News
Blasphemy: Kaduna, Osun CAN Protest Sokoto Killings, Attack On Kukah
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State chapter and Christians in Osun State, yesterday, staged peaceful protest through prayers against killings of a student, Miss Deborah Samuel and the attacks on a Catholic Church where Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah is in charge.
Fielding questions from reporters shortly after the prayer session, Vice Chairman, Kaduna State chapter of CAN, Rev. Father Chris Annger, blamed politicians and religious extremists for the attacks.
“A situation where individuals will take laws into their hands to waste life that’s given by God previously is what the Kaduna State chapter of the CAN is gathered here to say it’s not acceptable; it’s not right and should be condemned by every right thinking Nigerians on the face of the earth. That is why we are here”.
Commenting on the attack on a Catholic Church in Sokoto and the safety of Kukah, Annger said, “When we learnt that a Catholic Church is attacked in Sokoto, it’s very clear that that attack was on Bishop Matthew Kukah because he’s the one who’s like a voice to the voiceless in this country.
“He’s speaking truth to power every day. So, that attack was directly or indirectly on him. So, people coming out to condemn him or his speech and things like that, probably, you will know that it’s something that has been conceived.
“It’s just giving birth on account of this incident otherwise it is something that people have within themselves about Kukah because of the way and the manner he has been approaching issues in the country.
“So, the attack on the church was to a large extent, an attack on Kukah. We are calling on the Nigeria government to charge those in charge of carrying guns or agencies responsible for taking care of us, to be up and doing and protect the life of Kukah and every believer as well as every Nigerian to be protected from this menace. It’s unacceptable”.
On the alleged another blasphemy in Bauchi, Annger said, “It is serious but it’s one of the things when a government that’s not upright in its position to securing the state. These are the things that come up. In the first place, it like a religious crisis after…after that we have issue of Boko Haram and after that we have issues of banditry which we are presently struggling with. In every state there is no safety on our roads, everywhere.
“To travel from Kaduna to Abuja or any part of the country, is a challenging thing. Now, we have issue of killing in the name of blasphemy. We don’t know whether it’s another strategy to eliminate believers in Christ because it’s worrisome.
“More worrisome because of the fact that people who ordinarily that would have commented on issues like these are silence. The government is not talking or doing enough to curtail this menace. It’s quite challenging. So, we don’t know if it’s another strategy.
“But I want to believe that in the same way that other strategies failed, this one will fail because nobody has the right to take life in the name of anything. We have a law to be followed by every individual who’s part of this nation and that has to be respected.
“We used to live harmoniously in the past but politics has set in. So, sometimes politics can take issues to some levels. We have politicians that can use anything for their gains and we have religious extremists that they want to, in the name of their God, they want to kill. Sometimes, I began to wonder.
“I have a God that I have faith and confidence in that I feel He protects me. He leads me and direct me, and I know that I am limited. I cannot protect Him and fight for Him but we have people that are proud to say that they are fighting for their God.
“You have killed somebody in the name of God but when arrested people are protesting so that you can be release. They don’t want you to be killed in the name of the same God that you kill for. What an irony. So, politics can set in and religious extremists too can bring in crisis”.
Annger explained, “We are people of God to thank God for life and to thank God for what has recently happened in Sokoto, Deborah Samuel, who was gruesomely killed by Islamic extremist on account of blasphemy.
“So, we are here to first pray for survival of those who are alive and also let the world know that it’s not the best way to go by killing because we are living in a country where there are rules as constitution. I think as a patriotic Nigerians, we have what is guiding us that has to be respected.”
Similarly, members of the Christian Association of Nigeria in Osun State, held a peaceful protest at the secretariat of the association, demanding that those involved in the recent killing of Deborah Samuel in Sokoto State be punished according to the law.
Addressing the protesters, Osun CAN Chairman, Bishop Amos Ogunrinde, declared that the killing of late Deborah was barbaric and ungodly.
He said, “We want to declare that the killing of Deborah Samuel is ungodly, is an oppression on the people of other faiths, and we want to demand justice for the gruesome killing.
“We have come together today enmass to represent the Christian community in the state of Osun to express our feeling. We felt that the killing of Deborah is a great injustice to humanity, not only to Christians alone, but to humanity, because life is sacred.
“We want the perpetrators of this evil to be brought to book, to be brought to justice. Let them be tried, let them be prosecuted and the law should take its course, so, that this act of barbarism will stop in Nigeria.”
Similarly, members of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Osun Province 10 in Osogbo, had staged a peaceful protest against the killing of Deborah in Sokoto, calling for an end to any form of brutality under the guise of religion.
During the protest, members of the church held placards with different inscriptions such as ‘No killings in the name of God,’ ‘Let’s live together in peace,’ ‘God is watching,’ and ‘Let’s be our brothers’ keeper,’ among others.
Speaking with newsmen during the protest which was held at the Liberation Cathedral, the Province 10 Headquarters, Osogbo, the Pastor-in-charge of the province, Felix Afe-Johnson, said the protest was held in compliance with the directive of the RCCG leadership.
He further said, “They (RCCG leadership) asked us to just do peaceful protest to let everybody know that we don’t support the murdering of that young girl in Sokoto State.
“And we are not in support of bloodshed and all manner of vices going on in the country. We will prevent reoccurrence, when everyone keeps to his or her religion. We should not dabble into Islam and the Muslims should not dabble into Christianity since we are all pursuing same goal and ensure that there is peace.”
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.