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Nationwide Protest: The Killer Is Afraid Of Death [OPINION]

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By Icon-James Tam

I read from the nation’s newspaper where President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spoke through Information Minister Mohammad Idris, urging Nigerian youth to halt the proposed August 1-10th protest tagged “Protest Days of Rage”. The President appealed to Nigerians that their concerns would be addressed but emphasized the need for more time to do so.

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He cited the recently launched student loan scheme and the new minimum wage bill signed into law as swift interventions on his part to justify caution amidst the hardships facing Nigerians.

I almost made this opinion immediately, but I was delayed because I was hungry and had to settle my stomach first. This is the daily plight of every average Nigerian, going to bed with barely half a meal.

READ ALSO: OPINION: Why Aiyedatiwa Should Not Appeal Court Judgment On Creation Of LCDA In Ondo State

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While I searched for food and considered sharing my opinion, I listened to some persons who believed the protest was unnecessary. They argued that the Nigerian state is too fragile and feared the protest might escalate or be hijacked, potentially leading to anarchy. Some referred to the 2020 EndSARS protests which turned bloody a few days after commencing.

Although I respect their concerns for the country’s well-being, I am troubled not only by their call to stop the protest but also by President Tinubu’s claim of addressing Nigeria’s concerns.

With our memories intact, he vociferously led a nationwide protest against Goodluck Jonathan in 2012 over fuel subsidy removal, even parading an artificial casket labeled with the former president’s name as if for a funeral. No protest could be more intense than that. In every legitimate cause, there may be elements seeking to distort it, often sponsored by the state. The 2012 protest saw property damage and loss of lives across the country, which I condemn. Yet, the message was loud, and there was some level of consideration from the federal government at the time, just as the EndSARS movement achieved a landmark victory against unruly SARS operatives.

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READ ALSO: OPINION: If Tinubu Were Today’s Opposition Leader

President Tinubu’s plea for time did not address the reasons for the proposed protest. His claim that the recently enacted minimum wage could alleviate the suffering of Nigerians has had little meaningful impact, as the prices of basic necessities continue to rise. Insecurity worsens daily, and fuel prices vary widely from one filling station to another within the same community or state.

Here is a president who, as an opposition leader even during military rule, staged protests against purported bad governance, now seeming afraid of protests. As a historical irony, it’s akin to “a one-time killer afraid of death as tables turn”.

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Protest is our fundamental right and must be protected at all costs. The world must hear us narrate our ordeals under President Tinubu’s leadership. Therefore, I urge security agencies to act professionally and provide necessary coverage as we carry out the protest from August 1-10 to voice the hardships we endure.

Icon-James Tam
Writes from the creeks of Ogidigba 2, Ese-Odo LGA of Ondo State, Nigeria
08106294449

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Bumper Harvest: Foundation Distributes 6,000 Fertilizers To Farmers In Bauchi

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A group, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation has donated 6,000 50kg bags of fertilizer to farmers in Bauchi state in order to have a bumper harvest.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the distribution of the fertilizers on Thursday, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation, said the distribution was only for the indigent farmers in the state.

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He said the fertilizers would be distributed to farmers in underserved communities across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

“We are gathered here to flag off the free distribution of fertilizers to farmers, especially the indigent farmers that don’t have the means to buy fertilizer for their farms.

READ ALSO: Fedpoly Bauchi Shut Down Over Violent Students Protest

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“That is the reason why the founder of this foundation bought the fertilizers and distributed them to the low income farmers in the state.

“We have gone round the nooks and crannies of the state to identify the underserved communities and those that deserve this particular gesture.

“We planned to distribute about 6,000 bags of fertilizer and due to the populous nature of the Bauchi LGA, they have the largest share but some other local governments too have hundreds of beneficiaries which we divided into Senatorial zones,” he said.

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According to him, today was the flagging off of the Bauchi South Senatorial District, adding that the extension of the gesture would commence in Bauchi North and Bauchi Central Senatorial Districts tomorrow.

READ ALSO: UNICEF Advocates Six Months Maternity Leave From Working Mothers In Bauchi

Mohammed explained that the only criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries were underserved communities and low income farmers, adding that “we know that a large number of the farmers in Bauchi state are low income farmers.

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“Those are the people that we identified, verified and they are our beneficiaries and we have warned the general public about the activities of some unscrupulous elements that go round to impersonate our foundation.

“Wunti Al-Khair Foundation is not charging a kobo for every part of its activities, be it education, healthcare, economic empowerment and community development”.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Samson, described the support as a timely intervention that would greatly enhance his farming activities and appreciated the foundation for the intervention.

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Another beneficiary, Salisu Maidawa, who was short of words for the gesture, said the gesture came at a time when he was in dire need of it.

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IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

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Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for allegedly not “keeping up to the fundamental mandate,” upon which the agency was established.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama, Comrade Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone
Chairman, Secretary, and Information Officer respectively, and made available to newsmen in Warri on Thursday, August 14, 2015.

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According to the IYC, the call for Ogbe’s sack becomes necessary following his incompetence and ethnic bias, adding that Ogbe has turned the agency meant for the whole Niger Delta to his Itsekiri ethnic group alone.

The IYC, while noting that efforts to meet the NCDMB Executive Secretary to discuss critical issues as they affect the region and its people have proved abortive, said it can no longer fold it arms and watch while things go from bad to worse.

READ ALSO: FG Warns Of Flooding In Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, 26 Others

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As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.

“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.

“Repeatedly, he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.

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“As Ijaw, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.

READ ALSO: Bayelsa Warns LG Officials Against Pension Payment Delays

“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.

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“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themselves to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.

“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded,” the statement reads.

The IYC also called for the probe Ogbe as Executive Secretary after his sack.

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Efforts to reach Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, for reaction proved abortive.

 

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I’m Being Impersonated – Goodluck Jonathan Disowns Social Media Account

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday said he is being impersonated by fraudsters.

Jonathan alleged that a fraudulent Instagram handle has been impersonating him.

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In a statement by his Media Aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not operate any Instagram handle.

READ ALSO:Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan Appointed Africa’s Ambassador For Agricultural Technology

The statement is titled ‘Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’.

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“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

READ ALSO:How Former Konga CEO, Nick Imudia, Committed Suicide

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“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account.

“The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement read.

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