News
Tinubu urges North to fight insurgency in unison
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday said he appointed Northerners into major defence positions because of their knowledge of the region.
“Our first decision was to task our brothers from the Northwest and the Northeast to rise in defence of the security of the region.
“Who else can better understand the complexity of the region than the people themselves,’’ he said.
President Tinubu spoke at the opening of a two-day United Nations Development Programme( UNDP)-sponsored Northwest Peace and Security Summit in Katsina.
He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
Some Northerners holding sensitive security posts are Minister of Defence Abubakar Badaru; Minister of Defence (State) Bello Matawale; National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu; Chief of Defence Staff (COAS) General Christopher Musa and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Hasan Abubakar.
For insecurity in the North to abate, people of the region must rise in unison against terrorists and other criminal elements that have for over a decade denied them peace, President Tinubu said.
This position was supported by the Sultan of Sokoto Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar III.
They stated that doing so would complement the strategies adopted by the government and the Armed Forces to restore peace in the region hitherto known for its tranquillity and cohesion.
The theme of the summit graced by eminent personalities like former President Muhammadu Buhari, four of the seven Northwest governors, and Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru, is: “Regional cooperation for securing lives and livelihoods in Northwest Nigeria.’’
President Tinubu said even though the various strategies adopted by his administration to tackle the security challenges in the North were yielding results, the people needed to complement the success.
Tinubu, whose address at the event was titled: “Securing stability: uniting for peace in Northwest Nigeria,” reiterated his administration’s commitment to completely eradicating terrorism and other forms of crime.
Describing the summit as a communal gathering to address “the afflictions that have threatened the stability and unity” of the North, the President attributed the lingering crisis in the zone to a fractured relationship by a people “rooted in a culture and bond of shared interests and common pursuits.’’
He said: “What we are witnessing across the North is an explosion of damaged relationships, and we have come to say: enough is enough.
“I am proud to share that the strategies we have employed have begun to provide redemption. We are not slowing down until we achieve our aim.
“Beyond the economic rationale that drove the amalgamation of the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria, the formation of our great nation was inspired by the need for mutual protection.
“But, I ask, how can we achieve this sacred objective if one part is afflicted?
“We have long established that whatever ails any part of this federation destabilises the other.
“So, the issue of national security in the Northwest is not a sectional agenda.
“We promised to make Nigeria safer, and this aim has been our topmost priority since we came to office over a year ago.”
Noting that the steps taken to combat the security challenges his administration inherited were mapped out even before embarking on the journey, President Tinubu observed that achieving security and peace would require that the historical injustices that have torn communities in Nigeria apart are fully addressed.
“We must also reverse the institutional frailties governing security and the economic dysfunctions that create vulnerabilities to crime.
“We must counter the ideological mischief that has pervaded the discourse of peace and security in the region.
“I believe we are going to continue comparing our ideas and thoughts to not only review our strategies and improve upon them to make the states in the Northwest stable and peaceful parts of the nation, but to assure ourselves that we cannot achieve the triumph we desire without any part of the nation being secure.”
Sultan Abubakar III, who advised Northerners to challenge insurgents and other criminals, warned that insecurity in the region, especially in the Northwest, could linger if they failed to do so.
He said: “What we must do is to challenge these bandits because we all know the consequences of banditry and insurgency on our lives.
“We all know the consequences and the problems.”
The Sultan, who is also President General of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, said traditional rulers were ready to partner with security agencies and the Northwest governors to save the region from insurgency.
Defence Minister Badaru reassured Nigerians of the commitment of the Armed Forces to ending armed conflict.
He, however, stressed the need for synergy between security agencies and governors.
Badaru, who added that the government was open to collaboration among security agencies, said the Federal Government would soon meet with the governors to deliberate on the outcome of the summit.
Host Governor Dikko Radda (Katsina) lamented that banditry in the Northwest has crippled socio-economic activities.
Radda, who is the chairman of the Northwest Governors’ Forum, said the forum would not allow the menace to continue.
He said: “As leaders, we must adopt a multi-faceted approach that includes robust intelligence gathering, community policing, and deployment of advanced security technology.’’
The governor thanked President Tinubu and security agencies for their efforts in tackling banditry in the Northwest and other parts of the country.
UNDP Country Representative to Nigeria, Elsie Attafuah, called for investment in the youth to channel their potential towards profitable ventures.
German Ambassador to Nigeria Annett Günther assured of the support of her country for Nigeria in the fight against insecurity. Günther emphasised the need to reactivate traditional solutions to the conflict in the Northwest.
Also at the summit were Governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Ahmed Aliyu (Sokoto) and Dauda Lawal (Zamfara). Governors of Kaduna, Kebbi and Kano states were represented by their deputies.
Federal lawmakers from the region were also in attendance.
Former Governors of Katsina State, Aminu Masari and Ibrahim Shema; Minister of Arts and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa; Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Amb. Ahmed Rufa’i Abubakar; Emir of Zazzau, Amb. Ahmed Bamali, Emir of Daura Umar Umar; Emir of Katsina and Abdulmumuni Kabir Usman also attended the event.
By Gloria Ikibah
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has identified Nigeria’s creative industry as the country’s second-largest source of employment.
He made this known on Wednesday during the opening of a public hearing on a proposed law to establish the National Institute for Film and Media Technology in Ukawu. The event took place in Abuja.
Abbas, who was represented by Rep. Amos Magaji of the Zangon/Kataf/Jaba federal constituency, said the creative sector holds even greater potential, with projections indicating the capacity to generate up to 2.7 million new jobs by the year 2025.
He said: “I understand that the creative sector is the second-largest employer of labour in the country, and has the potential to create an additional 2.7 million jobs by 2025.
“This indicates that the creative economy worldwide contributes over 6.1 percent to global gross domestic product (GDP, averaging between 2 per cent and 7 per cent of national GDPs”.
Naijablitznews.com recalled that the proposed legislation was introduced by Rep. Nkem Kama, who represents the Ohanivo Federal Constituency in Ebonyi State.
Speaker Abbas noted that the bill aligns with the broader goals of the House, especially in advancing reforms in technical education.
He emphasised the need to modernize learning systems so that students are better prepared with practical skills suited for the demands of today’s job market.
According to him, equipping young Nigerians in this way would position them to play a more active role in driving the country’s economic progress.
“We are committed to ensuring the integration of entrepreneurship modules in technical and vocational education curricula to enable students to go into private ventures and become self-employed”, he added.
The Speaker restated the commitment of the House to integrating fast-evolving fields like robotics, renewable energy, and other cutting-edge innovations into Nigeria’s technical and vocational education system.
He stressed the importance of not falling short in preparing young people for the future, ememphasising the urgency of embedding modern tools.particularly artificial intelligence into the nation’s training frameworks.
“We must not be found wanting in the fulfillment of our commitments.
“We would have failed if we did not provide our children with the opportunities that they need to achieve their purposes and become fulfilled as human beings.
“The world was already running away with Artificial Intelligence.
“We cannot be left behind. Education is the bedrock of development, and the need for educational institutions that will develop the skills of our people ought to have been addressed yesterday”, he stated.
Earlier in his remarks, Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Rep. Fatoba Olusola, restated the imperatives of investing on film and media sector.
Olusola said that the film and media sector had the capacity to take the youths out of the streets and boost the economy.
Finally, social activist, Martins Vincent Otse, also known as VeryDarkMan, has been released from the detention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday evening.
Human rights activist and politician, Omoyele Sowore, disclosed this via his social media handles.
Recall that VeryDarkMan was arrested last week in controversial circumstances around the premises of a commercial bank in Abuja, a development that has led to condemnation from netizens and protests by his supporters.
The EFCC, after initial denial, on Tuesday admitted that VeryDarkMan was in its custody over some petitions against him bordering on ‘grave financial malfeasance’.
The anti-graft agency, in a post on its X handle, also said that VeryDarkMan had been offered administrative bail and would be released whenever he fulfilled the bails condition pending when he will be arraigned in court.
By Gloria Ikibah
The Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFund) has reiterated that the disbursement of N54 billion to students in 303 educational institutions has followed a clear and verifiable process, contrary to circulating claims suggesting otherwise.
Managing Director of NELFund, Akintunde Sawyerr, made this clarification during a session with the House of Representatives Committee on Students Loans on Wednesday. His comments came amid public concerns following recent statements by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to Sawyerr, the ICPC had released a statement the previous Friday indicating it had conducted preliminary inquiries into certain transactions involving educational institutions.
The agency reportedly noted instances that raised questions, particularly around institutional practices and student interactions relating to school fees and access to educational resources.
Sawyerr explained that the public discourse was likely influenced by a media report which mentioned 51 institutions in relation to the alleged discrepancies. However, he emphasized that NELFund’s internal documentation shows all disbursements to date amounting to N54 billion out of a total N203 billion allocated for the student loan programme have been properly tracked and managed.
He said: “I think their report followed a report in the print media that suggested that 51 institutions were erring. One were the irregularities they seem to have identified with the institutions and their relationship with the students in terms of access to education and charges or otherwise.
“We, as the NELFund, were caught up in that release by the ICPC, who indicated that they were of the opinion that funds had been diverted by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
“We immediately reacted to that report because we recognised the damage, even though we knew it was unbounded, we recognised the damage that it might do to public confidence in a scheme where there was already a great deal of scepticism.
“Our reaction led to the ICPC looking again at their statement, and within a matter of hours, they retracted the statement that suggested that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund might be diverting funds.
“They did not retract their assertion about the irregularities in the educational system and in the institutions, but they retracted wholehearted their allegation that funds have been diverted. I don’t think that has happened ever in Nigeria, where a security agency within hours reverses itself on a statement that was made. Nevertheless, a great deal of damage was done because, as you know, Honourable Members, once news is out there, you can retract all you like.
“It takes on a life of its own, and a lot of confidence has been lost in our institution, and it is sad for the institution of NELFund and for the country of Nigeria. We have worked very hard to put out the narrative that actually the new statement by the ICPC vindicates NELFund and establishes the fact that no funds have been diverted”.
According to him, in line with the mandate of NELFund, the agency is to spend 90 percen of the funds that come to it exclusively on the loans to pay the fees of students.
“Those funds cannot be touched and cannot be used for anything else. Any form of diversion in that regard would be a breach of the law. So, just going straight through to the numbers, I can confirm that the Nigerian Education Loan Fund has done the following.
“NELFund has paid, as of today, 303 institutions, government-owned institutions, universities, polytechnics, colleges of education. 303. NELFund has paid out, has disbursed a total of approximately 54 billion Naira. 54 billion Naira has left the account of NELFund to go to pay for the loans that people have applied for.
“That 54 billion Naira is split into two sections. 30 billion of those, of that Naira I just talked about, the 54 billion, 30 billion has been paid to the 303 institutions that I just mentioned. 24 billion has been paid as pocket money or stipend to 293,000 students who are Nigerians, studying at tertiary level in Nigerian government-owned institutions.
“Representing direct beneficiaries of NELFund at 293,000. So far, NELFund has received 203 billion Naira in the bank account that we hold at the Central Bank of Nigeria. I’ll just break that down because those funds came in in segments”, he explained .
Sawyerr said NELFund initially received an appropriation of N10 billion from the Office of the Accountant General as directed by the Minister for Finance.
“We then received 71 billion Naira from TETFund, approximately. This was as a result of an order by the President for TETFund to release 143 billion Naira to NELFund. They released 71 billion in the first instance, plus, and then another 71 billion, making 143 when we add the top onto it.
“And then, finally, we received a further 50 billion Naira proceeds, recovered proceeds of crime, from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, again as directed as an intervention fund from His Excellency, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. So the total comes to 203 billion Naira received.
“I raise these, and I mention these figures because, clearly, there were errors in the, apart from the fact that the statement by the ICPC was unfounded and later confirmed by them that it was unfounded, there were also some inaccuracies in the announcement. The announcement suggested that we had received 100 billion Naira. That figure was wrong.
“The announcement suggested that 28 billion had been disbursed. That figure was wrong. It was understated. Both figures were understated. And it therefore concluded that, therefore, 71 billion Naira may have been diverted. So you can see that from even the figures they provided, which were inaccurate in the first instance, the wrong conclusions were drawn even about that.
“I have to say that we take with the utmost seriousness any issues of funds being diverted within and outside or related to in any way NELFund because we recognise that this project is a sacred project and it should not be tampered with because the people and the constituency that we are catering for really usually have nowhere else to turn to. They have no jobs. They have no opportunities and education represents probably the last bridge that they can climb to get an opportunity.
“So we recognise that we can stunt the growth of not just Nigeria but of individuals within Nigeria if we don’t behave and act responsibly”, he added.
Earlier n his address, the Committee Chairman, Rep.Ifeoluwa Ehindero said that the National Education Loan Fund has implemented the administration of the student loan scheme.
The Chairman said: The committee has been inundated with several reports, making waves on the social media, including concerns about possible diversion of loan funds and issues that have to do with the disbursement and administration of the student loan by certain federal institutions.
“This has necessitated this meeting that we have called the agency, the National Education Loan Fund, to come and make clarifications and enlighten this committee on the issues that have been making rounds on social media.
“So based on this, you have been invited to make clarifications and enlighten this committee on the issues that have been going on, on the disbursement and administration of the student loans being administered by your agency”.
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