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Earlier yesterday, the Lagos PDP held unity rally and also officially welcomed the #Lagos4Lagos movement led by Dr Abdul-Azeez Olajide Adediran (Jandor) from APC to the peoples Democratic Party PDP.
Among notable people that received the leaders of the movement and his people were Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde and his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike and other chieftains of the party.
The snapshots of the event are attached for photostory.
Arguably, information is much more important than money. It could be likened to electricity blackout where movements and other human activities are impeded. Light illuminates; the way information puts one abreast of the happenings around the world. A man who is not aware of the unfolding events in his vicinity is as good as dead and a man who values information and knows how to make a judicious us of it can; within a twinkle of an eye, relieve himself from bondage.
The role of media organization is all- encompassing. In the past, it was restricted to information disemination but the modern-day role of the media has transcended mere passing of information. Aside the primitive function, media has been viewed as agent of socialization, apostle social justice, pressure group and a host of others that are crucial to daily activities of man.
The press derives its’ power from Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right as stated in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Media freedom and access to information feed into the wider development objective of empowering people. Empowerment is a multi-dimensional social and political process that helps people gain control over their own lives. This can only be achieved through access to accurate, fair and unbiased information, representing a plurality of opinions, and the means to actively communicate vertically and horizontally, thereby participating in the active life of the community.
Nigerian media gained further advantage at the signing on 28th of May, 2021, of the Freedom Of Information, FOI bill. This was indeed in appreciative of the role of the press as the fourth realm of government.
Without any iota of contradiction, freedom of speech is not intended to infringe upon the rights of the citizenry. Fundamental human right has a limit. Press is under obligation to operate within the ambience and ambit of law.
To every media organization, objectivity and balance report are essential. It is expected that the press must be factual in its dealings and avoid sensational and prejudicial reportage. Suffice to say that any media organization desirous of wide acceptance and patronage need to shun jungle journalism and parochial sentiment. These are virtues that make Oduduwa News stands tall amongst her contemporaries.
Like a colossus, Oduduwa News betrode the media world with a character. Since its’ conception, it has become a reference point for other online media for his factual and unbiased report. This is coupled with prompt and timely report which has conferred the title of pathfinder on the organization.
The advent of online news in 1995 has drastically reduced the crave for print media. This may not be unconnected with the rapid flow of information in this age of technology, courtesy of internet facility. Obviously, technological advancement has brought the globe to the tips of the fingers. The unhindered access to filtering news at any time and anywhere has given everyone the opportunity of first hand information.
Hitherto, people relied and waited for the print media to make news available through dispatch and distribution. But nowadays, everyone has become a pressman and agents by sending classified and hot news to media houses. With the advent of technology, there has been an increase in the number of freelancers and bloggers. With the advent of digital journalism, Nigerians have developed more intricate ways to express themselves from the cave to painting to a written word and illuminated manuscripts to twitter, Facebook and watzap. This is a real revolutionary transformation of journalism.
Without mincing words, credits should go to Oduduwa News management. The crew has never disappointed the nation with the needed news upon which social, economic, educational and others rely on. The organization is unequivocally reliable and dependable. The adherence of the organization to the tenets, ethics, norms and ethos of journalism has always reflected in its daily operation. Oduduwa News has practically become the cynosure of all eyes and a template upon which journalism as a profession is gauged.
Oduduwa News is a stand-alone publication which is not affiliated to any newspaper online version. It is an organization that has been able to strike balance between timely and in-depth reporting.
Established on the June 26th, 2020, Oduduwa News has become a household name in the entire nation and a dependable organization for people in diaspora.
It is my fervent prayer that the organization shall continue to exist and attain an enviable heights in the world of journalism across the globe.
Comrade Lekan Badmus is a columnist with Oduduwa News and a public opinion analyst who is based in both Lagos and Ibadan.
For Comments:
lekanbadmuscolumn@gmail.com
Mobile: 08060002439
Comrade Lekan Badmus is a columnist with Oduduwa News.
One of the political weapons to woo voters in any election is promises. This is not peculiar to Nigeria. It is the common practice in the world. After all, governance has to do with impactful programmes on the lives of the electorates.
The recent promise made by one of the presidential hopefuls, Asiwaju Tinubu has become another subject of discussion amongst pundits. The APC stalwart has willingly and under no duress, promised to pay the WAEC fees of the students across the nation. As soothing as this promise seems, Nigerians are sceptical about the pledge; thus, the various reactions.
Those who have made scathing remarks on this promise may not be totally wrong. We have had failed promise in the past. We have had a government who promised to reduce oil pump price but ended up eventually by increasing it. We have had a government who claimed to have a clue to put an end to terrorism but ended up by playing upon our intelligence by swapping and branding terrorism, banditry. We have had a government who promised to being us out of economic doldrum but who ended compounding our economic woes. One who claimed to be an apostle of fundamental human rights ended up wiping a clan out of the surface of the earth at Odi village. We have not forgotten how a leader promised to promote freedom of speech but later are his words by forcing padlocks on the mouth of the press. The examples are endless. Most have become promises that could not hold water. They were promises on the tip of the tongue.
Apparently, the scepticism stemmed from the various unfulfilled promises of the past.Nigerians are not suffering from insomnia. We have been disappointed. As soon as the politicians gained power, they turned their back; forgetting the proverbial ladder which they used to climb to the top! It is at this comfort apex office that they begin to differentiate between the mathematical angles of elevation and depression.
In reality, I have never believed in bursary award. Most often than not, the bursary welfare has always fallen to wrong hands. The indigents students are on most occasions denied and deprived because local government certificate of origin is easy to procure at a cheap price by non-indigenes. And this is the criteria for disbursing the sum. Aside this, the number of beneficiaries are usually doctored by the politicians. More nauseating is the fact that the money are spent on frivolity by the beneficiaries. This is peculiar to the south west anyway.
From the immediate above, I prefer the payment of WAEC fees for students but with a caveat. Currently, the 2022 WAEC candidates have been requested to pay between #22, 000 to #25,000. This is a collosal sum. I bet you, many students might not write the examination due to financial incapability of their parents. WAEC is a terminal examination and a certificate one for that matter. Any student who unavoidably missed the examination stands to waste the six years of schooling. Thus, the logic in the payment of WAEC fees by Tinubu.
Be that as it may, what Asiwaju has failed to tell us is the way and manner with which he hopes to achieve this. In the developed nations, political office seekers would not just give an ambiguous statement. Rather, they would follow it with empirical statistics to establish the feasibility of the promise. Asiwaju needs to be explicit and vivid. In Nigeria, politicians seldom giving volatile and vague promise because they do not mean what they say. I am not waving Asiwaju’s promise with the back of the hands. He has the clout based on his success in Lagos state. But did he consider the number of potential WAEC candidates across the nation with reference to the payable fees ?! How does he plan to prevent conspiracy?
Anyway, someone like Tinubu would have sat down and thought about this promise. But at the same time, he owes us the explanation.
Let us be factual, students in the north have continually enjoyed free education, bursary and scholarship. One begins to wonder how they are achieving this! There is also a special grant for the exceptional students but such package has not been extended to the south. Could this mean the southern political leaders are scuttling the gesture ! We are all aware of the free feeding programmes that is well coordinated in the north, the covid-19 palliatives, the tradermoni and a host of other welfare programmes. Are we under spell in the south ?
On a final note, one of the banes of bursary award and “WAEC subsidy” or outright payment is the deliberate and callous inflation of the potential WAEC students across the schools because schools lack viable data and school management sometime act in connivance with the rogues within some examination bodies in Nigeria to hike the figure so as to get some returns. My submission here is subject to verification in schools across south west. It is not my habit making fallacious claim. I stand to be challenged. Move to schools and find out whether there are no special registers !
Anyway, the payment is not impossible. I only pray that it won’t be a dangling carrot and a bait from the predators to the unsuspecting preys.
For comments:
lekanbadmuscolumn@gmail.com
Billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola has promised the Super Eagles squad $250,000, if they lift the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations in Cameroon.
Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, who represented CACOVID during a visit to the team’s camp in Cameroon, made the disclosure.
He also said the private sector-led platform established to assist the government in combating Coronavirus in the country, will also give the Super Eagles team $120,000 for the six goals they scored in the group stage of the tournament.
Recall, the Eagles finished the group stage with six goals, which amounted to $120,000.
Emefiele, who praised the team for their performance at the AFCON, also added that CACOVID has increased the amount for every goal scored to $50,000 in the round of 16.
“I came with a message from the CACOVID. The CACOVID is the coalition of private-sector companies that was set up to fight COVID-19 in Nigeria and they have been happy with the performance of the team,” Emefiele said.
“During the meeting, I had with the captain (Ahmed Musa) and the coach (Austin Eguavoen), I delivered a message from CACOVID and the message is that, for every goal that is scored, the team will receive the naira equivalent of $20,000 so far, you have earned for yourself the naira equivalent of $120,000.
“We held a CACOVID meeting again because everyone is overjoyed for everything you’ve done so far, CACOVID has asked me to raise the ante.
“From the round of 16, for every goal scored, you will earn for yourselves as a team the naira equivalent of $50,000.
“Also, Femi Otedola, who is a member of CACOVID, has asked me to tell you that if you lift the trophy, he has in the bank for you, the naira equivalent of $250,000. This is just the beginning and I can assure you that if you win your round of 16 games, another promise might be made,” Emefiele added.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has on Thursday launched the Nigeria COVID-19 Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus, to be implemented with a $750m World Bank facility.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement he signed on Thursday titled, ‘World bank $750m support will complement FG’s social investment, job creation, poverty reduction programmes–Osinbajo’.
The inauguration was a prelude to the National Economic Council meeting chaired by the Vice President at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja.
According to him, the NG-Cares, which would be for two years (2021-2023), will avail states with $20m, while the Federal Capital Territory would receive $15m.
“NG-Cares is a multi-sectoral programme designed to support vulnerable and poor Nigerians to provide essential emergency relief to smallholder farmers and MSMEs, especially those that were adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Programme will build on the varied and extensive Federal Government interventions developed as part of the president’s plan for taking 100 million Nigerians out of poverty and in response to the severe socio-economic fallouts of the pandemic, especially those programmes and plans contained in the Economic Sustainability Plan.
“The essential addition to the Federal Government’s Programme is that the NG-Cares programme will leverage on existing programmes in the states, especially job creation programmes, wealth creation, poverty reduction programmes at the community level such as state cash transfer units, state Fadama or agriculture development agencies, state job creation units and MSME units. All of the support by Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme,” Osinbajo said.
The Vice President further explained that “the World Bank loan is in the order of $750m and this will be over two years (2021-2023); the intervention allocation to each state is $20m and $15m to the FCT; there is also $15m for the Federal Cares Support Unit.”
He noted that the states would drive the Programme, and there will be a programme for result-delivery mechanism type, in which case, performance must be shown.
He noted that “subsidy and grants to support individuals, households and MSMEs in the multi-year development plan for 2021-2024 was developed in the context of the response to the COVID-19 crisis and the ESP.
“That plan serves as a bridge to ensure successful programme implementation. The Federal Government will provide quality assurance, monitoring, capacity building and technical assistance to states and the FCT on project activities and results.
“Consequently, the Federal Government has inaugurated the Federal Cares Steering Committee, the Federal Cares Technical Committee and the Federal Cares Support Unit to provide overall policy direction, technical support to all the states and the FCT and to advise the president appropriately.”
Osinbajo, who urged stakeholders to deploy their wealth of experience and expertise to ensure successful take-off and implementation of the Programme, said he looks forward to prompt and effective implementation of the Programme both at the federal and state levels.
In attendance were State Governors, members of the Federal Executive Council, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, and development partners, including the World Bank Country Director, Shubham Chaudhuri, who made a presentation on State Eligibility for the Programme.
ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that two ritualists were arrested by the Osun State Police Command with female body parts found with them.
The Osun State Police spokesman said at about 9:30pm, they recieved a distress call by a hotel management where they had lodged alerting the Police that a girl screamed twice and after that, no noise was heard again from the room. According to them the scream was like a girl calling for help.
According to the management when the guys were about going, they were asked to be escorted back to the room to see if everything was fine and why the girl they came with wasn’t leaving with them.
The ritualist said everything was fine and the girl was resting in the room, that she was going to be out.But the hotel management insisted, even though they tried to escape , the hotel management were smart enough to had locked the premises and pinned them down. That was when they were able to gain access in the room and saw a pool of blood with some body parts removed from the lifeless female body which they tried escaping with in a bag, the spokesman said.
That was when the distress call was made and the police force took emergency response, and they were arrested.
During some further investigation by the police, it was found that the names of the apprehended criminals are Ayodeji Saheed and Tunde Obadimeji who both confessed saying its not the first time they are committing such and that they have killed more than 70 girls. They specialized in getting female parts and one Abefe Sadiq pays them for each parts. #600:000:00 Six hundred thousand naira. for one girl killed for him ?
They were asked further how they get these girls?
“Getting the girls was so easy, we lured them with money and fancy things”. They went further saying that “girls of nowadays are easily lured with those things, all they need to do is to get or rent a fancy car with cash they would spend on the girls, and that is all these girls fall for. Then they are being taken to a hotel room where they are told that they would be having fun overnight but instead they are being slaughtered”, said the ritualists.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police said that efforts are being made to arrest Abefe Sadiq, the one who contracted them to commit the heinous crime.
The CP also went further saying that information should be passed round to all female friends, sisters and colleagues that they should all be careful not to fall for guys like this, there are some out there who are meant to destroy lives, he said.
He also sent a note of warning to all of these criminals out there to repent or the law will surely grab hold of them.
ODUDUWA NEWS has gathered that a Petrol Station known as Folarem Filling station in Bashorun, Ibadan caught fire this morning.
As at the time of filing this report, fire fighters were seeing making frantic effort to curtail further spread of the fire.
Details later.
The National leadership of Grow Nigeria Youth Movement, a mobilisation unit of energetic and committed youths seeking for the election of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki organized a town-hall meeting at the NUJ Correspondent Chapel, Osogbo, the capital city of Osun State.
According to Kazeem Olalekan Israel, the Director of Publicity, Grow Nigeria Youth Movement, South West Region said that the town-hallmeeting was meant to constitute the Zonal leadership of the movement and to also preach the gospel of the movement to the good people of Osun State and South West region as a warm-up activity to intimate the people of the need to elect a visionary and productive person like Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the President of the country come 2023.
“The meeting had in attendance 151 persons carefully selected from across the South West region and the State excos of the movement in the six South West States of Osun, Ekiti, Ondo, Oyo, Ogun and Lagos”
The Honourable representing Ede North Local Government Area, Hon. Niran Atidade in his address, charges the you to to their strength to mobilise heavily for the emergence of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the President of the country. According to him, “Dr. Bukola Saraki is the fittest person for the job because he has shown capacity over the years.” He called on the youths to eschew politics of bitterness and to ensure they do not vote for ‘old cargoes”
Also, Honourable representing Obokun Local Government Area at the Osun State House of Assembly, Hon. Adewumi Adeyemi says “there is an urgent to vote in youths for leadership post most especially that of Presidency because it requires someone that has the energy to perform.” In his remark, he says that a septuagenarian and above cannot deliver what is expected of him as the President of the country considering the task before him. He however called on everyone present to continue propagating the agenda of Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to become the next President of the country.
ODUDUWA NEWS gathered that there was heavy gunshots and serious fight in Lagos Island yesterday evening resulting to the loss of one live leaving many others injured.
It was learnt that some hoodlums called Area boys engaged themselves in free for all where they were seen brandishing several harmful weapons.
The fiercely looking youths were also seeing throwing broken glasses and stones while commuters were scampering for sfatety.
It took several hours of fighting before Police were mobilized to the scene to ensure security of lives and properties.
An eyewitness who spoke to ODUDUWA NEWS under the condition of anonymity said, the fight had been like that for years where Idumota boys would group themselves to take on a fight with Kosoko/Oluwole/Martins/Balogun boys.
She however called on government to find a lasting solution to the menace as they could no longer engage in their business activities peacefully.
General Manager of 3SC Football Club of Oyo State, Alhaji Rasheed Balogun has passed away on Thursday night.
Rasheed Balogun died at age 62.
Before his death, Balogun was very hard-working and committed to the dream of bringing the lost glory of Shooting Stars Football Club back.
Friends and family members have been mourning the demise of the late football club manager.
Details later.
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