News

Media Foundation Calls for Close Monitoring of N185bn Palliatives

Published

1 year ago

August 21, 2023

Eric

Naija Times Journalism Foundation (NTJF), the not-for-profit arm of Naija Times, an online newspaper, has called for strong media oversight in order to ensure transparency and accountability in the use of the N5 billion per state and the FCT palliative fund recently announced by the Federal Government.

The frontline journalism foundation, which promotes a vibrant media ecosystem capable of holding government to account in a democracy, noted that past attempts by government to directly touch the lives of poor and vulnerable Nigerians, were undermined as a result of weak media oversight.

Chairman of the Foundation, Ehi Braimah, gave the charge in Lagos, while assessing the possible impact of the palliative on the lives of ordinary citizens. Braimah, who is also the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief of Naija Times, noted that previous facilities such as the Paris Club Refund and other initiatives that the government tried to implement through the state governors failed woefully.

He stressed that those interventions, which failed to make the desired impact on the lives and fortunes of ordinary Nigerians, should provide enough lessons for the federal government and citizens across the states.

He said: “If this palliative being released is to make any impact, there is need for serious planning and monitoring of how the funds will be spent. In the aspect of monitoring, the media and journalists should show more interest in reporting whether the benefits of these funds are reaching the ordinary people or not. Without such media oversight, the disbursements we are talking about will simply go the way of similar interventions in the past.”

The NTJF helmsman noted that given the level of poverty and destitution currently affecting Nigerians, governors and other political leaders could not afford to again bungle current efforts to bring reprieve to the people.

“As things stand, the level of hunger in the land has become deeply troubling, while the hardships have become unbearable. To avoid hunger-induced protests, the deprivation across the country must be addressed urgently and purposefully,” Braimah advised.

The media is critical in ensuring that the quest for transparent and accountable governance is realised across all the three tiers of government.

The recently announced palliatives should be closely monitored by the media and reported regularly in the public interest.

News

Ngelale Resigns As Tinubu’s Media Aide

Published

4 hours ago

September 7, 2024

Eric

Ajuri Ngelale, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on media and publicity, says he will be embarking on an “indefinite leave of absence to frontally deal with medical matters” affecting his immediate, nuclear family.

In a statement issued on September 7, Ngelale said the decision “was taken after significant consultations with my family over the past several days as a vexatious medical situation has worsened at home”.

“While I fully appreciate that the ship of state waits for no man, this agonizing decision — entailing a pause of my functions as the Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity and Official Spokesperson of the President; Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Action, and Chairman, Presidential Steering Committee on Project Evergreen — was taken after significant consultations with my family,” he said.

Ngelale said he “looks forward to returning to full-time national service when time, healing, and fate permit”.

“I respectfully ask for some privacy for my family and I during this time,” he added.

On July 31, 2023, Tinubu appointed Ngelale, an ex-aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, as his special adviser on media and publicity.

On May 19, 2024, the president appointed Ngelale as the special presidential envoy on climate action.

News

Revisit Your Drawing Board, Nigerians Are Suffering Deeply, Yoruba Elders Tell Tinubu

Published

1 day ago

September 6, 2024

Eric

The Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) has told President Tinubu that Nigerians are “suffering deeply” under his administration asking him to meet short term needs of the people before pursuing a long term vision.

The elders’ council, through its Secretary General, Chief Oladipo Oyewole, stressed that millions of Nigerians living without food, fuel and light, President Tinubu needs to go back to drawing board and fashion out measures that will bring immediate comfort to the people.

YCE, through a statement, noted that it remains hopeful that Nigeria will have a turnaround.

“However, going by scanty information available on Government pursuits and activities, there is, presently, a lot of suffering in the land.

“Be that as it may, we of YCE stand on our strong position that the interest of the masses to live a good life should be given full attention.

“Without regular supply of electricity and with the official announcement of increase in the price of petroleum products (PMS), the current hardship cannot but be increased in daily living by Nigerians.

“The Federal government ought to immediately pursue every avenue to make available to our people, the dividends of democracy. Not through distribution of palliatives (that does not seem to filter to the bottom) but by putting in place avenues to enhance proper and quality living through effective governance administration.

“Every Nigerian should be entitled to enjoy our common resources Indeed, Nigerians are suffering deeply at this time….. no light, no fuel, no food”

“Mr. President should, without delay, revisit his drawing board to attend to the short term needs of Nigerians (the immediate needs of the people) whilst pursuing the long term vision of making Nigeria a better place for growth and for development.

“As Elders, we demand immediate succour for the people to boost the welfare of Nigerians so that all can live in comfort and harmony.As far as this elders council is concerned, a lot of administrative work by Government is (absolutely) required for the masses of this country to live, stay alive as respectable and responsible people.”

The state of this nation today, YCE said, is a pill that has a bitter taste.

“The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should do something quickly to ensure proper steering of its intentions to establish and install better governance in Nigeria. In fact, the Presidency should do all possible to alleviate the suffering of all Nigerians immediately and without delay.”

News

We Deliberately Demobilized, Abandoned Captured Armoured Tank, Says Defence Hqrs

Published

4 days ago

September 3, 2024

Eric

The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has reacted to viral video of terrorists leader, Bello Turji and his gang burning a captured military armoured tank.

In the video that surfaced online, the terrorists were seen celebrating after burning the military vehicle.

In its reaction, the Military, in a report monitored on the official X handle of DAILY POST on Monday, through the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj-Gen Edward Buba, said the MRAPs seen in the viral video were demobilized due to the inability of troops to use them.

Buba stated that the incident happened after the military personnel got stuck in swampy terrain during operations against bandits in Zamfara State.

He said the troops decided to demobilize the MRAPs to prevent it from being useful to the terrorists after abandonment.

He said, “Subsequently, troops dismounted and demobilized the MRAPs, when efforts to backload them were futile. The said demobilization of the MRAPs by troops was to prevent it from being useful to the terrorist after abandonment.”