IN 2017, Mrs. Agatha Goma spoke briefly and aptly about her personality in an interview. She said: “My personality is one that doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer and I’m always out to get the job done. I believe in excellence and always strive to get it at all times.”
But when death struck on July 14, 2019, it broke the resolve and will of the young woman to say “yes” to life. Nobody saw it coming. It was indeed a dark Sunday. The way and manner Goma, a go-getter, succumbed to death by breathing her last shows the inevitability of death and its superiority over mortar humans.
The news of her death came like a bolt from the blue. Like a gas emission that begins slowly and eventually saturates the air, the news of Goma’s surprising departure started like a rumour and became a reality as it travelled with the speed of light. It was a mixed feeling. Most people doubted the veracity of the report, some took it with unusual tranquility while others screamed indisbelief.
But the energetic Goma is no more. The politician and pastor died in her sleep shortly after returning from a church service. She laid in a couch and eventually stopped breathing. All the medical interventions failed to resuscitate her.
Her church members gathered and on top of their voices interceded God, but Goma could not wake up. She is still in that posture sleeping without pulse. The death of Goma is a big blow to Bayelsa State, especially to women. She was a model of womanhood and an epitome of excellence. Goma showed resilience, doggedness and determination.
The Police Public Relations Officer,(PPRO) for the command, DSP Abdullahi Haruna, made disclosure in Kano on Saturday.
He said the killing followed exchange of gun battle between Puff-Adder Operatives and armed robbers.
Haruna said that on July 26 at about 3:40 a.m, team of policemen of Operation Puff-Adder attached to Police Area Command Rano were alerted that a gang of four armed robbers attacked residents of Rano.
He said that police immediately rushed to the scene where they engaged the armed robbers in a gun duel.
Haruna said in the process, the Puff-Adder Operatives with superior gunfire gunned down one of the gang while the remaining three escaped into the nearby thick forest.
“On hot chase, the robbers abandoned a locally made pistol with three rounds of live cartridges,”he said.
Haruna notedd that the gang had been terrorising Rano, Kibiya, Bunkure, Tudun Wada along Falgore Forest Axis for a while.
He said the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Ahmed Iliyasu,had directed that the three fleeing suspects be tracked on time, identified and arrested.
The PPRO said that Iliyasu also directed that exhibits or arms in the possession of the gang be recovered.
Haruna called on the good citizens of the state to continue to cooperate with the Police for prompt information and intelligence reports on any form of crime and across the state for quick and timely response.
Former Education Minister and Vice-President of the World Bank’s Africa division, Oby Ezekwesili and other Nigerians expressed concerns about the addition of milk to planned to list of items banned from accessing the official foreign exchange market.
It would be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had disclosed its plan to add milk and other dairy products to the list of restricted products on the foreign exchange market
CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele had said that the restriction was to boost local production of dairy products and increase investment in ranches within the country.
He noted that Nigeria currently spends about 1.2 billion to 1.5 billion dollars annually on milk importation.
Ezekwesili in a series of tweets on her official and verified twitter handle described the CBN action as Policies borne out of vindictiveness.
She said, “Nothing more perverse of Political Leaders and Policy Makers as Policies borne out of Vindictiveness. It appears from what the CBN said on the #MilkBanPolicy that it is a case of: “You folks rejected RUGA, here is your punishment.” What a BIG SHAME that would be.
“Often I read or hear Nigerians say: “We have good policies/laws. Our problem is lack of implementation”. How wrong they are! The bane of our failure to achieve sustained economic growth that reduced Poverty in other countries is actually, BAD…..dangerous Policies/Laws.”
“Milk consumption by Nigerians: 1.7 Million milk production in Nigeria: 600,000 tonnes. When #MilkBanPolicy happens, to avoid Scarcity which Prices Milk up and out of the reach of the Poor, Nigeria needs to immediately triple current production of milk.”
“Nigeria has the highest number of children less than 5 years with chronic malnutrition (stunting or low height-for-age) in sub-Saharan Africa at more than 11.7 million, according to the most recent Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) (National Population Commission)”
“Child Poverty is even worst in a country that holds the ignoble record of being the World’s Capital of Extremely Poor People; our President should be fleeing from Policies that escalate Poverty. The CBN #MilkBanPolicy is dangerous. Dangerous for the Poor.
Also Kalu Aja, a financial planning expert on his twitter handle said a ban on forex for milk imports will make milk become more expensive locally.
He said, “Most of the cows in Nigeria processed for beef are imported. Nigeria also imports raw hides, leather and fur skins. From 2014 to 2017, Nigeria spent N1.3t on live animal imports.”
“Banning imported milk is a policy known as import substitution. I support import substitution. Imported beef is banned in Nigeria, but live cattle imports are not. An equitable policy is to ban all imports of cattle dead or alive and cattle by-products.”
“If milk is banned, will baby milk be also banned.”
“Just like banning Rice, a ban on forex for milk imports will make milk become more expensive locally. As long as local supply cannot meet local demand, there will be imports. Nigeria has no cold chain thus a ban on milk means bulk of milk produced will be powdered.”
Also an economist, Tunji Andrews on official and verified Twitter handle, said what a FX ban will do, is take away the last source of fortified nutrition from poor Nigerian children.
“So, I’ll say it, so that it’ll be on record that it was said With Nigeria’s stunting rate at 43.6%, wasting at 10.8% and underweight children at 31.5%, the CBN’s plan to ban FX for milk importation is a bad idea. This could threaten our future, while we are concerned about now”.
On Monday, the UK’s Conservative Party elected Boris Johnson to become the party’s leader and also the next prime minister.
Johnson defeated Jeremy Hunt, UK’s Foreign Minister, with 92,153 votes compared to his rival’s 46,656 votes to take over N0. 10 Downing Street.
Here are a few things to know about the new PM.
1. Boris Johnson was born Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson on June 19, 1964.
2. He has been married twice and currently lives with his partner, Carrie Symonds.
3. Johnson was a former mayor of London.
4. According to FullFact, a non-governmental organisation, Johnson’s annual salary is $187,033 (or £150,402).
5. Johnson was a journalist before he became a politician.
6. American President Donald Trump, while congratulating Johnson, called him, UK’s Trump. He said, “They call him Britain Trump — that’s a good thing. They like me over there, that’s what they wanted, what they need.”
7. Johnson is pro-Brexit, but he left Theresa May’s cabinet, over her handling of the Brexit process. He has however said he is determined to bring Britain out of the EU by “October 31st, do or die…come what may.”
8. He is the son of a diplomat and an artist.
9. Johnson attended Eton, and later Oxford, where he studied Classics.
10. As a mayor of London, Johnson banned alcohol on the London Underground.
Bandits on Tuesday evening blocked the Ajebo axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and kidnapped three persons.
The Chief Medical Director of the Lafia Hospital, Apata, Ibadan, Oyo State, Dr. Oladipupo Sule, in an interview with The PUNCH on Wednesday said his son, Kayode and two members of staff of the hospital were kidnapped during the attack.
According to him, the kidnapped members of staff are Opeyemi Abifarin and Dele Adigun.
Our correspondent gathered that the kidnappers blocked the road around 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday and abducted their victims.
The hospital’s vehicle, a Toyota Sienna car, in which the victims were travelling as of the time of the incident, was abandoned by the kidnappers.
The CMD said the vehicle had been recovered by the policemen at the Ogunmakin Police Station in Ogun State.
The family is still waiting for the kidnappers, who were said to be 15 in number, to contact the families of the victims.
Sule said, “I’m presently in Ogunmakin police station as I talk to you. I am distressed and seriously devastated. My son and two others went to Lagos to buy drugs for the hospital and were on the way back from the trip when they were ambushed and kidnapped.
“The driver said one of the kidnappers communicated in English and others were speaking in Hausa or the Fulani language. They have yet to talk to me for us to know what their real identities and intentions (are),” Sule added.
Boris Johnson took over as Britain’s prime minister Wednesday, promising to pull his country out of the European Union on October 31 by any means necessary.
A day after winning the leadership of his Conservative party, the former London mayor and figurehead of the 2016 Brexit campaign formally replaced Theresa May.
His ascent is the culmination of a lifelong ambition for the blond-haired politician, who delights in playing the clown but now faces an immense challenge ahead.
Johnson has promised to deliver Brexit in three months’ time but faces opposition in Brussels and has only a wafer-thin majority in the British parliament.
Beloved by many for his refusal to take life too seriously, he is accused by others of divisive rhetoric, a flexible approach to the truth and incompetence.
Before he even took office, several pro-European ministers quit in protest at his threat to leave the EU without a divorce agreement to ease the split.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn challenged Johnson to call a snap general election, saying he has no mandate from the public to govern.
Although he won a landslide of Conservative party members, a YouGov survey Wednesday found Johnson’s approval rating was just 31 per cent among the public.
Even his appointment was disrupted by climate protesters, who briefly stopped his convoy heading to Buckingham Palace to be nominated by Queen Elizabeth II.
– Brexit challenge –
Johnson is expected to swiftly announce his new cabinet, and his first appointment proved predictably contentious.
He named as a top adviser Dominic Cummings, a combative character who helped lead the victorious “Vote Leave” campaign during the 2016 EU referendum.
May resigned after failing to get her plan for leaving the EU through parliament, forcing her to twice delay Britain’s departure date.
Johnson has vowed to renegotiate her deal or take Britain out of the bloc at the next deadline, October 31, without any agreement with Brussels.
But the EU refuses to reopen the text, while some of his own MPs have said they might even bring down the government rather than accept a damaging “no-deal” exit.
May took over three years ago promising to deal with the “burning injustices” in society but leaves behind a divided party, country and Brexit in doubt.
In a short speech in Downing Street, before tendering her resignation to the queen at the palace, she wished Johnson “every good fortune”.
A heckler shouted “Stop Brexit” as she stood with her husband Philip by her side, to which she retorted: “I think not.”
But she emphasised that Brexit should be done “in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom”, amid fears a disorderly divorce could cause irreparable damage to ties between England, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
During his victory speech on Tuesday, Johnson urged Britain to “ping off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and negativity” and vowed to unite the country.
A source in his campaign team said he would build a diverse cabinet with more women and a record number of ethnic minority politicians.
Sajid Javid, the son of Pakistani immigrants and currently May’s interior minister, has been widely tipped to take over as finance minister.
– ‘Britain Trump’ –
Brexit aside, the most immediate problem facing Johnson is a stand-off with Iran after Tehran seized a UK-flagged tanker in the Gulf last week.
The current foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, was Johnson’s rival for the leadership and is not expected to keep his job, although he may stay in the cabinet.
May’s government also provoked the ire of US President Donald Trump this month with the leak of diplomatic cables criticising the White House.
Johnson has emphasised the importance of Britain’s relations with the United States.
And Trump was one of the first to congratulate Johnson on his victory saying he would be “great” and describing him as “Britain Trump”.
Trump suggested Johnson would work together well with anti-EU figurehead Nigel Farage, whose Brexit Party has taken a big chunk of eurosceptic votes from the Conservatives.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, swore in Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad as the new Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The swearing-in took place at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, according to the verified Twitter handle of the Presidency.
Tanko Muhammad’s appointment as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria was confirmed by the Senate during last Wednesday session.
Muhammad has been acting CJN since January 25 when the then CJN, Justice Walter Onnoghen, was suspended from office over alleged corrupt practices.
President Muhammadu Buhari had on July 11th, forwarded to the Senate a letter requesting the confirmation of Muhammad as substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria.
The President, in the letter of request, said the nomination was sequel to the recommendation made to that effect by the National Judicial Council.
The letter, titled, ‘Appointment of Chief Justice of Nigeria,’ reads: “In accordance with Section 231 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), which gives the President the power to appoint a Chief Justice of Nigeria on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council and subject to the confirmation of the appointment by the Senate, I have the honour to forward the nomination of Honorable Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammed for confirmation as Chief Justice of Nigeria.
“It is my hope that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the distinguished Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Following the arrest of Singer R. kelly, his crisis manager, Darrell Johnson has resigned from his duty.
In an interview with CBS on Wednesday, Johnson said his resignation was due to personal reasons.
247NNU had reported that R. kelly was re-arrested over sex trafficking charges in Chicago.
R. Kelly was arrested by New York police detectives and investigators with the Department of Homeland Security while walking with his dog and has been charged with sex trafficking in New York.
The singer, over the years, has faced accusations of abuse, manipulations and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women.
When asked if he would leave his daughter with R. Kelly, Johnson said he would not leave his daughter alone with anyone accused of being a pedophile.
The Federal Government has set aside July 25 of every year as national diaspora day in recognition of the contributions of Nigerians in diaspora towards national development.
This was disclosed in Abuja on Tuesday by the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.
Silhouettes of People Holding Flag of Nigeria
The NIDCOM Media Coordinator, Abdul-rahman Balogun, in a statement, explained that the commission planned to host the 2019 National Diaspora Day celebrations in collaboration with the Nigerians in Diaspora Organisation, the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa and the Nigerians in Diaspora Alumni Network.
According to the statement, the theme of the event is, ‘The Power of the Nigerian Diaspora for National Development.’
The co-chairman of the Local Organising Committee, Dr Sule Bassi, said that the event which would hold on July 25, would be graced by the Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Mustapha Suleiman.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, according to the statement, is expected to declare the conference open.
Boris Johnson has been named the new British prime minister and his tenure, set to begin on Wednesday will have a huge impact across global markets and the geopolitical landscape.
The former foreign secretary and mayor of London has swept to victory in the Conservative Party leadership contest and will now seek the approval of the queen on Wednesday to form a government.
While markets have seemingly priced in a Johnson win and a heightened risk of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, all eyes will be on his Brexit strategy and the composition of his cabinet.
The next general elections are set for May 2022 but could be called sooner.
