News
#EndBadGovernance: Arewa, Yoruba Youths Opt Out
Arewa youths, under the Aegis of amalgamation of Northern Youth Organisations (ANYO), has announced that it will not participate in the planned protests against the government, citing concerns over the potential for violence and instability.
ANYO, in a statement by his spokesperson, Umar Bala Babayaro, yesterday, said the organisation recognizes the right to peaceful protest but believes the planned demonstrations are poorly organized and lack clear leadership.
The Arewa youths expressed support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to address the country’s challenges, particularly in the northern regions.
Nevertheless, the organisation urged the government to intensify initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and enhancing the welfare of citizens, especially in the north.
The Northern youths also called on Nigerians to reject the protests, describing them as a deliberate attempt to incite unrest and division.
The organisation reiterated its commitment to peace, national unity, and democratic channels for addressing grievances.
The group stated, “We categorically state that the Northern youth, represented by ANYO, will not engage in any protests within the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We recognise that these protests are poorly organised, lack clear leadership, and are not designed to achieve any constructive outcomes.
“We urge the government to amplify its initiatives aimed at reducing poverty and enhancing the welfare of the citizens, especially in the Northern regions where challenges are most pronounced.
“The Northern youth understand that constructive engagement and peaceful dialogue are the most effective means to address our nation’s challenges.”
Similarly, the Coalition of Yoruba Youth leaders also called on organisers of the planned nationwide protest to shelve the idea and remain calm.
President-General of the coalition, Dr Tolani Hassan, said in a statement in Lagos, yesterday, that the apex umbrella body for all Yoruba youth associations and organisations had dissociated itself from the protest.
Hassan, who is also the National President, Yoruba Youths Association Worldwide , however, said that the coalition recognised the plight of Nigerians.
“The economy is unfriendly, the cost of living is outrageous and out of the reach of the common man.
“It is also true that the inflation rate is in the double digit and the unemployment rate in Nigeria is alarming.
“So many graduates are out there with no means of survival. The Federal Government has not employed people in the last couple of years.
“However, the leadership of Yoruba youth leaders do not want a repeat of the ENDSARS saga, hence, our call for protest cancellation and calm,” he said.
The president-general urged the organisers to rather employ other measures to make the government across levels understand the economic hardship in the land.
“There should be a more refined manner of getting our leaders to hear our plights other than protest.
“There are agitations and insecurity in every part of the country, any attempt to have a protest now may cause mayhem, which is not the solution to our pressing challenges.
“The apex body of the entire youths in Yoruba land expressly dissociates itself from the planned protest.
“We will defend the entire South-West against any form of destruction by disgruntled elements, who may want to cause havoc in the region, particularly, Lagos state,” Hassan said.
Similarly, Hassan emphasized the need to embrace unity, pointing out that dialogue is the best way while consultation is a better approach.
He, however, pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to listen to the youth -”his children”, who were agitated.
“We love you Sir, Mr President, but we are hungry and unemployed,” the president-general said.
The youth leader advised Tinubu to directly interface with all the youth leaders in the various geo-political zones, saying the use of intermediaries would not bring results.
He called for a National Youth Summit, where all the various youth leaders would discuss with Mr President and address all the prevailing issues.
Stressing the coalition’s continued support for the President, Hassan urged the Federal Government to review both the monetary and fiscal policies, in the interest of the Nigerian masses.
He called for concerted effort by both the public and organised private sector to engage in massive employment generation and reduction of job losses.
“The economy should be friendly to both local and foreign investors. The power sector should be completely overhauled. This is the hub of the economy,” Hassan said.
He called for the review of educational curriculum from primary to tertiary level and inculcation of practical skills, including agriculture, to make Nigerian youths self-reliant.
The youth leader, who appreciated the inclusion of youths in the Federal cabinet, demanded for more, and urged the Federal Government to regularly engage the youth leadership of the various geo-political zones.
“35 per cent slots should be given to youths in the federal cabinet and federal boards appointment,” he said.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.