Today's Headlines: Ministerial Appointments: Tinubu not fair to Igbos – Segun Showunmi; OBJ to deliver maiden presidential lecture at Catholic varsity

GLatestAugust 10, 2023

5 minutes read

Ministerial appointments: Tinubu not fair to Igbos – Segun Showunmi

Photo credit: Daily Post

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Segun Showunmi, has slammed President Bola Tinubu over the manner in which he is constituting his cabinet, claiming he’s not being fair to the southeast zone.

Showunmi claimed that the administration has done quite a lot of things that could be considered as serious missteps.

He made the assertion on Wednesday while featuring on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme.

Showunmi said he is a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that it’s beginning to seem that his people (southwest) would get larger positions in Tinubu’s government.

He said, “You know I am a Yoruba man. Ironically, I have known Asiwaju for years. So there must be some kind of soft spot there. But I have tried very hard to say “let’s wait until hundred days”. Why? Because there’s a tradition and culture of “let them take hundred days to settle down”.

“But unfortunately for this administration, they have done quite a lot of things that could be considered as serious missteps.

“And they have done it in such a brazen and hurried manner that people are now forced to say no.

“I have seen the kind of people he is putting in his cabinet, and I laughed at him; few brilliant persons but a few excessively recycled characters. If you come in this country and you want to do a paradigm shift, and your paradigm shift includes former governors.

“There are 200 million people in this country. That particular party (APC) has been in charge for the last eight years. Whatever they are trying to clean now, their party caused it, their government caused it.

“I have looked at the people he is putting together. I am a little bit uncomfortable with the fact that, if I may be honest with you, both of us Yoruba men, it’s beginning to seem that our people will get the best of the cherries. I can tell you the things we have already gotten and the things we are likely to get.

“We are in charge of customs; we are in charge of police; we are in charge of army; we are in charge of CBN; we are in charge of FIRS; we are in charge of taxation; we are in charge of appropriation.

“Have we become such a people that we can only be fair when we are talking about other people…. We have begun to see a pattern that all of the cream is coming to us. And what we would not accept from former President Buhari, who was fairer to us than he was to his people, we must be brave enough to say that this is not even the right thing for us. We are not suddenly going to become parochial people who insist that all of the things in the country….

“Does it not prick your soul that you’re putting ten in one place; nine in one place; seven in one place and five in one place. And you are giving the southeast (Igbos) five. I can tell you for free, there’s no mental capacity, validation, education, authentication that you are looking for in the world that you would not find Ndi Igbo, either in Nigeria or in the diaspora. Why is it now you’re telling me that you can only get five from them? These are the issues”.

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Obasanjo to deliver maiden presidential lecture at Catholic varsity

Photo Credit: Vanguard

A profound Catholic University, Godfrey Okoye University is set to welcome the Former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo on the 25th of August, 2023.

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Christian Anieke made this known in his office while officially announcing students’ second-semester examination results for the 2022/23 academic year of the University.

Prof. Anieke said that the former President will visit the University to deliver first presidential lecture on the impact of good governance on national and youth development.

“I want to use this opportunity to announce that we are going to have a very important visitor, former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo here on the 25th of August, 2023.

“He is going to give the first Presidential lecture on the impact of good governance on national development and youth development. He will be the first and we are naming one of the faculty after him,” he said.

On the official announcement of the results, he disclosed that out of 450 students that wrote their final year examination, 170 graduated while others have outstanding to seek out before they would be cleared.

Top Islamic clerics get Tinubu’s nod to negotiate with Niger Ulama

Photo credit: Vanguard

A delegation of leaders of major Islamic groups in Nigeria on Wednesday met with President Bola Tinubu and got his approval to dialogue with their colleagues (Islamic Scholars) in Niger Republic on how to restore peace and democratic government in the country.

The clerics (Ulamas), who are opposed to war with the Nigerien military, as threatened by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), said that apart from the dire consequences of armed conflict, they are enjoined by their religious faith and the Quran to seek mediation first in cases like his before resorting to war.

The delegation had representatives of all the different Islamic sects in the country.

Sheikh Bala Lau of Izalla group and Sheikh Abdurahman Ahmad of Ansar ud Deen, spoke to journalists on behalf of leaders of other sects.

According to Shekh Lau: “We thank Allah that He gave us the opportunity to meet with Mr. President and the delegation of Ulama from here in Nigeria met with Mr. President on the issue of Niger Republic. We want to find a lasting solution, we want peace and harmony to reign, not only in Nigeria, but in the sub-Saharan region and in globe as well.

“The Ulama advised Mr. President that we want peace and reconciliation. If anything happens between you and your neighbor, the holy Quran commands you to reconcile, so we want reconciliation.

“That’s why we are here and our able leader and President accepted the offer that he wants us to intervene and to talk to our brothers in Niger Republic, the scholars also there on how we can come together and bring a lasting solution to this problem.

“That is why we are here and insha Allah, by the grace of Allah, we’re optimistic that Allah will do it for us and we’ll find a lasting solution to this issue. May Allah continue to guy us and may He continue to protect us.”

Also speaking, Sheikh Ahmad added: “It’s the way Sheikh Bala Lau has stated it. The President, like he said, welcomed our intervention and he has promised that if we could also talk to the people on the other side, for them to be ready to give concession, then ECOWAS that he’s Chairman of will also be ready.