News

Amb Tony Young Godswill Appeals to President Tinubu for Immediate Action on National Discontent

Published

2 years ago

July 26, 2024

In a heartfelt open letter, Ambassador Tony Young Godswill has passionately appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to address the mounting discontent among Nigerians, ahead of a planned national peace protest slated for August 1, 2024.

Amb. Godswill, in his letter, expressed deep concern over the current state of the nation and highlighted the importance of the President’s role in easing the nation’s tensions. He drew a compelling parallel between Nigeria’s current situation and the biblical story of blind Bartimaeus, emphasizing the need for President Tinubu to listen to the people’s cries and take decisive action to address their grievances.

“Nigerians have been crying out for attention and action,” Godswill wrote. “Asking us to calm down and keep quiet without solving our immediate needs will only worsen the situation and may turn violent.”

Amb. Godswill began by emphasizing the love and support many Nigerians, including himself, have for President Tinubu and their collective desire for his success in office. He urged the President to see the current unrest as a call to action, akin to the cry of blind Bartimaeus who sought help from Jesus. Just as Bartimaeus’s persistent cries were eventually heard, so too must the cries of Nigerians be acknowledged and addressed.

Immediate Steps Recommended

Amb. Godswill laid out several specific recommendations for the President to consider in the days leading up to the planned protest:

1. Acknowledge the People’s Cries: Just as Bartimaeus’s persistent cries drew the attention of Jesus, Nigerians are crying out for the attention of their President. Ignoring these cries or simply asking for patience without taking concrete steps to address immediate needs will only intensify the unrest.

2. Initiate a Stakeholder Meeting: Amb. Godswill advised President Tinubu to convene a meeting with respected leaders of the masses to peacefully discuss their demands. “This move will show the masses that we have finally gotten the attention of Mr. President and create immediate calmness across the nation,” he stated.

3. Address Pressing Needs: While acknowledging that Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved completely within a four-year term, Amb. Godswill emphasized the need for the President to begin addressing the most urgent issues. “Nigerians need to see that you understand their pressing demands and have begun to make necessary moves to address them systematically,” he added. This, he argued, would restore public confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership and his promise of renewed hope.

4. Be Wary of Internal Saboteurs: Amb. Godswill highlighted the presence of potential saboteurs within the President’s cabinet who may secretly wish for his administration to fail. He warned that the use of force or threats to quell the planned protests would likely backfire, as many Nigerians already feel threatened by the government. Instead, he recommended initiating a peace dialogue with key leaders of the masses.

Amb. Godswill’s letter is both a plea and a roadmap for navigating the nation’s current challenges. He stressed the importance of empathy and genuine engagement with the populace, urging the President to act as a father figure who listens and responds to the legitimate concerns of his children.

“It is crucial now, more than ever, for you to listen to the voices of the people and address their legitimate demands,” he wrote. “We Nigerians urgently need a genuine show of empathy from our number one citizen and President. This will calm our nerves and give us RENEWED HOPE.”

The Role of Trusted Advisors

In his concluding remarks, Amb. Godswill underscored the value of listening to trusted advisors, specifically mentioning Prophet Dr. Isa El-Buba. He described Dr. El-Buba as a man of proven integrity and genuine love for the masses, who desires nothing more than a better and brighter Nigeria for all its citizens.

“I pray that God restores peace and prosperity across Nigeria, and bless you with more wisdom, good health, and strength to lead this great nation to the promised land,” he wrote.

Amb. Tony Young Godswill serves as the National Secretary and North Central Regional Coordinator for the Initiative for Better and Brighter Nigeria (IBBN). His letter reflects a deep commitment to the well-being of Nigeria and its citizens, urging President Tinubu to take immediate and compassionate action to address the nation’s current challenges

Business

REA Ends 16 Years of Darkness in Two Kano Communities

Published

3 hours ago

October 25, 2026

PlateauReports

BY GABRIEL MICHEAL—The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has again advanced its goal of deepening electricity access across the country with the commissioning of two mini-grid projects in Kano State after over sixteen years of darkness.

The agency commissioned two projects comprising a 195kWp system in Ballagaza and a 70kWp system in Marayar Rogo, located in Warawa, which will serve 2,222 households ending over sixteen years of darkness.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director of REA, Abba Aliyu, described the project as another step toward achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda’s goal of electrifying over 17 million Nigerians.

He described the project as a strong example of what public-private partnerships can achieve.

He also thanked the Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf for identifying electricity as a key deliverable of his administration and for providing a conducive environment for the execution of the project.

“The Federal Government did not build these mini-grids and hand them over. Alfuttaim Nigeria Limited invested its own money, built them, and will own and operate them for many years. What the government did, through the DARES programme delivered by the REA with support from the World Bank, was to subsidize part of the cost to ensure the electricity is affordable for you.”

“Under DARES, Nigeria is working toward 1,350 mini-grids, and the programme has already brought new or improved electricity to more than five million Nigerians. Our country still has more people without electricity than any other nation in the world. That challenge will not be solved by a single agency or programme; it will be solved community by community, in places like Ballagaza and Marayar Rogo, when private companies are willing to invest and communities take ownership of what is built for them. The government’s job is to keep its word to both,” he said.

The Gabazawa community which is known for groundnuts, millet, sorghum, and soya, as well as its blacksmiths, weavers, and dyers, will experience advanced production, allowing groundnuts to be pressed into oil and kuli-kuli using electric machines and sold at a better price.

The mini-grid project will also serve the primary healthcare centre in the Gabazawa community, which has previously been without power.

In her remarks at the event, the Co-founder of Alfuttaim, Dr. Nabilah Sani, expressed delight at the completion of the project, noting that it will not only power homes but also boost agricultural productivity.

She thanked the Federal Government for facilitating the funding that brought the project to fruition while noting that these are just two of ten sites currently under development in Kano.

She further urged residents of the community to protect the infrastructure as their own and shun vandalism.

The post REA Ends 16 Years of Darkness in Two Kano Communities appeared first on Business Today NG.

News

Starlink seems to be working normally again in Ukraine

Published

3 hours ago

October 25, 2026

PlateauReports

SpaceX appears to have lifted restrictions the Ukrainian military’s of use Starshield — the military-grade version of the company’s Starlink internet system.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara told reporters that Starshield appears to be working normally again, although the military is still conducting tests and has not received an explanation for the restrictions.

This follows a 10-day period where Ukrainian drones would lose internet connectivity when flying at speeds of around 100 miles per hour, resulting in the military losing control of some drones, while others became more vulnerable because they were flying more slowly.

President Donald Trump reportedly called SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday and asked him to restore Starshield service. Both Trump and Musk have criticized Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, with Musk recently posting, “Zelensky has gone too far.”

The WSJ previously reported that Musk ordered SpaceX to throttle Ukraine’s Starlink access, though some sources claimed he’d discussed it with the Trump administration first. Musk claimed in a post on X that Ukraine had “violated Starlink terms of service and used it for offensive drone strikes to kill people.”

“Were Starlink to be turned off, the Ukrainian front line would collapse immediately,” Musk said. “This is NOT a threat, it is simply a statement of fact.”