News
Get involved in politics, Osinbajo charges Nigerian youths
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has urged young Nigerians to get involved in politics.
He said this was necessary because transforming a society depended largely on those who occupied public offices.
His spokesman, Laolu Akande, said the vice-president made the submissions at a virtual session where he interacted with Nigerian fellows of the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
The interaction included a question-and-answer session where Osinbajo was engaged on issues ranging from education to health and youth inclusiveness.
“You need to go the extra length if you are not already involved; get involved in politics. While a lot can be achieved in civil society, the government still holds the ace in terms of capacity and resources to bring social goods to the largest numbers.
“Being deciders rather than being a pressure group in policy formulation are hugely different positions.
“The consummation of our great ideas to transform our societies ultimately will depend on those politicians as we sometimes derisively describe them,’’ Akande quoted Osinbajo to have said.
Osinbajo also told the session that African nations and especially Nigeria, could not afford to have their best minds and most committed social activists remain only in the civil society space.
“We simply can’t afford it; you have to get involved in politics.
“You have to be in the position to make the difference on the scale that is required.
“There are many who will not be involved in politics, but those that are inclined should, and there will be many challenges even in the winning or getting heard in politics.
“I want to say to you that it should be an objective that you should set for yourselves, to get involved at whatever level of politics so that you can make the difference on the scale that is required,’’ Osinbajo also said.
The vice-president described the efforts of young African innovators as Africa’s most exciting story – the story of a present and future that could be steered by the continent’s incredibly talented and optimistic young men and women.
He commended the innovation and creativity of the fellows.
“Within any generation, only a few wholeheartedly take on that challenge – the challenge of building a society.
“Most believe that the task is for someone else and that such endeavours cannot pay the bills,’’ he noted.
Osinbajo recalled his days in civil society engagements and later in politics as Lagos State Attorney-General.
He said it took public office for him to be able to get the scale of change that was required to make a difference.
“Without a public office, I would have remained a pressure group activist; I would have done some nice things, but I wouldn’t have been able to make the changes that my country required.
“I was once where you are; I was part of several civil society groups at the time.
“I joined the first civil society group when I was 24; I was teaching at the time.
“I also co-founded the anti-corruption group, Integrity, and then Convention on Business Integrity, which still exists today and they function out of Abuja and Lagos.
“I was chair of the Legal Research and Development Centre, where we worked on civil rights issues and legal defence for the poor.
“We did a couple of legal defence initiatives; we got funding from donors and tried to do the best we could,’’ he stressed.
Responding to concerns about the International English Language Testing System, Osinbajo said relevant government ministries and agencies would work on making things easier for Nigerians.
He said that as English-speaking people, Nigerians should get some concessions as opposed to being compelled to write the same test every two years, especially for those that had passed it previously.
The Fellowship is the flagship programme of the U.S. government’s Young African Leaders Initiative.
Since 2014, nearly 5,100 young leaders from every country in Sub-Sahara Africa have participated in the Fellowship.
The U.S.A ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Leonard and the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments, Mrs Maryam Uwais, also participated in the session. (NAN)
Headlines
Commission, journalists partner to revamp water sector in Kaduna
The Kaduna State Water Services Regulatory Commission (KADWREC) says it is partnering media practitioners towards revamping water services in the state.
Mr Dogara Bashir, the Executive Chairman of KADWREC, disclosed this on Monday at a one-day workshop organised for media practitioners on regulation of ‘Water, Sanitation and Hygiene’ (WASH) activities held in Kaduna.
Bashir said the commission was aware of the importance of the role media practitioners played in the society.
He stated that the workshop was to provide an avenue to liaise with them as important stakeholders on water supply and sanitation services in the state.
Bashir said: “As media practitioners, we believe you are a gateway to the citizens so, the workshop would acquaint you with some of the regulations already in place so that you can in turn transmit it to the public
“The state of water services in Kaduna State is in dire need of attention and the State Water Corporation and KADWREC were established towards addressing the seeming challenges.
“The commission is mandated to ensure better service delivery and regulation of water and sanitation services in the State.
“The idea is that once the regulations are developed, we send them to the State Ministry of Justice to gazette and then we get the state government to endorse and give the go ahead to commence the implementation of the regulations
“We intend to implement them fully come January, 2025 God willing, as we have embarked on advocacy activities having gone to zones 1 and 2 where we talked to traditional rulers, security agencies and the Judiciary.”
He disclosed that a special Court has already been attached to the commission by the Chief Judge of the State for service providers who may likely violate regulations.
The chairman further said that amongst the commission’s objectives include ensuring security, reliability and quality of service in the production and delivery of water to the consumers as well making regulations to control the sinking of boreholes.
Others included; maximising access to water services by promoting and facilitating consumer connections to distribution systems in urban and rural areas.
According to Bashir, they also include ensuring that regulatory decision-making has regards to all the relevant health, safety, environmental and social legislation applying to the water sector.
Bashir further said that the commission collaborate with the relevant state and federal agencies on water policies.
Crime
2 ladies docked for allegedly obtaining money by fraud
The police in Lagos have dragged two women, Mmesuma Ofunna, and Blessing Adimekwe, before an Ojo Magistrates’ Court in Lagos, over alleged obtaining money by false pretence.
Ofunna, 22, and Adimekwe, 25, were arraigned before the Magistrate, Mr L K J Layeni, on a four-count charge bordering on conspiracy, obtaining by false pretence, stealing and conduct likely to breach peace.
They each, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The prosecutor, ASP Simon Uche, told the court that the defendants conspired with others now at large, to commit the offence on Oct. 26 at the Okokomaiko area of Ojo.
He alleged that they had obtained the sum of N70, 000 from one Faith Ahamefule, with a promise not to post her nude photo on social media.
The prosecutor alleged that the defendants later posted the nude photo of the nominal complainant on social media, knowing that their promise was false.
He alleged that they stole the N70, 0000, thereby conducting themselves in a manner likely to breach public peace.
The offence contravenes the provisions of sections 168(d), 287, 314, and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015.
The court granted the defendants bails in the sum of N500, 000 each, with two sureties each in like sum.
He adjourned the case until Jan. 8, 2025 for mention.
Headlines
Driver jailed 6 months for attempting to steal a car
A Jos Magistrates’ Court on Monday, sentenced a 37-year-old driver, Ahmad Umar to six months in imprisonment for attempting to steal a car.
The Magistrate, Shawomi Bokkos, summarily tried and sentenced the convict after he pleaded guilty to the charge.
Bokkos in his judgment, ordered the convict to pay an option of N30, 000 fine or spend six months in prison.
Earlier, the Prosecutor, Insp Ibrahim Gokwat, told the court that the case was reported on Oct. 10, at the Area Command Police station through a distress call by one Sydney Peacemorie the complainant.
Gokwat said the complainant parked his Toyota RAV4 in front of Access Bank and went inside to carry out some transactions, only to return to find the convict inside his car.
“The convict unlawfully opened the car and was in the driver’s seat when the complainant raised alarm and he was apprehended, but his accomplice escaped.
“The convict was severely beaten by a mob but was rescued by the police,” said Gokwat.
“The prosecutor said that the offence contravened the Plateau Penal Code Law.
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