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Kaduna State To Be Split In Two As Northern And Southern Leaders Agree

In a surprise development, leaders from Northern and Southern Kaduna state have agreed to split the state into two new states as a measure to ensure lasting peace in the state.

The decision was reached by the Northern Muslim Hausa/Fulani who is the predominant occupants of the northern parts of Kaduna state and the Christians, Non-Hausa/Fulani who occupy the vast parts of Southern Kaduna state.

They believe the creation of two separate states would serve as a panacea to the constant violence that has become a regular theme in Kaduna state.

Speaking on Wednesday, May 26, 2021, the Northern Kaduna leaders under the umbrella of Kaduna Development Elders Initiatives while defending their memo before the Senate ad-hoc Committee and the House of Reps Special Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution said:

“We are canvassing for the creation of New Kaduna state from the present Kaduna state and we want the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria amended to make this possible.

“Kaduna South has been complaining of marginalization ever since, even though Chiefdoms have been given to them and they occupy 60% of the workforce of Kaduna state.

“This will solve all the crises we have been having in this state. On our part, we are asking for the creation of ‘New Kaduna State’, which will include Kaduna North and Kaduna Central Senatorial zones.

“But there should be a referendum for each section of the state to decide on where it wants to belong.”

While defending their own memo for state creation, the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Hon. Jonathan Asake, said:

“The wish of Southern Kaduna is to have a brand new constitution, not an amended one. But in the absence of that, we are here to make our inputs as a people who have suffered suppression and oppression for a long time.

“Southern Kaduna is made up of 67 ethnic nationalities spread in 13 of the 23 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Kaduna state. It has a landmass of 26,000kmsq with an estimated population of 5.1 million. We are endowed with an educated population and with abundant natural resources.

“Our land size is greater than that of Kano state which has a landmass of 20,000kmsq. Yet Kano is a state of its own with 44 LGAs. Our population is greater than 21 other states of the federation,” he went on. “We are demanding for the amendment of the provision of section 8 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria which makes it almost an impossible task for the creation of a new state.

“We have been demanding for a state of our own for over thirty years and Gurara state was among the 18 states proposed in the 2014 Confab report. We are demanding for the creation of the Gurara state after the amendment. This will help in solving the incessant conflicts between our people and the other divide.”

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Donald Trump Wins US Presidential Elections, defeats Kamala Harris

Donald Trump has won the US presidential election after securing the over 270 Electoral College (EC) votes required to emerge victorious.

As of this report, Trump has secured 279 EC votes, while his main challenger, incumbent Vice President Kamala Harris, has secured 223 votes.

Mr Trump is also ahead in the popular vote count, securing over 71 million votes to Mrs Harris’s over 66 million.

This election is the first since 2004 in which a Republican presidential candidate will secure more popular votes than a Democratic Party candidate, indicating Mr Trump’s solid performance and Mrs Harris’s sub-par performance.

“America has given us an unprecedented and powerful mandate,” Mr Trump told a jubilant crowd in Florida Wednesday morning.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Mr Trump had already won in four of the seven crucial Swing states – North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – and was ahead in the remaining three – Michigan, Nevada, and Arizona – BBC reports.

Apart from winning the presidential election, the Republican Party also took control of the US Senate for the first time in four years and maintained its hold of the House.

Several world leaders, including Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu, have congratulated Mr Trump on his victory.

According to President Tinubu, Mr Trump’s victory reflects the trust and confidence the American people have placed in his leadership, the president’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, wrote in a statement.

President Tinubu believes that, given President Trump’s experience as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, his return to the White House as the 47th president will usher in an era of earnest, beneficial, and reciprocal economic and development partnerships between Africa and the United States, he added.

“Together, we can foster economic cooperation, promote peace, and address global challenges that affect our citizens,” the Nigerian leader was quoted as saying.

Many other leaders posted their congratulatory messages on X, the social media platform whose owner, Elon Musk, was one of the main campaigners for Mr Trump.

“Ready to work together as we did for four years. With your convictions and mine, with respect and ambition. For more peace and prosperity,” French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X.

“For a long time, Germany and the U.S. have been working together successfully promoting prosperity and freedom on both sides of the Atlantic,” wrote German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on X. “We will continue to do so for the wellbeing of our citizens.”

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Nigerian Chief Of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja Dies At 56

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has died at the
age of 56, according to a state house press statement. Lt. General Lagbaja passed away on Tuesday night in Lagos following an illness, as announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

President Tinubu expressed profound sadness over the loss of a “dedicated servant
of the nation” whose military career spanned over three decades.

Lt. General Lagbaja, born on February 28, 1968, was appointed Chief of Army Staff on June 19, 2023. His service history includes numerous leadership roles in critical security operations such as Operation ZAKI in Benue, Lafiya Dole in Borno, and Forest Sanity across
Kaduna and Niger States. A distinguished alumnus of the U.S. Army War College with a Master’s in Strategic Studies, Lt. General Lagbaja was recognized for his strategic acumen.

Lt. General Lagbaja is survived by his beloved wife, Mariya, and their two children. President Tinubu expresses his heartfelt condolences to the family and the Nigerian Armed Forces during this difficult time. The president wishes Lt. General Lagbaja eternal peace and honors his significant contributions to the nation.

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EFCC Detains Former Governor Of Delta State Ifeanyi Okowa

okowa sacks Latimore Oghenesivbe

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have detained a former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, for the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion of the 13 percent derivation fund from the Federation Account between 2015 and 2023.

A source close to proceedings says that Mr Okowa was detained on Monday, 4 November, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when he reported at the Port Harcourt Directorate of the EFCC on the invitation of investigators handling his matter.

The former governor allegedly failed to account for the funds and another N40 billion he allegedly claimed to have used to acquire shares in the UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas.

Mr Okowa allegedly bought N40 billion worth of shares in one of the major banks in Nigeria, representing eight percent equity, to float the offshore LNG.

The funds were allegedly used for other purposes. The anti-graft agency is also investigating the former governor’s alleged diversion of funds to acquire estates in the nation’s capital, Abuja, and Asaba in Delta State.

He is being held at the EFCC holding facility in Port Harcourt.When contacted on Monday evening, the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, confirmed Mr Okowa’s detention but declined to give details.

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