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Lagos Govt Endorses Silec Initiatives’ U.S. Leadership Exchange Programme, Others

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As part of our efforts to build a society of resourceful and vibrant youths whose potentials will drive the Greater Lagos Vision, the Lagos state government has reinstated its commitment to develop youth capacity for leadership positions for a Greater Lagos under the Gov. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu led administration, as the Ministry of Youth and Social Development, under the able and youth-friendly leadership of the Honourable Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, Mr. Olusegun Ganiyu Dawodu, who has thrown his weight behind the Silec Initiatives United States of America WorldChicago Leadership Exchange Programme to further create global opportunity for the state’s youths to gain the 21st century leadership skills from the signed partnership of Silec Initiatives and worldChicago in Illiois, Chicago, USA in collaboration with the ministry of youth and social development to fully active the leadership qualities of our youths.

One of Nigeria’s brightest, pragmatic, vision-driven youth, Anti-Drug Abuse Advocate and the founder of Silec Initiatives, Amb. Sunny Irakpo, a U. S. Government Sponsored Exchange Alumni of the International Visitor’s Leadership Exchange Programme (IVLP), Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs who was invited by the U.S. government to participate in the prestigious leadership exchange programme in 2019 was recently received by the Honourable Commissioner of Youth and Social Development at his State Secretariat office in Alausa to cross fertilized ideas on how to develop and build capacity of the youths of the state to become great leaders in their time.

The Hon. Commissioner, Mr Segun Dawodu, who was very delighted to receive the youth advocate said the state government sincerely appreciates all the efforts of Silec Initiaves on nation building, especially in Lagos where the head of the anti-drug organisation has shown serious commitment over these years as one of Non Profit organization with tremendous impacts and fighting for the course of our youths to shun social vices and make their valuable contributions to the development of Lagos state.

The commissioner went further to say that he’s very confident that with youths like the Silec boss, if supported just as he is doing now, the future of Lagos state and Nigeria will be greater and brighter. Ambassador Irakpo, while appreciating the Commissioner for the invitation and confidence reposed in him, lamented on the heightened state of drugs and substance abuse in the state including young girls in secondary schools who have massively join the train of the illicit act and that the curve of the menace can only be flattened, if all stakeholders come together to fight for this just cause. The ambassador was so filled with zeal and passion and he asserted that Lagos state carries a huge burden on its shoulders being the most populated state in the country as a metropolitan and busiest city in west Africa ,Hence all hands must be on deck to rescue the youths from the dungeon and carnage of drugs and substance abuse. He went further to address the rising spate of the number of mentally challenged people on the streets of Lagos, some of which are caused by drugs and substance abuse. The ambassador pleaded for caution and vibrant leadership in order to curtail the rate at which people are becoming mentally derailed and incapacitated. He said the Greater Lagos that we all envisioned can only be attained under this administration when the youths who are leaders of tomorrow are carried along with sane and intelligent minds in order not to damage further the proposed mega city we earnest await.

The ambassador went further to commend the Governor for his laudable programmes in the actualization of his THEME Agenda ,and the Honourable Commissioner for all the good initiatives and brilliant programmes to help the youths find a better path of life. The Silec boss went further to say; “Sir, I have followed your work and programmes and how you keep advocating for youth inclusiveness in governance. This is a crucial factor and potent line of action that a distinguished personality like your humble self is always exhibiting at the public space of which we are grateful to you for seeing the youth population as a formidable force and instrumentality for national development.

Hence, we cannot take you for granted for standing very tall for our youths to see a better side of life”. The ambassador concluded by sharing his experience in the United States, by thanking the U.S. government through the (U.S embassy Lagos Consulate) for the opportunity once again and presented the programmes including the Citizenship Leadership Exchange Programme Silec Initiatives signed with WorldChicago in Chicago, USA, for five(5) years to help build our youths for all round leadership and exposure to global platform where they can share ideas, connect and compete with their U.S. counterparts. He highlighted how the program will support very strongly the Lagos state leadership drive for young people under Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-olu’s administration and his working team, and help to promote Lagos State at the international level.

In the words of the Honourable Commissioner; “All your programmes such as the Greater Lagos Beyond Drug Abuse and Addiction Sensitization, the U.S Exchange Programme and Youth empowerment are fantastic and okay by me and we will work it out so that our youths can benefit to further create international opportunity and it will be basically set as a Reward System targeted towards only hard working youths in the state, which will also serve as a spring board to launch them to greater heights as part of the vision of the Lagos state government of the IBILE YOUTH ACADEMY LEADERSHIP TRAINING which kick-started in 2019 at Onikan Stadium with full youths participation, where many are already spotlighted under this government . I want to encourage all our youths to be hard working and only the hardworking and distinguished youths with proven integrity will be selected by the Lagos State government under the Ministry of Youth and Social Development to participate in this International Programme’’.

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Decomposing Body of Kidnapped Anambra Lawmaker Found on 2nd Niger Bridge

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The decomposing body of a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Justice Azuka, has been discovered on the 2nd Niger Bridge.

Azuka’s body was discovered by a combined team of security agencies.

The lawmaker representing Onitsha North Constituency 1 was kidnapped on December 24, 2024, along Ugwunabankpa Road, Inland Town, Onitsha.

After weeks of investigation, security operatives from Abuja apprehended the suspects late Wednesday. The arrested individuals later led authorities to the location where they had dumped the lawmaker’s remains.

Police authorities in Anambra State said details of the incident are sketchy.

However, the spokesman of the command, Tochukwu Ikenga, said police operatives have been deployed to the scene.

According to him, further details would be made known to the public in due time.

The incident marks the second kidnapping and murder of a sitting Anambra lawmaker in recent years.

In 2022, Okey Okoye, popularly known as “Okey Di Ok” from Aguata, was abducted and beheaded.

His body was later found around the Nnobi axis of the South-East state. The region has experienced a slew of violence in recent years. Gunmen have at various times attacked public facilities and killed scores of persons despite repeated assurances from government and security agencies.

The calls for secession have also reached new highs in the region in recent years. But no group has claimed responsibility for the wave of violence in the South-East.

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EFCC Boss Knocks Nigerians for Celebrating Corrupt Leaders

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Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has argued that Nigeria’s under-development would be a thing of the past if everyone begins to see corruption as a common enemy and tackle it.

He stated this on Friday when officials of the Centre for Crisis Communication (CCC) led by the Director of its Board of Trustees (BoT), Major General Chris Olukolade (rtd) paid him a courtesy visit at the EFCC corporate headquarters, Abuja.

He said: “One of the major problems in Nigeria which when tackled, will make under-development a thing of the past, is corruption and financial crimes. A society that is ready to move forward is a responsibility not only of the government, but of the citizens. This is what has actually led some of us to be very committed to this cause.

“We are ready to go the whole hog to do what we need to do within the confines and provisions of the law and the power that the Constitution has conferred on us. If everybody makes up his or her mind to do the right thing, we’ll move forward in this country.”

Olukoyede, who expressed delight at the proposal of the CCC delegation for collaboration and synergy in the areas of strategic communication and public engagement, re-emphasized that the work and successes of the EFCC run on the wheels of public engagement and advocacy.

“We thank you for proposing a synergy and collaboration with us to support the work we do. One of the strong pillars of our mandate is the issue of public engagement and public advocacy. We will partner with you in that respect. We have so many projects and programmes with respect to letting the public know what we’re doing and we are doing everything possible to ensure that we create awareness on the part of Nigerians with respect to the need for us to be careful and play by the rules.

“However, it is so unfortunate that the same people who approbate also reprobate at the same time. Everybody is crying that Nigerians are corrupt, that the system is corrupt; that corruption is killing us and destroying our system, but when we investigate high profile cases and arraign people in court, the same people will carry placards and be supporting corrupt leaders.

“It doesn’t show that we are serious about this fight. The fight is supposed to be a collaborative effort. No single agency can do it alone. It is practically impossible for us as EFCC to fight all the battles. The society has a role to play; policy has a role to play and the issue of welfare of the citizens has a role to play,” he said.

Speaking on the trajectory of his leadership, he disclosed that he has prioritized prevention over enforcement since coming on board.

“Now we are laying more emphasis on prevention which is a critical aspect of our mandate. We don’t have to always be waiting for money to be stolen before we start working in EFCC. To drive prevention, I established a new directorate called Fraud Risk Assessment and Control, FRAC and now we are doing more of blocking of the leakages. We have access to GIFMIS (government payment platform). We want to track and see where every money released is going.

“We want to ensure that every capital project is executed. With prevention, we discovered that there will be less to enforce. We are not dropping our mandate on enforcement. As a matter of fact, we are scaling it up. But we believe that it is important for us to prevent because it costs less to prevent than to react when the deed must have been done. So that is one of our areas of focus as of now.”

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Gunmen Abduct Abia Electoral Commission Chairman

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The Chairman of Abia State Independent Electoral Commission (ASIEC), Professor George Chima, has been abducted by gunmen.

A family source said Chima was abducted on Friday from his Okigwe residence in Imo State while hosting some lecturers from Abia State University, Uturu.

Spokesperson of the State Police Command, DSP Henry Okoye, confirmed the incident, adding that the police are on the trail of the hoodlums with the aim of rescuing the victim.

He said “Yes, we are aware of the kidnap of the Prof and we have commenced investigations.

“As I speak to you now, the Commissioner of Police, Aboki Danjuma, personally led the team of police operatives to Okigwe.

“The police are assuring all that we will catch the kidnappers,” Okoye said.

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