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Report: Many Delta residents not aware of ongoing council poll
Some residents of Asaba and its and environs on Saturday said they that they were not aware of the local government poll taking place across Delta State, according to a report by newsmen. Agnes Afam, a business centre operator, said, “I never knew today is election. I only came out to discover that today election.” Sunday Ugwu, a carpenter who lives on Ibusa Road, said that he was not aware that there was an election, and as such, would not go to vote. Others have also complained that their polling units were far from their homes and would not participate in the election as a result. Okechukwu Onu told newsmen that he lived around ULO Ibusa Road and his polling unit was at the College of Education, Asaba, a distance he considered too far. “I advise the people in charge of elections to brin...
Women’s Day: Nigerian government urged to look deeper into Leah Sharibu’s case
Sen. Bassey Ewa Henshaw (Cross River South 2003-2011) on Friday called for more equitable distribution of positions, responsibilities and opportunities irrespective of gender and social status to bring out the best in the citizens. Henshaw made the call in Lagos at the flag-off of activities to mark the 2021 International Women’s Day celebration by the Nigeria Girl Guides Association (NGGA). The event featured election of new executives of the NGGA. The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day celebration is: “Choose to Challenge”. The International Women’s Day, held every March 8, is to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. According to the lawmaker, giving equal opportunities to all will provide a sense of belonging to all and advance nationa...
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...
OAU assures students will be mobilised for NYSC 2021 Batch A
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has assured its students that they will be mobilised for the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) 2021 Batch A. Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, the Public Relations Officer, gave the assurance in an interview with the newsmen on Thursday in Ile-Ife. He debunked rumours that only OAU had not submitted the names of its students for Batch A Corps members. According to him, no Federal University has submitted the names of their prospective students for NYSC scheme till date. “What we did was to travel to Abuja to effect some corrections and to bring back the corrected document for possible uploading for today or latest tomorrow. “Actually, there’s tendency that as I am speaking with you that their names must have been uploaded to NYSC portal today. “I am assurin...
West African health ministers in joint fight against Ebola
Ministers of Health from Guinea – which is combating a new Ebola outbreak – and neighbouring countries have agreed on a unified front to combat the virus that re-emerged about three weeks ago. A UN statement on Wednesday said this was at a meeting held in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, on 2 March. Ministers and government representatives from Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone attended the inter-ministerial meeting. “If in 2014 Guinea and the neighbouring countries were victims of Ebola, this time around Guinea and the region are resolutely facing up to Ebola,” said the Guinean Prime Minister, Dr. Ibrahima Kassory Fofana. The statement said the ministers agreed in a final declaration to set up a coordination mechanism, enhance cross-border collaboration, incl...
UNIABUJA appoints DVC academic, administration
The Governing Council of the University of Abuja has approved the appointment of Prof. Clement Alawa and Prof. Abubakar Abba as the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), respectively. Their appointment was disclosed in a statement issued by Dr Habib Yakoob, the Head, Information and Public Relations of the university on Tuesday. Yakoob said the council’s approval followed the endorsement of the vice-chancellor’s request by the institution’s senate. He said Alawa was re-appointed for another two years after a successful first tenure as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic). He said that the appointments were confirmed at the 89th regular meeting of the Governing Council on Monday. The statement said: “Alawa, a Professor of Animal Production was born on J...
Anambra Assembly expresses worry over spike in criminal activities
The Anambra House of Assembly has expressed worry over the increasing rate of crimes in the state and called for urgent measures to address the menace. Mr Noble Igwe, representing Ogbaru 1 Constituency, while speaking on a matter of urgent public importance, on Tuesday, lamented that the rate of crime had triggered fear among the residents. Igwe said there were recent reports of residents who had been victims of a wide range of violent crimes, including armed robbery, assault, burglary, carjacking, kidnapping and extortion. “Aware that security of lives and property is the primary function of the state government as enshrined in the constitution, there is the need to intensify efforts at taming the resurgence of crimes in some parts of the state, especially on theOnitsha-Owerri Road where ...
Okomu Oil Palm wants central bank to review anchor borrowers programme
Okomu Oil Palm Company Plc. wants a review of CBN’s Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) to accommodate more farmers and to shore up the nation’s foreign earnings from agriculture. The ABP is targeted at smallholder farmers engaged in the production of rice, maize, wheat and cash crops like oil palm, cocoa and rubber, among others. Speaking with newsmen on Monday in Benin, Okomu Oil’s Managing Director, Dr Graham Hefer, noted that cash crop farmers were yet to fully benefit from the programme. He said food crop farmers had an edge because they could cultivate, harvest, sell and repay their loans within the specified one year period. “It is easy for farmers engaged in annual crops to meet their targets. “This doesn’t happen with cash crops because in the first three years of oil palm production...
IPMAN advises Nigerian to stop panic buying of petrol
AHA Taxis The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) has advised Nigerians to stop panic buying and stocking of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol. Alhaji Suleiman Yakubu, the National Public Relations Officer of IPMAN, gave the advice in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Abuja. Yakubu fielded questions on the long fuel queues recorded at some filling stations in Abuja. He decried the panic purchases and long queues witnessed in various filling stations across the nation’s federal capital. Yakubu however said that crude oil price has gone up and it has affected the price products. He assured Nigerians that normal supply of petroleum products would soon be restored since loading have commenced at various deports. “We want to assure the buyers that g...
Chukwuma Soludo: Why I joined Anambra governorship race
Former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, says he is in the governorship race of Anambra to make the South-East geopolitical zone an island of prosperity. Newsmen report that Soludo will run for the Nov. 6 poll on the platform of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). In an interaction with newsmen on Saturday in Awka, he said the South-East had become largely unlivable despite the solid foundation and infrastructure laid down by leaders for the region’s development. Soludo described the South-East as a “tiny poor place that must begin to turn into a Promised Land. “For you to create a livable society comparable to any other place, it requires a crusade for all and it must happen simultaneously in the South-East,” he said. He said Anambra had been relative...
Ex-VP Namadi Sambo advocates shift in Nigerian educational system
Reuters Former Vice President Namadi Sambo has advocated for a dynamic approach of the Nigerian educational system to produce employees with skills and ability to handle complex jobs and create opportunities for others. Sambo made the call in his goodwill message at the 22nd Matriculation of Igbinedion University, Okada, on Saturday in Edo. The former vice president noted that it was the best time for the country to refocus from one size-fits-all approach that creates employees that are not fit for complex jobs. According to him, Nigerian universities must refocus on building of graduates that will create and end poverty among the people and ultimately close the wide social inequality and promote social coefficient in the communities. “As a nation, we must focus our educational system to o...
NDLEA seizes Tramadol capsules worth N50 million in Adamawa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has seized 46.8 kilograms of suspected Tramadol capsules worth N50 million in Mubi, Mubi North Local Government area of Adamawa. The NDLEA Commander in the state, Mr Idris Bello, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Yola. Bello said that the drug was seized in a house at Unguwan Madina, Mubi town. Bello explained that the command had also seized 82 blocks of compressed substance, weighing 79 kilogramme, believed to be cannabis sativa, popularly known as Indian hemp, in Lafiya-Lamurde in Lamurde Local Government area of the state. “The Adamawa Command of NDLEA, on Feb. 19, successfully arrested a suspect, with 225mg of Tramadol tablets, 100mg capsules and Diazepam tablets, all weighing 46.8 ...
