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Ndume: Southern Borno women to storm N/Assembly n@ked
Following the removal of Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume from his position as Chief Whip and Vice- Chairman Senate Committee on Appropriation, due to his utterances against the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu which he claimed, is characterized with ‘hunger and insecurity, women groups and supporters including Wards and some Units Coordinators of Senator Mohammed Ndume in Southern Borno Senatorial District have vowed to stage a peaceful protest naked to the national assembly.
This is as Ndume’s Coordinators in each of the 101 Wards from the nine (9) Local Government Areas of Biu, Hawul, Bayo, Shani, Gwoza, Chibok, Kwaya Kusar, Askira -Uba and Damboa stormed the residence of the ousted senator in Maiduguri on Thursday for a solidarity visit and vowed to stand with Ndume in all political ramifications.
Addressing the Senator Spokesperson of the aggrieved women groups, Mrs Mada Musa from Damboa council area said, “it is unfortunate that Ndume who granted an interview with Arise TV recently echoed the voices and feelings of the masses over severe hunger and insecurity which have dominated the present administration will be punished or relinquished him of his position at the Red Chamber, stressing that, instead for the government to act swiftly in addressing the current economic hardships and wanton killings and kidnappings, it only teamed up with the APC and the Senate Caucus and axe Ndume by unconstitutionally and unconditionally relieved him from his position as Chief Whip.
“We elected senator Ndume to go and represent Southern Borno people, and by extension, Borno and Nigeria as a whole irrespective of political affiliations, therefore we enjoined our Senator who is passionate about the plights of average Nigerians to please go back to Media Houses and add that, apart from hunger and insecurity in the land, there are corruption, unemployment and lost of hope due to bad policies of the present administration.”
Also speaking on behalf of the Ward Coordinators, Pastor Moni Mushari who hails from Askira- Uba local government area quoted John 8:31, which says: ‘ If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free’.
To this end, Pastor Mashari said, all the 101 Ndume Ward Coordinators are strongly behind Senator Ndume for saying the truth and nothing but the truth.
He noted that, the people of Southern Borno are proud of Governor Babagana Zulum’s unprecedented development, in which Ndume has also played his own parts in complementing efforts of the state government in providing dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
Responding, Senator Ndume expressed gratitude for the solidarity visit, even as he enjoined them to be calm and law- abiding.
“I sincerely thank you for the visit, I want to also advice you to engage in farming and businesses, as it is the only solution to mankind at the moment. We will continue to provide you with agricultural incentives such as fertilizers and pesticides to grow what you will eat, as we continue to receive the desired support from Governor Babagana Zulum.
“I am happy that recently, President Tinubu approved N70,000 as minimum wage per month to Nigerian workers, but as i keep saying, the minimum wage is equivalent to a bag of rice or maize. And so, there is much need to be done compared to a family where there is one or more children who needs healthcare, transportation, school fees, house rent and other unforeseen economic realities within the stipulated 30 working days.
“On the call by APC National Working Committee (NWC) that I should leave the party and join any other political party, let me say that, it is only God that give power to whom He wish. And so, I want to categorically state that, I am one of the founding members of the APC, our Leader, Governor Zulum is in APC, and wherever our Governor is, that is where i belong”.
Ndume therefore called on all and sundry, especially the people of his constituency to continue give their maximum support and cooperation to the present administration of governor Zulum to enable government continue with the good works.
The Rivers State Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), has replied to the Nigerian Bar Association regarding the reason for relocating its Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu State.
Ibas faulted the reason cited by the NBA, describing it as misleading and uncharitable.
The Sole Administrator stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday by his media aide, Hector Igbikiowubo, and sent to newsmen.
He said while the NBA reserves the right to choose a venue for its conference, the association had yet to address the issue of the refund of the hosting rights paid by the state government for the conference.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
The statement partly reads, “While we respect the NBA’s right to choose its conference venues, we find it curious that the association—despite its “principled position”— didn’t address the refund of the N300 million already paid by the Rivers State Government for the hosting rights of the 2025 conference.
“If the NBA truly stands on principle, it should demonstrate the same integrity by promptly returning these funds rather than benefiting from a state it now publicly discredits.”
It added, “The attention of the Rivers State Government has been drawn to the Nigeria Bar Association’s announcement dated 10th April 2025, relocating its 2025 Annual General Conference from Port Harcourt to Enugu.
By Francesca Hangeior
The Federal Government has unveiled the second phase of its contactless biometric passport application system across its four missions in United States, Mexico, Jamaica and Brazil.
The Nigeria Immigration Service NIS disclosed this in a tweet on its ‘X’ handle signed by Service Spokesman, ACI AS Akinlabi.
The statement reads; “ain continuation of the phased Roll-Out of the Contactless Biometric Passport Application System across Nigerian Missions abroad, the Nigeria Immigration Service under its
Comptroller General, Kemi Nanna Nandap wishes to inform the General public especially Nigerians in the Diaspora that it is implementing the next stage of the roll-out across the following countries.
“The Application System, which is currently available on Google Play Store (NIS Mobile), is designed to allow Nigerians to renew their passports without visiting any Passport Centre for Biometrics enrollment. The Apple Store version will be onboarded shortly and an enhanced version of the NIS Mobile App for both Android and iOS users will be deployed to further improve users’ experience and accessibility.
“With this roll-out, the Service further informs the General public that the Contactless Passport App is now available in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. It is yet to be rolled out in Australia and Nigeria, a future date will be announced for both countries in due course.
“The Service remains committed to innovative and efficient Service Delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world”.
By Francesca Hangeior
At least eight of the 1,800 candidates shortlisted for teaching positions under the Kwara State Teaching Service Commission have been disqualified after testing positive for banned substances.
This was disclosed in a statement on Monday by the TESCOM Press Secretary, Sam Onile, who quoted the Chairman of the Commission, Bello Abubakar.
According to the statement, the disqualified applicants tested positive for drugs, including benzodiazepine, tramadol, cotinine, marijuana, and amphetamine.
The tests were conducted by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency with support from the state government.
Abubakar said the affected candidates would be replaced by the next best-performing applicants from their respective local government areas.
“A major implication of this development is that the affected individuals will be replaced by the candidates who are next to them in performance from their respective local government areas,” the statement said.
“The idea is to send an unmistakable message about the state government’s zero tolerance for drug abuse. We have a duty of care not to expose little children to drug abuse under any circumstances.”
The TESCOM chairman praised AbdulRazaq for insisting on a merit-based recruitment process, noting that the governor had again demonstrated fairness and commitment to quality education in the state.
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