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The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it is in partnership with the Association of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS) to key into the initiative of War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) by the agency.

The Commander, NDLEA Zone J (Ondo), Mr Bawa Parah, stated this on Wednesday in Akure during a town hall meeting with principals of all secondary schools in Ondo State.

Parah said the WADA initiative was conceived by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the agency, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa and had identified principals of secondary schools as major stakeholders.

He said that they were important, being the custodians of students and the reason the meeting was being held to protect students (youths) from being victims of drug abuse.

Parah, who quoted the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in 2018 “revealing that 14.3 million Nigerians between the ages of 15 and 64 years were involved in drug abuse, said the figure posed serious calls for concern’’.

He said the meeting was important to allow NDLEA to gain access to schools for periodic sensitisation of the students on dangers and implications of involvement in drugs and crimes.

“WADA is indeed a tool for community and stakeholders’ collaboration to collectively address the cankerous drug dread.

“Having identified secondary school principals as major stakeholders, being the custodians of students – our youths – the Marwa administration directed that town hall meetings be organised and held with you for the purposes of protecting our dear Students from being victims of drug abuse.

“Let us all take note that the insecurity confronting our dear nation and indeed the entire world today is being fuelled, propelled and energised by involvement in drug abuse and trafficking.

“We must all therefore take a stand against such vices by saying ‘NO! TO DRUGS’ whilst firmly acknowledging that a society free from drug/substance abuse is almost or near a crime-free society.

“We must therefore all work and guide our students towards such a society,” he said.

Parah urged the principals to put machinery to monitor clandestinely, the activities of students with a view to discouraging drug-related crime and ensure a zero-tolerance posture for drug abuse.

The State Commander of the NDLEA, Mr Mumuni Raji, urged the principals to take the message to the students to secure the future of the country.

Raji said that drug is evil and would do anyone no good and urged everyone to turn up and fight the monster.

The Tutor-General, Ondo Central Senatorial District, Mr Rufus Ojo, appreciated NDLEA for the love, care and concern for the future of Nigerian Youths.

Ojo said he was happy with the journey of sensitisation of principals who were the middlemen between parents and the students.

“The issue of drug abuse, alcoholism and youth violence which have gained so much ground in our schools and among our youths has been a concern to all stakeholders.

“Government has tried by organizing programmes in secondary schools across the state to curb this menace but it cannot do it alone,” he said.

The PROVIDUS BANK SME CLINIC is a 4 days intensive training program designed to interact with states small medium enterprises. The Ondo State Enterprise engagement was organized by Providus bank management in partnership with Center for Enterprises Development – Pan-Atlantic University. The program was fully coordinated by the SSA to the governor on women affairs, Mrs. Kehinde Adeniran (Madam Kay-Kay) and the chairman house commitee on women affairs, Ondo state house of assembly, Hon. (Princess) Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu who was one of the panelist where young entrepreneurs had the opportunity to pitch thier business ideas and qualified for loan support from Providus bank after a well taught section on business development strategies by facilitators from Pan-African university, Lekki-Lagos.

All business sectors were covered ranging from agricultural production/value chain distribution and consumables, fashion and textile, skincare and cosmetics, manufacturing and supplies and so on. The entrepreneurs had the privilege to pitch their business plans to the panelists. Some business were formed into corporative for easy access to bulk funds while some enterprises will be dealt with directly.

Hon. (Princess) Olawumi Fayemi-Obayelu urges the participants to utilize their knowledge gained from facilitators and judiciously use their funding for its purpose. She further shared her experience as an entrepreneur shortly before assuming office to encourage the business owners and also emphasize on the importance of the SWOT analysis and proper management of their working capital and business activities as a whole. As a graduate of business administration and a master’s degree holder in business management and a human resource practitioner, it was clear that she knows the intrigues of business management and didn’t waste time to explain reasons why business fails and why they succeed with the challenges of the dynastic and rapid change of the economy of Nigeria. She further explain the challenges faced by small business owners with the current hike in dollar rates and fuel prices.

She also commended the president of the Federal republic of Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu, GCFR and the Governor of Ondo state Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, CON towards their efforts to support Small business owners. She made familiar the SME opportunities across the country and how they can become a beneficiary of those programs. She also emphasized on the use of social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X to market their products. She however state the importance of branding, packaging and promotion of their products with the use of applications like CANVA, CAPCUT, FACETUNE and so on for graphics designing and product shoots for advertising their products to the world.

The lecture that was an interactive section was graced by participants who came from all the 18 local government of the state and were amazed at how well the program was organized and thanked the organizers for their thoughtful response to all questions asked.

The Honorable member of the house of assembly representing Ilaje constituency II along side the providus officials from their head office in lagos further presented certificates to all the participants of the program.

Lemadoro Felix Ife
S.A on Media, Students and Youths to Honorable Princess Olawumi Annah Fayemi-Obayelu , Representing Ilaje Constituency II.

©️ Fayemi Media Team [FMT]

As Nigerians today mark the nation’s 63 Independence anniversary, Organised Labour, yesterday, asked citizens, irrespective of ethnic, religious and political differences, to join the nationwide strike it called from October 3, saying it is the march to freedom, better living conditions and prosperity for all.


Through the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, the Organised Labour also pleaded with royal fathers and other well-meaning Nigerians to advise government to listen to labour and lessen the suffering across the country.

“This nation can work for all of us. This nation can be made beautiful but good things do not just happen; they are worked out. Liberty is not a ripe fruit that falls to the ground on its own accord. With our hands joined together as the owners of Nigeria, in truth and one heart, we can work for our freedom. Let us awaken this giant and make it work for us,” the NLC said in an emotional tone.

In an independent anniversary massage titled Nigeria: ‘The travails of a mismanaged giant’, NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the struggle from October 3 is for Nigeria to rise and shine once more as a beacon of hope and prosperity for all its citizens.

Ajaero noted that Nigeria, with all its flaws at conception, possesses a great potential to be amongst the best economies of the world.

“As we mark this Independence Day, let us do so with a renewed sense of purpose. Let us acknowledge our past, confront our present challenges, and collectively work towards a brighter future for Nigeria,” he stated.

“Together, we can reclaim the greatness that has eluded us for too long. It is time for Nigeria to rise and shine once more as a beacon of hope and prosperity for all its citizens. Remember, when we stand as one refusing to be divided, we will triumph. We call on all Nigerians to join us on the 3rd day of October around Nigeria to begin our march to freedom through the indefinite nationwide strike.

”To this end, the Nigeria Labour Congress beckons on all of us to join hands from all parts of the nation; the North, the East, the West and the South to build the needed coalition to make our nation truly an independent nation.


“As we celebrate Nigeria’s 63rd independence anniversary, it is important that we drew our attention to the fact that this nation was once a great nation filled with great hope inspired by great leaders until inept and corrupt leaders took over the helms of affairs and ran the country aground. The crisis of leadership is truly the crisis of our national development.

“The continued mismanagement of our resources has made it difficult for us a nation and as a people to make sustainable progress rather, we have continued to march backwards with every preceding year looking worse than the previous one.

“Regrettably, the decades that followed were marked by a series of missteps, mismanagement, and missed opportunities. The erosion of ethical governance, rampant corruption, and political instability became defining features of our nation. Instead of harnessing our potential for the collective good, our leaders often pursued personal interests, leaving the masses to grapple with the consequences.


”There is no other way to explain the fact that about 43 years ago, Nigeria had a vibrant Airline called the Nigeria Airways with a large fleet of Aircraft flying to several parts of the globe and owning large properties which spans almost half of Ikeja GRA and in London and capital cities of Europe. We had a national Shipping line that had in its fleet several Vessels which competed favourably with other shipping lines all over the world.

“Yet, as a nation, we have managed to deliberately become a nation with neither a national Airline nor a national shipping line. We became a nation that derives happiness in making a mockery of ourselves as was typified by the Nigeria Air debacle where we had to fake the ownership of an Airline by shamelessly borrowing and repainting an Aircraft from Ethiopian Airline.

“This period of independence must serve as a time when all of us have to seriously seek to question ourselves and thoroughly re-examine our actions as a people and as a nation.

“We have to soberly reflect on why we have moved from a once prosperous nation to become a country that is the poverty capital of the world with over 133million multi-dimensionally poor people. This number has since increased after the hike in the price of petrol (PMS) by His Excellency Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“It is indeed an opportunity to find how we have moved to a nation that had a refinery that was operational in the 1960s which grew into another three refineries in the 1980s but which have been deliberately made obsolete by those we have entrusted the leadership of our nation.

”Nigerians must seek to find out why we have become a nation that must import a product which can easily be refined in our nation and why the conscious sabotage of our economy by those who occupy the helm of affairs in our country? We must make conscious effort at finding out what the phantom called fuel subsidy is, how much was it worth, who was receiving the monies claimed to have been spent and why the obvious lies when the Direct Sales and Direct Purchase (DSDP) agreement was the framework for the import and distribution of products in Nigeria?

“Also of great importance is the willful bastardisation of the Naira and the attendant Dollarisation of the economy by the nation’s leaders. We need to find out whether truly a genuine foreign exchange market exists in its true sense in Nigeria. Why would the value of the nation’s currency continue a free fall when the value of accruals from crude is rising? What magic has made it difficult for the value of the Naira to remain stable against the Dollar especially when the Dollar is being pummeled all over the world?

”Workers all over Nigeria would want to find out why almost all the privatized entities were sold at a give away price to the so-called investors? Why is it that most of them have either been stripped and scrapped and no longer operational? Who are the real buyers of these entities? We will want to find out who bought the GENCOS and DISCOs, who bought the Ikot – Abasi Aluminium Smelter company.

“Why it is no longer producing but has been shut down? Nigerians deserve to know and we must ask this question: what is going on here?

”This Independence Day celebration should allow us to ask those who are leading us why they have refused to fund public Universities appropriately and have instead decided to establish and own private universities? We may wish to know why they have turned Nigeria from a country where foreigners took pride in coming for education to a country where majority of the citizens go abroad to obtain quality tertiary education. We would want to know why the elites have managed to price education out of the reach of the poor.

”It is also an opportunity for Nigerian workers to ask our leaders why our hospitals have been turned into places to go and die instead of places to go and be healed? We would want to find out why our healthcare system that used to boast of the patronage of influential individuals and families from all over the world have suddenly become anathema both to foreigners and the Nigerian rich? We want to find out why the rich throng abroad to treat minor ailments instead of making use of our health facilities?

”We want to find out what happened to the Ships in the defunct Nigeria Shipping line and what happened to the Aircraft and properties of Nigeria Airways that scattered all over the world. Who acquired them and at how much and where is the money from their acquisition? It will also be interesting to find out who acquired the Steel companies and why none of them is producing steel today?

”Much more, Nigerian workers will want to find out why it has become difficult for an army that fought the Civil war and won, fought in Lebanon, Sierra Leone and in Liberia to defeat the Boko Haram insurgents? We want to find out whether it is a deliberate tool to keep Nigeria in perpetual crisis.

”One of the most painful aspects of Nigeria’s journey has been the economic struggles faced by the majority of our citizens. Despite being blessed with abundant natural resources, poverty and unemployment have become entrenched in our society. The promise of prosperity for all remains elusive, as a significant portion of our population continues to live in abject poverty.

“Moreover, social disparities have widened, with a yawning gap between the privileged few and the marginalized many. Access to quality healthcare, education, and basicinfrastructure remains a distant dream for millions of Nigerians. This inequality not only undermines our social fabric but also hampers our collective progress.”

The Federal Government has declared Monday, October 2, 2023, as a public holiday for the commemoration of Nigeria’s 63rd Independence anniversary.


The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, announced this on behalf of the Federal Government on Thursday, September 28, 2023, in a statement by his ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Oluwatoyin Akinlade.

Tunji-Ojo said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to confronting the challenges facing the country.

“It is today a known fact that difficult socio-economic and security challenges are global, and Nigeria is not isolated.

“The Government is daily making efforts to confront these varied and numerous challenges with all the might available until respite comes our way,” the statement quoted him as saying.

“Our warm welcoming spirit and love as well as our unbounded human capital and the richness of our land makes Nigeria unarguably the leading black Nation in the World being Africa’s pride and beacon of hope for the Renewed Hope of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR.

“While wishing the citizens a memorable independence celebration, the Minister recalled that our founding fathers, despite the differences in faith, tribe and tongue, came together for Nigeria’s freedom which we enjoy today,” the statement added.

The minister assured Nigerians that President Tinubu’s administration through its Renew Hope Agenda would ensure a better Nigeria for all citizens, as a befitting tribute to the past leaders.

Meanwhile, the FG had earlier announced that the 63rd Independence anniversary would be celebrated in a low-key manner.

The government said it would not invite any world leaders to Nigeria for the celebration.