Kogi TINUBU

Assures Abejide
Nigerians calls for proper
Government of Better funding of the
signs 5 Bills Days as 10th National
into law Page 8
He hosts
Tony Blair Assembly
Page 20
Page 2

THE CONFLUENCE TRUST

THE PEOPLES TRUST VOL.01 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
NO. 26

Kogi Guber 2023:

Alh. Murtala/Hon. Abenemi of SDP,
Dino, Ododo 7 others make INEC list
Page 7

President Bola Ahmed

Tinubu Addresses Nigerian
as He Takes Oath of Office,
Removed Fuel Subsidy Page 18

Hon. Idoko Barr. Okeme

CBN again revokes

licences of 132 Micro
Finance banks Page 21 Admiral Usman Jubrin
Sen. Dino

The rich getting

richer, the poor
getting poorer:
A Combination Hon. Abejide

of injustice and Alh. Muritala Ajaka

in-efficiency Page 23
Hon. Mubarak
Hon. Ododo
- Aderemi M. ( PhD)

BAGANA Kwara State

Governor
Communal emerges New
Crisis: Open As Buhari bows
EFCC exposes
plans by corrupt
Nigeria
letter to Gov. Bello out, NLC President
Governors and
Governor's Forum
of Kogi State, Page 6 scores him low
on infrastructure, other Politicians
Chairman (NGF)
While Seyi Makinde
Attah Igala- I. D. Ijele security, power to flee Nigeria is his Vice Page 8
and others Page 8 Page 8

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 02
CCB orders Tinubu , Governors-elect
and others to declare assets before
29th May, 2023.
T he Conuence Trust Newspaper
reports that the Code of Conduct
Bureau (CCB) has said that all
newly elected ofcers, including the
President-elect, Bola Tinubu, his Vice,
Kashim Shettima, and state governors,
either newly elected or re-elected must
declare their assets before they are sworn
in on May 29 or they will face the
consequences for not doing so.
This online newspaper understands that
Dr. Mustapha Musa, the Special Assistant
to CCB Chairman, Prof. Mohammed Isah,
stated this in a chat with the media on
Tuesday. According to him, the Bureau has
done its part by issuing the asset
declaration forms to all newly elected and
re-elected public ofcers across the
country.
He, however, noted that some of the
forms issued have not been returned.
According to Musa, the constitution is
clear on the consequences for those that
fail to return the form before they are
sworn in.
Constitutional mandate
Emphasizing the importance of the asset
declaration for all elected and appointed
public ofcers, Musa said:
“It is important for elected ofcers to
comply with the provisions of the
Constitution as it is part of the
requirements for occupying or exiting a
public ofce. As an agency of government,
we have already done our work according
to the constitutional mandate; we have
Fmr British Prime Minister, Tony Blair holds
strategist meeting with Nigeria President-Elect additional savings on foreign
Tinubu Blair
T he Conuence Trust Newspaper
reports that the Former British
Prime Minister, Tony Blair, on
Tu e s d a y, p a i d a v i s i t t o t h e
president-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, at
the Defence House.
The development comes one week before
the swearing-in ceremony of the
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
Tinubu
issued assets declaration forms to the
newly elected and returning public
ofcers.
“But since asset declaration
administration is a continuous process,
we have started receiving some
completed forms from some of them,
while some are yet to return theirs.
Though, from previous experience, we
hardly have had any problem with elected
public ofcers, they do ll and return their
forms, but it is important we remind them
of the need to comply with the provisions
of the law.”
“The constitution is clear on defaulters;
hence they should declare before they are
sworn in or they face the consequences.’’
Musa said that aside from elected public
ofcers, appointed public ofcers and civil
servants should also endeavour to declare
their assets. He added that apart from
asset declaration, the ofcers must
comply with all the codes of the Bureau.
“We always urge them to comply with the
code of conduct as enshrined under the
fth schedule of the constitution of the
country, not only asset declaration. They
should comply with other codes, like the
prohibition of bribery and corruption,
abuse of power, among others because it
is for the betterment of our country.
“When things get better, corruption will
be defeated and we will have a country we
will be proud of,” he said.
Peter Obi: Dangote refinery will give Nigeria
exchange
It is immeasurable to our country Nigeria and to
president-elect.
A source in Tinubu’s camp conrmed
Blair’s visit, saying he was in the country to
have a ‘crucial diplomatic meeting’ with
the two-term governor of Lagos State.
“I don’t have all the details yet. But I
believe it has to do with fostering a
bilateral relationship between Nigeria and
the United Kingdom. I hope you are aware
that the US Secretary also called Asiwaju
last week,” he said.
In attendance at the meeting were
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Femi Gbajabiamila; and Vice President-
elect, Kashim Shettima.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
NEWS
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
Buhari names Federal Secretariat
After Goodluck Jonathan
T he Conuence Trust Newspaper
reports that President
Muhammadu Buhari has honored
his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, by
naming a federal government building
after him.
The Nigerian leader recently virtually
commissioned three bridges, three
secretariats, and one road project
undertaken by his administration.
The Federal Government built
secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa, and
Zamfara states to cut expenditures on
rent for ofce spaces.
Buhari said the structures would “reduce
the cost of governance by bringing federal
civil servants under one roof for efcient
service delivery.”
The new buildings are Dr Goodluck Ebele
Nestle appoints New Board Chairman,
Oyebode as Ifazulike retires
T
he Board of Nestlé Nigeria PLC has
appointed Mr. Gbenga Oyebode,
MFR, as the new Chairman of the
Board of Directors with effect from May
18, 2023.
The appointment announced to
shareholders and other stakeholders at
the Annual General Meeting of Nestlé
Nigeria PLC, held at the MUSON Center
on May 17, 2023, follows the retirement
of Mr. David Ifezulike as a Director and
the Chairman of the Board of the
Company with effect from May 18, 2023.
Mr. Oyebode qualied as a Solicitor and
Advocate of the Supreme Court of
Nigeria in 1980. He holds a Master of
Laws degree and is the co-founder of the
law rm of Aluko & Oyebode. He is a
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of
Arbitrators (UK) and the Nigerian
Leadership Initiative. He is the Chairman
of Okomu Oil Palm PLC, Teach for All,
and the African Philanthropy Forum. He is
also a Director of both CFAO Nigeria and
Lafarge Africa PLC as well as a member of
the Board of Trustees of the Ford
Foundation.
Mr. Oyebode was rst appointed to the
Board of Nestlé Nigeria PLC on February
24, 2014, and has served on the Statutory
Audit Committee, Nomination,
Governance and Remuneration
Committee as well as the Board Audit and
Risk Management Committee of the
Company.
Mr. Ifezulike who holds a Masters in
Dangote Peter Obi
J ournalists caught up with his excellency, Peter
obi during the commissioning of dangote
renery.
What do you think or say is the benet of this
massive renery in Nigeria?
For me, the project contribution is
immeasurable.
It is immeasurable to our economy.
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
Dr. Goodluck Jonathan
Jonathan Federal Secretariat in Yenagoa,
Ebele Okeke Federal Secretariat in Awka,
and Malam Yahaya Gusau Federal
Secretariat in Gusau.
The President said making infrastructure
development a key point of focus in his
administration was deliberate “to create
wealth and make poverty alleviation
easier.”
Management
Science and a
Diploma of
Imperial
College,
London, was
appointed to
the Board of
N e s t l é
Nigeria PLC
on December
22, 2000. He
became the Chairman of the Board on
May 10, 2013 and served the Company
meritoriously during his tenure.
He joined Nestlé Nigeria PLC on January
1,1980 and worked for over 26 years in
various capacities and locations including
Nigeria, Malaysia, Zimbabwe,
Switzerland, and Ghana. He was on an
international exchange program as
Factory Manager of Nestlé Ghana
between May 1999 and April 2003.
He retired from Nestlé Nigeria PLC as
the Executive Director, Industrial
development in October, 2006.
The Board of Nestlé Nigeria PLC thanked
Mr. Ifezulike for his contributions to the
growth of the Company and wished him
success in his future endeavours.
The Board of Nestlé Nigeria PLC also
expressed condence in the ability of the
new Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Mr. Oyebode, to further contribute to the
development of the Company and wished
him personal satisfaction in his new role.
Africa. Because if you look at one of the biggest
drain to our foreign exchange which is affecting
our reserve and exchange rate is our foreign
exchange. This will impact positively into our
being able to have additional savings to our
foreign exchange and rebuilding our reserve
which will go a long way in impacting on our rate.
What do you think about the price of PMS? Do
you think it will come down or stay where it is?
Quite frankly it is not whether it comes down or
stay where it is.
For me it is about availability and being able to
turn around the economy where this can
contribute in using the resources we are going to
save in other areas in order to propel moving the
country from CONSUMPTION TO
PRODUCTION.

Buhari leaves Legacy's of Kidnapping,
Inflation and debt _ BBC
Muhammadu Buhari
W hen he steps down next week
President Muhammadu Buhari
will be leaving Nigerians less
secure, poorer and more in
debt than when he came to ofce in 2015.
The former military ruler became
president after winning a momentous
election which saw the defeat of
underperforming incumbent Goodluck
Jonathan.
Riding a wave of optimism that change
was possible, he was supported by a
powerful coalition and had the reputation
of being a hard-man soldier, who would
get things done.
After Buhari’s brief stint in charge in the
1980s, his second coming was on the back
of promises to curtail the rampaging
Islamist insurgency in the northeast and
tackle widespread corruption.
He is the last of a generation of British-
trained military men who went on to
govern the country.
But the 80-year-old’s two four-year terms
have left many disappointed.
There have been gains in tackling Boko
Haram and other extremist groups in the
northeast, aided by improved military
hardware from the US.
While the groups still carry out attacks on
communities and military installations in
the region, it is a big improvement from
the years when they operated freely and
controlled a large portion of Nigerian
territory.
Buhari also utilised Chinese loans to
upgrade the ailing road and rail
infrastructure, building a new port in
Lagos, completing a crucial bridge in the
southeast, and passing important
electoral and oil-sector laws.
But whatever gains have been recorded in
the northeast against the Islamist militants
have been eroded by the emergence of
equally violent groups in other parts of the
country under his watch.
Clashes between farmers and cattle
herders from the Fulani ethnic group,
which had simmered for years, were
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
allowed to boil over into deadly armed
confrontations with an ethnic element, as
the government ran out of ideas to solve
the problem of where animals could
graze.
Buhari, a Fulani from northern Nigeria,
was accused of bias in the conict and his
proposal of grazing reserves for the
herders were rebuffed by powerful
southern state governors who saw it as a
land-grabbing tactic.
Some of the armed groups created by the
f a r m e r- h e r d e r c r i s i s h a v e s i n c e
transitioned into violent motorcycle-
riding bandits targeting communities in
the northwest and central states. These
groups have helped turn a lucrative
kidnap-for-ransom business into a
behemoth that now extends
countrywide.
It took hold during the rst decade of the
century when oil workers were
kidnapped in the Niger Delta and
blossomed under Buhari’s watch as the
targets changed.
For instance, thousands of school children
were abducted between December 2020
and September 2021, according to the
UN’s children’s organisation, Unicef. That
eclipsed the 270 girls seized from a school
in Chibok who made global headlines in
2014 – a crime that was a crucial factor in
Buhari defeating Jonathan.
“I thought that as a former military ruler
he would have the solution to Nigeria’s
security challenges,” Musa Ahmadu a
farmer now living in the northwestern
state of Kano, told the BBC.
Ahmadu, originally from the president’s
home state of Katsina, abandoned his land
and ed to neighbouring Kano alongside
thousands of others because of the
activities of armed groups in the region.
Many also believe that Buhari has
mishandled the situation thrown up by
separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu.
Kanu heads the Indigenous People of
Biafra (Ipob), a group seeking secession in
the southeast which is proscribed by the
government.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
He is a charismatic gure with a huge
appetite for sensationalism which he fed
devotees via his internet radio station.
Ipob was largely ignored by many
Nigerians until Kanu was rst arrested for
treason by the Buhari government in
2015. A subsequent state-sanctioned
attack on his home marked the beginning
of an armed confrontation that has
spiralled out of control, claiming hundreds
of lives in the process.
After escaping in 2017, he was abducted
in unclear circumstances abroad and
returned to Nigeria in 2021 to face trial. A
judge has ordered his release as the
process of his return was illegal but
authorities continue to hold him.
These security challenges made many
question Buhari’s handling of a sector that
was supposed to be his area of expertise.
“I am surprised at the level of
embarrassment he has brought to his
constituency, the military, despite all the
promises he made,” said retired Colonel
Hassan Stan-Labi, a security analyst.
“How can you fail in your own area of
specialty?” he asked.
The countrywide insecurity under Buhari
has largely been muted in the oil-rich
Niger Delta where oil-militants and sea
pirates held sway in the past.
But that peace seems to have coincided
with a period of large-scale oil theft, with
the government accused of looking away
while different groups in the region steal
crude from the pipelines. This led to
Nigeria’s production plunging to a 30-
year low in 2022.
The shocking discovery last October of a
kilometres-long pipeline used to steal oil
was described by commentators as
“nearly impossible” without help from
authorities.
In one location, thieves built their own
4km-long pipeline through the heavily
guarded creeks to the Atlantic Ocean.
There, barges and vessels blatantly loaded
the stolen oil from a seven-metre rig
visible for miles on the open waters.
That theft on such a scale happened
directly under Buhari, who also doubled
a s N i g e r i a ’ s p e t r o l e u m m i n i s t e r,
undermined his claim to be ghting graft,
Salaudeen Hashim of anti-corruption
NGO Cleen Foundation, told the BBC.
Buhari’s integrity was also impugned by
his frequent medical trips to the UK
despite spending large sums to refurbish a
clinic in the presidential villa.
This lack of transparency “drained
taxpayers’ monies, encouraged illicit
nancial ows and other corruption-
enabling activities the administration
preached against”, Auwal Rafsanjani, the
head of Transparency International in
Nigeria, told the BBC.
Rafsanjani scored the administration four
out of 10 in ghting corruption, and said
Buhari’s appointment of people with
ongoing corruption cases to his cabinet
and his wife’s long stays in expensive
Dubai homes “contravened best
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 03
practices by an administration that was
ghting corruption and mismanagement”.
As he leaves, Buhari’s handling of the
Nigerian economy will most likely be
remembered for his botched attempt
earlier this year at redesigning the local
currency.
An otherwise rudimentary exercise
descended into chaos as scarcity of the
new naira notes, which have now almost
disappeared, resulted in untold hardship
for millions in the country who relied on
cash for basic needs.
“The small business we were doing was
destroyed by that man,” said a university
graduate in Abuja who made money by
supplying banknotes to her customers
before the cash crisis.
Her anger was fuelled by a common
problem in Nigeria – a lack of work among
educated young people.
Currently one in three Nigerians who
want to work are unable to nd a job.
Before Buhari took over that gure was
less than one in 10.
The government has blamed a drastic
drop in oil prices in its early days, the
Covid pandemic and Russia’s war in
Ukraine.
But some of its policies, such as currency
restrictions and closing the land borders
to boost local production, have
contributed towards record ination that
has made millions poorer and depleted a
once burgeoning Nigerian middle-class.
Last week, with the end in sight, Buhari
pleaded with lawmakers to hurriedly
approve an $800m (£640m) loan from the
World Bank. Nigeria’s public debt could
pass $150bn this year – when he took
over it stood at a little over $60bn.
His borrowing spree has drawn warnings
from the World Bank that Africa’s largest
economy was using 96% of its revenue to
service debts.
But the huge debt has been defended by
the administration who say it is within
acceptable limits, pointing to cash
payments to poor people as justication
for some of the loans.
“These welfarist interventions give a
window into the kind soul of the
president, a man some people have not
bothered to discern, dissect and
decipher,” presidential spokesman Femi
Adesina wrote last week.
Like him, many in the administration insist
it has had a good eight-year run. Although
both he and his wife have apologised for
not delivering on promises made, Buhari
has said that he tried his best.
“I want [Nigerians] to analyse how things
were when we came in and how they are
when we’re leaving,” he responded when
asked about his legacy last year.
The fact is that Nigerians were safer,
better off and less in debt before Buhari
took over, and many will remember him
for presiding over the toughest eight years
they might ever face.
 04
Kogi Guber: SDP Submits Murtala
Yakubu Ajaka, Sam Ranti
Abenemi as Candidates
Murtala Ajaka
T he Social Democratic Party has
submitted the name of Murtala
Yakubu Ajaka and Hon. Sam
Ranti Abenemi as it
Governorship and Deputy
Governorship Candidate for the Kogi
State 2023 Governorship election.
The Submission was made vie a letter
to the Independent National Electoral
Commission and copied the Nigerian
Fear of Muri, Kogi APC dissolves Wards,
Local Government Executives of
Igala Mela/ Odolu LGA.
T
he Kogi State All Progressives
Congress has dissolved all the
Wards and Local Government
Executives of the Party in
Igalamela Odolu LGA.
In a statement signed by Joshua
Abejide of ADC urges Dino Melaye of PDP to quit Kogi
Guber Race and warns him not to live on the Past Glory.
O ur attention has been drawn to an article
with the below headlines “Power
Rotation: ADC, Abejide, Don’t Mess with
Our Collective Destiny” by one faceless Angulu
Muhammed Tanko.
The writer in his own wisdom “X -ray” what he
thought is the “ADC spread and Strength” as well as
“Dino, PDP, Structure and Strength”.
We ordinarily wouldn’t have mind the lies
concocted in the jaundiced write up, safe for the
fact that the writer went out of his way to speak
about our principal, Hon. Leke Abejide and his
party, ADC.
A thorough view of the write up shows that it was
more of the biblical “Voice of Jacob, hand of Esau”
phenomenal. Whatever it may be, and in order not
to allow lies sticking too longer to be mistaken for
truth, we deem it t to reply the writer’s and his
sponsorer of their unhealthy utterances. The
writer and his sponsors without common sense
spoke about ADC as a regional party in Kogi. They
also went on to say that the party has no strength.
To them, the PDP holds the glory of a credible
opposition in the Western Senatorial district, and
Kogi at large.
It is either Angulu (if that is his real name) and his
sponsorer are living in self denial or beclouded by
the lost glory of the People’s Democractic party in
Nigeria, lest of all places, Kogi or Western
Senatorial district.
Let us remind them that the primary that produced
the PDP candidate has been adjudged as the worst
in the history of the state. Not only that the
delegates list was tinkered with, the party
supposedly winner has also been dragged to court
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
Outrage grows over use of
condoms and other sex contents
Post Newspaper and signed by the
National Chairman and Secretary of
the SDP.
in Nigeria Primary School books
SUBMISSION OF SOCIAL
D E M O C R AT I C PA R T Y ’ S
GOVERNORSHIP AND DEPUTY
GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE
FOR THE 2023 KOGI STATE
GOVERNORSIHP
ELECTION
We w r i t e t o s u b m i t t o y o u r
commission, the names of our great
party’s Governorship and Deputy
Governorship Candidates for the Kogi
State 2023 Governorship Election.
Details are provided: below
I. Murtala Yakubu Governorship
Candidate
2. Abeneml Sam Ranti Deputy
Governorship Candidate
Onoja, State Secretary of the State
APC, said it has established cases of
nancial inducement of the Executive
members with the intention to
weaken the Party, consequently
suspended their activities.
The statement of suspension
described the action of the APC
Executives as a gross violation of the
Party’s constitution.
T h e Pa r t y s a y s a c a r e t a k e r
committee would be set up for the
party at the Ward and Local
Government Area of the Party.
over the primary. Worst of all, the Congress has led
to Exodus of all the important stakeholders of the
party in the state, expecially the candidate kinsmen.
Let us list but few to awake the writer and his
sponsorer from their political slumber: 1. Hon.
Philip Orebiyi, a former House of Assembly
member from Yagba West; Hon. Shola
Ojo, a former House of
Representatives member and party
bigwig; Hon. Alfred Bello – a former
House of Assembly member from
Kabba/Bunu and state Treasurer of
the party, Hon. Sam Abeneme –
former commissioner for Water
resources and State Deputy
Chairman, Hon. Delex from Mopa,
three Assembly candidates in the last
election…the list is endless. So where
is the structure?.
Even the blind can see
that the PDP after it’s
Congress has become
almost empty while
the ADC is lling up
everyday to the brim by lovers of democracy who
are decamping and recamping with the party
because of the candidate, Elder Leke Abejide.
SPREAD AND STRENGTH.
It is obvious that the writer and his sponsors are
hiding behind one nger. The political fortune of
PDP in the state has dwindled to the last point. A
party that control 100 percent of all elective
position in 2007 has moved to the 3rd in line. At
present, ADC holds two House of Representatives
seat and one State Constituency (and at the verge
of reclaiming one other mandate) the PDP has only
one House of Representatives seat – where is the
strength then. One continued to wondered-
WHERE IS PDP IN KOGI NOW?.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
T he Muslim Students’
Society of Nigeria
(MSSN), B-Zone,
has expressed concern
over the inclusion of lewd
Razaq, and dated 15th May,
noted that, a typical
Mathematics question for
primary school pupils is “20
condoms + 5 condoms – 2
from contents that are
harmful to the morals of
young students.
“ We demand that the
and sexually explicit condoms equals”. Ministry of Education takes
materials including
immediate steps to remove
condoms in some primary all textbooks
and secondary containing
s c h o o l lewd and
textbooks sexually
currently in explicit
circulation in
materials
Nigeria. f r o m
circulation in
The group in a schools
letter to the across the
Minister of country.
Education,
Mallam Adamu “We believe
Adamu, said: that the
“ W e a r e Alh. Adamu Adamu
Nigerian
appalled by the
education
content in some They further said some of s y s t e m
Mathematics, English, and the textbooks promote should uphold the cultural
Social Science textbooks a b o r t i o n , L G B T, and religious values of the
used in many Nigerian
secondary schools today.
masturbation, and safe sex. Nigerian people,
particularly the Muslim
These textbooks have been
corrupted to include lewd “We believe that this is a
c o m m u n i t y, ” t h e M S S
ofcial said in reaction to
and sexually explicit blatant violation of the the controversy of
cultural and religious values
matters in order to condoms in primary school.
of the Nigerian people,
sexualize young students.”
particularly the Muslim
community. The MSSN, Some of the books they
The letter tagged, being a major stakeholder listed include Basic Science
“Inclusion of Sex and in the Nigerian education Junior Secondary School
Homosexuality in Nigerian system, cannot but express Razat Publishers, 2018
Primary and Secondary her grave concern about edition, (for JSS3), New
S c h o o l Te x t b o o k s : A Concept English for Senior
the situation,” they said.
Threat to Morality and Secondary Schools for
A t t a c k o n SSS2, Revised edition (2018
They called on the Ministry
Cultural/Religious Values,” edition), Active Basic
signed by the group’s of Education to urgently Science, 2014 edition, and
C o o r d i n a t o r, Q a a s i m investigate the matter and Basic Science & Technology
Odedeji, and General ensure that textbooks used for Junior Secondary
Secretary, Abdul Jalil Abdur in Nigerian schools are free School 1, 2 and 3.
For strength, the last general election has shown
vividly that the candidate of a party is the strength of
the party. For those who thought Labour Party has
in a manner of suicide conducted a Congress openly
clothed in rigging attires, power wading ego and
staking of wits to outsmart better candidate for
controversial laden Dino Melaye to emerged.
no spread or strength, today will think twice seeing
that the presidential candidate of the party Lovers of democracy in Nigeria and beyond the
recorded votes even where it was lest shore of the country already know that things have
expected. Most of the electorates will be fallen apart for both the PDP and it’s candidate in
interested in the character of whom they Kogi. The umbrella is already over stressed and
should give their votes to. Let us save them torn to pieces. No miracle can patch the PDP
their time and show a cue of the candidates umbrella in Kogi. Even the governor who is trying to
of PDP and ADC for the guber election
install his stooges in APC laughed openly when he
heard that Dino was the PDP candidate – it is as bad
ADC/PDP CANDIDATE. as that.
The characters of each of the candidates is a
reection of what the outcome of the If only the sponsored writer has any modicons of
election will be. For Hon. Leke, his good common Sense, he would have sticked to the
wills, unparalleled antecedent business of giving false hope to his paid master
performance as Reps members rather than dabbled in the affairs of others. Let us
and the good name he has wait till the election time and see what the outcome
garnered will speak for him at will be. If there is anybody who should toe the part
the appropriate time – same of honour – if he still have any honour left in him, is
will also speak for the PDP the PDP candidate. He should beg his party and
candidate who has constituency, take a quick bow and leave the stage
demonstrated unbridled for real contestant – The Kogi State Governorship
tongue, diarrhea mouth and sexual recklessness race is not for jester or pretenders.
over the years.
Apart from the image shattering of the PDP Dino Melaye Daniel has grows the necessary
candidate, it was conspicuously disappointing that detachment from his little political fortunes that
the major PDP stakeholders openly admitted that every successful politician needs.
their guber Congress was nothing but a disaster.
With joy we want to tell Kogites, that the big
It is obvious to any keen watcher of politics that masquerade is still coming; once he reached the
with the PDP agbearer, Dino Melaye, the party is
arena, every other smaller masquerades will pave
heading for a calamitous disaster that could be liken way – Hon. Leke Abejide is the big masquade and
to the Tsunamic incident in Asia. It is already clear
he will soon take the centre stage in his quest to
that with the last election, the foot print of PDP has liberate the state from its present
already been swept off in Kogi State. The
maladministration. The rescue mission is on and
misfortunes that trails PDP in the last election both strong!
at Federal and state level means PDP has missed its
track for good. As if that was not enough, the PDP
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

2023: Why Murtala Yakubu
Ajaka is the best choice as
Governor of Kogi State
Alh. Murtala Ajaka
O ur state, Kogi, is at an
epochal moment that will
determine whether we
move forward as a people or we
retrogress. There is no doubt that
most Kogites are disappointed with
the current condition of our state.
For a state that is blessed with
abundant solid mineral resources,
arable land and some of the best
human capital in Nigeria, it should
not be in its current sorry state.
Kogi is the largest producer of
these mineral resources: clay,
limestone, kaolin, silica, tar sand
and decorative rocks, in Nigeria
which if properly harnessed, would
provide job opportunities for our
fast growing population and
teeming unemployed youths.
So why is a state so blessed with
such an array of raw materials,
many of which have not been
harnessed, be in such a terrible
state where there is massive youth
unemployment and despair? That is
an issue at play. It is clear that if we
are to change our story from
despair to a new era of new
economic opportunities,
development and growth,
electorate must elect a governor
that means business. That person is
Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka, as the
governor of Kogi state on the
platform of Social Democratic
Party (SDP).
Murtala Yakubu Ajaka comes with
veriable records of performance
as a former member National
Executive of the ruling party the All
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
Progressives
Congress. He has
distinguished
himself excellently
at the national and
state. Muri will
replicate his
e n d l e s s
developmental
s t r i d e s
exemplied by
the numerous
projects he
attracted to
Kogi state and
beyond while
serving. He will
also be bringing
his vast
experience to
bear in the
management of
the state resources
as governor of
Kogi State if
given the
opport
unity.
itala Ajaka is a development-
Mur
o r i e n t e d a d m i n i s t r a t o r. A s
governor if given the opportunity,
Muri would usher in a renewed
hope and opportunities for
Kogites. His emergence will also
improve the relationship and
enhance synergy between the
Federal and Kogi State
governments and thereby, attract
the needed development currently
eluding the hard working and
peaceful people of the State.
A peep into the agenda of Muri's
manifesto shows a candidate that
has done serious work. Kogites
who have followed him before and
now would notice that he has
shown a clear understanding of the
needs of our people and has equally
articulated a very clear and
measurable agoals towards
meeting their needs. His manifesto
and presentations show an
understanding, connect and clear
intent, which Kogites can't take for
granted.
Part of his manifesto says "Our men
and women must have decent jobs
that allow a good quality of life. Our
programme for the next 4 years in
Kogi State if given the opportunity
will bring back job creation, a
productive economy, a sense of
community and respect for people.
Creating jobs for young people is a
challenge which will dene us, for
this generation and the next, and
will remain a key priority for us as
part of our long-term commitment
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
to full employment."
He adds: "To create jobs, we will
introduce an ambitious 'Kogi State
Employment, Entrepreneurship
and Empowerment Programme
(DEEP) and will support our Social
Economy and our Small and
Medium Enterprises. DEEP is an
unbreakable commitment to be
fullled with innovative ideas and
reforms targeting massive private-
sector economic development and
growth through responsible
management of government
resources and processes.
"The driving strategy behind DEEP
will create modern cluster
industries and manufacturing
centres that will generate good
jobs in every Local Government
Area (LGA) of Kogi State. Our
target is to create the right
environment and support
mechanism, including structured
state guarantees, for the private
sector to develop at least 5 major
employment-generating corporate
vehicles in each LGA annually.
These will drive well-organised,
government-supported and
actively supervised Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)
to be strategically spread across the
State on the basis of the unique
economic strength of each LGA.
This is at the core of our overall
BUILD A NEW Kogi – BAND
governance agenda."
Kogi State has not had a leader who
lucidly articulates his vision as Muri
does. Muri's manifesto immensely
underscores his passion and the
promise of a new Kogi anchored on
creating employment,
development, good governance
and enduring security.
Yet another plus is that Alhaji
M u r t a l a Ya k u b u A j a k a i s a
detribalised Kogite whose actions,
body language and antecedents are
devoid of ethnic sentiments.
R a t h e r, h e h a s p e r f o r m e d
exceedingly well in his duties and
has established friendships in
various communities, local
government areas, senatorial
districts across Kogi State and
beyond. All these are assets that
will come handy to Build A New
kogi State.
When it comes to the imperatives
and challenges of development in
Kogi State, Kogites should trust
Alhaji Murtala Yakubu Ajaka who
has delivered on his electoral
promises in the past.
I urge Kogi electorate to choose
this trustworthy, progressive-
minded and detribalised Kogite
who has a clear vision of massive
infrastructural and social
development of Kogi State come
11th November 2023
gubernatorial election.
SDP Progress
TrustNews
NEWS 05
Igala Peace Ambassadors
appeal to Admiral Jibrin
Usman to Embrace Decision
of Igala Elders Committee
Admiral Usman Jubrin
Dear Admiral Usman Jibrin,
I am compelled to write this open letter to you with
utmost respect for your distinguished career in the
Nigerian Navy. However, we are gravely concerned
about your recent decision to contest in the Kogi
State gubernatorial race, which has the potential to
create divisions and distractions in the Kogi East.
As you are aware, the Kogi State gubernatorial
election is fast approaching, and we believe that it is
crucial for all stakeholders to come together and
support a consensus candidate who is capable of
leading the state to greater heights. In this regard, I
strongly urge you to withdraw your candidacy and
throw your weight behind Muritala Yakubu Ajaka,
who has emerged as the consensus candidate of the
Kogi East.
We believe that your entry into the race at this point
could polarize the Igala voters and create
unnecessary distractions that could derail the SDP
chances of winning the election. We also note that
Muritala Yakubu Ajaka is a younger, enigmatic and
fearless candidate who has the support of the
majority of the electorate and stakeholders in the
state.
As a respected elder statesman and Igala leader, we
urge you to put the interest of your people and the
state above personal ambitions and support the
consensus candidate. We believe that your wealth of
experience and knowledge can be better utilized in
supporting the UJACHE and contributing to the
development of the state after the elections.
Consequent upon the foregoing, I appeal to your
sense of patriotism and leadership to withdraw from
the race and throw your support behind Muritala
Yakubu Ajaka, who is the acceptable face of this new
struggle. We believe that your support will go a long
way in ensuring a peaceful, free and fair election in
Kogi State.
I have chosen to address this open letter specically
to you, out of all seven contestants, due to the
immense respect that we all hold for you. Your
recent efforts to unite the Igala land have not gone
unnoticed. Some time ago, you played a
statesmanlike role by inviting all Igala contestants to
come together and harmonize their views to present
a strong consensus candidate. However, it seems
that you have now decided to enter the race yourself,
which I believe is not the right decision.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
MALAM SANI writes from Lokoja
No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 06
Bagana Communal Crisis:
Open Letters to Gov. Bello of Kogi State, Attah Igala
Gov. Bello
THE DANGER ⛔ OF THE IHIAKPE
BOYS IN COLLABORATION WITH
FULANI'S HERSEMEN LAUNCHING
A D E A D LY AT TAC K O N T H E
BAGANA COMMUNITY. 23RD MAY,
2023. I.D IJELE
It's imperative to put into a critical
analysis of the deadly attacks going on
in Bagana, a commercial hubs of
Omala Local Government Kogi State
which are not covered, nor
mentioned anywhere among the
political elites for a reason best
known to them without adequate
government intervention since the
beginning of this major crises 2021.
What's going on? Who are people
behind those attacks? Is Bagana no
Longer part of Kogi State? Is Bagana
no longer part of Igala's Kingdom?
The the answers to the above
questions will better navigate my
lines of thought to either look
elsewhere for help.
My people are left to ght for their
own survival without any government
interventions and it's highly
condemnable.
I am calling on your Excellency Alhaji
Yahaya Bello, as a matter of urgency
intervene in the crisis to save Bagana
from extermination.
Bagana is a riverine community
located in Omala LGA in the Eastern
Senatorial District of Kogi State and
bounded by Benue and Nasarawa
states.
A commercial hubs of Omala LG with
high revenue every Five (5) days
market and high turnout of people
from across the country such as,
Onitsha, Enugu, Abuja, Lokoja,
Nasarawa, Benue, Ebony etc the
most industrious and busiest town in
Omala LG now a ghost town!! How do
we get here sir?
Your Excellency; the main people
behind the attacks are not faceless,
The Patani Community that have
been attacking Bagana with herders
machineries are walking tall without
any repercussions but it's time to
name and shame them.
Sir, it will interest you to know that
Otutubatu/Bagana youths have never
for once retaliated the attacks by
going to Patani despite being a
smaller village.
It's also worthy of your notice; your
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
Excellency, that our people are always
on the defensive to repel Patani's
attacks but they can't be constantly
attacking Bagana and pushing them
to the wall simply because of
collective resolute for peace and
cohabitation with our sister/brothers-
inlaw etc even with their nature of
cowardice attacks (hit and run
approach)
Fulani herdsmen are already
threatening the existence of our
people and our land and they should
never be an option to hire as
machinery into our state but that is
exactly what the Patani's are doing.
Sir, we have endured this for over 3
years and our patient is running out…
time to act now sir.
By the INEC Voters registrations,
Bagana Town with over 4,000
registered Voters couldn't produced
180 votes in the last election even
after putting some measures in place
for everyone to come home. How long
can we continue in this? Your
Excellency
It's time to put an end to Bagana
crises Sir! I know You can do it!!
All the recommendations to the
Police, Naval post in Bagana hasn't
been implemented. How long should
our people continue to Wait in pains?
I want to use this opportunity to
appeal to all the leaders and elders of
Patani village to call their youths and
children to order, they don't have the
monopoly for killing and destroying
others properties. This case have
gone to so many competent courts
down to Supreme Court… Bagana
land does not belong to Patani and
will never be. Otutubatu have been in
existence as one of the oldest throne
in Igala kingdom. Attah of Igala
testied to this in the High Court of
Justice, same Judgement was adopted
at Apeal Court. There are documents
to prove to this effect why ghting the
battles you know you can never win?
The statement by some of your
youths that if we can't have it we'll
destroy it will always hit the rock.
Sir, Committees upon committees
have been set up; why are they no
solutions? Are they powerful men at
your corridors that are feeding fat on
our predicament? Why is our own so
hard to solve? But history is always
there and there are evidences to
show how peaceful we have been but
our patients is running out.
Your Excellency; I believe in your
prompt response and actions to solve
this problem once and for all. The
recent attacks on the 23rd of May
(Yesterday) is uncalled for and is
highly condemnable.
I believe you will deploy all the
necessary security apparatus to put
this matter under control. Thanks
and God bless you
Your faithfully,
I.D Ijele
24th - 05- 2023
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
Atta Igala
ATTAH ABUTEJE GRAVE YARD IS
UNDER ATTACK
THE DANGER AND THE
IMPLICATIONS OF THE IHIAKPE
BOYS COLLABORATING WITH
FULANI'S HERDSMEN AND
L A U N C H I N G O F D E A D LY
A T T A C K S O N T H E
BAGANA/OTUTUBATU SOIL IN
IGALAS LAND. By_ I.D IJELE
GABAIDU! May you live long, may
the land of Atta Ayegba remain
peaceful and productive GABAIDU.
It's imperative to publicly bring to
your notice again the incessant
attacks on Bagana by the Patani
community in collaboration with
Fulani herdsmen.
The attacks is barbaric, wicked and
cowardice. It's imperative you take
cognizant of those inviting Fulani
herders in your kingdoms for
destruction. May the land destroy
those who want to destroy the land.
The barbaric attack on the 23rd of
May with huge population of
warriors traceable to Fulani
Herdsmen invited across River
Benue through Nassarwa state to
Bagana.
GABAIDU; We just critically look
into the implications of this action,
does it mean Patani are the brain
behind all the Fulani invitations into
our great kingdom? What is the
connection of Patani community
with Fulani? This must be treated
with a sense of urgency your
highness GABAIDU
The Once most powerful and
populous market town is deserted
once again and this time we must
bring the perpetrators to book.
They must account for all their
killings and destruction.
I am aware of the committee of
Chiefs you've set up for this crises.
Sir, the silence from them is
worrisome and we are running out of
patient with what is going on.
The Patani boys have made it a habit
to attack any Otutubatu son's and
daughter seeing on that route…
Bagana - Abejukolo road is no longer
safe for fear of attack. If not for God's
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS
intervention one of our own was
almost beheaded last week and
again this week another serious
attack and burning down of houses
which our people have never gone
to Patani to retaliate but how long
should we continue to watch this
heartlessness on our soil? Their
popular slogan is if we can't get it
we'll destroy it but the time has
come for your intervention
GABAIDU.
GABAIDU; What's is going on? Are
they not known people behind
those attacks? Is Bagana no longer
part of Kogi State? Is Bagana no
longer part of Igala Kingdom? Our
heart is bleeding
The the answers to the above
questions will better navigate my
lines of thought to either look
elsewhere for help but we believe in
your timely intervention this time
around.
GABAIDU, you already know we are
peaceful and law abiding citizens of
the Kingdom with the great Abuteje
grave in Otutubatu as the rst
settlement areas of the ancient
immigrants. That same Otutubatu is
under threat, Abuteje grave and
shrine is under threat
We are known warriors and can
never be chickened out of our
ancestral land of Abuteje.
Fulani Herdsmen are already
threatening the existence of our
people and our land and they should
never be an option to hire as
mercenaries into our kingdom but
that is exactly what the Patani's are
doing.
GABAIDU, we've been enduring this
for over 3 years and our patient is
running out… time to act now
GABAIDU
By the INEC voters registrations,
Bagana town with over 4,000
registered Voters couldn't produce
180 votes in the last election even
after putting some measures in place
for everyone to come home. How
long can we continue in this
GABAIDU?
GABAIDU, It's time to put an end to
Bagana crises please for the sake of
our history.
GABAIDU; Committee upon
committee have been set up; why
are they no solutions? Are they
powerful men at the corridors of
power that are feeding fat on our
predicament? Why is our own so
hard to solve? But history is always
beautiful with evidence to show how
peaceful we have been but our
patients is tired and waring
GABAIDU kindly look into this
matter and help us out.
Your Son
I.D Ijele

Kogi guber 2023:
Alh. Murtala Yakubu Ajaka/Hon Sam Abenemi of
SDP, Dino, Ododo, 7 others make INEC list
In preparation for the 2023 Kogi State
governorship election, the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC)
has published the names of successful
candidates and their running mates.
Alh Murtala Yakubu Ajaka and his running
mate, Hon. Sam Abenemi who are the
leading candidates under the platform of
the Social Democratic Party (SDP) are
doing everything humanly possible to
ensure victory for the party in the
November 11th, 2023 governorship
election as the people of Lokoja/ Koto
were in jubilation mood over the choice
of Hon. Sam Abenemi from the area , a
situation that will give them an
opportunity to be deputy governor in the
history of the state.
It is largely believed that , the core Okun
speaking LGA areas have been producing
deputies and the wise counsel of Alh.
Murtala Ajaka in consultations with the
people decided to make sure all areas of
the state are given equal opportunity to
participate in the governance of the affairs
of the state.
Also on the list is the All Progressives
Congress ( APC) candidate, Hon. Ahmed
Usman Ododo, Senator Dino Melaye
among others.
Conuence news gathered that , this year
governorship election in the state is going
to be interesting as each senatorial
district has its candidate in the contest.
Information from our correspondent
who visited the three senatorial districts
indicated that Alh. Murtala Yakubu Ajaka /
Sam Abenemi candidacy is formidable and
they are capable to win because of their
acceptability cut across political and
ethnic divides.
You can vividly recalled that Alh Murtala
Ajaka ( Muri ) was the former national
deputy publicity secretary of the rulling
All Progressives Congress ,( APC), the
party that he has invested both physical,
materials and nancial resources, a task
that gave victory to the party in the state
and ensured the party received high votes
across the state.
Hon. Sam Abenemi was a one time
executive chairman of Lokoja Local
Say Goodbye To Lag: 5 Effective Ways To Speed Up Your Android
Device Have you ever experienced the
annoyance of trying to open an app on your
Android phone, only to be forced to wait for
what seems like an eternity? This is a frequent
occurrence for many Android users, whether
due to lag or a sluggish operating system.
Although it is commonly believed that
insufcient random access memory (RAM)
capacity is the cause of this lengthy loading time,
there may be other underlying causes. Even if
you upgrade to an Android device with more
RAM, you may continue to experience slow
performance. This is because there are
additional factors at play besides RAM size.
In some instances, your phone’s sluggish
response may be an indication of a virus or a
deteriorating display panel. However, there is no
cause for concern; in this article Ejes Gist News
Nigeria, we will examine some simple methods
for accelerating your Android device.
Ways To Speed Up Your Android Device 1)
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
Government and immediate past zonal
chairman of the People's Democratic
Party ( PDP, Kogi West ).
He is a grass roots politician of repute in
character and administration with verse
experience in local government
administration.
The only thing you can hear from Kogi
state local government staffers is what
percentage are they going to pay this
month and so on and so forth, but there
Alh. Muritala Ajaka
should be an end to an era of percentage
salary payment.
The combination of these two political
giants who are from major populated
senatorial districts of Kogi east and west
can be an advantage to the candidates if
they speak in one voice and direction as
the combination could be a threat to the
sitting governor who is desirous to have
his kinsmen as a successor.
At the count of the last national
population census and voting strength of
Check for software updates: Occasionally, you
may receive a notication to update an app when
you attempt to launch it. It may be necessary to
install an update on your device, preferably
when it is connected to an unrestricted data
source. Software updates can optimize and
improve the performance of your Android
device. In addition, security patches and bug
xes for Android can enhance the overall user
experience. Google Play Services, which is
responsible for a number of Android features,
also receives updates via the Play Store. To
manually check for updates, proceed as follows:
– Launch the Settings app on your device. –
Scroll to the bottom of the page and tap “About
Device.” – Tap “Software Update” followed by
“Check for Updates.”
2) Periodically restart your device: A simple
restart can sometimes work wonders for your
device. Android Authority explains that a power
cycle can often remedy a sluggish mobile device.
By restarting your device, you effectively
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
the people of Kogi east west and central,
the east tops the list , followed by the
west and central the last with distance
third position.
Politics they say is a game of numbers and
interest , however, whether the Igala are
going to speak with one voice or
otherwise , is a topic for discussion in our
subsequent publication as the people are
determined to right the present wrong
that kept them in disadvantage position in
the leadership of our dear state.
Hon. Idoko Barr. Okeme
Rtd. Air Marshal Jibrin
Sen. Dino
Hon. Abejide
Hon. Mubarak
Hon. Ododo
A search light to Kogi central (The Ebiras)
shows disaffection as majority of the local
government staff are out of ofce, a
situation that points an accusing nger to
the former auditor general for local
government and APC candidates for the
2023 governorship election, Hon. Ahmed
Usman Ododo who was in-charge of the
payment of percentage salaries from the
inception of this administration till date.
The questions on the lips of the workers
is; are we going to elect him to sack more
terminate any running applications, background
processes, and accumulated tasks that can
gradually slow down your phone. To restart your
Android device, hold down the power button
and tap “Restart.” 3) Clear cache for individual
apps: Cache data is stored in signicant
quantities on your mobile device. If you notice
that certain apps perform poorly compared to
others, it may be due to accumulated data
(cache), according to Android Authority. This
data tends to accumulate over time and can
impact the performance of an application. This
issue can be resolved by clearing the app’s cache
data or uninstalling the app entirely. It is
recommended to clear the cache because it
does not delete other data such as logins, history,
and preferences. Follow these steps to clear an
application’s cache: – On your home screen, tap
and hold the app’s icon until a menu appears. –
To clear the cache, navigate to “App Info” >
“Storage” > “Clear cache.”
More on Ways To Speed Up Your Android
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 07
workers? Are we going to elect him for
the continuation of payment of
percentage salaries?
The answer is capital No as even the state
work force are in perpetual fear of the
unknown as salaries are no longer regular
and as at when due.
According to one of personalities
interviewed one Mallam Jimoh Onimisi
from Adavi LGA of Kogi state, he said, he
likes the governor for some
developmental projects most importantly
the hospital at Okene, but he asked,
where is the equity, justice and fearness
that the governor always preach to them ?
That only Okene LGA will produce
governor for 8 years and another Okene
son for the next 8 years making it 16 years
in one location?, All the development of
Kogi Central are all in Okene while other
LGAs within the central are treated like
second class citizens. He said, Okene has
water works that is not working to
extend to other LGAs and the water
workshas not been working despite huge
investment from the government, is this
how we are going to continue?
Similarly, the people of Ogori /Magongo
LGA are not equally happy as the
governor reneged on his promises to
zone House of Representatives to the
area as Mr. Fabuola described governor
action as day dreaming as he who called
for equity most come with a clean hands,
hence the people have taking their destiny
and fate into God's hand and not in the
present government and their party as
they are looking for liberation from Social
Democratic Party ( SDP).
Also, the administration of Governor
Yahaya Bello has 6 months to go and could
not see reasons to concede the slot of
SSG to Lokoja / Koto for the past seven
years plus down the line and all attempt to
see reason with the people of
Lokoja/Koto axis felt on deaf ears.
As we write, the good people of Lokoja /
Koto are overwhelmed over the choice of
Alh. Murtala Yakubu Ajakar/Hon Sam
Abenemi of Social Democratic Party
(SDP) and ground-work has commenced
for their anticipated election victory.
Device 4) Delete old chats and downloaded
media: This also applies to chat applications like
WhatsApp, which stores not only downloaded
data but also the entire chat database on your
local storage. This is particularly problematic for
slower devices, especially if you’ve accumulated
thousands of messages over the years. To
address this issue, delete unimportant
conversations and media les periodically. This
can improve the performance of your Android
device’s gallery app and image selector. 5)
Replace performance-intensive applications
with lite versions: Phones tend to accumulate
unnecessary software over time. You may install
apps that appear to be useful but never use
them. However, even when not in use, these
applications continue to consume space and may
run background processes. This can slow your
phone down. By evaluating your apps and
reducing the number of downloads, you can
assist in the acceleration of your Android device.
 08 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
EFCC Exposes Plans by Corrupt
Governors and Other Politicians Kogi Gov’t Signs 5 Bills into Law
science and technology transforming the state. He
to Flee Nigeria college, providing for the praised the Kogi State House of

T he Economic and Financial

Crimes Commission
(EFCC) has raised the alarm
over the alleged plans by some
governors and other politicians
retirement of teachers,
establishing a roads fund
management board, and
allowing the peaceful
celebration of cultural
Assembly for their exceptional
performance and commended
the state Attorney General for
ensuring compliance with
existing laws.
accused of corruption to ee festivals. The bills aim to
Nigeria before the May 29 advance cultural The Speaker of the Kogi House
handover. development, maintain of Assembly, Mr Mathew
peace and security, and Ko l a w o l e , e x p r e s s e d h i s
manage the development delight that the bills were
The anti-graft agency said it is Gov. Bello of roads in Kogi State.The
working with its international passed and signed into law. He
signing ceremony, which commended Governor Bello
partners to frustrate these escape The statement reads in part: “The

plans and ensure that all those
involved in economic and nancial
crimes are brought to justice.
In a statement issued on Friday
night by its spokesperson, Wilson
Uwujaren, the EFCC said it will not
relent in its efforts to prosecute
corrupt political actors who have
looted public funds while in ofce.
Commission wishes to alert the
public about plans by some of the
alleged corrupt politically exposed
persons to ee the country ahead
of May 29.
“The Commission is working in
close collaboration with its
international partners to frustrate
these escape plans and bring those
involved to justice.”
C
hief Press Secretary of
Kogi state, Onogwu
Muhammed stated on
Monday that Kogi state
governor, Yahaya Bello has
signed ve Bills into law.
Onogwu, in a statement,
praised Governor Bello for
signing several bills into law,
including establishing a health
took place at the
Government House in Lokoja,
was attended by esteemed
dignitaries, including the
Speaker of the State House of
A s s e m b l y, t h e A t t o r n e y
General, and the Secretary to
t h e K o g i S t a t e
Government.Governor Bello
emphasized the importance of
the bills in improving rural
infrastructure and
for promoting a harmonious
working relationship between
the executive and the
legislature and fostering a
peaceful atmosphere. The
Speaker also praised the
governor’s commitment to
enacting these laws as a sign of
his dedication to the
development and progress of
Kogi State.

As Buhari Bows Out, NLC President Scores Him

Low on Infrastructure, Security, Power and Others
P resident of the Nigeria Labour
Congress, Joe Ajaero has criticised
the outgoing government under
President Muhammadu Buhari, saying it
performed poorly on power supply,
infrastructure, and industrial relations
with aggrieved unions.
Ajaero also claimed political parties in
Nigeria lacked ideologies, a phenomenon
that makes them underperform when
elected into public ofce.
According to the NLC President, he does
not expect much from the incoming
administration, since they are from the
same party.
He said this on Monday, when he paid a
visit to the Amalgamated Union of Public
Corporations, Civil Service Technical and
Recreational Services Employees
(AUPCTRE) head ofce in Abuja as part
of his familarisation tour of unions.
His words, “We want a government that
Nigerians will enjoy and this level of
underdevelopment will stop. Because
what we are saying is that Nigeria is
underdeveloping. We are rescinding
everywhere. At the point that Buhari
took over government, in the power
sector, for instance, they were hovering
between 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts
averagely. And in the past eight years, it
has been reduced to about 3,000. That is
moving back from where we were.
“ASUU strike used to be
three to four months, under
his watch, we started
recording eight months of
A S U U s t r i k e . We a r e
rescinding.
“If you check the
infrastructure, it is still the
same thing. If we were
paying N50,000 for air ticket
before, we are paying about N80,000 agenda of the new government before
today. So, the new government, we are we comment.
still waiting to get their own agenda.
Because if we follow the manifesto of the “You can see that parties no longer
APC, they will sustain what Buhari has implement their manifesto. So that is why
done, and if it is underdevelopment that we are worried. We can’t talk about the
they are sustaining, then there is a agenda of any government. We can only
problem. So the NLC will wait for the wait for them to state their own agenda.”

Look at Major Foods that Kwara State Governor emerges New Nigeria
Governor's Forum Chairman ( NGF) While
Causes Cancer in Human Body Seyi Makinde is his Vice
Major Cancer Causing Food That You Should Take Note Of
to avoid ingestion of the items preparation of processed meats
listed. such as bacon and hot dogs may
Foods with the highest cancer- pose health risks.
promoting potential.
G overnor Abdulrahman
Abdulrazaq of Kwara
State has emerged as the
new Chairman of the Nigeria
Governors Forum (NGF).
Canned foods.
M i c r o w a v e - c o o k e d Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical He replaced Governor Aminu
popcorn will be examined commonly utilized in the
rst. production of plastic food Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto

A
re you reassured by the
awareness that
approximately 1.5
million individuals
receive a cancer diagnosis
annually? The following items
pose potential risks to
consumers.
C a n c e r, d e s p i t e i t s h i g h
mortality rate, is relatively
underrepresented. Awareness
of this lethal illness is
advantageous in multiple ways.
The following are the primary
carcinogens that have been
linked to the development of
cancer.
The adage “you are what you
eat” is factually accurate.
The annual incidence of 1.5
million new cancer cases is a
cause for great concern. Please Canned or cured beef.
carefully review this list and Several chemicals used in the measures. Alcoholic food.
take all necessary precautions
08069601124, 09033136986
State whose tenure of ofce Gov. Abdulrazaq Gov. Makinde
T h e p r e s e n c e o f containers, has been found to
peruorooctanoic acid, a interfere with gene function. would elapse on May 29.
carcinogenic compound, has success of the just concluded induction for
been associated with various These diets are associated with
This was contained in a communiqué new and returning governors that took
types of cancer such as kidney, a higher risk of cancer. place between the 14th and 19th of May,
bladder, liver, pancreatic, and signed by Tambuwal at the end of the 7th
testicular cancers, as well as emergency meeting of the state governors 2023.
female infertility. Soybean oil, Processed sugars are referred held on Tuesday night in Abuja.
commonly utilized in popcorn, to as No. 5. “Members committed to sustained
has been associated with collaboration among the states through
gastrointestinal discomfort and Potato chips are ranked sixth It was gathered that Governor Abdulrazaq
dermatological reactions. among munchies. They are emerged through consensus while Oyo enhanced peer review, learning at the sub-
prone to weight gain. State Governor, Seyi Makinde was chosen national level and deepening the
Carbonated soft drinks in as vice chairman of the forum. relationship with the federal government
the style of soda. The elevation of cardiovascular and other institutions.
Frequent consumption of sodas disease risk is attributed to the “On the leadership of the Forum, the
can cause weight gain and escalation of harmful trans fats Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman “Finally, members were briefed by the
associated health problems, and salt. Chairman of the Forum that the Hon.
including inammation, insulin Abdulrazaq, emerged the new Chairman
resistance, a n d Preserved foods, including of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum through Minister of Finance has granted the
gastroesophageal reux disease smoked meats and pickles. a consensus, and the Governor of Oyo request of the Forum to immediately stop
(GERD), due to their high sugar The highly processed white State Seyi Makinde is now the vice further deductions from the accounts of
content. our. chairman,” the communique read in part. states to meet Local Government Councils
London Paris Club obligations and the
Additional precautionary monies so far deducted be paid back to the
“Members expressed satisfaction with the states.”
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

2023 UTME: Court Remands Four
For Impersonation, Malpractices
A Federal High Court
sitting in Akure on
Tuesday remanded
four persons for Registration
Impersonation and
Examination malpractices of
the Joint Admission and
Matriculation Board (JAMB)
exam in Ondo State.
The registration
impersonation suspects are
Timilehin Akinwale,
Olayinka Mustapha and
Pe t e r O k e r e k e , w h i l e
Feranmi Adesuyi was
arraigned for examination
impersonation.
According to the charge
sheet, the rst three
defendants committed the
impersonation act on Feb.15
at Aina Awaw International
College,Ilu Abo,
Akure,which was a CBT
centre for Jamb registration
and examination.
“That you OKEREKE PETER
(m), 29yrs, AKINWALE
TIMILEHIN(m),22yrs and
MUSTAPHA OLAYINKA
IDRIS (m), 23yrs on or about
the 15th day of February,
2 0 2 3 a t A I N A A WA W
I N T E R N AT I O N A L
COLLEGE ILLU-ABO, a
CBT Centre for JAMB
Registration and
Examination, Akure Ondo
State, within the jurisdiction
of this Honourable court did
impersonated FOLARIN
DAMLOK, KAZEEN IMISI
OLAMILEKAN and TIJANI
B A B AT U N D E S H E U N
respectively during CBT
JAMB registration, contrary
to section 3(3)(c) of
Examination Malpractice
Act, Cap E15, LFN, 2004 and
punishable under the same
section.”
It said that the offense was
contrary to section 3(3)© of
Examination Malpractice
Act, Cap E15, LFN, 2004 and
Space For
Sale
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
punishable under the same
section.
Also, Feranmi Adesuyi
committed the said offense
on April 28 at Amable Nig
Ltd CBT Centre in Owo,
during the 2023 JAMB
examination
According to the charge
sheet, “That you FERANMI
ADESUYI (m), 29YRS, on or
about the 28th day of April,
2023 at AMABLE NIG LTD
CBT CENTER, Owo, during
the 2023 JAMB Examination
in Ondo State, within the
Jurisdiction of this
Honourable Court did
conspire with one SANUSI
TUNDE who is now at large,
to complete his registration
and also impersonate the
said SANUSI TUNDE for the
JAMB Exam and thereby
committed an offence
contrary to section 10 of
Examination Malpractices
Act, Cap E15, LFN, 2004 and
punishable under section
3(2)(c) of Examination
Malpractice Act, Cap E15
Laws of Federation of
Nigeria, 2004.”
The accused enters a plea of
innocence and a plea of not
guilty to the charges
The prosecuting counsel,
Moses Osimhen urged the
court to remand the
suspects at Olokuta prison
pending the date for hearing.
The defendants’ counsel ,
Clement Falana and Austin
Agbounghale, however
pleaded for the court to
grant the bail of the suspects
as it was a bailable offense.
The presiding judge, Justice
T B Adegoke, thereby
ordered the suspects to be
remanded at Olokuta Prison
and adjourned the case till
July 12 for hearing.
08069601124
Kogi guber; Accord Party affirms
Ex- Naval Chief as it’s candidate
A head of the
November 11,
2 0 2 3
governorship election in
Kogi state, Accord party
has afrmed Usman
Jubrin a former Chief of
Naval Staff as the
substantive candidate of
the party.
Unveiling the candidate
after the delegates
afrmation in Lokoja on
Tuesday, the national
chairman of the party
Alhaji Mohammed
Nalado described Usman
Jubrin as a viable and
valuable candidate who
poses the charisma,
capacity, experience and
the popularity to dislodge
the ruling APC in the
N o v e m b e r, 2 0 2 3
David Mark’s Daughter Warns Politicians Against Frivolous
Petitions As Opponent Withdraw Suit From Election Tribunal
Hon. Blessing Onuh
H onourable
Blessing Onuh,
has enjoined
politicians to resist the
culture of ling frivolous
petitions that could
distract public ofce
holders from delivering
the dividends of
democracy to the people.
The Lawmaker
r e p r e s e n t i n g
Otukpo/Ohimini Federal
Constituency on the
platform of the All
Progressives Congress
(APC), gave the charge at
a world press conference
in Abuja recently,
pointing out that
elections are over and is
time for political
stakeholders to begin to
work together
irrespective of political
leanings.
O n u h , w h i l e Party (PDP) in a
a c k n o w l e d g i n g t h a t statement personally
elections petitions was an signed himself, stated that
essential part of our the difcult decision was T h e l a w m a k e r w h o of political leanings,” she
d e m o c r a t i c p r o c e s s , for the general interest of however, maintained that stated.
solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
Admiral Jubrin
governorship election.
Ahmed Ibrahim
voluntarily withdrew for
Usman Jubrin to emerge
through afrmation by
delegates of the party
from the 21 local
government areas of Kogi
state”
He assured that the
candidate been a former
naval chief of staff would
be able to deliver the
desired dividend of
democracy to the people.
Nalado solicited the
support of the party
members and the people
of Kogi state to win the
f o r t h c o m i n g
governorship in order to
however warned that
culture of ling frivolous
petitions against political
opponents was a
distraction.
The Federal Lawmaker
was reacting to the recent
withdrawal of the suit
instituted by Hon Alex
Enokela Ogbe, against
her victory in the
February 25th National
Assembly election.
Recall that Hon. Ogbe
had on Friday, May 19th
2023, announced his
decision to withdraw the
case instituted against
Hon. Lady Blessing Onuh,
the APC and INEC in the
2023 election petition
tribunal.
The candidate of the
Pe o p l e s D e m o c r a t i c
TrustNews
salvage the current
situation in the state
where percentage
payment of salary has
become the order of the
day.
In his remark , the legal
adviser of the party who is
also the chairman of the
electoral committee
Barrister Maxwell
Mgbudem commended
the leadership of the
party for the seamless
conduct of the exercise
that led to the unveiling of
the candidate of Accord
p a r t y f o r Ko g i s t a t e
governorship election.
Delivering his acceptance
speech Usman Jubrin said
he accepted the ticket of
the party to contest the
forthcoming election and
win to enable him rescue
the state from the hands
of leaders who have
plunged the state into
precarious situation.
“Accord party has taken a
Otukpo Ohimini people.
O g b e , w h i l e
congratulating Lady
Blessing Onuh, vow to
offer his support and
assistance to her where
needed for the
betterment of the people.
“ We a r e u s i n g t h i s
medium to make known
our intention to withdraw
the case instituted against
Hon. Lady Blessing Onuh
of the APC, the APC and
INEC in the 2023 election
petition tribunal.
“ We have taken this
difcult decision for the
general interest of
Otukpo Ohimini people
who we seek to serve.
“We will offer support
and assistance to the
house of representatives
member elect Otukpo
Ohimini where needed
for the betterment of the
people of Otukpo
Ohimini.
“We pray God gives her
the strength to meet the
desires of the people of
Otukpo Ohimini for
which she represent,” he
stated.Onuh while
applauding Mr. Ogbe’s
decision to withdraw his
petition, described his
action as political
maturity which speaks
volume about the unity in
Benue South.
No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 09
position in Kogi politics
and I am happy to be the
candidate of the party. I
thank Ahmed Ibrahim
who withdrew for me to
emerge and I am assuring
our teeming supporters
that the party will not
disappoint them if given
the mandate come
November , 2023” he
said.
While speaking on
percentage payment of
salary at the local
government level , the
candidate assured that
under his watch as the
governor of the state all
civil servants both at local
and state government
level would take their full
salaries as at when due.
He promised that
workers that were
unjustly sacked by the
current government will
be reinstated, saying
change is desirable to
take the state from the
wood and suffering.
she won the February
2023 election conducted
in a free and fair contest,
enjoined him to work
together with her and all
Idoma progressives in the
progress, unity and
development of
Otukpo/Ohimini Federal
constituency.
In her words, “I
acknowledge the
withdrawal of the suit
instituted against my
victory by Mr Ogbe.
However, I must state
categorically that I won
the February 2023
election conducted in a
free and fair contest.
“I view the decision of Mr
Ogbe as an act of political
maturity which speaks
volume about the unity in
Benue South. I urge
politicians to avoid
frivolous petitions which
is a distraction.
“I feel honoured by the
humble demonstration of
his sportsmanship and
enjoin him to work
together with me and all
Idoma progressives in the
progress, unity and
development of
Otukpo/Ohimini Federal
constituency.
“Elections have come and
gone, I want to emphasize
that I represent the entire
constituency irrespective
 10 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
May 29: Prof. Greg Ibe makes Passionate
Appeal to Abia Statesmen
Few days to the crucial
inauguration of a new
government in our dear state
and country, I am constrained
by recent worrisome
developments in the socio-
political sphere to again wave
the ag of peace and
passionately appeal to all
political gladiators and
activists to please forebear,
ceasere and let Abia breath.

You will recall that in my last
two letters I fervently
pleaded with all aggrieved
parties in the 2023 Abia
Governorship contest to
sheath their swords of war
and join forces with the
G o v e r n o r- e l e c t i n t h e
interest of the good people of
God’s Own State. Let me
again offer maximum respect
and salutation to those who
heeded my call and chose to
toe the path of peace, in spite
of the genuineness of their
respective cases.
Sufce it say that you are all
winners!
One may rightly wonder at
my reason for taking this
Prof. Ibe
Ezes and revered league of
Abia Statesmen to rise to the
occassion and prevail upon a
group of apparently anti
progressive elements of PDP
and APC, who as killjoy
specialists are hell bent on
asphyxiating Abians at the
sunrise of their jubilation.
I believe there is no better
Dr. Alex Otti
I know that some people have
argued that the Governor-
elect should be given a taste
of his own medicine since he
legally challenged the
incumbent in 2015 and 2019
respectively. My answer has
always been that two wrongs
do not make a right. In view of
the fact that proliferation of
Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right), with the Osun State
Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, at the commissioning of the
650,000bpd Dangote Renery and Petrochemical plant, in Lagos.
Dangote Refinery can make Nigeria
save over $15bn annually from
product importation
The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has
said the commissioning of the 650,000bpd Dangote
Renery and Petrochemical plant, the world’s largest
single train renery, has opened a new vista of
opportunity for the nation’s economy, noting that
the country can save over $3bn annually from the
importation of petroleum products.

trajectory even when
everyone knows that the
Abia guber election of 18
March wasn’t awless. But
despite knowing that the
outcome of that election is
not a true reection of my
personal performance at the
polls, especially in the face of
glaring operational bungles by
INEC, I have decided to
move on and champion this
campaign for peace just for
the good of our dear state,
especially after her 24 years
horric ordeal in the
w i l d e r n e s s o f
underdevelopment.
It is therefore in the spirit of
the Igbo adage which
discourages delivery by the
mother goat on tethers in the
presence of an elder, that I
want to use this medium to
enjoin our highly respected
Nassarawa House of Assembly passes
Superior courts of record Bill into law.
Nasarawa State House
of Assembly, has passed
into law A Bill For a Law to
Amend the Number of
Judges of the Superior
Courts of Record Law
2001 and for Related
Matters. The bill was
seeking to increase the
number of superior ( High)
time than now to invite tested
non-partisan Ndi Eze Abia
and impartial Statesmen to
intervene by calling for the
kind of truce that will lead to
peaceful out of court
settlement of all legal
encumbrances threatening
and mitigating against the in
coming administration.
Having suffered the
disastrous effects of 22 legal
cases that spanned the whole
gamut of the judicial cycle,
from Magistrate, High,
Appeal to Supreme Court, I
am aware of the enormous
political, social and economic
consequences of the
impending litigations
imposingly challenging the
Governor-elect, and once
again call for restrain, just for
the sake of Abians who for
long have been forced to hold
the short end of the stick.
C o u r t s
Judges from
20 to 30 in
the State.
Rt. Hon.
Ibrahim
Balarabe
Abdullahi,
the Speaker
of the House
announced
the passage
of the bill into law during
the House proceedings
today in Laa. The
Speaker said that the bill if
a s s e n t e d t o b y G o v.
Abdullahi Sule would
increase the number of
Superior ( High) Courts
Judges from 20 to 30 in
court cases during the tenure
of the incumbent continue to
reverberate as one of the
reasons for the level of
performance or lack of it, all
well meaning Abians must
join the crusade for peaceful
out of court resolution of all
outstanding election matters
while fervently interceding
for divine assistance for the in
coming administration.
Eme ngwangwa emeghara
odachi!
Umunnem Ozoemena!
Long Live Abia!
Long Live Nigeria!!
Prof Gregory Ibe, PhD,
OFR(Enyi Abia, Erim
Ndigbo),
Abia APGA Governorship
Candidate.
order to ensure speedy
administration of Justice in
the State. ” As this will
promote peace, reduce
court burdens and
e n h a n c e s p e e d
administration of justice in
the State,” he said. ” A Bill
For a Law to Amend the
Number of Judges of the
Superior Courts of Record
Law 2001 and for Related
Matters read third term
and passed,” he said.
The Speaker directed the
Clerk of the House to
produce a clean copy of
the bill for Gov. Sule’s
assent.
S
peaking to journalists at
the commissioning of the
renery, developed by
Africa’s richest man, Aliko
Dangote, Obaseki said the
renery is a game changer for
Nigeria, hailing the genius,
dexterity and inimitable
entrepreneurial spirit of Alhaji
Aliko Dangote.
The petroleum renery with a
capacity to process 650,000
barrels per day (bpd) is sitting on
2,635 hectares of land located in
the Dangote Industries Free
Zone in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, and
will provide employment to over
100,000 persons.
He said, “Beyond the
commissioning, the fact that we
have nally got to the position
where we can begin to rene
products, particularly petrol and
diesel locally is a breakthrough.
What this means is that we will
be saving up to 3 billion dollars in
a year for not importing. That’s
more than the amount we spend
today on all our infrastructure,
education, and health. That sort
of money is coming back to the
government for growth.
“But beyond it, there is the
certainty of supply, and capacity
to not only produce for your
market but to be able to export
to the rest of the continent. And
not just importing the kind of
products you used to import, you
are now processing and rening
better quality products of
international standard.”
According to him, “Before now,
the bulk of what we used to buy
was low grade, so it affected our
vehicles. The maintenance
status of our vehicles was lower
than anywhere else. Today, we
are producing something that’s
of international grade and you
can now sell an end product.
“So, for me, this is the game
changer for Nigeria because you
don’t only save what you used to
spend but are now given the
capacity to earn more. So, you
are saving and also earning
more.”
The governor added, “Look at
the other materials that will
c o m e o u t o f t h e r e  n e r y,
particularly, the petrochemical
plants. I mean, everything up
here is all plastic, all
petrochemicals. That means we
now have a base material to
produce most of these things
that we need for packaging, for
equipment like everywhere else
and that’s a big export for us.”
Speaking on other opportunities
for growth presented by the
renery, Obaseki noted, “The
biggest challenge in Nigeria
today is jobs for young people.
Why haven’t we created the
number of jobs that I think we
should give our population size?
Beyond just investing in a facility
like this that creates direct jobs,
the materials being produced
here will now have what we call
multiple effects on our own
range of industries.
“If you are in the business of food
processing, all your packaging
materials in the past, you waited
for it to be imported. Today, you
can make those packaging
materials here, which means
that you can do more. And so
what we see is that this is the
lever you need for
industrialization, for creating
materials small businesses need
to be efcient, to be competitive,
and do their work.”

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Reasons for Tribunal Plateau Health Agency has
rejection of live coverage 110,158 Enrollees Say - DG
J ustice Haruna Tsammani-led ve-
member panel dismissed the
application brought by Alhaji
Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP; and Mr
Peter Obi of the Labour Party, LP, as
lacking in merit.
The court held that no regulatory
framework or policy direction
permitted it to grant such an
application, adding that allowing
cameras in the courtroom is a major
judicial policy that must be
supported by the law.
“The court can only be guided and
act in accordance with the practice
directions and procedures
approved by the President of the
Court of Appeal. We cannot permit
10th Senate: Akpabio Gets Wike’s
T
a situation that may lead to the
Support For Senate President
G overnor
Nyesom
Wike of
Rivers State has
expressed his
support for
Senator Godswill
Akpabio’s bid for
the ofce of the
Senate President in
the upcoming 10th
National Assembly.
Wike stated that
his endorsement is
a way of repaying
the support he
received from
Akpabio during his own campaign for
the governorship of Rivers State.
During a meeting with members of
the Stability Group, a group of
Senators-elect who are advocating
for Akpabio’s emergence as Senate
President,
Governor Wike emphasized the need
for the country to progress and saw
no issue with the ruling party selecting
someone who can effectively work
with the President-elect for the
position.
He afrmed his commitment to the
success of Akpabio and Senator
Barau, stating that they are united in
their efforts to secure victory for their
respective ambitions.
According to a statement on Tuesday
by Akpabio’s media team, the
Director General of Stability Group,
Senator Ali Ndume, APC, Borno
South said that Governor Wike’s
support for Senator Akpabio
underscores the importance of
mutual support and collaboration
among political leaders and reects
the signicance of building alliances
and fostering unity for the overall
progress of the country.
As the inauguration of the 10th
National Assembly approaches, the
outcome of the Senate Presidency
race will shape the dynamics of the
legislative branch and its ability to
effectively work with the executive to
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
dramatisation of our proceedings,”
Justice Tsammani held.
Besides, the court held that the
request was not part of any relief in
the petitions before it, saying it was
merely hinged on a sentimental
claim that it would benet the
electorate.
It maintained that the petitioners
failed to establish how televising the
proceedings would advance their
case, adding that such live broadcast
would not add any utilitarian value
to the determination of the
petitions.
More so, it noted that such a live
broadcast must be planned and
budgeted for.
Sen. Akpabio
address the nation’s challenges and
promote development.
A c c o r d i n g t o W i n e , “A k p a b i o
supported me during my
governorship ambition. He stood by
me all through and ensured that I
won. I don’t pay back good with evil.
This is payback time for him. I will
stand by him until he emerges as the
next Senate President. Our team
would soon meet to take a position on
your aspiration.
“Don’t be worried or disturbed with
the contending forces against your
aspiration, it is normal in politics.
Power is not given on a platter, you
ght for it. I am impressed that
despite your endorsement by your
party and the President-elect, you are
still consulting your colleagues. That is
the way it should be.
“Let us be fair to this country. If we
continue this way, Nigeria will not
succeed. Don’t waiver stay rm and
you will win at the end of the day,” he
stressed.
Responding, Akpabio appreciated
Wike for his support for his aspiration
to emerge the next Senate President,
said, “let me congratulate you for
ending your tenure as the governor of
River State on the high. You have done
well for your people and Nigerians.
History would be kind to you as you
exit ofce in the next few days. You
believe in justice, equity and fairness
and that is what Nigerians know you
for.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
he Plateau State Contributory
Healthcare management Agency (
PLASCHEMA) says it has 110,158
enrollees from the formal and informal
sector who access health care through the
scheme.
The Director – General of PLASCHEMA, Dr.
Fabong Jemchang, said this in Jos, at a
stewardship town hall meeting.
Jemcheng said the essence of the meeting was
to intimate the public with the Agency’s
scorecard of performance in the last four
years of its existence and for the public to
evaluate its performance.
He said the breakdown consist of 74,008
enrollees in the formal sector and 36,150
enrollees from the informal sector.
According to him, the agency in bid to do away
with the issue of “out of stock syndrome ”
engaged the services of 26 community
pharmacies in the state. He explained that the
See the World's 20 Most
Miserable Countries to visit
N i g e r i a w a s
surprisingly
missing from the
list of most miserable
countries in the world as
Zimbabwe ranks top on
the list.
The annual ‘misery index’
ranks almost 160 countries
o n f a c t o r s l i k e
unemployment gures,
ination, and bank-lending
rates.
Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s most populous
nations with roughly 16 million citizens, has
now ranked among the top ve gloomiest
nations for three years in a row.
According to the annual report, Robert
Mugabe’s brutal rule of Zimbabwe reportedly
turned the country into an international
outcast, mired in corruption, violence, and an
economic crisis that reduced tens of
thousands to grinding poverty.
The mineral-rich country is still living with the
economic fallout from Mugabe’s 37-year
reign.
Behind Zimbabwe in Hanke’s Annual Misery
Index is Venezuela, which has also been
plagued by ‘economic mismanagement’, and
Syria, which has been embroiled in a horric
civil war for more than a decade.
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 11
instance were by enrollees cannot get drugs
from their health care provider, they directed
to a community pharmacy close to get the
medication.
The D - G, said that the agency has
commenced on the spot enrollment and
people can now enroll from the comfort of
their homes to the scheme without coming
physically for enrollment.
He further said that the scheme has made it
easy for all especially those in the informal
sector to be part of the scheme as they can pay
quarterly or twice to be enrolled if they do not
have the chunk of the fund for enrollment into
the scheme.
The D-G, described the state’s health agency
as the biggest social safety net provided by the
state government to eliminate out of the
pocket expenditure and to improve on the
health indices of the people.
He called on the public, who have not enrolled
into the scheme to do so as it also served as a
means of nancial protection for the enrollees.
One of the beneciaries of the scheme, Mr
Christopher Dung, said his enrolment into the
scheme has helped him stay stable nancially
as he spends only negligible amount when he
goes to access health care .
Another beneciary, Mrs Joyce Nuhu, an
enrollee from the informal sector, thanked the
agency for making enrollment easy and
exible.
The Plateau State Contributory Healthcare
management Agency was established in 2019,
with the sole aim of attaining the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goal of
achieving Universal Health coverage for
residents on the Plateau.
The economist behind the
ranking, Professor Steve
Hanke, said one of the
biggest factors behind
Zimbabwe’s ‘most
miserable’ ranking is its
political party ruling with
an ‘iron grip’.
There have been
allegations of rigging and
violence around elections
over the last three decades
and the country has also
suffered two episodes of hyperination by 50
percent or more, under the administration of
M u g a b e a n d h i s s u c c e s s o r Pr e s i d e n t
Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The crash value of its currency resulted in
shocking scenes of people lling buckets with
cash just to purchase a loaf of bread.
He said: “With elections around the corner,
[opposition leader] Nelson Chamisa and his
Citizens Coalition for Change is polling well,
and, on the assumption that there will be fair
and free elections in Zimbabwe, he just might
pull Zimbabwe out of the gutter.”
Along with Zimbabwe, Venezuela, Syria,
Lebanon, and Sudan are also among the most
miserable.
Venezuela has suffered two episodes of
hyperination under President Nicolas
Maduro, who has now been in ofce for ten
years.
12 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
Ethiopian’s Yasin Haji Returns To
Defend Okpekpe 10km Road Race Governor Inuwa Yahaya
Emerges Northern States
Governors’ Forum Chairman
*Pledges to bequeath verile organisation that propels better future for Northern people
*Says “We must work to ensure adequate exploration of huge oil, gas, solid minerals
deposits in North for the benet of our people”
ingenuity despite numerous
challenges in his state in particular
and the North in general.

He said the NSGF will continue to

work with past leadership of the

E thiopia’s Yasin Haji
will be seeking to
make history as the
rst man to successfully
defend an Okpekpe
international 10km road
race title after the 27-year-
old arrived Lagos for
Saturday’s race in Okekpe,
Edo State.
Jaji became the third,
Okpekpe 10km title.
In the women’s race, a new
course record also looks to
be in the ofng following the
quality of the elite cast for
the event.
Kenya’s Edith Jepchumba
will lead the cast of athletes
aiming to rewrite the 32:41
course record set by
forum in order to consolidate on the
gains so far recorded and to properly
place it on the smooth trajectory of
social cohesion, economic
emancipation and infrastructural
development.
The outgoing chairman and
Governor of Plateau State, Simon
Gov. Inuwa Yahaya Gov. Tambuwa
Bako Lalong, said Governor Inuwa
was elected to chair the NSGF in

bonade Ethiopian man to
win the Okpekpe race
10km title after he ran
29:05, the third fastest
winning time in race history,
to win the title in 2022.
Teshome Mekonen who
ran 28.35 in 2014 to set the
race record was the rst
Ethiopian to win the men’s
race and Leule Gebrselassie
(29:28) became the second
to win three years later.
Haji, who raced to a 27:00
lifetime best in the event last
year in Lille has returned to
form at the right time.
The Ethiopian clocked
27:20 at the end of last
month at the Adizero Road
to Records, Adi-Dassler-
S t r a ß e 1 i n
Herzogenaurach, Germany
to send a message to his
countryman, Mekonen that
he is returning to Okpekpe
to break the course record
and make history.
The stage will not be for Haji
alone as a certain Kenyan,
Daniel Simiu Ebenyo will
not only be seeking to
return Kenya to the podium
as Okpekpe race champion
but also challenge
Mekonen’s 28.35-course
record.
Ebenyo is one of just 14
athletes in the event’s all-
time list to have broken 27
minutes when he ran 26:58
in Valencia, Spain in January
2022, and like Haji, the 27-
year-old has also returned
to form just in time for the
Okpekpe race.
He ran 59:52 to win the
Istanbul Half Marathon in
Istanbul, Turkey at the end
of last month and will be
looking to become the fth
Ke n y a n w i n n e r o f t h e
08069601124, 09033136986
T
Ethiopia’s Wude Ayalew in he Governor of Gombe the subsequent effect of banditry view of his experience, sterling
2014. leadership qualities and
State, Muhammadu Inuwa and cattle rustling among others.
Yahaya has been elected as The new NSGF chairman noted that commitment to good governance.
The Kenyan ran a 30:53 the chairman of the Northern States in spite of the social and economic He urged him to bring to bear his
lifetime best over the Governors’ Forum (NSGF). challenges confronting the northern pedigree of excellence in running the
distance last February, affairs of the Northern Governors
nearly two minutes inside According to a statement signed by region, the Forum has made
the course record and she is the Director- General (Press tremendous impact and has changed Forum.
the fastest athlete among Affairs). the tide for the betterment of its
the elite cast conrmed for people. Giving synopsis of his stewardship,
the race. the Plateau Governor said the past
Government House Gombe, Ismaila
Uba Misilli, dated Tuesday May 23, He remarked that since the focus of four years have been eventful just as
Ethiopia’s Bertukan Welde 2 0 2 3 , t h e g o v e r n o r w a s the NSGF is built on addressing such they were challenging in various
has also ran inside Ayalew’s unanimously elected by the 19 social challenges, the Forum, under sectors.
course record when she
clocked 32:00 to come in Northern governors during their his leadership will do everything
b e h i n d J e p c h u m b a i n forum’s meeting held on Tuesday at possible to ensure that they are He said the forum had to deal with
C a s t e l l o n , S p a i n l a s t the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja. addressed in the Interest and many issues that affected the
February. benets of the people. northern states individually and the
Governor Inuwa takes over from region as a whole.
Abigael Jelimo will be Governor Simon Bako Lalong of “We will work hard to ensure that
seeking to get the gold this Plateau State with effect from 29th “As you are all aware, our region for
we catch up with the rest of the
time after running 33.53 to May, 2023. country, possibly with the developed the most part of the period under
place third at the eighth
parts of the world so that our review continued to face serious
edition of the Okpekpe race
last year. In his acceptance speech, Governor people will feel the impact of good challenges with the incidences of
Inuwa promised to justify the governance we all pursue”. kidnapping, banditry, terrorism and
condence reposed in him by his other violent crimes that impacted
Meanwhile, Solomon Arase,
former Nigeria’s Inspector colleagues across party divides. He expressed delight with the negatively on the lives of the people
General of Police and now commencement of drilling activities and the economy of the entire
Chairman of the Police He emphasized that the good in the Lake Chad Basin which has region. However, with our collective
Service Commission has legacies of the Forum will be brought to three drilling sites in the and individual efforts coupled with
commended Mike the support of the Federal
Itemuagbor, owner of the sustained to bequeath not only virile North to include Kolmani in Gombe
Okpekpe 10km race for organisation, but a better future for and Bauchi and the one in Nasarawa Government and security agencies,
sustaining the world-class the people of the north at the end of State. we were able to do our best to
ro a d running event in his tenure as chairman of the contain the situation.
Nigeria.
Northern Governors Forum. He assured that the forum will see to
the actualization of the exploration “Without the series of meetings and
‘ Ku d o s t o M i k e Inuwa assured his fellow Northern of the large oil and gas deposits in the engagements we held, our people
(Itemuagbor), the great Governors that in line with the North for the benet of the people. would have been thrown into
sports lover and deeper hunger and despair as the
administrator for putting objectives of the Northern
the rural Okpekpe Governor’ Forum, he will strive to Governor Inuwa Yahaya noted that threat by criminals restrained them
community on the map of sustain the strides left behind by his the Northern region of the country from engaging in farming which is the
the world. Okpekpe race predecessors. is sitting on not only oil and gas main economic activity of the region.
has come to stay because of
deposits. but solid minerals which
our brother who has been He said the focus of the NSGF on the forum has no reason not to “Although we have not overcome
able to sustain it over the
economic development will be the exploit and put to use for the benet this challenge completely, we have
years,’ said Arase.
driving force of the Forum while his of the people. substantially improved the situation.
We h o p e t h a t t h e i n c o m i n g
The ninth edition of the chairmanship lasts.
Okpekpe International The Gombe State Governor used Governors and those continuing
10km road race will hold on He observed that the region is the occasion to thank the outgoing their second terms will work
Saturday in Okpekpe in challenged by insurgency in the chairman of the Northern together with the Federal
E t s a k o E a s t L o c a l North East, ethnic and religious Government to ensure the region is
Governors’ Forum and Plateau State
Government Area of Edo crisis within the North Central as Governor Right Hon. Simon Bako secure”.
state.
well as farmers/herders clashes and Lalong for his administrative
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS 13
As we get New Elected and Appointed Representatives,
Promote Grassroots Journalism: Ifeajika charges Newsmen
T he Chief Press Secretary to
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
State, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, has called
on journalists to carve a niche for
themselves by giving attention to issues in grassroots journalism, Ifeajika charges newsmen
“A n d , I w a n t t o
appeal that as
i n d i g e n o u s
partnership with the government by
always reporting the policies and
programmes of the state government.

Promote correspondents, you He also charged journalists in the state to

the grassroots in their reportage.
He particularly challenged members of
Indigenous Correspondents’ Chapel
(ICC) of the Nigeria Union Journalists
(NUJ) in the state to, as local reporters,
mirror the rural communities to the
government and public and vice versa.
Ifeajika made the call when he received
the new Executive Committee members
of ICC who visited him at his ofce at
Government House, Asaba.
He urged them to redirect their
reportorial skills and energy to the
coverage of activities and events within
local milieu, adding that as their name
implies, they should be grassroots-based
and oriented.
According to him, there is so much to be
done in the remote areas, and those that
are indigenous should always be local and
be there with the local people.
The CPS maintained that a situation
where those that were indigenous, going
by their nomenclature, always report in
the cities, did not appropriately give them
the identity that corresponded with their
name.
“The Indigenous Correspondents, like
the name implies, is a grassroots-focused
group. I tell journalists that it is not
enough for everybody to be in the cities
and report what happens in the cities.
“There is so much to be done in the
mundane areas. Those that are
indigenous should always be local and be
there with the people. But I see a
situation where even those that are
indigenous always report in the cities.
should truly to be
indigenous and
grassroots people;
go and nd out what
is happening in the
rural areas instead of
competing with
major media outlets
in the cities.
“ We should take
time to look at what happens to our
people in the rural areas and you will be
surprised that you cannot quantify the
mileage you will get in reporting if you do
so,” he said.
Ifeajika noted that government was doing
so much in the rural areas which should
be reported, stressing that reporting
areas where government had not been
able to reach, will always help
government to do what it ought to do.
While congratulating executive members
of ICC on their successful election,
Ifeajika urged them and other media
practitioners in the state to sustain their
take their practice to a top-notch by
reporting constructively and objectively,
adding that as journalists, they should be
abreast with issues in the society and
dress decently so as to earn the people’s
respect.
Earlier in his speech, the Chairman of the
chapel, Comrade Kenneth Orusi, had
told the CPS that they were in his ofce
on a courtesy visit and to formally
introduce the new executive committee
members of ICC to him.
Orusi lauded the CPS for the great role
that he has been playing since he assumed
duties as the spokesman of the governor,
pointing out that they were very glad that
he had carried them along in the scheme
of things.
While commending M Ifeajika for
graciously making it possible for the
Indigenous Correspondents Chapel to
benet from the stipends paid to NUJ
Chapels in the state, he however,
appealed for an upward review of the
stipends paid to his members.

DTHA screens, Confirms Newly

Constituted DESOPADEC Girls in Adamawa
Board of The Delta State Oil
Producing Areas Development
Commission, and in the exercise of the
Communities get
powers conferred on him by section 7,
sub-section 1(a) of The Delta State Oil ICT Empowerment
Producing Areas Development
Commission Law (as Amended) ,
2019, He therefore wishes to
nominate the above mentioned
by IBI Foundation
the lives of young girls in
persons for appointment into various these communities. He
positions of the DESOPADEC Board. believes that when young
girls are equipped with the
Moving the motion for conrmation necessary skills and
was the Majority Leader of the House, resources, they can
Hon. Chief Ferguson Onwo and become empowered to

T he Delta State House of Assembly has seconded by the Deputy Speaker of pursue their dream
thoroughly screened and conrmed the House, Rt. Hon. Ochor Christopher careers and become
the newly constituted Delta State Oil Ochor . independent.

Producing Areas Development Commission
(DESOPADEC) Board , during the Tuesday
23rd May, 2023 plenary, in the hollow
chamber of the state house of assembly, at
Asaba, the state capital.
The plenary which was presided over by the
Speaker and Delta State Governor elect, Rt.
Hon. Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori
red the names on the oor of the house
through a letter from the Governor, Senator
Dr Ifeanyi Okowa conveying the names that
to be screened and conrmed which includes;
Olorogun John Nani as Board Chairman,
Chief Festus Ochonogor as Managing
Director (MD) , Mr. Efele Eyewu Nicholas
Executive Director, Mr. Favour Izoukumor
Executive Director, Hon. Chief Taleb A.O.
Tebite Executive Director, Mr. Oghenekome
Reginald Okpobor Executive Director, others
are; Chief Julius Egbedi Member, Mr. Sylvester
Ovbije Member, Mr. Goru Jonathan
Oghenekaro Member, Mr. Azuka Enebeli
Member, Dr. Charles Olisa Member, Mrs.
Cordilia N. Anyangwu Member, Mr. Sonny
Ofe Member, Mr. Victor Okemena Egboh
Member, and Mr. Spencer Okpoye Member.
According to the letter, Governor Okowa
informed the House that following the
expiration of the tenure of the Governing
08069601124, 09033136986
In a related development, the Delta State
House of Assembly has equally conrmed the
appointment of two New Deputy Clerk and a
New Secretary of The Delta State House of
Assembly Service Commission Board, these
includes; Barr. Mrs. Nwabuoku Isioma
Ukamaka as Deputy Clerk, Olorogun
Dogbokeme Sylvester as Deputy Clerk, and
Barr. Uwasike Austin as Secretary of the
Assembly Commission.
Moving the motion for conrmation was the
Majority Leader, Hon. Chief Ferguson Onwo
and was seconded by Hon. Evivie
Ovuakpoye, member representing Isoko
South 1 Constituency.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
T
he Ibrahim Baba-Inna (IBI)
Foundation, a humanitarian
organization based in
Nigeria, has announced plans
to empower young girls in
Adamawa state as part of Girls in
ICT Day celebrations.
The theme for this year’s event is ”
Digital Skills for Life”. This event will
benet girls in the communities of
Song, Girei, and Yola in Adamawa
state.
The initiative seeks to bridge the
gender gap in access to ICT
resources by providing girls with
access to digital literacy skills that
can help them thrive in the digital
world. Additionally, they will be
mentored by fellow girls in the tech
communities as well as be given the
opportunity to receive training in
coding, robotics, virtual reality, and
mobile applications.
Retired Lt Commander Ibrahim
Baba-Inna, the CEO of IBI
Foundation also stated that he
hopes this initiative will make a
positive and long-term difference in
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
The IBI Foundation CEO and
Founder, who has worked for many
years to support those in need
throughout Nigeria, reiterates that
it is necessary to make an impact
and change lives for the greater
good. The Girls-In-ICT Day event is
an ITU ( International
Telecommunications Union) event
that holds yearly on the last
thursday in the month of April. The
Girls-In-ICT day was on the 27th of
April. The IBI
Foundation has been holding this
event since 2016 and has so far
impacted more than 5,000 girls
from previous events not only in
Adamawa but 19 other states in
Nigeria.
The IBI Foundation has mobilized a
team of local volunteers and
partners to implement the project.
They have also launched an online
campaign – #girlsinict2023 – which
is aimed at sensitization and
generating more support for the
initiative.
14 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS

OFFICE OF THE
Chief Medical Director
KOGI STATE
SPECIALIST HOSPITAL,LOKOJA

Congratulate
H Excellency ALHAJI

YAHAYA
BELLO The Execu ve Governor
Kogi State, Nigeria
on the
Award Of

National Honor

I, the Chief Medical Director, Kogi State Specialist Hospital, Lokoja Prof.
Isah Yahaya Adagiri hereby congratulate the Executive Governor of Kogi
State, His Excellency Alh. Yahaya Bello on his most-deserved
conferement with the iconic national honour of the Commander of the
Order of the Niger (CON).
The honour is well- deserved because you have demonstrated
uncommon passion, zeal and patriotism required for leadership of our
dear State.
Your commitment to the security of lives and property and your
leadership traits that have united Kogites and coupled with your youth
consciousness as well as your involvement in good governance across
the state speak volumes of your personality.
You have demonstrated capacity for cohesion and inclusive governance
through a model of developmental agenda as encapsulated in the New
Direction Blueprint.
Kogi State under your watch has enjoyed religious and cultural
tolerance, gender balance, f healthy fiscal policy, good health
management, agricultural evolution and repositioning of the education Signed:
sector. PROF. ISAH ADAGIRI YAHAYA
I, on behalf of the management and staff of the hospital, once again, Chief Medical Director
congratulate Your Excellency for the most deserved national honour.

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS 15

A GEM’s

Birthday
DR. ANDREW ADAMA

Felicitates
With Atta Igala on the
Occasion of His

RD

I, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of Andreams Global

Properties Ltd, Abuja, Hon. Dr. Andrew Adama on behalf of
my family, the management and staff of my company,

Heartily Congratulates
HRM, Dr. Matthew Alaji Opaluwa Oguche Akpa,
CHAIRMAN, IDAH LGA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL, IGALA AREA TRADITIONAL COUNCIL,
PRESIDENT, KOGI STATE COUNCIL OF CHIEFS AND CHANCELLOR, FEDERAL UNIVERSITY, ADDO-EKITI
on the occasion of his birthday celebration. The birthday of
HRM, the number one traditional ruler in Kogi State is worthy
of celebration considering his landmark success in the socio-
cultural and other spheres of development within this short
HON. DR.
time on the throne of his fore-fathers. ANDREW ADAMA
I wish His Royal Majesty sound health, more wisdom, Chairman/CEO of
knowledge, longevity and prosperity in the years ahead. Andreams Global
Properties Ltd, Abuja,

Signed: Hon. Dr. Andrew Adama ,

MD/CEO Andreams Global Properties, Ltd, Abuja.

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 16 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
Tinubu assures Nigeria of better ICPC Secures 15 Years Conviction
Days as he hosts Tony Blair Of Ex-Poly Staff
Meanwhile, the United States
President, Joe Biden, has named his
delegation to attend the inauguration
of the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.
T he Independent
C o r r u p t
Practices and
Other Related
Offences Commission,
respectively.

In a Charge No. KB/HC/4C/2020,

No fewer than 65 world leaders,
including Heads of State, have been
invited to grace Tinubu’s
inauguration. The former Lagos State
governor will be sworn in as the 16th
President of Nigeria on May 29 at
Eagle Square, Abuja.
Tinubu Blair
Also expected at the nation’s seventh
ICPC has secured the
conviction of one Mr. Muhammed Sani
Nuhu, a former academic staff of
Waziri Umaru Federal Polytechnic,
Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, for
conferring corrupt advantage on
himself to the tune of N6 million
belonging to the Polytechnic.
In a 4-count charge brought before
counsel to ICPC, Mr. Mashkur Salisu,
had told the Court in a trial which
lasted for two years, how the convict
refused to embark on the said
Programme and converted the money
to his personal use.
His action was contrary to, and
punishable under Section 19 of the
Corrupt Practices and Other Related
Offences Act, 2000 as well as Section
311 of the Penal Code, and punishable

P
resident-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,
has revealed the purpose of the visit of
Former United Kingdom Prime
Minister, Tony Blair to him in Abuja.
Tinubu, on his ofcial Twitter account
(@OfcialBAT), said the purpose of the visit
was to discuss mutual interests between
Nigeria and the Tony Blair Institute for Good
Governance, an institute owned by the
former UK Prime Minister.
The tweet reads, “I received former British
Prime Minister and founder of the Tony Blair
Institute for Good Governance, Mr Tony
Blair, at the Defence House, Abuja, earlier
today.
“We discussed areas of mutual interest and
how Nigeria can continue to benet from the
amazing work of the Institute.”
transition ceremony are past presidents,
diplomats, heads of international
organisations, prominent Nigerians, and
representatives of foreign governments and
agencies.
The inauguration programmes will begin on
Thursday with the investiture of Tinubu as
Grand Commander of the Order of the
Federal Republic and the Vice-President-
elect, Kashim Shettima, as Grand
Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Representatives of Nigeria’s traditional allies
such as the United States, the United
Kingdom, Canada, France, Saudi Arabia, the
United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, China,
Germany, Finland, Jamaica, Japan, Israel,
Turkey, and several others are expected at
the high-prole event.
Hon. Justice Hassan Usman of the
Kebbi State High Court, Birnin Kebbi
Judicial Division, the Commission
averred that Mr. Nuhu, a dismissed
academic staff of the Polytechnic,
conferred corrupt advantage on
himself when he converted into
personal use the sums of N2 million in
2015 and N4 million in 2016.
This was contained in a statement by
the ICPC’s spokesperson, Mrs Azuka
Ogugua, in Abuja on Tuesday.
According to the statement, the
monies were a special grant given to
him to attend an International
Conference in Aberdeen, United
Kingdom and the rst tranche of
payment advanced to him for Doctor
of Philosophy (Ph.D) Programme at
University of Technology Malaysia,
under Section 312 of the Penal Code
Law (Cap 89) Laws of Northern
Nigeria 1963.
The trial judge found the former Poly
lecturer guilty on counts one to three,
and dismissed count four leveled
against him.
In his judgment therefore, Justice
Usman sentenced him to ve years
imprisonment on each of the three
counts.
The Court also held that the convict
makes a restitution of the sum of Six
Million, Five Hundred Thousand Naira
(N6,500,000:00) being the proceed of
the crime to the federal government.
The sentences are to run concurrently.

Incoming administration may Believe

Things Single Ladies Must Not
About Relationship
face industrial crisis – NLC
Nigerian workers.
Ajaero made this known when he
appeared on Channels TV
programme, Politics Today.
According to him, several industrial
crisis seem to be looming due to
failed agreements with lecturers,
doctors and the power sector.
When asked about possible
become your ATM, you
might be disappointed.
Instead of looking for a guy
solutions to avert strike actions, you will always collect
Ajaero explained that proper money from, why can’t you
technocrats must be allowed to build your nancial life so
handle the sector, insisting that the you too can be a blessing to
implementation of agreements him. Healthy relationship is
about give and take. It is not
seems to be the beating heart of
just about taking and taking.
many of today’s crises.
3). Don’t Believe That
“The best way to go is to sit down
Relationship Will Cage
and study the situation. If this is
You.

T he Nigeria Labour Congress

President, Joe Ajaero, has
predicted that the
incoming government will face
several industrial crisis due to the
previous government’s failed
agreements with the various
groups they entered into
agreements with.
Therefore, Ajaero expressed
“pity” to the incoming Tinubu
administration, saying there are
several inconclusive industrial
challenges left unattended to by the
outgoing administration of
President Muhammadu Buhari.
In his assessment of Nigerian
workers’ welfare under the Buhari
regime, the labour president
stated, “There will be a spillover
effect on the coming
administration.”
He added that despite the outgoing
president’s best efforts, it was not
enough to meet the needs of
08069601124, 09033136986
He stressed “The Buhari
administration tried its best in
ensuring there is industrial peace
and harmony to the best of its
ability and capability but it was not
enough as most of the industrial
disputes the government treated
are unnished.
“You are talking about doctor’s
strike, the agreement signed was
not implemented and is waiting for
the incoming government. The
ASUU issue is pending and waiting
for the incoming government.
There is hardly any agreement that
was conclusively decided and
exhausted, and that is why I pity the
incoming administration. A lot of
industrial crisis seems to be
looming.
“There is going to be a spillover
effect on the incoming government
because when you apprehend
issues, it is to an end that you
resolve the problem.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
done. They will be able to handle
the issues one after the other and it
will do them a lot of good if they
bring in proper technocrats to
handle that sector. Trade unions and
their leaders are not unreasonable.
If you have a new government that
is listening and have the right calibre
of people to address those issues,
they will be resolved but the major
problem is implementation where
agreements made ve, or ten years
ago are not implemented.
“The implementability of
agreements seems to be the reason
for the crises we are having. Check
ASUU, resident doctors, the
power sector and other sectors. It
is not usually too difcult to reach
an agreement and strike a balance,
but respecting the sanctity of such
agreement by the government side
has been a problem. Any
agreement not forced on the
government is expected to be
honoured,” he pointed out.
TrustNews
1). Don’t Believe that
Relationship Will Cover
Your Weakness.
Some rush into relationship
thinking it will hide their
weaknesses. The truth is
that, relationship is a
revealer and a magnier. If
you have any weakness, deal
with it so it will not deal with
your relationship when you
get into it.
2). Don’t Believe That
Relationship Will Credit
Your Bank Account.
If you think getting into a
relationship will make you
richer, you have a wrong
belief system. It is true that
your ance should give you
money when the need arises
but if you think he will
No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
The reason many ladies are
afraid of getting into
relationship and marriage is
because they believe it will
cage them and cage their
dreams and visions in life.
While it is true that it is
happening to some people
like that, it does not mean it
will happen to you.
We still have many men that
will give you wings to soar
and reach the zenith of your
vision. Change your wrong
belief system.
4). Don’t Believe That
Relationship Will Change A
fool Guy To A wise Guy.
Don’t date or get engage
with Impostor. If you are
dating an impostor and you
think your relationship with
him will change him to a wise
person, you might be
disappointed. He might
succeed in making you
become like a fool.

Aderemi Medupin ( PhD) Speaks on Economics of
organised crime with an intellectual endorsement
Granted that the argument can be made that the poor are more likely than the wealthy to commit street crime, it is also true
that the wealthy are much more likely than the poor to commit white-collar, or better put, organized, crime, which, as easily
demonstrable can be much more harmful than street crime.
Economics and Crime
The day I ran into the submission by
the U.S. Department of Justice
published in the Atlanta Economic
Review Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated
July-August 1978, I became fully
convinced that some economists are
criminals! Hear the intellectual
spokesperson of the Justice
Department-in his introduction to the
topic, Economics of Crime:
The economic theory of crime
essentially argues that criminals
rationally maximize their own self-
interest (Utility) subject to the
constraints (Prices, Incomes) that they
face in the marketplace and
elsewhere. Thus the decision to
become a criminal is in principle no
different from the decision to take up
another occupation. The theory
claims that crime rates will be
negatively associated with
opportunity costs and with probability
and severity of punishment and will be
positively associated with gains from
criminal behavior. Many empirical
statistical tests have been performed
on this economic model and have
consistently supported the theory.
This rationalization is precisely what
makes the authors and their fellow
ideological travelers guilty of the
charge: criminal economists. It is the
same amoral rationalization that
encouraged Richard Freeman to
declare that:
Most analyses show that “crime pays”
in the sense of offering higher wages
than legitimate work, presumably in
part to offset the risk of apprehension.
David D. Friedman, on the platform of
Econlab says all that is needed to
implicate the accused economists in
the words that:
Economists approach the analysis of
crime with one simple
assumption—that criminals are
rational. A mugger is a mugger for the
s a m e r e a s o n I a m a n
economist—because it is the most
attractive alternative available to him.
The decision to commit a crime, like
any other economic decision, can be
analyzed as a choice among alternative
combinations of costs and benets.
In this framework, criminal groups are
viewed as standard business outts.
Hence, as Friedman puts it,
“newspapers, prosecutors, and the
FBI often make organized crime
sound almost like General Motors or
IBM—a hierarchical organization with
a few kingpins controlling thousands
of subordinates”.
It is pertinent to point to the fact that
the economic theory of criminal
behaviour is an application of the
neoclassical theory of demand.
Formalized by Nobel Laureate Gary
Becker in 1968, it states that potential
criminals are economically rational
and respond signicantly to the
deterring incentives by the criminal
justice system.
Over time, the interest of economists
in crime has grown substantially as
reected in the increasing number of
articles churned out by researchers, a
development traced to three factors,
namely: one- the path breaking
theoretical analysis provided by Gary
Becker cited above; two- the rising
crime rate and the growing public
concern about the substantial cost of
crime; and third, the success of
researchers in using economic models
to explain variations in crime over
time and across jurisdictions. As a
pointer to the growing popularity of
our chosen subject, here is a sample of
works on the theme:
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
• Essays on the Economics of Crime
by Ignacio Munyo (2012) PhD Thesis
at Universidad de San Andrés-
Victoria, Provincia de Buenos Aires,
Argentina
• The Economics of Crime: A Survey-
by Donald E. Lewis. Department of
Economics, University of
Wollongong- Economic Analysis and
Policy Vol. 17 No. 02, September
1987
• A Modern Guide to the Econ0mics
of Crime- a 414-page text edited by
Paolo Buonanno, Paolo Vanin and Juan
Vargas, published in 2022- with
contributions from some of the
leading scholars in the economics of
crime.
• “A theory of organized crime,
corruption and economic growth” by
Keith Blackburn, Kyriakos C. Neanidis
& Maria Paola Rana published in
Economic Theory Bulletin volume 5,
pages227–245 (2017).
• Essays on the Economics of Crime
PhD Dissertation in Economics
presented by Eva Marieke Schnabel to
University College London
Indeed, between July 18-19, 2022, the
Department of Business and
E c o n o m i c s o f t h e Pa r t h e n o p e
University of Naples and the
University of Leicester School Of
Business organized the “6th
workshop on the Economics of
Organized Crime” to serve “as a
forum to present current research
investigating the origin, impact and
functioning of organized crime”.
Analyses on the subject of economics
of crime have advanced to the level
where we now have a contribution
that runs as: “The Becker Paradox and
Type I vs. Type II Errors in the
Economics of Crime” by Mats Persson
and Claes-Henric Siven of the
Department of Economics,
Stockholm University, Sweden.
Furthermore, and joined or led by
geographers, economists have
written many papers attempting to
analyse the spatial variation in crime
rates, the determinants of these
variations and the impact such
variations can have on both the quality
of life and property values in
otherwise similar residential areas.
Increasingly and perhaps justiably so,
the economics of crime is considered
alongside the legal context and
provisions; thus the theme is now
more popularly couched as
Economics of Law and Crime. The
topic has been pursued vigorously
across jurisdictions, providing the
basis for comparison between
developed and underdeveloped
economies as well as capitalist and
planned economies.
Isolating Organized Crime
To Hemant More, an expert on our
subject, organized crime is presented
as “those involved, normally working
with others, in continuing serious
criminal activities for a substantial
prot, elsewhere”. In general,
organized crime involves extortion,
collection of protection money from
rich businessmen, contract killing,
kidnapping, lm nancing, human
trafcking, human organ trafcking,
drug trafcking, narcotics trafcking,
smuggling and illicit trade in arms and
ammunition.
The cautionary note sounded by Dr.
Abboud Al-Sarraj Professor, Faculty of
L a w, D a m a s c u s U n i v e r s i t y,
concerning what exactly constitutes
economic or nancial crime deserves
to be taken on board as he notes that:
It is difcult to have one legal denition
of the concept of economic and
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
nancial crimes all over the world
because the criminal policy, especially
in the economic area, varies greatly
from one country to another. It is also
difcult to determine the overall
extent of these crimes because their
growing perception involves some of
the most rapidly growing predicate
offences, as well as the fact that many
cases are not reported and the
investigation to discover these crimes
requires high levels of expertise which
is not well developed in many
countries, especially in developing
countries.
While responses differ from country
to country, organized crime is
nevertheless a global problem.
Hemant More has provided a detailed
overview of the characteristics of
organized crime groups as having:
• Self-perpetuation and continuing
conspiracy,
• The goals of prot and power,
• The use of fear and corruption, and
virtual immunity from the law
A detailed treatment is given by the
author to the listed characteristics as
reproduced here. The essence of
continuity is that the criminal group
operate beyond the lifetime of
individual members and is structured
to survive changes in leadership while,
of course, the gang remains
continuously involved in criminal
activity. In other words, these groups
are not formed on a temporary basis,
rather, they are into existence for a
long time. Incidentally, an exploratory
research shows that children of
organized crime offenders appear to
be at much greater risk of following in
their parents’ footsteps than children
of ‘general’ offenders.
The typical structure of organized
crime is that the group is a collection
of hierarchically arranged
interdependent persons devoted to
the accomplishment of a particular
function. They are distinguishable as
the ranks are based on power and
authority. Everybody respects the
leader of the group as no member of
the group dees his orders. Thus, for
members, the organization comes
before themselves and their family
members. Potential members are
subjected to immense scrutiny and are
required to prove their worth and
loyalty to the criminal group. Rules of
membership include secrecy, a
willingness to commit any act for the
group and intent to protect the group.
In return for loyalty, the member
receives economic benets, certain
prestige and protection from law
enforcement agencies.
Team work ethics is strong as
organized crime involves association
of a group of criminals which is
relatively permanent and may even
last decades. Members respect each
other the most, behave honestly with
each other, and never harm each other
in any way. The members are obliged
to each other and provide reciprocal
services to each other. The criminal
group may be in legitimate as well as
illegitimate business activity at the
same time. The organized crime
involves advance arrangements for
successfully committing crimes,
minimizing risks and ensuring safety
and protection. The members of the
group work like professionals whose
duties and responsibilities are
predened while high secrecy is
maintained. Only people holding
higher posts know what crime is to be
committed, sometimes even a
criminal working at the grass-root
level does not know who the boss is.
The head of the organization issues
order to the person and second in
command who in turn may instruct
TrustNews
others to commit the crime. There is
also the possibility that the members
are unaware of other members in the
group.
The principle of division of labour is
typically upheld as the organised crime
involves delegation of duties and
responsibilities and specialization of
functions. Division of labour among
members is based on their skills as the
organized criminal groups and their
protectors rely on skilled individuals
or specialist support to assist in the
achievement of group‘s goal. The
specialist assists the criminal groups
on an ad-hoc basis and not
permanently; they are non-the-less
considered part of the organized
crime.
As to be expected, the goal of
organized crime groups is to make
money; members also gain a sense of
pride, power, and protection. Political
power is achieved through the
corruption of public ofcials, including
legislators and political executive.
Sometimes, such group may also
penetrate the legitimate economy,
through construction, nancing
business, etc.
Organised crime arranges permanent
protection against interference from
law-enforcement authorities and
other agencies of government. The
protective measures include contacts
with policemen, lawyers, doctors,
politicians, judges, and inuential
persons in society. There are corrupt
public ofcials, politicians, attorneys
and businessmen who individually or
collectively protect the criminal group
through abuses of status and or
privilege and violation of the law.
Corruption is the central tool of the
criminal protectors. A criminal group
relies on a network of corrupt ofcials
to protect the group from the
Criminal Justice System. Corruption
involves giving money in cash or in
gifts, providing help in elections,
threatening their competitors, etc.
At this stage, in order to assist the
reader see the urgency and relevance
of the theme under examination, a
specic country case is highlighted.
The Nigerian scene
As documented by the Global
Organised Crime Index, Nigeria has
criminal practices embracing human
trafcking, trafcking of small arms
and light weapons (SALW), wildlife
trafcking, illegal oil bunkering, and
market for illicit drugs. The global
body has the following details on
Nigeria:
• Nigerian human trafcking
networks are infamous, primarily
those engaged in sex trafcking and
domestic exploitation, operating in
West Africa and Europe. Nigerian
networks also engage in labour
trafcking, particularly of children
who are exploited in domestic
servitude street vending, mining and
farming all across West Africa;
• Nigeria’s location, as well as its
particularly porous northern and
eastern borders, and access to the
ocean in the south, has made it an ideal
transit point for the trafcking of small
arms and light weapons (SALW).;
• Nigeria has become a major transit
hub for wildlife trafcking, particularly
for Central African ivory and pangolin
scales as well as for donkey hides
destined for Vietnam and China, the
primary markets for wildlife products.
Local fauna has been widely destroyed
due to the trade, which affects
Nigeria’s populations of endangered
species, including West African lions,
Cross River gorillas, Cameroon forest
shrews;
No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 17
• Illegal oil bunkering is a problem in
Nigeria, with oil stolen directly from
pipelines, predominantly in the Niger
Delta region, processed through
artisanal reneries and then sold
locally or smuggled abroad to China,
North Korea, Israel and South Africa,
among others. Bunkering operators
are professionals and have access to
arms and ties to foreign criminal actors
who have the means to transport
crude oil to reneries in Cameroon,
Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, before
moving it to destination markets;
• Nigeria is an important transit,
source and destination market for
illicit drugs. Afghan heroin is moved
through Nigeria en route to Europe,
with domestic networks collaborating
with Afghani and Pakistani drug cartels
for trafcking and distribution. Aided
by corruption, these networks also
facilitate the sea transport of heroin
directly to Europe, the United States
and the Middle East. The domestic
heroin market has not grown, due in
part to the high use of synthetic drugs
among the youth, typically very cheap
codeine-based cough syrups.
Thus we see that when it comes to the
world of organized crime, even the
relatively poor economies are in the
league of those that can rightly boast
of rampant practitioners, with
imaginable negative consequences.
Clearly, this is not a model for a
peaceful world.
A more peaceful world is possible
As empirically tested and reported by
Adenuga Fabian Adekoya and Nor
Azam Abdul Razak-both of the School
of Economics, Finance and Banking,
Universiti Utara Malaysia, in their
article, “The Dynamic Relationship
between Crime and Economic
Growth in Nigeria”, crime is a major
impediment to economic growth and
development in Nigeria despite
measures taken to reduce it. For
instance, the Federal Government of
Nigeria in 2014 claimed that theft,
fraud, corruption, and violence
constituted a major challenge on the
economy and nancial budget. Large
sums of money were lost to criminals
through fraud and forgery as revealed
by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)
way back in 2013. Smuggling,
sabotage, kidnapping, theft and
violence have negatively affected the
revenue of the Government.
In my view, any well-meant attempt at
addressing the challenge of organized
crime must go beyond the neoclassical
economic prism of static analytical
framework to the higher, more
enduring pedestal of economic justice.
Economic justice is the idea that the
economy will be more successful if it is
fairer; thus, its goal is to create
opportunities for all to succeed
regardless of sex, age, disability, creed,
national origin, religion, or genetic
formation. Granted that the argument
can be made that the poor are more
likely than the wealthy to commit
street crime, it is also true that the
wealthy are much more likely than the
poor to commit white-collar, or better
put, organized, crime, which, as easily
demonstrable can be much more
harmful than street crime. I come in
peace, please.
 18
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Addresses Nigerian
as He Takes Oath of Office, Removed Fuel Subsidy
Mr. Mbah
My Fellow Citizens,
I stand before you honoured to assume the
sacred mandate you have given me. My love for this
nation is abiding. My condence in its people,
unwavering. And my faith in God Almighty, absolute.
I know that His hand shall provide the needed moral
strength and clarity of purpose in those instances
when we seem to have reached the limits of our
human capacity.
This day is bold and majestic yet bright and full of
spirit, as is our precious nation.
As a nation, we have long ago decided to march
beyond the dimness of night into the open day of
renewed national hope.
The question we now ask ourselves is whether
to remain faithful to the work inherent in building a
better society or retreat into the shadows of our
unmet potential.
For me, there is but one answer. We are too
great a nation and too grounded as a people to rob
ourselves of our nest destiny.
This nation's journey has been shaped by the
prayers of millions, and the collective sacrices of us
all.
We have endured hardships that would have
made other societies crumble.
Yet, we have shouldered the heavy burden to
arrive at this SUBLIME moment where the prospect
of a better future merges with our improved
capacity to create that future.
To the surprise of many but not to ourselves, we
have more rmly established this land as a
democracy in both word and deed.
The peaceful transition from one government to
another is now our political tradition. This handover
symbolizes our trust in God, our enduring faith in
representative governance and our belief in our
ability to reshape this nation into the society it was
always meant to be.
Here, permit me to say a few words to my
predecessor, President Muhammadu Buhari. Mr
President, you have been an honest, patriotic leader
who has done his best for the nation you love. On a
more personal note, you are a worthy partner and
friend. May History be kind to you.
For many years, Nigeria's critics have trafcked
the rumour that our nation will break apart, even
perish.
Yet here we are. We have stumbled at times, but
our resilience and diversity have kept us going.
Our burdens may make us bend at times, but
they shall never break us.
Instead, we stand forth as Africa's most
populous nation and as the best hope and strongest
champion of the Black Race.
As citizens, we declare as one unied people
devoted to one unied national cause, that as long as
this world exists, NIGERIA SHALL EXIST.
Today, Fate and Destiny join together to place
the torch of human progress in our very hands. We
dare not let it slip.
We lift high this torch so that it might shine on
Kogi State Government Approves Establishment of University in Okun land
T he Kogi
State
Executi
ve Council has
a p p r o v e d
establishment of a
state university to
be located in the
Kogi western
senatorial district,
attesting that the essence amongst many other
things was the need to provide more educational
facility for young university hopeful in the state.
Making the announcement, the state
Commissioner for Education, Science and
Technology, Wemi Jones hinted that the process
would involve the inauguration of a 15-man
implementation Committee, made up of
Professors from all over Kogi State.
He said the committee would be given the
responsibility of drafting the university law,
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
every household and in every
heart that calls itself Nigerian.
We hold this beam aloft because
it lights our path with
compassion, brotherhood, and
peace. May this great light never
EXTINGUISH.
Our administration shall
govern on your behalf but never
rule over you. We shall consult
and dialogue but never dictate.
We shall reach out to all but
never put down a single person
for holding views contrary to
our own.
We are here to further mend
and heal this nation, not tear and
injure it.
In this vein, may I offer a few
comments regarding the election that brought us to
this juncture. It was a hard fought contest. And it was
also fairly won. Since the advent of the Fourth
Republic, Nigeria has not held an election of better
quality.
The outcome reected the will of the people.
However, my victory does not render me any more
Nigerian than my opponents. Nor does it render
them any less patriotic.
They shall forever be my fellow compatriots.
And I will treat them as such. They represent
important constituencies and concerns that wisdom
dare not ignore.
They have taken their concerns to court.
Seeking legal redress is their right and I fully defend
their exercise of this right. This is the essence of the
rule of law.
Over six decades ago, our founding fathers gave
bravely of themselves to place Nigeria on the map as
an independent nation.
We must never allow the labor of those who
came before us to wither in vain but to blossom and
bring forth a better reality.
Let us take the next great step in the journey
they began and believed in.
Today, let us recommit our very selves to placing
Nigeria in our hearts as the indispensable home for
each and every one of us regardless of creed,
ethnicity, or place of birth.
My supporters, I thank you. To those who voted
otherwise, I extend my hand across the political
divide. I ask you to grasp it in national afnity and
brotherhood. For me, political coloration has faded
away. All I see are Nigerians.
May we uphold these tting and excellent
notions as the new Nigerian ideal.
My fellow compatriots,
The Nigerian ideal which I speak of is more than
just an improvement in economic and other
statistics. These things are important; but they can
never convey the fullness of our story.
Our mission is to improve our way of life in a
manner that nurtures our humanity, encourages
compassion toward one another, and duly rewards
our collective effort to resolve the social ills that
seek to divide us.
Our constitution and laws give us a nation on
paper. We must work harder at bringing these noble
documents to life by strengthening the bonds of
economic collaboration, social cohesion, and
cultural understanding. Let us develop a shared
sense of fairness and equity.
The South must not only seek good for itself but
must understand that its interests are served when
good comes to the North. The North must see the
South likewise.
Whether from the winding creeks of the Niger
Delta, the vastness of the northern savannah, the
boardrooms of Lagos, the bustling capital of Abuja,
or the busy markets of Onitsha, you are all my
people. As your president, I shall serve with
academic brief and the master plan saying that
they would also be saddled with the task of
recommending a suitable location and whether
the university would be specialised or
conventional.
The commissioner said ‘’It is expected that
the committee will give its report within the next
one month from the inauguration so that we can
move as fast as possible as it would be the
government’s desire to see the university kick
off before the end of this tenure’’
Giving an instance the Commissioner
narrated that during the last admission exercise
at the Prince Abubakar Audu University there
was a population explosion of prospective
intakes as the school had over 25,000 admission
seekers as against capacity intake of about 6,000
noting that even indigenes of the state were
possibly deprived of admission or their intended
course of study.
He recalled that one of the primary reason
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
prejudice toward none but compassion and amity
towards all.
In the coming days and weeks, my team will
publicly detail key aspects of our programme. Today,
permit me to outline in broad terms a few initiatives
that dene our concept of progressive good
governance in furtherance of the Nigerian ideal:
The principles that will guide our administration are
simple:
1. Nigeria will be impartially governed according to
the constitution and the rule of law.
2. We shall defend the nation from terror and all
forms of criminality that threaten the peace and
stability of our country and our subregion.
3. We shall remodel our economy to bring about
growth and development through job creation,
food security and an end of extreme poverty.
4. In our administration, Women and youth will
feature prominently.
5.Our government will continue to take proactive
steps such as championing a credit culture to
discourage corruption while strengthening the
effectiveness and efciency of the various anti-
corruption agencies.
SECURITY
Security shall be the top priority of our
administration because neither prosperity nor
justice can prevail amidst insecurity and violence.
To effectively tackle this menace, we shall reform
both our security DOCTRINE and its
ARCHITECTURE.
We shall invest more in our security personnel,
and this means more than an increase in number. We
shall provide, better training, equipment, pay and
repower.
THE ECONOMY
On the economy, we target a higher GDP
growth and to signicantly reduce unemployment.
We intend to accomplish this by taking the
following steps:
First, budgetary reform stimulating the economy
without engendering ination will be instituted.
Second, industrial policy will utilize the full range
of scal measures to promote domestic
manufacturing and lessen import dependency.
Third, electricity will become more accessible
and affordable to businesses and homes alike.
Power generation should nearly double and
transmission and distribution networks improved.
We will encourage states to develop local sources as
well.
I have a message for our investors, local and
foreign: our government shall review all their
complaints about multiple taxation and various anti-
investment inhibitions.
We shall ensure that investors and foreign
businesses repatriate their hard earned dividends
and prots home.
JOBS
My administration must create meaningful
opportunities for our youth. We shall honour our
campaign commitment of one million new jobs in
the digital economy.
Our government also shall work with the
National Assembly to fashion an omnibus Jobs and
Prosperity bill. This bill will give our administration
the policy space to embark on labour-intensive
infrastructural improvements, encourage light
industry and provide improved social services for
the poor, elderly and vulnerable.
AGRICULTURE
Rural incomes shall be secured by commodity
exchange boards guaranteeing minimal prices for
certain crops and animal products. A nationwide
for the establishment of Conuence University
of Science and Technology, Osara was to
mitigate the challenge of the state’s qualied
students, not gaining admission to courses of
their choices because of the fact that Kogi is
regarded as a state that is educationally
advantaged.
According to him, Kogi West is blessed with
tones of academia and highly known for
education, hence putting a university in Kogi
West, particularly Okun land is so apt.
The Commissioner asserted that funding
has been and would always be a challenge but
the government decided to take the bull by the
horn and make such audacious move, while he
assured that the 15-man committee would be
mandated to make recommendations on
sources of funding for the approved institution.
In his own brieng, the Commissioner for
Works, Samson Bako hinted that the state
Executive Council also approved the
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS
programme for storage and other facilities to
reduce spoilage and waste will be undertaken.
Agricultural hubs will be created throughout the
nation to increase production and engage in value-
added processing. The livestock sector will be
introduced to best modern practices and steps
taken to minimize the perennial conict over land
and water resources in this sector.
Through these actions, food shall be made more
abundant yet less costly. Farmers shall earn more
while the average Nigerian pays less.
INFRASTRUCTURE
We shall continue the efforts of the Buhari
administration on infrastructure. Progress toward
national networks of roads, rail and ports shall get
priority attention.
FUEL SUBSIDY
We commend the decision of the outgoing
administration in phasing out the petrol subsidy
regime which has increasingly favoured the rich
more than the poor. Subsidy can no longer justify its
ever-increasing costs in the wake of drying
resources. We shall instead re-channel the funds
into better investment in public infrastructure,
education, health care and jobs that will materially
improve the lives of millions.
MONETARY POLICY
Monetary policy needs thorough housecleaning.
The Central Bank must work towards a unied
exchange rate. This will direct funds away from
arbitrage into meaningful investment in the plant,
equipment and jobs that power the real economy.
Interest rates need to be reduced to increase
investment and consumer purchasing in ways that
sustain the economy at a higher level.
Whatever merits it had in concept, the currency
swap was too harshly applied by the CBN given the
number of unbanked Nigerians. The policy shall be
reviewed. In the meantime, my administration will
treat both currencies as legal tender.
FOREIGN POLICY
Given the world in which we reside, please
permit a few comments regarding foreign policy.
The crisis in Sudan and the turn from democracy
by several nations in our immediate neighbourhood
are of pressing concern.
As such, my primary foreign policy objective
must be the peace and stability of the West African
subregion and the African continent. We shall work
with ECOWAS, the AU and willing partners in the
international community to end extant conicts and
to resolve new ones.
As we contain threats to peace, we shall also
retool our foreign policy to more actively lead the
regional and continental quest for collective
prosperity.
Conclusion
This is the proudest day of my life. But this day
does not belong to me. It belongs to you, the people
of Nigeria.
On this day, Nigeria afrms its rightful place
among the world's great democracies. There,
Nigeria shall reside forever.
The course of our past and the promise of the future
have brought us to this exceptional moment.
In this spirit, I ask you to join me in making Nigeria a
more perfect nation and democracy such that the
Nigerian ideal becomes and forever remains the
Nigerian reality.
With full condence in our ability, I declare that
these things are within our proximate reach because
my name is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I am the
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
May God bless you and May He bless our beloved
land.
procurement of 3 modern re trucks as part of
plans to ensure rapid responses and salvage any
possible re outbreak in the state.
He also noted that the Council received
reports and ratied some of the ongoing
projects across the state including the
construction of internal roads at the Conuence
University of Science and Technology, Osara,
itakpe – Okene – Total road which has both
reached advanced stage of completion.
The council also ratied additional work for
Okene Township Road and the school of
Nursery and Midwifery Obangede.
Similarly, the Chief Press Secretary,
Onogwu Muhammed reiterated that the state
government under the leadership of Governor
Bello has remained consistent in delivering on
the infrastructural development pledge made to
the people of the state assuring that ongoing
projects would be completed in due course.
 NEWS 19
VOL. 01 NO. 26
70 Billions Naira Fraud: EFCC Beams Searchlight on Gov. Matawalle
T he Economic and
Financial Crimes
Commission (EFCC)
says the outgoing Governor
of Zamfara State, Bello
Matawalle is under
investigation for alleged
N70billion fraud.
The Commission said this in a
statement in Abuja on
Thursday.
EFCC said the All
Progressives Congress (APC)
powerbroker is being
investigated over allegation of
monumental corruption,
award of phantom contracts
and diversion of over
N70billion.
“ The money which was
sourced as loan from an old
generation bank purportedly
Gov. Bello Matawalle
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
for the execution of projects
across the local government
areas of the state, was
allegedly diverted by the
governor through proxies and
contractors who received
payment for contracts that
were not executed.
“ The Commission’s
investigations so far reveal
that more than 100
companies have received
payments from the funds,
with no evidence of service
rendered to the state,” the
statement said.
According to EFCC, some of
the contractors have been
invited and quizzed.
“They made startling
revelations on how they were
allegedly compelled by the
governor to return the funds
received from the state
coffers back to him through
his aides after converting the
same to United States
Dollars.
“They conrmed that they
did not render any service to
Zamfara State but were
allegedly directed to convert
the monies paid to them into
United States Dollar and
return to the State governor
through some of his
commissioners, notably the
Commissioners in charge of
Finance and Local
Government Affairs.
“As part of the extensive
investigation of contracts
award by the Matawalle
administration, especially for
phantom projects in the local
government areas, the
Commission has recovered a
sum of N300million from a
company, Fezel Nigeria
Limited.
“The funds were traced to
the Zamafara Investment
Company.
“In Nigeria, state governors
and their deputies enjoy
immunity from criminal
prosecution while in ofce, a
reason the EFCC has yet to
arrest Governor Matawalle,”
EFCC explained.
Matawalle, who lost his re-
election bid in the 2023
governorship election in the
state in March, would
complete his single term
tenure of four years on May
29, 2023.

65 Former Corps Members Gain Automatic Employment

S
ixty-ve former Corps members
get automatic employment in
Federal Civil Service.
President Muhammadu Buhari, at the
National Youth Service Corps NYSC 50th
Anniversary Honours Award ceremony
in Abuja, announced that 52 people
received Presidential Honours Awards,
while the remaining 13 People with
Disabilities were acknowledged under
the NYSC Hope Alive Programme.
He said that the two groups would be
offered scholarships up to the level of a
Doctorate Degree at any university in the
country and cash prizes of N250,000 for
the top award winners and N200,000 for
the other award holders.
President Buhari directed the Head of the
Civil Service of the Federation, the
Federal Civil Service Commission and the
Minister of Education to implement the
employment and scholarship offers.
Buhari gov’t Spend over
#200bn on Postponed
He paid respect to corps members who
died in various circumstances while
serving the country.
President Buhari also expressed gratitude
to the Scheme’s founding father, retired
“Its Illegal to Assault Police Officer in Uniform
Even if they Misbehave”_ Police Spoke Person
General Yakubu Gowon, on May 22,
1973.
”The NYSC has continued to provide
successive batches of Corps Members
with a veritable platform to make
important contributions to our national
against the provisions of the law for a civilian to
attack the erring ofcer.
life,” he added.
While congratulating the former corps
members chosen for the Presidential
Honour, Sunday Dare said their sacrices
and remarkable achievements
represented the positive qualities they
exemplied during their service year.
Purpose of the NYSC Program in Nigeria
NYSC is a government-initiated program,
established during the military regime,
designed to actively engage graduates in
the process of nation-building.
Unlike military conscription, the
programme mandates graduates from
Universities and later Polytechnics to
partake in a one-year service, commonly
referred to as the national service year.
In 2019, the Director-General of the
NYSC, Shuaibu Ibrahim, said more than
4.6 million graduates participated in the
scheme since its inception in 1973.

Census - NPC Chairman short after the postponement.

Isa-Kwara mentioned in Abuja during
a breakfast meeting with media
executives that the N224 billion has
been spent on preparations for the
exercise which include printing of
papers, and training of adhoc staff
T he Nigeria Police Force has revealed that it
Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi
is illegal to physically assault or beat a police
ofcer in uniform, even if the ofcer has
misbehaved.
He said, “If a policeman misbehaves to you, it is
not enough for somebody to beat a policeman on
uniform. There is a case today I saw the video
trending, policemen arresting Okada man. “I have
always been saying this, that there is no how you
want to do enforcement that you will not apply
minimum force.
“The law allows police ofcers to apply minimum
force. Then how did you apply your minimum
force to make it justiable?

members, among many other “I discovered that these men, these policemen
The Force Spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi were not actually using police bats. If they have
Alh. Isa Kwarra miscellaneous. made this statement during a Twitter space used police bat on this man to suppress him to an

T
he chairman of the National
Population Commission,
Nasir Isa-Kwarra, on
Thursday, hinted at how N224 billion
released by the Federal Government
for the 2023 housing and population
census was spent.
The initial money budgeted for the
exercise was N800 billion but was cut
Recall that the President, Major
General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.)
postponed the census after several
meetings with stakeholders in late
April.
He said the incoming administration
of President-elect, Bola Tinubu, will
decide on the date the exercise will
hold.
organised by Premium Times, on Wednesday
evening.
According to Adejobi, a policeman symbolises
Nigerian authority and any disrespect launched
against them would be regarded as an insult to
Nigerian authority. Adejobi also said there are
instances where it is allowed for police ofcers to
apply force during the course of their duties.
However, he was emphatic that irrespective of
what a police ofcer might have done, it is totally
extent, it is justiable, but it is not for them to even
cause injury to this man.
“But I noticed again when I reviewed and
reviewed, I watched the video again and I saw that
it was not a police bat in any way, it is one heavy
metal. Is it a baseball bat or stick policemen would
use on somebody because they want to
contravene his bike? You can see to an extent that
that one is not even professional in any way. To the
extent that the man was bleeding profusely, he ran
away from the scene using Marwa (tricycle). It is
not still professional.”

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
 20 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
Man Cries out After Polaris Bank
Claims He's Dead, Freezes
Millions of Naira in His account
A Nigerian man, Olasele
Anthony has called out
Polaris Bank accusing it
of freezing his account and
attempting to steal millions of
account so I can go to the same
court and show proof of life or
lift the inactive status on my
account.

naira from him.
Anthony said the commercial
bank froze his bank account by
placing a Post No Debit (PND)
on it in an attempt to allegedly
steal millions of naira from him.
Narrating his ordeal to
SaharaReporters, Anthony said
he suspected foul play after his
account with the bank became
inactive and he was unable to
carry out any transaction.
He said he contacted the bank
and was told the bank was
acting on a court order
informing the bank that he was
dead.
“On February 3, I saw my
account was inactive/dormant.
I contacted Polaris Bank, lled
out every form required and
been in weekly communication
with agents/staff since then.
“Last week, when they ran out
of excuses, they said I am legally
a dead person. Polaris Bank is
saying they have a court order
from an Abuja court since
March saying I am dead and a
PND was placed on my
account,” Anthony said.
He further said that all efforts to
get a copy of the court order
from the bank had not been
successful.
According to him, the bank has
refused to furnish him with the
legal document.
Anthony added, “My requests
here are simple: Polaris Bank
should send me a copy of the
court order from Abuja saying I
am dead and a hold (PND)
should be placed on my
“I want to see my own death
certicate that was used to
obtain the court order but
Polaris Bank staff are not
availing me of any of these.”
He questioned the refusal of
the bank to give him the court
document saying, “How do I
know which court to approach
with Proof of Life without
knowing where I was legally
declared dead?”
Anthony conrmed to
SaharaReporters that a legal
complaint had been written and
submitted to the Central Bank
of Nigeria (CBN) and Polaris
Bank to demand full details of
what happened and for the
PND placed on his account to
be lifted.
An email that was sent to the
bank for a reaction to the claim
made by the customer had yet
to be replied to at the time of
ling this report.
Gov. El-Rufai
Gov. El- Rufai Marks Nine Properties
Owned by Former Governors of
Kaduna State for Demolition
The Right of Occupancy of nine
companies belonging to a former
G o v e r n o r, S e n a t o r A h m e d
Muhammed Makar, has been
revoked and also marked for
demolition by Governor Nasir El-
Rufai of Kaduna state.
The notice of revocation and
withdrawal of the right of
occupancy has been served to the
ofcials of the affected
companies.
The ofcial notice of revocation
was addressed to the Director of
Cane Properties, Plot 11, Murtala
Square, Doka, Alhaji Ibrahim
Makar who responded by saying
“Our Lawyers will respond
accordingly to the revocation and
withdrawal of right of Occupancy
of the companies”.
Gov. Makarfi
Among the affected properties
are ve plots in Mogadishu, three
plots on Kwato road, and the
Doka plot. In separate letters of
revocation and withdrawal of
right of Occupancy signed by the
Registrar of Kaduna Geographical
Information Service (KADGIS),
Mahmud Aminu said;
“I have been directed to refer to
the above Right of Occupancy,
and inform you that His
Excellency, Governor of Kaduna
State has in the exercise of power
conferred on him under section
28 (5) (a) and (b) of Land Use Act
1978, revoked and withdrawal
your rights and continued failure
and contravention of covenanted
terms and conditions of the Right
of Occupancy”.

Ajaokuta House Of Reps Member-elect, Hon

Abdulraheem Congratulates Gov. Bello On His Abejide Calls For Proper Funding
Award As The Best Governor Of The Year.
Hon. Sani Abdulraheem and Gov. Bello
Of The 10th National Assembly
current Representative of
The committee on the
awards, according to
Kogi Reports, said Bello
was singled out for the
award in recognition of
“his achievements in
the growth and
development of Kogi”.
Speaking to the press in
Abuja on this award,
Representative Sanni
Abdulraheem
described GYB as a
child of necessity that
has come to raise the
to the poor state of his Constituency and also
infrastructures, unorganized the Chairman, House
Civil Service system, intertribal Committee on Custom
differences, religious and Excise duty said he
intolerance, insecurity and a was able to manage the
d o w n g r a d e d Tr a d i t i o n a l committee through
Institution but Gov Bello’s New personal funds and
Direction Government has sacrices
changed the narratives
completely and our kogi today
has been heavily transformed.” Speaking on his agenda for
Kogi State, Abejide who is
the gubernitorial
The committee on the awards candidate for African
said Governor Bello was singled Democratic Congress,
out for the award in recognition ADC, for the November
of his achievements in the election in the State
growth and development of

T he Ajaokuta House of standard of kogi state in all promised to take

Kogi State which has been education to it’s peak for
R e p r e s e n t a t i v e s ramication in the last seven corroborated by respected
Member-Elect, Sanni y e a r s o f h i s p u r p o s e f u l excellent performance of
National and International Hon. Leke Abejide the students across the
Egidi Abdulraheem has poured leadership as the governor of including his unrelenting
o u t e n c o m i u m o n t h e Kogi State. State as he has been paying

Executive Governor of Kogi
State, Alh. Yahaya Adoza Bello
over his recent award as the SEA further stressed that, “the
‘BEST Governor Of The Year’ situation of Kogi State, prior to
at the 2023 edition of Global the emergence of Gov Yahaya
Excellence Awards in Nigeria. Bello was a pitiable one owing
Mr. Otori Ozigi celebrates 38
years of journalistic excellence
Hallelujah.
To God be the glory. Today
M a r k s m y 3 8 t h
anniversary in active
journalism.
It has been a successful,
fullling and exciting
career for me.
It took me through several
commitment to human capital
development, empowerment
and infrastructure growth in
the heath and education
growth of the economy.
reputable organizations
such as The Herald
N e w s p a p e r, N i g e r i a n
Ports Authority, M-Gold
Communication Ltd,Kogi
State government house,
and The Graphic
Newspaper, where I made
my mark before
retirement in 2014 to
pursue other interests--
tori Ozigi.
M
e m b e r - E l e c t , the WAEC fees of students
r e p r e s e n t i n g Ya g b a in his Constituency over the years.
Federal Constituency at
the National Assembly, Hon. Leke He noted that top among his
Abejide has called for adequate agenda is to eradicate percentage
funding of House Committees for payment of Local Govt Staff, pay
proper oversight functions and pensions as an when due and
service delivery by members to reduce insecurity to it’s bearest
the people. minimal among others.
Elder Abejide who made the call On the November govenorship
while speaking during the election, Abejide called for a free,
induction ceremony of the fair and credible election in the
Senators and members elect Kogi State.
organised by the National
Asstembly in Abuja said poor
funding of oversight function do The Lawmaker assured that the
forth coming election will be the
hinder the major assignment of a
committee at the National most transparent in Kogi State,
adding that INEC will up their
Assembly
game to see to the proper
functionality of BVAS.
Hon. Leke Abejide who is the

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Reasons for Employees not
Getting it Right in Nigeria
Y our small business is no different than a
big company in that everybody you
have on your payroll is there because
they bring something great and unique to the
table. But, unlike a big company, you probably
have to do all your training yourself, and often
the most realistic way to get people working
quickly is through on-the-job work and
training where the new hire watches you or
another employee.
Many times you thought you explained
something very clearly yet the new hire
doesn’t do what you asked or trained them to
do. You end up frustrated and think that they
just don’t get it. However, in the majority of
cases, you don’t have any cognitive issues to
deal with, but, rather, a communication
problem. Adjust your communication and
you’ll probably nd that the worker performs
really well, just like you want them to.
The importance of starting with a big step
back
It’s super easy when you’re training someone
to forget that you were once in their shoes.
You tend to think that just because you
understand it, they should too. But, that’s not
always the case.
A major key to successful training is to slow
down a little and take a step back. Remember
that people don’t want to look stupid or be
embarrassed. They’re probably going to just
nod “yes” if you plow through a bunch of stuff
and ask them on the spot if they get it. Tell
them at out to stop you if they don’t
understand. Let them know that you can
pause any time to answer a question and that
you’d rather do that and get a great result than
have them be confused and not do the job
correctly.
The 4 major hurdles to jump through for
great training results
Once you acknowledge that you can’t just
prattle on and you shift into the right mindset
to empathize a little, there are four common
barriers to understanding, based on
Hubbard’s learning technology, that you’ll still
have to overcome with your trainees.
1. Lack of substance
Sometimes when you’re trying to teach
somebody, you might have to deal with more
abstract concepts. It’s important to give
people examples or tools that help them fully
visualize the concept.
For example, if you’re a dentist and your
patient doesn’t know anything about implants,
you might have to show them a physical
model. The model is something tangible they
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
can see and touch, which makes it easier for
the patient to form a working denition of
what you’re talking about.
In the same way, when you’re training new
employees, you have to gure out where you
have information gaps. Use whatever you can
to make what’s “imaginary” more concrete to
the trainee.
2. Steep gradients
Imagine you’re teaching addition to a bunch of
rst graders. Then, all of the sudden, you
throw exponents or all kinds of other
more advanced math at them. What
do you think would happen?
Probably, just a lot of blank stares.
The learning gradient is just way too
steep.
You can’t just jump a bunch of levels
and expect trainees to do well
without knowing what in the world
you’re even talking about, either. You
have to take it step by step. If your
worker looks lost, go back. Ask them
where they got lost and gure out
the pace they need to master the
task you’re working on.
3. Misunderstood words
Typically, if you throw in a new word
or phrase at a trainee, one they’ve
never heard before or just don’t
understand, you’ll lose them. This gets
frustrating because you mistakenly think
they’re checking out or bored, when, in
reality, they didn’t understand the denition or
meaning of something you said and it threw
them for a loop. This fundamental problem of
not having the right denition for a word or
words is why we can sometimes get to the
bottom of a page and completely forget
everything we just read.
Instead of forcing a trainee to piecemeal
together what something means from context
(which may or may not give them something
accurate), encourage them to ask for a straight
meaning, or have them look up the dictionary
denition. Then have them practice
rephrasing that term or dening it in their own
words. Use it in a few sentences. If they can do
that, they probably have a pretty good grasp of
what it means.
4. Thinking you know everything
If you think you know everything, then it
becomes difcult to want to keep learning,
because you don’t think you have to or that
there’s even anything left to learn. This know-
it-all attitude can hold you back when you’re
training others because you can become
close-minded to the fact that you’re not seeing
different issues or opportunities with the
trainees. Always ask yourself if you’re missing
something and be willing to hear the trainees
out.
With an eye on your communication, training
workers and obtaining great results is totally
attainable.
Small business leaders often have to train
workers on their own. Good communication
is crucial during that training in order for the
leaders to get good results. If you feel like your
new hire just doesn’t get it, start by slowing
down and putting yourself back in the trainee’s
shoes. Then pay close attention, not just to the
specic language or tangible tools you use but
also to the pace of what you’re doing and the
attitude you do it with. With all of those
hurdles properly addressed, your trainees will
likely perform just the way you need them to
in no time.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
Many Japanese Turn to Smile
Instructors to Learn How to Smile
Again After the Effects Of Covid
After wearing masks in public for
three long years, many Japanese are
signing up for smiling classes to learn
how to smile again without looking
awkward.
Smiling used to be a natural
response, but apparently, three
years of hiding behind a mask have
left many Japanese unable to smile
naturally. Some of them are now
paying so-called smiling educators
to teach them how to display their
pearly whites again without looking
awkward. They participate in
specialized classes where they are
taught how to stretch and ex
various parts of their faces and even
their neck muscles to smile properly
and actually convey happiness
without looking weird.
“A smile is only a smile if it’s
conveyed,” Keiko Kawano, a radio
personality-turned-entrepreneur,
told The Japan Times. “Even if
you’re thinking about smiling or that
you’re happy, if you have no
expression, it won’t reach the
audience.”
Kawano said that she has taught
smiling classes to around 4,000
people so far and has also helped
train around 700 certied “smile
specialists” since she started her
work in 2017. However, demand for
her services has skyrocketed
recently after people started giving
up the medical masks they have
been wearing for the last 3 years.
CBN again Revokes Licences
of 132 Micro Finance Banks
T
he Central Bank of Nigeria has
revoked the operating licenses of
132 micronance banks in the
country, alongside those of four primary
mortgage banks and three nance
companies. This was disclosed in the
ofcial gazette of the Federal
Government, which was published on the
website of the CBN recently.
The gazette stated that the licenses of the
nancial institutions were revoked
because they “ceased to carry on in
Nigeria, the type of business for which
their licences were issued for a continuous
period of six months; failed to full or
comply with the conditions subject to
which their licences were granted; or
failed to comply with the obligations
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 21
“I’ve heard from people who say
that even if they’re able to remove
their masks, they don’t want to
show the bottom half of their faces,
or that they don’t know how to
smile anymore,” smile trainer Miho
Kitano said. “Some say that they see
more wrinkles around their eyes
after using them more to smile, or
they feel like their face is drooping
because they haven’t been using it as
much as before.”
Smiling instructors like Kitano claim
that exercising one’s smile is just like
training other parts of the body. It’s
all about the muscles, so exercising
the expressive facial muscles is the
most important thing.
A standard smiling education class
begins with a stretching session,
after which participants are asked to
pick up small handheld mirrors and
observe themselves as they follow
the instructions of a trainer who
teaches them how to ex their facial
muscles to convey the warmest and
brightest expression of happiness
possible.
Interestingly, instructional smiling
classes have been a part of Japanese
culture for several decades, because
of the people’s notorious difculty
to convey their feelings through
facial expressions, but they’ve once
again risen in popularity after the
Covid-19 pandemic restrictions
were lifted.
imposed upon them by the Central Bank
of Nigeria in accordance with the
provisions of Banks and Other Financial
Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.”
The CBN Governor, Godwin Emeele,
revoked the licenses in the exercise of the
powers conferred on the Central Bank of
Nigeria under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020,
Act No. 5.
The micronance banks include – Atlas
Micronance Bank, Bluewhales
Micronance Bank, Everest Micronance
Bank, Igangan Micronance Bank, Mainsail
Micronance Bank, Merit Micronance
Bank, Minna Micronance Bank,
Musharaka Micronance Bank, Nopov
Micronance Bank, Ohon Micronance
Bank, and others.
Finance companies whose licenses were
revoked include – HHL Invest & Trust
Limited, TFS Finance Limited and
Treasures & Trust Limited while the four
primary mortgage banks whose licenses
were revoked are – Resort Savings &
Loans, Safetrust Mortgage Bank,
Adamawa Savings & Loans and Kogi
Savings & Loans etc.
 22 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
International Women Day, Kogi Assembly Reverses
Muhammad Nasiru Abubakar
celebrate his wife Mrs Nasiru Suspension Of 8 Members Over
Suwaibah Sadiq on the occasion Alleged Involvement In Terrorism

I nternational Women’s Day,

Muhammad Nasiru Abubakar
Celebrates with his wife, Mrs.
Nasiru Suwaibah Sadiq on the
Occasion of the Celebration of
roles in the society and nation -
building and as role models to
younger generation.

He commended his wife for being
T he Kogi State House of Assembly has
absolved eight of its members from
allegations related to terrorism and
to security reports alleging their involvement
in acts of terrorism.

International Women’s Day ,
advocates for equity and
inclusiveness for women*:
Mr. Muhammed Nasiru Abubakar
has praised his beloved wife for
being an examplary woman by her
conduct, a woman to be trusted and
dependable, who has helped him to
accomplish his long life ambition as a
man.
Muhammad made the
commendation during this year’s
celebration of International
Women’s Day .
According to him, women deserve
equity and inclusiveness in the affairs
of human society considering their
an example to other women in the
society and praised his mother for
her care and proper upbringing as
well as for setting up a sound
foundation for him.
Muhammad called on the
government at all levels to consider
the role of women in nation-
building as an intergral part for
continuing peace , progress and
development of the society.
He used the day to appreciate his
wife and other women in our
national development.
Signed
Muhammad Nasiru Abubak
reinstated them into the legislative body.
The suspension of Olusola Kilani (Ijumu), Bello
Hassan (Ajaokuta), Muhammed Lawi Ahmed
(Okene I), Moses Akande (Ogori/Magongo),
Aderonke Aro (Yagba West), Daniya Ranyi
(Bassa), Atule Igbunu (Ibaji), Atachaji Musa
(Idah), and Muktar Bajeh (Okehi) was
announced by the State Assembly on March
24, 2023.
Also, two suspended local government council
chairmen, Moses Olorunleke of Kabba-Bunu
and William Iko-ojo of Ibaji, were cleared of
the allegations.
The decision to suspend these lawmakers and
chairmen was prompted by a letter from Kogi
State Governor, Yahaya Bello, which pointed
The House in a voice vote conducted by the
Speaker of the House, Rt Hon Matthew
Kolawole unanimously cleared the eight
lawmakers two council chairmen of the
suspected crimes.
This was after the Speaker, Matthew Kolawole
had read a letter from Governor Yahays Bello
requesting for their clearance against the
backdrop of a report from the Department of
State Security Service.
The report of the ad hoc committee
investigating the alleged crimes read by its
Chairman who is the Deputy Speaker, Rt Hon
Alfa Momoh Rabiu also cleared the eight
lawmakers, except Bello Hassan Abdullah of
Ajaokuta.

Kogi Gov’ship: Kingsley Idoko Ilona Replaces

Abdulazeez As APGA Candidate The Chairman Electoral
Committee of the party,
Ben Nweke while speaking
during the event, said that
the choice of Kingsley
Ilona’s candidature was
based on his track record
of experience in
humanitarian services and
marketable qualities to
deliver APGA at the polls.
He promised to improve the state’s
internal revenue generation so that this
will augment allocation that comes from
federal government.
He assured the people of Kogi State that
his administration will not joke with the
health, education and development of
the state, noting that Kogi can surpass
Lagos in terms of development if the
the state to boost revenue generation
and tackle unemployment in the state
“Special attention would also be giving in
ensuring equity and justice in the
distribution of the state’s resources
irrespective of ethic, political and
religious background as well as quality
education and healthcare services,” he
promised.

“Record of Kingsley Ilona’s

success story both in
business and humanitarian
endeavour will no doubt
take Kogi state to the next
Mr. Kingsley Idoko Ilona level of development if
given the opportunity to

T he All Progressives Grand

Alliance (APGA) in Kogi State on
Wednesday picked a
businessman, Mr. Kingsley Idoko Ilona,
as the party’s standard-bearer for the
rule the state.

“Our choice of Kingsley Idoko Ilona as

2023 Kogi gubernatorial election.
Ilona was elected during the candidate
replacement primary election of the
party which took place at SAATOF hotel
in Lokoja, Kogi State.
Ilona, who was elected by voice votes by
the congress, replaced AbdulAzzez
Arokoya, who resigned as the candidate
of the party.
the party’s ag bearer is a divine
mandate as he has the capacity to lead
the state to the promised land.
“Kogi under APGA will be greater and
be able to witness unprecedented
accelerated development in the years
ahead,” Nweke said.
government is serious and ready to
In his acceptance speech, Ilona work without consuming the state
promised to move the state forward, He assured members of his party that
nancially. APGA will not disappoint them, adding
adding that the issue of percentage
salary will be overcome by his that the uniqueness of the party will
administration if elected. “Priority therefore, would be given to make the difference if elected as the
the agricultural and Industrialization of next governor of the state.

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

The rich getting richer, the poor getting poorer:
A Combination of injustice and in efficiency- Aderemi M. ( PhD)
*Nigeria is not a poor country yet millions are living in hunger *The combined wealth of Nigeria’s five richest
men - $29.9 billion could end extreme poverty at a national level yet 5 million face hunger
Background Note
U pfront, a disclaimer-referencing
Wikipedia’s note that: "The rich
get richer and the poor get
poorer" is an aphorism due to Percy
Bysshe Shelley. In A Defence of Poetry
published in 1840, Shelley remarked that
the promoters of utility had exemplied
the saying, "To him that hath, more shall
be given; and from him that hath not, the
little that he hath shall be taken away. The
rich have become richer, and the poor
have become poorer; and the vessel of
the State is driven between the Scylla and
Charybdis of anarchy and
despotism."This is topped with the
quoted remark of an early writer who
projected ominously, that: "You will
always be poor, if you are poor. Now,
money is given to none except the rich."
Thus, the essence of out chosen theme is
income distribution.
In economics, income distribution covers
how a country's total income called Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) is distributed
amongst its population. Economic theory
and economic policy have long seen
income and its distribution as a central
concern, with discussions framed in
terms of the degree of inequality across
groups, classes and nations of the world.
Basically, income inequality is dened as
the difference in how income is
distributed among individuals and/or
populations; it is also described as the gap
between rich and poor, wealth disparity,
wealth and income differences, or the
wealth gap. In general, how unequal the
prole of income distribution assumes in
a country or globally has rightly become
an issue of academic and political interest
for important reasons, including its
implication for poverty. Here, we
explore the consequences of heavily
skewed distribution by objective
reference to two criteria or
considerations: social justice and
economic efciency.
For starters, we recall the World
Economic Forum’s Global Risks Survey
which shows that inequality is associated
with a range of health and social problems
including mental illness and violent crime.
Therefore, the wider the gap between
the rich and the poor in a country and in
the world, the more insecure and
unhealthy the society becomes. As rightly
acknowledged on a platform of the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation
and Development (OECD), OECD
Insights, by Brian Keeley in the article,
“Income Inequality: The Gap between
Rich and Poor”, published in 2015:
Inequality affects economies and
societies, with growing evidence that
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
excessive inequality may be bad for
growth. There are also concerns that
inequality may dampen educational
opportunities and social mobility. The
poorest members of society suffer
immediately from inequality, but in the
longer term, the whole economy is also
damaged.
Of course, well-meaning activists and
organizations have not kept mute in the
face of the observed incidences of
widening gap between the rich and the
poor along with its associated
accentuation of poverty. Going beyond
criticisms, such concerned individuals
and institutions have explored and shared
perspectives on the subject, extended to
remedial measures. As the former
minister of nance in Greece, Yanis
Varoufakis, in an entirely different but
connected context, once asserted
dialectically: Every crisis is pregnant with
a recovery.
Oxfam International’s abiding concern
Oxfam, a British- originated non-
governmental organization with
international tentacles in operations, has
long been concerned about the
unwholesomeness of the widening gap
between the rich and the poor nationally
and globally-coming to the empirically
tested conclusion of it being unjust, as it
kills. With especial focus on the trend
since the pandemic, the Socialist Website
in its January 19, 2022 edition, through
the pen of Kevin Reed, writing on:
“Oxfam report reveals malignant
dependency of the pandemic on capitalist
inequality ”, commented on the
organization’s reaction to the growing
divide between the rich and the poor,
faithfully summarizing how:
The Oxfam report depicts the
worldwide inequality in the starkest
terms. “A new billionaire has been
created every 26 hours since the
pandemic began. The world’s 10 richest
men have doubled their fortunes, while
over 160 million people are projected to
h a v e b e e n p u s h e d i n t o p o v e r t y.
Meanwhile, an estimated 17 million
people have died from COVID-19—a
scale of loss not seen since the Second
World War. Oxfam says, “The world’s
small elite of 2,755 billionaires has seen its
fortunes grow more during COVID-19
than they have in the whole of the last
fourteen years—fourteen years that
themselves were a bonanza for billionaire
wealth . . . Since 1995, the top 1% have
captured nearly 20 times more of global
wealth than the bottom 50% of
humanity.
The Website concluded on the indicting
note that, “What the Oxfam report
proves is this: the pandemic has been
massively protable for the ruling elite . . .
As COVID-19 spread, central banks
injected trillions into economies
worldwide, aiming to keep the world
economy aoat. Much of that stimulus
has gone into nancial markets, and from
there into the net worth of billionaires.
Governments have pumped $16 trillion
into the global economy since the start of
the pandemic, and in large consequence,
billionaires have seen their wealth
increase by $5 trillion, rising from $8.6
trillion to $13.8 trillion since March 2021,
as government intervention has driven up
stock prices. I dare to add that this is how,
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
historically, the rich prot from the
misery of the poor. To bring the matter
close to the reader, what the Oxfam
study demonstrates-in gures- translate
to the following statistics:
• Every day inequality contributes to the
death of at least 21, 300 people-meaning
one person every four seconds;
• The wealth of the 10 richest men has
doubled, while the income of 99% of
humanity are worse off, because of
COVID-A19
• Hunger kills over 2.1 million people
each year at a minimum
It is pertinent to note the fact that Oxfam
has not restricted itself to the generalized
global scene but has indeed cascaded its
initiatives on inequality down to the
national level, Nigeria being a concrete
example. In its publication, Nigeria:
extreme inequality in numbers, Oxfam
made the following points:
Nigeria is not a poor country yet
millions are living in hunger
Economic inequality in Nigeria has
reached extreme levels, despite being
the largest economy in Africa. The
combined wealth of Nigeria’s ve richest
men - $29.9 billion - could end extreme
poverty at a national level yet 5 million
face hunger.
More than 112 million people are living
in poverty in Nigeria, yet the country’s
richest man would have to spend $1
million a day for 42 years to exhaust his
fortune.
Women represent between 60 and 79
percent of Nigeria's rural labor force but
are ve times less likely to own their own
land than men. Women are also less likely
to have had a decent education. Over
three-quarters of the poorest women in
Nigeria have never been to school and
94% of them are illiterate.
Personally, I nd these statistics
disturbing and one wonders how the
reader feels especially given the concrete
manifestations of the data –as witnessed
on the streets.
The economic leg of the unhealthy
combination
There are various numerical indices for
measuring economic inequality, but the
most commonly used measure for the
purposes of comparison is the Gini
coefcient (also known as the Gini index
or Gini ratio, named after the Italian
statistician and sociologist, Corrado
Gini). It measures the dispersal of wealth
or income among a chosen population. A
Gini coefcient of zero indicates that
there is perfect equality—assets are
equally divided between all people in the
group; a Gini coefcient of one indicates
that all of a group’s wealth is held by one
individual. In reality, most countries fall
toward the middle of this range.
Our theme falls squarely within the
bracket of the branch of economics
tagged Welfare Economics, the denition
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 23
of which on June 06, 2022, Michael L.
Boyle and Suzanne Kvilhaug using the
platform of Investopedia, rendered aptly
as “the study of how the allocation of
resources and goods affects social
welfare”. As claried by Douglas Curtis
and Ian Irvine, in their voluminous 444-
page text, Principles of Microeconomics:
Welfare economics assesses how well the
economy allocates its scarce resources in
accordance with the goals of efciency
and equity. Equity deals with how
society's goods and rewards are, and
should be, distributed among its different
members, and how the associated costs
should be apportioned. It is also
concerned with how different
generations share an economy's
productive capabilities: more investment
today makes for a more productive
e c o n o m y t o m o r r o w, b u t m o r e
greenhouse gases today will reduce
environmental quality tomorrow; these
are inter-generational questions. This
relates directly to the study of economic
efciency and income distribution, as well
as how these two factors affect the
overall well-being of people in the
economy. The duo then proceeded to
make an instructive footnote to the effect
that: welfare economists seek to provide
tools to guide public policy to achieve
benecial social and economic outcomes
for all of society. However, welfare
economics is a subjective study that
depends heavily on chosen assumptions
regarding how welfare can be dened,
measured, and compared for individuals
and society as a whole.
The extended footnote above carries a
hugely important message concerning
the values that individual economists
uphold and which inevitably determine
the kind of policies they recommend and
even the issues they choose to focus on
or to ignore. Beyond the obviously
ideological essence of the economist’s
mindset-conscious or otherwise, there is
a black box in the welfare economics
vehicle designed to hide the true
character of its task: it is called Pareto
Efciency-seen as the ideal outcome or
position for an economy. In other words,
the goal of economic policy would be to
try to move the economy toward a
Pareto efcient state. Its message is far-
reaching, as it reads: when the economy
is in a state of Pareto efciency, social
welfare is maximized in the sense that no
resources can be reallocated to make
one individual better off without making
at least one individual worse off. I implore
the reader to go over and reect on the
statement until thoroughly understood as
essentially being a strange model of cost-
benet analysis. In a society where some
get enriched at the expense of others, the
perpetuation of such a status quo is
clearly in the interest of the beneciaries
while the sufferers endure loss; is there
any way a necessary redistribution of
income would not lead to a loss on the
part of a party and a gain by the other? It’s
perhaps fruitless to go full blast into this
debate as our personal values are bound
to intrude; so, it is better to go through
the safer route of isolating the specic
factors at work.
Forces at work-locally and globally:
ideology and institutions
In modern mixed economies, markets
and governments together determine
the output produced and also who
Continue on page 24
 24
Continued from page 23
benets from that output. In other
words, government interventions can
increase or decrease the level of
inequality in a society. As posed by
Douglas Curtis and Ian Irvine in their
extract, “Equity and Efciency”, even if
market forces drive efciency, are they a
good way to allocate scarce resources in
view of the fact that they not only give rise
to inequality and poverty, but also fail to
capture the impacts of productive activity
on non-market participants? The analysis
of markets in this larger sense involves
not just economic efciency; public policy
additionally has a normative content
because policies can impact the various
participants in different ways and to
different degrees. Welfare economics,
therefore, deals with both normative and
positive issues. Efciency addresses the
question of how well the economy's
resources are used and allocated; the
alleged trade-off between efciency and
equity is unfounded or perhaps,
misplaced, because, the real issue lies
elsewhere: the structure of the economy
with its imperfect markets. This in the
sense that when a market is inequitable, it
can result in unequal access to wealth and
income, a basic and equal minimum of
income, and goods and services.
The key point of their relationship is that
while efciency addresses the question of
how well the economy's resources are
used and allocated, equity deals with how
society's goods and rewards are, and
should be, distributed among its different
members, and how the associated costs
should be apportioned. No conict and
therefore trade-off necessarily needs to
arise. After all, an improvement in
efciency should generally make the
economy better off; therefore, there is
no reason why improved efciency has to
lead to inequality. Rather, it is indeed
compatible to improve both efciency
and equity within society
There are many reasons for economic
inequality within societies, and they are
often interrelated. Acknowledged
factors that impact economic inequality
include, but are not limited to: inequality
in wages and salaries; income gap
between highly skilled workers and low-
skilled or no-skills workers; wealth
The Man Admiral Usman Oyibe Jubrin (Rtd) - The Akpabana of Kogi State
A concise history of Admiral Usman
Oyibe Jibrin ( Retired ) , Ex Chief
of Naval Staff and 2023 Kogi State
governorship candidate under the
platform of Accord Party
Admiral Usman Jibril was born on the
16th of September, 1959 in Okura Olaa,
a town in Dekina Local Government Area
of Kogi State, Nigeria.
He attended the Nigerian Defence
Academy as a member of the 24th
Regular Combatant Course where he
graduated as the Best Naval Cadet ofcer
and was commissioned as Second
lieutenant of the Nigerian Navy on 1
January, 1984.
His a Nigerian Navy Admiral and the 21st
Chief of Naval Staff ( Ex ) . Prior to his
appointment as the Chief of Naval Staff
he was the Chief of Logistics and Director
of Training, Defence Headquarters Abuja.
He began his naval career as a watch
keeping ofcer on board NNS Damisa
and NNS Aradu immediately after he was
commissioned as second lieutenant. He
served in this capacity for 2 years (January
1982 – January 1984). He later served as
b a s e i n t e l l i g e n c e o f  c e r, N N S
UMALOKUN for approximately 3 years
(July 1984 – 1987) .
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
concentration in the hands of a few
individuals or institutions; labour
markets; globalization; policy reforms;
taxes; education; computerization and
growing technology; gender; and innate
ability. It is appropriate to enter a
footnote on at least one of these factors-
namely: computerization and growing
technology-because it is wrongly isolated
as being the major contributor to
inequality, citing the dominance of ICT
leaders in the billionaires’ league, notably:
Elon Musk of Twitter- net worth: $175
billion; Bill Gates, the co-founder of
Microsoft, with a net worth of 114 billion
U.S. dollars; Jeff Bezos of Amazon-with
$112 billion; and Larry Ellison-of Oracle-
with $93.1 billion, to cite the leading
lights.
The main point to take along with the
foregoing is that studies have shown as
recalled in the 2021 article, “Causes and
Consequences of Income Inequality – An
Overview”, by Matthew Polacko, how
inequality has largely been driven by a
multitude of political choices. More
broadly at the super structural ideological
level, the embrace of neoliberalism since
the 1980s has provided the key catalyst
for political and policy changes in the
realms of union regulation, executive pay,
the welfare state and tax manipulation,
which have been the key drivers of
inequality. These amenable causes have
led to demonstrable harmful outcomes
that go beyond purely material
deprivation. Most important, the studies
also show that inequality is directly linked
on the economic front with reduced
growth, investment and innovation, and
on the social front with reduced health
and social mobility, and greater violent
crimeIn a review article published on
March 30, 2022, Toby Walters posed a
posed a pertinent question: What Is
Economic Justice? His explanatory
answer is no less relevant, which is that:
Economic justice is a component of social
justice and welfare economics. It is a set
of moral and ethical principles for building
economic institutions, where the
ultimate goal is to create an opportunity
for each person to establish a sufcient
material foundation upon which to have a
dignied, productive, and creative life.
Thus, to Walters, whose offering enjoys
He also served as a ag
lieutenant to the Chief of
Defence Intelligence Agency
and to the commandant ofcer
of the Nigerian Navy
Intelligence School, Apapa,
Lagos State, Nigeria, before
he became an instructor at
Navigation and Direction
School, Nigerian Navy Ship
Quorra. He served in that
capacity for 2 years
(1989–1991).
In 1994, he
w a s he was appointed
appointe
d as a
directin
g staff
at the
Armed
Forces Admiral Usman Jubril
Comma
nd and
Staff College Jaji, a tenure that elapsed in
1996 and after his tenure in 1996, he was
appointed as the executive ofcer, NNS
Enyimiri.
In 1997, he became the commanding
ofcer of the Nigerian Navy Ship Oom,
and in 1998 he commanded the ship NNS
Ambe in operation Liberty (ECOMOG),
where he obtained the Command at Sea
Badge.
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
our endorsement, the concept of
economic justice intersects with the idea
of overall economic prosperity. The
linkage is that creating more
opportunities for all members of society
to earn viable wages will contribute to
sustained economic growth. When more
citizens are able to provide for
themselves and maintain stable
discretionary income, they are more
likely to spend their earnings on goods,
which in turn drives demand in the
e c o n o m y. A n y b o d y w i t h s o m e
knowledge of Keynesian economics can
see easily the source of this reasoning and
its logic.
Moving to the desired scenario
Even the militantly conservative
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
acknowledges the fact that, “irrespective
of ideology, culture, and religion, people
care about inequality” The reader may
wish to read the Fund’s June 205 Staff
Discussion Note on: “Causes and
Consequences of Income Inequality: A
Global Perspective”. In the effort of Toby
Walters cited earlier, emphasis is placed
on the fact that achieving economic
justice can include addressing wage gaps
and other deciencies in individual
earnings. For instance, there are
members of the workforce employed in
jobs that do not make full use of their
skills-euphemistically referred to as
underemployment. This typically leads to
workers earning wages that do not
reect the full potential of their abilities.
As a result, they do not have the highest
income they are capable of earning. Such
loss of possible wages creates an
inefciency in the economy because
those workers will not have the income
to participate to their fullest in it. If this
inefciency reaches signicant
magnitude—wherein large portions of
the population are not purchasing goods
and services they might have otherwise
spent their earnings on—it can slow
down the economy.
Apart from market-driven factors that
affect wage inequality, government
sponsored initiatives can also increase or
decrease inequality. Social scientists and
policy makers debate the relative merits
In 2001, he became the Deputy
Director Attached Management,
Defence Intelligence Agency and
the Naval Provost Marshal, Naval
Headquarters.
In 2002, he was appointed as the
defence adviser to the Nigerian
Embassy Cameron. He served in
this capacity for 4 years until the
end of his tenure in 2006.
In December 2006,
as chief staff
ofcer at the
Sea Training
Command,
and later
became the
commandant
ofcer of the
D e f e n c e
Intelligence School (DIS) Abuja on June
2007.
Thereafter, he was appointed as Nigerian
Navy secretary and while serving in this
capacity, he was promoted to rear
admiral. In 2010 he became the ag
ofcer commanding, Eastern Naval
Command, coordinating a joint operation
involving the 3 services around the Gulf of
Guinea, NEMO.
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS
and effectiveness of each approach to
regulating inequality; typical government
initiatives along this line include:
• Public education: Increasing the supply
of skilled labour and reducing income
inequality due to education differentials.
• Progressive taxation: The rich are
taxed proportionally more than the poor,
reducing the amount of income inequality
in society.
• Minimum wage legislation: Raising the
income of the poorest workers
• Nationalization or subsidization of
products: Providing goods and services
that everyone needs cheaply or freely
(such as food, healthcare, and housing),
governments can effectively raise the
purchasing power of the poorer
members of society.
As acknowledged by the IMF in the Staff
Paper cited earlier-albeit drawing its
examples from regions outside Africa to
the effect that governments in advanced
economies have historically mitigated
inequality through public
policy—primarily through progressive
taxes and social transfers such as public
retirement benets. However, the
relatively weak state of the remedial
measures in place in most
underdeveloped economies-who owe
their unenviable condition to their role
within the international division of
labour-underscores the complexity and
urgency of redress especially in Africa.
It must be put on record that all the
remedial measures suggested above are
essentially tokenistic and incapable of
getting to the roots of the unjust and
inefcient system of our focus. In this
vein, permit me to invoke Harry Magdoff
and Paul M. Sweezy who, way back in
1995 while writing on: “The Political
Tragedy of Capitalist Rule”, righteously
fumed over how “through their own
proigacy, the ruling classes have lost
their capacity for political rule; the way
forward is an organized, militant struggle
and with victory necessarily leading to the
overthrow” of this unjust and inefcient
system. I come in peace, please.
He also, coordinated a combined
Exercise, called OBANGAME EXPRESS
2012, involving 11 countries including
Germany and United Kingdom.
In January 2014, he took over from Vice
Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba as the Chief
of Naval Staff, and on the 5th of
February, 2014, he was promoted to the
rank of vice admiral by His Excellency
Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, the President
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
He is a recipient of several awards and
decorations. Among them are:
Best Naval Cadet (1982), awarded by the
Nigerian Navy.
Passed Staff College Dagger (psc+),
awarded by the Nigerian Navy.
Forces Service Star (FSS), awarded by
the Nigerian Navy.
Distinguish Service Star (DSS), awarded
by the Nigerian Navy.
Meritorious Service Star (MSS), awarded
by the Nigerian Navy.
General Service Star (GSS) awarded by
the Nigerian Navy.
Command at Sea Badge awarded by the
Nigerian Navy.
Admiralty Medal, awarded by the
Nigerian Navy.
Admiraxl Usman Jibrin (retired) is a
proud son of Igala Kingdom.

Journey To Lugard House And The Power Of Unity
P olitical science students in Africa
will attest to this that to dislodge
and demystify a ruling party,
strategies is the most important aspect
one needs to map out and arm himself
with.
Examples as shown in Africa on how to
pull a seat from a comfortable ruling
party’s bombom as is been called on the
street, especially a party that has
impoverished his people close to a
decade, where social, economic right of
the people has been taken and relegated
to the bottom of priority list, where the
revenue and spoon feeding monthly
allocation can not measure up with the
said development acclaimed to be on
ground.
To worsen it all, the candidate of the said
ruling party now boast of deep pocket
with enough hard and local currency in
his well starched Agbada and in the safe
of the state treasurer and accountant.
Oppositions who found themselves at
such bus stop on their way to the
government house needs the wisdom of
Solomon and heart David to tear apart
leopard and lion trying to take the little
lamb, coupled with the Unity of Trinity to
be victorious.
President Hakainde Hichilema of
Zambia, who ran under United Party for
National Development in Zambia has
been a serial and known face on the ballot
in Zambia, after contesting more than
5th time until 6th term before he was
able to clinch the seat. It takes a collective
political alliance of the main opposition in
Zambia to put and end to the reign of
President Edga Lungu of Patriot Party in
August 2021.
In Malawi, it takes opposition leaders of
the Malawi Congress Party and United
Transformation Movement before they
could make meaningful impact.
The November 11 journey to Lugard
House is set and main opposition
candidates must form a strong political
alliance and understanding among
themselves, not with the candidates
alone but the electorate that has the
mandate in their hand.
Kelvin Eleta Urge Kogi Govt To Site Proposed University In Okun Land In Ijumu LGA
Kogi-born writer and educationist,
Kelvin Oluseyi Eleta, has described
Governor Yahaya Bello as a detribalised
leader for his approval for the
establishment of a state university in
Okun land.
Eleta, in a statement issued on Monday,
said since the creation of Kogi State in
1991, Okun people has been living in
what many may describe as a non-
symbiotic mutualism in terms of
coexisting with other tribes in the state.
He also emphatically stressed that this
may be due to stampede or relegation of
power to a particular tribe for too long
period of time; as Okun people and
other ‘not-too-famous’ tribes in the
state has been faced with core
marginalization and adverse nepotism as
regards to governance, over the years.
Notwithstanding, he claimed the above
jinx was broken in 2016 when Governor
Yahaya Bello assumed ofce and began
his reformation quest for a better and
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VOL. 01 NO. 26
A bulwark of unperturbed front must be
put in place, considering the ruling party
that is hell bent in foisting their own lap
dog and unpopular anoited candidate
against the general wish of the
electorate, in a multi-ethnic society like
Kogi state, formation of alliance becomes
inevitable where appeals for ethnics
sentiment are most predominant.
Serious opposition must come with
strong alliance, if they must achieve
meaningful result, as going into the
election as a disintegrated entity might
not augur well and may result in them
sustaining fatal political defeat.
Sen Dino Melaye, Mubarak Saliu, Hon
Leke Abejide, Murtala Yakubu, Admiral
Usman Jibrin and the rest must put heads
together for the possibility of presenting
a common front, as the saying that two
good head are better than one.
Hon Leke Abejide holding the ag of
ADC has the rm grip of Okun politics,
having won his way into the heart of the
people of Yagba and also been able to
extend the reach to Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu,
the base of Dino Melaye as ADC
defeated the incubment party and the
ruling party candidate.
Muri Yakubu whose candidacy almost
suffered setback if not for his resilience,
perseverance and doggedness that
brought him back to clinch the ticket of
SDP as he once promised his supporters
more harmonious state.
“As we all are witnesses of his
transformation initiatives in terms of
infrastructural development, style of
leadership, job creation, inclusive
governance, and of course his
tremendous achievement in the
educational sector of which Kogi West
and particularly Okun people are
beneciaries today,” he said.
Kelvin Eleta appealed to Governor
Yahaya Bello to graciously consider
locating the proposed University in
Ijumu Local Government Area; as the
LGA is currently without any notable
establishment capable of boosting the
people’s style of living and development,
as regards to education.
He also went further to drive home his
point by stating that other Local
Government Areas in Okun land could
boast of one or more functional higher
institutions located on their soil, but
same could not be said about Ijumu
08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
that his name will be on the ballot.
Mubarak Musa Saliu who is now the
beautiful bride of the lgala’s with support
and endorsement from nooks and
crannies of Kogi State having paid his due
to his people couple with his people’s
oriented political manifesto which has
further boosted his chances that as now
make him one of the most serious
contender in this race to Lugard house.
Not forgetting the Accord Party
candididate a top brass gentle Naval
ofcer, Admiral Usman Jibrin Oyibe who
has staged a comeback after his aborted
2019 governorship by the power that be.
Information suggest that he his in the race
to win as he has set his oiled political
machinery in motion to deliver on the
plans he intends to execute for Kogi
State.
The journey ahead to Lugard House
come November 11th as in Nigeria
contemporary politics where money
plays a role, but this time money might be
the last resort as strategies, selling
realistic political manifesto that
guarantee a new thinking, ideas that can
take us from unfullled political bus stop
to our nal political fullment journey
through the path Paul Kagame of Rwanda
took, and disembark on this journey to
Zimbabwe.
The Participatory opposition party has a
LGA.
According to the young statistician and
lecturer, he believes that Ijumu deserves
this developmental boost from the state
government, having been a core
supporter of the current administration
since it came to power since 2016 till
date.
He went further to eulogize the
leadership prowess of Alhaji Taoq Isha,
the incumbent Local Government
Chairman of Ijumu for providing an
already existing favorable security
architecture capable of safeguarding any
meaningful establishment in the area.
Regardless of his request for the
University to be sited in Ijumu Local
Government Area, he urged all sons and
daughters of Okun to continue
supporting Governor Yahaya Bello’s
directives and also resist the urge of
causing any fracas or intertribal chaos
due to agitations and negotiations as
regards the location of the proposed
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 25
lot of lessons to draw from the just
concluded Presidential election where
PDP went into the elections divided, like
the break up of Soviet Union where
Ukraine, Azebarjan and Georgia came
out from, that lead to giving part to
Kwankwaso, Peter Obi, G5/ Wike
leaving Atiku with the shredded
remaining vote to harvest, squandering
their good and prosperous fortune of
2019.
Usman Jibrin, Abejide, Mubarak, Dino,
Muri and the rest all has something to
bring on the table at this critical time in
our history in Kogi State, their individual
ego, self oriented and ethic agenda must
be dropped. Doing this will help reverse
economic retrogression and stipend take
home pay that has bedeviled the state.
I would have love to write this piece in
three major languages dialect in Kogi
State which would have been able to
convey the message that will speak into
their subconsciousness.
Kogi State needs a man that will priotise
people-oriented agenda.
People of Kogi want a state we can be
proud to tell the story of how we where
able to shake off the shackles of
backwardness from our neck, a state that
guarantee and prepare a better future for
the unborn generation, where all ties
with poverty is broken.
The major opposition parties must rise to
the occasion and look themselves in the
eyes and speak the truth to each other
and work for common unity of purpose
to confront our common and collective
enemy which is hunger and low standard
of living.
I want to see an lgala man that will
priotise an infrastructure development at
lsanlu, where Okun man will priotise the
development in Okehi, where an Ebira
man will bear the pain of the people in
Abejukolo not minding if he or she is not
of the same tribe with him.
As we move closer to November 11th, l
want to see opposition parties coming
together, stronger with a solid resolution
by queuing behind one their own
irrespective where he/she comes from.
University, and rather trust in the
judgement of the Governor and his
established 15-man committee working
on all necessary parameters for the
actualization of the university, without
delay.
With prejudice, Eleta believed that for
the university to become a reality, there
is need for all Okun sons and daughters
across board to key into the aspirations
of Alhaji Usman Ododo and the All
Progressive Congress for continuity of
Governor Yahaya Bello’s legacy projects
across the state.
 26 VOL. 01 NO. 26 TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023 NEWS
Senate Presidency: APC Media’s Assessment
Places Izunaso Ahead Of Akpabio, Yari, Kalu Desmond Okeme Adejoh
Biography, Early life, Career

Barr. Desmond Adejoh

T he All Progressives
Congress (APC), online
media outt and the APC
NewsOnline Television, said
having analysed the chances of all
the aspirants for the position of
Senate President in the coming
10th National Assembly, Senator
Izunaso is in clear lead of all other
contestants to the seat.
In a statement by the group, which
was made available to journalists
in Lokoja, noted that in a
scientically and objectively
dissected balanced analysis, the
news medium presented Senator
Osita Izunaso as the only aspirant
without a baggage and possessing
the best qualications in terms of
legislative experience, intellectual
capacity and commitment to the
party.
The The All Progressives
Congress, (APC), online media
outt and the APC NewsOnline
Television is under the leadership
of Dr. Tom Ohikere
The outt which is popular for
promoting and clarifying the
APC’s core objectives and
ideological direction, has always
been on the APC general
campaign machinery since the
party ascendancy on the national
scene, and is allied to the APC
BroomPlatform, which it said is a
grade A support group of the APC,
and serving as the intellectual
power house of the party.
“After carrying out a strategic
nationwide polling of Nigerian
professionals, politicians and
media practitioners on their
legislative expectations for the
next four years found a growing
acceptance that while southeast
should produce the Senate
president, the Senator-elect from
Imo West, a long time APC
strategist should mount the
rostrum of the red chambers. His
stainless reputation and humble
disposition despite being on the
political scene for the past three
decades unlike his main rival from
the region, former Governor Orji
Uzor Kalu.
The group added that it also found
that similar charges by the
Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, (EFCC), also made
Godswill Akpabio unpalatable
commodity for this most
prestigious ofce especially as
Nigerians optimistically look
forward to a new political
dispensation of renewed hope.
“While most Nigerians wanted a
Christian for the Senate
presidency, they wanted one that
could make a difference and build
relationships to the people, after
years of such a break in practice.
“The poll also found that while Yari
and Musa sani were considered
men of integrity and sizable
northern backing but that their
disposition will make them open
to an Osita Izunaso senate
p r e s i d e n c y, g i v e n t h a t a
northerner wields the deputy
Senate Presidency and
Northerners are projected to
wield other principal positions.
“Senator Osita Izunaso, who
recently joined the race for the
Senate Presidency has been given
the hitherto front-runners,
former Governors God’swll
Akpabio and Orji Uzor Kalu a run
for their money. Recall that the
APC on May 6, endorsed God’swll
Akpabio, Jibrin Barau for the
position of the Senate president
and deputy Senate president while
Tajudeen Abbas and Ben Kalu for
Speakership and deputy
speakership. But the
endorsement has been generating
ripples and disaffection leading to
even open resistance and planned
insurgency against the party
hierarchy.
“Few days back, National
chairman, Senator Abdullahi
Adamu admitted that the party
took position without adequate
consultation. Adamu made this
known when he received the
aggrieved aspirants and their
supporters at the National
Secretariat. But acknowledged
the role of patience and the need
to await the return of the
president – elect, Bola Ahmed
Tinubu.
“Upon his return last Saturday, a
Lagos based national daily
reported that the President-elect
would meet all the aspirants for
both the Senate presidency and
Speakership of the House of
Representatives on Sunday but
this turned out to be a ruse.
“Competent sources close to the
incoming president however
disclosed to our correspondent
that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was
seriously studying the situation.
B
state.
arr. Desmond Okeme Adejoh, Nigerian Bar in 2009.
hails from Egume, in Dekina
Local Government of Kogi Professional Career
Between 2008 to 2009, Okeme
served as Lecturer II, Department of
Okeme Adejoh is foundly called the Legal Studies, Federal Polytechnic,
“Black Diamond” by his peers, due to Kaduna during his one-year National
his complexion, and resourcefulness. Youth Service. He is widely travelled
He is currently the agbearer of and has enjoyed a blissful carrier as a
Labour Party in the forthcoming Kogi Lawyer and Solicitor of the Supreme
State 2023 Governorship election Court, with interests in Corporate
Mediation and Negotiations, Criminal
Early Life and Education and Civil litigation, Debt Recovery,
He was born into the family of Mr. Alternative Dispute Resolution,
Alexander Okeme and Late Mrs. Property Consultancy, Legal Advisory
Esther Okeme. Until retirement, Mr. services, amongst others.
Alexander served in the Kogi State
Civil Service, while Late Mrs. Esther He married with kids and serves as a
spent her life, imparting others as a Principal Partner, at A. A Okeme &
teacher, a grassroot mobilizer and Associates, Abuja, as well as the
political inuencer. Managing Director, BoldTouch
Homes Limited, Abuja.
He began his educational life at the
L.G.E.A Primary School, Lokogoma, In the Nigerian Industrial Mining and
Lokoja, Kogi State, where he obtained Properties Industry, Okeme has
his First school Leaving Certicate in carved a niche for himself as a
1995. successful business man and
e m p l o y e r o f l a b o u r, h a v i n g
Between 1995 to 1998, Adejoh established and sustained business
O k e m e a t t e n d e d t h e f a m o u s contacts and ventures across Canada,
Government Science Secondary China and the United Kingdom and
School, Lokoja, where he sat for his h a v e p r o v i d e d e m p l o y m e n t
J u n i o r S c h o o l C e r t i  c a t e opportunities for over 300 Nigerian
E x a m i n a t i o n s , a f t e r w h i c h h e youths, most of whom are indigenes
proceeded to Ochaja Boys Secondary of Kogi state.
School, Ochaja for Senior Secondary
Education. Political Career
Okeme had been a political underdog,
Driven by his passion to impact the having worked for and supported
society, Okeme applied and gained candidates who have aspired for
admission to study Law at the Kogi leadership positions at different
State University, Ayingba, where he levels, within and outside Kogi State.
graduated with good grades in 2006.
Barr Desmond Okeme Adejoh was
After completing his Nigeria Law declared winner of the Kogi state
School education, at the Lagos Labour Party Primary which held on
Campus, he was called to the Saturday 15th April 2023.

When will Kogi Board be Constituted as an Oil Producing State like its counterparts?
T he agitation of the good people of Ibaji
LGA of Kogi State after the discovery
of oil on their soil became a reality
after the pronouncement of revenue
mobilization and physical commission
Allocation and Physical Commission) after
the presentation of the available document's
in support of the agitation did justice to the
demand of the good people of Ibaji LGA of
Kogi state some months ago and declared
supervision of the state government ministry
concerned and to equally ask the government
to account for revenue that has come in
through the generation of the revenue and
what the fund that came was used for.
Ibaji LGA of Kogi East senatorial district are
for equity, justice and transparent in
leadership by explaining what comes in and
the expenditures.

declared Kogi State as an oil producing state.
But the question begging for an answer is
that, when will Kogi State government under
the leadership of Governor Yahaya Bello
constitute a committee for the state oil
producing area likes its counterparts in the oil
reach producing states likes Rivers, Bayalsa,
Imo, Edo, Etc.
The ght between Kogi State and Anambra
state including Enugu State got the attention
of the federal government under the
leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari’s
lead administration and the agency
responsible for the declaration (Revenue
Kogi as an Oil producing state.
Since the declaration by the above named
agency of the federal government, alot of
money has been coming into the state from
the derivation, but only God knows what the
money has been used for as the public are in
the dark.
Having settled the misunderstanding
between Kogi State, Anambra and Enugu
State, the good people of Ibaji LGA of Kogi
State are appealing to Kogi State government
under the leadership of Alh. Yahaya Bello to
constitute a committee for the prudent
management of the fund under the
It’s on record that, governor Bello led
administration is one of the most accountable
government with numbers of award to
buttress its credit, but the good people of
According to Mr Ojotule Micheal, one of the
indigenes of the LGA while responding to
Conuence News, stated that, Ibaji LGA has
no good roads, no good hospital, no good
market, no good water etc. and it's time to
reap from the suffering as benets has come
through the declaration as the agitation was
without support from the government and
revenue has stated coming into the state
coffers as we are yet to know what the funds
that came was used for ?
The people of the area are demanding for an
explanation before another round of protest
that could stop the exploration and
production by the youths of the area.

08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.

Pilot Sewing Championship Establishes, Equips Workshops In FCT Schools
The Incentivised Pilot Sewing Schools’
Championship 2023 (SSCP23) has
provided a platform for establishing and
equipping sewing workshops in three
selected schools in Abuja, the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT).
The SSCP23 was initiated by a non-
governmental organisation, Ladi
Memorial Foundation (LMF), supported
and sponsored by UNESCO, FCT
Education Secretariat and other relevant
partners.
The essence of the Incentivised SSCP23
was to strengthening stakeholders and
governments’ support for Vocational
Education and Training (VET) through the
establishment of workshops in schools.
Over 1000 youths majorly from Junior
secondary schools(JSS), Senior secondary
schools (SS) and out of school youths
from ages 12 to 20 participated in Sewing
competition across the six (6) Area
Councils in the FCT at the second stage
of the competition.
The third stage, tagged: “Championship
Finals & Up-skilling Sewing Boot Camp”,
was a 5-day fully residential workshop for
the 54 best contestants from the Six FCT
Area Councils which took place on April
23-29, 2023, where winners of various
categories emerged.
Speaking at the award ceremony on
We d n e s d a y i n A b u j a , t h e B o a r d
Chairperson of NSSEC, Dr Nimota
Akanbi, shared experience on skills
development in other countries, saying
skills remained the bedrock of sustainable
economic growth.
He emphasised the need for the initiative
to be sustained and promised that NSSEC
would support scale up in 2024 as a
national championship event for all 36
states and FCT.
Also speaking, the FCT Education
Secretary Hon. Sani El-Katuzu
appreciated all the supporting partners
and LMF for the impactful initiative which
had brought together all FCT Education
Secretariat Departments.
He noted that the SSCP23 had kept
everyone fully engaged over the past ve
months project implementation with the
5-Day championship nals and Up-skilling
S e w i n g B o o t C a m p a n d Aw a r d s
ceremony as climax.
El-Katuzu, who also received the
Championship Award, noted that the
SSCP23 was supported as a FCT
08069601124, 09033136986
VOL. 01 NO. 26
budgetary activity in 2023 and assured of
sustainable repeated implementation by
the FCT.
El-Katuzu stressed that the SSCP23
would complement government efforts
in the achievement of TVET actualization
of job creation to signicantly alleviate
poverty in the society.
He called for more collaboration with the
private sector to promote and
complement government efforts in the
achievement of Technical and Vocational
Education Training (TVET).
“This programme will be sustained to
encourage the youth to use their leisure
time wisely to learn marketable trades
and skills that will provide economic
support and lifelong educational
development and poverty alleviation,” El-
Katuzu stated.
On his part, the Secretary General,
Nigerian National Commission
(NATCOM) for UNESCO, Dr Olawale
Olagunju, said the organisation was
happy to be part of the project and hoped
that more of such initiative would come
on board to empower the youth.
According to him, when LMF rst
presented the concept note for the
SSCP23 initiative he observed it was lofty,
out of the box initiative with far reaching
impactful benets with rippling effects.
Hence NATCOM UNESCO buying into
it and recommending it for UNESCO
funding under the UNESCO 2022/2023
Participation Programme.
He said that the SSCP23 had delivered
fully on the pledged outcome,
stakeholder engagements, promised
equipping of schools workshops and
Student-preneurship equipment’s, TVET
sensitization, advocacies, among others.
Olagunju applauded stakeholders
support across various sectors and
reiterated NSSEC view on the need for
scale up in 2024 as a national event.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal
Ministry of Education (FME), Mr Andrew
David Adejoh, received the SSCP23 Star
Award for the FME and the SSCP23 Star
Individual Partner Award.
Adejoh, who was represented by Mr
Osinaike, Department of Science &
Technical Education, FME, assured the
LMF of federal government support to
sustain the championship.
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TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023
On his part, the Conservator General
National Park Service, Dr Ibrahim Goni,
said the SSCP23 was a remarkable
Initiative with impactful results,
describing the initiator, ED LMF as been
very resourceful.
Goni encouraged partners to sustain the
gains of the SSCP23.
In her remarks, the LMF’s Executive
Director, Mrs Rosemary Ojochenemi
Osikoya, said three schools got over 30
sewing machines and workshop
equipment.
According to her, schools that won Gold,
Silver and Bronze in the championship
got 15, 10 and 5 Sewing Machines
respectively which include industrial,
manual and special purpose sewing
equipments
Osikoya added that Other categories
include most Distinguished contestant
Award, ThankGod Bitrus, 12 year old
learner at LEA Narai primary school, who
came overall 10th and got industrial
sewing machine.
She said the Gold champion individual
student-preneurship Prize was won by
Susan Audu who completed Secondary
school two years ago and went to learn
sewing.
She added that Audu got one industrial
sewing machine and one industrial
weaving machine as championship gold
prize, and one manual sewing machine as
the overall best for AMAC area Council.
“We also have about 20 individuals that
got sewing machines, so if you put all
together, we have donated over 50
sewing machines and equipment to
different schools and individuals”,
Osikoya said.
She, however emphasised the need to
sustain the sewing schools’ championship
through the support of the relevant
government agencies and partners to
make it a yearly and national competition.
She emphasised the inter-sectoral
participation to bridge the current gaps in
policy implementation across all sectors.
She stressed the need for statutory
government agencies such as NBTE,
NMEC, NSSEC, UBEC, NABTEB and
others to give more support to NGOs
such as LMF to help achieve the promise
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
NEWS 27
of functional education with tangible and
veriable results which contribute to the
economy as the SSCP23 had done to
garment sector.
According to her, the role of NGOs in
driving good practice and positive policy
implementation and development cannot
be overemphasized
“ The National Senior Secondary
Education Commission (NSSEC) has
promised to give support for this to
become a national competition in 2024.
“We want to encourage that every other
persons support them. FCT have also
promised they will continue with this;
that is promising.”
“For sustainable impact, there should be
buy in- state levels to emulate the FCT
Education Secretariat which saw
opportunity for public private
partnership and drove that with
commitment”, Osikoya said.
The executive director thanked the
members of the SSCP23 Coordination
Committee who were representatives of
the Supporting Partners Organizations.
The overall best student, Susan Audu,
said all the people put in their best, for
that best dress to come out just after
three hours, which showed that youths
have skills and talents.
“We thanked the LMF for initiating the
SSCP23 and appreciate UNESCO, FCT
Education Secretariat and all other
stakeholders for giving students a chance
to showcase our vocational skills”, Audu
said.
Others stakeholders in attendance
presented awards to the SSCP23
Champions and awardees include:
NASENI, Federal Ministry of Science &
Tech Innovation, Federal Ministry of
Humanitarian Affairs and Social
Development, SMEDAN, NDE,
NAPTIN,
Other SSCP23 Partner organizations
who received recognition awards for
supporting the pilot Incentivized SSCP23
include: NTA, FRCN, NSSEC, NMEC
NABTEB, UBEC, NASENI, Rotary Club
of Abuja Maitama, Cinfores Limited,
Boards of FCT Education Secretariat-
DME, DQA, SEB, UBEB, S&T, among
others.
THE CONFLUENCE TRUST THE PEOPLES TRUST VOL.01
NO. 26

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
TUESDAY 30TH MAY, 2023

LIVING FAITH CHURCH WORLDWIDE

Stallion Times Train Kogi
Journalists On Investigative
Reports
The Stallion Times has called on
HEADQUARTERS (AKA: WINNERS)
STATE CHURCH LOKOJA, KOGI STATE
Wishes To Announce to the Public
the Church Programmes
BREAKTHROUGH SERVICES COVENANT HOUR OF PRAYER (CHOP)
1ST SUNDAY SERVICE - 6:30AM MONDAY - SATURDAY 6 - 7AM DAILY
2ND SUNDAY SERVICE- 8:30AM END OF THE MONTH
WEDNESDAY: MIRACLE PROVOKING
COMMUNION SERVICE - 5:00PM
THANKSGIVING/CHILDREN
DEDICATION SERVICE
LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
IT’S A PLACE OF ENCOUNTER
YOUR MIRACLES AWAIT YOU AS YOU COME
balanced reporting, strong ethics,
JESUS IS LORD FOREVER

journalists in Kogi state to step up their determination and patience as

game and ensure accountability, probity
and transparency among state and non-
state actors.
Speaking at a two-day training workshop
on investigative journalism in Lokoja on
Wednesday, the Project Coordinator,
Isyaku Ahmed urged newsmen to get
involved and focus on unearthing under-
reported issues in the state.
He explained that the training was
designed to teach participants on how to
gather data and present evidence to
expose rights abuses, corruption and
sharp practices in the society.
A practising journalist and lecturer, Idris
Muhammed, trained media men on data
driven and presentation in investigative
reports.
Idris harped on courage, good research
skills, clarity of presentation, fairness,
necessities for a good investigative
journalist.
He added that an investigative journalist
must be able to list and prioritize and
analyse concerns as well as list source of
the story.
In a goodwill message, the Chairman of
the Kogi state council of the Nigeria
Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade
Momohjimoh Adeiza, commended
Stallion Times and MacArthur
Foundation for organising the training.
He noted that the training has, over time,
increased the knowledge of Journalists in
the state on investigative reporting.
The training deployed up-to-date
modules to equip journalists with key
skills and techniques used in investigative
reporting. PASTOR BEN ANDREW
S TAT E PA S T O R

Kogi Gov’ship: PDP Debunks Defection Of Members In Igalamela LGA

Ndanusa Salifu defected to APC from Igalamela
disclosed this in a According to him, PDP Ajaka ward 1 Odolu Local Government. They
statement made Chairman Anthony Abu and his were all shocked with this
available to Ward 2 counterpart Achema Amodu development.
journalists on had since received apology from one
W e d n e s d a y of the party member Ndah Salifu “They felt betrayed, as that was
morning. who said they were deceived to never their intentions when they
Government House by some were invited by their brothers from
Salifu said the desperate politicians loyal to APC. the ruling APC to Government
purported members House. PDP remains intact and a
received by Kogi “Some of our party member from formidable force in Igalamela-Odolu
S t a t e G o v e r n o r, Igalamela Odolu Local Government local government”.
Alhaji Yahaya Bello at were deceived to have an ofcial
the Government PDP meeting in Lokoja. Just as we Salifu noted that the PDP in
House was staged see our self as brothers, some Igalamela Odolu Local Government

T
he Peoples Democratic Party, managed adding that,
(PDP) has debunked media no members of the party from his
reports making the rounds Local Government has moved to the
that over 100 party members APC.
from Igalamela-Odolu local
government area of Kogi state He urged the general public to
defected to the ruling All Progressive disregard such report stressing that,
Congress, (APC). it is the hand work of mischief
makers who are scared of the
The PDP Chairman in Igalamela popularity of PDP ahead of the
Odolu Local Government, Attai November Governorship election in
Kogi State.
08069601124, 09033136986 08069601124 solomonagada90@gmail.com
members of the APC called them for
dialogue for the interest of the Local
Government and Kogi State in
general.
“They listen to the clarion call
irrespective of their political
afliation. Surprisingly, when they
got to government house, this
desperate APC politicians took them
to Governor Bello, telling him that
this are PDP members who have
TrustNews No. 3 Afubu Close, Gadumo Area, Lokoja, Kogi State.
remains committed to the
Candidature of Senator Dino Melaye
and his running mate Hajia Habiba
Deen to take over Lugard house
come November 11th 2023.
According to him, the PDP will win
overwhelmingly in the Local
Government to rescue Kogi State
from the alleged mal-administration
of the ruling APC.