By Dorcas Elusogbon

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, has called for the replacement of the Big Brother Naija show with better show that will boost the strength of Nigerians youths.

Ooni Ogunwusi, made the call when he played host to scores of Nigerian youths from all parts of the country under the aegis of the National Youth Council of Nigeria in Ile-Ife, in his palace on, Wednesday.

Among other things, the Ooni criticised the prominent Big Brother Naija reality show, which he said had been misrepresenting the goodness and integrity of the Nigerian youths.

The monarch described the youths as the countrys untapped immeasurable wealth and resources.

The royal father, who stressed the need for participation of more youths in leadership, lamented that the youths have misplaced their priorities and must redress it as a matter of urgent public importance.

Nigerian youths are found of accusing and abusing our leaders, stop abusing them contribute your own quota. Lets wear our thinking caps and begin to act like the real future leaders that we are.

In the last general election, the total number of vote cast was around 27 million while over 170 million people voted during the 2019 Big Brother Naija reality show.

This is a practical reality of who Nigerian youths are and where our priorities lie as Nigerians.

The funny side in all of these is that we still go to bed, have a good sleep and wake up with the hope to meet a Nigeria we didnt create. Nigerians Youths! Nigerians Youths!! Nigerians Youths!!!

Unfortunately, every time I talk about this kind of attitude, everyone just laugh and move on. What kind of nation are we building?

When people say this country, or what kind of country is this, they are indirectly saying these people it is the people that make a country; so what kind of Nigerian youths are we? Ooni asked.

Speaking further, the monarch offered a suggestion for a reality show, which will project the countrys values, cultures and traditions.

He urged leaders of the National Youth Council of Nigeria to work out plans on the show, which will be called, The Big Nigeria Reality Show.

The proposed show will be structured in a way that young professionals, talented individuals and others across several field of endeavour will be showcased and helped to reach their peak.

This would help the participants and also help viewers to have access to people that can be seen as role models, Ooni added.

Earlier in his address, the Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, who was represented by Dr. Mariam Abdullahi, a Director in the Ministry, explained that the youths have major roles to play in the countrys development.

According to him, the digital literacy and skills acquisition, entrepreneurship, employability and leadership initiative of the Ministry are ongoing and all geared towards the development of our youths.

As government, we will keep ensuring that we equip our youths towards prosperity, the minister assured.

Representing Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun at the event, the states Commissioner for Youths and Sports, Mr. Yemi Lawal, explained that the youths have a lot to learn from the elders towards reaching their goals.

As much as we youths are important, let us be humble enough to learn from our elders because they were once like us. Humility, persistence and patience is the key and we must be upright in our dealings, he said.

In his address, the President of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mr. Sara-Igbe Sukubo, thanked the Ooni for what he described as an unthinkable warm reception for the youths.

Your Imperial Youthfulness as you told us to address you, we are indeed happy and proud to have you as a father and mentor.

We have heard your kind words of wisdom and I want to assure you on behalf of the teeming Nigerian youths that we will put them into action.

Fellow Nigerian youths, as we reflect on youth engagement for global action today, let us realize that a new era of opportunities and responsibilities is now upon us.

Todays youths are now being called upon to rise as practical stakeholders in governance and development. Let us rise to this challenge, Sukubo said.

Meanwhile, the youths at the occasion announced Ooni Ogunwusi as the Royal Father of Nigerian Youths, in recognition and appreciation of his immeasurable commitment towards youth development in the country.

Similarly, the founder of Elizabeth Jack-Rch Aid Foundation, who is equally the matron of the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Mrs. Elizabeth Jack-Rich was given an award for her role and stance as a mentor to the Nigerian youths.

Mrs. Jack-Rich had earlier expressed the readiness of her foundation to sponsor the reality show proposed by the Ooni.

She admonished youths to ignore all forms of distraction and negative peer pressure on their way to success.(NAN)

Source: NAN News

Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Federal Government says any speech, broadcast or publication that denigrates a person, a group of people on the basis of their sex, religion, political belief or origin is hate speech.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the explanation on Thursday when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum held at the agencys headquarters in Abuja.

Any broadcast or publication that tends to erode social cohesion that is an attack on our inclusion and common value is hate speech.

Those who go to television and denigrate one person or the other with a view to cause social disharmony have breached the hate speech code.

They know what they are doing and they must be made to pay for it, the minister said while justifying the increase of hate speech fine from N500,000 to N5 million in the amended National Broadcasting Code.

The minister said the fine was raised for national security and to serve as deterrent to those bent on destabilising the country through the use of fake news and hate speech.

No country is going to sit down and fold its arms and be destroyed by fake news or hate speech especially in Nigeria where we are divided along ethnicity, religion and culture.

In practice what we found was that when the fine for hate speech was just half a million, people were reckless because they could easily pay the half a million fine.

As a matter of fact, our findings shows that when people take advert to broadcast houses and the broadcast houses refused the advert on ground that if they air them they will be fined half a million Naira, the purveyor of hate speech will say, dont worry, we will pay you N1 million extra.

With the N5 million we want to see whether they will add another N10 million to their advert rate.

For us, it is very practical and for those who said it is primitive, we disagree with them because we want to safe Nigeria from purveyors of hate speech, he said..

Mohammed said that hate speech had a long history and government had been proactive in addressing the menace because of its potential threat to national security and cohesion.

He recalled in 2017, that the ministry devoted an entire National Council of Information meeting to discuss the effect of fake news and hate speech.

The minister said he equally launched national campaign against hate speech and fake news and embarked on advocacy visits to media houses across the country on its dangers.

Speaking on the effects of hate speech, Mohammed said it led to genocide in Rwanda where over 800,000 lives were lost as well as the killings in Bosnia and Cambodia.

What we are doing in terms of sanction is minor when compared to what have been done in other countries like Iceland, Norway, UK, Germany and South Africa where hate speech is criminalised.

Hate speech attracts either fines or jail term or both in many countries, including the UK and South Africa, he said.

The minister added that the social media has aggravated the menace of hate speech and fake news and the government will not relent in its resolve to control the medium without stifling freedom of speech.

Source: NAN News

Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed,

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The fashion industry, hospitality and tourism contributed over N3.2 trillion to national economy, a report by the Federal Governments Post Covid-19 Initiative Committee on the Creative Industry has revealed.

The minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Thursday, gave an insight into the report recently submitted to the government by the committee led by ace comedian, Ali Baba.

Mohammed, who was a guest on NAN Forum in Abuja, said that the recommendations by the committee, set up to advise government on how to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on the creative industry, were revealing.

He disclosed that an implementation committee will be set up on Tuesday, to determine which of the recommendations will be sent to the Federal Executive Council for policy decisions and National Assembly for legislation.

Before now, we did not know that the fashion industry accounts for almost N2 trillion revenue that the hospitality and tourism industry accounts for about N1.2 trillion.

The publishing and printing industry accounts for almost N1 trillion and about N720 billion worth of books and paper enter the country annually.

The film industry accounts for about N140 billion, the music industry revenue is over N300 billion while the comedy industry accounts for about N17 billion, he said.

The minister said that besides the revenues generated, the report revealed how many people were employed by each sector.

You will be amazed that though the film industry account for only N140 billion, it employs almost half a million people.

The broadcast and advertising industry which I think accounts for another N500 billion also employs almost 500,000 people.

The beauty and hair care industry does not only account for about 30,000 practitioners, also about 15,000 pieces of hair care, beauty care are sold every month in Nigeria.

We are also able to find out through that report that under hospitality industry, about 20,000 events take place every month only in Lagos while in the year 2016, about 1.9 million events were held, he said.

The minister said the report detailed how the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively impacted on the various industries and suggested what could be done to kick-start and sustain their growth.

Specifically, he said the distancing rules have affected the ability to go out to shoot, produce and distribute films while the lockdown affected musical concerts and invitation of musicians to social functions.

The same goes for the fashion industry because there is nothing to trigger demand for the hair and beauty care. Of course, when there are no parties and with the face masks the people are putting on, the demand for the products has gone down, he said.

The minister said the report equally x-rayed the gaps in some of the industries, such as the lack of enforcement especially in the area of protection of intellectual property.

He commended the committee members for a selfless and detailed work in mapping and giving value to the industries and assured that the report would not be swept under the carpet.

Source: NAN News

Department of State Security Service (DSS)

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Federal Government has appealed to the world powers not to be weighed by unsubstantiated arguments to deny the country vital platforms and weapons to fight insecurity.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed made the appeal on Thursday when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

I want to use this opportunity to say that the international community can help us better than they are doing right now.

To fight terrorists we need platforms and weapons.

When the international community is weighed by unsubstantiated arguments to deny the country of vital platforms and weapons to fight insucurity, you cannot turn round to accuse the country of not fighting terrorism, he said.

The minister buttress the claim, saying cretain world powers have refused to even sell to us certain vital weapons.

For more than two to three years now, we have paid for certain vital weapons that they have not released to us and they even refused to give us spare parts.

I think our appeal to them is that they should please help Nigeria to provide us with these sensitive platforms so that we can fight insecurity more effectively.

The minister said for Nigerians to fairly assess the efforts of the President Muhammadu Buharis administration in the fight against insecurity, they should compare where the country was pre 2015 and today.

He said to better appreciate what the government is doing in the area of security, they should take a global survey to understand that unrest, terrorism and mindless violence cut accross the globe.

People should recognise the fact that today, people have weaponised the issues of religion and ethnicity.
We are dealing with extremely unreasonable people, whether in the northwest or in the northeast.

They should not forget that we are fighting non conventional war and at the same time, these people have contacts everywhere, he said.

Mohammed said besides kinetic deployment, the government is equally using non-kinetic approach to tackle insecurity like the economy and social intervention programmes meant to empower and engage the youths.

Source: NAN News

Digital Switch Over

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Federal Government says it is resuming the roll out of Digital Switch Over (DSO) to revolutionise the broadcast industry, create jobs and take millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed said this on Thursday when he featured on News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum at the agencys headquarters in Abuja.

He said the DSO, a transition from analogue to digital television broadcasting, is critical to the efforts of the government at repositioning the creative industry and make it the alternative to oil.

The DSO is key to us because it is capable of providing between one to two million jobs in the next couple of years.

President Muhammadu Buhari equally appreciates the fact that it is the DSO that can help to take out 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next ten years.

We are very optimistic that the roll out will resume very soon, he said.

The minister said they would have resumed the roll out of DSO since it was stalled in 2018 but because of constraints mainly on funding.

We have rejigged the DSO campaign and we are going back to the Federal Executive Council in the next couple of weeks to ask for certain impetus that will enable us to roll out more and this is largely about resources, he said.

NAN recalls the roll out of DSO commenced in Jos, Plateau in April 2016 and moved to Abuja, Ilorin, Kaduna, Enugu and lastly in Osogbo in February, 2018

The minister also disclosed that he would be receiving the report of the Task Team on Audience Measurement in Broadcasting in the week.

He said the task team was set up to make recommendations on how to get an objective and scientific audience measurement system.

The audience measurement system is the missing link in the entire ecosystem in the sense that as at today, people use very subjective methods to determine where they are going to place their adverts.

Normally in other climes, where you have an audience measurement system, you are able to know how many people are watching a particular programme, at what time of the day, and through which medium.

And that is going to determine when you are going to advertise your products and at what time belts.

Different programmes attract different rates, just as different programmes attract more number of eyeballs, he said.

Mohammed said the report of the team is expected to give parameters for assessing and measuring the number of eyeballs or ears that watch or listen to a programme that will be a guide for the advertisers.

Source: NAN News

National Broadcasting Commission

By Rotimi Ijikanmi
The Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC) has fined Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos the sum of N5 million.

This was for providing its platform to be used to promote unverifiable and inciting views that can incite crime, public disorder.

The full press statement from NBC management:

The National Broadcasting Commission has noted with grave concern, the unprofessional conduct of Nigeria Info 99.3FM, Lagos, in the handling of the Programme, Morning Cross Fire, aired on August 10, 2020, between 8.30am and 9.00am. The station provided its platform for the guest, Dr. Mailafia Obadiah, to promote unverifiable and inciting views that could encourage or incite to crime and lead to public disorder.

The Commission, again, wishes to reiterate that Broadcasters hold Licenses in trust for the people.

Therefore, no Broadcast Station should be used, to promote personal or sectional interests at the expense of the people.

Dr. Mailafia Obadias comments on the Southern Kaduna Crisis were devoid of facts and by broadcasting same to the public, Nigeria Info 99.3FM, is in violation of the following sections of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code:

3.1.1 No broadcast shall encourage or incite to crime, lead to public disorder or hate, be repugnant to public feelings or contain offensive reference to any person or organisation, alive or dead or generally be disrespectful to human dignity;

3.1.2 Broadcasting shall promote human dignity, therefore, hate speech is prohibited;

3.3.1 (a) The broadcaster shall ensure that any information given in a programme, in whatever form, is accurate;

3.3.3.1(b) The Broadcaster shall ensure that all sides to any issue of public interest are equitably presented for fairness and balance;

3.11.1(a) The broadcaster shall ensure that language or scene likely to encourage or incite to crime, or lead to disorder, is not broadcast;

3.11.1(b) No programme contains anything which amounts to subversion of constituted authority or compromises the unity or corporate existence of Nigeria as a sovereign state;

5.4.1(f) The Broadcaster shall not transmit divisive materials that may threaten or compromise the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria as a sovereign state.

Consequent on these provisions and in line with the amendment of the 6th edition of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code, Nigeria Info 99.3FM Lagos, has been fined the sum of N5,000,000.00 (Five Million Naira), only.

This is expected to serve as a deterrent to all other broadcast stations in Nigeria who are quick to provide platform for subversive rhetorics and the expositions of spurious and unverifiable claims, to desist from such.

The Commission wishes to put it on record that it will not hesitate to suspend the Broadcast Licence of broadcast stations that continue to breach the Code.

Stations are, by this statement, admonished to desist forthwith, from airing unwholesome content, or be ready to face appropriate sanctions.

Source: NAN News

NCDMB Headquaters in Yenagoa

By Edith Ike-Eboh/Nathan Nwakamma
Tradition leader and past Executive Secretaries of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his support in ensuring the completion of the boards headquarters in Bayelsa.

They gave the commendation at the Virtual inauguration of the Nigerian Content Towers in Yenagoa on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 17 storey building which construction started in 2015 was built by an indigenous company, Megastar construction company.

The edifice is equipped with a multi-level car park, 1000 capacity conference hall among others.

The pioneer Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Mr Ernest Nwapa, said that the political will of the president made it possible for the project to be completed.

What we are celebrating today is a physical demonstration but the most important thing to note is that a great institution has been established.

I want to challenge all of us that it must be a strong organisation that good people should manage and we must ensure that qualified people are elected to run the place, he said.

He commended Megastar for the work, adding that the good work had proved the strength of local content and the need to support it.

Also, Mr Denzil Kentebe, another former Executive Secretary, said that NCDMB would remain a symbol to be reckoned with in the industry, what we are dedicating today is leadership efficiency, vision and continuity in governance.

I commend the president, the Executive Secretary Simbi Wabote, Bayelsa State government and the staff of the board for all their efforts.

In his remarks, Chief Wilcox Job, paramount ruler, Swali community, thanked the Federal government for ensuring that the headquarters of the NCDMB was located in his community.

He gave the assurance that the community would continue to support all efforts and programmes of the board.

We are proud of the Executive secretary and the work he is doing. We will continue to support what the board is doing for the country, he said.

Source: NAN News

By Sumaila Ogbaje

The Air Task Force of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has destroyed a Boko Haram terrorists logistics storage facility.

It also neutralized several of their fighters at Yamud, along the Gulumba Gana-Kumshe axis of Borno.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen. John Enenche, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Enenche said that the operation was executed on Aug. 11, following credible intelligence reports.

The reports revealed that the settlement was one of the locations where the terrorists store their logistics and assemble to launch attacks.

According to him, series of follow-up aerial surveillance missions also showed significant number of terrorists within the settlement and also identified some compounds that were used as storage facilities and meeting venues.

Accordingly, the Air Task Force detailed its fighter jets to attack the location scoring accurate hits leading to the destruction of the designated target structures as well as the neutralization of several of the terrorists, he said.

Source: NAN News

Court Symbol

By Joy Akinsanya

An Abeokuta High Court has sentenced a 36-year-old man, Ugochukwu Obiakor, to 25 years imprisonment for raping an 11-year-old girl.

Obiakor, who had pleaded not guilty to a one- count charge, was convicted for forcefully having sexual intercourse with the 11-year-old.

Delivering her judgment, the Chief Judge of Ogun, Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu, held that all evidences presented before the court by the prosecution was tenable and found the convict guilty as charged.

Dipeolu consequently sentenced Obiakor to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.

The prosecution counsel and Director of Legal Drafting in the state, Mr James Mafe, had earlier told the court during trial that the convict committed the offence on Sept. 4, 2017 at Omu- Aleku Village in Mowe area of Ogun.

Mafe said the convict forcefully had sexual intercourse with the 11-year-old girl while the medical results conducted revealed that the victims hymen and vagina laceration was broken.

He said the victim was in her mothers shop when the convict came to make purchases.

The prosecutor said the convict later came back when the mother left the shop.

He said Obiakor told the girl that her mother was owing him money, adding he wanted to collect the sum.

The prosecutor said the convict opened the shops burglary-proof railings and dragged the victim to an uncompleted building beside the shop where he raped her.

He said the offence committed contravened Section 32 of the Child Rights Law of Ogun, 2006.

Source: NAN News

Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River.

By George Odok

Cross River Government says it has successfully executed 838 micro projects in the state through the Community and Social Development Project (CSDP) between 2009 till date.

CSDP project is being implemented in collaboration between the state government and the World Bank.

Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River disclosed this in Calabar during a one day workshop on presentation of CSDP outcome evaluation result to stakeholders in Cross River.

Ayade, who was represented by Dr Inyang Asibong, Commissioner for International Development Cooperation, said the CSDP has been the lead agency in rural development in the state.

Ayade said that his administration was focused on industrialisation, hence the need to provide micro projects and critical infrastructure for rural dwellers in the state.

According to him, the micro projects were executed in over 300 communities across the 18 local government areas of the state.

He mentioned the areas of intervention to include provision of water, healthcare centres, education, rural electrification, socio-economic, environment, transport and community housing.

We believe that if these projects are sustained, the industrialisation agenda of this administration will be achieved.

Cross River as a state is committed to sustaining the gains of the project because it is meant to improve social and natural resources infrastructure services in a sustainable manner, he said.

Speaking, Mr Fidel Udie, the Acting General Manager of Cross River Committee and Social Development Agency, explained that the workshop was to ascertain the outcome of benefitting communities over the years through the CSDP project.

Udie explained that the vision of the agency was to be an agency championing sustainable infrastructural development of poor communities and vulnerable groups in the state.

On his part, the Chairman of Board of the Agency, Mr Tony Ikpeme, said that the workshop was to help them assess the beauty of the impact of infrastructure carried out across the state.

Ikpeme, who disclosed that the project will have new phases going forward, said that the rural dwellers were the direct beneficiaries of the projects.

In his goodwill message, Mr Fabowale Gbadebo, the Head of Operations, Federal Project Support of CSDP, commended the state government for sustaining the execution of the projects to improve the social economic and health status of rural dwellers.

Source: NAN News