Headlines
Online Security News Publishers Honour IGP Baba, Olukoya, Audi with Man of the Year Award
By Eric Elezuo
The trio of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, the General Overseer of the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries (MFM), Dr. Daniel Olukoya and the Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Abubakar Audi, has been honoured with the prestigious Man of the Year Award of the National Association of Online Security News Publishers (NAOSNP).
The trio was considered for the honour as result of their various contributions to the security development and well being of the Nigerian society.
Receiving their awards at the splendidly organised NAOSNP 2021 Security Conference and Awards, the accomplished officers of the law and religion, expressed their joy at the award, adding that they would continue to do their best to see that security of citizens and property is restored, including ensuring that the youths are fed with the Word, to keep them away from acts capable of jeopardising their future and rendering the society ungovernable.
In his response, Dr. Olukoya, who was represented by Pastor Success Enushai, thanked the Association for the honoured, saying it is his responsibility as a minister of God to ensure that security is the lot of all and sundry in the country.
“We are supporting the entrenchment of adequate security in the Nigeria society by doing all within our power to take the youths off the streets, create jobs and inculcate discipline into them through the constant release of the Word of God to also nourish their souls,” Pastor Enushai said.
Dr. Olukoya is the Founder and Presiding Pastor of the thriving MFMM, located along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. His youth outreach is targeted the young ones, who have been empowered with vocational crafts that have stood them in the competitive society.
Apart from the ownership of Mountain Top University, Olukoya and his MFMM are the owners and sponsors of the first division club side, MFM football Club, base in Lagos, where they play their home games. The team, in the recent past, has won the National Premier League. The contributions of the servant of God to the security well well being speak volumes.
Also responding, the NSCDC boss, Audi, who was also decorated with the Exemplary leadership award, and was represented by the Public Relations Officer of the Corps, DCC Olusola Odumosu, noted that the NAOSNP is an Association to reckon with, adding that he was elated to be considered for the honours.
In his paper delivered by DCC Odumosu, Audi remarked that the Corps has been repositioned to tackle crime and criminal elements headlong, highlighting that it is winning the war against vandalisation and other sundry offences.
The lofty awards recipients were honoured during the Association’s Security Conference and Awards event held at the NECA House with the theme A Nation Under Siege: Activating Technology and Local Intelligence to Solve Conundrum.
The event witnessed the presentation of papers on the way forward for a violent-crime-free Nigeria with two former Inspector General of Police, Mr Mike Okiro and MD Abubakar as keynote speakers in addition to panel discussion featuring established security practitioners and experts including Mr Afolabi Oke of Infoswift, Matthew Ibadin, NSCDC’s Seun Abolurin, Cynthia Gregg, DSP Edafe Bright, and Ibiba, who stood in for the NDLEA chairman, Buba Marwa.
The draw for the Champions League last 16 and knockout play-offs has been completed.
One of the most interesting fixtures, will see Benfica play Real Madrid.
The two teams clashed on the last day of the league phase with Jose Mourinho’s men winning 4-2 in Portugal.
That result saw Benfica sneak into the play-offs and denied Madrid an automatic spot.
Clubs have been paired together based on where they finished at the end of the league phase to form seeded and unseeded pairs.
The teams that finished ninth to 16th were in the seeded pairs, while 17th to 24th were in unseeded pairs.
PLAY-OFF DRAWS:
Borussia Dortmund vs Atalanta
Olympiacos vs Bayer Leverkusen
Galatasaray vs Juventus
Club Brugge vs Atletico Madrid
Monaco vs PSG
Qarabag vs Newcastle
Benfica vs Real Madrid
Bodo/Glimt vs Inter
Knockout play-off round: February 17-18, February 24-25
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has rejected the call by the Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) seeking the removal of the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan.
The Shari’ah Council, earlier this week, demanded the immediate removal and prosecution of Amupitan, as members of the Council questioned his integrity over a legal brief in which he reportedly acknowledged claims of persecution constituting genocide of Christians in Nigeria.
Reacting to the development in a statement on Thursday, the Chairman of Northern CAN, Reverend Joseph John Hayab, and the Secretary General of Northern CAN, Bishop Mohammed Naga, questioned the motive behind the demand, asking who was sponsoring the call and why such interests are hiding behind the platform of a religious body.
Describing the call as a dangerous attempt to politicise religion and undermine a critical national institution, Hayab stressed that Professor Amupitan has a constitutional right to freedom of religion, adding that expressing concern over challenges faced by his religion does not amount to bias or disqualification from public service.
He also pointed out that many Muslims who had served in key government positions in the past had troubling religious antecedents, yet were not subjected to similar scrutiny, urging national actors to prioritise competence and national interest over sectarian sentiment.
Hayab, who warned that the controversy further reinforces concerns about persistent religious discrimination against Christians in Nigeria, particularly in appointments to sensitive national offices, recalled that the two immediate past INEC chairmen were Muslims from Northern Nigeria, and warned against narratives suggesting that only adherents of a particular religion are qualified to lead the electoral body.
“Anyone hiding under the guise of the Shari’ah Council to demand the removal of the INEC chairman over political or sectarian interests should come out boldly. Otherwise, the ploy has died naturally, he said.
“”Are they saying that no other religion should serve as INEC chairman except Muslims? The most important question Nigerians should ask is whether Professor Amupitan is competent or not.
That should be the focus, not his faith,” the statement added.
The association commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what it described as a deliberate effort to promote national unity by appointing a Christian as INEC Chairman, despite being a Muslim.
It noted that the decision reflected statesmanship and inclusivity, similar to precedents set under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, who kept a northern Muslim as INEC Chairman against all odds.
The Christian leaders advise the Shari’ah Council to publicly identify any individual or group behind the campaign against the INEC chairman, insisting that religious platforms must not be used as “cheap cover” to pursue political interests or intimidate public officials.They, however, called on the INEC chairman not to be distracted by the controversy, urging him to remain focused on his constitutional responsibility of conducting free, fair and credible elections.
“He should concentrate on doing the right thing for Nigerians and not behave like others who openly manipulated elections in the past and now seek to remain relevant through religious blackmail,” the statement said.
Northern CAN also raised concerns about what it described as emerging signals of a coordinated political agenda ahead of the 2027 general election, citing recent comments by the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Creative Economy, Hannatu Musawa, who warned that the All Progressives Congress (APC) risks electoral defeat if it drops a Northern Muslim-Muslim ticket from President Bola Tinubu’s re-election ticket.
According to the association, such statements, when viewed alongside the sustained attacks on a Christian INEC chairman, raise legitimate questions about whether there is a deliberate effort to undermine Christian participation and confidence in the country’s political process.
Headlines
FCT Council Polls: Mammoth Crowd Troops Out in Solidarity As Peter Obi Campaigns for ADC Candidates
Leading presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Party (ADC), Peter Obi, on Tuesday embarked, on an early morning grassroots engagement across several area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as part of activities ahead of the council polls.
Obi, in a post on X, said he set out as early as 6:30 am from his office in the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to interact directly with residents and reinforce his vision of people-centred leadership.
His first stop was Abaji Area Council, where he campaigned alongside Dr. Mohammed Ibrahim, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) chairmanship candidate.
Peter Obi took a one-hour walk through the community, engaging the grassroots and listening to their concerns.
He later proceeded to Kwali Area Council to support Hon. Jeremiah Badoji, the ADC chairmanship candidate, where he again spent time walking through the community and interacting with locals, stressing that leadership must be accessible and rooted in the everyday realities of the people.
The former Anambra governor also visited Zuba in Gwagwalada Area Council to campaign for Pharmacist Iko Danjuma, the ADC chairmanship candidate, before moving to Deidei Market.
At the market, Obi engaged traders and residents while canvassing support for Dr Moses Paul, the ADC chairmanship candidate for AMAC.
He used the engagements to reiterate his commitment to inclusive development and grassroots-driven leadership that prioritises the welfare and aspirations of ordinary citizens.
