The apology issued by the Church of Scotland for its role in capturing and torturing alleged witches in early modern Europe is an example and an initiative that churches in Africa must emulate. In a historic gesture of mea culpa, the Church of Scotland has, at its General Assembly, in May, acknowledged their role in the persecution and execution of thousands of people, mainly women, accused of witchcraft between the 16th and 18th centuries. The church regretted the terrible harm that it caused the accused. It was sorry for the miscarriage of justice, which it orchestrated centuries ago. 
The witch hunts in Scotland were a clear case of moral failure. So it was encouraging to see this Christian establishment rise to the occasion and acknowledge their misdeeds. So the witch apology by the Church of Scotland is a welcome development and a powerful message of remorse. The issue is not only in tendering this apology which many in Scotland deem unnecessary because the Scottish witch hunts ended centuries ago. The real tragedy is that the persecution of alleged witches is an ongoing campaign in many parts of the world, especially in Africa. Centuries after these horrific abuses ended in Europe, persecution of suspected witches has not stopped in the region. Unfortunately, churches in Christian Africa are the main drivers and enablers of witchcraft accusations and witch persecutions. African pastors are among the key perpetrators of this miscarriage of justice. Violent exorcism of witchcraft is an everyday activity in many churches. These churches, including the Liberty Gospel Church, Mountain of Fire and Ministry, and Living Faith Church, engage in witch finding, identification, and exorcism as part of everyday evangelism.

The main question is:  When will African churches apologize for their wrongs and misdeeds? When will African clerics regret the harm which they have inflicted on thousands and tens of thousands of alleged witches across the region? When will African churches repent of their role in accusing and persecuting innocent persons in the name of witchcraft?
But some have argued that before African churches could repent and apologize, as the Church of Scotland has done, they need to first acknowledge that witch persecution is wrong. African pastors need to accept that witchcraft accusation is incompatible with Christian faith and practice in this 21st century. And at the moment, this is not case. African churches are actively engaged in witch-hunting and persecution. They have not realized this error and mistake. 
And this situation makes the witch apology by the Church of Scotland resourceful and helpful. Apart from helping the church and people of Scotland achieve some closure to what was a dark and horrific episode in their history, the witch apology must be deployed to provide moral leadership to the global campaign against witch hunting in Christian Africa.
The witch apology must be used to get African churches to end horrific abuses linked to witchcraft beliefs. Many churches in Africa are branches and affiliates of the Church of Scotland. Scottish missionaries helped found churches in the region. The Church of Scotland has continued to provide financial support and training to its African counterparts. Thus the Church of Scotland is in the position to influence the activities of its partner churches. The Scottish witch apology will be incomplete if the Church of Scotland does not deploy it to stem the raging tide of witch persecution and killing in Christian Africa. The witch apology should be used to restrain and call to order African church affiliates that are actively involved in witchcraft accusations and witch persecutions. The Church of Scotland should mainstream the witch apology in its relationship with all christian faith organisations. The witch apology should become a pillar of the Faith in Action programs in the region. 
In addition, African churches, that are not affiliated with the Church of Scotland must come on board and join the vanguard of churches against witchcraft accusations and witch persecution. Many pastors have been reluctant to advocate against witch persecution due to their fundamentalist interpretation and understanding of christianity. Many churches have opposed the campaign against witch hunting because they are of the notion that the belief in witchcraft or the practice of witch finding is basic to the Christian faith. With the apology by the Church of Scotland, this misunderstanding has been clarified. A clear message has been sent to African churches and their leaders-that they are mistaken and must change course. The Church of Scotland has reiterated that witch persecution is a fatal religious error. That witch hunting is inconsistent with the Christian faith. African churches must embrace this message, apologize, repent and regret their role in this dark and destructive campaign.

Leo Igwe directs the Advocacy for Alleged Witches, which aims to end witch persecution in Africa
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The Supreme Court of Nigeria has approved the use of hijab by female Muslim students in Lagos State Government-owned schools.

This was disclosed in a ruling on Thursday delivered by the apex court in Abuja.

www.the-star.co.ke

The apex court rejected an appeal by the Lagos State Government and upheld the earlier judgment of the Court of Appeal which ruled that the ban on hijab was discriminatory against Muslim students in the state.

Supreme Court ruled that the ban violated the rights of the Muslim students to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, the dignity of human persons and freedom from discrimination guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.

The court panel includes Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Justice John Inyang Okoro, Justice Uwani Aji, Justice Mohammed Garba, Justice Tijjani Abubakar, and Justice Emmanuel Agim.

The Amir (President) of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, Miftahudeen Thanni, and other members of the organisation have welcomed the judgement.

In 2015, The state government banned the use of the hijab, insisting that it was not part of the approved school uniform for pupils.

Following the ban, some Muslims in the state filed a suit to seek redress and asked the court to declare the ban as a violation of their rights to freedom of thought, religion and education.

 

 

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Two people were killed and one was injured after a person opened fire at an Alabama church Thursday evening, United State Police confirmed.

 

According to the Police, the shooting happened at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, Vestavia Hills Police Captain, Shane Ware, said, “From what we've gathered from the circumstances of this evening, a lone suspect entered a small group church meeting and began shooting.

He said officers responded to reports of the active shooter at about 6:22 p.m. local time on Thursday. He said the suspect was in custody and that there were no additional threats to the community.

 

Vestavia Hills is a city of some 40,000 people about seven miles southeast of Birmingham.

Ware said a suspect, who was not identified, was nabbed and detained subsequently by the Police following the attack.

 

“This is a traumatic thing that has happened to our community, not just the church,” Reverend Kelley Hudlow told local WVTM-TV in an interview.

 

However, it was gathered that no church staff members were hurt in the shooting.

 

The church’s website also stated that “Regardless of your story, history, economic status, race, gender, or orientation, you are invited to take part in all Sacraments of the Church and life in our community,” the church says.

 

 

 

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The Nigeria Police Force, Federal Capital Territory Command, says it has found Amira Safiyanu, a Twitter user who alleged that she was abducted alongside 16 others by gunmen on Tuesday.

 

Ameerah Safiyanu had raised the alarm on Twitter, disclosing that gunmen numbering about six-four Yoruba and two Fulani - abducted her alongside 16 others including three pregnant women and two little kids.

He said the gunmen had disguised as policemen.

 

She had tweeted, "Please whoever has my WhatsApp number; I sent a broadcast message of my location, we were abducted at gunpoint by people with police uniforms and a van from our houses from different parts of Abuja. We’re 17 including three pregnant women and two little kids, they didn’t see my phone.

 

"They’re 4 Yoruba and two Fulani men. They divided us up an hour ago; we’re 7 here. The other vehicle they said they will reach Ilorin and ours will reach Ibadan or Ikeja as they said."

 

On Friday, the FCT Police Command on its Twitter handle said Ameerah Safiyanu has been found and is currently in the hospital receiving treatment.

 

The Police, in a statement signed by Oduniyi Omotayo, the Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, for the FCT Police Commissioner, debunked the claim that the victims were kidnapped by men in uniform.

 

It reads, “The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Police Command wishes to categorically debunk the viral news of the alleged kidnapping of one Safiyanu Amira and seventeen (17) others who were reportedly abducted at gunpoint by Armed men in Police uniform on Tuesday 14th June 2022 at about 1:00 pm and to state that Safiyanu Amira is currently safe in Police custody.

 

"While she is currently in the hospital receiving medical attention as demanded by global best practices, the investigation continues and findings will be communicated subsequently.

BREAKING NEWS !!!!!

FCT POLICE FIND MISSING SAFIYANU AMIRA; DEBUNKS THE KIDNAPPING OF 17 OTHERS BY ARMED MEN IN POLICE UNIFORM.

— NPF FCT Command (@policeng_fct) June 17, 2022

"The Commissioner of Police FCT Command CP Babaji Sunday psc while commending the gallantry of the Tactical and Investigative apparatus detailed on the case, appreciated the members of the public for their calm maintained and the various degrees of useful information given to the Police.

 

"He enjoined the good people of the FCT not to relent in partnering with the police, especially towards the rendition of information, to remain vigilant, and report any suspicious or abnormal occurrence to the Police through the following emergency lines:

 

"08032003913, 08061581938, 07057337653, and 08028940883, While the Public Complaint Bureau (PCB) desk, could be reached on: 0902 222 2352."

 

 

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Human rights activist, Deji Adeyanju has lambasted some of the supporters of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, who accused him of having received bribes for criticising the politician.

 

Adeyanju had in several tweets called out Obi's supporters, describing them as 'crazy online fans' who go about bullying others, especially those who are against Obi's candidacy.

 

Obi had announced his departure from Nigeria to Egypt to understudy the Egyptian Power Sector, Education, Planning and Finance Sectors.

Peter Obi must take specific steps to stop the online bullying and insults by his supporters. This madness will not be tolerated at all.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 16, 2022

However, Adeyanju took to his Twitter handle to condemn this move, noting that it had come at the wrong time. He stated that Obi should have been on his way to Ekiti to support the governorship candidate of the Labour Party in the election.

 

Peter Obi should be going to Ekiti not Egypt. Election is happening on Saturday in Ekiti, Obi says he’s going to Egypt to understudy their system. Labour Party have a Guber candidate in Ekiti. This was how Moghalu was all over social media but someone called Dumebi defeated him.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 14, 2022

Adeyanju, in other tweets, also condemned Obi's political strategies as he advised him to form an alliance with Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People's Party for election victory against the candidates of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party. He also advised Obi to avoid online campaigns.

 

Get serious. Meet Kwankwaso urgently, reduce social media noise and get to building structures across the country immediately. If not, the outcome will be embarrassing.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 14, 2022

The activist had come under fire for uttering such statements but he insisted that Obi had declared his intention to run for a public office and public office holders are subject to criticism.

 

I no dey look anybody face when it comes to saying the truth because nobody feeds me. If you do anyhow, you go collect for my hand. If I can be giving Buhari and his mad dog Govt back to back for 7yrs non-stop, is it new comer Obi I won’t give.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 14, 2022

Meanwhile, some supporters of Obi accused Adeyanju of having received bribes which allegedly fuelled some of his criticisms of their preferred candidate.

Reacting in a now-deleted tweet, Adeyanju debunked the allegation, adding that he met with Obi recently and the latter offered him money which he rejected.

His tweet reads, “To the supporters of Obi saying may be I got alert that is why I'm now criticizing him, go and ask him; I meet him recently. He offered me money and rejected it. I told him money has never been my problem and can never be my problem. Na we dey even bring money to support people."

Kwankwaso’s supporters are not abusing anyone. They are just on Facebook marketing their candidate. The insults and abuse by Peter Obi’s online supporters will de-market him. I’m already beyond irritated by their nonsense. They are already looking like Buharists of 2014.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 16, 2022

Adeyanju, in another tweet, said he deleted the tweet because it was not necessary as he advised Obi's supporters to focus on how to sell their candidate without resorting to bullying or insulting others online.

Stay on the issues. Run an issue based campaign. Peter Obi is coming to reduce waste, cut Govt spendings, etc. if they insult you, ignore, ignore and ignore. Try to win them over not insult. And it’s not everyone that criticizes Obi that is paid or hungry. Everybody can insult.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 16, 2022

He tweeted, “Had to just delete those tweets. Completely unnecessary. You all should just market Peter Obi without insulting anyone. Also, accept criticisms from those who criticize him. Try to win people over with strong arguments and not insults."

Tinubu is in Ekiti working hard for his party, Atiku is in Abuja; Obi on his way to Egypt to study Egypt. Later, people will come to shout rigging.

— Comrade Deji Adeyanju (@adeyanjudeji) June 14, 2022

He also explained that not everyone who criticises a candidate has been paid for doing such.

 

 

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The identities of 39 people including children who lost their lives in the terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State have been released.

Gunmen had on Sunday, June 5 attacked the church located on Owa-Luwa Street in Owo, the hometown of the state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, leaving many congregants dead and several others injured.

 

Akeredolu had put the number of persons that died during the attack at 40.

 

The massacre has since been condemned by Nigerians, including President Muhammadu Buhari and many state governors who have called for an investigation into the attack.

 

The names and pictures of the victims were released by the church in the printed copy of the programme of events for their funeral service on Friday.

 

While a mass burial would take place at the church’s new cemetery at Emure Road, Owo, it was learnt that some families would be having a private burial for some of those killed.

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Former governor of Kano state and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has expressed confidence that Nigerians will vote for him in the 2023 election.

Kwankwaso said he would coast home to victory against Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and Atiku Abubakar of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023.

Kwankwaso, who said this in an interview with The PUNCH insisted that he would not step down for any of the candidates of the two major political parties.

 

According to him, his confidence is in the Electoral Act 2022, which he said: “would make it difficult for anyone to rig us as they have always done in the past.”

 

The leader of Kwankwasiya movement maintained that “Once there is a free and fair election, it will be difficult for anyone to defeat us. Hence, I am certain of victory against presidential candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and Atiku Abubakar of the major opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, at the polls in 2023.”

 

He said he is not the one who would defeat Tinubu and Atiku, but rather the masses who believe in him and his party.

 

“Although I and the party will only be a symbol on the ballot paper, it is the people that will go to the polling booths to vote them out because the difference between me and the two other major candidates is very clear. They are well-known to Nigerians, and they have nothing new to tell Nigerians. And I am also well-known, and the people know what I stand for.

 

“Our candidacy is based on capacity and performance. Nigerians will not vote for any experiment now; people are looking for those that have done it better in the past, and people who are trusted. Nigerians want someone that can unite Nigeria, improve the education system, and end the issue of incessant insecurity. We’ve always cared for the people. And many, especially the poor masses, were happy that I got the presidential ticket of the NNPP.”

 

On his choice of a running mate, Kwankwaso said that NNPP is already in the Southern region of Nigeria and that his running mate would be a widely accepted southerner.

 

“And when we come together, no candidate of the APC or the PDP would be able to defeat us,” he said.

 

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The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress against going for a Muslim-Muslim ticket ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

 

It said that if the party does not listen to the Church, it would mobilise its members against the party on Election Day.

PFN National President, Wale Oke, who gave the warning in Lagos on Thursday, while declaring Sunday, June 26, 2022, as a PVC Day in all its churches nationwide, however, noted that it was not against Muslim-Muslim ticket on the grounds of religion but on the basis of fairness and equity.

 

According to Oke, church members will be mandated to show their PVCs before entering the church and those without PVCs will be directed to go out and get theirs before the deadline.

 

He also warned that the 2023 election would make or mar Nigeria, adding that if things were done properly, it would unite Nigeria across ethnic and religious lines.

 

“A Christian-Christian and Muslim-Muslim ticket will not work for Nigeria. Muslim-Muslim ticket is unfair, it means over 54 percent of the Christian populace will be marginalised.

 

“If all that the church has said it and a party did not listen to our counsel, they will meet us at the poll, we will be waiting for them,” he warned.

 

“The voters’ apathy that has been the issue will not count in this election. After PVC Sunday, we will deliberate and provide a clear direction for the church in collaboration with CAN so that we can deliver block votes to a candidate that will unite this nation, a party that will not encourage the killing of Deborah.

 

“We will give all parties a fair chance. We are setting up a high-powered member committee to meet with all parties on how they will deal with insecurity and others.

 

“We want a just nation that caters for all its citizens no matter the religion; we encourage all believers to register and get their PVCs and wait for the instruction,” he added

 

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Militants from the Islamic State-backed faction of Boko Haram, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have released the names of 23 terrorists reportedly gunned down by soldiers.

 

The Nigerian troops in collaboration with Multinational Joint Task Force operatives outclassed the terrorists in an encounter which happened some weeks ago.

It was gathered that soldiers attacked the camp of the terrorists, which housed more than 3,000 fighters of the Abubakar Shekau’s faction of Boko Haram.

 

These names were mentioned in a video released by ISIS.

They include Abu Musab al-Yobawi, Abu Nu’man al-Amni, Abu Abdullah al-Barnawi, Abu ‘Ammara al-Barnawi, Abu Anas al-I’alami, Abdul Malik al-Barnawi, Abu Sufyan al-I’alami, Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Da’wi, Abu Usama Goneri, Abu Sa’d al-Ansari and Abu Jabbar al-Barnawi.

Others are Abu Anas al-Barnawi, Abu Abdul Rahman al-Katsanawi, Abu Maryam al-Gaidami, Abu Salman al-Ansari, Baka Goneiri, Abu Mustafa al-‘Askari, Farooq al-Barnawi, Abu Ahmad al-I’alami, Al-Qassim Al-Barnawi, Mustafa al-Barnawi, Abbas al-Ansari, and Musa al-Ansari.

 

 

 

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Hoodlums have reportedly killed a police officer and set ablaze a patrol vehicle at two checkpoints at Nsukka town in the Nsukka local government area of Enugu State.

 

A source said the attack occurred early on Friday morning.

According to the source, the hoodlums who were in an SUV first killed a police officer at a checkpoint at Umeano junction before moving to another checkpoint at Ibeagwa Ani to burn a patrol van.

 

SaharaReporters gathered that the policemen at Ibeagwa Ani fled when they could no longer repel the firepower of the hoodlums.

 

The assailants took away the gun of the slain policeman, the source said

 

SaharaReporters had reported that two policemen were killed in Enugu-Ezike barely two weeks ago which led the state government to declare a curfew in Igbo-Eze South and Igbo-Eze North a few days ago.

 

However, efforts to get the reaction of the state police command were unsuccessful as its spokesman, DSP Daniel Ndukwe did not answer calls from SaharaReporters.

 

 

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The Enugu State Command of the Nigeria Police Force has arraigned 21 staff members of the Enugu State Water Corporation before an Enugu East Magistrates’ Court on the allegation of stealing items worth N15 million.

 

The defendants include Kelvin Ikenagwu, Obiekwe Chimezie, Innocent Iyama, Okeke Vincent, Ayogu Stanley and Umekwulu Uchenna.

They were arraigned on Thursday, before Chief Magistrate Ngozi Edeani on two counts bordering on conspiracy and stealing.

 

When the charges were read to them, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all of them.

 

The counsel for the accused persons, Emmanuel Awuda, pleaded with the court to grant his clients bail, except for the second accused person who had a separate lawyer.

Awuda argued that the offence allegedly committed by his clients was bailable.

 

According to the lawyer, section 36 (5) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, says an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty as well as section 9 of the Enugu State Administration of Criminal Justice, 2007.

 

“My Lord, we have a reliable surety who is present in the court to take them on bail,” he pleaded.

 

The counsel for the 2nd accused, C.D. Okoro, made the same appeal to the court, saying that the defendants were the employees of the complainant.

 

He noted that since the incident, both the accused and complainants had been enjoying an unbreakable link.

 

Responding, the Prosecution counsel, ASP Innocent Egbuaba, said he would not oppose the bail application if they could provide credible and reliable sureties.

 

Edeani granted the accused bail in the sum of N20 million each and sureties in like sum.

 

She ordered that the sureties must be Grade Level 14 civil servants who must provide their photographs and reside within the jurisdiction of the court.

 

The Magistrate adjourned the matter till July 27 for the hearing of the case

 

Earlier, Egbuaba told the court that the accused had between December 2021 and January 2022 at Ajali Water Scheme at Ajali in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State allegedly conspired among themselves to steal.

 

He said that the defendants stole armoured cables, copper bags and one other item valued at N10 million as well as water treatment chemicals valued at N5 million, which were the property of the Enugu State Water Corporation.

 

Egbuaba stated that the loss of N5 million worth of water treatment chemicals was never reported to the Enugu State Water Corporation.

 

According to him, the offences were punishable under sections 495 and 353 of the Criminal Code, Cap 30, Vol. ll, Revised Laws of Enugu State, 2004.

 

 

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The youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has declared that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State remains an Igbo son and would enjoy all rights and privileges.

 

Okowa was on Thursday announced as running mate to Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Reacting swiftly, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro had said the PDP would not get votes from the South-East for not giving the position to someone from the area.

 

However, in a statement on Friday, the OYC President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and the Secretary-General, Comrade Obinna Achionye distanced the youth organisation from the position of Isiguzoro.

 

 

 

The Igbo youth group said, “Okowa is a true son of Igboland, a bonafide member of Ohanaeze; we cannot, therefore, rise against one of our own.

 

“A former President-General of Ohanaeze, Late Ambassador Ralph Uwechue is from the same area as Okowa. They are our brothers by every standard and we cannot ditch them now simply because of political exigency.”

 

While noting that Igbo people were not happy about not getting the PDP presidential slot, the group asked: “Should we now throw away the baby with the bathwater? The answer is a capital ‘NO.’”

 

 

 

“Having said this, we reiterate that Ndigbo are happy with his emergence as the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP and will accord him all the needed support.

 

 

 

"We urge Ndigbo to support him; we must be strategic this time and not put all our eggs in one basket," the statement added.

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The Nigeria Police Force has said the Special Tactical Squad Force Headquarters, Abuja (STS) in conjunction with Operation Yaki, Kaduna State Command killed four terrorists along Saminaka-Jos highway in the state.

The Spokesperson for the state police command, DSP Mohammed Jalige, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to Jalige, the incident occurred on Wednesday, June 15 when the police intercepted the bandits in a Volkswagen Sharon car.

The car was said to be driven by one James Dawi, 31, of Vom town in the Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.

He further the operation led to the arrest of a female accomplice who confessed during the investigation that he supplied arms and ammunition to bandits in Kaduna State.

“The operatives with tactical precision were able to terminally injure four suspects. The injured suspects were evacuated to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital Kaduna where they were pronounced dead by a medical doctor,” Jalige said.

The police, however, regretted that some members of the gang escaped into the forest with bullet wounds they sustained during a gun battle with security personnel.

Jalige said one Ak-49 rifle loaded with six rounds of live ammunition, one Ak-47 rifle, one empty magazine, 134 rounds of different calibres of live ammunition and an operational motor vehicle were recovered in the course of the operation.

There is an ongoing investigation to get the identities of the gang members and unravel their source of getting arms, the police spokesperson said.

 

 

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the Nigerian government of attempting to use intimidation and nonpayment of their entitlements to stop their push for the revitalisation of tertiary education in the country.

The striking lecturers made this known in a circular released on Thursday by its National President, Emmanuel Osodeke.

They said in the last 16 weeks that they have been on industrial strike, the government has stopped the payment of their salaries. The ASUU president, therefore, commended the union members for their perseverance toward achieving a common goal. 

The circular reads: "Our roll-over strike is 16 weeks old now. As the struggle continues, members are commended for their commitment and steadfastness in the patriotic struggle for the survival of the University system in our country.

 

"Members are particularly applauded for keeping faith with the Union in spite of the hardship imposed on our families as a result of the stoppage of salaries. You have made the statement loud and clear that we are not beggars and, as a result, hunger is an impotent instrument to break our resolve.

 

 

"Our iron-cast resolve has forced the government to sit down and negotiate with us. We have had five meetings with the Federal Government Team and two meetings with the Minister of Education.

"The renegotiation of the 2009 agreement of ASUU-FGN agreement is progressing smoothly and has reached an advanced stage. However, we must remain focused to the end of this struggle.

 

"UTAS has been tested for the 3rd time. So far NITDA has tested UTAS and USPS and will start testing IPPIS next week. We are undeterred by the antic of some government officials in this respect.

"It is clear that hunger, misinformation, distortion of facts, intimidation and other sundry acts of arm-twisting have failed to break our resolve to date; they should not break us now.”

"Ignore fake news and divisive information emanating from the social media and a section of the press. If in doubt over any issue, contact your chairperson for correct information. We are at the threshold of victory. Let us keep faith with the Union. A people united can never be defeated,” the circular added.

ASUU has been on strike for over four months to press home its demands.

The striking lecturers’ demands include funding for the revitalisation of public universities, Earned Academic Allowances, use of the University Transparency Accountability Solution (UTAS) and promotion arrears.

The lecturers went on strike on February 14 and have been extending it. In May, the union extended the strike by another 12 weeks.

Osodeke had said it was to give the government more time “to satisfactorily resolve all the outstanding issues.”

 

"The Federal Government has been grossly mishandling the crisis, fielding incompetent, arrogant ministers, and treating the education sector with disdain. It has to act quickly to end the impasse, fulfil its obligations and persuade the dons to resume work immediately," the ASUU leader had said.

 

Also, the non-teaching staff of universities including Non-Academic Staff of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, SSANU, and the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have embarked on industrial actions after the failure of the government to meet the demands of the respective unions.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Mr Olamilekan Adegbite, says Nigeria has 44 quality commercial minerals in over 500 locations across Nigeria.

 

Adegbite said this in his speech at the 2022 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada (PDAC), International Convention, Trade Show and Investors Exchange in Toronto, Canada on Thursday.

During the speech titled “The Mechanisms of Transparency and Commitment in Mining Governance as Tool for Attracting Foreign Direct Investment to Nigeria,” the minister said Nigeria is blessed with 44 different types of minerals in commercial quantities in over 500 locations in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

According to him, the minerals broadly cut across the various mineral spectrums, adding that these deposits are categorised into five groups according to their uses

They include baryte, kaolin, gypsum, feldspar, limestone, and energy minerals such as coal, bitumen, lignite, and uranium.

 

Others include metallic ore minerals such as gold, cassiterite, columbite, iron ore, lead-zinc, and copper; construction minerals such as granite, laterite and sand.

He said precious stones available in the country include sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, topaz, amethyst, and garnet.

 

“This clearly demonstrates the wide mineral spectrum we are endowed with, which offers limitless opportunities along the value chain, for job creation, revenue growth among others.

 

“Nigeria provides one of the highest rates of return because its minerals are closer to the surface,” he said.

 

He said that the first phase of the mineral exploration project which was the National Integrated Mineral Exploration Programme (NIMEP), designed to rapidly generate bankable geoscientific data had been completed.

 

He said the aim of the project was to de-risk the sector and attract high-calibre investments, adding that target minerals under the first phase include gold, lead-zinc, iron ore, and battery minerals.

 

He said, “The contractors have executed and completed the exploration works on Gold, Platinum Group of Elements (PGEs), Lead-Zinc, Iron Ore and Barites; results on Greenfields and Brownfields are in process to be declared for investment opportunities.”

 

The minister said the Nigerian Government had also commenced the process of retrieving the country’s colonial geological data from the United Kingdom.

 

He said, “We are engaging the British Geological Survey (BGS) to build a national electronic geo-data archiving management system to be called the Nigerian Geo-Data Center at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA).

 

“This will provide easy access to geoscience data for prospective investors on potential areas to target for exploration and mining within and outside Nigeria.

 

“Currently, there is an ongoing review of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007.

 

“The aim of the review is to bring legislation into conformity with global best practices, limiting the role of government to that of regulation and creating space for the private sector to maintain a more expansive presence in the sector.”

Despite having the highlighted minerals, Nigeria heavily relies on oil and gas and petroleum exports for its revenue.

According to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the oil and gas sector accounts for about 10 per cent of Nigeria’s gross domestic product, and petroleum exports revenue represents around 86 per cent of total exports revenue.

 

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The All Progressives Congress Yobe North Senatorial District candidate in the 2023 general elections, Bashir Sheriff Machina, has raised the alarm that his life is in danger because he refused to step down for Senate President, Ahmad Lawan in his pursuit of senatorial mandate.

This was disclosed by his campaign organisation in a statement obtained on Friday.

According to the campaign organisation, some hoodlums are after the life of Machina.

It, therefore, urged security agencies to take necessary measures to protect the Yobe APC senatorial candidate.

The statement reads: “Information at the disposal of Bashir Machina Campaign Organisation is that there is a security threat to the senatorial candidate of APC for Yobe North, Hon. Bashir Sheriff Machina, especially in relation to his refusal to relinquish his legally acquired ticket.

“Credible sources confirmed that some people want him arrested or at worst eliminated. They have resorted to employing diabolical means over unlawful means, in pressurising him to step down.

“We use this opportunity to notify the security agencies of this threat or likely breach of security around our senatorial candidate, we believe the security agencies will rise up to the occasion and take the threat seriously.

"As Campaign Organisation, we warned that the people behind his ordeal in the last four days should be held responsible if any mishap happens to him. By this notice, we are putting everybody on red alert.”

SaharaReporters had reported that Lawan was on the verge of suffering two losses within a week after the winner of the Yobe North APC senatorial primary, Machina, refused to step down for him.

Lawan had challenged for the presidential ticket of the party but lost to a former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu.

If the Senate President is unable to get the ticket from Machina, it means he will return to the Senate in 2023, when his tenure in office will expire.

Machina said he won the senatorial ticket of the party on a clean slate and would not relinquish it to Lawan.

“As far as I’m concerned, I contested for the Yobe North senatorial ticket and I won the election. I was confirmed elected because there were other contestants but I was the one that was qualified. I happened to be unopposed.

“I am still the candidate; I have not withdrawn and I will not withdraw for anybody. I am being approached by some persons but I will not withdraw, Insha Allah,” he had said.

Also confirming Machina’s resolve, one of his loyalists, Hussaini Mohammed Isa, said that there was a lot of pressure on Machina to hand over the Yobe North senatorial ticket to Senator Lawan.

 

Isa described it as unfair, for some leaders of the party to mount such pressure on Machina to step down for Lawan after working hard to win the primaries.

But Lawan’s supporters have argued that the Senate President Is the best performing senator the zone has ever had, saying they want him to continue to represent the district.

 

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Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, on Thursday warned that Nigerian citizens would soon be left with no other choice but to arm themselves considering the failure of the police to protect them.

Akeredolu, who delivered the keynote address at the meeting of the Attorney-Generals of the 36 States of Nigeria held in Lagos, said the police should “close shop” if they could not afford to have the equipment needed to protect Nigerians.

The three-day event is meant for the discussion of critical legal issues relating to Value Added Tax (VAT), stamp duty, 1999 Constitution amendments and $418 million Paris Club Refunds, all of which have pitted the state governments against the Federal government.

Though Nigeria claims to be a federal system, it does not practise federalism and has centralised police under the control of the federal government. Many Nigerians including some governors have been clamouring for state police to curb the worsening insecurity in the country.

Akeredolu, whose position was countered by the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami, said, “We will carry arms very soon, Oga Malami (referring to the AGF), there is no other way, the police have failed.”

On Sunday, June 5, 2022, some terrorists attacked a church in Akeredolu’s home town. The terrorists stormed St Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo town, killing no fewer than 40 congregants and injuring several others.

The governor said the failure of the Nigerian government to adequately fund the police was affecting the discharge of their responsibilities.

According to him, the police blamed the non-availability of vehicles for their failure to mobilise to the scene of the attack on the Owo church quickly.

He said, “The current spate of insecurity in the country leaves us with no room for equivocation on the right of the states to maintain law and order through the establishment of state police.”

“The Federal Government getting 52 per cent of the country’s revenue allocation is the main cause of the problem. There are some funds at the federal level that they don’t know what to do with. And the states and local governments are being starved. This is a direct consequence of long military rule,” the governor also noted during his speech.

Malami, in his address, however, said the governors lacked the moral ground to ask for restructuring when they have “colonised the resources of local governments”.

 

He said, “A further question is whether a state governor that undermines the democratic process, that refuses to inaugurate members of the state house of assembly that were elected equally stands a moral ground to clamour for restructuring against the backdrop of the fact that he does not believe in allowing the system to effectively and efficiently operate?”

 

Regarding the Paris Club refunds, Malami said, “The present controversies surrounding the Paris/London Club loan refunds could have been avoided if the NGF/state governments and ALGON, who engaged the services of consultants and contractors honoured their agreements.

 

“NGF and ALGON have not denied engaging the consultants and contractors on behalf of their respective states and local governments,” he added.

 

 

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Dr Nasir Aminu

The 2022 industrial action by Nigeria's academic staff union of universities (ASUU) is worrying on many grounds, but it is nothing new in the Nigerian context. It is the fifth industrial action in the last ten years – 2020, 2017, 2014, and 2013 – and this is becoming more like a tradition.

As an academic and an active union member in the higher education sector, I empathise with the ongoing industrial action by ASUU. I also worry for the students, in public universities, who are at the receiving end. Since its establishment in 1978, ASUU has significantly contributed to the development of universities in Nigeria. ASUU has pushed for more government funding in the sector and has negotiated with individual university management bodies to manage their institutions efficiently. 

One of the key reasons for the industrial action is that the federal government failed to implement the Memorandum of Action signed in December 2020. ASUU points explicitly to the fact the government has been unable to meet its obligation to revitalise public universities with consistent funding and has not paid academics their earned allowances. Now, ASUU demands they should renegotiate the 2009 ASUU-FGN agreement. Subsequent to the 2009 agreement, built on the2001 agreement, ASUU has seen four different Ministers of Education, three Presidents and two acting Presidents. Like other governments, the Buhari administration keeps vacillating despite several agreements.

Dr Nasir Aminu

Rightly so, ASUU's grief is outdated. Any deal signed 13 years ago, especially one that involves nominal monetary figures, requires revisiting. The value of money has changed due to persistent double-figure inflation since then. Thus, the amount agreed in 2009 will not be sufficient today. But I will not recommend renegotiating with a government closing shop soon. For clarity, ASUU will get a better deal if it renegotiatesits agreement with the next government. They can take what is on the table and, for the sake of the survival of the country's educational system, return to work. 

It is obvious that the intent to inflict a cost on the governmentfor failing to agree to conditions demanded by the union is not yielding the desired outcome. From all indications, this government is unperturbed about the drawback of the Nigerian education system, especially the public universities.The gestures from the government's Ministers are evident.The government keeps justifying that it does not have the money to pay for ASUU's demands, but those demands are actually for investments in the country's education sector.

As the strike continued, the government issued 12 additional private university licences in mid-May 2022. Of course, it did not make the headlines as attention was mainly on political parties' primary elections. The addition raised the total number of private universities in Nigeria to 111 (46%), a few numbers short of the 129 public universities. These private universities rely on charging exorbitant fees for their operations. The fees are unaffordable to the average household in the country, but we will discuss that in a moment. It is worrying to see the government acting in such an unbalanced manner. 

But as things stand, private universities will eventually, not imminently, dominate the university system in the country unless we have sensible leadership. That is because thegovernment is more worried about increasing its short-term revenue to keep paying the rent of the country's future income it is spending now. Never before has Nigeria had a government that is more worried about generating revenues than investing in future of the country. These neoliberalpolicies compel the government to cut-down long-term human capital investments like university education. Thus, we hearthe government making lame excuses to keep borrowing to pay for consumption when it is clearly against the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2007. But they cannot make an argument to borrow for capital and human expenditure – a favourable condition under the FRA 2007. Unsurprisingly, the country has to deal with immediate harmful socioeconomic consequences, like increased poverty, unemployment, and worsening income distribution.

The youth, predominantly university students and the future leaders, benefit from the positive outcomes of the education system and suffer from poor results—likewise, the society in general. The latest United Nations data projections showNigeria's youth population is high. Those aged between 18-29 are estimated to be around 42.7 million, while those aged between 30-39 years are about 22.3 million. The majority ofuniversity students are within these age groups. However, it is difficult for many to attend universities due to hardship and the poor state of the economy. Even those attending mainly public universities are struggling to pay tuition fees.

Therefore, ASUU should understand that the ongoing strike is counting against the future of Nigeria economically. Universities are economic development resources and the most important inputs of production processes for a knowledge-based economy. The sector engages in research, information transfer, technology development and research collaboration within the country or with institutions across the globe. They identify skills gaps, create unique courses and build the right skills to bring economic prosperity and social cohesion. The 240 universities we currently have in the country have the potential to contribute to this development. However, the strike will likely create a skill gap that will take time to fill as many students rely on public university education.

If the government has good intentions to develop the country's higher education, it should establish an agency or department to cater for higher education students. The office should be a channel for student loans and grants. The primary goal of such an office will be to ensure that higher education delivers positive outcomes for students – past, present, and future. The office should ensure that students from all regions and ethnic groups (predominantly the most underprivileged) can access, succeed in, and progress from higher education. 

Globally, 39 countries provide free education for their citizens. These include countries with similar profiles as Nigeria, like Brazil, Argentina, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Morocco, Philippines, Kenya, Sri Lanka, and Turkey. These countries know that education is at the heart of achieving Sustainable Development Goals. They understand that it is in their interest to be integrated into a world knowledge network where knowledge moves freely. They want their economies to process their acquired knowledge into skills because individual workers are more productive if other workers have more skills. The Nigerian government must be nudged towards implementing a similar policy. But first, they must understand the concept and rationale, and ASUU should be involved.

For ASUU, they must make surgical decisions on calling off the strike while looking at the bigger picture. It may look like a loss now, but ASUU can snatch victory in the jaws of defeatif they choose to renegotiate with the next government. Above all, they should not let perfect be the enemy of good.

 

Dr Nasir Aminu – Senior Lecturer at Cardiff Metropolitan University

 

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A member of the House of Representatives representing the Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency, Shina Peller, has left the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

The federal lawmaker disclosed this in a letter titled “APC Membership Renouncement,” which he addressed to the Chairman of APC Ward 9, Koso in the Iseyin local government area of Oyo State.

Peller, an entrepreneur and owner of Quilox Club, said he had due consultation with his people before taking the decision but failed to disclose the party he would be joining.

He said his people were embarrassed by the “undemocratic acts and decisions “ of some politicians in the state APC chapter.

He failed to clinch the APC senatorial ticket in May, losing to Senator Fatai Buhari who had 570 votes against Peller’s five votes.

That brought his four-year stint at the National Assembly to an end. He had declined to seek a second term in the House of Representatives to honour an agreement to rotate the seat in his constituency.

 

The letter reads, “I write to formally inform you of the renouncement of my membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

 

“I took this decision after due consultation with my people from the Oke Ogun region and beyond who feel humiliated by the undemocratic acts and decisions of some gladiators within Oyo State APC.

 

“President Muhammadu Buhari preached bottom-to-top approach driven APC, but the undemocratic conduct of some party chieftains particularly in Oyo State has shown that the people from the grassroots and the youth will continue to be at the mercy of the few at the top, who impose their preferred candidate against the wish of the people, as recently witnessed in Oyo North Senatorial District where I belong.

 

“My people have therefore decided that we withdraw our membership of the APC, and I totally align with them as I delved into politics, not for a selfish reason but for the overall interest of Nigerian youths and the people of Oke Ogun. So. I hereby renounce my membership of the APC.

 

“Thank you so much.”

 

 

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A lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences of the Nigeria Police Academy (POLAC), Wudil, Kano State, Dr. Goddy Osa Igbaekemen has accused the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) of conspiring with the principal officers of the academy to withhold his monthly salary, make illegal deductions in his account and unlawfully withhold his bank transaction alerts.

Igbaekemen obtained a loan from the FCMB on the 27th June, 2014 which was due to be paid up in August 2021 from the bank's successive deductions from his salary account.

But after the duration of repayment, as contained in the agreement between him and the bank, and subsequent intervention by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), FCMB denied him access to his account and all attempts to get the bank to explain to him in writing the reason for the blockage were not successful.

In a petition submitted to the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 1, Kano State on August 7, 2020, Dr. Igbaekemen explained that on June 24, 2020, he was compelled by three staff of the FCMB including Jimoh Mutiu, Waheed Olabode and Mamu Mohammed to write and they approved his request for palliatives of 3% of his monthly salaries.

He said he received the 3% of his salaries until the management of the academy (the Nigeria Police Academy) released his salaries arrears, but when he went to FCMB branch in Abuja in anticipation of the approved palliatives of 3%, the payment failed. When he called Mr. Jimoh, he said that they had reneged from the initial palliatives arrangement and that the bank requested for restructuring of the loan.

Dr. Igbaekemen said that while he was processing the restructuring with Mr. Jimoh, Mohammed, Waheed and FCMB Abuja branch, “FCMB unlawfully withdrew all the salaries in my account, N500,000 without adherence to CBN guidelines and extant rules on salaries loan.”

According to him, Jimoh confirmed that they are restructuring the loan for three years as against the initial five years the salaries loan lasted till July 2019.

He fulfilled the restructuring requirements on August 4, 2020, but he did not have access to his bank account and the money in the account.

“Till date, I do not have access to my bank account…. as a result of the observed conspiracy between the above named FCMB staff and POLAC leadership.”

Dr. Igbaekemen said he has also petitioned the principal officers of the academy and the Bank “for Criminal Breach of Trust, Cheating, Deceit, Abuse of powers and unlawful acts by the staff of the bank, in conspiracy with the management of the Nigeria Police Academy, Wudil.”

He said he reported the matter to the Director, Consumer Protection Unit of the CBN in a letter dated 24th February, 2022 and also sent a reminder letter dated 4th April, 2022. He also wrote to the head of Collection and Recovery Unit of the FCMB in a letter dated 26th January, 2022.

He alleged that the FCMB staff in Kano in his explanation had, among other things, said that CBN formally stopped the loan deductions from August 2021 but they decided to engaged in manual deductions in order not reflect in CBN platform and his personal bank account alerts.

“They initially stopped to cover the fraud, hence they placed non indebtedness on my bank account account and it reflected in all the branches nationwide and FCMB marketers began to call me for a fresh loan.

“I went to FCMB Bank in Central Business District, Abuja to collect and I filled non-indebtedness form on January 11, 2022 but this bank staff failed to document his explanation in writing for further interrogation and he declined same so it could not be used as evidence.”

He also reported the issue to the FCMB Managing Director through the Manager of Central Business District, Abuja in a letter dated January 10, 2022.

 Dr. Igbaekemen said that he formally wrote to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, in a letter dated 22nd July 2021, where he reported that investigation into the gross misconduct with respect to his salary account was compromised.

However, till date, “the illegality still continues without POLAC management intervention in the issue.”

He lamented that despite all the efforts he made, no attempt has been made by the authorities of the FCMB to resolve the issue which, according to him, has caused him a lot of financial discomfort.

However, when SaharaReporters contacted Mr. Jimoh of the FCMB about Dr. Igbaekemen’s complaints, he said that the matter is complicated.

“He had a loan and the loan was bad because it was illegally suspended by the POLAC and it was reinstated. Then we advised him to restructure the account so that he can have access to his salaries. Along the line, there was a system error and the account was erroneously turned into a bad account again.

“We advised him to stop the account so that they would stop the deduction until we resolve the account and be able to determine how much he has paid, what is remaining and how he would pay it, whether by installment or he would continue with the deduction,” Jimoh said.

He said that his supervisor was already working on the issue as there had been a report from the CBN to them about it.

He also admitted that after the account was reinstated, Dr. Igbaekemen received some salaries and because his loan balance was over N3 million and when he was paid, they took some part of the money.

“Out of the N500,000, we remitted N200,000 for him pending when we would resolve the issue. I was the one that restructured the account in 2020 and if there had not been a system error, I know in the next one or two years, he would have completed the loan,” he said.

Meanwhile, when asked if Dr. Igbaekemen had access to his account, Jimoh answered in affirmation after running a brief check on the account.

“He has access to the account. He was paid May salary on June 1 and he withdrew it on June 3,” he said.

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