Activities
Oyo governor urges council chiefs to strengthen intelligence gathering in their areas
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged local government chairmen in the state to upscale intelligence gathering in their respective council areas. A statement issued on Wednesday in Ibadan by Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Mr Taiwo Adisa, quoted Makinde as stating this while closing a two-day retreat for local government chairmen, vice-chairmen and heads of local government administrations (HLAs), on Tuesday evening. Newsmen report that the retreat was held at Ilaji Hotel and Sports Complex, Akanran, Ibadan. The governor said that the local government chairmen needed step up their game on the issue of security and take responsibility for the security of their areas. Although he stated that security was the responsibility of everyone in the society, the governor, however, said tha...
Private polytechnic owners set to clamp down on illegal operators
The National President of the Association of Private Polytechnic Founders/Rectors in Nigeria, Pastor Bassey James, has said that illegal school operators across the country would soon run out of business. He stated this in Uyo while briefing newsmen as part of the activities marking the maiden matriculation of Southern Atlantic Polytechnic, scheduled for Saturday, June 26, 2021. James mentioned that a total of 300 students would partake in the maiden matriculation ceremony of the Southern Atlantic Polytechnic, even as admissions were still ongoing in the institution. According to him, the association had written to both the national and state assemblies to inform them of the ugly incident even as he had met with some of the perpetrators of the illegal business and had given them a timeline...
UN lauds Nigeria’s leading role in securing Gulf of Guinea
The United Nations (UN) has commended Nigeria for playing a leading role in efforts to secure the Gulf of Guinea, saying it will continue to support the country and the region. Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Kitack Lim said the country had made important contributions to the fight against piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea maritime domain, foremost among them the recent launch of the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, also called the Deep Blue Project. IMO is the specialised agency of the UN responsible for regulating shipping. “I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to the Nigerian government for its continued contribution towards the endeavours to ensure safe and secure maritime operation in the Gu...
Katsina governor declares no negotiations with bandits
Katsina State Governor Aminu Bello Masari has announced his decision to stop further dialogue with bandits in the state due to their lack of central leadership and structure. Masari made the declaration while visiting the Chief of Air Staff, CAS, Isiaka Oladayo Amao at NAF Headquarters, Abuja, stated that the State Government had made several attempts in the past to engage the bandits but that not much success was recorded because each group of bandits operates independently. ’’The security situation was compounded by the vastness of the Katsina open border with the Niger Republic as well as the huge ungovernable spaces in the State which gives the bandits freedom of movement.” The governor further expressed that the bandits also betrayed the state government in the previous agreements rea...
Court restrains Ondo governor from sacking chief judge
A Federal High Court in Abuja, on Thursday, stopped Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) of Ondo State from removing the Chief Judge (CJ) of the state, Justice Oluwatoyin Akeredolu, from office. Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling, restrained the governor and five others seeking to remove the Chief Judge from office on the grounds that they lacked constitutional powers to do so. Justice Akeredolu had approached the court for an order restraining the defendants from illegally removing her from office without recourse to the National Judicial Council (NJC). Delivering ruling in the application, Justice Ekwo held that the powers to investigate, probe and indict any judicial officer for any misconduct in the discharge of duties is constitutionally vested in the NJC only. According to the judge, b...
Kano governor: Why I gave women more political appointments
Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano says he has compensated APC women by giving them more political opportunities in the state than they aspired. The governor also pledged to support more women aspiring for political offices in 2023, saying that more women are needed in the mainstream political sphere. Mr Ganduje made the pledge on Monday evening at an interactive session with journalists as part of activities to mark the Nation’s Democracy Day. He noted that the ruling party in the state, APC, had previously supported women with political ambition. He said, ”Although the party made it open and free for female contestants to obtain registration forms for various positions, they had ceased (sic) the opportunity.” ”But despite their failure to make it to their aspired positions, the administr...
Police begs Rivers governor not to lift curfew yet
The Rivers State Police Command has appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike not to lift the night time curfew imposed in the wake of attacks on security formations and operatives in the state. Spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, made the appeal during a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the state capital. Omoni said the curfew has helped the police and other security agencies respond timely to distress calls, adding that security threats have reduced in the state since the curfew was imposed over a fortnight ago. “The curfew was imposed essentially to arrest the trend of attacks on police. Since it was imposed, that attack has seized abruptly and we are leveraging on it. I think the governor should still delay it (curfew) for some time because it has been assisting us. “We are ...
Police begs Rivers governor not to lift curfew yet
The Rivers State Police Command has appealed to Governor Nyesom Wike not to lift the night time curfew imposed in the wake of attacks on security formations and operatives in the state. Spokesman of the State Police Command, Nnamdi Omoni, made the appeal during a chat with newsmen in Port Harcourt, the state capital. Omoni said the curfew has helped the police and other security agencies respond timely to distress calls, adding that security threats have reduced in the state since the curfew was imposed over a fortnight ago. “The curfew was imposed essentially to arrest the trend of attacks on police. Since it was imposed, that attack has seized abruptly and we are leveraging on it. I think the governor should still delay it (curfew) for some time because it has been assisting us. “We are ...
Ondo governor: Why Amotekun will transform into state police
Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Saturday said that the State Security Network codenamed Amotekun Corps would eventually transform into a State Police overtime. Akeredolu, who insisted that every federating unit in the country should have its own police for effective security, noted that there was no serious attempt to redesign the nation’s security architecture to respond to the demands of a nascent country at the time of independence. Speaking at the 2021 Democracy Day lecture held in Akure, the state capital, the governor also said that he does not believe in secession. At the event held at the International Event Centre (DOME), Akeredolu said the local government could not be absolutely autonomous and that the Federal Government should have no control, whatsoever, over h...
Edo deputy governor: Godfatherism bane of Nigeria’s democracy
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Comrade Philip Shaibu, has blamed the advent of godfatherism in Nigeria’s politics as the bane of democracy in the country. This is even as he called for the removal of a bicameral legislature to reduce cost of running governance. Shaibu stated this on Saturday at the Government House in Benin, the state capital, while addressing hundreds of youths who were protesting alleged misrule in the country. The protesters under the aegis of Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, Students’ Unions and other concerned Nigerians, brandished placards of various inscriptions, as they joined others across the country to seek for good governance and sustainable democracy. The protest which commenced at 10 am, lasted for more than two hours and disrupted free flow of hu...
UK: Some countries are using coronavirus vaccines as a geopolitical tool
British foreign minister Dominic Raab said on Friday there was no doubt some countries were using vaccines as a diplomatic tool to secure influence but Britain did not support so-called vaccine diplomacy. Raab was speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of a G7 summit in Cornwall, southwestern England, that was likely to be dominated by the West’s attempts to reassert its influence as the world looks to rebuild from the COVID-19 pandemic. Western diplomats fear Russia and China are using their vaccines to gain influence across the world, especially in poorer countries that do not have their own production or the means to buy shots on the international market. Asked whether he was concerned that China and Russia could use vaccines in exchange for influence, Raab said: “There’s no doubt there’s...
Minister: Why Twitter, other platforms must register to operate in Nigeria
The Federal Government says its directive that Over the Top (OTT) and social media platforms operating in the country must register and obtain license to operate is in conformity with global trend. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this on Friday when he featured on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) programme “Good Morning Nigeria’’ monitored by newsmen. NAN reports that the Federal Government recently suspended operations of Twitter and directed that all OTT and social media platforms operating in the country must register with Corporate Affairs Commission. The Federal Government said they must also apply for licensing with the National Broadcasting Commission ( NBC). NAN reports that OTT media service is a media service offered directly to viewers via t...
