Nation
NEMA Receives Another 144 Deportees From Niger Rep
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) on Monday received another batch of 144 stranded Nigerians from Niamey in Niger Republic.
NEMA’s Coordinator, Kano Territorial Office, Dr Nuradeen Abdullahi, received the returnees at the Malam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State.
Abdullahi, represented by NEMA’s Kano Head of Human Resources, Mr Suleiman Sa’ad-Abubakar, said the returnees arrived at the airport at about 2:30pm.
“The returnees were transported into Nigeria by SKY MALI Airlines, operated by Ethiopian airline B737-400 with registration number UR-CQX”, he said.
He stated that the returnees were brought back under the care of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from Niamey through a voluntary repatriation programme.
“The programme is for the distressed, who had left the country to seek greener pastures in various European countries and could not afford to return when their journey became frustrated”, he said.
He continued that the returnees included 106 male adult, 16 female adult and 22 children (10 female and 12 male).
Abdullahi noted that the returnees are from Kano, Kaduna, Katsina, Abia, Sokoto and Edo among others.
He said the returnees will undergo training in various skills.
“My advice to Nigerians is that they avoid endangering their lives by travelling to seek for greener pastures in other countries, adding that no country is better than Nigeria”, he said.
The Tide’s source reports that the agency between February and March received 300 stranded Nigerians from Niamey Niger Republic.
Speaking to newsmen, one of the returnees while recounting her ordeal, Fatima Muhammad, a widow and mother of two said she travelled to Algeria to seek for greener pastures with her kids.
“I had no one to cater for me and my children. I decided to seek greener pastures. I regret embarking on the ill-fated journey. I thank God we came back safely.
“Nigeria is far better than where we went in our quest for better lives. We surffered”, Muhammad said.
The source reports that the returnees were also received by officials of National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and IDPs, Red Cross Society, Department of State Services and those of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps among others.
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.