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Gunmen abduct NARTO official in Delta
The Police in Delta State on Saturday has confirmed that gunmen had abducted the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Warri branch, Mr Duris Orugbo in Sapele local government area of the State. Edafe Bright, the spokesperson for the police in the state, confirmed the incident and described it as “unfortunate and regrettable’’. Mr Edafe said the gunmen wearing vigilante uniform and using a Jetta Taxi abducted Mr Orugbo along Okpe road, adding the police are on their trail and soon they will be caught” However more facts have emerged on how Mr Orugbo was kidnaped with the abductors said to have trailed the victim from Warri, where he was based. “Comrade Orugbo, I am sure was trail from Warri to Sapele, at about 8pm or so, their abductors using a Jetta Ta...
Benue governor: My strength lies with the people
Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue state Friday said his strength lies with God and the people of Benue state who have always been his pillar and supported his political endeavors. The Governor who spoke Friday while feting widows, orphans the disabled and children with special needs in Makurdi on his 60th birthday anniversary commended Benue people for standing with him at all times. He said he had to celebrate with the selected people to give them a sense of belonging, hope and reassurance that they were integral part of the society and also deserved to be accorded desired attention. “I am what I am because God is with me and my people are with me as well. That is were I draw my strength from and that is what makes me what I am. I am nothing without God and my people. That is why all I do is...
Nigerian government virtually inaugurates seven digital economy projects in five zones
The Federal Government on Friday in Abuja virtually inaugurated seven Information Technology (IT) projects located in five geo-political zones of the country. The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Isa Pantami, said at the event that they were part of efforts to consolidate on implementing the National Digital Economy Policy and Strategy (NDEPS). Pantami said that the projects were in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s key agenda, which included economic development, security and fight against corruption. Newsmen report that the projects were actualised by parastatal agencies under the Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy. The projects commissioned included a Community ICT Centre in Dutse, Jigawa, for North West; an IT Hub at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University,...
PTAD: Implementation of pension adjustment in progress
Dr Chioma Ejikeme, Executive Secretary of Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD), says implementation of the pension adjustment is in progress. Ejikeme in a statement on Thursday in Abuja through Mr Gbenga Ajayi, PTAD’s Head of Corporate Communications, noted that the implementation was most likely to commence at the end of April, going by the submissions that had been made by all stakeholders. “Ejikeme held a meeting with the National Executives of the Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) led by Dr Abel Afolayan on March 16, where the issue of the implementation of the pension adjustment was openly discussed. “The union gave their understanding at the meeting, the executive secretary told the union that the implementation is most likely to commence at the end of April, going by ...
Official: Dennis Amachree not speaking for DSS on Isa Pantami
Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Service (DSS) has disowned reasons adduced for its alleged failure to reveal alleged link of Malam Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy to terrorism before his confirmation as minister in 2019 adduced by one of its former officer, Dennis Amachree. Amaechree, a former Assistant Director of DSS had in an online interview on Wednesday said the secret police was aware of alleged link of Pantami to terrorism. But he said the DSS decided not to make the reasons public, thus enabling Pantami to sail through senate screening due to a lot of factors including federal character balancing. Amachree had said, ”There is no information that escapes the DSS, we have all of it, all. When I was working there, we keep a catalogue of...
Shell’s pipeline spills 213 barrels of crude into Bayelsa community
The Okordia-Rumekpe 14-inch crude truckline operated by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) has discharged some 213 barrels of crude oil into Ikarama community in Bayelsa. SPDC’s Media Relations Manager, Mr Bamidele Odugbesan, confirmed the leakage and said that probe into the incident had been concluded. A Joint Investigative Visit’s (JIV) report obtained by newsmen on the incident on Thursday confirmed that the incident occured on April 7, while the investigation was concluded on April 12. JIV is a statutory probe into the cause of any recorded spill incident involving the oil firm, regulators, host communities and state ministries of environment. The JIV report concluded that the spill was an operational mishap traced to equipment failure which impacted nearby palm trees and fish...
Edo: Police charge 331 suspects to courts in two months
The Police Command in Edo on Wednesday disclosed that no fewer than 332 suspects have been charged to courts in the last two months. Mr Phillip Ogbadu, the Commissioner of Police in Edo, disclosed this at a media briefing in his office in Benin, on Wednesday. “From Feb. 5 till date, we have charged 332 suspects out of the 357 arrested within the period to various courts”, Ogbadu said. He explained that 58 suspects were arrested for alleged kidnapping, while 100 suspects were arrested for alleged cultism. He further explained that 81 suspects were also arrested for alleged armed robbery, and six suspects arrested for alleged rape. “We arrested 50 suspects for alleged murder, seven suspects for alleged defilement. “We also arrested 16 suspects for unlawful possession firearms, 13 suspects we...
Lagos inaugurates six-man governing board for alternative high school for girls
Lagos State Government has inaugurated a six-member Governing Board for Alternative High School for Girls In Aboju area of the state. The moves aimed at promoting the growth of both formal and informal education in the state. The state government, therefore, in demonstration of its commitment to full implementation of its mass literacy policy, charged the board to ensure that the school continues to excel in all its activities while sustaining its current impressive standard. The Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Education, Barrister Tokunbo Wahab, inaugurated the board. Wahab, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Mr Adeniran Kasali, stated that the government carefully selected technocrats with diverse experience and achievements in education and public service to let th...
DPR: We’ve accurate record of crude production
File Photo The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) on Friday debunked claims that the exact volume of crude oil produced in the country was not known. Mr Paul Osu, Head, Public Affairs, DPR, in a statement issued in Lagos, said every litre of crude produced in the country was adequately captured during the process of extraction. Osu said it was the responsibility of the DPR to monitor and account for crude oil production as basis for determining government’s revenue through royalty payments by operators for sustainable development. He said: “As a further step to boosting crude accounting process from production to export, DPR recently launched the National Production Monitoring System (NPMS). “NPMS is an online platform for direct and independent acquisition of production data from oil...
Gunmen kill six, injure many in Plateau village
Fresh attack on Thursday night claimed six lives as gunmen opened fire on some villagers at Wereng village, Riyom local government area of Plateau State, killing six and injuring three villagers. The attack occurred at the time villagers returned from their day’s businesses and were preparing to retire for the night when sporadic gunshots jolted them Before the incident, there were rumours being circulated that the villagers may be attacked any moment but it was unclear if security agencies acted on the information. Wereng has consistently been under attack in over a decade now and all appeals for the dastardly act to end have been rebuffed by the attackers. Although Operation Safe Haven on peace mission in the State did not confirm the incident at the time of this report because the spoke...
YPP provides girls with sexual reproductive health information
Young people, especially girls and young women faced significant barriers in accessing sexual reproductive health information and services before the COVID-19 crisis. Now, due to the pandemic, there is a risk that young people accessing this life-saving information will move even further from their reach. To address this risk, a one-day Community Forum for adolescent girls and young women was organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Youth Participatory Platform (YPP) in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Youth in Abesan Youth Center, Alimosho, Lagos. At the event, the CDC Secretary, Mosan Okunola LCDA, Mr. Olufemo Ojo, said “We must continue to provide young girls with information that empowers them to make informed decisions regarding their health and wellbeing....
Governor Wike: Nobody can undermine Rivers in quest for Nigeria’s presidency
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that anybody jostling to be president of Nigeria would also need to secure votes in Rivers to combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious. Wike said such pivotal position establishes the importance of Rivers State in the political scheme of the country, stating that nobody would be allowed to undermine it. He made the assertion at the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at Ulakwo in Etche Local Government Area, yesterday. The governor said: “I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has given more votes to the party than Rivers. “And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes...