News

Nigeria needs restructuring to work effectively — Ezekwesili

Published

2 months ago

March 19, 2024

Pastor of The Everlasting Arms Parish (TEAP),Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Garki, Abuja, Chinedu Ezekwesili, has said his dream, at 70, is to see a Nigeria restructured for optimum and effective operation to benefit all citizens.

Ezekwesili, the husband of former Minister of Education, Dr Oby Ezekwesili, spoke at a symposium themed, ‘Purposeful Men’ organised to mark his 70th birthday in Abuja on Friday.

The cleric dreams to be alive to see Nigeria become the nation God designed it to be and to see the glory of God over the nation.

“Nigeria is like a troubled house, I wish we can uproot and start afresh. A house with a faulty foundation can only be fixed by uprooting the foundation and creating a new structure. Nigeria, the way it is, cannot survive. There is a need to restructure this nation. Unless we come together and decide to move forward, we cannot move forward,” he said.

According to him, it will take leaders, not rulers, to take Nigeria to the right destination.

Praying for Nigeria never to experience war again, the cleric urged the younger generation to seek peace and not war, which would only bring hunger, pain, suffering, underdevelopment, death among other unpleasant situations.

Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said the story of Oby Ezekwesili could not be told without the giant shoulders of the celebrator, the model of a supportive husband.

“The real man, with his spirit, soul and body well-ordered, is the quintessence of character, competence and capacity, triune qualities, which the Ezekwesilis have been known to champion. The real man possesses such unassailable virtues as love expressed in joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. He operates in wisdom, knowledge and understanding, and has the capacity to make a difference in a chaotic world,” he said.

Bakare said the celebrator had, over the years, stood by his wife, Oby, from her days as a member of the Concerned Professionals, when she stood up to the oppressive military regime at the risk of her life, to her time as an agent of disruptive change in government – first as “Madam Due Process” and then as two-time minister.

He said the celebrator also stood solidly behind his wife when she was Vice President of World Bank to the era she rallied the world round the #BringBackOurGirls movement, to the period she stepped into the terrain to contest highest public office in Nigeria, to building the capacity of the next generation of political leaders.

“It takes a man of such strength of purpose and extraordinary character to be husband to such a powerful and purpose-driven woman, as my dear sister, Oby,” Bakare said.

Former Minister of Information, Frank Nweke Jr, described Ezekwesili as a good man, a patriot, a philosopher that inspires mentors, teaches everyone and a real father with uncommon wisdom.

The Former Minister described the cleric as extremely generous, as he often speaks truth to power.

Nweke said Mr Ezekwesili “has a dedicated team that prays daily for Nigeria” because he believes in the country and wants it to turn around for good.

Wife of the celebrator described him as a super purposeful man to be emulated by the younger generation. She said every second of her husband was always meaningful and purposeful.

The founder of #FixPolitics Initiative asserted that lack of understanding of purpose leads to abuse, whether in the family or public life.

She added, “When you see abuse of opportunity to be a leader, it is a lack of understanding of purpose. When you see abuse of family relationships, it is because there is no understanding of purpose. The topic is, you get us as a society to think of purpose. What is the purpose of Nigeria?

“Many societies asked that question, and it enabled them to have the right conversation. There are many questions to be asked and when we begin to find answers, we begin to find our way out of the precipice,” she stated.

On behalf of the family, she appreciated the participants at the symposium and those who contributed to the success of the event.

Highlight of the event was special tributes by the celebrator’s sons, as well as special song rendition by Joan Ogohi and saxophone performances by Temilayo Aboderin among others

News

Nigeria’s money supply dropped to N92.3trn in March – CBN

Published

10 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

Nigeria’s money supply dropped marginally to N92.3 trillion in March 2024 from N93.9 trillion in February.

This is according to recent data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.

Experts have linked the development to CBN’s hike in interest rates.

Demand deposits increased from N26.8 trillion to N28.8 trillion, suggesting a preference among depositors for more liquid forms of money.

Similarly, currency outside banks surged from N3.4 trillion to N3.6 trillion as more Nigerians moved towards cash following the end of the apex bank’s controversial new naira note policy.

The naira has continued to depreciate against the dollar despite the CBN’s policy intervention. On Thursday, it further dipped to N1533.99 per dollar.

News

Naira appreciates against dollar, ends week on good note

Published

10 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Naira appreciated against the dollar at the foreign exchange market barely 24 hours after depreciation.

FMDQ data showed that the N1497.33 appreciated against the dollar on Friday

This represents an N33.66 gain against the dollar compared to N1497.33 traded on Thursday.

Similarly, at the parallel market, the Naira appreciated to N1475 per dollar on Friday from N1555 on Thursday.

This showed that the Naira ended the week well after days of depreciation.

The country’s currency continued to experience instability since mid-April when it recorded months of appreciation.

Meanwhile, the Bureau De Change Operators had blamed forex scarcity for the continued depreciation of Naira.

News

Police dismiss inspector for N29.8m theft, kidnapping

Published

10 hours ago

May 17, 2024

NewsDirect

The Nigeria Police Force has dismissed one of its officers identified as Adabo Mohammed for criminal conspiracy and armed robbery, among others.

Mohammed, who was an Inspector, alongside five others was said to be a member of an armed robbery gang allegedly responsible for the stealing of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory.

This was disclosed by the Force Public Relations Officer, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement issued at the Force Headquarters in Abuja on Friday.

The statement, titled, ‘Police speak tough on indiscipline, misconduct,’ noted that in a move to uphold professional standards within the Force, the Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, stressed the Force’s intolerance to any form of indiscipline.

The statement read partly, “In a decisive move to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity within the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, has emphasised his administration’s zero-tolerance policy towards any form of indiscipline. He stressed that the mandate of the police is to serve and protect with honour and integrity, and as such all breaches of the core values of the NPF will be met with decisive action to maintain public trust and ensure justice.

“In line with this policy, all cases reported against personnel have been creditably attended to, and justice has been done appropriately. Many of the erring officers have been sanctioned, while some cases are still at the orderly room trial level, and will soon be concluded.

“For instance, a police inspector has been dismissed from service while three others were demoted to their previous ranks following thorough investigations which confirmed their involvement in various acts of indiscipline/crime.”

Adejobi added, “One Inspector Adabo Mohammed was dismissed for the offences of criminal conspiracy, armed robbery/kidnapping, and corrupt practice. The dismissed officer, along with five others were members of an armed robbery gang responsible for the robbery of the sum of N29.8 million from a victim in Gwagwalada, FCT as well as the kidnap of one Ikechukwu Emmanuel Okafor in Tunga Manje, and the collection of ransom sum of N4.4m. The ex-officer has been charged to court accordingly.

“Similarly, the trio of Inspectors Osagie Efford, Semiu Agbekin, and Francis Ahuen, attached to the Special Tactical Squad (STS), have been demoted to their previous rank of Sergeant for the extortion of some motorists in Abuja. The trio intercepted an unregistered Mercedes Benz at Gwarinpa, Abuja, and forced the occupants to part with the total sum of N29.4m.

“The matter when reported by one Harrison Gwamnishu (#HarrisonBBi18) via the social media platform ‘X’, was taken up and properly investigated. While the monies have been returned to the complainants, the officers were subjected to orderly room trial in line with extant laws, and have been demoted.”

The FPRO noted that some senior officers have “been subjected to the Force Disciplinary Committee hearings” to “scrutinise and address allegations of misconduct against higher-ranking officers of the Force.”

He assured the public that “these measures are taken with the utmost seriousness and are integral to restoring and maintaining their trust. He re-emphasised that the NPF is dedicated to fostering a culture of accountability and respect within all ranks to ensure that police officers serve with integrity.”