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Ondo governor: No land in southern Nigeria will be ceded to invaders masquerading as herdsmen
The Ondo State Governor and Chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, Mr Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has declared that “no inch of the space delineated and known, currently, as South West, and indeed the whole South, will be ceded to a band of invaders masquerading as herdsmen under any guise.” Akeredolu made the declaration in a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant Special Duties and Strategies, Dr Doyin Odebowale. The declaration was sequel to a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, on the position of President Muhammadu Buhari, on the farmer-herder clashes and what was termed as “Deep Rooted Solutions to the herdsmen attacks”. Shehu had in the statement revealed the presidency’s position that ranching and revival...
PDP governors asks President Buhari to summon Police Council meeting
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has unanimously has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately summon the meeting of the Nigerian Police Council to implement strategies to combat the security challenges facing the nation. The governors, who met in Ibadan, Oyo State capital on Monday to further review the State of the nation, particularly, as it concerns the worsening security situation and the country’s collapsing economy said the meeting of the Police Council which comprises Mr President and all State Governors and other critical stakeholders should be called to evolve strategies to present threats to Nigeria as a country, especially with respect to policing Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who read...
APC: PDP governors’ meeting ‘mere jamboree’
The ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, has described Monday’s meeting of governors of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP as a jamboree and a complete waste of time, accusing the state executives of engaging in name calling and abuses. National Secretary of the APC Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee, CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedehe disclosed this in a statement issued Monday in Abuja. The statement reads; “Going by the communique issued by the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Governors’ Forum, at the end of its meeting on Monday, it is unfortunate that the PDP governors chose to engage in misplaced name calling and abuses instead of seizing a golden opportunity provided by the meeting to offer meaningful and patriotic contributions on the review of the state...
Southern speakers support governors’ ban on open grazing, restructuring, others
File Photo Speakers of Southern States Legislatures, weekend, threw their weight the Southern Governors resolutions, banning open grazing of cattle, call for national dialogue, restructuring of the country and respect for Federal Character. The Speakers in a statement, commended the Southern Governors for coming together to speak with one voice, saying the resolutions of the Southern Governors were pathways to resolving the problems facing the country. The Speakers, said: “We the Speakers of State Legislatures in Southern Nigeria commend the Governors of the Southern States for their patriotism and firm belief in the unity of the country. “We salute the Governors for their initiative and restate our support for the positions of the Governors. We wish to state unequivocally that the issues ...
Washington denies Iran state media report saying prisoner swap agreed
The United States on Sunday denied a report by Iran’s state television that the arch-foes had reached a prisoner swap deal in exchange for the release of $7 billion frozen Iranian oil funds under U.S. sanctions in other countries. Iranian state television said on Sunday that Tehran would free four Americans accused of spying in exchange for four Iranians held in the United States and the release of $7 billion in frozen Iranian funds. The U.S. government denied that an exchange was in the works. The state TV, quoting an unnamed Iranian official, also said British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe would be released once Britain had paid off a debt on military equipment owed to Tehran. A British Foreign Office official played down that report. Iran and world powers are holding talks ...
Segun Adeniyi: Devolution of power alone can’t solve Nigeria’s problems
Nigerian Monitor The chairman of THISDAY editorial board, Olusegun Adeniyi, says devolution of power is not the only solution to Nigeria’s problems. Adeniyi said for it to be effective, devolution of power must come with accountability at all levels especially at the local government where administration “has been castrated”. He was speaking at ‘The Platform’, an annual programme organised by Covenant Christian Centre, which was held in Lagos on Saturday. The seasoned journalist added that from past experience, closer government does not necessarily translate to better governance. “Today, there is hardly anybody in our country who is not angry about the situation in which we find ourselves. But nobody is accepting responsibility because the other person or the other ethnic group is to blam...
NOA urges all leaders to de-escalate tension, preach peace
File Photo Responding to the spike in violent crimes and insecurity across Nigeria, the National Orientation Agency (NOA) has urged political, ethnic and religious leaders to take deliberate steps to de-escalate tensions and promote peace, unity and tolerance among the citizens. In a letter of appeal signed by the Director General of NOA, Dr Garba Abari, the agency said the present situation called for leaders across political, religious, traditional, professional and the social landscape to do all within their powers to arrest the situation to avoid further deterioration. The letter reads in part: ‘At these very challenging times, all the nation and its citizens need are deeper reflection and sobriety in what we do and say, as truly, the forces of disunity and national disintegration are ...
#EndSARS: Ondo panel recommends N755 million compensations for victims
A judicial panel of police brutality and other related matters has recommended about N755 million as compensations for petitioners. The Chairman of the panel, Salisu Sidiq, revealed this while submitting the committee’s reports and recommendations to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. The panel inaugurated on October 20, 2020, sought to address issues that led to #EndSARS protests in the state. Mr Sidiq said it received and heard 77 petitions, out of which 14 were criminal, and 63 were civil matters. He added, “Mr Governor sir, the panel, after careful consideration of its limitations in line with extant Supreme Court judgments on the powers of panels of inquiry to entertain res-judicata cases I suggest that it is high time a review is carried out on Section 84 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Ac...
EKSU: SSANU urges Ekiti governor to intervene over proscription of staff unions
File Photo The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Western Zone, has called on the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, to as a matter of urgency, intervene in the crisis rocking the Ekiti State University, following the proscription of staff unions by the Governing Council of the university led by Prof. Tale Omole. Staff unions proscribed by the Governing Council are the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), the National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions (NASU) of the university. While addressing journalists at a press conference on Monday at the University of Ibadan, the National Vice President of SSANU, ...
Chad rebels ready for ceasefire; opposition presses for civilian rule
Rebels in northern Chad are ready to observe a ceasefire and to discuss a political settlement after the battlefield death of President Idriss Deby last week, a rebel spokesman said on Sunday. The rebels, known as the Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT), came over the northern border from Libya on April 11 calling for an end to Deby’s 30-year rule. They came as close as 200-300 km (125-185 miles) from the capital N’Djamena before being pushed back by the army. Deby was killed on Monday while visiting troops at the front, just after he won an election. His death shocked the Central African country, which has long been a Western ally against Islamist militants. The air force has since bombarded rebel positions, the military and rebels said. The military said on Saturday it had “annih...
Bill seeking pay-as-you-go for cable TV passes second reading in House
The Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Communication, Hon Idem Unyime, on Friday assured that Nigerians will soon get pay-as-you-go services for digital satellite television. Unyime gave the assurance as a Bill for an Act to amend the National Broadcasting Commission Act, co-sponsored by himself, Hon Odebunmi Olusegun and Hon Dachung Musa Bagos, scaled second reading. Unyime while appealing to Nigerians to be patient as the Bill will soon be passed into law, said when passed, it will also give the NBC the power to fix prices for digital television. He expressed optimism that the proposed legislation would be passed into law as quickly as possible to assuage the inconvenience Nigerians have so far endured as far as cable television is concerned. The Bill, he said, ...
Djibouti president set to extend 22-year rule
Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh is expected to extend his two-decade rule of the tiny Horn of Africa nation as the country heads to the polls Friday. Guelleh, 73, is facing political newcomer Zakaria Ismail Farah, his only rival after traditional opposition parties decided to boycott the election. A businessman specialised in the importation of cleaning products, Farah, 56, is seen by observers as unlikely to pose a significant challenge to the strongman who has been in power for 22 years. Djibouti is a largely desert country strategically situated on one of the world’s busiest trade routes and at the crossroads between Africa and the Arabian peninsula, a short distance from war-torn Yemen. Under Guelleh, the country has exploited this geographical advantage, investing heavily in ...
