By Thompson Yamput

Six persons are allegedly feared missing when unknown gunmen attacked six Hummer Buses carrying INEC officials in Kogi in the early hours of Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports on Sunday that the incident, which occurred around 2 a.m of March 19 at Abajana, left several officials with gun shot wounds including policemen and drivers.

The six missing persons include two serving NYSC corps members and four ex- youth corps members.

The injured persons are already on admission at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), now Federal University Teaching Hospital, Lokoja.

Mr Salisu Ibrahim, one of the bus drivers, who was shot on his right leg, and recuperating at the hospital, told NAN that the attackers took them by surprise.

We were on our way back to Lokoja from Abujor RAC with the results of the House of Assembly election held there, when we were attacked by some people.

All the six buses moving in a convoy were attacked and in the process many of us sustained injuries.

Thank God, none of us died in the process but I learnt some youth corps members are missing during the attack on us this early morning, Ibrahim narrated.

Mr Dare Owofadaju, a youth corps member who was shot on his left thigh, said: It is only God that kept us alive considering the way and manner the gunmen attacked us.

Owofadaju said that the election was conducted peacefully and counting was completed, and it was when we were returning to Lokoja that we were attacked at Abajana.

Thank God some security operatives came to our rescue and rushed those of us injured to this Federal University Teaching Hospital Lokoja for immediate treatment, he narrated.

NAN also gathered that the Commander, Headquarters Command Army Records (CAR), Maj-Gen. Sunday Igbinomwanhia, Kogi INEC REC, Dr Hale Longpet, and the Kogi NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Mofoluwaso Williams, have visited the injured in the hospital.

The REC and the state NYSC coordinator declined to respond to NAN enquiries on the incident.

But the Spokesman of Kogi Police Command, SP Williams Ovye-Aya, confirmed the incident, saying that the police was on top of the situation.

We are aware of the sad incident and preparing to issue a statement on the attack, he said. (NAN)

Edited by Benson Iziama/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Source: NAN News

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State

By David Adeoye
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Gov. Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as winner of the March 18 governorship election in Oyo State.

Prof. Adebayo Bamire, the State Returning Officer, also the Vice-Chancellor, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, made the declaration on Sunday at the INEC State Headquarters in Ibadan.

Makinde floored his closet rival, a serving Senator, Teslim Folarin of the All Progressives Congress (APC), having won in 31 local government areas of the state, leaving only two to his opponents.

Bamire declared that Makinde polled 563,756 votes to defeat his closest rival, Folarin, who scored 256,685 votes.

The Returning Officer, declaring the final results, said, Seyi Makinde having polled the highest number of votes in the election, was returned elected as Governor of Oyo State.

He, also, said that the candidate of Accord, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, came third with 38,357 votes.

While Makinde won in 31 local government areas, Folarin won in Irepo and Orelope Local Governments.

In his reactions, Makinde said he was overwhelmed.

He, therefore, thanked the people of the state for the confidence reposed in his administration.

Makinde also thanked his friends, political associates and everyone that supported his aspiration in one way or the other.

He promised to work harder for the people of the state in his second tenure.

NAN reports that 16 registered political parties contested the governorship election in the state, some of the candidates, however, dropped their ambition few days to the election, to align with either of the three main contenders.

The margin of defeat is 307,071 votes.(NAN)

Edited by Olagoke Olatoye

Source: NAN News

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) logo

By Lucy Ogalue

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), says many African countries are struggling to meet the continents development goals due to the impact of severe and mutually reinforcing shocks.

Mr Adam Elhiraika, ECAs Director, Macroeconomic Policy Division, in a statement said the continent encountered severe developmental challenges due to increased poverty, high inequality rates and lack of decent jobs.

Elhiraika said that the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukrainian war and resultant food and energy crisis, rising inflation, debt tightening, and natural disasters were critical factors to the challenge.

The director said this while presenting an overview of recent Economic and Social Conditions in Africa at the ongoing meeting of experts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the meeting was held to herald the 2023 Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development in Ethiopia.

According to the Report, growth in Africa dwindled from 4.6 per cent in 2021 to 3.6 per cent in 2022.

In 2022, an additional 18 million new poor emerged in Africa, with more than half the highest proportion of the worlds poor at 54.8 per cent.

This is alarming because 546 million people were living in poverty in 2022, which is more than half of the continents population, Elhiraika said.

According to the director, women and girls remain particularly vulnerable, and the continent is facing a potential reversal of the hard-won gains made on gender equity.

He said another challenge stressed during the meeting was inequality which remained pervasive across all African sub-regions and was exceptionally high in Southern Africa.

Among the top ten countries where wealth inequality is the highest, seven of them, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, Angola and Malawi, are in Southern Africa.

While two are in west Africa, Guinea-Bissau, and Sao Tome.

ECA estimates that although the economic outlook remains bleak, Africa is anticipated to grow by 3.9 per cent in 2023, he said.

Elhiraika said the commission had cautioned that the growth might experience headwinds.

Especially with an unfavourable external environment created by the recession in both the United States and the Eurozone and expected to weigh on commodity prices, he said.

Fostering recovery and transformation in Africa to reduce inequalities and vulnerabilities is the theme of the ongoing meeting in Addis Ababa.

At the meeting, countries were urged to pursue pro-poor and inclusive macroeconomic policies and ensure access to affordable and innovative finance for an inclusive recovery. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

By Itohan Abara-Laserian/Stellamaris Ashinze and Millicent Ifeanyichukwu

A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr Temitope Adewale, representing Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency 01, has identified orientation as a means of curbing voter apathy in the country.

Adewale, who was seeking re-election, gave the advice on Saturday against the backdrop of the governorship and house of assembly elections and the poor turnout recorded during the exercise.

According to him, a lot of youths still fail to understand the full import of the elections.

I have also realised that it is on the election day that we have our youth doing their own inter-house sports, that is when they decide to play football on the street.

You know, it is a Saturday and you will be surprised that most of them do not even have Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), so they are not engineered to go out and vote, he said.

Adewale stressed the need for more enlightenment of such youth on the reasons why they have to exercise their franchise.

He also expressed displeasure that the actual people that turned out to vote was a far cry from the number of PVCs collected in Lagos.

It is saddening because it is less than 10 per cent; movingforward, we need to continue to orientate our youth to get them involved in carrying outtheir civic responsibility, he said.

Adewale also berated the propagation of ethnicity and religious bigotry by some people during elections, saying these had no place in politics.

We should focus on what can be delivered in terms of the dividends of democracy to the people rather than going to religion and everything, he said, while also kicking againstpromoting the ethnic card.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the polls witnessed low turn out in many areas of the state. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Source: NAN News

By Ismaila Chafe

President Muhammadu Buhari has cast his vote at polling unit 003, Sarkin Yara A in Daura, Katsina State, with a call to electorate to vote for their preferred candidates even if politicians tried to offer them money.

The president, who briefly spoke to newsmen both in English and Hausa languages after casting his vote on Saturday, said his administration had been preaching against vote-buying and monetisation of politics, calling on politicians to desist from such acts.

If they (politicians) still give you money, collect, but vote for your preferred candidates, Buhari maintained.
He again thanked the electorate for trusting the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections where the partys candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu, emerged winner.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president, who cast his vote at about 9.55 a.m, refused to openly display his ballot paper as he did during the Feb. 25 Presidential election. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Salif Atojoko

Source: NAN News

By Rotimi Ijikanmi

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has described the 2023 polls as one of the most transparent and credible ever held in the country.

The minister said this on Saturday in his home town, Oro, near Ilorin Kwara while speaking with newsmen after casting his vote in the Governorship and State Assembly election.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the minister voted at about 9.45 a.m. at Polling Unit 006, Oro Ward 2 in Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara.

Justifying his assertion, the minister saidthe introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was a game changer in tackling the issues of multiple accreditations, voting and rigging.

With what I have observed both in the February 25 and todays elections, there has been a remarkable improvement in the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

Without any doubt, the introduction of BVAS has been a game changer in the sense that with BVAS, you are able to get the actual number of people who are accredited.

Also with BVAS, it is now not possible for you to vote twice because your biometric and facial are captured.

That explained why though INEC said there were 84 million voters in Nigeria, the last election showed that only about 24 million people cast their votes, he said.

The minister said, in spite of the obvious improvements in the electoral process, he was worried about the red herring that trailed the outcomes of the Feb. 25 Presidential and National Assemblies elections.

He said most of the issues being raised about the credibility of INEC in conducting the polls were distractive.

According to the minister, the electoral law does not recognises electronic voting while the decision of a federal high court in Abuja gives INEC the power to determine the manner it collates and transmits election results.

Mohammed said he was happy that some of the aggrieved parties in the concluded elections had approached the court to ventilate their grievances.

He, however, berated the activities of some non-state actors making analysis and propositions which he said were incendiary and injurious to the harmonious and peaceful co-existence of Nigeria.

The minister said the activities of some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) had also been very unhelpful because many of them came out to unjustifiably discredit INEC and set one ethnic and religion against the other

He said the media should also be circumspect of what they report on the elections and must show professionalism in discharge of their duties.

What we noticed is that some media houses had taken position for one candidate and this makes rubbish of most of the analysis we see on their platforms, he said.

The minister said the regulators of the media, particularly the broadcast media were doing their best by issuing warnings and fines where applicable.

He said many of the broadcast stations that were fined had refused to comply and pay up but dared the regulator.

He said the intention of the broadcast stations was to provoke the regulator to shut down their stations and by so doing labeling the government of stifling press freedom.

The minister assured that the regulators would not rest on their oars in the discharge of their constitutional duty of ensuring that the right things were done in the media industry. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ese E. Eniola Williams

Source: NAN News

NCWS National President, Hajiya Lami Lau

By Dorcas Jonah

The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has called on Nigerians to ensure peaceful atmosphere during the governorship and Houses of Assembly Elections.

The national president of NCWS, Hajiya Lami Lau, made the call in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

She urged women and youths to come out en masse to exercise their civic responsibility and not to be intimidated during the polls.

Lau urged youths to denounce violence during and after the elections, adding that the Presidential and National Assembly elections recorded some decree of violence in some states.

I want Nigerians to stand united against violence and activities that will jeopardise the elections.

I advise all Nigerians, specifically women and youths, to work together towards free and fair elections regardless of party affiliations.

As women, we are the worst hit in times of violence; our collective goal should be a better Nigeria, she said.

Lau discouraged Nigerians from engaging in vote-buying and selling or mortgaging their conscience and future for mundane things.

She advised youths against being used by selfish politicians to disrupt elections as thugs or engaging in other unpatriotic activities.

According to her no nation can move forward without active participation of women in politics.

If we must move the country forward we must position women to contribute meaningfully to national development.

Leadership must be inclusive, creating equal opportunities for women to function in key positions both at the federal and state levels, she said.

This, she said represents the best practices and standards for sustainable development, gender equity and justice.

It cannot be denied that the democracy practiced in Nigeria for many years has not met the full ideals because of its lack of inclusion of women in important decision making processes.

For Nigerian women, democracy is seen as retrogressing with the dwindling number of women in governance in Nigeria.

However, not voting will not only worsen the situation, but tactically widen the gender gap in politics and leadership hence women are advised to go all out and support every female candidate, she said.

Lau said that voting women into elective positions will greatly enhance the quality of lives of women in terms of healthcare, agriculture, procurement, business; access to funds, grants and loans.

She called on the public to support INEC and urged the commission to be open to comments from Nigerians that would help in achieving its set objectives.

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Edited by Abdulfatai Beki/Uche Anunne

Source: NAN News

Woman enjoying her sleep

By Joy Odigie

Prof. Frank Imarhiagbe, a Consultant Neurologist, has advised Nigerians going through sleepless nights to seek medical care instead of resorting to sleeping pills.

Imarhiagbe, a consultant at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, gave the advice during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Benin.

The consultant, who spoke on the occasion of the 2023 World Sleep Day, said that taking drugs like Valium and Lexotan were not remedy for sleeplessness.

He said, If you cant sleep, something must be underlining. Going to take pills to sleep is not the answer to your problem.

if you cant sleep for a night or two, consult a doctor to help you find out the cause of the sleeplessness.

Find the cause, dont resort to Valium, Lexotan; you are postponing the evil day and compounding the problem, he said.

The Neurologist said that there were different causes of lack of sleep, which include disturbed mind, drug abuse, medical condition, psychiatric illness, abusing sleeping pills and genetic condition.

According to him, sleep is the brain-controlled natural unconsciousness that is timed and fixed.

Sleep is not optional, it is a basic requirement to maintain life. It is usually regulated to the night time according to the bodys biological clock.

When the sun begins to set, some chemicals are released to the brain that tells the body that it is time to sleep; when you are at sleep the body rearranges itself for the next day.

He advised people who do night shifts to always make up for the sleep loss by sleeping during the day, noting that sleep is essential for healthy living.

Imarhiagbe also recommended good sleep hygiene, including keeping television set and reading tables away from the bedroom.

The bedroom should be made comfortable for sleeping; avoid too bright lights, put cell phones off the bed and have a good sleeping position.

NAN reports that World Sleep Day is an annual event that is held the Friday before Spring Vernal Equinox (The Spring Vernal Equinox occurs on March 20th or 21st of every year) with the 2023 celebration falling on March 17.

The theme for the 2023 World Sleep Day is Sleep is Essential for health.

The day aims to reduce the burden of sleep disorders on society by promoting better prevention and management. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Auwalu Birnin Kudu/Oluwole Sogunle

Source: NAN News

Global Terrorism Index 2022

By Emmanuel Afonne

The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Integrity Watch (CeFTIW) has called for enhanced stakeholders actions to stem the rising terrorism and crimes following the release of the 2022 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report.

The index developed by the Institute for Economics

CP Aderemi Adeoye, the Commissioner of Police in charge of House of Assembly election duty in Anambra

By Chimezie Anaso

Residents of Anambra have been asked to turn out en masse to participate in the State House of Assembly elections on Saturday without fear.

CP Aderemi Adeoye, the Commissioner of Police in charge of House of Assembly election duty in Anambra, gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Friday.

Adeoye said that the Command and other sister security agencies had been fully mobilised and were ready to ensure hitch-free elections.

He said no fewer than 7,000 personnel made up of a combined team of Police, Army, and other agencies would be on duty in the build up, during and after the polls.

The police commissioner urged voters to go out peacefully and carry out their civic duties without fear, as the security agencies would be there for them.

Fortunately, the situation at the moment is calm, environment is conducive and security is ready; all the agencies involved are set.

The Police in particular is fully mobilised to provide security for all and sundry taking part in the elections.

We already have Police stations and formations in all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state; with the support of other sister agencies, we are going to have a presence in all polling units with teams on standby to respond to situations.

We are going to give the people of Anambra a secure environment and space to exercise their franchise in a peaceful and conducive atmosphere, he said.

Adeoye said the personnel had been advised to be civil while providing security, but warned that the force would be firm and decisive in dealing with any breach.

The police commissioner said the security operation would also cover cross-border incursion.

Those who wish to foment trouble should think twice, they should better be in their best behaviours so that they will be alive to tell the story, he warned. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

Source: NAN News