Abducted Greenfield students regain freedom By Nsikak Nseyen

14 kidnapped students and three staff members of Greenfield University Kaduna State have regained freedom Recall that the students were abducted on April 20 after bandits broke into the University. A few days later five of the students were found dead in a village close to the school. According to TVC news, they were released on a Saturday afternoon at a location along the Kaduna- Abuja highway. Parents of the abducted students had said they were told to pay a ransom and provide eight new motorcycles to the kidnappers before their children can be released. Details later…

Army vows to make Nigeria safe as 6,400 soldiers graduate from training - By Wale Odunsi

The Nigerian Army has promised to suppress the security challenges in various parts of the country. Maj.-Gen. Danjumma Ali-Keffi, General Officer Commanding 1 Division, Kaduna, spoke during the passing out of 80 regular recruit intakes. At the event held at Depot Nigeria Army Zaria on Saturday, no fewer than 6,000 soldiers graduated. Ali-Keffi, the Reviewing Officer and Special Guest of Honour said the army will not rest until the country is safe for all. He noted that since its establishment in 1924, the Depot has the mandate of transforming able-bodied civilians into soldiers to meet the manpower requirement of the Nigeria Army. “It is noteworthy that as you pass out today, the strength of Nigeria army has been enhanced by 6,400 able-bodied men and women.” The GOC added that the Depot has been able to evolve innovative ways of improving the standard of training in the Nigeria Army. Ali-Keffi noted that the Nigeria Army has been yielding a positive result, which is evident by the robust fighting spirit of the soldiers in various theatre of operations. “With the excellent display of drill exhibited on this parade ground today, I am certain that you have acquired the basic training that is required of you to be good soldiers.’’ The senior officers told the soldiers to always abide by their Oath of Allegiance and to avoid acts that are capable of tarnishing the image of the Army and Nigeria. The late Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru was to be the Reviewing Officer and Special Guest. Gunshots were fired in his honour and others who died in the Kaduna air crash last Friday evening.

BREAKING: Nigeria’s President Buhari wins 2021 all-Africa award for performance By BASHIR ADEFAKA

The selection committee comprises media representatives from the five regions of the continent who rely on media reports and experts on road networks, transport, and sustainable development. To the chagrin of elements, who would stop at nothing to block achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari from being noticed, more international bodies not only see those achievements but are nominating the Nigerian President for award competitions and global as well as continental leadership roles, none of which he has failed to pick. The latest being that on Friday 28 May, 2021, the Daura, Katsina State-born President of Africa’s most populous country, Muhammadu Buhari, was named winner of the 2021 Great Builder Super Prize for Trophée Babacar Ndiaye, taking over from Abdel Fattah al-Sissi of Egypt, who won the 2020 prize. According to a statement from the African Development Bank (AfDB) on Friday, Buhari was named winner during the inaugural Africa Road Builders Conference held on March 31 in Cairo, Egypt. The trophy would be awarded on June 24 on the side-lines of the AfDB’s Annual Meetings. Fattah al-Sissi, received the award “for his personal leadership and for the efforts made to ensure road safety and the health of the population in the context of transport”. The selection committee, however, cited Nigeria’s efforts to improve road safety and air quality for road users. It also commended efforts to obtain COVID-19 vaccines and for advancing major transport projects, especially in the rail sector that would ensure the optimal operation of roads and transport. The Babacar Ndiaye Africa Road Builders Award is organised by Acturoutes, an information platform on infrastructure and roads in Africa, and Media for Infrastructure and Finance in Africa (MIFA), a network of African journalists specialised in road infrastructure. The AfDB president sponsors the award. The selection committee comprises media representatives from the five regions of the continent who rely on media reports and experts on road networks, transport, and sustainable development. The award was created in honour of Babacar Ndiaye, President of the AfDB Group from 1985 to 1995. Each year, the Africa Road Builders selection committee carefully evaluates ambitious and tangible projects that have a real impact on the mobility of people in Africa.

Drama as Emir of Zazzau walks out of Army’s Passing Out Parade By Felix Kassim

There was a mild drama on Saturday involving soldiers and the entourage of the Emir of Zazzau, Ahmed Bamalli, during the Passing Out Parade of 6,400 new recruits enlisted into the Nigeria Army. A misunderstanding ensued between the entourage of the Emir and some soldiers maintaining security at the entrance of the Depot Nigerian Army, a development that forced the emir to return to his palace. It was gathered that the soldiers at the gate insisted that the entourage of the emir must put off the royal musical trumpet blazing the area, and this the emir and his entourage found insulting. However, the commandant of the Depot Nigerian Army, Major General Abubakar Ibrahim, with his lieutenants, later visited the palace to apologise to the emir. READ ALSO :Emir Bayero turbans elder brother as Wanbam Kano after 7 years in exile The emir later returned to grace the ceremony. The POP was scheduled for last Saturday but was postponed to honour the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash in Kaduna. GOC 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna, Major General Danjuma Ali Keffi, who served as the Reviewing Officer, also read the speech of the late COAS. Late Attahiru said the Nigerian Army is determined to defeat all security challenges facing the country, as the Army has been professionally repositioned. He said, with the passing out of the 80th Regular Recruits, the strength of the Army had been enhanced with the 6,400 soldiers, who have acquired all the professional training that made them combat-ready and efficient. He urged the recruits to be patriotic in the discharge of their duties, assuring that the Army would not rest on its oars to deal with all criminal especially Boko Haram, armed bandits, kidnappers and IPOB. (DAILYTRUST)

It is true we are all angry but we must control it –Remi Tinubu by Kayode Oyero

Mrs. Remi Tinubu, wife of All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says it is true that Nigerians are angry but people must learn to manage their anger and put their emotions under control. The Senator representing Lagos Central made this known on Friday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, ‘Your View’ monitored by The PUNCH. The rising insecurity, unemployment, injustice and worsening economy have been sources of worry in the country of late. But responding to a question on the television programme, Mrs. Tinubu said, “Why are we condoning that young people are angry, angry over what? Who said I am not angry? I am only keeping my anger. Are you (presenters) not angry about things? Everybody has to control their anger. Who is not angry? I am angry about a lot of issues. “You (presenters) were talking to me about a bill I have been trying to get for nine years ago and it is still alive. Do they (youths) understand what it means by waiting? Do they understand what it means by waiting in the morning and go to do your job? “I remember because they say there are not jobs, I said I am going to start a programme – Work Experience Programme. We got about almost 200 youths. “I know some people in some places and I said just employ them for just one-month internship. I will pay N40,000 for them to go. I will pay N20,000 for transport and then when they conclude and complete the one month, I will pay another N20,000. “We did an orientation for them – how to work in a workplace. Some don’t even know how to work in a workplace. They don’t have the etiquette for workplace. We did the training for them. Would you believe that they employed almost 80% of them, they retain them and they were screaming there were no jobs. “I need people to work with me but I need the right people. Morayo (Afolabi-Brown) knows that I am not one of those people you work with and you say, ‘No problem’. That’s no English. I know the people I interact with. Did I tell you there is a problem? That is a question I always ask. It is a slang that people are used to but in certain levels of governance, such languages are not ethical.” The PUNCH had earlier reported that the National Bureau of Statistics said Nigeria’s unemployment rate rose from 27.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2020 to 33.3 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2020, adding that over 23.19 million people are unemployed in the country. Nigeria, with over 200 million people, has a vibrant youth population mostly between the ages of 18 and 35 but sadly, the nation has not made judicious use of its human resource gift to develop its industries and economic wealth.

I didn’t call Arinola Oloko thug, says Remi Tinubu by Kayode Oyero

Mrs. Remi Tinubu, wife of All Progressives Congress chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said she didn’t call an educationist, Arinola Oloko, a thug at the venue of a public hearing on constitutional review on Wednesday. According to her, she asked Oloko if she was a thug and not that she called her a thug. The Senator representing Lagos Central made this known on Friday while featuring on TVC breakfast show, ‘Your View’ monitored by The PUNCH. The PUNCH had earlier reported that viral video showed that Mrs. Tinubu was involved in a shouting match with some Nigerians who attended the event at the Marriot Hotel in Lagos. Tinubu led the Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution in the South-West. However, there was a ruckus when Oloko was denied entry into the venue of the hearing. The 51-year-old woman, who protested her exclusion from the venue, was subsequently flayed by Mrs. Tinubu for being “rude”. Speaking about the incident on Friday, the former First Lady of Lagos State said, “It was the noise I heard and as somebody concerned, I went there, that they will be a bit respectful when they see that they put my name as chair and I came out to see them. “At least, we will be able to talk and dialogue. I didn’t know that it will turn into a noisy field and people will start screaming. “I looked at them and I saw a woman. I will tell you, most of the works I’ve done have been supported by women. I understand women more than men despite the men I work with and even the men I work with, I respect them when I have to respect them but in this particular incident, I looked at the man, he was angry, possibly he could have waited for a long time. I didn’t know who registered, I wasn’t on the registration desk but I looked at the woman screaming and I said I can talk to a woman. “I said, let me talk to you outside where everybody is, I’ve had COVID and I don’t think I want to be in a cramped place to want to be speaking. And I said, let’s go outside so that I can hear you and hear your complaint.” “Then, she kept screaming and I said what is going on, are you a thug? I am not going to take that. Are you a thug? Am I talking to a thug? Then her eyes were popping and popping. She is younger than I am, why would I call her a thug outrightly?” the senator asked.

I was advised to lie low after clash with Remi Tinubu at constitution review hearing – Arinola Oloko, Lagos politician by Kayode Oyero

Mrs Arinola Oloko is the woman captured in a viral video objecting to being called a ‘thug’ by Senator Oluremi Tinubu at the venue of the public hearing on constitution review. In this interview with KAYODE OYERO, Oloko, an educationist with a master’s degree in Public Health who veered into politics, speaks about her encounter with Mrs Tinubu Tell us about yourself. My name is Arinola Oloko. I am an educationist and a politician. I like to say that I am the new face of politics. Can you explain what you mean by ‘the new face of politics?’ I’m a younger version (of politicians), a more vibrant version that brings transparency, accountability, responsibility, responsiveness to the table. I am not the version that tells people I want to empower them; rather, I want people to be part of the government, knowing that they are the ones in charge of governance. I want a Nigeria that we have not had in the past. Gone are the days when people have power and feel like they can do anyhow they want. So, I am the new face of politics; this is what politics is going to look like going forward. It is not going to be like before. When you say you are the new face of politics, are you saying the faces we see in politics today are old faces and should be pushed out? If they are not prepared to do things differently, they should start thinking about it because the world is evolving and right now, Nigeria is evolving. Nigerians are tired of the same thing; they are distressed. There is so much poverty in the land, so much insecurity, they are tired, and they want people (politicians) that are ready to represent them, people that are ready to serve them, and people that are interested in making a difference. Nigerians want people who are in touch with the reality. For instance, women and youths are the most valuable assets that we have but what are we doing with them? What was your intention for attending the Senate constitutional review hearing in Lagos? I ran in the last election in 2019 and I know all the discrepancies and the things that we saw. I know for a fact that we are never involved in what is happening and that was what led me to the review. I made concerted efforts to be at the review with my colleagues so that we could present a paper to contribute to national public consultation on constitutional reform. Can you tell us what really transpired at Marriot Hotel in Lagos between you and Senator Oluremi Tinubu? Well, I do not want the issue to overshadow the major issues confronting us as a country. The issues we have in Nigeria are greater than what happened on Wednesday. It is not a personal thing. Let us leave it and let it go to sleep but we need to concentrate on the fact that every process must be thought out thoroughly. You cannot invite people to certain things and you do not sort it out; you need to make it (environment) conducive and accessible. If they cannot, on their own, manage it, they should have employed the services of those who do that for a living, to create and manage the process. Marriot Hotel was not an appropriate venue for a public hearing. 250 seats do not represent Lagos, Oyo and Ogun. It is a South-West hearing and not Lagos only. Even if it was Lagos only, Lagos has a population of 20 million people and counting and what percentage is 250? What venue would have been appropriate for the hearing? It was advertised as the TBS (Tafawa Balewa Square). It was at the last minute that it was changed to Marriot Hotel and the excuse for changing it to the place was that they were trying to observe COVID-19 protocol. I do not see how they were trying to observe the protocol when the seats were arranged closely, (with) no social distancing and the place was enclosed. TBS is an open place and we would have been able to observe social distance and it would have been better. What did you do at the hotel that made Senator Oluremi Tinubu take you on? Senator Oluremi Tinubu is my senator and I respect her as my senator. I have tremendous respect for authority. We were at the venue, standing in a queue, only for us to get to a point and they said registration had closed. They did not say from the beginning that they had a certain number that they were restricting the hearing to. If so, they should have made us register online, so that we would have known that on getting to the centre we wouldn’t bother trying to enter. Also, we saw (other) people coming in; senators were coming in, governors, local government chairmen, government officials and a few other people who came to present papers (were coming in) but it didn’t look like a proper representation of the people. Everybody says the constitution is faulty. They (government)said we cannot get a new constitution; but we can get a review. Now, to present our contributions, we can’t. I was expecting a proper hearing for the Senate constitutional review. I was genuinely interested in the hearing. I was talking with those at the entrance, asking them to be fair and allow us to enter. I don’t know what happened but the Senator came out and started saying, ‘Call that woman! Come here!’ By default, I responded and went to her (Mrs Tinubu). I told her my name and told her I am in her constituency and that she is my senator and that we had been in the queue like forever. I tried to recount everything that had transpired to her. In my mind, I thought she would say, ‘Oh, this is wrong and all of that.’ But she said, ‘Shut up! Shut up! Call the security to take this thug away.’ At that point, I told her, ‘Ma, I am not a thug; I don’t look like a thug. I am not being violent and I don’t look a criminal. That’s the qualification of a thug. That was all that happened. What does your family think about the incident, particularly as a video of it went viral on the Internet? They acknowledge the fact that I was not rude; I was only assertive. That stood out. In the viral video clip some people at the hearing asked the senator to apologise to you but she said she was not going to apologise. How do you feel about this? Actually, you cannot make someone do what they don’t want to do. If she feels it is not necessary to apologise, it is really up to her. I know who I am and I know the way I was brought up. I know the right thing and I will do the right thing. It is a lesson for everyone to learn to be humble, to understand that even when you are in power, you are there to serve the people. Has the senator reached out to you after that encounter? No, she hasn’t. She has said she was not going to apologise. Were you eventually able to make your contributions at the hearing? No, myself and my colleagues were not able to make our contributions at the hearing on Wednesday. And I did not bother going the following day (Thursday). People were already calling me not to come. Some told me to lie low while some said I should have come and make my presentation, but I have submitted the document containing our presentation. What is the content of the document you submitted at the hearing? First (point) is that we do not believe in a review or an amendment. What we want is a new constitution that is borne out of true consultation with all Nigerians; we want everyone to be represented in the constitution, especially with respect to certain areas like power, accountability, universal right to basic education and we want the girl-child to be well-educated and that the government must respect the rule of law. These are some of the things in the document. Do you feel threatened after that encounter with the senator? Nobody has threatened me and I don’t want to be threatened. I feel I have not stepped on anybody’s toes; I only stood on my rights as a citizen and I have demanded accountability from those in government. You said you are a politician. When did you start your political journey? I joined politics in 2018. I am a member of pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. I attend meetings and contribute my quota. Afenifere is non-partisan and not based on any political party; it is a group that wants the best for the citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Afenifere is passionate about social welfare, education, amongst others. After being a member for a while, I decided to put my money where my mouth is. It is just like watching a football match at home and you say, ‘Oh, that footballer didn’t kick the ball well,’ when you are not on the field. I registered with a party then but the registration was short-lived. I later joined the Social Democratic Party. After a year or so, I decided to pick up the ticket contesting for Lagos State House of Assembly, Eti-Osa Constituency 2 in 2019. I won at the primaries. I got the ticket but I didn’t win the election. Why do you think you lost the election? The 2019 election took almost everything from me; it was the most difficult thing I have ever done aside from childbirth. That is the problem with women and politics. The people are hungry and there is so much poverty in the land. People are ready to sell their votes for whatever it is. On the day of the election, people were saying, ‘Mama, even if it is N500, give me.’ I went from door to door during my campaign and rally. I met people and spoke with people. Throughout my campaign, I never gave anyone money and I told the people, until we change the narrative, our children won’t be able to contest election in this country. We cannot continue to use money to contest elections in this country because you do not stand a chance and your children do not stand a chance. So, I lost because I was not from the ruling party and because I didn’t give out money to the people. The mindset of the people is that election comes once in four years and they need to get all that they could get from you. Also, they can’t read your mind and they cannot differentiate between you and the others. PUNCH.