Communities
Minister: Nigerian government to establish micro enterprises in 774 local council areas
Dr George Akume, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter Governmental Affairs, on Wednesday said that micro enterprises will be established in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the country. The Minister disclosed this in Abuja at the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) General Assembly with the Theme: Strategic Positioning for the Future: A New Era. “As a ministry, we have proposed the establishment of Micro, Small and Medium enterprises in the 774 local governments in Nigeria based on economic corridors. “We believe that this will create jobs and ensure improvement in the well-being of the local populace,’’Akume said. The minister, who was represented by Mr Simon Tyungu, Deputy Director, Office of the Minister, said that the establishment of the micro enterprise wa...
Zimbabwe president gets coronavirus vaccine dose, urges citizens not to hesitate
Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa and some opposition politicians received China’s Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine in the tourist resort of Victoria Falls on Wednesday as part of efforts to encourage citizens to get inoculated. Zimbabwe has registered vaccines from China, India and Russia for emergency use but none so far from Western manufacturers. In a country where suspicion and scepticism often trump facts, Mnangagwa’s vaccination at a public event, together with opposition leaders, was meant to assure citizens that the vaccines were safe. The southern African nation had planned to administer the Sinopharm vaccine to 53 000 health workers and selected security forces when it rolled out the first phase of its programme on 18 February, but only 44 135 people had been vaccinated by Tuesday...
Senator Tinubu donates N50 million to victims of Katsina market inferno
The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has donated N50 million to victims of Katsina Central Market fire incident and called for the reopening of the market to enable traders resume commercial activities. The former Lagos State governor, who announced the donation while addressing the affected traders at the ravaged market Wednesday, said he would continue to support the state government and the traders to rebuild the affected shops. Tinubu, who was accompanied to the scene by Governor Aminu Bello Masari; his Deputy, Mannir Yakubu and the Secretary to the State Government, Mustapha Inuwa, expressed shock over the fire disaster. He said the immediate reopening of the market would enable the victims to ascertain the number of properties lost and kickst...
Kaduna assemblyman condemns bandits’ attack on Kauru
Dr Isaac Auta, Deputy Speaker, Kaduna State House of Assembly, has condemned recent attacks by bandits on some communities in Kauru Local Government Area. Auta told newsmen in Kaduna on Tuesday that the attack on Kizachi Dawai community in Chawai chiefdom was inhuman, unreasonable and barbaric. The deputy speaker who represents Kauru-Chaiwai constituency in the assembly, said that the attack had left the people hugely devastated. “People died during the attack, property and sources of livelihood were destroyed, this is unreasonable and barbaric. “It is unfortunate that people still indulge in criminal and violent activities irrespective of government’s effort to enthrone sanity,” he said. The lawmaker urged the people not to be dismayed by the activities of a few lawless persons, saying, “...
Katsina approves 5,000 hectares of land for ranching
The Katsina State Government has approved 5,000 hectares of arable farmland for ranching as part of efforts to curb the herders and farmers’ clashes in farming villages and communities across the state. Governor Aminu Bello Masari, who disclosed this during the 46th annual conference of the Nigerian Society for Animal Production held at the Federal University Dutsin-ma (FUDMA), Katsina, said ranching system will enable the children of herders to have qualitative education. He said that the only solution to the herdsmen and farmers crisis bedevilling some parts of the country is the establishment of ranches in the states, hence the provision of the 5,000 hectares of land. Masari, represented by his Special Adviser on Livestock and Grazing Reserve, Dr. Lawal Bagiwa, explained that apart from...
Bandits kill 13, injure 7 in Kaduna
Thirteen persons have been killed by bandits following multiple attacks on communities in Zangon Kataf, Kauru and Chikun Local Government Areas of Kaduna state. Seven people were also injured while 56 houses and 16 motorcycles were burnt by the hoodlums. The Kaduna state commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan confirmed the killings in a statement on Friday in Kaduna. According to him, the killings were reported to the Kaduna State Government by troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH). He said, in Gora Gan village, Zangon Kataf LGA, bandits killed one Irmiya Godwin who was returning from the farm while his brother escaped. The commissioner said, in another incident in Kizachi village, Kauru LGA, bandits killed 10 people, while four others were injured, adding t...
Police redeploys DPO in Zamfara for ‘conniving’ with bandits – spokesman
The Zamfara Police Command has redeployed its Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Kaura-Namoda, following allegations of fraternizing and conniving with bandits terrorizing the area. The command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Mohammed Shehu, stated this in a statement made available to journalists, in Gusau, on Monday. Shehu said, “the attention of the Zamfara State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video trending on social media platforms wherein the communities of Kungurki village, in Kaura Namoda LGA, accused the DPO of Kaura Namoda Division of conniving with recalcitrant armed bandits who were making life unbearable for the people. “Available records at the command revealed no formal complaint against the DPO in respect of the allegation. “However, the command enjoins members of ...
Osun government condemns killing of family of six by gunmen
The Osun Government has condemned the killings of six family members at Wasinmi in Irewole Local Government Area of the state by unknown gunmen. Newsmen report that the Police Command in the state had confirmed the killings which took place on Saturday night. Mr Benedict Alabi, the state Deputy Governor, who paid a condolence visit to the bereaved family on Sunday, described the killings as disheartening and unfortunate. Alabi, who was received by scores of family members of the deceased and some leaders in the community, described the incident as a case of brutal assassination. The deputy governor assured the community that the perpetrators would be brought to book in no distant time. He added that the state government had ordered the security agencies in the state to fish out the perpetr...
Police uncover mutilated body of woman killed by teenage nephew for ritual in Delta
Police detectives in the Delta State Police Command have arrested members of a money ritual syndicate who abducted, killed and mutilated the body of a 39-year-old woman while on her way back from a farm at Obiarukwu in Ukwani council area. The prime suspect in the murder of Joy Osameze, identified as Emmanuel Ejibe (18), who is said to be the nephew of the deceased, supposedly masterminded the crime and led other gang members to lay an ambush for her while returning from Abraka Farm Reserve. Osameze was reportedly ambushed and taken to an isolated part of the bush, murdered in cold blood and her body parts severed purportedly for money rituals, with her other remains buried. The operatives attached to the Special Anti-Kidnapping and Cyber Crime Squad (SAKCCS) set up by Commissioner of Poli...
Nigerian monarchs demand roles in constitutional review
The National Traditional Council of Nigeria has called on the National Assembly Joint Committee on the review of the 1999 constitution to ensure a constitutional provision is made with a view to creating roles for traditional rulers in matters involving religion, culture, security, justice and other ancillary matters. The council also accused the regimes of Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi, Gen. Yakubu Gowon and Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo of relegating the traditional institution to the background with no constitutional role. The Chairman of the council and the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, said late Gen. Ironsi’s 1966 Unitary Government Decree, Gen. Gowon’s and Gen. Obasanjo’s 1967 and 1976 Local Government Reforms Decrees respectively, stripped traditional rulers of their powers an...
Eko DisCo explains outage in Badagry
The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has attributed the outage in Badagry and its environs to early downpour, which destroyed over 20 electric poles along Agbara-Badagry expressway. The General Manager, Corporate Communications, EKEDC, Mr Godwin Idemudia, said on Thursday in Lagos that the March 8 morning rainfall caused serious damage, which damaged the company’s installation in the area. Idemudia said fallen poles had been removed and the company’s technical team was already working hard resolve the problem. The general manager assured residents that electricity supply would be restored to the affected communities after the repair. According to him, the affected areas in Badagry town, Ajara communities, Vrekete, Cele Keta, Poshukor, Zogbakame, Finayon, Vetho, Iy...
Chelsea owner takes legal action over ‘Putin’s People’ book
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has launched legal action for defamation over the book Putin’s People. The Blues owner’s case relates to “a number of false and defamatory claims made about our client in the book published by HarperCollins.” The book was written by author Caterine Belton and contains a number of claims about Abramovich and others close to Russia president Vladimir Putin. Abramovich’s statement, published on Chelsea’s club website, says: “Today my legal representatives have issued legal proceedings in England in relation to a book that was published in the UK. The book contains a number of false and defamatory statements about me, including about my purchase, and the activities, of Chelsea Football Club. “Today’s action was not taken lightly. It has never been my ambition to ...