Today's Headlines:I Didn’t Lobby For It–Enoh;Isese Festival Mustn’t Be Eradicated—Traditionalists

I Didn’t Lobby For It–Enoh

Photo Credit:Daily Post Nigeria

The newly-inaugurated Minister of Sports, John Owan Enoh has insisted he did not lobby President Bola Tinubu for the role.

Enoh was reacting to criticisms over his inexperience in the industry.

Despite lacking a background in sports, Tinubu assigned him to become the 36th Minister of Sports.

Enoh, who has been into farming before transitioning, however insists he is getting up to speed.

The 57-year-old, speaking to Daily Trust shortly after taking office, said: “I didn’t lobby to be sports minister.

“President Bola Tinubu saw me fit and decided to put the task of building sports in Nigeria.

“Since I was assigned this portfolio, I have been reading about sports.”

Isese Festival Mustn’t Be Eradicated—Traditionalists

Photo Credit:Punch paper

Traditionalists celebrating the Isese festival in Ondo State have declared that the festival would continue to be celebrated annually.

Speaking on International Isese Day on Sunday, the Araba Isese in Ondo State, Araba Folorunsho Adetunji, said the group was trying as much as possible to ensure the festival did not go into extinction as they infuse the culture into their children.

Adetunji said, “When we observed that our fathers had gathered and had observed this festival, where they stopped, we get involved. If there’s a festival and we don’t involve our children, such festival would get destroyed, that is why we have the religion of the Ifa Council gathered together.

“We, the youths of today, gathered together in a temple way, we gathered children together in order for them to know that this Isese should not be moved away from them. You don’t have to be afraid of it, it is not something children should not see; that is why we gathered children for them to know that it is an important thing. It is the word of God being established, it is Irumole’s word we follow. It is how we are created; it is very important.

“In what Orunmila told us, the word of God is established, we have chosen a leader to teach us various languages. When he would gather some of them, he taught them various religions on Isese. He taught them to follow any religion that suited them, and he said one should not hinder one.

“We would observe that this Isese, we met it on earth. It was celebrated before the strange religion came in; that is why we youths of today turned it to religion so that our children would not be taken away. Then we started gathering children because they made them to be afraid of it. We gathered ourselves so that there would be peace. If we have various religions today, we are also there in between them. One religion is not stopping the other; what you believe in you serve with your heart.”

Similarly, the Secretary of Ifa Religion Worldwide, and Secretary of Isese in Ondo State, Mr Akomolafe Olomi, said there was a need to accommodate Isese festival in the country, adding that every religion should be accommodated.

“We all know what’s called an idol. Irumole was well-known everywhere. Let’s accommodate ourselves. Peace is religion. Together with Isese, let’s accommodate ourselves, we are not touts.

“We have so many religions, let us not push ourselves away. Let us not hinder ourselves. Anybody can worship what they like as religion; we have so many ways to God; you can’t say this is the purest religion. There is no language that God does not listen to. Let us accommodate ourselves, and let us accommodate peace,” Olomi submitted.

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Lagos Promises Quality Education In Schools

Photo Credit:Punch paper

The Lagos State Government has assured residents of its commitment to maintaining high-quality education in both private and public schools in the state.

The Director General, Office of Education Quality Assurance, Mrs Abiola Seriki-Ayeni, disclosed this in an exclusive chat with The PUNCH.

She said the state government was leaving no stone unturned to ensure that pupils in public and private primary and secondary schools get the high-quality education that they deserve.

Seriki-Ayeni added that parents and guardians need not worry as her office is always on the ground to ensure compliance with high standards in schools across the state.

The DG said, “Most of our officers are always in the field working with schools in one capacity or another.

“We carry out different types of monitoring in schools. We do whole-school evaluation, which is sort of like grading, which gives us a holistic picture of the quality of the school.

“We look at seven thematic areas. Some of these are: Safeguarding and protection, students’ involvement in co-curricular activities; management leadership, including finance; and, of course, teaching and learning, amongst others. And these are done in every school, at least on a three-year basis.”

She added that another type of monitoring that the OEQA carries out relates to the accreditation of schools, adding that the agency also evaluates the quality of teachers employed by schools operating within the state.

“We have a pre-registration process where schools have to submit pertinent information concerning the proposed schools,” she said.

When asked about how residents would be able to identify which schools are approved by the government, the DG said the OEQA was working towards uploading the names of accredited schools within the state to its website and would make an announcement once that is done.

FG May Revoke Land Allocations, Demolish 6,000 Buildings, Slums

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The Federal Government may demolish no fewer than 30 illegal settlements and slums and over 6,000 illegal buildings in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as part of measures to restore the nation’s capital’s master plan.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who dropped the hint on resuming office on Monday, said all illegal buildings distorting the Abuja master plan would be pulled down.

Wike vowed to flatten all illegal buildings even if they belonged to a minister or an ambassador.

Findings by The PUNCH indicate that the slums that might be affected by the urban renewal programme would include Apo Mechanic Village, Byanzhin, Dawaki, Dei Dei, Durumi, Dutse, Garki, Garki Village, Gishiri, Gwagwalape, Idu, Jabi, Kado Village, Karmo, Karshi, Karu, Katampe, Ketti Village, Kpaduma, Kabusa, Kpana Village, Kubwa, Lokogoma, Lugbe, Mabushi, Mpape, Nyanya and Piya Kasa.

Also, those who acquired lands from Abuja indigenes may lose their investments as they were regarded by the FCT Administration as illegal.

Checks indicate that the 6,000 structures that may be affected by the restoration plans included buildings that have been abandoned for a long time in violation of the building code.

The figure may, however, increase as it doesn’t include the number of illegal homes or slums in the FCT, according to FCTA officials, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Monday.

Speaking in a telephone interview on Monday, the FCTA Department of Development Control Director, Muktar Galadima, stated that a new survey might have to be conducted to evaluate the current realities.

Dunyanari (
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