Nation
Abuja: Crime Rate Drops By 25%
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator Bala Abdulkadir-Mohammed say the crime rate in the nation’s capital has dropped by 25 per cent when compared with statistics of last year.
Senator Mohammed, who announced this last Thursday, in Abuja, while hosting members of the diplomatic community to a breakfast meeting in Gwarinpa I District Abuja, also reiterated that cases of car snatching, house breaking and pilfering have also reduced drastically.
“We are not sleeping, until all miscreants are routed from the Federal Capital Territory… the Police authorities have informed me that crime rate has indeed dropped by about 25 percent, compared to statistics of the preceding year”, he said.
According to him, “we are working very hard to address security challenges in the FCT through the network of the G-6, comprising Governors of the five contiguous states and the FCT”.
He explained that the group meets regularly to map out measures to tackle security challenges and to close identified gaps in defence apparatus, which has made it extremely difficult for those criminals and criminally minded individuals in those states to seek refuge in FCT.
Senator Mohammed expressed regret over previous revocation of mission’s plots of land in the Federal Capital City by the FCT Administration.
“As you are no doubt aware, the President-in-Council has directed that plots of land belonging to diplomatic missions that were revoked be returned and that there should be no restrictions regarding when you should develop them”, the Minister emphasised.
Senator Mohammed stressed that this friendly approach was designed to remove any pressure which the earlier revocation might have brought on them.
The Minister recalled that recently, the FCT Administration took drastic steps to remove women of easy virtue from the streets, noting that some of them who were driven to the business as a result of joblessness have come to register with the FCT Social Development Secretariat to learn useful skills.
Senator Mohammed appealed to the members of the diplomatic community to help get international donors and Non-Governmental Organisations in their home countries to partner with the FCT Administration in rehabilitating them.
The Minister warned that henceforth, anyone who flouts the law on soliciting for sex will be apprehended and prosecuted.
He assured that the FCT Administration will continue to provide all residents of the Federal Capital Territory, especially the diplomatic community, with an atmosphere conducive for the promotion of bilateral and multilateral foreign policy.
Welcoming guests to the meeting, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Goke Adegoroye, appealed to the diplomats to avail the FCT Administration their wealth of experiences that would help in transforming Abuja to the status envisaged by its founding fathers.
Dr. Adegoroye stated that such interface meeting is desirable to get advises and suggestions that would enable the FCT Administration tackle the multi dimensional challenges posed by the influx of people into the Territory.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Brazilian Ambassador to Nigeria, Ana Candida Perez, encouraged Nigerians, saying that the development of Abuja is on the right track but a lot needs to be done.
About 23 Ambassadors and High Commissioners to Nigeria of various countries across the globe, in addition to the representatives of the World Bank, UNDP and African Development Bank attended the breakfast meeting.
Justus Awaji, Abuja
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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