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Group To Tinubu: Forget Partisanship, Listen To Obi’s Counsel
Worried by the controversy over President Bola Tinubu’s identity crisis as well as the furore over the authenticity or otherwise of his Chicago State University certificate, the Neo Africana Centre (NAC) has asked Tinubu to look beyond partisanship and embrace the counsel offered him by Peter Obi on how to resolve the issues in contention.
Tinubu has been embroiled in controversy over his claim to have attended and obtained a certificate from Chicago State University in the United States. There is also a haze of uncertainty over his true identity following the inconsistencies in his name and gender as revealed by the Chicago papers.
To put paid to these controversies, Peter Obi, the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 2023 presidential election, has asked Tinubu to mount the rostrum and address Nigerians on these vexed issues to save himself and Nigeria the embarrassment arising from them.
In a statement by its Director of Public Affairs, Jenkins Udu, the Centre said it agrees with Obi that Tinubu should speak up on the issue as his silence is deepening suspicion and distrust over the matter. According to the public policy think tank, Tinubu will be doing himself a world of good if he does not bring partisan considerations to bear on Obi’s counsel. If anything, he should see Obi’s interest in the matter as a friendly intervention by a patriot who is concerned about the sanctity of the office of the president as well as the image of his country.
Part of the statement reads:
“We have observed with concern the furore over President Bola Tinubu’s Chicago papers especially as they relate to the certificate he claimed to have acquired from Chicago State University. The Chicago papers have also raised questions over Tinubu’s true identity, including his gender. These ugly developments are not only embarrassing to Nigerians, they cast a slur on the image of the president and the office he occupies. They have the potential to bring the Nigerian presidency to disrepute if not properly handled.
“We were therefore deeply relieved when Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the February 2023 presidential election, brushed politics aside and offered Tinubu a well-intentioned and genuine counsel which, if embraced by Mr President, will put paid to the ongoing controversy. Rather than harangue and brow-beat Obi for his patriotic intervention as some Tinubu’s lackeys are doing, he should be applauded for prescribing the right antidote to a festering sore.
“We therefore agree with Obi that Tinubu should address Nigerians on this subject matter. As the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tinubu’s identity should not be a matter of speculation. If Nigerians did not have full knowledge of who he was before he was declared president, questions arising from the Chicago papers have compelled them to seek to know who their president is. This, for us, is a simple matter. Tinubu as Nigeria’s first citizen should gladly step forward to clear the air on areas of doubt about his identity and background. Making himself an object of gossip and unedifying banters is tantamount to debasing the Nigerian presidency.
“It is unconscionable for a president who claims to hold the people’s mandate to leave the same people to speculate about who he is. Public office is a trust. In other words, Tinubu occupies his present office on behalf of the people. The people should therefore, at all times, be in a position to talk freely and confidently about their president. But this can only be possible if his background is not cloaked in secrecy. The ongoing attempt at shielding the identity and background of Mr President from the public is therefore patently distasteful. It will only create the impression that the president has something to hide.
“It is regrettable that elements around the president are polluting the political space with divisiveness and bad blood just because the people who, ostensibly, voted the president into office are insisting on their right to know. Honour and integrity demand that the president should make full disclosures about his identity and background. Silence cannot be golden in this circumstance.”
The Media Rights Agenda (MRA) has urged for necessary measures to protect journalists and other media workers during this weekend’s off-cycle elections in Bayelsa, Imo, and Kogi States.
The group sent the request to the federal and state governments, as well as law enforcement and security agencies, stressing that the role of journalists in disseminating information about the electoral process is critical to ensuring free, fair, and transparent elections.
In a statement issued ahead of the elections in Lagos and signed by the Communications Officer, Media Rights Agenda, Idowu Adewale, MRA also urged journalists to be cautious and to use its existing hotline (08138755660) to report any threat or attack they may encounter during the process, as well as any obstacle.
Adewale said in the statement: “Given the pattern of heightened attacks on journalists and the media during previous elections, including the recent 2023 general elections, as well as the tense political climate in the three states in the lead-up to the elections, measures must be taken to ensure general security during the elections and provide adequate protection for journalists covering the elections.”
“Access to information allows citizens and other members of the public to have the information they need about political and electoral processes, facilitating effective public participation in elections,” he says.
“Journalists and the media play an important role in ensuring residents and other members of the public have access to information and may participate in the process.
“As part of efforts to preserve the integrity of the polls, it is also critical that the safety and well-being of these interlocutors be assured and safeguarded.”
Lamenting the increased number of attacks on journalists in the run-up to the off-cycle elections, as well as earlier this year in the run-up to the general elections, he emphasised that “a free and vibrant media is fundamental to a healthy democracy, and journalists must be able to carry out their duties without fear, coercion, or violence.” During this vital phase, MRA stands ready to assist them and assure their safety.”
Men from the Edo State Police Command are said to have detained Mrs. Toluige Olokoobi’s husband after he allegedly murdered her.
Olokoobi was the mother of Oreofeoluwa Lawal-Babalola, the tiny boy whose video went viral in 2020 after he pleaded with his mother, “Mummy be calming down.”
Oreofeoluwa rose to prominence on social media after a video of him crying in an attempt to confidently appeal to his mother, who chastised him, went viral.
The film inspired Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who used it to deliver an Eid-el-Kabir appeal to Muslims and Lagos people in general to remain calm during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Following that, the youngster and his family met with the governor, who praised his bravery and poise.
While little has been heard about the family in three years, heartbreaking news broke on social media on Tuesday that the boy’s mother had committed suicide.
According to an X user, Olokoobi committed suicide in Benin, the capital of Edo State, for unknown reasons.
The X user, who stated that he was present at the site on Monday afternoon, went on to say that she had refused to disclose her difficulties with anyone before committing herself.
“The woman in the viral Mummy Calm Down video has just committed suicide here in Benin,” he stated in an email.
“She refused to discuss her problems with anyone.” She abandoned three children for her husband, including the well-known Mummy Calm Down boy.”
Meanwhile, confirming Olokoobi’s death in a chat with BBC Pidgin, the spokesperson of the Edo State police command, Chidi Nwabuzor, said her husband has been arrested and detained for questioning.
Nwabuzor said the husband reported the matter to the police.
The police spokesperson quoted the husband to have said that “he came home from the market when he saw his wife hanging with rope on her neck”.
Nwabuzor said she was rushed to the hospital and then to the mortuary after she was confirmed dead. (Adapted from a Vanguard report).
The Anambra State Police Command Headquarters Conference Hall was a hive of activity Thursday as CP Aderemi Adeoye took turns decorating around 18 promoted officers of the command with their new titles.
The delight of some of the officers whose wives assisted the CP in decorating their husbands with their new ranks knew no bounds, as their husbands duly saluted their wives and the CP for their new positions and responsibilities.
Obi Innocent, one of the officers elevated to the rank of Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), whose wife joined CP Aderemi Adeoye in adorning him with his new rank, said it was wonderful that the Inspector General of Police thought him worthy.
CSP Obi Innocent, the officer in charge of the Legal Department at Zone 13, Police Zonal Headquarters Ukpo, stated that his new rank was a call to service and that he would do his best to uphold the charge given to them by CP Aderemi Adeoye to respect and protect the citizenry’s fundamental rights in the discharge of their new assignments.
Charity Akharame, who was honoured with the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and was the only female officer among the 18 promoted officers decorated with new ranks, said it was not an easy feat but she was grateful to be among those who were decorated with their new ranks.
DSP Charity Akharame, the officer in charge of stores in the Anambra State Police Command, recalled how she began as a Police Constable and worked her way up to her current position as Deputy Superintendent of Police.
She stated that as a very disciplined police officer, she would follow the Police Commissioner’s directions regarding respect for all and sundry in the fulfillment of her constitutional obligations.
Jane-Frances Obi, one of the spouses of the officers elevated to the level of CSP, stated that being the wife of a police officer was not an easy assignment. As a result, she recommended any lady who is married to a police officer to be patient and understanding because the job is quite demanding.
Jane-Frances Obi, whose husband is Innocent Obi, the officer in charge of the Legal Department at Zone 13 Ukpo, believes the promotion is a reward for years of being patient, understanding, and standing in for them when they are not present.
Meanwhile, Emenike Chinenyenwa, who was decorated with the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and presented a vote of appreciation, expressed deep gratitude to the IGP and the Chairman of the Police Service Commission for considering them worthy of being adorned in their new ranks.
ACP Emenike, the officer in charge of Medicals, stated that the elevation comes with increased responsibility and that they will work harder in their new tasks.
CP Aderemi Adeoye praised the current promotion winners in his remarks, noting that two aspects make the police career very interesting and eventful. He stated that one is for promotion and the other is for positions.
CP Adeoye, on the other hand, urged the newly honored officers to develop more empathy, compassion, care, and dedication in the performance of their jobs.
The police chief insisted that newly promoted officers must first recognise that they share the same humanity as others, and as a result, they must treat all people with dignity and protect their fundamental human rights at all times.
CP Aderemi Adeoye stressed that without the enormous roles of spouses, they wouldn’t have been successful in their careers. He therefore congratulated all the promoted and prayed that God gives them good health to enjoy the new ranks and the energy to discharge the responsibilities of their new offices.
- Source: Independent
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