THE OTOTONOBI NEWS PLANETS.

 A WOMAN’S COMPASSION... The painting below of a young woman breastfeeding an old man in a prison cell was sold for Euros 30 million (N13.8 Billion). The painting may present a perverse picture but the story behind it is of historical and existential significance.   The poor man was sentenced to "death by starvation" for stealing a loaf of bread during the reign of Louis XIV in France. The woman was his only daughter and the only visitor to his cell. She was allowed to visit him daily but was frisked thoroughly such that no food was taken in.   When after 4 months the man (still) survived with no weight loss, the authorities were perplexed and started spying on her in the cell and to their utter astonishment found her to breastfeed her father to the fullest sharing her baby's milk.  The judges then realizing the compassion and love of the woman for her father, pardoned the father and set him free.  This piece of history brings into focus how deep is a ...

 BAD BELLE HAS BECOME  ETHOS You get a new job or business, vuum! people on the street will start calculating your savings, investments and liabilities. The precious time spent to calculate all these can be invested for our personal growth.  Let's get ourselves busy on how to develop and grow by minding our own business. Breakthrough and God grace can fall on people through struggles and continuous efforts and commitments  Stop poke-nosing into people's affairs, it can amounts to sadisms 🙈, hatred, mediocrity and wickedness. It has become ethos in peoples life. We say life is not a competitive play field, as one has made it, some are making it, others are striving to make it. Its essentially in phases, keep struggling and you'll get to your destined level. Children yet unborn will come to live the same life and explore their God given potentials. Nature has made it mysterious, making it in life is not age driven, its beyond one's wisdom and reputation. You dare not ...

 THE FRENZY NARRATIVES OF OWL BIRDS ( OGWUGWU)  Just last weekend, I traveled to the village for my friend's wedding, I was greeted with different occurrences which brought old memories of fear in the mind of young growing children. It was a long journey through a narrow undulated road full of dust and stony pavements of hills to climb and descend all leading to Alade- Egume. I didn't envisage such a long journey so, I left Anyigba late in the evening. Before getting to the venue of the wedding, the traditional rites was almost completed. In fact, at that hour, the receding sun had started showing its fading light heading straight to set. Darkness started enveloping the sky. I went to the couple and congratulated them. I whispered to them that I would leave immediately. It was already night, we have to meandered back through the lonely road. The car light was set at full ignition, my eyes were fixed firmly on the road in an elongated neck in full concentration all in fear and ...

  Before every campaign of Barack Obama’s political career, he knew he needed Michelle’s buy-in. Even though she gave the go-ahead each time, the former president writes in his recent memoir, “A Promised Land,” she set boundaries around her involvement in any campaign and made it clear when she wasn’t happy. With Obama away from home so often — first in Springfield, Ill., and then in Washington, D.C. — the bulk of the domestic duties fell to her, he writes, and that’s not how they had envisioned their partnership. When it came time for his biggest ask — What did she think of him running for president? — Michelle said no. But after some time passed, they discussed it again. When she asked why he needed to be president, Obama said that if he pulled it off, “the world will start looking at America differently,” he writes. “I know that kids all around this country — Black kids, Hispanic kids, kids who don’t fit in — they’ll see themselves differently, too, their horizons lifted, their ...

 Gratuities: Zulum releases N12b to clear 4,862 unpaid retirees  ... Presents cheques to retirees  ... N3b earlier released in 2019  Borno Governor, Professor Babagana Umara Zulum, on Tuesday announced the release of N12 billion to clear gratuities owed 4,862 retirees who left the state and local government civil service from 2013 to 2017. Before today’s, Zulum had released N3 billion in June and September 2019, to clear gratuities of 1,684 retirees who left the civil service between 2013 to 2019, at lower ranks, mostly clerks, drivers and messengers.  Governor Zulum flagged off the payment with symbolic presentation of cheques to some retirees on Tuesday at the government house in Maiduguri. He explained that the fund was obtained through a loan provided by the Zenith Bank.  The Governor noted that while N12 billion was not enough to settle backlog of gratuities, appreciable number of retirees almost 5,000 retirees will be cleared this time around. He appe...

  The National Executive Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress on Tuesday extended the tenure of the party’s caretaker extraordinary convention planning committee led by Governor Mai Buni by six months. The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee attended by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.); Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and other party chiefs. Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, told State House correspondents at the end of the meeting that the party also approved the expulsion of former National Vice Chairman, South-south, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, for his failure to withdraw the court case instituted against the caretaker committee. The governor said the NEC also dissolved all states, zonal, and national party structures. There was pandemonium at the High Court Road, Akure, the Ondo State capital, as the supporters of the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party engaged in free for all on Tuesday, The fight took place out...

  Boko Haram: leading Northeast governors, Darius backs Zulum’s call for mercenaries Taraba State Governor, Ishaku Darius has declared support for Governor Babagana Umara Zulum’s request that the federal reengages mercenaries to join the Nigerian armed forces in ongoing fight against Boko Haram insurgents terrorizing Borno in particular, and some parts of the northeast.  Darius spoke on Tuesday in Maiduguri when Governors of Adamawa, Ahmadu Fitiri, Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed and Gombe State, Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya on sympathy visit to Borno people.  The visit was in the wake of boko haram’s beheading of over 40 farmers from Zabarmari community who were attacked last Saturday at a village in Mafa local government area of Borno. "Our dear brother, we are here to condole you over the killing of farmers by Boko Haram insurgents. We are indeed saddened and traumatized. I will key into your request, which you said that the federal government should invite some mercenari...

  LG Polls: Two professors, 26 others contest chairmanship posts in Borno Residents of Borno State will for the first time in 13 years, elect officials for the 27 local government councils. By Abdulkareem Haruna     November 27, 202 0. A total of 38 chairmanship candidates, including two university professors, will contest in Saturday’s local government election in  Borno State . The election is being organised by the Borno State Independent Electoral Commission (BOSIEC). Residents of Borno State will, for the first time in 13 years, elect  officials  for the 27 local government councils in the state. Since the officials elected in April 2012, when the state held its last local government elections, completed their tenure, the councils have been run by caretaker committees appointed by the state governors. The Executive Chairman of BOSIEC, Abdu Usman, informed journalists during a press conference at the commission’s office in Maiduguri, that various partie...

 GOVERNOR YAHAYA BELLO PRESENTS N130B AS 2021 BUDGET OF ‘ACCELERATED RECOVERY’ TO THE STATE HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY Kogi State governor, His Excellency Yahaya Bello on Tuesday, presented the total sum of N130,546,068,026 as against N122,970,958,009 of the Amended Budget for year 2020 as the 2021 budget to the Kogi State House of Assembly. The total Budget package for the year 2021 represents an increase of N7,575,110,017 or 6.16% when compared with the 2020 final Budget. During the presentation of the Budget to the state House of Assembly, the Governor stated that the fiscal strategy of Government was anchored on the on-going Public Financial Management Reform (PFM). Over the period 2021-2023, that the State Government fiscal policy is directed at: a. improving the efficiency and effectiveness of spending; b. achieving better balance between capital and recurrent expenditure; c. achieving greater control of the wage bill; d. directing capital expenditure on critical infrastructure such a...