Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, on Sunday, sent a special message to Nigerian women, thanking them for the resilience and sacrifices in raising a society of great men and women, of which he counts himself part of.

Akpabi, who used the occasion of this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) to express his sentiments, conveyed through Eseme Eyiboh, his spokesman praised them declared that he was a practical example of the beneficiary of the wonders of women, as the best gift God has given man.

Eyiboh, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, quoted his boss as saying: “Today, I join the globe to celebrate our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, colleagues, and friends who wake up each day and work to make the world a better place. Your relentless efforts can never go unnoticed.

“I am the biggest beneficiary of the love, care, compassion and sacrifice of a woman. My mother gave her all to raise me up to become what I am today. I remain ever grateful and appreciative of what our women and mothers go through in raising their children, supporting the family and building societies.

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“I congratulate the Nigerian Woman on the auspicious occasion of this year’s International Women’s Day. I respect and cherish your strength, resilience and invaluable contributions to our nation.  As a legislature and in consonance with the theme of this year’s celebration, “Give and Gain”, we are committed to pushing for robust investment in our womenfolk in all spheres of life, especially female participation in the economic and political processes of our nation.

“On behalf of my family, constituents, the Senate and 10th National Assembly, I congratulate all women and wish all our mothers, sisters, daughters and aunties a blessed and peaceful celebration. May your efforts never go in vain.”

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For Daniel Bwala, it was somewhat the biblical story of Daniel in the den of lions being replicated in modern days, as he climbed the hot seat in the studios of Aljazeera for what could be described as his testiest media encounter just yet.

At the popular Head to Head encounter, an audience participation encounter on the global television channel, Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, was confronted with statements he made in the past against his boss, which he roundly denied at the most.

Confronted by Mehdi Hasan, the anchor of the programme, the presidential spokesman, who had gone to the station to further sell the Tinubu government to the global community, flatly denied calling the President a corrupt man, an anti-democrat and a killer, all pointing to claims he made as an opposition spokesman.

Titled: Nigeria: ‘Renewed Hope’ or ‘Hopelessness’? Hasan loaded with a surfeit of Bwala’s comments, which he constantly read from, for instance, wanted to know if it was not the same Bwala who linked his boss with forming a militia in Nigeria to win election.

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The encounter went thus:

Hassan: “Tinubu and his people created a militia! You said those words.

Bwala: “Tinubu and his people didn’t create a militia. That’s that.

Hasan: Then why did you say they did on January second 2023?

Bwala: I never said that!

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Hasan: Does he have a militia that tried to kill you?

Bwala: He never had. I never said he tried to kill me!

Hasan, quoting Bwala: I, myself has received a threat from him and his camp!

Bwala: I never said that.

Hasan: You said it was so corrupt – the 2023 election – Tinubu’s win – you said you couldn’t eat food for three days!

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Bwala (chuckling): I never said that! Where?

Bwala also denied saying that the bullion vans that went into Tinubu’s Bourdillon home in Ikoyi Lagos, in 2019, questioned whether those who reported the movement claimed they saw money inside the van.

Hasan: Was there no money in the bullion vans?

Bwala: How am I to know?

Hasan: You said there was money in the van at the time. February 2023?

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Bwala: I never said that.

On insecurity, the Aljazeera anchor also took the presidential spokesman through the route of documented evidence, citing groups like Amnsty International (AI), citing the damning situation in the country.

Hasan: Amnesty International says you’re failing in insecurity. The numbers don’t lie.

Bwala: It’s unfortunate and as a government working day and night to redeem the bad situation.

Hasan: And it’s getting worse.

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Bwala: I don’t agree to the fact that it’s getting worse

Hasan: How can it not get worse when more people die in one year than the previous year?

Bwala: Context matters

Hasan: What’s the context?

Bwala: The context is that it’s not getting worse. The context is that it’s not getting worse – you see, this is water – lifting a glass of water – if you have the water half, you could say half-glass filled or half-empty. Isn’t it right?

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So, the Western media always see Nigeria, Africa and some of the activities in Africa as half-empty! But we see it as half-full, because when we look at it and when I say context matters, before the President took the oath of office, we knew the situation in Nigeria.

Hasan: And you made it worse?

Bwala: When he made the decision to take bold steps to put Nigeria in better trajectory, we were well aware it was going to be difficult.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday assured Nigerians and members of the Armed Forces that the nation will ultimately prevail against all forms of insecurity, emphasising that the sacrifices of the country’s brave servicemen and women will never be in vain.

Tinubu, during an interfaith breaking of fast with members of the Armed Forces at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to the welfare of officers and men on the frontlines, saying, the nation would always be grateful to men and women in uniform putting their lives on the line to secure Nigerians.

His words: “I have listened to the Chief of Army Staff on my recent approvals to the Nigerian Armed Forces. My duty is to thank all of you on behalf of a grateful nation, knowing fully well that many times you are without your families and that you stay away from them. Some of you are facing attacks by bandits and terrorists.

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“I commend your courage, sacrifice, and professionalism as you put your lives on the line in defence of Nigeria’s sovereignty and the safety of its citizens. The gallant efforts of the security forces have continued to degrade the capabilities of terrorist groups and bandits operating in various parts of the country.

“You have been working to serve the country deeply and protect our sovereignty. This nation will always be grateful to you, and your sacrifices will not be in vain, I assure you.”

While assuring the officers and main of his continued investment in modern equipment, intelligence, and logistics to enhance their operational effectiveness, the President thanked Nigerians for their endurance during the economic reengineering.

He added: “I am happy to inform you that your sacrifices and that of fellow citizens, all the sacrifices are not in vain. We are now out of the dark tunnel. I use this opportunity to extend my heartfelt sympathy to the government and people of Borno State over the recent terrorist attack in the state.

Oluwafemi Oluyode, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) represented by Waidi Shaibu, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), had earlier commended the President for various approvals which had enhanced their welfare and operational efficiency, promising that this would boost the morales of troops.

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His words: “I want to appreciate the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces for the auspicious opportunity of marking the breaking of fast for both faiths. This unique period offers us the opportunity to renew our service and our commitments to our fatherland.

“I want to most sincerely thank our indefatigable President for the various approvals for the upward review of salaries of members of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, as well as the upward review of allowances of the Brigade of Guards.

“These various approvals also extend to the areas of equipment procurement as well as the provision of decent accommodations for the members of the armed forces. These laudable approvals will go a long way in enhancing our operational efficiency, and I assure you that they are well-received by all members of the armed forces.”

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