State Level
Imo PDP chieftain joins APC
Mr Hillary Ugochukwu, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo, has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Ugochukwu, a former senatorial aspirant of the party, announced his defection at a reception organised in his honour by the state leaders of the APC in Owerri on Saturday. Ugochukwu lauded Gov. Hope Uzodimma on his achievements in office and expressed willingness to work with him towards taking the state to greater height. The former aspirant, an agriculturist and estate developer, called on his supporters to join him in his struggle to make the state a better place. He said he registered with the APC in his home ward in Ogwa in Mbaitoli Local Government Area (LGA) of the state before his advancement to the state level. ”After careful thought and due consulta...
APC chieftain: Senator Sheriff used his empire to handpick Kashim Shettima as Borno governor in 2011
File Photo A chieftain in the All Progressive Congress (APC) and a former law maker in the Nasarawa state House of Assembly, Hon. Dr Kassim Mohammad Kassim, has recalled how former Borno Governor Senator Ali Modu-Sheriff installed his successor, Senator Kashim Shettima in 2011. The former Nasarawa lawmaker, who is a stakeholder in the ruling party and a close allied told reporters in Lafia, capital of Nasarawa that Modu-Sheriff practically dragged Shettima from the banking sector and made him Governor using his vast networks and goodwill. Responding to an online publication that averred Modu-Sheriff is unfit to become national chairman of the APC, Kassim said: “The writer forget to mention how Senator Ali Modu Sheriff singlehandedly brought Shettima from the banking sector in 2007 and made...
Katsina judge kidnapped inside court
Gunmen have abducted a judge at a Sharia Court in Bauren Zakat village in Safana Local Government Area of Katsina State. Witnesses told newsmen that the attackers broke into the court around 3pm on Tuesday and abducted the judge identified as Alhaji Husaini Sama’ila. The court was relocated to Safana due to security reasons. It is not clear why the judge was in court during the industrial action embarked upon by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). JUSUN had on April 6 embarked on a strike, demanding compliance with the provisions of sections 81(3), 121(3) and 162(9) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) on financial autonomy of the judicial arm at the state level. Katsina is one of the NorthWest states where bandits are wreaking havoc. Security operatives are yet to react to this ...
NBA urges judiciary workers to shelve strike
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday urged judiciary workers under the aegis of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to shelve their plan to begin a nationwide strike on Tuesday. The association in a statement signed by its President, Olumide Akpata, said although it believes in the battle for financial autonomy of the judiciary being waged by the workers, the timing of the planned strike would spell doom for the country considering the negative impacts of the coronavirus pandemic in the last one year. Akpata stated, “However, as commendable and laudable as the proposed strike action may be, the NBA is concerned about its timing and the potentially devastating consequences it would pose for justice administration in the country, particularly coming on the heels of prolonged...
Senator Okorocha meets VP Osinbajo over feud with Governor Uzodinma
Rochas Foundation The former Governor of Imo State and Senator representing Imo West Senatorial District, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, Wednesday took the feud between him and Governor Hope Uzodinma to the Presidency. Senator Okorocha after meeting behind closed doors with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo told State House correspondents that he would not want an escalation of the conflict arising from the government’s sealing of some of his property in Owerri, the Imo State capital, insisting that he wants peace to reign in the state. The proponent of ‘Iberiberism’ doctrine also said that becoming governor was a sacrifice for him. According to him, “The whole thing to me sounds like a movie, a joke, a dream that does not reflect any practical reality, but I am a father, I’m a leader of that state an...
NPHCDA: States yet to meet conditions won’t get coronavirus vaccines
National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, said, yesterday, that states yet to meet the criteria for COVID-19 vaccines would not get a share of the 3.92 million AstraZeneca vaccines received by the country on Tuesday. Executive Director of the agency, Dr Faisal Shuaib, who disclosed this at a State House briefing in Abuja, also said President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would be vaccinated publicly tomorrow, while members of the Federal Executive Council, FEC, would have theirs on Monday. He said: “After we are able to get our strategic leaders to publicly demonstrate that these vaccines are safe, the plan is to now go to the state level to start the launch at the treatment centres of the states and also get strategic leaders, such as governors, to publi...
NHRC urges Zamfara government to reconsider stand on ‘repentant bandits’
The National Human Rights Commission, on Saturday, expressed concerns over the rising cases of kidnapping of boarding schools’ students in northern parts of the country. The commission also called on the Zamfara State Government to reconsider its stand on repentant bandits to avoid elevation of criminality to a level where they would be dictating conditions for negotiations with government. The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Tony Ojukwu, stated this in a statement by the Commission’s Deputy Director of Public Affairs, Fatimah Mohammed, in Abuja. He was reacting to the recent reports of the abduction of over 300 students at Government Girls Science Secondary School Janjebe, Zamfara State. According to him, young boys and girls have unfortunately been abused and violated by some unsc...
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...
Lagos government plans internship programme for young graduates
The Lagos State Government on Friday said it was planning a six-month Internship Programme for 4,000 young graduates in the state. Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this during the inauguration of a 28-room Administrative Block constructed by Agboyi-Ketu Local Council Development Area. Sanwo-Olu said that the 4,000 fresh graduates would be paid a monthly stipend of N40,000 for the six months programme, adding that there was an urgent need for government at all levels to prioritise youth development, empowerment and mentoring. According to him, the recent EndSARS protest must be seen as a wakeup call for government at all levels to do more for young people who are demanding for better opportunities and engagements. ”As we prepare for a new fiscal year, let us ensure that ade...
