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Tinubu Renames National Theatre After Wole Soyinka

President Bola Tinubu has announced the renaming of the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, to the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the 90th birthday celebration of the Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka.

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PROFESSOR WOLE SOYINKA AT 90: TRIBUTE TO A NATIONAL TREASURE AND GLOBAL ICON
I am pleased to join admirers around the world in celebrating the 90th birthday of Nigeria’s iconic son and the world-renowned Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde, famously known as Wole Soyinka.

Tomorrow the 13th July will be the climax of the series of local and international activities held in his honour. To underscore the global relevance of the literary giant, a symposium, along with poetry reading was held in Rabat Morocco on 9 July. The event was organized by the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Pan African Writers Association (PAWA).

Professor Soyinka, the first African to win the Nobel Literature Prize in 1986, deserves all the accolades as he marks the milestone of 90 years on earth. Having beaten prostate cancer, this milestone is a fitting testament to his ruggedness as a person and the significance of his work.

It is also fitting we celebrate this national treasure while he is still with us.

I am, accordingly, delighted to announce the decision of the Federal Government to rename the National Theatre in Iganmu, Surulere, as the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.

We do not only celebrate Soyinka’s remarkable literary achievements but also his unwavering dedication to the values of human dignity and justice.

When he turned 80, I struggled to find words to encapsulate his achievements because they were simply too vast. Since then, he has added to his corpus with his series of Interventions, which have been published in many volumes.

Professor Soyinka is a colossus, a true Renaissance person blessed with innumerable talents. He is a playwright, actor, poet, human rights and political activist, composer, and singer.

He is a giant, bestriding not just the literary world but our nation, Africa, and the world.

He remains the shining light of our nation, the gadfly that pokes our national soul, decrying tyranny and oppression, urging us to become better as a nation.

He is one Nigerian whose influence transcends the Nigerian space and who inspires people around the world. Since his youth, he has been a vocal critic of oppression and injustice wherever it exists, from apartheid in South Africa to racism in the United States. Soyinka always speaks truth to power.

Beginning in his 20s, he took personal risks for the sake of our nation. His courage was evident when he attempted to broker peace at the start of the civil war in 1967. Detained for two years for his bravery, he narrated his experience in his prison memoir, “The Man Died.”

Despite deprivation and solitary confinement, his resolve to speak truth to power and fight for the marginalized was further strengthened. His early writing, such as ‘The Lion and the Jewel,’ ’Death and the King’s Horseman’, not only testified to his mastery of language, his innovative storytelling, but also his unflinching commitment to enthroning a fair and just society.

Our paths crossed during our just struggle for the enthronement of democracy in Nigeria following the annulment of June 12, 1993 presidential election. When faced with a trial in absentia and death sentence by the military regime at home, he galvanized opposition in exile through NALICON and NADECO. His global stature made him the face of our struggle to validate June 12 and restore democracy in Nigeria.

Today, I join the world to celebrate his profound influence on generations of writers, scholars, and activists who have been inspired by his work. I celebrate him for giving us the spark to fight and confront military dictators in our country. I celebrate him for his enduring spirit and for teaching us that literature and drama can be used as a powerful tool to challenge the status quo.

I wish Professor Soyinka an incredibly happy 90th birthday.

May he continue in good health to find creative fulfilment in the next decade leading up to his centennial.

May he continue to inspire us all to build a nation where people are free from oppression and our teeming youths can live up to their dreams without being a wasted generation.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu
President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria
July 12, 2024

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We’ll reintroduce rejected bills on 6-year single term—34 Rep. members

The 34 House of Representatives members who sponsored the bill to amend the 1999 Constitution to provide for a six-year single term for the president have resolved to reintroduce the bill.

Rep. Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP-Imo) said this in a statement in Abuja on Friday, following the rejection of the bill on Nov. 21 during plenary.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the bill sought the introduction of a six-year single term for the president, governors and local government chairmen.

NAN also reports that the bill sought zonal rotation of presidential and governorship seats, as well as holding all elections in one day.

Ugochinyere, however, said that all hope was not lost on the bill, as more consultations would be done.

The lawmaker, who is the lead sponsor of the bill, said that the decision on the floor of the house would not put an end to agitation and hope, insisting that the objective behind the bill would be realised.

“The struggle to reform our constitutional democracy to be all-inclusive and provide an avenue for justice, equity and fairness has not been lost.

“The decision on the floor of the house yesterday (Thursday) not to allow the bill for six-year single tenure and all elections to hold in one day will not end the agitation,” he said.

Ugochinyere described the rejection of the bill as a temporary setback that would not affect the campaign for an all-inclusive democratic process.

“We are going to review this decision and find possible ways of reintroducing it after, following due legislative procedures.

“All I can tell Nigerians is that we will continue the advocacy and convince our colleagues to see reason with us.

“If elections are held in one day, it will reduce cost and rigging.

“If power rotates, it will help de-escalate political tensions and six-year single term will go a long way in helping elective leaders to focus on delivering their democratic mandate,” he said.

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Delta approves N713m for 2024 students bursary payment — Official

Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta has approved the sum of N713 million for the 2024  bursary award for 32,028 students in tertiary institutions in the country.

The Executive Secretary of the State Bursary and Scholarship Board, Dr. Godfrey Enita, disclosed this in a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Asaba.

According to Enita, the governor’s approval for the year 2024, the bursary award will cover students of state origin in public and private universities.

“It also covers students in polytechnics, mono-technics, colleges of education, schools of nursing science, and other tertiary schools, including military and paramilitary institutions.

He described the governor’s gesture as rare and uncommon and should be applauded.

“The governor demonstrates his magnanimity and goodwill towards the well-being of the Delta students and youths in general.

“It also underscores his commitment towards educational advancement through financial assistance to students in diverse forms and through massive infrastructural development in schools across the state.

“It is hoped, as always, that beneficiaries of the state’s financial assistance schemes will continue to be worthy ambassadors of Delta wherever they find themselves,” he said.

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Survey shows 71% of households affected by food price hike

A new survey report just released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows that the most prevalent shock affecting 71 per cent of households in Nigeria is price increases on major food items in the last 12 months.

The survey, 2023/24 General Household Survey-Panel, commonly called (GHS-Panel) Wave-5, is a follow-up to the 2018/2019 GHS Wave-4.

It seeks to enhance the understanding of household living conditions and provide government and other policymakers with reliable information for effective policy decision-making in Nigeria.

It specifically collects information on household income, assets and consumption, income-generating activities, health, education as well as shocks.

The survey conducted in collaboration with the World Bank and released yesterday in Abuja said 48.8 per cent of households surveyed reported that their main mechanism for coping with the increase in the prices of food items was reducing food consumption.

The report further said that 65.8 per cent of the households indicated being unable to eat healthy, nutritious or preferred foods because of lack of money.

The report also shows that 73.0 per cent of survey household members ages 10 to 19 were enrolled in school during 2018/2019 Wave 4 survey. But by 2023/2024 Wave 5 survey, the proportion of the people who were in school had decreased to 44.8 per cent, as 34.8 per cent of those previously enrolled were now out of school.

In the area of energy access, the survey shows that only 40.4 percent of households in rural areas had access to electricity compared to 82.2 per cent of urban households.

It also reports that many households lack toilet facilities and rely on tube wells or boreholes for drinking water. It noted that waste disposal is mostly informal, with 45.6 per cent using bushes or streets.

In his address during the launch of the report, the Statistician General of the Federation (SGF), Prince Adeyemi Adeniran, said the survey is a multi-topic data collection exercise that serves as an essential tool for capturing the dynamics of Nigerian households, providing invaluable insights into their economic activities, well-being, and resilience.

He said it is a longitudinal survey, meaning that it tracks and interviews the same respondents over time. “In the 5th Wave of the survey, approximately the same 5000 households have been followed and interviewed across five waves,” he said.

“This includes Wave One conducted in 2010/11, Wave Two in 2012/13, Wave Three in 2015/16, Wave Four in 2018/19, and now Wave Five conducted in 2023/24.”

He said available records indicate that, over the last five years, the survey findings have been used to design several projects and intervention programmes worth approximately $8.9 billion across many sectors which include Agriculture and Food, Education, Water, Social Protection and Jobs, Governance, and several others.

In his goodwill message, the World Bank’s Country Director for Nigeria, Dr Ndiame Diop, said the survey was important in understanding how Nigerian households responded to policy changes, crises and shocks.

Diop, who was represented by Vinay Vutukuru, Programme Leader, Sustainable Development, Nigeria, however, said the key thing was how the data would be used by ministries and stakeholders for effective policy formulation to achieve economic and sustainable growth.

He pledged the bank’s continuous support in working with the NBS to strengthen Nigeria’s statistical system.

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Reps reject bill seeking six-year single tenure for president, governors

The House of Representatives on Wednesday rejected a bill seeking a six-year single term for Nigeria’s presidency.

The bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 others failed to pass second reading on Thursday during a debate on its general principles.

The bill also canvasses the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones of the country.

35 legislators had in June under the auspices of Reformed-minded Legislators, said the proposition would lead to a reduction in the cost of governance.

Ugochinyere, added that the move would unite the country and ensure a seamless transition and unprecedented development for the country.

The proposed legislation seeks to alter Sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

According to the general principles of the bill, “these amendments was to ensure inclusive governance and to curb wastages occasioned by four year periodic elections.

“The bill among others seeks amendment of Section 132 of the Principal Act by inserting a new subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly to provide that an election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the country every six years.

“Other amendments include, Section 76 of the Principal Act is altered by inserting a new subsection (3) as follows; (3) For the Purposes of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.

“Section 116 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new a subsection (3) as follows; For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and Local Government Councils shall be held simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.”

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NAFDAC alerts Nigerians on fake products

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has released a fresh warning on the risks of unregulated products, especially as the festive season approaches.

The warning came after the agency uncovered a warehouse stocked with unregistered and expired supermarket products in Oke-Afa, Okota, part of Lagos State.

According to the Agency on X (formally Twitter), a NAFDAC team acted on intelligence and raided the facility, apprehending operators offloading a 20ft container filled with unregistered carbonated drinks. “A further inspection revealed over 14 rooms packed with unregistered and expired products, some of which were contaminated by rats, indicating poor storage conditions.”

The agency said the facility is currently placed on hold for further investigation and asked the management to provide sourcing evidence such as the Global Listing for Supermarket Items (GLSI) certificate.

It then encouraged consumers to report suspicious activities to any NAFDAC office and remain vigilant by ensuring their product sources are verified, particularly during the coming festive season.

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ICPC tracks N610 billion projects in 22 states

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has kicked off phase 7 of the Constituency and Executive Project Tracking Exercise.

The tracking of the constituency and executive projects is an initiative of the Commission that began in 2019, focusing on how well money allocated to critical sectors of education, health, agriculture, water resources, and power, amongst others, by the government is utilised.

The 7th phase, involving 1500 projects with a total project value of N610 billion, commenced on Monday, November 18th, 2024, in 22 states across the 6 geopolitical zones.

The states are Kwara, Niger, Kogi, FCT, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, Lagos, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Abia and Enugu State.

The phase 7 tracking exercise will cut across agencies of government, including intervention agencies such as North-East Development Commission (NEDC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA), Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), National Primary Health Care Development Authority (NPHCDA), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) and Ecological Fund Office.

The objective of the exercise is to deepen adherence to due process in the execution of government projects, improve value for money, and entrench the culture of compliance with the scope and specification as contained in the contract documents.

The ICPC tracked a total of 1,900 projects valued at N500 billion naira in phase 6 of the exercise across 24 states of the nation’s 6 geopolitical zones.

The projects were tracked within the focal sectors of Education, Water Resources, Agriculture, Power, Health, Energy, and Roads.

These projects in the 6th phase were awarded to 1,355 contractors in 176 MDAs.

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