Category Nigeria News

A former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tunde Bakare, has decried the relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government under President Bola Tinubu, asking the Nigerian leader to “stop playing God”.

Bakare, the Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), issued the warning in his state of the nation address delivered in the Lagos auditorium of his church on Sunday.

He raised the alarm over the state of affairs in the country, saying Nigeria is steering in the wrong direction.

“To the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, under whose brand of politics the institution of legislative oversight is collapsing and our democracy is faced with an existential threat, I say: Mr. President, Nigeria is too delicate for this kind of politics,” the preacher said.

“If this state capture was what you meant by emi lo kan, it is an anti-climax that can only be counterproductive in the end. I urge you, Mr. President, to think deeply and reflect on these words: ‘No man is wise enough nor good enough to be trusted with unlimited power. ’ Please, stop playing God! ”

“Mr. President, it is through your influence that the Nigerian National Assembly has become a haven for legislative rascality,” Bakare argued.

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‘Most Spineless’

Recalling the recent activities of the National Assembly, including the approval of a state of emergency in Rivers, the suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Bakare said the country’s legislative arm of government is now “an extension of the executive, grossly violating the principles of separation of powers, and rubber-stamping the whims and caprices of” President Tinubu’s office.

“This National Assembly, the Tenth, has by its unconstitutional endorsement of the president’s abuse of powers proven to be the most spineless in our recent history.

Manchester United made an unwanted record on Sunday after suffering its 15th defeat in the Premier League this season after a 0-1 loss to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Despite a spirited victory over Olympique Lyonnaise in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, Ruben Amorim’s charges were dealt a rude awakening with a sublime free kick from Pablo Sarabia, who was barely three minutes on the pitch.

Manchester United had the lion’s share of possession in the first half, but Emmanuel Agbadou got across to deny Alejandro Garnacho when he got a sight of goal.

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Manchester United began the second period brightly, with Rasmus Hojlund denied by an inch-perfect tackle after he’d initially used superb strength and skill to break into space.

There was also a huge moment of worry for Wolves when Nelson Semedo’s strongly hit back-pass briefly looked like it might evade Bentley and nestle in the goal, but instead landed in a safe position.

Amorim turned to the bench for a triple substitution as the hour mark approached, with Mason Mount entering the game alongside Dalot and Fernandes.

But it was Alejandro Garnacho who created the next chance, delivering a teasing low cross to the far post that Hojlund was just unable to reach.

The Federal Government has inaugurated an Interministerial Committee on Research and Innovation to ensure food security in Nigeria, energy security, and curtail the nation’s dependence on import.

Vice President Kashim Shettima inaugurated the committee at the State House Abuja with a charge to them to work towards cutting down Nigeria’s import bills by 50 percent.

He said the committee is part of ongoing efforts by the administration of President Bola Tinubu to pool intellectual and financial capital to “create the cockpit from which Nigeria’s innovation economy will be piloted.”

According to him, the mission is to build Nigeria into a trillion-dollar economy within 10 years.

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“We are here to breathe life not into this Committee, but into a bold mission: to build Nigeria into an innovation-driven, trillion-dollar economy within a decade. The future we desire is not something we inherit. It is something we build,” he declared.

On the committee’s terms of reference, VP Shettima said the committee is to coordinate action in five strategic sectors with the power to transform society.

He listed the committee to include “Agriculture and Climate Resilience, where research innovation must feed our people and protect our planet; Manufacturing Excellence, where we break our dependency on imports and build proudly Nigerian supply chains; Healthcare Innovation, where we shift from importing medicines to exporting medical breakthroughs; Natural Resource Optimisation, where we stop selling raw materials and start exporting ingenuity; and Energy Security, where we power our economy and secure our future.”

The Vice President explained that a major target for setting up the committee is to reduce Nigeria’s food import bill by 50 per cent, maintaining that “in each of these areas, we will pursue missions, not just metrics.

“We will not be content with data for dashboards—we want deliverables that change lives. What will it take to reduce our food import bill by 50%? How do we triple local pharmaceutical production? Let us align policy, research, and investment to answer these questions and achieve measurable, meaningful outcomes,” he added.

Senator Shettima disclosed that the committee is a prelude to a Presidential Plenary on Innovation approved by President Tinubu, saying the high-level plenary, which will be held annually, will be presided over by the President himself.

“This Committee is only the beginning. His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has approved a Presidential Plenary on Innovation—an annual high-level forum that will bring together academia, research institutes, industry, civil society, and the Nigerian people to align our national innovation priorities.

“This Plenary will be addressed by Mr President himself, because innovation is a presidential area of priority. It is central to his vision for a new Nigeria,” the VP explained.

Earlier, Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, who commended the leadership provided by the Vice President and the commitment of the relevant ministries, departments and agencies, noted that collaboration was critical in the renewed vigour to prioritise research and innovation.

The minister said the inter-ministerial committee would help the country save scarce resources and move faster in the right direction, by harmonising efforts, human and material resources for the purpose of enhancing research and innovation across critical sectors of the economy.

“The keyword here is collaboration. We have been spending a lot of money on our various ministries, duplicating our functions. I believe that with this collaboration and this committee here, we will save a lot of money for the government and reduce duplication,” the Minister said.