Nation
Uzodinma Urges Collaboration To Grow Imo
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Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, on Saturday, appealed to stakeholders and opposition political parties to collaborate with his administration to develop the state.
Uzodinma, who made the appeal during a stakeholders’ meeting in Owerri, expressed belief that such collaboration would preserve peace and improve economic activities in the state.
“That vehicle called political party should not be an instrument to destabilise the system, rather a veritable tool to keep the government in check by providing robust opposition,” he said.
The governor explained that the essence of the meeting was to brief the people on the security situation, as well as throw light on his record of stewardship in the past one year.
According to him, Imo is now safe and secure and willing and able to contain future threats, all to the glory of God.
Uzodimma said there had been an increase in the internally generated revenue from the N600 million monthly to more than N1 billion monthly.
He said his administration had been able to revamp the state civil service, appoint 11 permanent secretaries and constructed or rehabilitated no fewer than 42 roads across the state.
“In the area of education our landmark achievement will include the establishment of the new University of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, which is a full-fledged state-owned university.
“We also have in our kitty a new Federal Technical College in Umuaka Orlu. Work is currently going on in the construction of 305 modern classroom blocks in the 305 electoral wards in the state.
“These primary schools will have modern libraries, Information Communication Technology (ICT) centres and modern laboratories,” he stressed.
The governor said the Otamiri Water Scheme had been reactivated and now supplies water to parts of Owerri Capital City.
Uzodimma added that the Eke Nguru Mbaise Water Scheme and the Orlu regional water scheme were currently under rehabilitation while 30 solar-powered boreholes have been sunk in different communities.
He said through private sector collaboration and support, the construction of a 250-bed specialist hospital was on the way at the Imo State University Teaching Hospital (IMSUT).
“We have also inaugurated an Emergency Operations Centre (EOP) at the General Hospital, Umuguma and provided advanced life support ambulances to all the 27 Local Government Areas.
“We are also rebuilding and re-equipping 305 health centres in the 305 wards to enhance primary health care delivery in the rural areas.
“This is, as we already have on ground, our mobile clinic arrangement which, with the help of missionaries, is dispensing free healthcare services to the rural people,” he said.
The governor said his administration, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), had committed N8 billion in providing youths with self-employment skill acquisition.
He pledged to ensure that his government worked for all, irrespective of local government, political party affiliation, religion or situation of birth.
“There would at all times be level playing ground for everybody and no one would be discriminated against or opportunities selectively created to favour anyone or group,” the governor pledged.
Nation
Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina
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.
Nation
Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three
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.
Nation
AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition
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.
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