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Secession: Nigeria didn’t learn from civil war, says Dogara
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed concern that Nigeria has not learned from the lessons of its Civil War, as evidenced by the rise of secessionist movements in the country.
In his keynote address at the World Interfaith Harmony Week Conference and Awards, held at the Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Dogara noted that the lack of effective nation-building since independence has led to the emergence of groups advocating for secession.
Dogara, who was represented by Timothy Golu, remarked, “We have had a number of crises since independence, the worst of which was the civil war from 1966 to 1970. Seems we didn’t learn much from that sordid episode, after all.
The evidence of our abysmal failure at nation-building are right under our noses — the formation or the rise of successionist groups such as the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta; Niger Delta Frontier Force; Indigenous Peoples of Biafra; Oduduwa People’s Congress, among others.”
He also decried the escalating insecurity in Nigeria, noting that has been more terrorised since the return to democracy.
He said, “Since 1999, successive administrations have struggled to address the security challenges that have plagued the nation. The Boko Haram insurgency, which started in Borno State in 2009, has evolved into a major international terrorist organization, claiming thousands of lives and displacing over five million people. At one point, Nigeria was ranked the third most terrorized country in the world.”
The former Speaker also highlighted that the breakdown of law and order had led to the rise of criminal activities, including kidnappings for ransom, banditry, and armed robberies, while ethnic and religious tensions have continued to fuel violence.
The failure to tackle these problems, according to Dogara, points to a broader issue of ineffective governance and poor responses to the underlying causes of discontent in various regions of the country.
Dogara expressed concern over the inability to achieve true unity in Nigeria, noting that even after decades of independence, the country has failed to integrate its diverse peoples, leading to the rise of separatist movements. He emphasized that the failure to address these issues is leading Nigeria down a dangerous path, with groups calling for secession as a result of feeling marginalised and excluded from the Nigerian state.
Dogara also stressed the role of religion in nation-building, stating that Nigeria’s religious diversity could play a key role in fostering peace, provided that the country learns to harness the values of both Christianity and Islam to promote unity.
However, he warned that without genuine efforts to address the root causes of conflict, the country would continue to face the challenges of insecurity, disunity, and calls for secession.
“Unfortunately, our history is marked by disturbing anecdotes of series of ethno – religious violence that have profoundly stymied nation building. Nevertheless, we can successfully harness and exploit the values in the two main religions in Nigeria to rein in sustainable peace.
Assuredly, our lives will begin to change the day we take responsibility for it. The future of peace, development and progress is very possible but only if we take the risk and accept the responsibility of consciously creating it.”
In attendance at the event were notable figures, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, ex-governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, and President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh.
During the event, Obasanjo delivered a paper on the importance of love for one another and for God, with the theme “The Love of the Good, and The Love of The Neighbors,” while also calling for peace in the country.
Obasanjo was honoured with the Apostle of Peace award, and Otunba Daniel received the Apostle of Peace Gold award.
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Just in: Abducted Anambra lawmaker corpse found near 2nd Niger bridge
A jount security team has found the decomposing body of Hon. Justice Azuka, a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, at the 2nd Niger Bridge.
Recall on Tuesday, December 24, 2024, gunmen abducted Azuka, the representative of Onitsha 1 North Constituency in the Anambra State House of Assembly.
Azuka was reportedly kidnapped while returning home on Ugwunaobankpa Road in Inland Town, Onitsha.
The abducted lawmaker, a chieftain of the Labour Party (LP), had regained his mandate after a court ruling ousted the previous winner, Hon. Douglas Egbuna of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who was initially declared the winner of the 2023 election.
Azuka was reportedly kidnapped at gunpoint in a swift operation that lasted less than five minutes on Ugwunaobankpa Road.
“We have arrested the culprits that kidnapped and killed him. They were arrested very late last (Wednesday) night and they now went and showed the security men where they dumped the corpse,” a security source revealed.
“It is sad and tragic. What a huge loss. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Amen. Our condolences and heart-felt sympathy to his family, traditional ruler of Onitsha, Obi of Onitsha, Dr Alfred Achebe and the entire people of Onitsha North Constituency 1.”
This highlights the ongoing security issues in Anambra State, where a sitting lawmaker was abducted in the heart of Onitsha.
“Two nights ago, on Tuesday, kidnappers had a field day along Awka Road in the centre of Onitsha, firing several gunshots during an attempted abduction,” the source added.
Attempts to contact SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, were unsuccessful. He requested that our reporter send him a message with the questions, but as of the time of filing this report, no response had been received.qs
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Google Drops Pledge Not To Use AI For Weapons
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The technology giant had rewritten the principles that guide its development and use of AI which is published online, but a section pledging not to develop tech that cause or are likely to cause harm has now been removed.
That section said the firm would not pursue applications in the areas of weapons or “that gather or use information for surveillance violating internationally accepted norms”
Instead, the new principles feature a section on responsible development and deployment which implement “appropriate human oversight, due diligence,feedback mechanisms to align with user goals, social responsibility, and widely accepted principles of international law and human rights.”
In a blog post, Google senior vice president James Manyika and Sir Demis Hassabis, who lead the firm’s AI lab, Google DeepMind, said the company needed to update its AI principles as they had been first published in 2018 and the technology has “evolved rapidly” since then.
Billions of people are using AI in their everyday lives. AI has become a general-purpose technology, and a platform which countless organisations and individuals use to build applications,” they said.
“It has moved from a niche research topic in the lab to a technology that is becoming as pervasive as mobile phones and the internet itself; one with numerous beneficial uses for society and people around the world, supported by a vibrant AI ecosystem of developers.”
They said this had meant increased international collaborative efforts on common principles, which the blog post said Google was encouraged by.
But Manyika and Hassabis said “global competition” for AI leadership was taking place within an “increasingly complex geopolitical landscape”.
We believe democracies should lead in AI development, guided by core values like freedom, equality, and respect for human rights,” they said.
And we believe that companies, governments, and organisations sharing these values should work together to create AI that protects people, promotes global growth, and supports national security.”
There is an ongoing debate among AI experts, governments, regulators, tech firms and academics about how the development powerful emerging technology should be monitored or regulated.
Previous international summits have seen countries and tech firms sign non-binding agreements to develop AI “responsibly”, but no binding international law on the issue is yet in place.
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Again, Tiwa Savage, Ex-Husband Coming Together After Six Years Of Separation
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Tiwa Savage and her ex-husband coming back together after six years of being divorced should tell you a lot about what men can really do for love.
They got married in 2013 but divorced in 2018 when Tiwa Savage’s husband accused her of cheating.
After their divorce, Tiwa Savage dated several other men, but those relationships didn’t end well at all.
She even said it herself that one thing she regrets the most was divorcing her husband because of the men who came after her when she got really famous.
Tiwa didn’t get married after divorcing Teebillz but dated several other men, and even got her knacking video leaked.
Today, they have settled everything and are reportedly back together! Teebillz didn’t think about the men Tiwa dated after their divorce; he thought about the value Tiwa had in his life and their son Jamil, then decided to settle things and take her back as a partner.
When Tiwa Savage saw his message publicly asking her back on Instagram yesterday, she lowered her pride, took accountability for what happened to their relationship, and publicly apologized to her ex-husband.
In less than 24 hours, they fixed things and are now back together.
Tiwa who is now 44 years old is ten times richer than her ex-husband, but that video of her apologizing and telling her ex how much she loved him really touched me.
Men can forgive women for cheating, too. It just takes more time than it might for women.
We wish them a happy life and hope to see them remarry again. 😍♥️
This is a sign for you to go and fix things with your baby daddy if you want to be happy again!
Source: Adesanya Idowu Paul
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