Headline

Wike To FCT Officials: Wahala Don Come, I’ll Increase Your BP

Published

2 years ago

August 23, 2023

Peeved by the growing level of filth and haphazard transportation system in the nation’s capital, Abuja, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory FCT, Nyesom Wike, has charged top officials of the administration to sit up or seek redeployment elsewhere.

Specifically, he ordered the director in charge of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board, AEPB, to clean up the city, saying he would be on his case to the point of increasing his blood pressure.

On transportation, Wike told top officials of the secretariat in pidgin that wahala don come.

He gave the charge yesterday in Abuja while receiving handing over notes from the Permanent Secretary in the FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola.

He said: “I will ensure that Abuja gets the best. You will see projects upon projects, and projects that will be completed and not abandoned.

“I am not a party to abandoned projects. I start a project when there is money, as such we will look into our finances before we begin any project.

“I believe in the renewed hope of President Bola Tinubu, and Nigerians will see the difference in no distant time”.

He said in the meantime, there had to be immediate deliverables to assure the people that the government was determined to turn the fortunes of the territory around.

“We are here to deliver the short-term deliverables for people to see that Abuja is coming back to what it was supposed to be. People are complaining of street lights not working, I am complaining too. We must fix it within the shortest possible time”, he said.

The former Rivers State governor charged the director in charge of street lights to do everything possible in the shortest possible time to restore lights to the streets of Abuja.

On sanitation, Wike said he would be mounting immense pressure on the director in charge to the point that he might even develop high blood pressure.

He declared: “You must be ready to work hard. I must make sure I give you BP, so you must work hard. You can’t be sleeping when the environment is dirty. You can’t be a director for anything.

”It is an opportunity for us to tell Nigerians and Mr President that we cannot disappoint. If you are in charge of sanitation, buy your drugs, carry them all the time because I will disturb you all the time to make sure Abuja is clean.”

On transportation, Wike said: “Wahala don come, there are too many illegal bus stops in the city. I have respect for women, but this one I will not. If you don’t have the capacity, let us replace you now.

”In this job, people will not like you, but in the end, if you do it well, you will be appreciated. Things are tough, yes, but we cannot live in a lawless society because things are tough.”

On her part, Minister of State in the FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, said with the support of staff, what Wike had done in Rivers would be replicated in the FCT.

“I am of the firm belief that, together, and with your support, we will replicate what the Minister (Wike) has done in Rivers in the nation’s capital, especially at the area councils and satellite towns.

“This is so that the lives of our people in the rural areas will be positively touched. It is also instructive to state that maximum commitment, cooperation, and loyalty are expected from all staff because it will not be business as usual.

“We will run with the vision of President Tinubu, which we will be unveiling as we hit the ground running,” she said.

Earlier, the permanent secretary assured the ministers of the unalloyed support of the entire staff of the FCT Administration in ensuring the actualisation of the mandate of President Tinubu.

Also, Executive Secretary, Federal Capital Development Authority FCDA, Shehu Hadi, thanked Wike and Mahmoud for accepting to serve and reposition the FCT.

Headline

Israel-Palestine Conflict: Nigeria, 141 Countries Endorse Two-State Solution

Published

4 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

Nigeria on Friday joined 141 other countries to endorse New York Declaration on two-State solution between Israel and Palestine at the UN headquarters in New York.

Applause rang out in the UN General Assembly Hall as countries endorsed the declaration on the peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine and implementation of the two-State solution with Israel.

The New York Declaration is the outcome of an international conference held in July at UN Headquarters, organised by France and Saudi Arabia, which resumes later this month.

The General Assembly comprises all 193 UN Member States and 142 countries voted in favour of a resolution backing the document.

Israel voted against it, alongside nine other countries: Argentina, Hungary, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States, while 12 nations abstained.

Prior to the vote, French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont recalled that the New York Declaration “lays out a single roadmap to deliver the two-State solution”.

This involves an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release of all hostages held there, and the establishment of a Palestinian State that is both viable and sovereign.

The roadmap further calls for the disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from governance in Gaza, normalisation between Israel and the Arab countries, as well as collective security guarantees.

Headline

I Won’t Allow His Movement To Die, Charlie Kirk’s Widow Vows

Published

5 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

Erika Kirk, widow of prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, has vowed to continue her husband’s work after US authorities confirmed the arrest of his alleged assassin.

A grieving Erika, in a live video on Friday, paid tribute to her late husband, describing him as “the perfect father…the perfect husband.”

“The evil-doers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done.

“The movement my husband built will not die. It won’t. I refuse to let that happen,” she added.

Tribune Online reports that the suspected killer of Kirk has been identified as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump confirmed that a suspect had been arrested after a massive manhunt.

“Somebody very close to him turned him in,” Trump told Fox News in a live studio interview.

“The person was involved with law enforcement, but was a person of faith, a minister, and brought him to a US Marshal who was fantastic.

“They drove into the police headquarters, and he’s there now.”

He added: “We have the person that we think is the person we’re looking for.”

Kirk, 31, who was known for rallying youth support for Trump, was shot dead on Wednesday during an appearance at a Utah university.

Headline

California Lawmakers Approve Ban On Face Masks For Authorities

Published

5 hours ago

September 13, 2025

Editor

California lawmakers in the United States have approved a bill that would prevent most law enforcement officers from covering their faces while on duty.

According to ABC News, the measure follows a series of immigration raids in Los Angeles.

This is the first bill of its kind to pass a state legislature, though similar proposals have been introduced in Congress and in states such as Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

The California Legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed the bill on Thursday as part of a broader response to immigration enforcement actions.

If signed into law, the bill would prohibit local and federal officers, including immigration agents, from using neck gaiters, ski masks and other facial coverings while carrying out official duties. Exceptions include undercover work, protective medical masks and tactical gear.

Gov. Gavin Newsom of California has about a month to decide whether to sign it. He has criticised the use of masks by federal agents but in July questioned whether the state has the authority to regulate them. His office said Friday it does not usually comment on pending bills.

According to supporters, the legislation is needed, especially after the Supreme Court this week allowed the federal government to continue large-scale immigration operations in Los Angeles.

Assemblymember Juan Carrillo, vice chair of the Latino caucus, said the ruling is “effectively allowing federal agents stop suspects based solely on their race, language, or job.”

“How is anyone supposed to reasonably believe that they are law enforcement officers and not masked individuals trying to kidnap you?” he said before the vote. “Imagine the absolute fear of being pulled over at gunpoint by a group of masked individuals.”

Backers also cited constitutional law expert Erwin Chemerinsky of the University of California, Berkeley, who argued that federal employees must still follow state laws unless doing so prevents them from performing their duties. “ICE agents have never before worn masks when apprehending people, and that never has posed a problem. Nor have other officers of local, state and federal law enforcement faced dangers from the public because they don’t wear masks in the streets,” he wrote in an opinion piece for the Sacramento Bee.

Republicans and law enforcement groups strongly opposed the bill, saying it puts officers at risk.

“Bad guys wear masks because they don’t want to get caught. Good guys wear masks because they don’t want to get killed,” said Republican state Sen. Kelly Seyarto on Thursday.

The use of masks by immigration agents has deepened the divide between those who oppose Trump-era enforcement policies and those who support them.

Trump administration officials defended the practice, saying agents have faced growing harassment in public and online. They argue covering their faces helps protect officers and their families. Democrats and several state attorneys general counter that the masks cause public fear and should be banned.