News
South East leaders beg Tinubu to order dismantling of road blocks, checkpoints
South-East leaders on Saturday pleaded with President Bola Tinubu, to order for the dismantling of checkpoints and roadblocks in the area, saying that the roadblocks make goods expensive.
The leaders also appealed to the President to use his good offices to ensure that the moribund Anambra Basin with abundant oil and gas reserves is revived in the interest of the nation’s economy.
The demands were made at the town hall meeting during President Bola Tinubu’s official visit to Enugu State where many projects executed by Governor Peter Mbah’s administration were commissioned.
Presenting his appeal, Onyemuche Nnamani noted that checkpoints and roadblocks have a lot of drawbacks which have negatively affected the economy of the people in the zone and even constitute a security risk.
He contended that with the modern command and control centre established by the Enugu State government and other strategies put in place, there was no need for the traditional checkpoints and roadblocks.
He said that the security measures put in place by Governor Mbah were critical for the encouragement of investment and economic growth.
He further said it was also critical that the right security strategies are put in place to avoid giving visitors and brothers in diaspora the wrong impression that things are worse than they seem.
“These were some of the driving factors which motivated Enugu state to institute its ultra-modern statewide CCTV, modern cameras mounted on patrol cars, some of which we have commissioned today, including our modern command and control centre, it was quite easy to convince our governor to invest billions of Naira on security,” he said.
Continuing, the said, “Your Excellency with the launch of these facilities, we are confident that there’s less need for the traditional practice of mounting roadblocks at checkpoints. Checkpoints, in my view, have many drawbacks, checkpoints and roadblocks, they make the movement of goods and persons very expensive, very inefficient increase the low cost of logistics, leading to high inflation.
“They tie down valuable security manpower, they needlessly expose the brave men and women of our security agencies to attacks by criminals of all guises, of various guises, as well as to other users of the highways.
“Given this Your Excellency, we appeal to you to support Enugu state and security agencies, to de-emphasize the traditional practice of roadblocks, stop and search and all that. Our people are complaining about those things.
“It will be a great honour. When we say de-emphasize, what it means is that we are providing alternatives. You have seen the patrol vans, you have seen the cameras mounted all over the state. So we have alternatives to all this. So we just want to de-emphasize this issue of stop and search and roadblocks.”
On his part, Chris Ngu, called for the development of the moribund Anambra Basin Authority to unlock the oil and gas reserves lying waste in the area.
He said, “The need to develop Anambra Basin as an oil-bearing reserve that will impact on the entire Southeast different from the well-known Niger Delta. We are saying that this reserve called Anambra Basin holds not less than one billion barrels of oil and about thirty billion cubic feet of gas.
“And like all of us know the future is gas and we know the emphasis the present government is placing on gas for so many reasons, power generation .. for industries in the plastic, and petrochemicals. There are plenty that we can achieve by doing that.
“We have plenty of presentations, but I understand there has been no time to go through that. So we’re appealing to Your Excellency, please to help call attention to this dormant energy reserve in the so-called Anambra Basin.
“For explanation purposes, Anambra Basin borders on the south and the Niger Delta, and the Benue trough. Among the whole Basins as a frontier exploration for oil and gas, Anambra Basin stands number one in terms of performance, in terms of reserves and. In terms of attraction.
“So we’re appealing to you, sir, to please use your good offices to energize this thing for the benefit of entire Southeast and even the Middle Belt. We know Benue state is just here. And after being Benue, the entire North Central energy is just lying waste there.”
The people through the former Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo called for the revival of the rail system in Enugu State and some other states in the zone.
By Gloria Ikibah
Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Comrade Grace Ike, has charged newly elected executive members to prioritise journalists’ welfare and uphold values of accountability, integrity, and professionalism.
Speaking after the swearing-in of the new officers on Saturday, Comrade Ike reminded them that service in the union demands unity, transparency, and a firm commitment to ethical journalism.
“This union stands on the pillars of welfare, integrity and professionalism. You have been chosen to serve, not to be served,” she said.
The by-election, held to fill three vacant positions unoccupied since the last NUJ-FCT elections on December 4, 2024, saw 54 accredited members cast their votes in a peaceful atmosphere.
Comrade Sharon Emephia of the Correspondents Chapel emerged as Assistant Secretary with 52 votes, while Comrade Daniel Henry Abimiku from the Information Chapel secured the Financial Secretary position with 52 votes as well, and Comrade Ukoko-Tega of Aso Radio/TV Chapel was elected Internal Auditor, also polling 52 votes. A few ballots were declared invalid in each category.
Chairperson of the election committee and Chairman of the National Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Comrade Bassey Ita Ikpang, announced the results alongside committee members Comrade Tony Akowe and Comrade Nkechi Onyeneke. The winners were administered the oath of office by Barrister Ehidiamen Isibor and issued certificates of return.
Comrade Ike commended the electoral committee for conducting a transparent process and thanked union members for their active participation. She officially dissolved the committee following the successful completion of its assignment.
The current leadership of the NUJ-FCT also includes Vice Chairman Comrade Ndambabo Yahaya, Secretary Comrade Jide Oyekunle, Treasurer Mrs. Sandra Udeike, and Ex-Officio member Comrade Ebriku John Friday.
Catholicism has rarely been more prominent in US politics as the Trump administration openly embraces advisers and officials who proudly say faith has shaped their politics.
But any jubilation on the American Make America Great Again right about the new Pope this week quickly dissipated as key voices from Donald Trump’s Maga movement came to a disappointed conclusion: the first American Pope does not appear to be “America first”.
Little is known about the political leanings of Pope Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost in Chicago.
He has voiced concerns for the poor and immigrants, chosen a name that may reference more liberal church leadership, and he appears to have both supported the liberal-leaning Pope Francis and criticised the US president’s policies on social media.
But the president so far has said only that Leo’s election was a “great honour” for the US. Still, some of Trump’s most prominent supporters were quick to attack Pope Leo, lambasting him as a possible challenge to Trump and on the perception that he will follow Pope Francis in areas like immigration.
“I mean it’s kind of jaw-dropping,” Trump’s former chief strategist Steve Bannon told the BBC on Friday, speaking of Leo’s election.
“It is shocking to me that a guy could be selected to be the Pope that had had the Twitter feed and the statements he’s had against American senior politicians,” said Bannon, a hard-right Trump loyalist, practising Catholic and former altar boy.
And he predicted that there’s “definitely going to be friction” between Leo and Trump.
The Pope’s brother, John Prevost, told The New York Times that he thinks his brother would voice his disagreements with the president.
“I know he’s not happy with what’s going on with immigration,” he said. “I know that for a fact. How far he’ll go with it is only one’s guess, but he won’t just sit back. I don’t think he’ll be the silent one.”
Recent survey data shows that about 20% of Americans identify as Catholic, according to the non-partisan Pew Research Center.
About 53% identify with or lean towards the Republican Party, though there’s plenty of nuance, too: America’s two Catholic presidents, John F Kennedy and Joe Biden, were both Democrats. And nearly two-thirds of US Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most circumstances – a departure from the Church’s current stance.
US Catholics also broadly supported Pope Francis: 78% of those surveyed in February viewed him favorably, including a majority of Catholic Republicans.
A number of Catholics In the new Pope’s home city of Chicago, on Thursday, aired disappointment with President Trump and said they hoped Pope Leo XIV would follow the path of his predecessor.
“We hope he’ll continue with Francis’s agenda going forward,” said Rick Stevens, a Catholic deacon from New Jersey who happened to be visiting Chicago when he heard the news.
The US Conference of Catholic Bishops, which leads and coordinates US Catholic activities, celebrated Pope Leo’s election and the message it sends.
“Certainly, we rejoice that a son of this nation has been chosen by the cardinals, but we recognise that he now belongs to all Catholics and to all people of good will,” the conference said in a statement. “His words advocating peace, unity, and missionary activity already indicate a path forward.”
Though Maga supporters represent a small subset of US Catholics, it’s one with outsized access to conservative media and Trump’s ear.
On Bannon’s War Room podcast – known for its hard-right, pro-Trump bent – one guest after another heaped criticism on the new Pope.
“This guy has been massively embraced by the liberals and the progressives,” said Ben Harnwell, a journalist who led Bannon’s efforts to establish what he calls a “gladiator school” for the “Judeo-Christian West” outside of Rome.
“He is one of their own… he has [Pope] Francis’s DNA in him,” Harnwell said.
Jack Posobiec, another Maga commentator dialing in from Rome, was blunt: “This choice of the American cardinal was done as a response, as a message to President Trump.”
The full picture of what led to Pope Leo’s selection on Thursday is still emerging and church decisions don’t map neatly onto US politics. Still, watchers around the world have pored over Pope Leo’s social media profiles in search of clues about his leanings and beliefs.
An X account under his name, with tweets going as far back as 2015, shares links to criticism of Trump’s approach to immigration and hints at other political views, such as stricter gun control.
In February, the account sharply rebuked the US vice-president by posting a link to an opinion piece titled “JD Vance is wrong: Jesus doesn’t ask us to rank our love for others”.
The account also posted a link to a letter from Pope Francis after he clashed with Vance over church doctrine and immigration. Vance – a Catholic convert – had given an interview in defence of the Trump administration’s immigration policies.
Vance has routinely invoked his faith in defense of the administration, particularly immigration policies, which the White House has said put “America first”.
“There is a Christian concept that you love your family and then you love your neighbour, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens, and then after that, prioritise the rest of the world. A lot of the far left has completely inverted that,” Vance told Fox News.
But US Democrats were not spared either on the account, which has more than a decade of posts. They appear to support Catholic employers who refuse to pay for contraceptives via employee health plans, and following the 2016 US presidential election, one post links to an article accusing Democrat Hillary Clinton of ignoring pro-life Catholic voters.
The BBC asked the Vatican to confirm the account was Leo’s, but did not receive a response.
Vice-President Vance told conservative broadcaster Hugh Hewitt on Friday: “I try not to play the politicisation of the Pope game.
“I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all, and that’ll be the way that I handle it.”
The new Pope’s LGBTQ views are also unclear, but some groups, including the conservative College of Cardinals, believe he may be less supportive than Pope Francis.
Matt Walsh, a commentator with the conservative Daily Wire, wrote: “There are some good signs and bad signs with this new Pope. I want to see what he actually does with his papacy before I pass any kind of judgment.”
But some of the most dedicated Maga supporters already have made up their minds.
Laura Loomer, a far-right influencer who has Trump’s ear, swaying the president on top personnel decisions, called the new Pope “anti-Trump, anti-Maga, pro-open Borders, and a total Marxist like Pope Francis”.
Bannon, who had suggested Leo as a dark horse for the papacy, predicted tensions between the White House and Vatican – and said they could even tear apart American Catholics.
“Remember, President Trump was not shy about taking a shot at Pope Francis,” he said.
“So if this Pope – which he will do – tries to come between President Trump and his implementation of the mass deportation programme, I would stand by.” BBC
By Gloria Ikibah
The Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana, has stressed the urgent need for the Nigerian Parliament to adopt digital technology, describing it as a necessity in today’s world rather than a choice.
Ogunlana made the remark during his opening address at a three-day retreat organised by the National Assembly in partnership with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC). The event, which began on Friday, was supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and held under the theme “Building an Accountable, Transparent and Resilient Parliament: The Role of the National Assembly Top Management.”
According to him, “the use of technology in the Nigerian Parliament is not an option but a necessity,” especially as legislative processes around the world are becoming increasingly digital.
He pointed out that the retreat’s theme directly addresses the ongoing shifts and demands within the National Assembly, offering a critical moment to rethink approaches, plan strategically, and implement meaningful reforms.
“This presents a vital opportunity to reflect, strategize, and lay actionable plans that will shape the future of the National Assembly Service,” Ogunlana stated.
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