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Nasarawa Acting Governor Felicitates With Christians, Preaches Love, Peaceful Coexistence
Acting Governor, Dr. Emmanuel A. Akabe has felicitated with the citizens of Nasarawa State particularly Christians as they celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.
In a Christmas message issued Monday to commemorate this year’s Christmas festival, the Acting Governor called on Christians to imbibe the virtues and teachings of Jesus Christ by showing love and affection, sharing of alms with one another during this period and beyond as enshrined in the Holy Book.
According to Dr. Akabe, the birth of Jesus Christ symbolizes love, peace, humility for humankind, stressing that it is for this reason that Christ epitomizes self-sacrifice, good neighborliness, charity and reconciliation among human race.
He therefore emphasized that the Christmas season, calls for sober reflection and reaffirmation of moral rectitude as exemplified by Jesus Christ.
The Acting Governor used the opportunity of the festive period to also call on faithful to utilize the sacred moment to pray for sustainable peace, health wellbeing and prosperity of Nigeria.
“As Christians in Nasarawa State join their counterpart all over the world in the celebration of the 2023 Christmas to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, I, Dr. Emmanuel A. Akabe, the Acting Governor, on behalf of the Government and good people of Nasarawa State, felicitate with all the Christian faithful on this joyful occasion.You are already aware that the birth of Jesus Christ symbolizes love, peace and humility for humankind.
“I wish to also take the liberty of this blissful occasion to remind all Christians on the significance of this sacred period to continue to pray for the sustainable peace, health wellbeing and prosperity of our nation. It is also pertinent to note that this period epitomizes immense blessings and sacrifice. This is why it behooves on us to remain resolute in our prayers for harmonious co-existence of the people of Nasarawa State and the country at large.
“My dear brethren, as you celebrate this Christmas festival, I enjoin you to be steadfast and prayerful with all sense of humility. You should avoid extravagance and flamboyant lifestyle and be guided by the fear of God at all times,” the Acting Governor stated.
While wishing Christians a merry Christmas and a happy new year, Dr. Akabe equally seized the opportunity to called on road users to be cautious and to obey traffic rules and regulations in order to ensure safety on roads during the festivities and beyond.
He warned that officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and other relevant agencies have been directed to step up their operations and surveillance to ensure accident-free yuletide season.
General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff, has assured that all security challenges facing the nation will be effectively addressed by the year’s end.
This statement was made during the launch of attack drones and the demonstration of locally produced bombs, developed by a homegrown technology firm.
The event was attended by security specialists and senior government officials, as General Musa showcased the indigenous Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to the audience.
Accompanied by Ajao Adewale, the Federal Capital Territory Commissioner of Police, and Caleb Mutfwang, the Governor of Plateau State, General Musa emphasized the ongoing bureaucratic obstacles in acquiring military equipment from abroad.
Governor Mutfwang stressed the urgency for decisive measures against insecurity, calling on leaders to prevent any entity within the nation from possessing military capabilities.
The operational features of the UAVs were also demonstrated, with General Musa expressing satisfaction with this advancement, labeling it a pivotal step in combating insecurity in the country.
The Supreme Court has set aside the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Abuja recognising Julius Abure as the National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP).
In a unanimous judgment on Friday, a five-member panel of the apex court held that the Court of Appeal lacked the jurisdiction to have pronounced Abure National Chairman of the LP having earlier found that the substance of the case was about the party’s leadership.
It held that issue of leadership was internal affair of a party over which courts lacked jurisdiction.
The court allowed the appeal filed by Senator Ester Nenadi Usman and one other and held that it was meritorious.
It proceeded to dismiss the cross-appeal filed by the Abure faction of the LP got being unmeritorious.
Details shortly…
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has resigned from his position, According to Daily Trust.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that the former spokesperson of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) resigned two weeks ago.
President Bola Tinubu appointed Baba-Ahmed as special adviser on political matters to Shettima in September 2023.
Baba-Ahmed is the elder sibling of Datti Baba-Ahmed, vice-presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 election.
Baba-Ahmed served as chief of staff to Bukola Saraki, former senate president, from 2017-2019.
CONFRONTATION WITH MATAWALLE OVER NEF
In April 2024, Bello Matawalle, minister of state for defence, described the NEF as a “political paperweight” after the group stated that the north made a mistake voting Tinubu in 2023.
In his reaction to Matawalle’s remarks, Baba-Ahmed said it would have served the Tinubu administration better if Matawalle had listed his achievements as minister — and the achievements of the other northern appointees — instead of attacking NEF.
“Scathing criticism of NEF by a junior minister of defence, Matawalle, is ill-advised. He could have done a better job for this admin if he identified contributions of especially northern ministers and other appointees like me to improving security and reducing poverty in the North,” Baba-Ahmed said.
In a riposte, the minister said any appointee must defend and promote the administration they work for.
“Dr. Baba-Ahmed’s relationship and affinity with Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF) is well-known,” Matawalle said.
“The fact now is that he is an appointee of the administration as Special Adviser and it is incumbent on him to work for the success of the government he is part of, protect and defend the government against unjust and vicious attacks from those who hide under ethnic and other primordial interests to heat up the polity for myopic reasons.
“It is pertinent to state that every appointee of President Tinubu including Dr. Baba-Ahmed owes the government a copious duty to promote, elucidate and advance the good works and commendable efforts of the government across all sectors.”
He added that northern appointees must defend the government or take their exit.
Matawalle is a native of Zamfara while Baba-Ahmed hails from Kaduna.