ABUJA: Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media to Federal Capital Territory FCT Minister, Lere Olayinka, has told former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar to jettison his ambition to govern the country in 2027, saying the 2023 Peoples Democratic Party PDP presidential candidate was not destined to rule the country.

Olayinka in a statement in Abuja yesterday, said “The PDP presidential ticket will no longer be available to be wasted by serial betrayals of the party, who are obviously suffering the consequences of their past sins against the party and its members”.

Insisting that Atiku should perish the thought of contesting the 2027 presidential election as candidate of the PDP, Olayinka said “Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and those egging him on for their benefits should let the PDP breathe.”

FCT Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike had said during a live media parley in his office in Abuja on Wednesday that there would be no chance for Atiku, who was the 2023 Presidential candidate of the PDP to secure the party’s ticket in 2027.

Reacting through his Media Aide, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku had alluded to his defeat of Wike to pick the 2023 PDP presidential ticket as well as the former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, to emerge as the candidate in 2019.

However, in a statement yesterday, Olayinka, said Atiku’s “celebration of his narrow and fraudulent defeat of Wike in the 2022 PDP primary was funny and childish”, adding that “it is like Arsenal fans jumping to the rooftops to celebrate the club’s narrow defeat of Super Falcons.”

He said: “That Atiku is venerating himself for contesting PDP ticket with Wike and Tambuwal, people who were just a little above 25 as of 1993, when he contested the Social Democratic Party SDP presidential primary and came third, is the more reason he needs to go home and rest and stop acting like the proverbial cock that failed to realize that it is now elderly.”

Describing Atiku as someone not destined to be president of Nigeria, Olayinka said; “It is obvious that he (Atiku) is paying the price of betraying the PDP in 2003, 2007 and 2014. If not, the same presidency he has contested twice and lost, could have been his to just pick if he had avoided being inordinately ambitious while he was Vice President.”

“It was this desperation that made him to contest for president as candidate of Action Congress in 2007, while still serving as Vice President, elected under the platform of the PDP. A serving Vice President joining others to form another party and contesting as candidate of the new party against his own party.

That’s Alhaji Atiku Abubakar!

“Most importantly, Atiku’s conscience will continue to prick him on his roles in Lagos in 2023, and I am sure that even his apology to PDP members in 2018 can never remove from his body, that garment of betrayal.
“Therefore, it is again being sounded to his ears and those of the people lying to him that he is the only one who can win the presidency for the PDP that the ticket of the party will not be for someone like him, who will lose election and run to Dubai, only to come back two years to another election”, Olayinka added

Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has rewarded wrestlers from the state that won medals at the 13th National Wrestling Classics held last weekend at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, the state capital.

Bayelsa emerged overall winners of the wrestling championship, which was the third sponsored by Governor Diri.

Each gold medalist got N500,000, silver medalists N200,000 and bronze medalists N100,000 each.

This was contained in a statement on Thursday by Chief Press Secretary to Governor of Bayelsa State, Daniel Alabrah.

Senator Diri presented the cash rewards to the winners on Thursday morning shortly after the weekly Prosperity Walk programme at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex.

He also rewarded Team Bayelsa with the sum of N2 million while the Dynamite Wrestling Club in the state that came third got N1 million.

The Bayelsa governor said the gesture was to encourage and motivate athletes to continue to excel in future championships.

He directed the Commissioner for Sports, Hon. Daniel Igali, who is also President, Nigeria Wrestling Federation, to haunt for young talents at the grassroots in the quest to produce future champions.

He said: “l congratulate all winners in the wrestling championship. Wrestling is indigenous to Bayelsa State. So it should continue to maintain its first position. All of our competitors must come tops at national events, especially in wrestling and other combat sports.

“Government is appreciating all our gold medalists in the wrestling competition with the sum of N500,000, silver medalists N200,000 and bronze medalists N100,000.

“I have been talking with Blessing Oborududu, the Olympic silver medalist, who has made a mark in wrestling, to mentor and train young ones that will take over from her upon retirement.”

The goveror noted that his administration had already reached out to top athletes, including Oborududu, to fish out talents across the local government areas in order to train them to win laurels at state, national and international levels.

In his remarks, Hon. Daniel Igali said 25 states and 11 clubs participated in the national wrestling classics.

Presenting the winners and their trophies, Igali said Bayelsa came first in Greco-Roman and freestyle categories as well as in the female category.

He added that the state also came tops in all categories while a Bayelsa wrestler emerged as the outstanding competitor in Greco-Roman style.

Eniola Shokunbi, a 12 years old Nigerian from Connecticut, USA, has designed an air filter to reduce spread of air borne diseases in US schools.

The design targets creating low-cost air filters for classrooms. The Connecticut State Bond Commission approved $11.5 million in funding for the design.

In her fifth grade at Commodore MacDonough STEM Academy in Middletown, they were tasked with creating a solution to enhance safety in schools during potential future pandemics.

Therefore, to combat airborne viruses like COVID-19, she developed a simple but effective air filter system.

Design
Shokunbi’s air filter design showcases both innovation and cost-effectiveness. The unit is constructed using a simple combination of components: a box fan, four furnace filters, duct tape, and cardboard.

This ingenious assembly results in a remarkably low production cost of approximately $60 per unit. This makes it a highly affordable alternative to commercial air purifiers.

Eniola Shokunbi said: “The air goes through all the sides, and it comes out of the top. So it filters in and out.”

With support from scientists at the University of Connecticut, UConn, Shokunbi’s design underwent rigorous testing.

The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, confirmed that the device effectively eliminates over 99% of airborne viruses, showcasing its potential to significantly improve classroom safety.

The recent approval by the State Bond Commission allocates $11.5 million for the implementation of these air filters across Connecticut schools.

This funding is part of UConn’s SAFE-CT: Supplemental Air Filtration for Education Program, which aims to ensure that every public school classroom has access to these vital air purification systems.

Shokunbi’s vision extends beyond Connecticut; she aspires to see her air filters implemented in classrooms nationwide.

“A lot of people don’t realize that the only thing standing between them and getting sick is science,” Eniola Shokunbi said.

Also, she emphasized the importance of investing in scientific solutions for children’s health.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has detained Timber Kesiye Wabote, the former Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), over allegations of misappropriating $35 million in public funds, News360 Nigeria reports.

The funds were tied to the abandoned Brass Project in Bayelsa State.

Wabote’s arrest follows the earlier apprehension of Akintoye Adeoye Akindele, Managing Director of Atlantic International Refinery and Petrochemical Limited. Akindele faces charges including money laundering, fund misappropriation, and diversion of resources related to the same project.

The investigation centers on the failed initiative aimed at establishing an Energy Infrastructure Park in Okpoama Community, Brass Local Government Area. The proposed development was to feature a refinery, jetty, gas plant, power facility, data center, and a tank farm with a 2,000-barrel-per-day processing capacity.

Reports indicate that NCDMB, under Wabote’s leadership, committed $35 million in counterpart funding to the project. However, minimal progress was made, and the project was abandoned by December 2020, raising questions about the fund’s usage. Akindele was reportedly entrusted with overseeing the construction of the facilities but is accused of misappropriating the substantial sum.

Preliminary EFCC findings reveal that Wabote, who served as NCDMB’s Executive Secretary from 2016 to 2023, may have been involved in multiple investment mismanagements, including projects like the Brass Free Trade Zone. His current arrest specifically pertains to the mismanagement of the refinery project funds.

The EFCC is holding Wabote at its Abuja headquarters as the investigation broadens, with more individuals potentially implicated.

EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale confirmed the arrest but refrained from disclosing further details.

An Air Peace flight bound for Lagos was on Thursday morning abruptly grounded due to a bird strike at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

The flight, scheduled to depart at 6:30 a.m., was taxied on the runway and ready for takeoff when the unexpected incident occurred.

Lagos-based human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong, who was on board, took to his social media handle to recount the experience.

He said, “While taxing on the runway and just before takeoff, our Air Peace flight from Abuja to Lagos scheduled for 6:30 AM today was stopped forcefully, resulting in panic and screams by some passengers.

“Thankfully, whatever happened did not occur after takeoff. It would have been scarier.”

PRESS RELEASE

ONDO ELECTIONS: IGP DEPLOYS DIG ALABI AS DIG ELECTIONS, EMPLACES WATERTIGHT SECURITY.

Orders Restriction of Movement During Elections.

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D., NPM., has announced comprehensive security measures aimed at ensuring a peaceful, transparent, and credible electoral process during the upcoming Ondo off-season Gubernatorial elections scheduled for Saturday, November 16, 2024.

In preparation for the elections, the IGP has deployed DIG Sylvester Abiodun Alabi as the coordinating DIG for the Elections, tasked with overseeing the implementation of the Police security strategies to maintain law and order throughout the electoral period, while AIG Bennett Igweh, mni, and CP Tunji Disu are deployed as AIG and CP Elections respectively.

As part of the security framework, there will be a restriction of all vehicular movements on roads, waterways, and other means of transportation from 6am to 6pm on Election Day, with the exception of those on essential services, such as ambulances, media officials, fire services, and other accredited media.

Furthermore, security aides and escorts attached to VIPs are banned from accompanying VIPs to polling booths and collation centres to prevent disruptions. Unauthorized security personnel and quasi-security agencies will not be permitted to operate during the election, and a strict ban on the use of sirens by unauthorized vehicles will be enforced. Special consideration will also be extended to individuals with disabilities, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and those facing mobility challenges to ensure that polling stations remain accessible.

Designated election lines have been established for inquiries and reporting incidents. These lines will be publicized as soon as possible.

The Nigeria Police Force urges citizens to report all suspicious activities that may threaten the integrity of the electoral process and reaffirms its commitment to fostering a safe and democratic environment as the state gears up for the elections. The Police will also be working with the military and other Federal security agencies as collaborative efforts from all stakeholders are vital to ensuring that the elections are conducted fairly and peacefully.

ACP OLUMUYIWA ADEJOBI, mnipr, mipra, fCAI
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER,
FORCE HEADQUARTERS,
ABUJA.

14TH NOVEMBER 2024.

President of the Nigerian Young Professionals Forum (NYPF), Mr. David Osadolor, has called on Young Professionals to lead Africa’s change and transformation with vision and bravery.

Osadolor noted this on Tuesday while participating as a panelist at the 2nd African Entrepreneurs and Investors Roundtable 2024 in Abuja.

Addressing an audience of young professionals, investors, and policymakers, he shared his perspectives on how young professionals can contribute to Africa’s development and progress, both in Nigeria and across the continent.

Osadolor emphasized the critical role that young people play in shaping Africa’s future. He noted that Africa’s youth possess unique energy, innovation, and resilience, qualities that can be harnessed to address the continent’s challenges and drive sustainable growth. “The power of youthful vision is unparalleled,” he stated, stressing that with the right support, young people can transform industries, create jobs, and make lasting contributions to society.

Furthermore, Mr Osadolor encouraged young professionals to approach their goals with patience and persistence. He explained that while success is highly attainable, it requires consistency, resilience, and focus. “Success is a journey,” he noted, “and only those who stay the course and continue to improve themselves will realize their potential.” He highlighted that the path to progress is often challenging but can yield significant rewards when pursued with dedication.

In addition to motivating the youth, Osadolr urged African leaders to create systems that work effectively for everyone. He maintained that when governments at all levels prioritize functional and fair systems, it can foster an environment conducive to talent retention and development. “We need our leaders to prioritize systemic functionality,” he stated, expressing confidence that improvements in governance will encourage talented Africans abroad to return home, bringing their skills, experience, and resources to further drive progress.

The roundtable event, themed “Harnessing Global Opportunities: Advancing Investment and Entrepreneurship in Africa,” explored Africa’s potential in various sectors and addressed ways to foster economic development through strategic investments, global partnerships, and supportive policies.

Osadolor highlighted that Africa’s diversity, large youth population, and rapidly growing urban centers present vast opportunities that, if leveraged, could significantly elevate Africa’s standing on the global economic stage.

Additionally, the NYPF President underscored the importance of vision, resilience, and collaboration in achieving a prosperous Africa. He explained that as young people take up the mantle of leadership and entrepreneurship, they will not only contribute to their personal success but also to the broader social and economic advancement of the continent.

Mr. Osadolor’s message resonated with many young professionals in attendance, sparking a lively discussion on how best to navigate the challenges of the African business landscape while remaining focused on long-term goals. His call for action echoed across the room, reminding young Africans of their vital role in shaping a brighter future for themselves and the continent.

The NYPF team in attendance was made up of Mr Gerald So-Geroge, Mr Caisy Gidson – Alagbariya and Ere-ebi Agedah Imisi.

The roundtable had 2 panel sessions, Mr Daniel Obah presented a welcoming address as the Lead Consultant, MD Neveah Limited, Ibidapo Lawal Idris, was the Chairman. Others in attendance include, Special Asst to the President (OVP) on Digital &Creative Economy, Fegho Umunubo, CEO Centrepoint Multisolutions & Tech Terminal, Nnedinma Obioha, Director, Utosa Energy Oil&Gas, Nkiruka Ejimofor, Managing Partner Hakrek Advisory Services Mr Tonye Isokariari among others.