News
Pheww! It’s been one year already!
By Emmanuel Bello
Today is exactly one year I got a call from Taraba’s swashbuckling secretary to the State Government, Bar GT Kataps. He went straight to the point that I should head to the stadium where the commissioners were billed to be sworn in. I told him, of course, I was going there to witness the event and congratulate them. He said, “No, get ready. You will be sworn in too alongside them as Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communication.” And that was that.
It’s been an exciting year working with the enigma, Dr Agbu Kefas- unarguably Nigeria’s most prolific governor. For a spokesman, this is the best governor one can work for: no controversies and plenty of materials to write on. Iconoclastic and almost surreptitious, working with Dr. Kefas is equally a huge experience, a university of sorts where you have no idea what’s coming next. You just have to be prepared. His almost boundless energies, his work ethics, and commitment to details are topnotch.
A media friendly governor, he is not a believer in media over hype. He tells me to keep it real. He believes the work he is doing should speak for themselves. Consequently, he is a reporter delight without any fanfare. He has total respect for the work journalists do but eschews the hyperbole or half truth. He believes the Fourth Estate of the Realm is a strong pillar of democracy. His administration has ushered in a refreshing atmosphere for my colleagues to work with less Government/practitioners antagonism.
A stickler to time and procedures, working with Dr Kefas requires discipline. A quiet person, he has an uncanny ability for eloquence. He writes most of his speeches with lots of inspirational lines. His other life as a man of God makes him a voracious reader too. Not a social media frenzied fan, he still believes in the power of that medium. He is incredibly fun to be with but his penchant for discipline, excellence can be unnerving at times.
Invariably, working with the star boy can be challenging as you maneuver through his vision and struggle to emulate his inimitable styles.
But it’s equally rewarding as you confront and learn new things everyday and sharpen your reflexes. You learn to adapt to speed and think outside that proverbial box. Because he is mostly unpredictable given his intelligence background, you are afforded the luxury to be creative and plan better. This is familiar territory for me but the latest experience is one that is enriching and enlivening. The coming years would be equally interesting.
Bello is Special Adviser Media and Digital Communications to Governor Kefas
By Our Reporter
The National Productivity Centre, NPC organized the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2025 Productivity Club Quiz Competition, which brought together students from selected secondary schools in Abuja.
The event, held at the Newton Park hotel, Zone 4, Wuse, Abuja on Thursday, March 6, aimed to test participants’ knowledge on productivity and its concepts.
The competition featured students from eight secondary schools in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT including: Government Secondary Schools Karu, Wuye, Apo Resettlement, Byazhin, Jabi, and Kurudu; as well as Government Day Secondary Schools Karu and Dutse Alhaji, all in the FCT.
In his opening remarks, the Director-General, Hon. Dr. Baffa Babba Dan’Agundi welcomed participants and observers, highlighting the aim of the programme.
Dr. Dan’Agundi said: “This unique programme is targeted at bringing young students together to showcase their knowledge of productivity they have acquired over the years, through the Productivity Coaching and Mentoring (PCM) Programme”.
Explaining further, he added that “Productivity Coaching and Mentoring Programme is an arm of the Productivity Awareness Campaign programme designed to take productivity messages to secondary schools to drive their productivity consciousness and introduce them to basic Productivity improvement tools and techniques, that would guide them on how to improve their productivity in their academic pursuit”.
The Executive Secretary, FCT Secondary Education Board, who was represented by Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman commended the Centre for impacting productivity knowledge to the students. He also encouraged the students to use the knowledge acquired to enhance their overall performance.
After a keenly contested finale, the quiz competition came to a thrilling conclusion with GDSS Dutse Alhaji emerging as the overall winner.
The second and third positions were secured by GSS Karu and GSS Byazhin, respectively.
The event was graced by distinguished guests, including the Director-General, National Productivity Centre, and his team of Directors, as well as Mr. Henry Sunday Mamman, who represented the Executive Secretary of FCT Secondary Education Board.
Hajia Maimuna Musa Adaji, Director/HOD Corporate Affairs and Information, delivered the Vote of Thanks.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday quizzed the immediate-past Minister for Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, for her alleged roles in the misappropriation, violation of procurement process and diversion of public funds of ₦138.4m in the course of disbursing the 2023 budgeted funds for the Ministry.
According to authoritative sources, the ex-minister arrived at the Commission’s headquarters around 11am on Thursday and faced interrogators on her alleged involvement in the fraud.
The sources claimed that investigations by the EFCC showed that funds donated for the funding of P- Bat Cares for Women Initiative were diverted for her self-enrichment.
She reportedly has not been admitted to administrative bail, as the sources added that investigations are still ongoing.
Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was one of the ministers President Bola Tinubu relieved of their duties in October 2024.
She was appointed as the Minister of Women Affairs by Tinubu on August 21, 2023.
A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of an Independent Authority for the registration, regulation, and funding of political parties in Nigeria has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.
The bill seeks to establish a dispute tribunal and regulate the funding of political parties as well as utilisation of the funds.
The bill, which was sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, and another lawmaker, Marcus Onobun, further seeks to ensure transparency and a stable democracy.
At the moment, there are 19 registered political parties in Nigeria. The roles to be performed by the new independent authority are currently the responsibilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The independence and neutrality of INEC have been questioned by many including former President Goodluck Jonathan and former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, who decried the influence of political interference on the appointments of electoral commissioners.
“The electoral commission must be fully independent and we must have credible people. Political leaders who are so domineering and over-pressuring you (INEC staffers) to do what is wrong should resign and leave,” Jonathan said at a Yiaga event recently.
Similarly, Jega said, “There is political interference in the appointment or removal of electoral commissioners and other election officials.”
Bishop Isaac Idahosa, the 2023 Vice Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), also lamented that nobody puts INEC in check.
Meanwhile, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu has been pushing for the creation of an electoral offence tribunal.
“A major obstacle to the speedy dispensation of justice in this regard is that electoral offences are not time-bound as is the case with post-election offences through the tribunals. Furthermore, they are solely prosecuted by the Magistrate and State High Courts in the jurisdiction where the alleged offences are committed.
“No priority attention is given to such cases as the courts deal with a variety of other cases. Consequently, electoral offences are carried over from one General Election to another which may sometimes affect the diligent prosecution of the cases.
“It is therefore imperative to renew our call for the creation of the Electoral Offences Tribunal that has a specific jurisdiction and limited timeframe for the speedy dispensation of cases,” he said.