The Oyo State chapter of All Progressives Congress APC, has cautioned governor Seyi Makinde against dabbling into the affairs of Osun State.

APC made this declaration via a statement signed by its Publicity Secretary, Wasiu Olawale Sadare, a copy of which was made available to DAILY POST on Monday.

DAILY POST gathered that Makinde had earlier warned the APC against truncating the current democratic dispensation.

Makinde issued the warning during the swearing in of the newly elected local government chairmen in Osun State in Osogbo on Sunday.

But the APC in Oyo State has asked Makinde to desist from embarking on further actions capable of inciting the people of Osun against one another.

Sadare, in the statement, said that Makinde was in Osogbo on Sunday to participate in what he described as a show of shame organised by his party to further undermine the efforts of the President Bola Tinubu administration to entrench democracy at the grassroots.

Sadare while speaking further maintained that Makinde caused the people of Oyo State a lot of embarrassment when he joined some anti-democratic forces to make a mockery of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Osogbo.

He added that Makinde’s appearance was that of a meddlesome interloper while his unguarded comments were deliberately made to further call out Tinubu for supporting the cause to free the third tier of government.

“As much as we tried not to dabble into the domestic affairs of our sister state, the presence of Gov. Makinde as well as his outburst at the so-called swearing-in ceremony of some lackeys assembled as tools with which the PDP plans to set Osun State on fire on account of self-aggrandizement and lack of basic understanding of the principles of constitutional democracy on the part of Gov. Adeleke.

“Again, Gov. Makinde caused the good people of the Pacesetter state a lot of embarrassment on Sunday when he joined some anti-democratic forces to make a mockery of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in Osogbo on Sunday.

“Makinde’s appearance was that of a meddlesome interloper while his unguarded comments were deliberately made to further call out President Bola Tinubu for supporting the cause to free the third tier of government from the grip of state governors who feed fat on the resources meant for the local government councils.

“The build up to, and the manner in which, the charade called local government election which was staged in Osun State at the weekend cleared showed mission to dwarf democracy and the rule of law by some misfits in power.

“Also, the real enemies of democracy and good governance in the country exposed themselves by joining hands with Gov. Adeleke to assemble a team of desperados with whom he plans to cause violence of an unimaginable proportion in his own state.

“However, we urge Gov. Makinde to stay clear of Osun State of he would not encourage his brother governor to embrace peace.”

Former Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye has joined the Nigerian movie industry, Nollywood.

Kennedy joined Nollywood a few months after being sacked by President Bola Tinubu.

DAILY POST reports that Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye was appointed as minister in August 2023, and removed alongside four others in a cabinet reshuffle on October 23, 2024.

The 51-year-old politician has now shifted her focus to filmmaking barely four months after her removal from the cabinet.

Announcing her acting career on her X handle, the former minister shared a video of her latest project.

Kennedy who is also a lawyer and entrepreneur, joined the All Progressives Congress, APC, in 2015 and emerged the party’s first female presidential aspirant in 2023, before ultimately withdrawing to support Tinubu.

 

 

A former minister of foreign affairs, Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, has described Donald Trump’s inaugural speech as the worst he has ever heard in his lifetime.

Professor Akinyemi, a renowned diplomat, disclosed this while speaking on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ on Monday evening, monitored by our correspondent.

He compared Trump’s address to John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural speech, which he hailed as one of the best and most inspiring in history.

“It’s very strange to me that the first presidential inaugural address that I first heard in my life was President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address which turned out to be the best so far and which in a way energised me and gave me a vision of what the most powerful man in the world should stand for,” he said.

“Now, the worst inaugural address I have ever heard in my life is the one I heard today. This was not an inaugural address; it was more like a rabble-rousing speech to a mob in the United States.”

LEADERSHIP reports that Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States on Monday, after which he gave his inaugural address, but Prof. Akinyemi believed the address lacked a global vision and instead threatened different parts of the world rather than extending a hand of partnership.

“There was nothing in his speech for the rest of the world—nothing that gives us hope or a vision of what to expect in the next four years. In fact, the most specific thing he said was when he targeted Mexico, saying that instead of calling it the ‘Gulf of Mexico,’ it would now be called the ‘Gulf of America’.’”

He criticised Trump’s tone and message, stating that no previous US President had ever used an inaugural address to strip away the achievements of their predecessor while they were still present.

“It was an address that stripped naked all the achievements of his predecessor while he was sitting there. It was such a cold speech,” he stated.

When asked about what Trump’s presidency means for Africa, Akinyemi dismissed the idea that the continent was even on the new US President’s radar.

“I know you want me to focus on Africa or what next Nigeria should look forward to, you are giving me a task I cannot do because I’m not really sure that if you ask Trump to spell Africa, or to spell Nigeria, or to locate where we are on the globe he will be able to do so, we are out of his focus, yes, he’s focusing on the Middle East because Isreal is a United partner of His, yes, he’s focused on South America and what have you, but, the rest of the world, he doesn’t care, this was not an inaugural address, this was not calling on the world to join him in a venture or in an adventure to rescue the world whether it is on climate change, in fact, all the things he was saying, is that the kind of language you expect from a president in an inaugural address?

“I know you want me to focus on Africa or what Nigeria should look forward to, but honestly, I don’t think Trump even knows how to spell ‘Africa’ or ‘Nigeria,’ let alone locate us on the globe.”

Akinyemi lamented the lack of diplomatic engagement in Trump’s speech, contrasting it with past US presidents who called on the world to join in solving global challenges such as climate change and economic cooperation.

“The language he used today—was that the kind of speech you expect from a president at an inauguration? It was shocking and depressing for me.”

He reflected on how Kennedy’s speech inspired his career in international relations and suggested that if Trump had been the first he ever heard, he might never have pursued diplomacy.

“If Trump’s speech had been my first inaugural address, I probably wouldn’t have taken international relations as my focus. I would have chosen something else.”

Akinyemi warned that Trump’s isolationist policies and aggressive economic strategies could backfire, particularly his stance on tariffs.

“So I am sorry if I have nothing to say on your programme about what we witnessed today, it’s something frightening, and Americans should find it frightening, yes, America can be the most powerful country in the world right now, If America thinks it can lord it over the world without consequences, it is mistaken. They will pay the price for it.”

He explained that imposing trade tariffs would ultimately hurt American consumers and trigger retaliatory tariffs from other countries, leading to economic warfare rather than mutual prosperity.

“I mean take the issue of imposing tariffs on otters, when you impose tariffs on goods coming into your country, it’s your people that the businessmen will pass the tariff unto and the other country will also now impose the tariff on your own goods, that is not a way to engender mutual prosperity in the world, no, that is a pathway for economic warfare, do you need warfare at this time when we should all rally round to try and promote prosperity, you don’t do that”

He emphasised that the rhetoric was not surprising, as he had made similar controversial remarks throughout his campaign

“But I’m surprised, no, I am not surprised because everything he said today are things he said on the campaign trail, and many were built on falsehoods. What we witnessed today was frightening, and Americans should find it frightening too.”

Addressing the challenge ahead for African leaders, Akinyemi cautioned that President Bola Tinubu and other African presidents will find it difficult to engage with Trump’s administration.

“So if you are asking President Bola Tinubu or African presidents to try and fathom a pathway to engage Trump, I will say they’ve got a heavy-duty on their hands,” the diplomat concluded.

The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has sought the appropriation of N260 billion by the National Assembly in the 2025 fiscal year to create 2 million jobs.

Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction Professor Nentawe Yilwatda requested on Friday in his presentation to the National Assembly joint committee on Poverty reduction and social investment during the 2025 budget defence session.

He said, “The National Assembly should note that the Ministry has a mandate to create 2 million jobs by 2025.

“This will be achieved through a combination of efforts: The ministry has already procured starter packs seven that enable over 110,000 beneficiaries to embark on self-reliant ventures. These starter packs are vital tools for entrepreneurship and economic growth.

“However, to ensure the success of these programmes, we require N55 billion funds to conduct a 2-week intensive training for all beneficiaries, payment of resource persons and logistics funding to facilitate the effective distribution of the starter packs at N45,000 per beneficiary.

“There is a need for monitoring and evaluation to ensure the transparency and sustainability of these initiatives at N5,000 per beneficiary.

“Additionally, we need to train 50,000 unemployed graduates and nongraduates under our Skill2Wealth Initiative, which seeks to create many micro and small-scale businesses.

“This will cost N50 billion (at N1,000,000 per beneficiary: covering training in all the 36 states and FCT, Starter pack, linkage to the market and M&E).”

“There is also the need to create a budget line for the Humanitarian Response Fund of N10 billion for communities affected by climate-change-related disasters, conflicts and man-made crises, including flooding, fire outbreaks and insurgency attacks that have displaced thousands.

“In the same vein, another budget line of N15 billion is required in the 2025 fiscal year for durable solutions for households affected by the disaster in 2024, just as

The Ministry requires an additional N130 billion as Intervention Fund to resolve these humanitarian and Poverty reduction challenges across the country in 2025″.

While responding to questions concerning the non-implementation of the 5,000 Vulnerable Nigerians, the Minister assured that efforts would be intensified to get Mr President’s approval for the release of the sum of N3.7 billion approved in the 2024 Appropriation Act as a Grant to 5,000 Vulnerable Groups domiciled with Access Bank for onward disbursement to the beneficiaries.

According to the Minister, the Ministry’s 2025 overhead ceiling was increased from the sum of N682.682.013billion in 2024 to the sum of N978,386,116.00billion in 2025, representing a 43.31% increase above the 2024 budget with a view to the cushioning effect of inflation.

He, however, lamented that the capital budget ceiling of N4,601,092.674.00 billion will not be able to address the ever-increasing humanitarian challenges, saying, ” It is worth noting that global humanitarian support from donor countries has dropped, and most donors are targeting the Middle East, Sudan, and Ukraine.”

The Minister, who was accompanied by the National Coordinator of the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA), Mr Gbadamosi Lawan, also solicited the amendment of the NSIPA Act to address some of the gaps that may hamper the agency’s effective operations, especially in the area of funding, such as recurrent expenditure.

In their separate responses, the co-chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Idiat Adebule and Hon Abdulkadir Jobe, assured the Minister of the National Assembly’s readiness to provide sufficient funds for the Ministry in the 2025 fiscal year for its various intervention programmes geared towards reducing poverty among vulnerable Nigerians and mitigating humanitarian crises.