Buhari, others mourn Joda, who dies at 91, buried in Yola – Newstrends
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Buhari, others mourn Joda, who dies at 91, buried in Yola

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4 years ago

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Tributes have poured in for an elder statesman, Alhaji Ahmed Joda, who died on Friday at the age of 91 and has been buried.
The retired federal permanent secretary passed on at the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Adamawa State.
He was buried at the Yola cemetery in accordance with Islamic tradition.
He is survived by four children, among them a humanitarian, Asma’u Joda, Bilkisu, Aliyu and Abubakar.
Abubakar Joda described his father as a statesman who sacrificed everything to make Nigeria great.
“He was a father to most Nigerians; therefore, the loss is quite universal. We have received calls from virtually all over the world. He loved Nigeria more than anything. He was an astute man, very straightforward and did all his best at any time,” he said.
President Muhammadu Buhari described Joda as a hero.

In a tribute to the last surviving member of the cabinet of late Governor Hassan Usman, Buhari said that even in death, Joda “will continue to inspire every generation to move forward with love, brotherhood and harmony.”
In a statement issued on Friday by his media aide, Garba Shehu, Buhari highlighted Joda’s contributions to Nigeria’s unity and progress.
He prayed to Allah to accept his good deeds and grant fortitude to those he left behind in his family, the Adamawa Emirate Council and the entire people of the state to bear the loss.
Also paying tribute to the late Joda, former President Olusegun Obasanjo described him as a great Nigerian who was committed to unity, development and progress of the country.
In a statement by his special assistant on media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo noted, “If every Nigerian had the attributes of Joda, Nigeria would have been better than what it is now.”
He noted that Joda and other “super permanent secretaries” preserved the unity of Nigeria shortly after the country’s upheaval in 1966.
Joda was the chancellor of Bells University, Otta, and had about 60 years of friendship with Obasanjo.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also described Joda as a colossus and an iroko tree in Nigeria and the North.
Atiku said he received the news of his death with shock though he lived to a prime age. He noted that the former permanent secretary was among the first generation of people who put Adamawa State and the North on the map of modern Nigeria.
“Ahmed Joda, with few of his peers, wrote the rule book of Nigeria’s civil service. His footprints will remain indelible.
“As we mourn this great Nigerian with immense contribution to the growth of our country, we pray that the Almighty Allah accepts his soul and provides his family with the fortitude to bear the loss,” he stated.
An elder statesman, Tanko Yakasai, also described the late Joda as a very dedicated Nigerian and a national hero.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has described the death of Joda as the “end of a great era,” calling him one of the best public administrators in the post-independent Nigeria.
In a condolence message on Friday, the governor hailed the former NCC chairman as a patriot with sterling records of integrity and service to the nation.
“He belonged to the generation of Nigerians who gave their all to birth a greater country.
“His death is painful. It is a personal loss to me as one of his ‘adopted sons’ and protégées,” Abdulrazaq added.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, expressed sorrow over the death of Joda.
In a statement by his media aide, Willie Bassey, on Friday, Mustapha described the death of Joda as a personal loss as he derived inspiration and guidance from his wise counsel in the execution of government’s activities.
He recalled his sterling contribution in 2015 when he was appointed the chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, which led to a successful transition.
The SGF also mourns the passing away of Hajiya Hadiza Shagari, the widow of the late former president of Nigeria, Alhaji Shehu Shagari. He described the matriarch as a humble and dutiful wife.
He sent his condolence to the government and people of Adamawa and Sokoto states, the Sultan of Sokoto, and their families, praying God to grant the deceased Al-Jannah Firdaus.

Also, Abubakar Joda described his father as a statesman who sacrificed everything to make Nigeria great.
“He was a father to most Nigerians; therefore, the loss is quite universal. We have received calls from virtually all over the world.
“He loved Nigeria more than anything. He was an astute man, very straightforward and did all his best at any time,” he said.
The driver to the deceased in the last 41 years, Ahmed Ja-Allah, described his late boss as calm, caring, straightforward, hard working and honest.
“He hated corruption and bribery. Workers’ welfare was always his priority. As soon as it was 30th day of the month, he would not relent until every worker was paid,” he said.
A condolence message by the chief press secretary to the Adamawa State governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, Humwashi Wunosikou, eulogised Joda as an epitome of discipline and integrity.
A journalist, Abdullahi Tasiu Abubakar said, “Ahmed Joda was a well-respected elder statesman who was greatly admired, not just in his home state of Adamawa but throughout the country. He was simple, straightforward and honest.
“I remembered when I interviewed him in Yola several years ago; he was frank in his discussion. He was a man with great ideas on many issues: education, agriculture, sustainable development and so on. If his ideas had been used, Nigeria would not have been witnessing the herders-farmers clashes that are now bedevilling the country.”
Born in 1930, Joda had his early education at Yola Elementary and Middle School before proceeding to the Barewa College to complete his secondary education in 1948. He worked briefly at Moor Plantation in Ibadan.
Having received journalism training at the Pitsman College, London in the 1950s, he got his first journalism job at Gaskiya Corporation, Zaria, before his subsequent appointment as the editor of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission in Kaduna.
He joined the northern Nigeria civil service as chief information officer and rose to become a permanent secretary before moving to Lagos in 1967 to become a federal permanent secretary.
He was one of the powerful civil servants known as super permanent secretaries in the 1970s, who played an important role during and after the Nigerian civil war.
After the war, Joda was seconded to the Ministry of Education to help undertake the rehabilitation of facilities in the old East-Central region. That was also the time the ministry was in the process of establishing the Nigerian Universities Commission (NBC) and involved in the launch of the Universal Basic Education.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Joda on the Presidential Policy Advisory Committee headed by General Theophilus Danjuma (retd).
In 2015, the incoming President Muhammadu Buhari entrusted Joda with the chairmanship of the 18-member transition committee that coordinated the transfer of power from the outgoing President Goodluck Jonathan to Buhari. Earlier in 1979, he chaired the transition committee when General Obasanjo handed over power to the civilian government of President Shehu Shagari. He was also the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Industry.
Joda served as chairman and member of several governments and private bodies, including the National Communications Commission (NCC), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the Pastoral Resolve, SCOA Nigeria, LNG and the Nigeria Flour Mills.
He served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American University of Nigeria, Yola.

 

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NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

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17 hours ago

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April 14, 2025

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NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced the expansion of its Contactless Biometric Passport Application System to several countries in the Americas.

In a recent statement by ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja, confirmed that the service under Comptroller General Kemi Nandap is rolling out the next stage of implementation across Brazil, the United States, Mexico, and Jamaica this month.

The contactless system, which enables Nigerians living abroad to renew their travel document without physically visiting passport offices for biometric enrollment, went live in the United States on April 11. Mexico, Brazil and Jamaica are scheduled to gain access on April 14.

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“This expansion represents our commitment to innovative and efficient service delivery to Nigerians anywhere in the world,” said ACI AS Akinlabi, Service Public Relations Officer at NIS Headquarters in Abuja.

The application system is currently available on the Google Play Store as “NIS Mobile” and allows passport renewal without in-person biometric enrollment. An iOS version for Apple devices is under development and will be released soon, alongside an enhanced version of the Android app to improve user experience and accessibility.

The NIS further confirmed that the Contactless Passport App is now operational in Canada, the USA, Mexico, Jamaica, Brazil, Europe, and Asia. Australia and Nigeria itself remain pending, with implementation dates to be announced in the future.

 

NIS expands contactless passport renewal to United States, others

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Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

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18 hours ago

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April 14, 2025

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President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

The Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines, and Agriculture (NACCIMA) has expressed fear that unless the Federal Government takes deliberate steps to increase Nigeria’s non-export earnings, the current global tariff war may lead to job losses, low foreign exchange inflow, and economic instability.

This was the position of the President of NACCIMA, Dele Oye, as the chairman at the Vanguard Economic Discourse 2025 with the theme, “Nigeria’s Economic Outlook 2025: Hardship and Pathways to Sustainable Recovery”, held last week in Lagos.

Among other things, Oye who is also the Chairman of the Organised Private Sector of Nigeria (OPSN), emphasized the need for a viable and affordable homegrown democracy.

His words: “In this pivotal moment, we must recognize and confront the significant challenges before us—challenges that have been magnified by the advent of America’s “America First” policy.

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“This paradigm shift in global trade, driven by protectionism and tariffs, presents a unique and formidable array of obstacles for developing nations such as ours.

“The world we once knew, one characterized by cooperative, rules-based trading systems under the World Trade Organization, has given way to an environment fraught with uncertainty. This transformation not only disrupts global markets and supply chains but poses an acute threat to our competitive standing in international trade.

“The recent implementation of a 14% tariff on Nigerian exports to the United States directly jeopardizes what has historically been a critical market for our key goods, including crude oil, liquefied natural gas, and agricultural products. “The ripple effects of reduced demand could precipitate job losses, economic instability, and a decline in vital foreign exchange inflows, particularly for our non-oil sectors”.

“Indeed, the ramifications of current U.S. policies go beyond tariffs. We are witnessing a significant decrease in funding for initiatives that empower Africa’s burgeoning start-ups. The $51 million cut from the United States Development Fund, which affects countries like Nigeria and Kenya, exemplifies the broader challenges we face. The grants previously allotted to our SMEs are critical for nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship within our local economies”.

In the face of these challenges, Oye said Nigeria must act decisively and strategically to reshape its economic destiny where adversity can give rise to opportunity.

He added, “We need a political structure that can withstand external pressures and remain resilient in the face of global shifts.”

 

Tariff: NACCIMA warns against economic instability, job losses

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Tinubu: Presidency reacts to US court order, says president not investigated by CIA

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19 hours ago

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April 14, 2025

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu: Presidency reacts to US court order, says president not investigated by CIA

A United States District Court in Columbia has ordered the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, DEA, to release records relating to the criminal investigation of President Bola Tinubu over alleged drug trafficking.

Judge Beryl Howell, in a ruling dated April 8, which can be found on the court’s website, directed both agencies to search for and process non-exempt records tied to Freedom of Information Act, FOIA, requests filed by American researcher Aaron Greenspan.

But the Presidency in a swift reaction, said the US court didn’t indict the President, adding that he was not also investigated by the Criminal Investigation Agency, CIA.

Greenspan, founder of legal transparency platform, PlainSite, had submitted 12 FOIA requests between 2022 and 2023, seeking information on a Chicago drug ring that operated in the early 1990s.

His request included records on Tinubu and three others, including Lee Andrew Edwards, Mueez Abegboyega Akande and Abiodun Agbele.

The FBI and DEA had previously issued “Glomar responses”—a refusal to confirm or deny the existence of requested records—but the court ruled that such responses were improper in this case.

The FBI and DEA have now been ordered to conduct a search and release non-exempt materials, while the parties are to report back to the court on the case’s status by May 2, 2025.

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The judgment read:  “The FBI and DEA have both officially confirmed investigations of Tinubu relating to the drug trafficking ring.

“Any privacy interests implicated by the FOIA requests to the FBI and DEA for records about Tinubu are overcome by the public interest in release of such information.

“Since the FBI and DEA have provided no information to establish that a cognizable privacy interest exists in keeping secret the fact that Tinubu was a subject of criminal investigation.

“They have failed to meet their burden to sustain their Glomar responses and provide an additional reason why these responses must be lifted.”

The court upheld the CIA’s Glomar response after Greenspan conceded that the agency had acknowledged the existence of responsive records.

The judge ruled, “For the reasons discussed above, plaintiff is entitled to summary judgment as to each of the four Glomar responses asserted by defendants FBI and DEA, while defendant CIA is entitled to summary judgment, since its Glomar response was properly asserted.

“Accordingly, the FBI and DEA must search for and process non-exempt records responsive to the FOIA requests directed to these agencies.

“The CIA, meanwhile, is entitled to judgment in its favour in this case. The remaining parties are directed to file jointly, by May 2, 2025, a report on the status of any outstanding issues in this case, as described in the accompanying order.”

US Court didn’t indict Tinubu — Presidency

Reacting to this yesterday, the Presidency said the reports did not indict President Bola Tinubu.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, told Vanguard that there was nothing new that was revealed in the said reports.

He said the reports had been in the public space for more than 30 years, noting that President Tinubu was not investigated by the CIA.

He said: “There is nothing new to be revealed. The report by Agent Moss of the FBI and the DEA report have been in the public space for more than 30 years. The reports did not indict the Nigerian leader.  And he was not investigated by the CIA.”

Tinubu: Presidency reacts to US court order, says president not investigated by CIA

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