Zamfara State House of Assembly Speaker, Nasiru Mu'azu Magarya
Zamfara State Police Command, on Saturday, announced the rescue of five family members of the state’s House of Assembly Speaker, Nasiru Ma’azu Magarya, who were abducted by bandits on August 5.
The state Commissioner of Police, Mr Ayuba Elkanah, confirmed this while presenting the rescued persons before reporters in Gusau.
Elkanah said that the 16 victims, including a three-month old baby Khadija Muazu, and her mother Hauwa Muazu, were rescued and safely returned when the fleeing bandits abandoned them at their various camps.
The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the Speaker’s father and five members of his family were abducted on August 5 at Magarya community in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.
He said the Speaker’s family members rescued on September 29 included Dahiru Sarki Magarya, Hauwa Mu’azu Magarya, baby Khadija, Usman Magarya and Okasha Abdullahi Magarya.
The Police Commissioner said the 11 others, including four women, were abducted from Magamin Tandu in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area.
He said all the victims had undergone various medical checkup and would be reunited with their families.
Elkanah assured that efforts were being made to rescue the speaker’s father, Alhaji Muazu Magarya from his captors.
President Muhammadu Buhari will travel out of the country on Sunday to enable him to attend the inauguration of the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, for a second five-year term in office on Monday in Addis Ababa.
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who made the disclosure in a statement on Saturday, said President Buhari is scheduled to deliver a goodwill message during the inauguration ceremony.
Adesina noted that President Buhari would subsequently attend a State Banquet in honour of visiting Heads of State and Government of the country.
According to the statement, the president is expected to return to the country on Tuesday, October 5.
Those billed to accompany the president include the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.
The statement read in part, “President Buhari who will depart Abuja for the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa on Sunday, is scheduled to deliver a goodwill message during the inauguration ceremony. He is expected back in Abuja on Tuesday.”
Recall that Prime Minister, Ahmed secured another term in office following the victory of Ethiopia’s governing Prosperity Party in the parliamentary election in June 2021.
All Progressives Congress chieftain, Bola Tinubu, says he is healthy but only undergoing physiotherapy in London.
Tinubu said this while addressing members of the House of Representatives northern caucus that visited him in London on Friday.
The former governor, who has been in the United Kingdom for the last three months since undergoing knee surgery, however, said he was undergoing physiotherapy which he described as “gruesome”.
Addressing the gathering, Tinubu who was dressed in kaftan and a red cap said, “Because of God and people like you, I am well. It is just the physio (physiotherapy) that is gruesome.”
Since his departure, Tinubu’s London home has become a Mecca of sorts as he has been visited by the President Muhammadu Buhari; Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila; Governors Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), and Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti).
His prolonged stay abroad has, however, drawn criticism from a section of Nigerians who believe he ought to have stayed in the country to receive treatment.
Reno Omokri, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, said should Tinubu become President in 2023, he would continue Buhari’s tradition of seeking treatment abroad at the expense of taxpayers.
A former Central Bank Governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the forthcoming governorship elections in Anambra State, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has said the state loses N19.6billion every day that it is locked down.
Soludo stated this at an enlarged meeting with Anambra State Elders and Stakeholders Forum, and Forum of Heads of Broadcast Media Stations in Anambra State.
He called on the people spilling blood in the state to have a rethink, adding that such actions did not define who Anambra people were.
“Anambra State economy loses an estimated sum of N19.6billion every time the sit-at-home directive is enforced in the state.
“Such actions do not define who we are. That is why we are calling on those responsible to stop because we are hurting ourselves,” Soludo said.
Professor Soludo while calling on Ndi Anambra to be watchful, praised Governor Willie Obiano for what he called outstanding achievements.
He added, “Governor Willie Obiano has delivered sustainable legacy projects to Ndi Anambra including the Anambra International airport, the International convention centre, Awka and the Awka stadium.”
He said the governor has done well despite overseeing two recessions and the state suffering dwindling federal allocations.
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (Worldwide), Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye
The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, has said it was to make Nigerians laugh that the government made COVID-19 vaccination compulsory for civil servants and other categories.
Adeboye added that the number of doses of the vaccines was presently inadequate which made the compulsory vaccination a laughable policy.
Edo State recently announced the compulsory vaccination for its civil servants – a directive which led to rounds of protests in the state. The Ondo State government is mulling the same policy of compulsory vaccination.
Adeboye while speaking during the October Holy Ghost Service wondered why some state governors were mandating Nigerians to take the vaccine before they could gain access to banks and churches when the number of doses available is not enough in the country.
He said, “The number of doses available in the country is not even enough for 10 per cent of the total population of the nation. How do you then say whoever does not take the vaccine will not be able to go to bank and church?
“It means 90 percent of the population will not be able to access their money. We will need to go back to the olden days of keeping money, I hope you know.
“Well, I believe they just want to make us laugh and you know in Nigeria, we need things to make us laugh.”
Adeboye advised members of his church willing to take the COVID-19 vaccine to go ahead.
He said, “I never said to you don’t get vaccinated, you have never heard that from me. Rather than living in fear or doubt, get vaccinated. If you believe that getting vaccinated would put your mind at rest, then go ahead.
“Daddy, are you saying that you too could be vaccinated? If there are nations in the world that say I can’t visit to preach the gospel there because of vaccination, I will do anything for Jesus Christ.
“If vaccination is going to stop me from doing the work that God has called me to do, if they asked me to get vaccinated 10 times, I would be vaccinated.”
Adeboye added that he can do anything for the gospel including taking the vaccine.
The recent attacks in Kagara in Niger State claimed the lives of two soldiers, with several others sustaining various degrees of injuries.
Governor Abubakar Bello confirmed the death of the two soldiers and others who were injured when he visited 12 of the injured soldiers who were receiving treatment at the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Specialist Hospital, Minna.
Speaking to journalists during the visit, the governor said that the injured soldiers were responding to treatment and will be on their feet in no distant time.
Bello, who expressed sadness over the situation, disclosed that some of the injured soldiers were taken to Kaduna for medical attention.
He, however, noted that the bandits also suffered heavy casualty, but he did not mention the exact number.
The governor maintained that the bandits had alliance with terrorists, considering their increasing number and the way they plan and carry out their attacks.
He said that the situation called for review, adding that aside the efforts being made, a support system will be instituted for those deprived of their livelihood through banditry or cattle rustling.
The governor, however, enjoined the citizens to be security conscious and be mindful of their environment, and to always report any suspicious activities around them; pointing out that the war against terror is for all and not for the security agencies alone, warning that the situation is a threat to everyone.
He also raised concerns over some rural communities which, for fear of attack, harbour bandits; warning that it will not last for long.
“Very soon, we will tag those communities as same elements as bandits. If you are harbouring any bandits and you know, you are one, even if you don’t carry gun, because you are risking the lives of our security agents.
“We have lost quite a few of them since it started and we don’t intend to lose more. What we are calling for is a safe environment and for everyone to support the ongoing operation by the security agents,” he said.
The governor also visited others, including a victim of gas explosion from Kagara, at the surgical ward of the hospital who has been on admission for over two months.
Meanwhile, Governor Bello has expressed dismay over the condition of the hospital which, he said, had gulped huge amount of money to renovate a few years back.
He said that the issue will be investigated, as he believes that something is fundamentally wrong and someone is not doing his job.
“I am extremely angry because I remember that when we came, we spent a lot of money to renovate the entire hospital and in less than four years, for this hospital to be like this, then something is fundamentally wrong.
“So, I’m not happy and I’m angry; very angry,” he said.
The governor also ordered immediate repair of the dialysis machines in the hospital and directed the Commissioner for Finance to release funds immediately to that effect.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has said sycophants have taken over the leadership of Nigeria.
Ortom who included himself as one of the leaders that have failed the citizens, lamented that nothing significant was happening in every corner of the country.
He spoke to journalists in Makurdi shortly after the church service held at the Chapel of Grace in Government House to mark this year’s Independence celebration.
“There is nothing to celebrate, that’s why here in Benue State, we choose to celebrate God for giving us life. We cannot celebrate anything; is it the economy close to N600 per dollar? Is it what? What are we celebrating as a people? We leaders have failed. We leaders have failed this country. Sycophants, mediocres are the ones ruling. They have taken over. Corruption has taken over this country and in every spheres of life, nothing is happening.
“But, we need to celebrate God for keeping us alive, maybe tomorrow we can have a better Nigeria. But for now, I won’t deceive you, there is nothing to celebrate,” he said.
The governor had earlier lamented recurrent insecurity saying over 10o security personnel had list their lives while providing security for the people of the state.
He however, commended security agencies in the state for the recent arrest of a notorious outlaw nicknamed “Azonto”, as he stressed the need for his return to the state so he could face justice.
Ortom further regretted the plights of over a million displaced people in camps across the state as he urged Nigerians to continue their demand for a country that guarantees justice and fairness for all as it was in the dreams of the founding fathers.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov and his Italian wife, Rebecca Virginia Bettarini
Russia, on Friday, held its first royal wedding since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution toppled the Romanov monarchy, with aristocrats travelling from across Europe for the lavish ceremony.
Grand Duke George Mikhailovich Romanov, 40, and his Italian fiance Rebecca Virginia Bettarini, 39, were wed at Saint Isaac’s cathedral in the former imperial capital Saint Petersburg.
Hundreds of foreign guests travelled to Russia’s second city for the Orthodox Christian ceremony, including royals from 20 countries such as the last king of Bulgaria, Simeon II, the last king of Egypt and the Sudan, Fuad II, and Princess Lea of Belgium.
The guest list of around 1,500 people included other prominent names like Konstantin Malofeyev, a monarchist and billionaire close to the Kremlin, and Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Bettarini converted to the Orthodox faith last year.
Young bridesmaids dressed in orange carried the bride’s train that featured the coat of arms of the Russian Empire, embroidered in gold.
Bettarini also wore a diamond-encrusted tiara made by high-end jewellers Chaumet.
Surrounded by priests in golden robes, Romanov and Bettarini beamed as Metropolitan Varsofony of Saint-Petersburg and Ladoga performed the blessing.
Metropolitan Varsofony praised the couple for their desire to serve Russia.
“We are happy that you love Russia, and take part in charity projects,” he said.
The ceremony included the exchange of wedding rings made by Faberge.
The House of Faberge said it was the first time it had created wedding rings for members of the Romanov family “since before the Russian revolution”.
‘My Heart Rejoices’
Some women sported designer hats and furs, and men wearing Cossack uniforms decorated with medals could also be seen.
Natalya Grigorovich, a descendant of Ivan Grigorovich, Tsarist Russia’s last naval minister, described the ceremony as “touching”.
“My heart rejoices,” she added.
Passing by Saint Isaac’s cathedral, Saint Petersburg resident Galina Bobrova said she wished the couple “happiness”.
“For us the monarchy is something from a past life, of course, but it’s interesting,” the 50-year-old told AFP.
After the ceremony the sword-bearing honour guard saluted the newlyweds as they kissed outside the cathedral.
More than 500 guests were invited to attend the wedding dinner at the city’s Museum of Ethnography later Friday.
The last wedding in Russia of an heir to the Romanovs was that of Nicholas II and Alexandra, 127 years ago.
Ahead of the ceremony, Romanov said the couple chose to tie the knot in Saint Petersburg because it was the first place in the country where the family returned in the early 1990s.
“It is very, very close to our family,” he told Saint Petersburg-based news website Fontanka ahead of the wedding.
Saint Petersburg is “the history of Russia,” he added, “the history of the House of Romanov”.
‘Ambassadors Of Goodwill’
Born in Madrid, Romanov is the son of Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna Romanova, the self-proclaimed heir to Russia’s imperial throne.
She is the granddaughter of Grand Duke Kirill, a cousin of Nicholas II, the last Russian tsar who was executed along with his wife, Alexandra, and five children by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
Buried after their execution in a place long kept secret by the Soviet authorities, their bodies and those of their children were transferred in 1998 to the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
The family was canonised by the Orthodox Church in 2000 as martyrs.
After the wedding the newlyweds laid flowers at the Peter and Paul Cathedral.
Romanov, who spent much of his life in France, graduated from Oxford and worked in the European Parliament. He also held jobs at Russian mining giant, Norilsk Nickel.
The couple moved to Russia three years ago, settling first in the Moscow suburbs before relocating to the city centre next to the Kremlin.
Romanov now works on several charity projects.
He said he believes European and Russian royals could help Moscow and the West mend fraying ties.
“I think that we can be ambassadors of goodwill.”
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman told reporters that the Kremlin always wished all newlyweds happinesses but the president did not plan to congratulate the couple.
“This marriage does not belong on our agenda in any way,” said Dmitry Peskov.
A former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jnr, has said that the Nigerian economy became vulnerable to two global economic adversities because it depended only on oil exports.
Nweke disclosed that the global economic recession and the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic in 2012 and 2020 have negated the country’s growth.
He stated these on the sidelines of announcing a dialogue in Abuja where the Director, Growth Lab at Harvard Kennedy School, Prof Ricardo Hausman and the Chief Executive Director, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Bismarck Rewane, among other prominent figures would address Nigeria’s economic problems.
These economic experts are expected to speak at the Africa Policy Dialogue hosted by Harvard Kennedy School Alumni Association of Nigeria.
A Chief Economist, Stears Business, Michael Famoroti, is expected to moderate the event which holds in the nation’s capital, Abuja on Monday.
Nweke, who is the President, HKSAAN revealed this on Thursday in a statement titled, “Reviving Nigeria’s Economy.”
The former Minister noted that over the past five years, Nigeria’s economy had experienced two major external shocks that culminated in two economic recessions due to the drop in crude oil prices from approximately $107.95 in 2014 to about $43 by 2016 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
The statement further read, “Given Nigeria’s dependence on crude oil exports for the majority of its foreign exchange earnings and government revenues, these two shocks have had a severe negative impact on economic growth, government revenues, foreign exchange earnings, inflation and Nigeria’s balance of payment position.
“As a result of these factors, the Nigerian economy has grown at 0.25 per cent over the past five years, much below its estimated annual population growth of 2.7 per cent.
“The conversation with Ricardo Hausmann, Professor of the Practice of Economics at Harvard Kennedy School and Head of the Growth Lab at the Harvard Centre for International Development, and Mr. Bismark Rewane, CEO of the Financial Derivatives Company, will evaluate the growth dynamics of Nigeria’s economy and shed light on the policy options with which policymakers could possibly address the challenges to growth currently being experienced while enabling growth in sectors that can lead to improved productivity of the Nigerian economy.”
A civil society group, Social Economic and Rights Accountability Project (SERAP) has rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s conditional lifting of the ban on microblogging platform, Twitter.
SERAP, in a post on its Twitter handle called for the unconditional lifting of the ban to allow Nigerians to exercise their right to freedom of expression.
The group wrote: “We reject ‘conditional’ lifting of ban on Twitter in Nigeria by the Buhari administration.
“President Buhari must immediately and unconditionally lift the illegal suspension of Twitter, and allow Nigerians to freely exercise their right to freedom of expression.”
The group was reacting to a directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that Twitter ban should be conditionally lifted.
Buhari announced this in his nationwide broadcast to Nigerians on Friday, October 1, Nigeria’s 61st Independence Anniversary.
The government had placed a ban on the operations of the micro blogging site, Twitter, in Nigeria in June.
According to Buhari, some social media users were responsible for the ban by misusing the platform to propagate fake news and promote religious and ethnic sentiments.
He had said, “Social media is a very useful platform that has enabled millions of Nigerians to connect with loved ones, promote their businesses, socialise, and access news and other information.
“However, recent events have shown that the platform is not just an innocuous platform for information dissemination.
“Rather some users have misused the platform to organise, coordinate, and execute criminal activities, propagate fake news, and promote ethnic and religious sentiments.
“To address these negative trends, the Federal Government of Nigeria suspended the operations of Twitter in Nigeria on June 5, 2021 to allow the Government put measures in place to address these challenges.
“Following the suspension of Twitter operations, Twitter Inc. reached out to the Federal Government of Nigeria to resolve the impasse. Subsequently, I constituted a Presidential Committee to engage Twitter to explore the possibility of resolving the issue.
“The Committee, along with its Technical Team, has engaged with Twitter and have addressed a number of key issues. These are National Security and Cohesion; Registration, Physical presence and Representation; Fair Taxation; Dispute Resolution; and Local Content.
“Following the extensive engagements, the issues are being addressed and I have directed that the suspension be lifted but only if the conditions are met to allow our citizens continue the use of the platform for business and positive engagements.
“As a country, we are committed to ensuring that digital companies use their platform to enhance the lives of our citizens, respect Nigeria’s sovereignty, cultural values and promote online safety.”
