TheNewsGuru

Tag: SOCIETY

  • Rema discloses plans on giving back to society

    Rema discloses plans on giving back to society

    Nigerian  singer Divine Ikubor popularly known as Rema, has opened up on his plans to give back to his society.

    In a recent interview on the Breakfast Club, the calm down crooner, spoke on his desire to go above the conventional methods of sharing rice, which is a common practice in Nigeria.

    According to him, it is  time for artists to use their influence to tell politicians the gospel truth.

    “With the influence we have as artists, I feel like we are now at the point where we can tell politicians ‘No’ you are not doing your job.

    “If I am seated with the governor, I will whisper in his ear, I  don’t think you are doing the right thing, sorry it is coming from a 24-year-old.

    “We can help convince them about policies and with the little we can do, invest the money we made. By  bringing it back home and giving kids  life meaning” he said.

    He decried the traditional methods of distributing rice to the masses, adding that it does not solve long term problems.

    “A lot of times I tell my manager that it is not about giving rice all the time. You don’t know if some kid has an allergy to rice.

    ”Then when you leave,  the kid has to go to the hospital to sort it out. There is a whole perspective of me giving back.

    “I don’t like to do the basic thing like ‘I gave you food,’ because what about tomorrow? What are they going to eat tomorrow?he added.

    The  renowned singer went ahead to offer more lasting solutions to the peoples problems.

    “I will rather create a platform that will consistently provide, educate and give clothes or shelters.

    “It can  be 200  to 500 people, it can also be 1000 people if it is quite consistent. It is  better than giving 1 million people food today and tomorrow.

    “This is because they can be  hungry again. That  is my perspective on giving back by the   use of  platforms and policies,” he added.

  • Making of a better society – By Azu Ishiekwene

    Making of a better society – By Azu Ishiekwene

    I grew up thinking that a judicious mix of crime, sex and money might not only help a publisher turn a good profit but could also be the catalyst for a better society. But my friend, the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief of NaijaTimes, Ehi Braimah, subscribes to a slightly different model.

    When he sent me a collection of the editorials by the online newspaper to review, it was obvious that he believes it is possible to change society – for the better – by using a genre different from my old, familiar mix. Which is a bit of a surprise because in his former life, Ehi was old school.

    He has had such an extraordinarily buoyant social life as a younger man, he appears to be afraid of getting old. That’s probably why instead of reproducing the old school journalism that extolled sex, money and crime, he is charting a different pathway for a better society, as you would find in the new book from the stable of NaijaTimes.

    My first impression of the book, For A Better Society – A Compilation of Editorials Published in NaijaTimes from September 2020 to July 2023, published by Bookcraft and released this year, is that it reflects the importance the author puts on newspaper commentary with the notion that it holds a crucial place in the overall objective of news production.

    The numbers

    Newspapers – print and online alike – use the weight of their editorials to achieve any or all of these three objectives: 1) influence public opinion, 2) promote critical thinking, and 3) cause people to take action.

    Perhaps it might be useful to give a sense of the analytics of the NaijaTimes website. According to open-source statistics of the site as of October 13, 2023, it currently ranks 1,142,571 globally, with a country ranking of 12,882 and trending up.

    That’s not bad, considering that the brand is still in its infancy. Ten percent of its users, which is the highest percentage, comes from Nigeria; 7.56 percent from Antigua and Barbuda; 2.72 percent from the Maldives; 2.46 percent from the United States; and 2.39 percent from Jersey. Other parts of the world, combined, account for 74.79 percent.

    Perhaps a far more relevant statistic would be the demographics of the users of NaijaTimes, especially those who read its editorials. Unfortunately, since I’m not a staff, I’ll need to use a hacker’s ingenuity to reach the backend, a skill that is obviously against the ethos of a better society!

    We can argue that traditional newspapers with both hardcopy and online presence appear to stick more to publishing daily editorials as part of their content. Many strictly online news platforms do not dedicate much energy and time to editorial publishing for reasons ranging from mode of operation, a lack of proper editorial board, the virtuality associated with content production, and a lack of commitment. The ones that do, publish editorials at intervals – say, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.

    Not NaijaTimes!

    In 35 months, NaijaTimes published 115 editorials broadly covering nine areas, each of which constitutes a chapter in this book – governance, politics, economy, education, security, health & environment, international affairs/diplomacy, sports and tributes/obituaries.

    The major events that define the period covered by this book are: COVID-19, the #EndSARS protests, the 2023 general elections, and the state of the Nigerian economy. And, maybe we should add notable deaths around the world, and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar to the mix?

    #EndSARS and all that

    You don’t have to travel far into the pages of For A Better Society before we are thrown right into one of the most defining moments in our recent history. On Page 4 of the book, the editorial: “End SARS protests: Time to address the hard facts,” published on October 18, 2020, the newspaper draws readers’ attention to perhaps why the massive protests eventually yielded little.

    It reads: “While those in the South are in support of a complete disbandment of SARS, those in the North are not; rather, they are calling for a comprehensive reformation of the squad… Of course, this kind of argument is expected in a plural society like ours, but we call for caution so that the differences in approach do not distract from the essence of guaranteeing the rights and privileges of members of the society and saving them from the brutality of security agencies.”

    In Chapter Six, four out of the nine editorial publications under the Health and Environment deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. No single event highlighted 2020 like the pandemic, and because NaijaTimes itself was launched just around the peak of it, the newspaper rightly uses it as the peg of its evaluation of the year.

    The other editorial “Crisis in APC and PDP: Do Nigerians need an alternative in 2023?”, published on August 15, 2021, captures the exasperation with the two dominant parties, which set the stage for the emergence of Peter Obi of the Labour Party. Obi’s eventual performance as the best third-place finisher in decades in the election was probably a vindication of the newspaper.

    One of the most controversial issues in Nigeria’s economy has been the removal of subsidy on petrol announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his inauguration speech on May 29, 2023. The newspaper supports the call for subsidy to be removed and for the government to speedily deregulate the oil and gas sector to allow “free but monitored market interactions to determine exploration, exploitation, processing and supply of petroleum products in the country.”

    You know the rest of the story: Subsidy is gone! Subsidy is back!

    Mind your language

    Perhaps it would be useful to talk briefly, at this point, on the use of language. In my experience, apart from their general staleness and lack of authority, one of the other reasons why a number of readers tend to ignore editorials is the use of ponderous language, like the one I have just used – ponderous!

    You may say this collection of editorials looks at the government of Tinubu with rose-tinted glasses. But you cannot say its language is ponderous or ambiguous. It adopts clear, straightforward language and examples in making its case for a better society.

    Tribute editorials, for which global brands such as the Times of London and The Economist, are well-known appear to be going out of fashion in our province. Chapter Nine, the final chapter of this book, has a rich array of tributes and obituaries not only because many iconic personalities coincidentally died within the time of its compilation, but also because there is the consciousness to document their journey. From JP Clark to Jerry Rawlings, Diego Maradona to Pele and Queen Elizabeth in-between, For A Better Society got them all covered.

    Except, of course, for brevity and uniformity of length, the book is a compilation of what an editorial should be. The newspaper set for itself, the lofty goal of seeking a “better Nigeria with strong institutions, respect for the rule of law and defending the public interest.” This is not a three-year goal, never mind one that can be achieved easily in a society where almost everyone is talking, few are listening, and fewer still are doing right.

    A good editorial

    But let me borrow the words of Singh A. and Singh S. (2006), in their book, What Is A Good Editorial?  “A good editorial should express an opinion without being opinionated. It should teach without being pedagogic. It should transform without being evangelical. It should engulf without drowning. It should motivate to action without making you dictatorial. It should enlighten without getting you dogmatic, prejudiced and egotistical.”

    This book is a solid reference material for policymakers and those who seek knowledge in various fields or those who simply want to read balanced and informed commentaries about specific topics.  And it doesn’t matter whether you’re the old school of Ehi’s variety or a product of the Arab spring!

    And when Ehi has made his money, he should not forget to pay tithe to Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, whose newspaper, Champion, has the proprietary right of the mantra, “Towards a better society!”

  • Why theological education is important to the society – Pastor Adeboye

    Why theological education is important to the society – Pastor Adeboye

    Pastor Enoch Adeboye, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCCG), says theological education is very vital in correcting heresies and wrong doctrines in the society.

    Adeboye said this on Tuesday during the inauguration of new administrative building and chapel of RCCG Bible College main campus, Redemption Camp, Mowe, Ogun.

    Represented by Pastor Joseph Obayemi, National Overseer Emeritus, RCCG, Adeboye said theological education was necessary to guild and train up and coming pastors against wrong doctrine.

    “Theological education, such as ours is very vital to our society, especially in this end time when there is a lot of heresies and wrong doctrines in our society.

    “This happens when the up and coming pastors, who have no mentor will just climb the pulpit and say so many wrong things.

    “And because of the charisma and youthful exuberance, many will continue to follow them, but school like this can be used to guild them.
    “If they come for the training, we will teach them that there is difference between being charismatic, anointed by God or being matured spiritually.

    “Theological education open our eyes to see more rudiments of Christianity and not just anybody going to the pulpit to preach.

    “So, theological education is very necessary for our time and it will continue to be useful, even in the nearest future, ” he said.

    Adeboye also said that the new administrative building of the college was a reflection of the glory of God.

    In his remarks, Pastor Ezekiel Odeyemi, RCCG Continental Overseer, said the Bible college was an integral part of the church.

    Odeyemi said the college was crucial to the progress of the church and to maintain the integrity of the doctrine of the gospel.

    “The Bible college is an integral part of RCCG.

    “An expanding organisation like redeemed, required trained hands and so the college is crucial to our progress and to maintain the integrity of the doctrine and the gospel.

    “And that is the reason occasion like this makes us happy and show to us that the college is making progress and the people put in charge not disappointing us, ” he said.

    Also, Pastor Josiah Bolarinwa, the provost of the college, said the motivation behind the new building was the resolution of the board of governors to reposition the college to an affiliate of two recognised universities in Nigeria by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

    Bolarinwa, who noted that the construction of the building started on Oct. 19, 2017, said it was conceived to serve the immediate and future need of the college.

    He thanked the General Overseer and his wife for their financial, moral and spiritual support.

  • Mothers’ Day: Be good examples to your children, society – Cleric

    Mothers’ Day: Be good examples to your children, society – Cleric

    Mr Glorious Abu of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Christ the Wonderful Parish Lugbe, FCT has admonished mothers to be good examples to their children and society.

    Abu, a pastor, who gave the admonition on Sunday in Abuja during the 2022 Mothers’ Day celebration, urged mothers to wake up to the responsibilities of motherhood by building good homes through Christ, which would reflect on the growth and development of Nigeria.

    He further urged mothers to cultivate the virtue of peace, humility and love in their relationships with their families and society.

    The cleric also advised mothers to build healthy and peaceful homes that would subsequently create a peaceful society.

    He appealed to them to share their love equally among their children.

    Abu also urged them to pay more attention to their children’s strengths and interests in order to develop their intellectual capacity.

    According to him, children need encouragement and guidance.

    He said that mothers should be homemakers and maintain peace both at home and society at large.

    The clergyman said: “It is wonderful when mothers are celebrated all over the world.

    “They are celebrated because of their contributions in raising children and giving them the upbringing that impact on the growth of the nation.

    “They help raise future leaders because when these children are well taken care of, there will be peace in society.

    “As we celebrate Mother’s Day today, I join millions of families to hail the virtue of women and urge them to be the mothers that they are meant to be.”

    He urged mothers to always pray for their children and country so that there would be a revival of value in society.

    Abu further charged society, especially men, to appreciate the contributions of women to the peaceful and economic growth of society.

  • Exploring a new model for cooperation between business and society, By Nonny Ugboma

    Exploring a new model for cooperation between business and society, By Nonny Ugboma

    By Nonny Ugboma

    The hand-me-down capitalism models Africa inherited from her colonial masters have failed to yield a prosperous continent despite its vast resources. Therefore, Africa is in desperate need of something different that takes into consideration its unique history, qualities, and context.

    Experts have mostly seen the interdependence of businesses and society as transactional, with the society needing business for products and services, for jobs, for government taxes revenues. In turn, business needs the society for the market, sales and profits and public infrastructure, security and the rule of law! According to Amaeshi (2019) businesses, though sympathetic to societal challenges, are reluctant to act positively through their companies as they sometimes see such requests as irrelevant to their objectives.

    However, due to the interdependency and interconnectedness of business and society, companies must work collaboratively with the government for a common purpose. That purpose is to build local resources.

    There have been calls for western economies to rethink their capitalism model (Jacobs & Mazzucato, 2016). There have also been calls for Africa to develop its model of capitalism, with theorists and entrepreneurs exploring ideas like Africapitalism (Amaeshi, 2015). Africapitalism, coined by Nigerian entrepreneur Tony Elumelu, focuses on the role of business leaders, investors, and entrepreneurs on the continent’s development to create economic prosperity and social wealth. It rests on the following four pillars: a sense of progress and prosperity; the sense of parity and inclusion; a sense of peace and harmony; and a sense of place and belongingness.

    Africa does need its model. However, I would argue that this model should be spearheaded by the state in collaboration with willing stakeholders in the private sector and third sector, unlike Africapitalism. A government-led push is especially relevant now that a few 21st-century economists are reassessing and rethinking capitalism in its present form. One of such critics is UCL’s Mazzucato (2018) The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs Private Sector Myths who debunks the mainstream neo-classical narrative that the private sector alone drives innovation but takes the position that the state is the driver of innovation.

    Mission-Oriented Innovation Approach (MOIA) could help address some of the identified gaps to ensure state and business work jointly to solve grand challenges, to co-create public value and co-shape a robust and sustainable society that it can bequeath to future generations.

    There is, therefore, a need for an alternative model of collaboration for business, society and government. A suggested way forward for Nigeria, and indeed Africa, is to embrace a mission-oriented innovation approach. The concept of the mission-oriented approach that involves government co-creating and co-shaping the market with the private and third sectors has enormous potential for Africa. The four pillars of ROAR, developed by Mariana Mazzucato (2016), is a useful toolset to anchor MOIA in Africa:

    1. Routes and directions- Government and Public institutions and agencies to set missions. Also, private sector leaders can nudge government agencies to agree to work collaboratively on national priority areas.

    2. Organisational Capacity- Building of dynamic Capabilities within the Public sector through advocacy, capacity building, conferences and training.

    3. Assessment and evaluation- Agencies, academia and organisations to determine new dynamic tools to assess public policies to create new models and markets.

    4. Risks and rewards- Government and private organisations need to engage on the best risks and rewards sharing formats from initiatives to ensure smart, inclusive and sustainable growth.

    In conclusion, as Western Economies are reviewing and rethinking capitalism and their operating models, Africa must ensure she does the same. The reason is that the future of the development of the continent depends on the economic model that it chooses to adopt, in the future, especially with the growing youthful population.

    Nonny Ugboma is the Executive Secretary of the MTN Foundation and has recently returned from one-year Sabbatical studying for a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of London Institute for innovation and Public Purpose.

    #business #society #societalvalue #publicpurpose #innovation #youth #nonnyugboma

    The Entrepreneurial State: Debunking Public vs. Private Sector Myths

  • Renaissance in a Pluralistic Society, By Cornelius Omonokhua

    Cornelius Afebu Omonokhua

    Unity in diversity is a challenge in the process of making the world a perfect home for human beings. I have heard some people say that in every happy marriage, one of the couple could be playing the fool to transform tolerance into love. This is because of the way and manner the husband and the wife were trained and formed from childhood in different environments. In every community, families and human beings differ in many ways hence there need to be a credible leader who must enhance the peace of the community. Very often third parties are the problems of many families. These are people who do not mind their business as if they benefit from the conflicts in the family and the community. Whereas in the society, there are actors who ensure that there is peace and harmony, the sadists operate as dividers that rob human beings of happiness. This is why for the society to experience real change, there is need for renaissance through conflict analysis. The analysis tools would help to reveal those who are involved through their relationships and their various intentions. If a society can identity positive and negative peace, then the hope for conflict transformation would be visible. Negative peace is marked by structural conflict such as oppression, discrimination and inequality. Even in the absence of physical violence, what is certain is that there can be no peace without justice. Structural conflict which is a systematic injustice or inequality within a society or community, such as racism, religious discrimination and tribalism is an endemic corruption that should attract more confrontation by any serious government to bring about change at all levels of human existence.

    Politics can play the role of third party in causing conflict in a peaceful society by using the tools of ethnicity and religious differences to divide people in other to earn their votes. The historical life of Jesus was attended by conflict with those who benefits from political manipulations. His life ended with a political execution. Crucifixion was used by Rome to kill those who did not accept unjust imperial authority. The cross had a Roman origin. The preaching of the coming of “the kingdom of God” (Mark 1:13-15) was a threat to the Roman imperial powers and the Jewish religious leaders. The kingdom of God was marked with peace and justice. This contradicts the kingdom of the world where politics is the easiest and cheapest way to earthly riches.

    The kingdom of God calls for the transformation of a world where leaders would acknowledge that they are ambassadors of God who expect them to be kings after his divine heart. You can imagine a world where a person with the heart of God is a President, Governor, Senator, Judge and all political leadership positions! If Jesus did not desire a political ideal world, he would have dropped the use of the expression kingdom of God in preference for “family of God”, or the “community of God”, or the “people of God.” Jesus longed for a political world of economic justice, peace and nonviolence. This is the world that God created but destroyed by human freedom. Because economic justice and peace can transform the world, Jesus had a passion for the kingdom of God. He commenced with the proclamation of this message after the arrest of John the Baptist (Mark 1:14). His entry into Jerusalem on a donkey symbolized a kingdom of peace which is the will of God for the world.

    In our world today, every society can be transformed if political leaders who occupy the Executive arm of government see themselves as God’s instruments like Moses who led the people in Exodus according the will of God towards the promised land. The society can be change if the legislative arm of government akin to Leviticus are models of personal and corporate morality by showing how the law can be a source of justice and peace. The book of Numbers gives a democratic process and this could lead the people to shun all forms of electoral malpractices. In fact, if the political leaders create time to read the scriptures, the will locate equality under the law for kings and subjects in Deuteronomy, the need of integrity of leadership in Joshua, how to lead the people away from sin and the capacity of women in national leadership which is exemplified in Ruth. The first and second books of Samuel shows equality under the law while the first and second book of Kings present how leaders should be accountable to the nation. We can go on and on. I am only using the scriptures to demonstrate that every political leader who believes in the Sacred Scriptures have every reason to transform the society with the political opportunities that is given by God and the goodwill of the people who voted for him or her.

    In case anyone would think that we cannot transform the world today like the characters in the Holy Scriptures, we can further refer to credible leaders who have emerged in the civilized world where the leaders of the poor countries run to when they are sick and where they hide the treasuries of their poor countries. Using the countries of Europe and America as example would not give a very clear vision to our enquiry into the renaissance we need in our society today. Perhaps we can look again Lee Kuan Yew’s strategy, “From third world to first world.” This book shows that a positive renaissance is possible in Nigeria like Singapore that was a third world country and perhaps poorer than Nigeria in human and natural resources. LEE KUAN YEW was able to unite his intellectual and political vision to raise Singapore from grass to grace. Much of this was accomplished through a unique mix of economic freedom and social control. Lee encouraged entrepreneurship, but also cracked down on liberties that most people in the West take for granted”. According to Lee, “We would have been a grosser, ruder, cruder society had we not made these efforts to persuade people to change their ways”. Lee focussed more on material prosperity, anticommunism, and international politics. His vision of stewardship especially in a multi-ethnic society is a lesson to developing nations.

    Going through the second half of the book that explores Lee’s personal courage in dealing with international leaders to situate Singapore in an independence context, I wondered if the railways, refineries, iron and steel industries in Nigeria could not have made Nigeria a first-world (developed) country by now if the governments that put them in place had a better knowledge of international politics along with a proper method of monitoring and evaluation. Perhaps Nigeria did not have enough qualified engineers then hence the recourse to foreign technicians who perhaps turned the Nigerian engineers into glorified apprentice. I pray that the present leadership of Nigeria will be allowed to build on the efforts of our past leaders and heroes. We can if we are collectively determined since nothing is difficult for a willing heart. Nigeria can be great again not only with a choice of credible leadership but more with a change of personal attitude and values.

    The word “Renaissance” is derived from a French word “renaître” meaning “rebirth” or “revive”. The word refers to the rebirth of learning in Europe from the 14th century to the 17th century. In many parts of Europe, the Renaissance was an age of new discoveries in arts and science. Renaissance thinkers identify with the present and see how to invent new ideas towards transformation. They thought of what they would be known for by inventing something positively new. They thought of how to transform even the “classical antiquity” that could bring about significant changes in politics given that the political class needs the intellectual class to design the vision of a nation. “Renaissance” is akin to a great mind that beams hope on the future from the ugly past. This is why our voting should go further to the question of what do I owe my country. Let us contribute our little quota and forget about ethnic and religious differences.

    Rev. Fr. Cornelius Omonokhua is the Executive Secretary of NIREC (nirec.ng@gmail.com)

  • Immortalise Fela’s ideas to achieve a corrupt free society – Lumumba tells African leaders

    A Kenyan Professor of Law, Prof. Patrick Lumumba has urged Africans to immortalise Fela Anikulapo-Kuti and his ideal of a corrupt-free society.

    Lumumba said this during the 2017 Felabration, with the theme: “40 Years after FESTAC, 20 Years after Fela, Wither the Pan-African Dream?”

    Felabration is an annual music festival conceived in 1998 by Yeni Anikulapo-Kuti in memory and celebration of her father Fela, a Nigerian musician and human rights activist known for pioneering the afrobeat genre of music.

    Lumumba said that Fela had remained evergreen because of his ideas which emanated from his observation of the society years back.

    “To achieve a corrupt free society, we must immortalise Fela’s ideas as most of his songs had attested to the fact that he had seen corruption deeply entrenched in everything in Nigerians.

    “We need to immortalise Fela’s ideas and make corrections, take positive steps to adjust,” he said.

    “I quite appreciate Fela’s non-materialistic nature, he never indulged in acquiring material wealth, he had only one house,” he said.

    “If Nigeria can get it right politically, African problems will be solved and we will be making progress.

    “As patriotic Africans, we must ask ourselves questions of our origin and dig into it.

    “Africans must be alive to their challenges and take conscious effort in solving those problems.

    According to him, Africa’s biggest problem which is corruption must be tackled through deliberate effort of every individual and most especially the politicians.

    He said that corruption was evident mostly in public sectors hence ideological schools should be established for political parties to correct every negative intention before any politician assumed office.

    He urged Africans to take pride in who they are, shun inferiority complex and seek to know more of their history which would help them to solve present problems.

    Lumumba also lauded the Nigerian fashion industry for promoting the local designs and made in Nigerian wears.

    “Nigerians are the best-dressed men and women in the world but most of the textile industries are moribund.

    He appeal for the revamping of the textile industries.

    Also, Mr Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, one of the panelist urged parents to groom their wards in indigenous languages and culture so that they would not lose touch from their root.

    “I was Fela’s lawyer in his lifetime and I love his commitment to African culture and correcting societal ills.

    “We need to take our culture seriously, in my house, me and my wife speak our indigenous language to our children so they speak English in school.

    “I want us to emulate Fela; he changed his western name “Ransom” to Anikulapo because he believed so much in our culture.

    “So let’s have people here who will denounce their western names and embrace the indigenous ones,” he said.

    Mr Abraham Ogbodo, a Senior Editor with the Guardian Newspaper, one of the panelists called for the integration of the word “Felabration” in English dictionary.

    He said that Felabration had been in existence for 20 years and should be recognised beyond the shores of the nation.

     

    NAN

  • Repentant Boko Haram insurgents will be reintegrated into our society – Olonisakin

    The Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, says in New York that Nigerian military will soon conduct a deradicalisation and reintegration exercise for repentant Boko Haram insurgents in order to better bring them back in our society.

    Olonisakin disclosed this at a reception organised for him by the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the UN.

    The defence chief was at the UN headquarters for the Second Chiefs of Defence Conference, alongside more than 100 other chiefs of defence staff all over the world. He said “by my estimation, we have about 14 security threats that we are confronting, ranging from terrorism, insurgency, kidnapping, cultism, to issues linked to armed robbery.

    “We are handling operations in all the geo-political zones of the country, but the major one is the one in the Northeast, which is ‘Operation Lafiya Dole’. “We have, of course operations down South and taking charge of militancy and oil theft; we also have that in Lagos.

    “But the major one is Operation Lafiya Dole, which of course since we came on board, we have stepped up the scheme. “Right now, we have been able to decimate Boko Haram terrorists, but what they are doing right now is hitting soft targets through suicide bombers.

    “We realised that to mitigate this particular menace is not only about the military. So we need to carry the whole nation along to be able to address that.” To mitigate incidences of suicide bombings, Olonisakin said military high command had met with other stakeholders to encourage the populace to provide them with necessary intelligence. He said the command realised that intelligence was vital to handling the menace of suicide bombings.

    The defence chief also said that the military had commenced the process of restoring full civil authority in areas formerly controlled by Boko Haram terrorists. “We are working alongside the DSS – Department of State Services -, the Police, and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. “We are also ensuring that the civil authority is put in place; places that the military had taken over, we encourage the Police and Civil Defence to come on so they can provide civil authority for displaced people to move in.”

    Olonisakin noted that last week, many Boko Haram militants surrendered, adding that “we have what we call Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe that is to handle this kind of surrendered terrorists.

    “I believe in the next couple of days, repentant Boko Haram terrorists will be moved to that Operation Safe Corridor where they will conduct de-radicalization and integration procedure for them.

    “Down South, of course we have issues too but the military is stepping up its game to make sure we address the security challenges back home.” On peacekeeping operations, the chief od Defence staff said Nigeria had met and exceeded the gender percentage, having 16.2 per cent female peacekeepers as against the 15 per cent benchmark by the UN.

    The Nigeria’s Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the UN, Prof. Tijjani Bande, commended Nigeria’s security forces for decimating the Boko Haram as a fighting force. Bande said “soft targets are being exploited by desperate group but in truth, even beyond Boko Haram, other challenges are also being addressed.

    “What is important is the synergy that has been expressed by Chief of Defence Staff in relation to what all the security agencies are doing together; when we work together, we are secured.”

  • ‘Society shames women when they talk about domestic violence’- Tonto Dikeh

    ‘Society shames women when they talk about domestic violence’- Tonto Dikeh

    It is no longer news that Tonto Dikeh’s marriage to Olakunle Churchill has hit the rocks. The controversial actress has however resorted to dedicating her time to creating awareness on domestic violence against women.

    Dikeh was one of the celebrities who recently marched against domestic violence alongside other notable Nigerians.

    At the march, Dikeh who was overwhelmed by emotions shed tears and angrily dropped the banner used for the march .

    Speaking on the subject of domestic violence, she said:”I think the one issue that actually births the high rate of domestic violence is the fact that we are not talking about it enough. It is the fact that the society is shaming us when we talk about it. So we rather not talk about it, we rather keep it on a hush hush until it is worse.

    “I am sure a lot of men now will be scared to beat their wives now because this awareness is no joke, there are heavyweights here. It is not about ridiculing men like I always say. It is to make us a better person. It is to make our homes better.

    ” Nobody is saying run out of your homes. I am not preaching divorce. I am preaching that you speak out. because your life matters. Your children’s lives matter and your husband’s life matters”