SHETTIMA CHALLENGE: NECESSARY? (AND FOUR OTHER THINGS)

Vice Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 Elections, Senator Kashim Shettima.

For a majority of last week all through my Twitter timeline, I could see images and video compilations of Nigerians emulating the NBA conference outfit of the Former Governor of Borno State and the Vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Senator Kashim Shettima in an attempt to mock him. Apparently, Shettima had dressed in a three button suit, an evidently oversized trouser with a long tie, then capping it off with a pair of sport shoes. The icing on the cake was that the moment he was captured on camera, he happened to be frowning. It was actually laughable and probably that was why Nigerians decided to hump on the Shettima Challenge. But personally, I feel the challenge is unecessary and it's a form of misplaced priority, by the Nigerian youths.

An average Nigerian youth aged 18 to 24 is at home due to the prolonged and now politicized ASUU strike. In this period, education is needlessly prolonged and destines delayed, for apparently no reason considered to be valid. As youths and students, we have no sin when we talk about this supposed struggle. We have no faults. But the majority of the strike impact is in us. Our mates in private universities and polytechnics are at least, a step higher than ourselves. The National Executive Council of ASUU met yesterday. Another strike extension has been reported. Maybe it's actually time to move on with our lives and get alternative legal engagements, we never can tell. But here we are, chasing clout over a man who is milestones ahead of us.

An average Nigerian cannot boast of three square meals a day. The economy is bad. Though the economy grew 3.5% year-on-year in the three months through June, compared with 3.1% in the first quarter, with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of 10 economists around 2.9%, a lot of businesses are down and dead. These times are hard times financially for the average Nigerian. It's not a new thing to see beggars on the road and under bridges, but now it's like rge numbers have multiplied. People are no longer able to take care of their families. Life has been made hard for the common man. Almost nothing is thriving in the land and all we do is mock a man with some kind of funny dressing. We can definitely do better. 

Right now, we need a leadership that will solve our problems as a nation. We need a leadership that will restore senses to our land. We need a leadership that will ensure sanity returns to public offices, a leader that will talk and do. A leader that will restore hope. We shouldn't go around judging outfits or mocking clothing. Nigerians like to catch fun but we must stay focused. 2023 is almost here. We shouldn't be distracted with the distractions on the road to a better Nigeria. We should only continue to press forward and shun every uneccesary talk. God help us. Amen. 

AND FOUR OTHER THINGS.

COURT DISMISSES ABBA KYARI'S EXTRADITION SUIT.

Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed a suit instituted by the Federal Government seeking to extradite the suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police DCP, Abba Kyari to the United States of America.

The judge, in a judgment on Monday, held that the extradition request filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, on behalf of the Federal Government lacked merit and is liable to dismissal. The Federal Government fiiled the extradition charges against Kyari to pave way for his extradition to America to answer fraud allegations.

Justice Ekwo, however, held that the Federal Government has no basis to file the extradition request having put Abba Kyari on trial in Nigeria in relation to the allegations against him in America.

OBASANJO DISMISSES SPECIAL CANDIDATE REPORTS.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said he does not have a special candidate in the 2023 presidential election in the country, but only has a national agenda. Obasanjo stated this on Sunday when he paid a visit to a former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, at his Uphill residence in Minna, the Niger State capital.

Obasanjo, who was responding to questions by journalists, said he was currently involved in a national agenda.His comments came amid the general belief that he has endorsed the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, for the presidency in 2023.

“I don’t have a special interest in any presidential candidate of any political party against the 2023 general election in the country,  but I have a national agenda. I have come to see my brother who was a bit indisposed and when he was abroad I had wanted to visit him, and the day I arrived in London to visit him was the day he left. So I said, well, since I could not see him in London, I will come to see him in Nigeria. And so, that is what I have come to do,” Obasanjo said.

PRO-CHANCELLORS: ASUU MEMBERSHIP ISN'T VOLUNTARY.

The Committee of Pro-chancellors of state universities on Monday said state universities could not be coerced to implement the agreement reached between the Federal Government and lecturers in Federal Universities under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

The pro-chancellors also stated that there was a need for the democratisation of memberships of unions in the universities, noting that state varsities’ membership was voluntary.

Also, the spokesperson of the ministry of education, Ben Goong, had told our correspondent that the agreement between the Federal Government and ASUU wouldn’t be binding on state universities.

KEYAMO URGES PASTORS TO STOP ELECTION PREDICTIONS.

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and spokesperson for the presidential campaign organisation of the All Progressives Congress, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has advised pastors and other clerics to learn lessons from 2015 and avoid throwing their weight behind some candidates.

He said, “Having pastors tilt towards a particular candidate is a good thing for the country but after they fail, they will now go back to their core mandate. It is a mistake they are making and it is important they make it. I thought they would have learnt their lessons to separate the church from politics in 2015, they have not.

“Only God alone can give and dictate who he gives power to. God has not given them that mandate to choose who should rule over a nation. However, when you are trying to make that mistake, God will take back their mandate which is to win souls.