Nation
THE STATES
L-R: Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode and his wife, Bolanle, join the former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke and his wife, Onari on stage as Duke performs at “An Evening of Jazz” with Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos on Saturday night.
Adamawa
Sen. Abdul-Azeez Nyako (APC-Adamawa Central) has
introduced a soft loan programme for petty women traders in his constituency.
Flagging-off the programme in collaboration with Ideal Woman Loans and Saving Limited on Yola, Nyako said the measure was to enable the women boost their businesses.
He advised women in his constituency to form groups and liaise with the handlers (Loans and Saving Ltd) of the programme for a bigger assistance. The lawmaker also said he had obtained fertiliser and seedlings which would soon be distributed to farmer groups in the constituency.
“I also have a special youth empowerment programme coming up in September,’’ Nyako said.
The Head of Ideal Woman Loans and Saving Limited, Hajiya Hauwa Abdullahi, said more than 500 women from 29 women groups had benefitted from the first phase of the programme.
Benue
Workers in Benue have called on the state govern
ment to lift the embargo on employment and to pay workers all their outstanding salary arrears.
The workers made their demands through the Chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) in the state, Godwin Anya.
The NLC boss spoke at the May Day rally in Makurdi.
He restated workers’ dedication to duty and hard work in the implementation of government policies and programmes.
Anya, however, urged government not to shy away from the issue of workers welfare which he said had been neglected.
Borno
The Nigerian Army said that it had commenced large
scale operations to smoke out Boko Haram terrorists from their Sambisa forest hideout in Borno.
Maj.-Gen. Lucky Irabor, the Theater Commander Operation Lafiya Dole said this while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri. “I want to inform you that troops of the Operation Lafiya Dole are conducting operations in the heart of Sambisa as we speak. “The troops are deep into the forest to smoke out Boko Haram terrorists,” Irabor said.
He said that the troops were led by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 division of the Nigerian Army Maiduguri Brig.-Gen. Victor Ezugwu.
“In fact the GOC 7 division is leading the operations,” Irabor said declining to give further details.
FCT
The Federal Government has restated its commitment
to the exploration of oil and gas in the Inland Basins, especially Chad Basin and the Benue Trough.
The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe kachikwu said this in a statement issued by Malam Garba Deen Muhammad, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division in Abuja.
It said the NNPC through its Frontier Exploration Services and Renewable Energy Division (FESRED) had progressed reasonably with seismic acquisition activities in the Chad Basin frontier area.
Gombe
No fewer than 7,000 patients, including children, have
benefited from a free medical service provided by Rep. Inusa Abubakar.
Abubakar, who represents Deba Federal Constituency, disclosed this to journalists while fielding questions on his constituency project in Gombe.
The lawmaker said the gesture was part of the dividends of democracy he promised his constituents.
Abubakar, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Federal Road Safety (FRSC), said: “We invited an NGO to provide free medical treatment to about five to seven thousand patients.
Jigawa
The Jigawa Consumer Protection Committee (CPC) said
it confiscated 49 fake standard measures (Mudus) from grains sellers in the state.
Its Chairman, Alhaji Farouk Abdallah, disclosed this via telephone interview with our correspondent in Dutse.
Abdullahi said the items were seized from the traders when members of the committee paid an unexpected visit to Guri market in Guri Local Government Area of the state.
He noted that the action was to check lack of uniformity of mesures in all the markets in the state, adding that “the action would also provide consumer protection”.
The chairman added that it was also to sanitise the business environment and ensure accuracy in all commercial transactions in the state.
Kogi
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has approved N20
billion as bailout for the Kogi Government.
The state governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, announced this in Lokoja while addressing a rally held by Organised Labour to mark this year’s May Day celebration.
Bello explained that the N20 billion was the first tranche of the N50 billion applied for to clear salary arrears of the state and local government workers.
He blamed the delay in the release of the fund on the last administration, saying that the application submitted by his predecessor was shoddily done and fraught with irregularities.
“We had to start from scratch. We are glad to announce that our efforts have paid off. This week, we received approval to draw down on the first tranche of our Bailout Funds from the Federal Government”.
Kano
The National Association of Resident Doctors of Ni
geria (NARD) has shifted its planned nationwide strike by two weeks. The strike that was to commence on April 25 will now begin on May 9.
The National President of the association, Dr Muhammad Askira, made the disclosure while addressing a news conference in Kano recently.
Askira said the decision to shift the date of the strike was taken after the extraordinary meeting of the National Executive Council of the association held on April 26 in Sokoto.
He said after deliberations on the progress made so far, the NEC decided to shift the strike by two weeks.
According to him, the decision to shift the strike followed the prompt intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari during a meeting with NMA National leadership as contained in a statement released by his SSA on media.
Osun
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has com
miserated with the government and people of Edo over the demise of the late Oba of Benin, Omo n’Oba Erediauwa.
A condolence message signed by the Ooni’s Director of Media and Public Affairs, Moses Olafare, said that Edo, Ile-Ife ,Oduduwa race, Nigeria and the entire African continent would greatly miss the late monarch. Ogunwusi described the deceased as a respecter and manager of African culture as well as an embodiment of values, respect, peace, discipline and honesty. He also said the highly respectable monarch was blessed with an uncommon and enviable character.
Oyo
A new political group seeking registration, All
Grassroots Alliance (AGA), says it will sponsor an executive bill advocating a five-year single term for political office holders if voted into power in 2019. Mr Yekini Salimanu, the National Publicity Secretary of the group, stated this at its public presentation in Ibadan. He said the four- year term, with opportunity for a second term, often promoted bad governance.
Sokoto
A death has occurred of a veteran diplomat and former
permanent secretary Alahji Hamzat Ahmadu. According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant, Media to Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Imam Imam, Ahmadu, who held the traditional title of Walin Sokotod, died at a private hospital in Lagos on Sunday, aged 92. An accomplished diplomat and technocrat, the deceased served as Personal Secretary to two Nigerian military leaders, Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi and Gen. Yakubu Gowon. He had also served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to U.S., Germany, France and the former Soviet Union (USSR). Responding to the news of his death Tambuwal, described the deceased as peace-loving and committed family man who gave valuable contributions to the unity and development of Nigeria.
Taraba
Catholic Bishops in Benue and Taraba have converged
on Kashimbila in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba to pray for God’s intervention over insecurity in parts of the country. The prayer pilgrimage for reconciliation, peace and unity was held at the St. Edward De Confessor Catholic Parish, Kashimbila in Takum. In attendance were the Catholic Bishop of Jalingo Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Charles Hammawa; Bishop of Katsina-Ala Diocese, Most Rev. Peter Adoboh and Bishop of Gboko Diocese, Most Rev. Williams Avenya who is also the Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN).
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.