A group of Nigerian women professionals, under the aegis of Erudite Ladies of New York, has undertaken a humanitarian outreach to a homeless shelter in the city.

The visitors distributed hand sanitizer, face masks, gloves, canned food and other relief materials to the beneficiaries housed at a Salvation Army shelter in Jamaica, a middle-class neighbourhood.

The gesture comes as life slowly returns to normal in the Big Apple, once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

Erudite Ladies, a social/humanitarian organisation made up of female professionals from different fields, is principally involved in women empowerment.

Its President, Dr Maryjane Nwankwo, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the gesture was their little way of reaching out to the needy in these trying times.

“Amid the socio-economic hardship brought by the pandemic, we felt that the under-served population, which is the family shelter, needed our help.

“So, we are here today to provide some Personal Protective Equipment, food and other supplies that they need for self care.

“Some women are here because they have lost their jobs; some are here because they have no significant other to help them care for their kids, and they need help,’’ Nwankwo said.

The organisation’s mission, according to her, is to empower women to actualise their potentials through financial support, sensitisation and mentorship, among others.

She explained further: “We assist women and girls who need help to go to school, start a business or go to the next level of their career.

“ We are professional women from different walks of life. We target every woman that we know we can assist to reach their next level.

“Among us are nurses, pharmacists, human resource professionals, and others. So we come together, we meet, support one another and reach out to others.’’

The beneficiaries were not willing to be identified, but one of them thanked the organisation for the gesture, saying she was touched by the show of kindness.

(NAN)

The police on Monday arraigned two men before an Ogudu Magistrate Court, Lagos, for allegedly belonging to a secret cult.

The defendants, Charles Chuwuemeka, 23, and Taiwo Babalola, 28 whose addresses were not provided, are facing a two-count charge of conspiracy and membership of an unlawful society.

The police prosecutor, Rita Mommoh, told the court that Chukwuemeka and Babalola committed the offenses on June 12 at Ejigbo area of Lagos.

Mommoh said that the defendants and others still at large conspired to belong to a secret society.

She alleged that they were caught by a member of a vigilante group while taking the oath of allegiance to the secret society.

The prosecutor said that the offenses contravened Sections 42(a) and 411 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos, 2015.

The Magistrate, O.M. Ajayi, granted each of the defendants N200,000 bail with two sureties each in like sum.

Ajayi ordered that the sureties must reside within the court’s jurisdiction, be gainfully employed and have evidence of tax payment to the Lagos Government.

She adjourned the case until October 13, for mention.

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed that it is only through smooth working relationships among three tiers of government could the country achieve more and fight against forces that have been keeping the forces aback, particularly in the area of systemic corruption.

He explained if the executive, judiciary, and legislative arm of government could close ranks and come together to work for a common goal by restoring national ethics and value, the fight against corruption would be won.

The President said that the should the tiers of government keyed into the cherished traditional ethical values, including integrity, hard work, truth, justice among others, corruption and corruptive tendencies would be a thing of the past across the country.

The President made the call during his speech on Monday in Abuja at the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption and launch of National Ethics and Integrity Policy, an event to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the anti-corruption agency. The Policy was put together by the ICPC, in collaboration with the Office of the Secretary to Government of the Federation, and the National Orientation Agency.

According to him, progress could only be achieved in the delivery of dividends for the citizenry when the arms and tiers of government work together in stamping out systemic corruption across all sectors.

“I recognized in 1984 as I do even more now that corruption poses a clear danger to Nigeria, so, we cannot relent in efforts to eradicate it from our society. As I have often reminded Nigerians, ‘If we do not kill corruption, corruption will kill Nigeria. I believe that it is when the three arms and the three levels of government work together that the government will be enabled to serve the country. We will also see the positive impact of our efforts reaching all and sundry across the country.

“Bearing this critical factor in mind, I am happy that the theme of this year’s Summit by ICPC is, TOGETHER AGAINST CORRUPTION. I am aware that this theme derives from the theme of our 60th-anniversary celebration. Together as a nation, as a people, the three arms and three tiers of government working together, we can attack corruption and realize the vast potentials of our country,” the President was quoted as saying in a statement by his spokesperson, Femi Adesina.

President Buhari reiterated his earlier call on the judiciary to undertake reforms that will fast-track the delivery of justice for the common good.

“We need to deploy resources to address our common needs rather than the greed of a callous few. We need a corruption-free public sector to achieve this transformation; we need a judicial system that dispenses justice without undue delay and technicality. We need laws and legal system to be reformed to deliver justice to every citizen without regard to status and finally we need ethical re-orientation of the people to achieve this goal. When we work together against corruption we can defeat it.”

Others at the occasion include the Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Ibrahim Tanko Mohammed, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Abubakar Malami (SAN), and United Nations Resident Coordinator Edward Kallon.

The Senator representing Ogun West Senatorial District, Sen. Tolu Odebiyi has condemned in totality, another killing of an innocent resident of Oja-Odan in Yewa North local government of Ogun State by the men of the Nigeria Customs Service working under the Ogun State Command, even as he described these incessant killings in this area as totally reprehensible and unacceptable.

The Senator who expressed serious concern over these reported cases of incessant killings appeals to Nigeria Customs Service to urgently de-escalate tension in the area for the sake of peace and reduce apprehension in these areas.

The Ogun West Senator also tasked the Customs officials in Ogun Command to ensure that the killers of this middle-aged man, Idowu Moses who was hit by stray bullets fired by men of the Nigeria Customs Service, are brought to book quickly as these illegal acts of these officers have been criticized by the people.

Recall that the Senator had personally written series of strongly worded letters to the Comptroller General of Customs, Colonel Hameed Ibrahim Ali, had meetings with His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun MFR and top officials of the Command in Ogun on previous killings by these trigger-happy Customs men and also moved a motion on the floor of the Senate to condemn these despicable acts.

The Senator sympathies with the families of the deceased over these unfortunate and avoidable incidents occasioned by these trigger-happy men of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ogun.

The news worth knowing about the ATUNSE EKITI MOVEMENT now is its distribution of the cash SOCOVID palliative to the disabled group of persons including the albinos; the halt and the blind, the maimed, and the paralyzed across the sixteen local government areas of the state. An initiative of Engr. Segun Oni, former governor of Ekiti State, about one thousand of them benefitted from this financial relief.

Nothing is more appropriate at this time of global health challenges the world had ever faced than giving succour to the disabled in the society in the face of a changing economy, that has kept the purchasing power of the people at staggering odds. The import of this initiative is brought to us more vividly when one realises that mean-spirited politicians often made pretense to remembering the less privileged that forms the largest percentile of the electorate during election periods; and the festive seasons. Little wonder the beneficiaries could not contain the excitement and the life-long appreciation to a kind-hearted leader.

What makes the intervention unique, really, is the fact that it was administered on a non-partisan basis; non-gender discriminatory and totally devoid of religious leaning and ethnic sentiments. What is more, the palliative was all done to them with the decorum of proper proceeding devoid of noiselessness right at their respective homes. And to cap it all, the beneficiaries were celebrated with their pictures posted on the social media handles giving them one of the most blissful moments of their lives being accorded recognition.

The conclusion is clear: this great party of ours only works when we accept certain obligations to one another. And among those are love, charity, compassion and patriotism. That’s what Segun Oni has demonstrated. Remembracers will recollect Segun Oni-led purposeful government’s efforts at putting smiles on the faces of the citizens in the state through its people oriented programmes, policies and interventions when he was holding the ace as governor.

And I saw just the other day, in Isan where an elderly man told of his own ordeal how glaucoma nearly cost him everything he had laboured for had it not been for the world class opthamological hospital built by Segun Oni where he received free medical treatment. I had an opportunity to not just talk to the man, but meet this appreciative wife of his. When she narrated her husband’s terrible ordeal, I had tears rolling down my cheeks, because, I knew that man could be our own-a bread winner of the family. I know that it is beyond disputation that the populace wants Segun Oni to rule them again so that they can live under an orderly government whose priority is their well-being.

Right now, despite all the heart-rendering challenges facing the party, they’ve never been more hopeful that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will do the right thing right by choosing the right person in segunonistic spirit that has hitherto lifted the state from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope. It is certain all of Ekiti is indeed abuzz about this. Their trust in a compassionate, God-fearing, incorruptible and a person with undiminished integrity which Segun Oni personifies remains unshaken. The party, as we know is at a critical point; at a time when it seems as though all hope is shattering can’t risk partisan bickering and political posturing. Our leaders have to reach across the aisle to do the people’s wish and the Will of God. And party members-the true bastion of iron-who genuinely and sincerely support the party doing the right thing also have to rise to the occasion. They know the way to take to lift the state out of the darkest era of her history through the instrumentality of the party. Our leaders should walk the way. I will not close this piece without thanking all the coordinators. They have made extraordinary effort moving the palliative trail in their various localities to the targeted recipients. Thank you all for the hours of work on the field; for the calls and the meetings. You performed magnificently. God bless you all.

Finally, I want to thank our great leaders in the administrative wheel of this formidable house-the ATUNSE EKITI happy warriors of indomitable courage and spartan discipline-the best team anybody could ever hoped for. Thank you for the good job you’re doing. Trusting that your intellect and the tireless services, the unquestionable commitment to segunonistic restorative political ideology and the progressive democratic ideals that promote public policy for the good of our people will continue to propel the movement and the party to the expected end. Thank you for believing all the way, through thick and thin. I believe we can seize this future together because we are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain united. And together with God’s grace we will continue our journey forward to a blissful end 2022.

Thank you. God bless all members of this great party. God bless Ekiti State.

Anthony Ayeni.