Synergy
Plateau senator seeks Nigerian government’s support for victims of yam market fire
Senator representing Plateau South in the National Assembly, Professor Nora Dadu’ut, has appealed to the federal government to support victims of the recent fire incident that engulfed the famous Namu Central Yam Market in Qua’an Pan Local Government Area, of Plateau state which led to the loss of food products and other valuables worth millions of naira. The lawmaker, who made the appeal during a press briefing in Jos, said she was saddened by the heart-rending development, and called on governments at all levels, and well-meaning Nigerians to offer support for the victims to aid their recovery from the tragedy. She said, “We would not rest on our oars until we have done the needful in reducing the damages and ameliorating their challenges through state and federal government intervention...
Nigerian Army seeks media support to end insurgency
The Commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, Major General Faruk Yahaya, has called on the media to support the ongoing operation to rout Boko Haram terrorists out of the country. The theatre commander made the call at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Saturday during a luncheon organised in honour of the media practitioners in Borno State. Gen Yahaya expressed appreciation to the media, describing practitioners as critical stakeholders in the fight against the terrorists. He added that the media as an important component could enhance operations when effectively harnessed and deployed. The theatre commander charged the media to be reliable partners by effectively deploying its skills and competence in the support of the operations in the North-east. “Media should make effort to deny the crimi...
Nigerian army urges journalists to protect national interests
The Commander, Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, Adamu Nura, has appealed to journalists to prioritise Nigeria’s national interest in their reporting. Nura made the appeal, on Friday, while hosting members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), who paid him a courtesy visit in Damaturu. “National interest is more important than any other interests, including public interest; because when you protect national interest, public interest will automatically be covered,” he said. He, therefore, enjoined journalists to always cooperate with security agencies, to protect the national interest in their reporting “and avoid giving any form of publicity to terrorists”. “Security is everybody’s business, without security nothing can be achieved,” he said. He added that the sector was ready to build...
CSOs: Bandit attacks a risk to food security in Nigeria
Bandit attacks heighten risks for acute food crisis in Nigeria, stakeholders from the civil society and the media have said. This is even as they vowed to unite against terror rather than do anything that could promote it. “In addition to displacement, insecurity has hampered agricultural activities and heightened the risk of acute food uncertainty in the country”, they said in a communique issued on Thursday after a meeting of civil society groups and media in the nation’s capital. But they insisted that the adoption of new approaches by the government will address the specific political, economic, and social challenges that encourage banditry and terrorism in the country. The communique co-signed by Gbenga Onayiga and Adamu Ladan, the Acting Chairman and the Executive Director of the Vis...
Nigerian government blames states for failure of past development plans
Federal Government has blamed the states for the shortcomings of the past development plans, saying it did not receive the needed co-operation from the sub-national governments. Speaking at the closing of 19th National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) meeting on Friday in Abuja, Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the overall score card of previous plans were adjudged to be below expectations because of inadequate collaboration from the subnational governments. According to her, the previous plans did not make much impacts based on the assertion that the plans were more of federal government than national. “However, the overall scorecard of previous Plans were adjudged to be below expectations and these were among other factors attributed to inadequate collaboration from Sub-...
Niger Delta agitators urges South South governors to work with Senator Akpabio to develop region
A coalition of Niger Delta agitators, weekend, called on governors of South South to work with Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to develop Niger Delta region and its people. The group meanwhile, called out governors of Niger Delta states, saying recent revelation by Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, that they (governors) collected N100 million each as Covid-19 palliative has exposed their hypocrisy. Chairman, Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, Senator Patrick Ayo Akinyelure, last week, told reporters in Abuja that NDDC officials told the committee that each of the nine governors of the Niger Delta states got N100 million as Covid-19 palliatives. Coordinator of the 21st Century Youths of Niger Delta and Agitators with Conscience, 2...
#EndSARS: Lagos assembly committee commends council chairmen’s resilience
Member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Mr AdbulSobur Olawale, has commended the Executive Chairman of Ajeromi Local Government, LG, Mr. Fatai Ayoola, management and staff members for the resilience to rebuild the Secretariat that was destroyed during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. Olawale, who is also the Chairman of, House Committee on Local Government and Community Relations, disclosed that the Secretariat was among those government facilities that were destroyed by hoodlums during the aftermath of the ENDSARS protest. In the same view, the lawmaker applauded Council Chairman of Ifelodun Local Council Development Area, LCDA, Mr Shaibu Ajidagba for building the legislative chamber during his tenure in office. Speaking with journalists, after the oversight function to both Aje...
WTO chief: ‘Safe Schools Initiative’ to stop abduction of students
The Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Wednesday expressed hope that the ‘Safe Schools Initiative’ will help stop the incessant abduction of students across Nigeria. Nigerian women on Wednesday came out en masse to welcome Okonjo-Iweala in her first homecoming since she became the director-general of WTO, during a visit to the Ministry of Women Affairs in Abuja. Addressing the crowd which included Senators and members of the National Assembly, former Ministers, wives of former governors, women in the Armed Forces, women societies, female political aspirants, Civil Society Organisations, as well as students, Okonjo-Iweala expressed deep concern about the incessant abduction of girls and boys in schools. The WTO boss who noted that it is shamef...
Oyo governor urges army to deploy troops to border towns
Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has appealed to the Nigerian army to deploy troops to border towns in the state to check the influx of criminal-minded people into the country. Makinde made the call while receiving the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor, who led other top military personnel on a courtesy visit to the governor on Thursday in Ibadan. The governor, who was represented by his deputy – Alhaji Rauf Olaniyan, noted that the border towns in Oke-Ogun area of the state were porous. He said the challenge of insecurity was not peculiar to Oyo State alone, saying the problem was across the country. He urged the security agencies to intensify efforts in tackling the menace and restore permanent security of lives and property across the country. The governor, who said there was an e...
Osun governor condemns ethnic colouration in fight against terrorism
Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has condemned the ethnic coloration in which the fight against terrorism and insurgency is taking in Nigeria. Oyetola, however, called on Nigerians to form a collective synergy with the aim of bringing an end to the worrisome security situation bedevilling the nation. Oyetola, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Oluwole Oyebamiji, on Saturday at an international colloquium organised in honour of Prof. Siyan Oyeweso’s 60th birthday and Book Launch held at Western Sun International Ede, Osun State, flayed the ethnic coloration the issue of security is taking in the country. The governor called on security operatives to go after criminals devoid of any kind of sentiment. According to him, the menace of terrorism and insur...
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 ...
Nigerian Army: Troops in pursuit of abductors of Kagara school staff, students
The Nigerian Army says its troops have been mobilised in pursuit of abductors of kidnapped members of staff and students of Government Science School, Kagara, Niger. The Director, Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yerima, announced this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Yerima said that the Nigerian Army had renewed efforts to ensure swift response to the unfortunate incident. He said it had been reported that the bandits gained entry into the school in the early hours of Wednesday and abducted unspecified number of members of staff and students of the school. “The Nigerian Army in line with its constitutional mandate wishes to reassure the public that troops in operational synergy with sister security agencies are in hot pursuit of the criminal elements to ensure safe return ...
