inequalities that defined the current constitution, the National Assembly decided to embark on a venture that will do little or nothing to help address the need to restructure the country along the practice of true federalism.

She explained that the agitation for secession by some part of the country, the problem of insecurity, the challenge of unemployment and poverty, and maladministration as a whole will only be resolved with a new constitution that prioritises devolution of powers, justice, equity, and fairness to all irrespective of tribes and ethnicity.

The former minister has equally called on the media to be at the vanguard of demanding a new constitution that is powered by the people and will ultimately serve the progress and development of the country.

Ezekwesili said, “The ongoing constitutional amendment cannot work, it cannot address our problem, it is a charade and sheer waste of resources. The demand for a new constitution is a matter of life and death

“For instance, when the engineer tells us that the foundation of a building is structurally defective, is it not to take the whole building down because it will continue to constitute an endangerment to the people.

“You won’t say, Oga, can we just do some little adjustment to the building, no, it won’t work, and this is same with nation building. So this expensive charade that the National Assembly is embarking on and spending money on won’t take us anywhere.

“The media should take the front seat and be at the vanguard of a demand for new constitution. We must have a constitutional conference that enables the people of this country to have honest conversation around things that will make us make progress and make Nigeria work for all of us.

“If there is anything that will come out of this annual lecture it must be that the media should be at the vanguard of a push for a constitutional conference, one that will enable the constituent part of this country, a constituent assembly elected by the people, they go, they sit, they have the discussion on the basis of the issues that makes fiscal federal system of government to work and come out with issues that are eligible for constitution which is put before the people to vote in form of referendum.

“This is what Kenya did after almost collapsing, and since then, you never hear them talking about break-up, they will talk about the need for good leaders”

Ezekwesili added that there is nothing mysterious about good governance, as it has been done in other parts of the world and could be replicated here too in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

She disclosed, “There is nothing that is mysterious about good governance, this thing has been done elsewhere and could be replicated here in the country.

“Unfortunately, today’s politics has been hijacked, what we now have is a criminal enterprise gang and this is not only in Nigeria but across the continent. A criminal enterprise gang has taken hold of politics and excluded the society and these people just sit at the table and just slice governance in the direction that suits them but that must not be made to continue.”

Ezekwesili explained that there is a strong connection between the quality of African politics and its economic performance and prosperity, adding that this sad reality may, however, not change for a long time to come if nothing is done to improve the quality of its politics and the political leaders.

The activist said that the true practice of fiscal federalism will foster greater regional autonomy and collaboration, satisfy the demand for self-determination without breaking up the country, boost productivity and accountability, and improve leadership capabilities, among other things.

Also speaking at the annual lecture, the immediate past Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Sarafadeen Ishola, said that the country’s current federalism is adopted in principle but suffers in practice and neither delivers the autonomy expected by the federating units nor promotes the developmental competition required for national growth.

Ishola, who chaired the occasion, said that true federalism is not only about devolution of power but about responsible governance, institutional clarity, fiscal equity, and citizen-driven accountability.

He added that Nigerians must therefore not behold restructuring as a sectional agenda but must embrace it as a national rebirth strategy to address some of the challenges hindering effective management of the country.

Speaking at the event, the founder of Penpushing Media, an online platform, Mr Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, said that the essence of the annual lecture is aimed at elevating conversation around issues that could further enhance the greatness of the country.

Kayode-Adedeji said the online news medium has continued to grow in leaps and bound, contributing significantly to changing the narrative of the country through qualitative reportage and dose of philanthropic gestures that are deliberately designed to uplift humanity.

He explained that as part of the focus of the online news medium to contribute to the growth of mass communication undergraduates, the news platform has helped to train over 80 students from various institutions, while it has also instituted an annual award honour for the best graduating mass communication students in the higher institutions.

There were also goodwill messages from former Presidential Spokesman to the Late Mohammadu Buhari, Mr Femi Adesina, the Chairman of Editorial Board of Penpushing Media and former Chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Lagos State Council, Deaconess Funke Fadugba; and the Chairman, Planning Committee, Dr Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, among others.
(PUNCH)

News

VIDEO: Why I’ve Never Tried Convincing My Christian Wife To Convert To Islam — Tinubu

Published

14 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has explained why he has never attempted to convince his wife, First Lady Oluremi Tinubu, to convert to Islam, stressing his belief in love, religious freedom, and mutual respect among people of different faiths.

Speaking on Saturday at the funeral service of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, mother of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwada, Tinubu said his marriage to a Christian pastor has never created any conflict in their home.

The president, who arrived in Jos, Plateau State around 2 p.m. for the ceremony at the COCIN headquarters church, said he inherited Islam from his family and has always upheld the principle of freedom of religion.

He noted that both he and the First Lady serve the same God and would ultimately be answerable to Him, adding that what matters most are people’s deeds, character, and love for others.

Tinubu urged Nigerians to embrace tolerance and peaceful coexistence, emphasising that hate should never have a place in the country.

He also prayed for the repose of the soul of the late Lydia Yilwada and asked God to grant comfort and blessings to those she left behind.

He said, “Hate is not an option for us. Love is what you preach, that we should love one another.

“Nobody, nobody determines what God has ordained. God’s ordained action and his promises are what matter. I inherited Islam from my family. I didn’t change. But my wife is a pastor. She prays for me.

“No conflict. And I never did at any single time try to convince her or convert her. I believe in the freedom of religion.

“We are praying to the same God. We are answerable to the same almighty God. We will answer to him. We will account to him. Our deeds, our character, our love for our fellow beings are what are important.

“May the almighty accept the soul of Lydia and give all that she left behind blessings and glory, so we say, may her soul rest in peace.”

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UK Police Quiz Six After Fatal Synagogue Attack

Published

17 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

Six people arrested on suspicion of “terrorism”-linked offences after a fatal car-ramming and knife attack on a UK synagogue remained in police custody on Saturday, as Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged people not to take part in pro-Palestinian protests.

Two people were killed and three others seriously wounded in Thursday’s attack in northwestern Manchester on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Police shot dead the assailant, Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old UK citizen of Syrian descent, within minutes of the alarm being raised.

Three men and three women are in custody.

The attack has heightened fear among Britain’s Jewish community.

Police said they were patrolling places of worship across the city “with a particular focus on providing a high-visibility presence within our Jewish communities”.

The attack on Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in north Manchester was one of the worst antisemitic incidents in Europe since the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel led by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive on the Gaza Strip has killed at least 66,288 Palestinians, also mostly civilians, according to health ministry figures in the occupied territory that the United Nations considers reliable.

The Gaza conflict has inflamed passions in Britain, with frequent pro-Palestinian rallies in cities that some critics allege have stoked antisemitism.

A “global movement for Gaza UK” protest went ahead in London late on Thursday, with police making 40 arrests.

London’s Metropolitan Police asked organisers delay another planned demonstration backing the banned Palestine Action group later on Saturday.

However, organisers Defend Our Juries rejected the calls.

A spokesman said the group “stood in solidarity” with the Jewish community over the attack.

– Accidental shooting –

Starmer urged protesters not to join the pro-Palestinian rally.

“I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews. This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain,” he said on X.

During the attack, Shamie was seen “with a big knife, banging his knife into the glass, trying to get through”, synagogue chairman of trustees Alan Levy, who helped barricade the doors, told ITV News.

“The heroes of the congregation who saw what was happening then came to the doors because he was trying to break the doors down to get in,” he added.

A UK police watchdog, meanwhile, said it would look at the police shooting of Shamie.

The probe would also look at the shooting of a second victim who suffered a fatal gunshot and a third person who was shot but survived.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said there was no evidence anyone other than police used firearms at the scene.

“Our independent investigation will look at the circumstances surrounding the fatal police shooting of Jihad Al-Shamie,” it said in a statement.

“A post mortem has today (Friday) concluded another man who died at the scene suffered a fatal gunshot wound.”

IOPC investigations are standard practice in situations where the use of force by police may have resulted in the death of a member of the public.

News

Edo Inaugurates Committee On Drug Abuse, Healthy Living

Published

20 hours ago

October 4, 2025

Editor

L-R: ACGN, NDLEA, Fidelis Cocodia, Deputy Governor of Edo State, Hon. Dennis Idahosa and Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Edo State, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani during the Inauguration

Edo State Government has inaugurated Drug Control Committee for the state and local governments, aimed at curbing the menace of drug abuse in the state.

Inaugurating the committee, Governor Monday Okpehbolo said the committee was not only saddled with the responsibility of curbing the menace of illicit substances, but to promote healthier living across communities in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Hon. Dennis Idahosa, Okpebholo described the initiative as “a vital step in our unwavering commitment to stopping the menace of drug trafficking and substance use among youths.”

The governor, who bemoaned the rising tide of drug dependency and its impact on society, pointed out that the committee’s creation aligns with the national drug master plan and represents a bold stride toward protecting Edo future generations.

On his part, Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa, represented by ACGN, Fidelis Cocodia, Zonal Commander, Zone 13, emphasised grassroots interventions, awareness campaigns, and support systems as the backbone of the fight against drug abuse.

Edo State commander of the NDLEA, Mitchell Ofoyeju disclosed that while national drug use prevalence stands at 14.4 percent, Edo state surpasses the average at 15 percent.

He noted that the state is one of the hardest-hit states in the country, warning that the trend has fueled crime and heightened youth vulnerability.

The state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Cyril Oshiomhole pledged to make Edo a model in drug control through rehabilitation, youth enlightenment, and second-chance opportunities for recovering addicts.

Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Edo State, Mrs. Edesili Okpebholo Anani, described drug abuse as a pandemic, noting that “you hardly see a crime without drugs being involved.”

She added that women’s empathy and influence must be harnessed in the campaign against drug abuse.