The Action Alliance (AA) has urged Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu not to use the local security outfit, ‘Amotekun’, against opposition political parties before, during, and after the Ondo State governorship election, holding on Oct. 10. Mr James Vernimbe, National Secretary of the party said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja. Vernimbe said that although his party was fit, prepared and ready for the forth coming election, it was paramount to checkmate the use of the ‘Amotekun’ security during the polls. “We urge the Government of Ondo state not to use ‘Amotekun’ security agents against the opposition in the state during the election. “We also urge all security agencies to be neutral before, during, and after the election,” he said. He also called on the In...
Another batch of 27 stranded Nigerian girls evacuated from Lebanon by the Federal Government and the Lebanese Government, as well as its community in Nigeria arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Sunday. Receiving them, Ferdinand Nwonye, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who represented the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, said the evacuation was in fulfillment of the Nigerian Government’s promise to ensure no Nigerian is left stranded in Lebanon. Newsmen report that there have been several pleas from Nigerians stranded in Lebanon for assistance to enable them to return home. Nwonye said the Nigerian Government was aware of the unfortunate situation they experienced in Lebanon, hence the collaboration to ensure their safe return to t...
The 44th Ordinary Meeting of the Mediation and Security Council of the Economic Community of West African States has called attention to the ongoing insurgency in Nigeria, Gambia and Guinea Bissau as well as the political crisis in Mali. The Council at its meeting in Niamey, Niger, on Friday, also focused on forthcoming presidential elections in Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Niger. The meeting was presided over by the Nigerien Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chair of the Mediation and Security Council, Kalla Ankourao. Ankourao recalled the challenges COVID-19 has brought upon the region coupled with the breakdown in democratic governance in Mali. He urged the ECOWAS body to take the necessary steps for the preparation and smooth conduct of the upcoming presidential electi...
Kwara State government has enrolled no fewer than 10,000 indigent residents of the state in the government’s health insurance scheme. Speaking at the official launch of “Go alive” (Access to care) of the Kwara State Health Insurance Agency in Ilorin on Friday, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq said that the scheme is 100 per cent free, adding that the state had fully paid for the premium of the beneficiaries. “The launching today of this health insurance scheme is a direct response of the administration to the goal three of the SGDs which is access to good health and well-being. “We are starting this scheme by onboarding at least 10,000 indigents as a test run. These indigents have had their premium fully paid. This means the health insurance is 100 per cent free for the indigents. We hope t...
In his bid to take the dividends of democracy to the doorsteps of the people at the grassroots, Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has given an account of his administration’s developmental projects in the Oyo zone in the last one year. The governor, who spoke through his Special Assistant (Community Relations), Hon. Olufemi Josiah, at a Town Hall meeting held in Atiba Local Government, Oyo, said the present administration in the state will continue to give account of its stewardship to the people at the grassroots. He said: “Government, to us, is about efficient allocation of scarce resources. The resources we are talking about belong to the people. So. we must always engage them in whatever the present administration intends to do for the grassroots.” While speaking on the purpose of the To...
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has handed over some finished blocks of duplexes to accommodate Judges in the state. Governor Wike also announced that N150 million has also been handed to Judges who opted for cash payments to build their own houses. The Governor made the announcement during the commissioning of the judges’ apartment in GRA, Port Harcourt. He said the building is in fulfilment of the promise made by his administration in 2015, in a move that is necessary to improve on the living conditions of the judges who contribute to the dispensation of justice in the country. “The Rivers State government now bears full responsibility to provide befitting accommodation for all Judicial officers of Rivers state origin beyond your service years for life. “Judges have a choice to receive...
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has called for a parliamentary system of government as a more cost-effective democratic alternative for Nigeria. While inaugurating the State Constitution Review Committee in Markudi, Ortom said, the parliamentary system provides opportunities for power-sharing such that smaller parties also participate in governance, stressing that it is more accountable and considerably less complex. According to the Governor, the current system of federalism where the Federal Government has constitutional powers in nearly 100 per cent performance while states and local governments only function 30 per cent or less is a distortion of the spirit and practice of federalism. He said that Nigeria needed a constitution that sets out a system in which the various tiers could s...