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Let’s Call On Obasanjo To Advise President Tinubu On How To Get Debt Relief For Nigeria – Afe Babalola
Legal icon and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, has stressed the need for President Bola Tinubu to seek debt relief for Nigeria from the country’s international creditors.
He emphasized the need to seek a reduction in the interest of the loan and the loan itself in order to save Nigeria’s economy from collapse.
Recalling how former President Olusegun Obasanjo got debt relief for Nigeria, Babalola said it is time to call Obasanjo to advise the Tinubu government on how to get it done.
Speaking on Sunday in Ado-Ekiti during the 6th Induction Ceremony of the 2023 graduating set of the College of Medical and Health Sciences of ABUAD, Babalola, if Nigeria does not seek debt relief, the country’s economy may be crippled with the way things are going.
The legal luminary also lamented that the loans accrued by the government have unfortunately been embezzled by some private individuals.
He emphasized that the sorry state of the economy and the frustration of the people are responsible for the protests across some major cities in the country.
He said, “Nigeria is one of the heaviest debtors in the world, I have written articles about it, let us investigate how we came to several trillions of dollars, what do we spend it on? I can assure you, these money are pocketed by those who said they collected it.
“Let us call on Obasanjo again to advise the present government. When we were in serious trouble in the 90s, after he took over, he went round all the creditors and begged them, one, to peg the interest, two, to even reduce the indebtedness and today, we are better for it.
“Unless we do that, this indebtedness will cripple this country and it will lead to anything. I have seen people especially, in the North who are agitating because of the fact that the naira is getting worse, food prices are high, no employment, and those who get it are not paid. Something has to be done about it.”
Speaking further, Babalola condemned the recent killings of two traditional rulers in Ekiti State and the hike in food prices.
He urged the government to intensify efforts at tackling insecurity so that farmers can access their farms without fear and enable all Nigerians to be producers of crops by investing in Agriculture.
Babalola also advocated an increase in the salary of teachers in the country to bolster their teaching delivery towards achieving and sustaining quality education in the country, as it has been in the 20th century.
His words, “Monarchs are killed, it is an unusual development, so, what is behind all these is the fact that we have no money, our money has no value, our currency is as worthless as toilet paper, something has to be done about naira and productivity.
“Farmers have left their farms now because of kidnappers, something has to be done about kidnapping and farmers have to be encouraged to go back to their farms.”
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Just in: NYSC Releases Batch ‘C’ Corps Members Call Up Letters
The National Youth Service Corps has announced the release of the 2024 Batch ‘C’ Stream I call-up letters for prospective corps members.
The corps made the announcement in a series of post on its official X (former Twitter) handle on Monday.
It said orientation camp for the stream is expected to start on November 27, 2024 and closes on December 17, 2024.
According to the post, “some prospective corp members posted to Lagos will have orientation in Ogun and Osun.
“While some of those posted to Zamfara will have in Kebbi and Sokoto etc”
The corps, however, advised prospective corps members to print and sign an addendum, which will be submitted during registration at the orientation camp.
Tips to guide Deployed Prospective Corps Members
Do not travel to the Orientation Camps at night. Break your journey when necessary.
Report on your scheduled reporting date.
Apply for spelling error and name rearrangement on your dashboard.
After documentation in the Camp, you cannot change your Date of Birth, Date of Graduation, Course of Study and Passport Photograph.
Do not report to the Camp if there is any discrepancies in your course of study or with the Date of Graduation on your Statement of Result and your Call-up Letter. Contact your Institution to sort it out.
ATTENTION TO ALL 2024 BATCH ”C” STREAM I MARRIED FEMALE PROSPECTIVE CORPS MEMBERS
All married female Prospective Corps members (PCMs) who are deployed to States where their husbands are not domiciled should report to the nearest NYSC Orientation Camp for their State of Deployment to be changed.
They are to report during the period of Registration at the Orientation Camps with the copies of their marital and other relevant documents as evidence. Once the change is made it will reflect on theirM dashboard for reprinting.
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Oba of Benin to withdraw suit as Okpebholo restores rights
The Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, and the Benin Traditional Council may withdraw the suits they filed against the state government as Governor Monday Okpebholo, on Sunday, restored the full statutory rights of the Oba and reversed the policies of the previous administration that impacted the Benin Traditional Council.
A statement on Sunday by Okepebholo’s Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, said the governor abolished the new traditional councils in Edo South created by the immediate-past governor, Godwin Obaseki.
Okpebholo also backed the Federal Government’s recognition of the Oba’s palace as the custodian of repatriated Benin artefacts looted during the 1897 British colonial expedition.
Providing an insight into the governor’s gesture, the state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Dr Samson Osagie, said it signaled the resolution of the crisis between the Oba of Benin and the Edo State government leading to lawsuits duringt the Obaseki’s administration.
Osagies said, “The cases in court are cases which the Oba of Benin himself and the Benin Traditional Council instituted against the state government, and they are all civil matters. And you know that in civil suit or in any suit, parties are encouraged to settle amicably.
“So, if the parties are already settling and one side is already meeting the condition of settlement, the next step you are going to hear is that the party who went to court, which is the Oba of Benin, and the Benin Traditional Council, will instruct their counsel to withdraw the cases from court and that will be the end of the matter.
“The two parties are now settling for harmony and peace to reign, so the government is doing its own side of it.
“This statement is a prelude to discontinuing all legal proceedings with respect to the twin issues of the concession of the Oba Akenzua Cultural Centre by government to the Benin Traditional Council for 30 years and the creation of additional councils.”
The statement by Okepebholo’s Chief Press Secretary outlined the administration’s commitment to restoring the dignity and authority of the Benin monarch.
“This administration also hereby abolishes the new traditional councils in Edo South, created by the last administration,” the statement noted.
Additionally, Governor Okpebhol revoked the decision of the Obaseki’s administration to convert the Oba Akenzua II Cultural Centre into a motor park.
The government announced plans to restore the cultural centre to its original purpose.
“This administration is restoring the Oba Akenzua Centre to a suitable condition for its original purpose,” the statement added.
The governor also reinstated the financial entitlements of the Benin Traditional Council, ordering that the status quo before the creation of the abolished councils be maintained.
According to the statement, Okpebholo affirmed support for the Federal Government’s official gazette, which recognizes the Oba of Benin as the rightful owner and custodian of the repatriated Benin artefacts.
He also distanced his administration from the Museum of West Africa Art, instead backing the Benin Royal Museum project to house the artefacts.
“The Federal Government has also issued a gazette for the recognition of ownership and custody of the repatriated Benin artefacts to the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II,” the statement explained. “Governor Okpebholo respects the rights and privileges of the traditional ruler of Benin kingdom… and pledges the support of his administration to ensure the monarch plays his role as the custodian of the rich cultural heritage of the Benin people.”
Okpebholo reiterated his administration’s respect for traditional institutions and vowed to avoid interference in the internal affairs of the Benin Traditional Council. “The Oba of Benin, as the father of all Benin people, is the sole custodian of the customs and traditions of the Benin people, and my administration respects customs and traditions in the land,” he stated, emphasising the government’s efforts to uphold the cultural and historical integrity of the Benin Kingdom.
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Oyedepo’s jet can’t leave private airstrip without clearance – Keyamo
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, on Sunday said there was no way the private plane of privileged Nigerians, including the Founder and Presiding Bishop of Living Faith Bible Church Worldwide, Bishop David Oyedepo, can leave the country directly from their airstrips without first securing clearance from relevant authorities.
Keyamo made the clarification when he was featured as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
His statement comes barely two months after members of the House of Representatives called for a revocation of airstrip licences issued to certain individuals and private organisations, citing security reasons.
The House also called for an immediate halt to new airstrip licences for individuals and organisations.
But Keyamo insisted that there was no way a plane or drone, even if it belongs to the military, can leave or come into the country without first getting a nod from the agency.
When asked if the airstrip of Oyedepo also passed through the same due process, Keyamo nodded.
He said, “Oh yes, absolutely. That’s no problem. They were only concerned about the fact that they thought that somebody can take off from a private airstrip and fly out of Nigeria or fly into Nigeria. It is not possible.
“You must land in an international airport first. Then the Customs, immigration and NDLEA will process you before you take off from there to your private airstrip. If you are also flying out, you must land at an international airport. You will go through Customs, immigration and all the normal process before flying out.
“So nobody uses an airstrip for any such purpose without seeking clearance. At every point in time, the authorities must approve.”
When quizzed on how many airstrips the country is operating at the moment, Keyamo said they are in the range of 40.
“We have a number of them, more than 40. For the federal airport, we have 23. The state airport has about eight or nine now.
“And then the airstrips are about 40 or thereabouts. I have been there myself,” he stated.
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