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Reps Meet Defence Minister, CDS Over Presidential Directive On Military Farming

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2 years ago

July 16, 2024

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…as Rep Benson say LG autonomy will address security challenges

By Gloria Ikibah

House of Representatives Committee on Defence has with the Minister of Defence, Abubakar Badaru, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa on Monday July 15, 2024, to know how the military plans to carry out the presidential directives to farming.

Chairman of Committee, Rep. Babajimi Benson who disclosed this when he spoke with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, commended President Bola Tinubu for mandating the Armed Forces to also put farming in the front burner.

He said: “If there is food security, insecurity will go down. So the Army takes possession lets say they have 1 million hectares somewhere, there is not going to be insecurity, is going to be manned by the military.

“So we are taking initiative by next week (Monday) we are going to call the Minister of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff to come and explain to us how they want to transform Mr President’s directives into reality. Let the armed forces who protect us, all the vast land (they have) let them go and cultivate it”.

Rep. Benson also hailed President Tinubu for ensuring that there is local autonomy, even as he said the development will help in addressing insecurity in the country.

According to him, security starts from the grassroots, even as he stressed that the financial autonomy given to local governments will spur development and close ungoverned spaces which induced insecurity.

He further noted that the local government council chairmen will have more funds to develop their areas and secure lives as well as properties.

“I I give super kudos to the President of Nigeria for ensuring that there is local government autonomy because security starts from grassroots. So, if you empower a local government to have full receipt of their monthly applications, they don’t have immunity like the governors and people are aware that now the shackles are broken, I don’t think there will be any stretch or space in Nigeria that will not be governable.

“When I received report from my military people they tell us that there are a lot of ungovernable spaces, they are areas where no single government presence is existing. These will be made aware that this local government that is next to border or whatsoever has received so much money. So, it also behoves on the people to be wise in choosing people that administer them because if you do that, this is a game changer in my opinion.

“There will competition amongst local governments, there will be a spur to develop if they receive their full money and people will be moving from one local government to the other because these local government chairmen can concentrate on his campaign promise, some can be water, some can be infrastructure, some can be housing, some can be medical, some can have super fire service, some can have schools, different things. I think it is a game changer that can be catalytic for Nigeria’s development,” he said.

He also elaborated on his motion in which the House asked the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), to immediately halt the unfair business practices against Air peace, Dangote and other businesses by certain foreign businesses operating in Nigeria.

He explained: “I moved the motion, my intention was to ensure that there is fairness, justice, good conscience in doing business in Nigeria. It will be very unfair if there are conspiracies by foreign companies to undermine Nigerian companies. What we frowned against is these companies coming together to offer predatory prices that are below the market rates in order to edge out Nigerian own enterprises.

“These practices they do not do it in their own countries. It can stiffle Nigerian businesses by reducing their prices and then they jerk up the prices. So it is speculated that this happened against Air Peace. At some points, tickets from Lagos to London were selling as high as N4 million. All of a sudden, a local company came in and all these companies just dropped prices lower than what Air Peace was offering. So, you ask yourself, why this sudden drop is this sudden dropped aim to undermine or get Air Peace out of it and once Air Peace is out of it, the prices go up. There is also a flip side that at end of day Air Peace can also be added to that cartel.

“So my motion is not to protect Air Peace alone but to protect Nigerians to let them know that there are opportunities for operators in a certain industry to collude and whenever it pleases them, some will lower their prices, whenever it pleases others, they all collude.

“Second, we spoke about Dangote, there is also need to investigate because if Dangote Refinery (is reason for) this non sell of crude oil is not part of predatory way of ensuring that Nigeria keeps importing and Dangote refinery is left out.

“I am saying the Nigerian authorities, the FCPC should also be watchful of this and make sure that if there is gang up to stiffle Nigerians they should quickly step into it or do investigative hearing. So the world is aware that Nigeria is informed about predatory pricing strategies.

“The agency (FCPC) should be alert to its responsibility to know that its mandate is huge, the mandate is to protect Nigerians from being exploited by these oligarchs. The legislation on consumer protection is very robust. It’s new, it is one of the freshest legislations we have, I think the law was passed in twilight of the Buhari administration.

“So, I think the operators of law should ensure that they study and apply the full essence of the clauses that are contained to prevent these practices. It’s a wake up call, it is a motion to make them wake up to their responsibility and to let them know that, that agency can add tremendously to Nigerian sustenance of its business ecosystem.”

On State Police, Rep. Benson said: “If I have power to make legislation I will say state policing is not by force. If you want it, apply. If a governor applies for state policing, the authority veting it may be the Police Service Commission whatever, looks at it and if they pass they should be given on a pilot scheme. There should also be conditions if you give them the license and they don’t do well you can suspend, revoke and you may not renew.”

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Shock as Politician Who Swore on Quran to Back Kwankwaso Defects to APC

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4 minutes ago

August 14, 2026

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Kabiru Adamu Abdullahi, a long-time ally of Kwankwasiyya leader and Vice-Presidential candidate of the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Abdullahi, who previously swore on the Qur’an to affirm that Kwankwaso did not send Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf to the APC earlier this year, announced his resignation from the NDC in a letter addressed to the party chairman of Kofar Ruwa Ward in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State.

He said his decision was prompted by frustration over what he described as “failed promises” within the NDC, adding that he would now support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid under the APC.

“I have been with Kwankwaso for 29 years but have only benefited from failed promises. I will go to where I will be respected more,” Abdullahi said.

In his resignation letter, he thanked the NDC for the opportunity to serve the party but announced his immediate resignation from its membership.

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Alleged Christian Genocide: Trump reviews U.S. designation of Nigeria as ‘country of particular concern’

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7 minutes ago

August 14, 2026

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Second Session of the U.S.-Nigeria Joint Working Group to Address Nigeria’s Country of Particular Concern Designation

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker hosted the second Joint Working Group (JWG) with a Nigerian delegation led by Nigerian National Security Advisor Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in Washington on August 12, 2026.

The engagement builds on progress made since the first session held in Abuja, Nigeria, on January 22, 2026.

Discussions centered on three priority areas: protecting Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, holding perpetrators of violence accountable by strengthening judicial and security institutions, and military-to-military cooperation.

Under Secretary Hooker and the Nigerian delegation reviewed progress on internally displaced persons’ (IDP) resettlement to their ancestral homes, counterterrorism prosecutions, and combatting the financing of terrorism.

The JWG identified continuing challenges, including reports of civilian fatalities and gaps in humanitarian expenditure transparency. Discussions on military-to-military cooperation continue today at the Pentagon.

The United States noted Nigeria’s reported efforts to date, including the prosecution of hundreds of Boko Haram and Islamic State-West Africa (ISIS-WA) suspects, expansion of judicial capacity, and recruitment and training of 50,000 additional police officers. Both sides acknowledged that more work lies ahead, particularly with supporting IDPs.

The two sides also discussed continued cooperation on countering terrorism financing, biometric information sharing to support accountability measures, and law enforcement capacity building through the Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT).

Under Secretary Hooker separately met with NSA Ribadu to further advance bilateral priorities and reaffirm the United States’ commitment to working with Nigeria to protect Christian communities and to deepen joint security cooperation.

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Fire guts hostel at St Louis College, Jos

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9 minutes ago

August 14, 2026

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Fire has gutted one of the hostels at St Louis College, Jos, Plateau State, destroying furniture, mattresses and other valuables.

The fire reportedly broke out at the school, located after Standard Junction, Jos, at about 6pm on Thursday.

The incident occurred while the students were on holiday, averting possible casualties.

An eyewitness, Taiwo Olayinka, who spoke to our correspondent, said several properties were destroyed in the affected hostel.

He said, “An unfortunate fire gutted one of the hostels in the school. Thankfully, students are on holiday, but furniture, mattresses and other valuables are being consumed by the inferno.”

The cause of the fire was not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.

Olayinka, however, said security operatives, including men of the fire service, had been deployed to the school to put out the fire.