Headlines
Buhari Allocates Nine Senior Ministers to North West, Afenifere, Ohanaeze Kick
Afenifere and Ohanaeze Ndigbo have criticised the allocation of ministries by President Muhammadu Buhari, with all nine ministers from the North-West receiving senior positions.
Among the six geopolitical zones in the country, the North West, which consists of Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara States, have the highest number of ministers, all of which received senior portfolios.
The President, who hails from Katsina State, also garnered the highest number of votes from the North-West.
The nine cabinet members from the North-West include Suleiman Adamu (Jigawa State), who was appointed Minister of Water Resources; Zainab Ahmed (Kaduna State), Minister of Finance; Muhammad Mahmood (Kaduna State), Minister of Environment; and Sabo Nanono (Kano State), Minister of Agriculture and Development.
Others are Major General Bashir Salihi Magashi (Kano State), Minister of Defence; Hadi Sirika (Katsina State), Minister of Aviation; Abubakar Malami (Kebbi State), Minister of Justice; Maigarai Dingyadi (Sokoto State), Minister of Police Affairs; and Sadiya Umar Faruk (Zamfara State), Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development.
The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, who spoke to one of our correspondents, said the appointment of the ministers was a reflection of “sectionalism on the part of the President.”
According to him, the appointment mirrored the complaints made by critics in Buhari’s first term as president.
Odumakin said, “That is next level of sectionalism in your face, and incorrigibility.
“There have been complaints about all these things since the first term.
“Now, it has been done in super way. So, that is the next level. Welcome to the next level.”
The National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze, Uche Achi-Okpoga, said his group was not surprised by the development.
He noted that Buhari had repeatedly promised to give the North-West preference in his cabinet.
He said, “It is not a surprise. We were not expecting anything less. We have a President that does not mince words.
“He stated it in his first tenure that he would not sacrifice those who gave him 97 per cent votes to those who gave him may be five per cent. So, why should we be surprised that he gave juicy and senior positions to his kinsmen?
“He has demonstrated it in his body language, speeches, action and everything.
“He also said we should not expect him to change.
“We will survive him and another president will come who will change things.”
The Punch
The first hostages freed from Gaza under a long-awaited ceasefire agreement are back in Israel. The news sparked jubilant scenes in Tel Aviv where large crowds gathered ahead of their release.
The three freed Israeli hostages – the first of 33 to be released over the next six weeks – are Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari. They are said to be in good health and are receiving treatment at a medical center in Tel Aviv.
In exchange, 90 Palestinian prisoners and detainees are set to be released by Israel from Ofer Prison in the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military withdrew from several locations in southern and northern Gaza after the truce began earlier on Sunday, an Israeli military official told CNN.
Displaced Gazans have started returning to their homes, while the aid trucks laden with much-needed supplies have crossed into Gaza. Here’s what we know about how the ceasefire deal will work.
Hamas, despite suffering devastating losses, is framing the Gaza ceasefire agreement as a victory for itself, and a failure for Israel.
One of Hamas’ main goals for taking some 250 people during its brazen October 7, 2023, attack on Israel was to secure the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. As Israel pounded Gaza in response, Hamas vowed not to return the hostages until Israel withdrew its forces from the enclave, permanently ended the war, and allowed for rebuilding.
Source: CNN
The leader of UK’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has said she doesn’t want Britain to be like Nigeria that is plagued by “terrible governments.”
Speaking on Thursday at an event organised by Onward, a British think tank producing research on economic and social issues, Badenoch expressed fears that Britain may become like Nigeria if the system is not reformed.
“And why does this matter so much to me? It’s because I know what it is like to have something and then to lose it,” Badenoch told the audience.
“I don’t want Britain to lose what it has.
“I grew up in a poor country and watched my relatively wealthy family become poorer and poorer, despite working harder and harder as their money disappeared with inflation.
“I came back to the UK aged 16 with my father’s last £100 in the hope of a better life.
“So I have lived with the consequences of terrible governments that destroy lives, and I never, ever want it to happen here.”
Badenoch has been in the news of late after she dissociated herself from Nigeria, saying she has nothing to do with the Islamic northern region.
She also accused the Nigeria Police of robbing citizens instead of protecting them.
She said: “My experience with the Nigeria Police was very negative. Coming to the UK, my experience with the British Police was very positive.
“The police in Nigeria will rob us (laughter). When people say I have this bad experience with the police because I’m black, I say well…I remember the police stole my brother’s shoe and his watch.”
