State Government
APC chieftain alleges plan to destabilize party using courts in Rivers
Chris Finebone, a chieftain of All Progressives Congress, APC, claims he has uncovered plans by a group working in cohort with the Rivers government to use the state judiciary to destabilize the party. Finebone, a former spokesperson for the party in Rivers made the allegation in a statement on Tuesday. He alleged that Governor Nyesom Wike and the Rivers chapter of PDP hatched the plot to destabilize the APC nationwide by making available Rivers State courts to enemies of the party (within and from outside the State) to file all manner of cases against it with a view to destabilizing the party as politics of 2023 approaches. Finebone further claimed that he learned from sources he did not disclose that the decision to use Rivers Courts was hatched at the highest level of government directl...
Jigawa Assembly passes 2021 Appropriation Bill
Jigawa State House of Assembly has on Tuesday passed the 2021 Appropriation Bill of N156.588 billion. This followed the adoption of a 2021 appropriation committee’s report led by the House Committee on Appreciation chairman, Hon. Suleiman Kadara, at plenary. Kadara, who is representing Guri Constituency, told the House that the committee had done justice to the appropriation bill presented by Gov. Muhammad Badaru to the house on Nov. 4. Badaru had sought the consideration of the House to appropriate the sum of N156.588 billion for the services of the Jigawa State Government during the period of Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2021. Of the figures, N78.346 billion was earmarked for recurrent expenditures, including provisions for contingency and stabilization funds, while N78.241 was for capital expendi...
Kaduna screens youths for community policing to curb insecurity
Kaduna state government has started screening youths in its preparation to commence community policing to tackle insecurity in the state. The Acting Governor, Hadiza Balarabe, chaired a meeting which is part of the consultations in the three senatorial districts on how to address insecurity on Monday. The meeting had senators, members of the House of Representatives, state House of Assembly members and chairmen from the 15 local government areas in Kaduna North and Kaduna Central senatorial zones as well as District Heads in attendance. Speaking with journalists after the meeting, the senator representing Kaduna Central zone, Uba Sani, said they came together to look into the security problem facing Kaduna, stressing that insecurity needs to be tackled collectively. “I’m working on a bill ...
Rising crime in Lagos due to damage to police assets – LSSTF chief
The Executive Secretary/CEO Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF), Mr Abdurrazaq Balogun, has blamed the rising crime across Lagos in the past weeks to the damage done to police assets and the number of lethal weapons in the possession of non-state actors. Balogun disclosed this during the 14th Town Hall Meeting on security, organised by the LSSTF, with the theme, “Lagos security: Resilience in the face of adversity,” held at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island. Balogun noted that an estimated 80 per cent of the operational vehicles used by the police in the last 13 years were donations from the LSSTF. Balogun observed that there was a decline in donations to the fund, which has been dismal compared to what it had received in the previous years, a challenge he attributed to the outbreak of...
Security expert calls for 10,000 vigilantes to provide protection for Borno communities
Security expert, Dr Ona Ekhomu, has advised the Borno State government to immediately hire 10,000 Borno Youths into a robust vigilance force to defend the state alongside the military, the police, the paramilitary and the Civilian JTF. The absence of a capable guardian is what facilitated the Borno massacre that occurred last Saturday, he added. Dr. Ekhomu, who is President of the Association Industrial Security and Safety Operators of Nigeria, said hiring the 10,000-man youth vigilance force will provide protection of the rural populations against incessant terror attacks. He said: “The vigilance initiative will also help Governor Zulum to fulfil his campaign promise to hire Borno youths to secure the State. “The Borno Vigilance Force which should employ able-bodied youths who must receiv...
Governor Oyetola: Yoruba believe in unity of Nigeria
The Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola, on Saturday said the Yoruba people are a nation of hospitable, accommodating and warm people who believe in the oneness of Nigeria. Oyetola, who fielded questions from international media organisations: BBC, Voice of America, DW News and Radio France, during the 29th edition of Owu International Conference, also lauded the Yoruba race for the role it is playing in fostering peace and unity in the nation. Commenting on the theme of the conference: “Harmony in Owu polity: A recipe for national unity,” Oyetola described the Yoruba race as a believer in the harmony and oneness of the nation, adding that the migration of other tribes to their territories and settlements is not an issue because they are accommodating and hospitable. Oyetola also comme...
Ogun governor presents N339 billion 2021 budget proposal
Gov. Dapo Abiodun of Ogun, on Wednesday, presented a budget proposal of N339 billion for the 2021 fiscal year to the state House of Assembly, with N177 billion earmarked for capital expenditure. Newsmen report that the budget, christened “Budget of Recovery and Sustainability,” also has N162 billion proposed for recurrent expenditure. The governor said that an estimated N119 billion was projected as internally-generated revenue for the state, with statutory allocation expected to be N59 billion. He stated that capital receipt, which included internal and external loans as well as grants and aids, stood at N142 billion. The governor stated that personnel cost remained the largest single item of expenditure, adding as at Oct. 31, it accounted for 35.5 percent of the total government spending...
Gunmen kidnap Edo councillor
Unknown gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday abducted Israel Inyanabor, a councillor representing Ewohimi Ward One in Esan South-East Local Government Area of Edo State. Inyanabor’s kidnap happened along Ewatto-Ubiaja-Okhuesan Road near Ena River in Esan South-East LGA of the state. The kidnap of the councillor has reportedly created tension in the community following an earlier abduction of a teacher and his wife, simply identified as Mr and Mrs Aluola, by suspected bandits along the same Ewatto-Ubiaja-Okhuesan Road on Monday. It was learnt that the abductors of the couple are asking for N15 million as ransom from the family before they would be released. A resident of Ewohimi, Festus Ehigiator, disclosed that the scene of the latest kidnap incident was the same spot where the teacher a...
FRSC to introduce NIN information for vehicle registration, license — Oyeyemi
Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), says that the corps will introduce the National Identity Number (NIN) information by first quarter of 2021 for vehicles registration. Oyeyemi revealed this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja on Friday. The corps marshall said that the essence of the NIN was to enhance road safety through the use of technology. He also said that from December, drivers license would no longer be issued without the NIN information. “I must commend the government. With the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), now we have one national database, one identity. You cannot use double identity now. “You know before some people have about five different identities but now you are forced to pick one. Once yo...
Widow of slain LASTMA officer prays judicial panel for compensation
Adeyemo Rotimi, widow of Rotimi Oke Adeyemo, a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official has prayed the Lagos judicial panel for compensation for the murder of her husband. She stated that she does not have an amount in mind for compensation but wants a scholarship for her children up till tertiary level. According to the widow, her husband was shot dead by Olonde Olakunle, a SARS officer while on duty on 28th November 2018. Her husband’s death clocks exactly two years today. Mrs. Rotimi said upon the death of her husband, she has been left to cater for her children, a twin (3-year-old), and their elder brother (8-year-old). While in tears, the widow said an autopsy was carried out on her husband and it showed he died from a gunshot. Upon cross-examination by the police co...
President Buhari urges Nigerians to pray for peace, unity
President Muhammadu Buhari has urged Nigerians to continue to pray for peace, unity and stability in the country. The president made the call in an address at the 70th anniversary of the Qaddriyya on Saturday in Kano. Buhari, represented by Alhaji Sabo Nanono, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the call was imperative to foster unity and address security challenges in the country. He enjoined the youth to avail themselves of the opportunities of agriculture and economic empowerment programmes initiated by the Federal Government to learn trades, become self reliant and engage in productive activities. Buhari expressed delight over the conduct of the event and commended the Leader of the Qadiriyya, Sheikh Qaribullah Nasiru-Kabara for his support and constant prayers for the ...
Nigerian government seeks new Eurobond
The federal government yesterday disclosed that it would approach the Eurobond market next year in its effort to shore up the economy, amidst cocktails of measures being put in place to douse the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economy. On the same day, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, while speaking at the 55th Annual Bankers Dinner organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) in Lagos, predicted a two per cent growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2021. Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed, who disclosed the Eurobond plan while speaking on Bloomberg TV, explained that the decision would depend on the prevailing interest rates. She, however, did not specify the amount to be accessed from the Eurobond. The Eurobond option is ...
