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Ebonyi governor: South East benefited more from APC government than PDP’s 16 years
Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and Chairman of South East Governors’ Forum weekend, said the South East benefitted more from the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress, APC, federal government than from Peoples Democratic Party’s sixteen years of governance. Speaking to newsmen in Lagos through his Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, Umahi said the Igbo have had a fair-play under Buhari’s administration in terms of economic and infrastructure development. According to him, the N10Billion Airport rehabilitation, the 2nd Niger Bridge, the Enugu-Port-Harcourt Expressway and other infrastructures are pointers to the benefits the South East States are getting from the Buhari administration. “These are indications that this administration is helping t...
Bayelsa governor promises to investigate youth’s ‘death’ during police operation
The governor of Bayelsa, Douye Diri, has ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of a youth on Thursday, in Ovom community, Yenagoa Local Government Area (LGA), of the state. Newsmen gathered from residents of the area that the young man was allegedly shot by a policeman, at Ovom surburb. Mr Diri gave the directive on Thursday, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, after being briefed about the incident in Uyo, where he is attending a state cabinet retreat. He also directed that an autopsy be carried out to determine the cause of death. The governor promised that the government would ensure perpetrators of the dastardly act are uncovered and brought to book. “Human life is sacred. As a responsible government, we would not shy away from o...
DPR allays fears of fuel scarcity during easter
File Photo Ahead of the Easter festival coming up by the end of March, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) has reassured Nigerians that there will be no fuel scarcity, urging them to desist from panic buying. It also stated that government has put a formidable policy in place to ensure free flowing supply and distribution of petroleum products during the festivity. Addressing journalists after going round on routine surveillance to monitor and ensure that all retail outlets are complying with the recommended price of between N162 to N165 per litre, the Jos office Operations Controller of DPR, Mr. Stanley Ngene, said: “I can assure you that every necessary precaution is being taken by the government to ensure that we do not go back to the days of fuel scarcity.” Ngene said that the ...
FRSC: One woman killed, 17 others injured in Bauchi auto-crash
One woman was confirmed dead and 17 others were injured, in a road crash that occurred along Bauchi-Gombe road, on Wednesday, according to the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). Yusuf Abdullahi, the Sector Commander, of the FRSC in Bauchi state, told newsmen, in Bauchi that the accident occurred in Dungulbi village, in Bauchi Local Government, when two vehicles collided with each other, as a result of wrongful overtaking. Abdullahi explained that a total of 18 people were involved in the accident between a Toyota Hummer bus with plate number FG25C04 and a commercial Ford vehicle, with a plate number KTG 808 TT. “The total number of people involved in this accident is 18, 11 males, five females, one male child and one female child, while the dead passenger is a female. “The probable cause of...
Management shuts down Nasarawa polytechnic over students’ protest
The Management of Isa Musthapha Agwai Polytechnic Lafia, has shut down the institution for one week following students’ protest on Thursday. Newsmen report that the students had barricaded the Lafia-Jos Road for several hours, to protest the alleged closure of the school’s registration portal by its management. Dr Justina Kotso, Rector of the polytechnic announced the temporary closure of the school while briefing newsmen on the aftermath of the protest in Lafia. She said decision to shut down the institution for one week was reached at an emergency management meeting following the unrest in the school. “We woke up Thursday morning preparing our students for semester examination scheduled to begin on Monday, March 15, then suddenly we realised that the students started a protest.” She said...
Osun governor seeks government-citizens parley on security
Osun State governor Adegboyega Oyetola has urged the citizens to rally support for the government to protect the state against any form of security challenge. This was made known today while the Special Adviser to the Governor on civic engagement, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, visited Isale – Agbe community in continuation of the community engagement tour organized by the government. Speaking on behalf of the Governor, Oyintiloye reiterated that the only way by which insecurity could be defeated is through collective efforts of all communities in the state. “It’s generally believed that insecurity has become a topical issue in the national discourse, hence the need to pursue it as a common cause and work towards a society that is free of threat and violence. “As we are all aware, Osun remains on...
Ex-President Jonathan enlists colleagues to mitigate electoral crises in West Africa
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has enlisted the support of other ex-presidents and Prime Ministers in West Africa to mitigate elections-related conflicts to promote peace in the region. Mrs Ann Iyonu, Executive Director, Goodluck Jonathan Foundation (GJF) announced this at a news conference in Yenagoa on Friday. Iyonu said that the former leaders’ group christened West African Elders Forum (WAEF) was inaugurated by Jonathan at a virtual meeting held on Thursday. She said that WAEF was an initiative of the GJF aimed at harnessing the goodwill, expertise and experiences of former leaders to promote peaceful elections and deepen democracy in West Africa. According to her, the forum comprises three former leaders of Nigeria, Ex-President Jonathan, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Retired Gen. A...
2,700 Akwa Ibom women benefit from federal government’s special grant
The minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, has advised Nigerian women not to regard the N20, 000 special grant given to the rural woman by the federal government as the fabled national cake. She has rather charged the beneficiaries to judiciously use the grant to improve their living standard by utilizing it as seed capital do boost their trades and businesses for greater income. Speaking through Bashir Nura Alkali, the permanent secretary of the ministry, at the flag off of the Grant for Rural Women Project and the symbolic disbursement of the grant to 2700 women of Akwa Ibom state, in Uyo, on Thursday, Farouq explained that the Grant for Rural Women Programme was introduced in 2020 to sustain the social inclusion agenda of Presid...
Labour issues strike notice in Ekiti over sack of 21 workers
Industrial crisis is looming in Ekiti over sack of 21 workers of the State House of Assembly recruited under the tenure of former Governor Ayodele Fayose. The workers were sacked in January 2020 over claims that their recruitment by the Fayose administration did not follow due process and was therefore illegal, according to News Agency of Nigeria. But the labour unions disagreed with the sack of the workers and had asked the leadership of the Ekiti State House Assembly to recall the 21 sacked workers, a request that has not been acceded to . On Wednesday, the unions gave notice to Speaker, Funminiyi Afuye, indicating their readiness to embark on statewide strike in seven days if the workers were not recalled. In the notice, the labour unions asked the Speaker to cause the immediate reinsta...
Yoruba group: Ban on Zamfara mining activities a double-edged sword
The Yoruba Ronu Leadership Forum yesterday raised the alarm that the ban on mining activities in Zamfara State by the national security council and the declaration of the state a no-fly zone area order are double-edged sword for peace. In a statement issued by the President of the group, Mr. Akin Malaolu, the group recalled that between 2006 and 2007 the then governor Sani Yerima displaced a large population of Fulanis from many mining sites and replaced them with Hausa youths to take charge. The statement noted that the displacement at that time caused both discomfort and death on the Fulani youths who then took to banditry. “If the government is placing ban, we hope they won’t cause new displacement that could re-enact same security challenges we are yet to surmount. “Our candid advice i...
Bauchi, Benue governors reconcile in Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, brokered a truce between the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed in Port Harcourt. The conflict was resolved following the intervention of Governor Wike and his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmed Fintiri. Briefing journalists at the meeting, which held at Governor Wike’s private residence at Rumuepirikom, Governor Mohammed said the outburst between him and Governor Ortom over herders/Fulani profiling was regrettable. “We don’t mean to divide the country, to divide our people. We are still friends and brothers and that we will move forward because most of those issues are fully resolved. “I want to seize this opportunity to tell Nigerians that whatever misconception that is there, th...
Rumble in Edo as governor runs government without cabinet
Precisely 129 days into his second tenure as governor of Edo State after his election on September 20, 2020 and inauguration on November 12, 2020, Godwin Obaseki, has not formed his cabinet. This has generated some flaks from different quarters, including the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), constitutional lawyers, political analysts, public commentators, residents among others. While others feel that Obaseki has not committed any crime or breached any law, others believe that he is running a one-man administration and must go ahead to form his cabinet. They argued that going by Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution, the governor is obliged to form a cabinet, saying this is a circumvention, which the state House of Assembly should take action on. Obaseki had said that his ...