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Magnafaith Krimi: The Florence Nightingale of Our Time

Published

4 years ago

September 19, 2020

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

She is fearless, she is resolute, she is a fighter for justice, she is MagnaFaith Krimi, a Washington DC based Nigerian journalist, who has taken it upon herself to see that justice is served for victims of extra-judicial killings and mass murders, and not forgetting the down trodden in the society. MagnaFaith lives in Washington, DC, United States of America, where she runs a media outfit and advocates for women and the girl-child towards providing humanitarian services to victims displaced by unrest.

A well read journalist with proven proficiency and professionalism, MagnaFaith, as she is simply called, has been defined in various places as courageous, fair and objective, and merited the privilege of heading the Nigerian Union of Journalism (NUJ) in America as the president, which presented her an opportunity and platform to do more in the service of humanity.

As a community builder with fairness, balance and an unrepentant change agent, MagnaFaith has taken the inclusion of women in leadership a nudge further, opening doors for greater development and initiatives. Not only that, she has been in the forefront of providing succour to not a few who has been devastated by acts of terrorism and man’s inhumanity to man.

Filled with milk of human sympathy and fearlessness, she visited Kaduna State communities in the wake of gruesome killings and banditry attacks ravaging the areas, for a first hand report of events. She had stated at the end of her visit that: “the level of destruction in these communities are very alarming, requiring huge funding to fix.”

As her visit coincided with the kidnap of over 200 school children, most of whom were females, MagnaFaith chose to amplify the voices of the girls and their families.

While she mourned the carnage that followed the Adara community in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna massacre, the woman could not help but bring the plight of women and children to the fore.

She emotionally told newsmen that the worst hit were women and children who have been exposed to various forms of diseases, and are traumatized with no healthcare programme available for their wellbeing.

She was bold to highlight that the area had “experienced brutal ethnic cleansing progressing apace in recent months. MagnaFaith has mentioned. About 500 houses were destroyed by gunmen following recent attacks in the area, these houses need to be rebuilt to give any hope and provide relief to the ordinary citizens of the community.”

she took time out as well to visit the site where one Rev. Father Joseph “Big Joe” Kwasau of Kasuwan Magani in Kaduna State escaped assasination. His guard, Samuel Jerome, was reportedly not lucky as he fell to the bullets of the gunmen

Hear her: “I was emotional as I looked upon the parish that stood before the gate where local residents firing hunting rifles caused the gunmen to retreat, saving Father Kwasau. It was surreal, I thought it could happen while I am inspecting the site and snapped out of my thoughts”.

The mother of three did not stop there, but also paid a visit to the Engravers College, where six students and two staff members were kidnapped. She spent time with the parents of the students and did not leave Nigeria until the students and staff were released to their families. That was how concerned the journalist was, and still is.

Krimi is a critical thinker recognized across international borders just as she is a well-rounded influence strategist, whose work as a journalist focused more on terrorism, while providing mentorship and training for women and the girl child in Africa and in the diaspora.

It is her belief that Nigerian journalists are behind the pack in telling stories of the mass murders ongoing as she acknowledged in one of her write up this: “These issue amongst others create a narrative among Nigerians in Diaspora, that Nigerian journos are among the timidest and obsequious in the world.”

She had therefore, called on the Nigerian government, officials at all levels, well-meaning Nigerians, including NGOs and international bodies to come to the aid of the innocent and unarmed civilians of Kaduna and help rebuild their lives so they could begin building what is left of their ancestral homes.

She also acknowledged the efforts made by some NGO’s, government agencies and institutions for the relief materials provided so far. She is of the opinion that more should be done to help women and children just as the senseless attacks are stopped altogether.

She said:

“Like I always say, once you have heard these stories, you do not forget. You can either choose to be silent just like most everybody else, but more and more you think, “Silence isn’t golden” for the unarmed and innocent women and children in harm’s way.”

But she is still hopeful of a turnaround story being told in and about Nigeria, and notes as follows:

“Thank God Nigeria produced some great truth-tellers. Yes, there are truth-tellers, and that is maybe a sign of a political awakening in my beloved country. But my beloved country has a problem with telling the truth about itself. It is a good country. Very good. So good, it should be better.”

MagnaFaith’s zeal and duty bound efforts to continue to see that justice is served to as many that deserves it will continue to reverberate and echo in the minds of all and sundry, prompting everyone therefore to action.

Her humanitarian efforts have brought her face to face with world leaders, especially Nigerians, and they acknowledge and applaud all her activities.

Featured

Stay Away from CBT Centres, JAMB Warns Parents, Threatens Arrest

Published

19 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

As this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) begins on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed to arrest parents found near any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued at the final briefing of the CBT centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.

The spokesman for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.

Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Oloyede explained that this measure became necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

He added that some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.

“The Board’s helmsman noted that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

“Therefore, it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence the desperation to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.

“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” the Board note through a statement.

Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.

He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.

He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.

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Oyo Govt Demolishes Operational Base of Yoruba Nation Agitators

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Oyo State government, on Wednesday, demolished a building serving as the operational base of the Yoruba Nation agitators led by Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, in Ibadan.

Onitiri-Abiola, one of the widows of late Bashorun M.KO Abiola, had declared the creation of the so-called Yoruba Nation in a video posted online, which has been widely condemned.

Last Saturday, some armed men in military uniforms invaded the Oyo State Secretariat, with the motive to forcefully take over the State House of Assembly, before they were dislodged by the combined efforts of police and troops for the Nigeria Army 2 Division..

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, confirmed the demolition of the house located at Toye Oyesola Street in Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

Already, no fewer than 29 suspects – including a lecturer – arrested in connection with the foiled armed invasion were on Wednesday arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan.

In a case with charge number Mi/520c/2024 between the Commissioner of Police and the 29 suspects, they were accused of a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Inspector Bakare Rasaq, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said the offence contravenes, and is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

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PDP BoT Queries Damagum, Anyanwu’s Continued Stay in Office

Published

20 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has queried the continued stay in office of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

Recently, many party members have raised concerns about the ongoing tenure of Damagum and Anywanwu in their respective positions.

Previously serving as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the preceding year.

With the National Secretary being selected as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, the South zone has been grappling with nominating a replacement. Despite this, he, along with other party leaders, contested and retained the position of party secretary after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.

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