Author: user user

The Directorate of Christian Religious Affairs of the City Boy Movement has intensified efforts to mobilise grassroots support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election in 2027, engaging Christian leaders in Bauchi and Gombe states.

The engagement, led by the directorate’s head, Hon. Belusochukwu Enwere, brought together leaders of various Christian denominations, youths, women and representatives of the Christian communities to discuss political mobilisation and peaceful participation in the forthcoming general elections.

The meeting was aimed at strengthening the movement’s relationship with Christian communities while creating awareness about the policies and programmes of the Tinubu administration.

Speaking during the engagement, Enwere emphasised the importance of involving religious leaders in grassroots political mobilisation, noting that their influence could help shape public opinion and encourage greater civic participation.

‘Religious leaders have an important role to play in educating their followers about the political process and encouraging them to participate actively in deciding the future of our country,’ he said.

He urged the Christian leaders to take the message of the administration’s programmes to their respective churches and communities, stressing that sustained grassroots engagement was necessary to build awareness and support ahead of the 2027 elections.

Enwere also called for peaceful political participation, urging supporters of the President to pursue their mobilisation efforts through dialogue and persuasion rather than confrontation.

‘Our objective is to encourage responsible political participation and ensure that the mobilisation for the 2027 elections is conducted peacefully. We must promote our message without violence, intimidation or anything capable of disrupting the peace of our communities,’ he said.

The directorate encouraged participants to sensitise eligible voters on the importance of exercising their democratic rights and making informed choices at the ballot box.

The organisers maintained that political campaigns should focus on policies, programmes and issues affecting citizens, while urging religious leaders to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence despite political differences.

The engagement also sought to strengthen collaboration between the City Boy Movement and faith-based communities in Bauchi and Gombe, with the organisers expressing optimism that sustained consultations would expand the movement’s grassroots presence.

They noted that engaging Christian leaders, women and youths would provide an opportunity to communicate the administration’s agenda to more communities and encourage greater participation in the electoral process.

The initiative forms part of the City Boy Movement’s broader strategy to mobilise support for Tinubu’s second-term bid across different regions and social groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As political activities gradually gather momentum, political parties and support groups have intensified consultations with community stakeholders in a bid to consolidate their bases and persuade voters.

The directorate reiterated its commitment to peaceful political engagement, urging Christian communities in Bauchi and Gombe states to promote national unity, tolerance and non-violent participation as the country prepares for the next general elections.

Buying pure honey in a typical local market can feel like taking a gamble. When you walk into a market, almost every seller swears their honey came straight from the forest. But once you get home, you often realize you bought boiled sugar syrup mixed with brown dye.

?Fake honey is everywhere nowadays because adulterators mix real honey with cheap corn syrup, rice syrup, or sugar water to double their profits. Spending hard-earned money on fake honey is frustrating, especially when you need it for health, tea, or cooking.

?According to agricultural reports from the Agriculture Institute, pure honey has a low natural moisture content and high density, which causes it to behave differently from water-based sugar mixtures. Knowing how pure honey reacts can save you from buying adulterated sugar mixtures.

In this article, Tribune Online examines five direct, practical things you must check at the market before paying for that bottle of honey.

Check how thick and flowy the honey feels

?The first thing you should inspect at the seller’s stall is the honey’s thickness and how it flows when poured. Real honey is naturally dense and moves slowly when you tilt the bottle or drop a spoonful.

?When you ask the seller to pour a little drop on a spoon or saucer, watch how it falls. Authentic honey will pour continuously in a thick thread without breaking quickly, forming a small pile at the bottom before flattening out. If the liquid splashes like water or spreads out immediately, it contains added water or thin sugar syrup.

Perform a quick water drop test

?You can easily carry out the famous water test right at the market stall using a small cup of plain water. This test works because original honey does not mix with cold or room-temperature water easily due to its heavy molecular structure.

?Ask the seller to drop a single teaspoon of honey into a clear glass or cup of water without stirring it. Pure honey will drop straight to the bottom of the glass as a solid lump and stay intact. Adulterated honey or sugar syrup will start melting instantly, leaving cloudy trails in the water as it dissolves on its way down.

Try the thumb or paper towel test

?Another quick physical test you can perform on the spot is testing a small drop on your thumb or a piece of paper. Pure honey stays together because of high surface tension and low moisture content.

?Put a tiny drop of honey on your thumb nail. Original honey will sit in a neat lump and remain intact without running down your finger. If the drop spreads out immediately or drips down your hand like water, it is diluted. Similarly, if you drop pure honey on a paper napkin, it will sit on top without soaking through quickly, whereas fake honey will leave a wet water ring on the paper.

Smell the floral aroma and check the taste

?Never pay for honey without smelling and tasting a small sample first. Authentic honey is produced by bees from flower nectar, so it carries a distinct natural scent.

?When you open the bottle, pure honey should give off a mild floral, woody, or herbal aroma depending on the vegetation where the bees collected nectar. Fake honey usually smells like plain sugar syrup or has no scent at all. When you taste real honey, it gives a complex sweetness followed by a slight scratch or tickle at the back of your throat, whereas fake honey just tastes like flat sugar water.

?Watch out for natural foam, pollen, or crystalisation

?Many market buyers mistakenly assume that clear, spotless honey is the best quality, but the exact opposite is often true. Unprocessed, raw honey usually contains minor natural imperfections that show it came directly from a beehive.

?Look closely at the bottle for small specks of pollen, tiny air bubbles, or faint foam near the top neck. If you notice that the honey has turned thick, cloudy, or sugary at the bottom of the bottle during cold weather, do not panic. This process is called crystallisation, and expert bee farmers confirm it is a natural sign of raw, unheated honey. Honey that remains completely crystal clear for years without solidifying has likely been heavily processed or mixed with artificial syrup.

Nigeria is losing about 300 hectares of forest daily, while more than 4,000 illegal miners have been displaced from Gashaka-Gumti National Park following security operations, the National Park Service (NPS) has disclosed.

The Conservator-General of the service, Ibrahim Goni, raised the concerns in Abuja while receiving members of the Environmental Media Correspondents Association of Nigeria (EMCAN), warning that deforestation, illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking and insecurity were threatening conservation efforts across the country.

Goni said the continued destruction of forests could worsen desertification and accelerate environmental degradation, stressing the need for urgent and sustained intervention to protect the country’s forest resources.

He disclosed that the NPS, in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, had shut down two illegal mining sites in Gashaka-Gumti National Park, which straddles Taraba and Adamawa states.

According to him, the operation led to the closure of extensive mining pits and the displacement of more than 4,000 illegal miners from the protected area.

However, the Conservator-General said security operations alone would not permanently address illegal mining, noting that affected communities needed alternative sources of livelihood to reduce their dependence on activities that damage protected areas.

He also expressed concern over illegal mining in Oyo State, saying the service was working with the Ministry of Solid Minerals to tackle the problem.

In Rivers State, Goni disclosed that about 17 miners had been arrested as part of ongoing enforcement efforts.

He explained that illegal activities in forests around national parks often complicated security operations, as individuals driven out of protected areas could relocate to neighbouring forests and continue their activities.

Goni, therefore, called for sustained collaboration among security agencies and relevant government institutions to ensure effective protection of forests and national parks.

He commended the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security operatives for their contributions to safeguarding vulnerable conservation areas.

On wildlife trafficking, the NPS chief said Nigeria was frequently implicated in international smuggling networks because traffickers used the country as a transit route for wildlife specimens destined for overseas markets.

He said wildlife products were transported from neighbouring countries, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, through Nigeria before being shipped to other destinations, particularly through the country’s seaports.

To strengthen enforcement, Goni disclosed that the Nigeria Customs Service, NPS, National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) and the Nigeria Police Force had established an inter-agency committee to combat wildlife trafficking.

He said the committee had conducted raids that resulted in the seizure of live animals, carcasses and other wildlife specimens.

The Conservator-General urged environmental journalists to work closely with law enforcement agencies to expose trafficking networks, raise public awareness and promote accountability in wildlife conservation.

Goni also highlighted the expansion of Nigeria’s national park system as part of efforts to restore degraded vegetation, conserve wildlife and strengthen the country’s response to climate change.

He said Nigeria now had 17 national parks, although only 13 were operational, compared with seven before the establishment of 10 additional parks under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the expansion was aimed at encouraging vegetation regeneration in areas previously designated as forest or game reserves while advancing the country’s environmental and climate objectives.

He called on journalists to give greater attention to environmental challenges, including deforestation, illegal hunting, pollution, flooding and erosion, noting that consistent reporting could stimulate public engagement and prompt government action.

The NPS chief further disclosed that the Federal Ministry of Environment had deployed flood-warning equipment in some parts of the country to alert communities to impending floods and enable residents of vulnerable areas to move to safer locations.

He also urged journalists to educate the public on Ebola prevention and the links between wildlife and the transmission of certain infectious diseases.

Goni pledged that the service would support professional training and conference participation for environmental correspondents, subject to available budgetary provisions.