Nation
FG’s Attack On Kukah Shameful, PDP Laments
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, slammed Alhaji Lai Mohammed over his response to the criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari-led government’s handling of the security situation in the country, by Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, describing same as shameful.
Kukah had in a recent essay on the state of affairs in the country, chided Buhari for alleged nepotism and pettiness in the conduct of government business even as he accused him of playing the religious card at the expense of national cohesion.
This, however, did not go down well with the Federal Government as Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, quickly issued a statement, faulting the position of the clergy man.
Mohammed had insisted that Boko Haram insurgents were nothing but terrorists, whose target cut across all faith, noting that “to now attribute the actions of this bunch to an orchestrated and systematic plan to elevate one religion over the other or decimate adherents of a particular religion is not only unfortunate but decisive, incendiary and insensitive.”
In an exclusive chat with our correspondent, PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan described Lai Mohammed’s statement as shameful and an attempt to gloss over the issues raised by Bishop Kukah.
“What Bishop Kukah said was nothing but the truth. He spoke truth to power as he has been doing for years. Every Nigerian knows that President Buhari has been a divisive, partisan leader ever since he became the head of government in 2015.
“Nigeria is worse off today than she was before this party took over power. Security is broken, governance is broken with Nigerians almost resigning to fate. President Buhari has failed woefully. This is a fact!
“The Bishop summoned courage to speak truth to power by saying that all hell would have been let loose were a President of Southern extraction exhibit the kind of nepotism President Buhari is known for today,” he said.
On calls in some quarters for Kukah to stick to his evangelistic calling, Ologbondiyan maintained that it was in fulfillment of his divine mandate that the Bishop chose to speak up rather than keeping mum.
“As a Man of God, Bishop Kukah spoke on behalf of his people, ordinary Nigerians who are took weak or powerless to tackle those in power. The church is the people, not the building. He (Kukah) deserves our collective applause,” he added.
Security has remained one of the biggest challenges of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government with a reputable media outfit, the Financial Times recently describing the country as getting closer to a failed state; a label out rightly rejected by the federal government.
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.