​Why I Am Not Surprised Buhari Didn’t Retain Me – Dalung

A former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Solomon Dalung, has stated that he was not surprised President Muhammadu Buhari did not reappoint him.

Dalung served as the nation’s sports minister during the first term of President Buhari but Sunday Dare was appointed in 2019 to replace him.

Speaking in an interview with The Punch, Dalung stated that he carried out his duties in Buhari’s first term without looking to be retained.

According to the former minister, he could have contracted COVID-19 at the beginning of the pandemic if he was reappointed.

Dalung said: “For me, I have this attitude which people hardly notice. I am not a man of second chances. In every opportunity I have in my life, I don’t anticipate coming back, rather, I take my time to do everything I can do.

“I sometimes told my friends that I was brought in as a minister by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria not to come back for a second term. I only made sure I spent the four years in such a manner that if I was not returned, I would have achieved what I wanted to achieve.

“So, I am not surprised because appointment is the will of God; if it is not meant for you, you will not have it. For me, it is never at all surprising. It rather props my conscience to begin to think otherwise because if peradventure I was (re)appointed, I might not have been alive today.

“Considering the office of the Minister of Sports and the travel schedules, I possibly could have travelled out of the country at the beginning of this coronavirus pandemic and nobody knows what could have happened.
“When I think of these things, I pick up my Bible and thank God for sparing my life.”

​Kaduna SWAN Appoints Shehu Dikko As Patron

By Habila Victor, Kaduna

Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Kaduna State Chapter yesterday formally presented the plaque, mofler appointment to the Leaque Management Committee (LMC) Chairman and vice President of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Malam Shehu Dikko as her patron.

It would be recalled that Dikko was appointed as the second Patron to the State Chapter of the association but was unavailable for the presentation where the President of Nigeria Volleyball Federation (NVBF) Engr. Musa Nimrod was also appointed and presented with his plaque and mofler accordingly.

Making the presentation at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium, Kaduna during the half time in the encounter between Kano Pillars and Enugu Rangers in the ongoing Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL), the Vice President SWAN, Northwest Zone, Alhaji Lurwanu Idris  Malikawa said, the appointment was in recognition of his contribution to sports development in the country.

Earlier, the Chairman SWAN, Kaduna chapter, Isaiah Benjamin flanked by some of his executives and members said, Dikko has been identified to have made Kaduna State proud and that his appointment as patron is to spur him to further do more in making Kaduna and Nigeria as a whole proud in sports advancement.

Receiving the appointment, Dikko commended Kaduna State Chapter of SWAN for finding him worthy of such appointment, promising not to let down the confidence reposed on him.

He further assured to give necessary support to the activities of the Association in the state while reiterating his appreciation to the SWAN family for the honour done to him, which he said he will cherish forever.

​Murder: Sokoto poly authorities say The Nation report on incident misleading , false , not balance

Authorities of the Umaru Ali Shinkafi Polytechnic , Sokoto has described as false the content of story published by The Nation Newspaper in its March 6th, 2021 edition on the incident of the death of one of its students, saying it did not fulfill the requisite of a balanced report.

According to the school authorities, the newspaper did not consult the management of the institution to get the facts of the matter on the incident before publication.

“The story is misleading to the readership and a dent to the image of the peace loving institution”.

Addressing a press conference Saturday evening at the school’s conference room, Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Aminu Ibrahim in reaction to the development said the two students involved in the incident were both in their second semester of NDI and not NDII as portrayed in the publication.
“The students involved are all off campus where it the incident happened”.

Ibrahim however, explained that the unfortunate incident did not happen on the school campus, pointing out that “the school never got shut nor its activities as a result of the incident. School activities are ongoing as scheduled”, he stated.

Accordingly, Ibrahim said the suspect had since been in police custody since the occurrence of the unfortunate development and was never released.

“And I want to state that there is no tension nor protest in Sokoto town or school premises as a result of the incident which is contrary to the newspaper report”.

He hitherto said the alleged student interviewed with name ” Aliu kareem” according to the newspaper , was neither a student of the school nor a member of the Federated Association of Oyo State Students on the campus.

Ibrahim further extended the school management condolences to the family of the victim while assuring that the police was on top of the matter as investigation was ongoing.

“The publication has raised concerns from the institution especially at a time that the country is battling against numerous national challenges that borders on security, ethnic , economy among others”, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, Kisi Progressives Union, Sokoto branch had written to the Sokoto state Commissioner of police, Kamaldeen Kola requesting the closure of the case of late Zainab Bisola Owoade and Nafisat Usman who was said to have murdered the earlier.

The letter jointly signed by the union Chairman, Oseni Abdulhakim and Secretary, Abdulrahman Raji said the reason for requesting the closure of the was to avoid further consequences that may emanate from the unfortunate incident.

Accordingly it reads in part “the union is authorised by the Iba Kisi, Oba Alayeoluwa Arowodiye II to appeal to the CP to close the case”.

However, the letter was supported by a seven paragraph affidavit from a Sokoto High Court sworn to by one Murtala Ayinde , guardian to the deceased student who has since been buried according to Islamic injunctions.

Bursted! Zulum Discovers 650 Ghost Households in IDP Camp at Midnight

Around midnight on Sunday, Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum showed up at Mohammed Goni College of Islamic Legal Studies in Maiduguri, where internally displaced persons from Abadam local government area of northern Borno were being camped. Zulum immediately sealed entrance and supervise a headcount to identify actual IDPs, in order to put a stop to rampant cases of dubious residents pretending to be displaced, who spend day times at IDP camps to share food meant for IDPs, and towards the night, they return to their homes to sleep, with some of benefiting from other means through which the state distributes food to vulnerable non IDPs in communities. Governor Zulum’s mission, which ended past 1am, discovered that out of 1,000 households in the records of humanitarian officials, 650 households were ghosts.450 households were found to be real IDPs after Zulum’s midnight headcount which was conducted by the governor alongside an official of the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA, Air Commodore M. T. Abdullahi, and two commissioners (Agriculture, and Local Government and Emirate Affairs).In humanitarian system, a household normally consist of at least six persons who are either related through families, or chosen to stay together for the purpose of receiving household aids. Officials who were part of the midnight headcount said Governor Zulum was not averse to approving support for any citizen who may be vulnerably in need of food since there is a committee doing that, however, the Governor is vehemently opposed to some residents making dubious claims in other to take what is meant for IDPs while also benefiting from other existing welfare activities that target non IDPs.