Commissioner for Information
James Ibori loot: Delta asks federal government to return recovered fund to state
Delta State Government on Tuesday reacted to receipt by the Nigerian government of the £4.2 million first tranche of the Ibori loot from the goverment of the United Kingdom. The state government restated its earlier stand that since the returned money was illegally taken out of Delta’s Treasury, it should appropriately be returned to Delta State. This is coming on the dissolution, on Tuesday, of the Delta State Executive Council (EXCO) with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa asking the Secretary to State Government (SSG), all civil commissioners and the governor’s aides to surrender all vital government documents and property to their respective permanent secretaries in the ministries, departments and agencies. The outgoing state commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, reiterated the positio...
Lagos to demolish shanties, takeover abandoned buildings
Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday said that the government would continue to demolish shanties across the state. Sanwo-Olu said this during the Security Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting at Ikeja, adding that the state government would also confiscate abandoned buildings. He said that the shanties, abandoned buildings and vehicles were hideouts for criminals, hence, should be tackled. Sanwo-Olu said the government had demolished several hundreds of shanties and illegal structures around the state since November 2020. ”These shanties, by serving as hideouts for criminals, have exacerbated the insecurity situation in Lagos State. ”This clean up exercise will continue, even as we strive to ensure the creation of jobs and economic opportunities that will take people off the s...
Imo attacks: I’ve left Governor Uzodinma in the court of public opinion – Senator Okorocha
Former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, has said he has chosen to remain silent over the allegations leveled against him that he sponsored the recent attacks on some federal government establishment in the state. Okorocha, who is the senator representing Imo West in the National Assembly, said he would rather allow the public and posterity to judge him. The former governor, in a statement signed by his media aide, Sam Onwuemeodo, said at the right time, the people will know those behind the attacks. The statement said, “We wish to inform the general public that, we decided to leave the Imo governor and his government in the court of public opinions, over their allegations against Okorocha concerning the unfortunate and worrisome Owerri attacks. “Nigerians of good spirits have been a...
Kassim Afegbua: No need for reconciliation with Governor Obaseki
Prince Kassim Afegbua, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Commissioner for Information in the state, has said he has no need to reconcile with Governor Godwin Obaseki on his purported suspension from the party. Speaking in an interview, Afegbua also said he remained a member of the PDP despite his public endorsement of Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the last governorship election in Edo state. He said: “There is nothing to reconcile with the state Governor. I am older than him at the party. He only came because he needed a platform to contest the election. After his second term inauguration, can you name the PDP members in his administration, five months after? “Yes, I was purportedly suspended for one month by my ward...
Delta government heads to Supreme Court to reclaim £4.2 million James Ibori loot
The Delta State Government says it will challenge federal government’s plan to deploy the recently returned £4.2 million (around N2.2 billion) recovered from former governor, James Ibori, at the Supreme Court. The Commissioner for Information, Ehiedu Aniagwu, disclosed this on Tuesday while reacting to news of the repatriation of the funds, which the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said would be used to complete the ongoing work on Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan road. “We would try to get take advantage of the legal system to make the federal government correct the injustice they are about to visit on us as a state,” he said. “If they are quite sure that the funds they are about to repatriate left Delta State on ...
Kano set to design metro transport master plan
The Kano state Executive Council has approved the constitution of a committee, to design a Strategic Metropolitan Transport Master Plan, in order to regulate the transport system in the metropolis. This is contained in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Muhammad Garba, made available to newsmen on Friday. It said the development of a Transport Master Plan for the state would strengthen economic growth and development, in line with the megacity goal of the Ganduje administration. Garba, in the statement, noted that the terms of reference of the committee, included a comprehensive mass transit system, to address the current transportation challenges. “It will also identify facilities and services to manage the dynamics of Kano as an emerging Megacity.” the state...
Coronavirus: Niger government directs civil servants to resume work March 1
Niger State Government on Thursday directed all civil servants to resume work from March 1. The State Commissioner for Information, Malam Sani Idris, disclosed this during a press conference in Minna. He said the Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello gave the directives during Thursday’s weekly State Executive Council Meeting. Newsmen report that the state government had on Dec. 21 directed civil servants to stay at home as a result of the upsurge of the second wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. Also, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, the State Commissioner for Water Resources said the ministry presented a memo seeking approval to establish Small Towns Water and Sewage Agency. He said the memo was approved by the council which would be translated to the state house of assembly to come up with a bi...
Abia government reacts to attack on police station, places N1 million bounty on information leading to recovery of arms
Abia State Government has reacted to yesterday’s attack on Abayi police station in which two policemen were killed and arms carted away by gunmen. The state government is also placing a N1m bounty on anybody who will give infornation to the recovery of arms looted by the hoodlums. To further checkmate criminal activities in the state, Government imposes a ban on Keke/Okada operations between 7pm and 7am in all major cities of the state starting from yesterday. A statement by the commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi-Kalu said her attention was “drawn to a mindless and cowardly attack on a police station in Aba by yet to be identified armed hoodlums in the early hours of today (Tuesday), leading to loss of precious lives and carting away of arms and ammunition. “We wish to assure m...
Kano arrests, fines 200 for violating coronavirus protocols
About 200 people have been arrested, fined or incarcerated for violating safety protocols as the joint team of security agencies, mobile courts and COVID-19 marshals continue to sensitize and enforce safety protocols in the state. This was announced in Monday by the Kano state commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, while addressing newsmen. “Of the total figure of the violators, 102 were fined N5,000 each, while 25 others have been remanded in prison by the 21 Mobile Courts set up to deal with non-compliance to safety protocols which had been identified as a huge challenge to curbing the spread of the virus. “The enforcement measure became necessary to preserve public safety and ensure full compliance with the Coronavirus prevention protocols, particularly the use of a face ma...
Official: Kano government amends child rights act ‘to reflect Sharia’
The Kano State Executive Council has approved and amended the proposed bill on Child Rights (protection) Act 2010 “to reflect the position of Sharia on all sections of the Child Rights Act (CRA) 2003″. Muhammed Garba, Commissioner for Information in Kano State disclosed this in statement he signed and made available to newsmen in Kano on Saturday, Mr Garba said the decision for the approval was reached at its state council meeting in line with the Federal Government policy of 2003 where states were asked to domesticate the bill . He said that the approval was necessary because of the commitment of the state administration on child welfare. Mr Garba disclosed that the state government was motivated to enact the child right bill after it assented to the bill on free and compulsory education....
Delta government approves Kwale industrial park
Delta State Government held its first Executive Council (EXCO) meeting of the year at Government House, Asaba, weekend, announcing the approval of key infrastructural projects, including the full establishment of the Kwale Industrial Park in Ndokwa West. The Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, disclosed these while briefing newsman on resolutions at the meeting presided by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa. Aniagwu said approval was given for the establishment of the multi-billion-naira Kwale Industrial Park with 25 per cent equity for the state government, while private operators would hold the remaining 75 per cent equity. He stated that the approval was a boost to the industrial park, the process of which establishment was slowed down by the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic last year. ...
Abia government begs teachers to resume classes
Nigeria Union of Teachers Abia State Government has called on members of the state chapter of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) to return to classes in the interest of their students and pupils. Teachers in the state schools system had penultimate week given the government one week to clear areas of salaries and other entitlements owed them, failure which they would embark on industrial action. In a statement by the state Commissioner for Information, Chief John Okiyi Kalu, government said primary and junior secondary school teachers have received salary up to November 2020, leaving only December as outstanding. He said the state government paid three months salary to secondary school teachers in December 2020 as part of efforts to clear backlogs owed them with a promise to pay at least anot...
