ExtMedia

T he governors of the 19 Northern states have rejected the position of their Southern colleagues that the 2023 presidency should be zoned to the Southern part of the country, arguing that the presidency is a democratic office and not a rotational position. The Southern governors had in a meeting in July in Lagos State demanded that power must shift to their region. However, arising from an emergency meeting with Northern traditional rulers at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna, on Monday, the Northern Governors Forum said the region could not be compelled to give up a democratically elected office that could be sought by any person irrespective of where he comes from. The forum added that though some Northern governors had earlier expressed views for a power-shift to three geo-political zones in the South, with a view to promoting unity and peace in the nation, the statement by the Southern Governors Forum that the Presidency must go to the South is unacceptable. Reading from the res...

  The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, has called for the use of Islamic and western education to end Almajiris syndrome in the North. He spoke at the weekend at the closing of a two-day workshop for the modernisation of the Almajiri- Nizamiyya Education system in Sokoto State. Abubakar said the sultanate council and others must unite for the success of the initiative aimed at ending street begging in the state and northern Nigeria. The monarch recalled that he and many others were products of the traditional Almajiri system but nothing linked their quest for Arabic and Islamic knowledge with begging. “Parents must be sensitised against allowing their children to resort to begging. We were not encouraged to beg in any guise but to strictly seek knowledge,” he said. Abubakar said all hands must be on deck to deepen awareness and sustain the call against the begging culture. Appreciating the efforts of the Federal Government towards ensuring an egalitarian society, the roya...

The Federal Government has said it would seek the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s recognition for more cultural festivals in the country. It added that this is to complement the inscription of Argungu Festival as cultural heritage by UNESCO. This was contained in a statement by the Special Assistant, Media, Office of the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, was quoted to have said this after he was turbaned as the ‘Kakakin Kabi’ (Cultural Ambassador and Emirate spokesman) by the Argungu Emirate Council in Kebbi State. The statement was titled, ‘Minister vows to seek recognition for more Nigerian festivals.’ It read, “Kebbi State today is one of the frontline cultural and tourism states in the whole country. “I say this not because I am being turbaned as ‘Kakakin Kabi’ but because of the reality. Each of the four Emirates that constitute the Kebbi Kingdom actually has unique and sell...

S ome masked men from Oyo State have issued a 30-day ultimatum to Fulani and Hausa people to leave all parts of Yorubaland.  They also said the herders among them should leave along with their cattle.  The 30 days started counting from Saturday, September 25, 2021. This was contained in a video obtained by SaharaReporters on Saturday. Some of the men were clad in Yoruba Nation vests.  Their leader, who identified himself as Sunday Oyo, urged President Muhammadu Buhari to advise “his people” to leave Yorubaland within a month or face the consequences of disobedience, which they said might be gruesome. The young man noted that though the Nigerian government was able to ensure the arrest of Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, aka Sunday Igboho, he, Sunday Oyo is different. Igboho was arrested in Benin Republic in July while he and his wife were trying to travel to Germany. He has since been detained in the country.  However, Oyo said: “We are using this opportunity ...

P resident Muhammadu Buhari has asked world leaders to consider developing states “facing fiscal and  consider them for “debt suspension, including outright cancellation.”  He stated this on Friday, while addressing world leaders at the 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.  Buhari said, “On the issue of debt, we have seen that developing countries have been faced with unsustainable debt burdens even before the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the risk of new wave of deepening debt, where vital public financial resources are allocated to external debt servicing and repayments at the expense of domestic health and financing for critical developmental needs.  “I must commend the current initiatives by the international financial institutions and the G20 aimed at significantly mitigating the economic situation of the indebted countries and urge for more efforts in this regard. “Therefore, there is an urgent need to consider expans...

The Federal Government said, yesterday, it will file a fresh action against Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday Adeyemo, fondly called Sunday Igboho, following the judgment of Oyo State High Court, which awarded N20 billion in damages in his favour. The Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, told the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in New York that the Federal Government had the right to appeal the judgement or file a fresh charge. Malami said the position of the government on the judgment was about “law and jurisdiction.” He said: “As far as this matter is concerned, which court is it that has the jurisdiction to determine it? And as you rightly know, obedience to court orders and court judgments. “But then you have to understand, within the context of such obedience, that there are associated rights and interests that are vested in the Federal Government. “Inclusive of rights of appealing against a judgment, inclusive of the right to file an applic...

Three Nigerian groups are set for protests today at the United Nations headquarters in New as the President, Muhammadu Buhari addresses the UN General Assembly. While two of the groups are protesting against the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, the third group will demonstrate in support of the ex-military leader. One of the groups comprising Yoruba Nation and Biafra agitators, Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-Determination, is headed by Prof Banji Akintoye. Also, activists under the aegis of TakeItBack movement have mobilised for a protest at UN headquarters in New York with demands. The last group would be holding a pro-Buhari protest tagged, ‘One Nigeria March.’ Akintoye explained that NINAS’ protest tagged, ‘Million-Man Freedom March,’ was to show the world “the crimes against humanity, attacks on press freedom, free speech and other criminalities being aided by the Buhari-led government of Nigeria.” He also said the agitators “are demand...