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Kwara govt reacts to fake video on AbdulRazaq, calls it ‘throwback to Kwara’s dark age’
Kwara State government has reacted to a trending video where some people disrupted an event Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq attended in 2018 when he was not a governor but which was posted as a recent occurrence.
A statement issued by Alhaji Bashir Adigun who is Special Adviser to the governor alleged that loyalists of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki were behind the video. But in a quick reaction, the spokesman of Saraki, Yusuf Olaniyan said that the former Senate President ‘would not want to be dragged into their local politics,’ saying that it was wrong to allege that the mischief came from them. ‘Anybody could have done that, even within their party, it’s possible,’ Olaniyan said, adding that the Saraki group had been victims of such mischief in the past. ‘We don’t want to be involved as we don’t know anything about it,’ he said with some finality. The statement from Bashir Adigun read thus:
”Yesterday afternoon, August 7, 2022, some opposition figures sought to trend a video in which thugs and supporters of former Senate President Bukola Saraki threw caution to the wind and disrupted an event held on 26th December 2018 by the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) at the Emir of Ilorins Palace. This video showed the Saraki crowd, known in those years for intimidating people, heckling the then governorship candidate of APC AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as he gave his remarks at the community event in the presence of the Emir and dignitaries from the Emirate.
Attached to the video (they tried to trend now) is a caption that the Governor was booed at Kwara State Polytechnic. It is false. No event took place in Kwara Polytechnic yesterday, August 7, 2022, to warrant the Governor being there. The video was taken in 2018 at the annual event organised by Ilorin Emirate’s apex sociocultural body, the IEDPU. The Governor who was a candidate then, attended the event as a special guest of his home community association. It is well known that this riotous and disrespectful action by Saraki supporters and thugs was the last straw that caused the Saraki’s loss of every single elective seat in Kwara at the 2019 General Elections.
Those who trended the video desperately meant to send the signal that an incumbent Governor was being booed. That probably misled the wrong audience. For the Kwara audience, however, the video did the opposite. It reminded them of the terrible old days when anyone who held different views was treated with contempt and harassed with thugs loyal to the deposed dynasty. The video reminds them of the dreaded dark days when respected Royalty and elders of the community were humiliated for daring to differ. The video brought back memories of when opposition leaders were denied access to public places.
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But the fake video came at a wrong moment in history. Over the last three years of the AbdulRazaq Administration, Kwara has enjoyed unprecedented peace and security. Scheduled flights to the city of Ilorin have quadrupled. Less than a month ago, this conducive environment allowed all Ilorin sons and daughters and residents of the capital city to enjoy a very peaceful Eid as well as a joyous Durbar at which the Governor and other dignitaries rode on horseback along with the Emir amidst a cheering tumultuous crowd. Such events were never held peacefully in those dark years.
It was a video that retold the story of the horrors of those years, in contrast with the convivial atmosphere that the same man they harassed in the old video has now created in Kwara State. It is a rude awakening of Kwarans to the ugly past administrations and a time call for them to exercise their imminent civic duty of voting to permanently bury the bad old days and its ruthless rulers.
While the Governor represents a bright new dawn of free speech, those behind the video are purveyors of fake news reminiscent of the old order.
Certainly, no reasonable Kwaran wishes a return of those years where to hold a contrary view earns you jeers, indignation and violence.
Members of the public are kindly urged to ignore the old video clip which is clearly one propaganda gone awry.”
The Enugu State Government has commended the Republic of Finland for the arrest of Simon Ekpa, a Finland-based leader of the proscribed separatist group, Autopilots.
Ekpa has been accused of orchestrating violence and chaos in Nigeria’s South East region.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the government described Ekpa as a “common criminal, con man, and terrorist” who has exploited the Igbo people while claiming to represent their interests.
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“The Enugu State Government welcomes the arrest of the Finland-based terrorist, Simon Ekpa,” the statement read.
“His arrest and trial will no doubt go a long way in strengthening peace, security, and stability in all parts of the South East.”
The state government accused Ekpa of sponsoring violent activities that have resulted in the loss of lives, destruction of property, and disruption of the region’s economic activities.
It stated that Ekpa’s actions were driven by personal greed and not genuine concern for the Igbo people.
Onyia said, “Ekpa is a murderer and fraudster who delights in killing his people and living large off their misery.
“He thrives on manipulating, exploiting, and extorting the people on the pretext of fighting for their interest and for the restoration of Biafra.”
The government emphasized its readiness to provide evidence of Ekpa’s alleged crimes to support his prosecution, whether in Finland or Nigeria.
“This arrest is in line with the demand of the Governor Peter Mbah Administration, which has repeatedly made it known that Ekpa is a megalomaniac, common criminal, murderer, and fraudster who takes joy in feeding fat on the manipulated emotions of Ndigbo and inflicting misery on the South East region,” the statement added.
The government further criticized Ekpa for fostering a climate of fear and insecurity that has harmed the entrepreneurial spirit and economic growth of the Igbo people.
“Ekpa has for long, and unfortunately from Finland, made a living by creating a siege climate and mentality in the South East, destroying lives, property, and the Igbo trademark of entrepreneurship and hard work,” Onyia said.
The Enugu State Government expressed optimism that Ekpa’s arrest would mark a turning point in the quest for peace and stability in the South East, urging residents to remain vigilant and supportive of ongoing efforts to restore normalcy in the region.
The COP29 presidency has unveiled an ambitious climate finance plan, calling on developed nations to provide $250 billion annually to developing countries by 2035.
The proposal, part of a broader initiative to mobilize $1.3 trillion from public and private sources each year, seeks to address the mounting challenges posed by climate change.
The five-page draft text, released on Friday, emphasizes the need for developed nations to lead the charge in financing climate action.
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According to the document, this financial commitment is seen as a critical step toward combating the climate crisis and fostering sustainable development globally.
“In this context, it is decided to set a goal in extension of the goal referred to in paragraph 53 of decision 1/CP.21, with developed country Parties taking the lead, to USD 250 billion per year by 2035 for developing country Parties for climate action,” the draft states.
The announcement follows the release of an earlier 10-page draft on Thursday, which drew significant criticism from Global South delegations.
Many expressed frustration that the document lacked clear financial commitments from wealthier nations, falling short of expectations to support adaptation and mitigation efforts.
“There is a clear need to address the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, especially given the diverse circumstances shaping national priorities,” a negotiator from a developing country delegation remarked.
The updated proposal aims to address some of these concerns by outlining more specific targets. However, skepticism remains among some negotiators, who feel the revisions still fail to adequately address their demands.
Meanwhile, developed countries have raised their own reservations about the proposed plan.
A European negotiator, speaking to Reuters, described the $250 billion annual target as unrealistic and criticized the lack of measures to expand the pool of contributing countries.
“No one is comfortable with the number because it’s high, and there’s almost nothing on broadening the contributor base,” the negotiator said.
The mixed reactions underscore the persistent divide between developed and developing nations in climate negotiations.
While the draft text aims to reconcile these differences, the gap between expectations and commitments remains a significant hurdle.
The President of the African School of Governance, Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu has admonished state actors against resorting to brutal force in the bid to muscle out separatist agitators.
In the aftermath of Mazi Simon Ekpa, the Finland based Biafran nationalist agitator being caught in legal web and the Nigerian government moving swiftly to seek his repatriation, the former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has cautioned that ‘We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.’
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The political economist, while expressing his hope in Nigeria, made it clear that “hope is not a strategy”.
He bared his mind in a series of posts on his verified handle on micro-blogging site, X on Friday.
Moghalu wrote, “Despite sustained contemporary difficulties, I am hopeful about Nigeria. But hope is not a strategy. We need to improve state capacity for effective governance.
“We either fix our problems, or our problems will eventually “fix” us. No alternative to a renegotiated union.
“We must learn to be honest with ourselves and address the root causes of our problems. Why ignore them, when the problem is actually quite solvable? The problem with continuing with this approach is that when the danger crystallizes, those who thought they were benefiting from
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