News
PFN, Others Move Against Muslim-Muslim Ticket
Rising from its emergency meeting, yesterday, in Lagos, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) vowed to mobilise its members against voting for any party with Muslim-Muslim ticket in next year’s election.
National President, PFN, Bishop Francis Wale Oke, also declare Sunday, June 26, 2022 a PVC Day in all its churches nationwide, where members would made to show their PVCs before entering the church.
Oke admitted that Nigeria was currently at a cross road, particularly as the 2023 elections approached.
He said the 2023 election carried the potential to unite Nigeria across ethnic and religious line and that it could also scatter the nation if things were not done properly.
Saying that the church would continue to contribute its quota to indivisible Nigeria, the PFN boss warned against Muslim-Muslim ticket by any party in the presidential election.
Oke stated that not only PFN had been talking about it, but that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had also been kicking against such move.
“We are not talking about the Muslim-Muslim ticket on the basis that we are Christians, but on basis of fairness, equity,” he said.
He said the church would move against Christian-Christian ticket and Muslim-Muslim ticket, saying that it would help to bring down tension in the midst of killings.
“A Christian-Christian and Muslim-Muslim ticket will not work for Nigeria. Muslim-Muslim ticket is unfair, it means over 54percent of the Christian populace will be marginalised.
“If all that the church has said and a party did not listen to our counsel, they will meet us at the poll, we will be waiting for them.
“All PFN chapters nationwide have declared Sunday, June 26 as PVC Sunday. It will be a communal service, all members of voting age must come to church with their PVCs. Members are to show their PVCs before they enter the church,” Oke stated.
He said after that, the church would now mandate all who did not have their cards to go out and get theirs before the expirations day.
“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 party a fair chance. We are setting a high-powered member committee to meet with all parties 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 from church founders how they will go about it,” he added.
Similarly, the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria has berated politicians who are clamouring for a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, calling it “most insensitive and tacit endorsement of negative voices of non-state actors threatening the country’s unity.”
This is as it strongly advised the political parties toying with the possibility of flying same-religion presidential ticket to have a rethink and present a more inclusive alternative.
Its position was made known in a statement co-signed by the CSN Secretary-General, Rev. Fr. Zacharia Samjumi, and Director, Social Communications, Rev. Fr. Michael Umoh, which was made available to newsmen, yesterday, in Abuja.
The Catholic Secretariat also said those mulling a Muslim-Muslim ticket were merely playing the ostrich with the apparent religious crisis and polarisation in the country.
The statement reads in part, “Ordinarily, there would have been nothing wrong with a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian ticket in a democratic dispensation if there is mutual trust and respect for the human person and where the overriding desire for seeking political office is the fostering of the common good. But one cannot really say so of our country at the moment.
“With the present glaring crisis and division in the nation, a Muslim-Muslim ticket would be most insensitive and a tacit endorsement of the negative voices of many non-state actors who have been threatening this nation’s unity and peaceful coexistence without an arrest.
“It is disheartening to observe that the conduct of most of our politicians seem to be going from bad to worse as we witnessed a show of shame and heightened ugly culture of money politics during the recently held primaries.
“While all this is going on, we must not lose sight of the fact that the unity of this country has, over the years, been maintained by a delicate balancing of the religious and the regional.”
The CSN noted that even in the despotic military regimes, most juntas ensured a balance of the religious architecture in their regimes.
It said, “For instance, we had Murtala-Obasanjo, Obasanjo-Yar’Adua, Babangida-Ebitu Ukiwe, Abacha–Diya. This also applied to the heads of the various military formations and the different government parastatals like Customs, Immigrations, Finance, etc.
“Significantly, it was only during the General Muhammadu Buhari era as military Head of State (December 31, 1983 – August 27, 1985) that we had a Muslim-Muslim military dictatorship.
“Similarly, only once did we have a Muslim-Muslim ticket in the 1993 democratic elections, which featured Abiola-Kingibe ticket and turned out to be one of Nigeria’s freest and fairest elections. But that government never took off.
“We, therefore, strongly advise those political parties toying with divisive agenda to have a rethink by presenting a more inclusive ticket, while calling on all people of goodwill to resist this budding injustice that may be hatched against a cross section of the people.
“There must be sensitivity in the spread of political positions without compromising competence,” the statement added.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has dismantled a makeshift factory in the Oke Arin market, Lagos Island, where counterfeit alcoholic beverages were being illegally produced.
According to a statement via its X, yesterday, the agency, acting on a complaint, conducted a raid that led to the arrest of three men and the seizure of counterfeit drinks, empty bottles, and packaging materials.
According to NAFDAC, the seized products, which included fake versions of popular alcoholic brands, were valued at over ¦ 180 million.
The main suspect, Mr. Tochukwu Henry, confessed to refilling bottles labelled as Rémy Martin with ST-Rémy contents.
He also admitted to employing two other individuals to assist in the operation.
The statement said, “NAFDAC has raided a makeshift factory in Oke Arin market, Lagos Island, following a complaint about the illegal production of alcoholic beverages. Three men were apprehended and various counterfeit alcoholic drinks, empty bottles, and packaging materials were seized.
“The products, valued at over ¦ 180 million, included fake versions of popular brands. The main suspect, Mr. Tochukwu Henry, confessed to refilling bottles labelled as Rémy Martin with ST-Rémy contents and employing two others to assist in the illicit operation.
“All suspects are currently in custody for further investigation. NAFDAC calls on the public to remain vigilant, especially during the festive season, and to report suspicious activities and products to the nearest NAFDAC office.”
The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to direct the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, to within 72 hours, unfreeze the accounts of the National Social Investment Agency (NSIPA), given its role in addressing hunger and poverty.
The position of the Green Chamber was a sequel to the adoption of a motion at yesterday’s plenary sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, and 20 other lawmakers.
Allegations of corruption and shady deals compelled the President Bola Tinubu-led government to freeze the accounts of the agency, to give room for a total overhauling of its programmes.
While calling for support for the motion yesterday, Kalu emphasised that NSIPA oversees critical social intervention programmes such as Grant for Vulnerable Groups, N-Power, the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme, Conditional Cash Transfers and the National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, among others.
He also noted that the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu-led government emphasises the mandate of the NSIPA to cushion the effect of economic shocks on the poor and the vulnerable.
He said, “The House is disturbed that despite the programmes of NSIPA being vital for poverty alleviation, youth empowerment, and economic inclusivity in Nigeria; the agency’s functionality has been hindered due to administrative bottlenecks, insufficient funding and frozen accounts.
“The House is worried that the effort of the government and the laudable programmes of NSIPA were truncated by alleged financial mismanagement by handlers of the programmes leading to the suspension of programmes and freezing of the agency’s account and subsequent investigation by anti-corruption and security agencies.
“The House is concerned that the smooth operations of the programmes and the fulfilment of the mandate of NSIPA are hindered due to the suspension of the accounts of the agency and other administrative bottlenecks, which has remained in force even more than three months after the President reconstituted the new management of NSIPA.”
Kalu who represents Bende Federal Constituency, Abia State, further said the frozen accounts of the agency contradict the President’s mandate on poverty alleviation by hindering and halting social welfare programs, including conditional cash transfers, small business grants, and school feeding initiatives.
This, according to him undermines “Economic empowerment initiatives, delays in achieving Sustainable Development Goals and cause erosion of public confidence and administrative paralysis in fighting poverty, among other things.”
Kalu noted that following the suspension of accounts of the NSIPA, “The N-Power programme has been so negatively affected that 395,731 beneficiaries are owed outstanding stipends to the tune of N81.32bn; a fund already captured under the 2023 and 2024 amended Appropriation Acts, which will lapse by the year ending December 31, 2024.”
Following the adoption of the motion, the House urged the President to mandate the minister of finance and the Coordinating Minister of the Economy to “ensure that all frozen accounts of the National Social Investment Programmes Agency are unfrozen within 72 hours to enable the smooth recommencement of all the programmes.”
The minister was also tasked to ensure the release of funds to NSIPA for the payment of outstanding stipends owed to 395,731 N-Power beneficiaries nationwide without further delay.
It further mandated the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr Yusuf Sununu, to ensure that all the administrative bottlenecks hindering the smooth operations of all programmes of NSIPA are immediately removed.
Rivers State Deputy Governor, Prof. Ngozi Nma Odu, has expressed gratitude to the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology for upgrading her to the status of a Fellow by the President and Governing Council of the Institute.
Prof Odu expressed this when a delegation of Fellows and other members of the Institute visited her at the Government House in Port Harcourt, yesterday to perform her Investiture as a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology.
Prof. Odu said that what the Institute has done for her is exceptional, adding that she feels so humbled by their kind gesture and proud of the Institute which she described as a trailblazer.
I want to thank our Emeritus Prof. Simeon Achinewhu for keeping the flag flying and I am pleased to be a part of this family”. Prof. Odu further stressed.
The Deputy Governor who called for continuous prayers for the success of the Governor Fubara-led Administration, noted that prayers were their greatest defense in times of trouble.
“This Administration needs God to sustain us, we need God to direct our steps, we need God to navigate especially when you have challenges, God has done it thus far and I believe the good Lord shall lead us until we finish when he wants us to finish.” The Deputy Governor further stressed.
Also speaking the leader of the delegation, Emeritus Prof. Simeon Achinewhu, said they were in the Government House to decorate the Deputy Governor as a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, in line with the directive of the national body of the association to formally present the Deputy Governor with her award and certificate of membership, following are indelible contributions to the growth of the association.
Earlier, the Chairman South -East Chapter, of the Nigerian Institute of Food Science and Technology, Dr. Bariwere Samuel, while assuring the State Government of its readiness to partner with the State on its food safety programs, said it is willing to deploy its expertise and resources to compliment the State Government’s efforts in ensuring the availability of safe and nutritious food for its citizens.
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