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Published 13 March 2021
The body of Ivory Coast Prime Minister Hamed Bakayoko was flown home on Saturday, two days after he died in Germany.
Bakayoko, who turned 56 last Monday and died following cancer treatment in Germany, was popular for reaching across the political spectrum in the bitterly divided West African country.
His death came just days after a rare trouble-free election in which all sides took part.
President Alassane Ouattara, dressed in a dark suit and wearing a black hat, welcomed the coffin at Abidjan’s international airport.
Hundreds of supporters of Bakayoko known as “Hambak” looked on from the sidelines as the coffin was taken to a funeral home, many of them wearing white T-shirts emblazoned with slogans including “Farewell HamBak, our inspiration!” or “HamBak forever in our hearts”.
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Alexander Okere
Published 14 March 2021
A former early career fellow in the Department of Politics at University of Oxford, Ike Okonta, has described effective political leadership and liberal democracy as essential factors that would promote true federalism in Nigeria.
Okonta, who stated this in his book, ‘Nigeria and the Challenges of Federalism,’ said the reluctance of Nigeria’s political leaders, from the colonial era to the present time, to put forward a constitution that would be reflective of the diversities that exist among Nigerians contributed to the country’s current problems.
“The second vital ingredient necessary for federalism to thrive and prosper is effective political leadership. Federalism is by design a system that depends on consensus, given and taken and the ability to take the long view for it to work.
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Godwin Isenyo, Kaduna
Published 14 March 2021
The Kaduna State Government says bandits attacked Government Science Secondary School, Ikara in Kara Local Government Area of the state in an attempt to kidnap students of the school.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, confirmed the attack.
He said “307 students were rescued unhurt” by troops who foiled the attempted kidnap.
The attack, according to the commissioner, took place between Saturday night and the early hours of Sunday.
On the foiled attempt on the school, Aruwan upon alerting security operatives on the bandits’ invasion by the students, the troops of the Nigerian Army, Police, and some security volunteers moved swiftly to the school and engaged the bandits, forcing them to flee.
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Sodiq Oyeleke
Sodiq Oyeleke
Published 14 March 2021
The Federal High Court in Abuja has been asked to restrain and stop President Muhammadu Buhari and the Federal Government from borrowing an estimated N895bn of Nigerians’ money in the form of their unclaimed dividends and balances in dormant accounts.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project filed the lawsuit after the recent move by the Federal Government to take over and borrow unclaimed dividends and dormant account balances owned by Nigerians in any bank in the country. But the same legislation explicitly excludes dormant official bank accounts by all branches of government and their agencies.