Flowerbud News

Month: November 2023

  • Governorship Election: Stay away from Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa, military warn troublemakers

    Governorship Election: Stay away from Kogi, Imo, Bayelsa, military warn troublemakers

     

     

    By Sumaila Ogbaje
    Abuja:  The Defence Headquarters has warned troublemakers to “stay away from the
    Nov. 11 governorship elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa or face injurious consequences from the military.”

    The Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, gave the warning while briefing newsmen on the operations
    of the armed forces on Thursday in Abuja.

    Buba said the military is aware of plans by some individuals to dress in military uniform to disrupt the electoral processes in the three states on Saturday.

    He said that “for the off season elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states this weekend, here is a message for those who planned to disrupt the process.

    “We are aware of your plans to dress in military gear to misled the public. Be assured of injurious consequences should you proceed with those plans.

    “We will not allow our image to be dragged to the mud. You’re warned.”

    The director said the military is determined to give the elections the seriousness it deserved, adding that troops and platforms were being moved to
    locations to reinforce security already in place in those states.

    He said security agencies are ready to identify and differentiate between real soldiers and the fake ones.

    Buba explained that troops had continued to exert pressure on groups that sought to derail any progress toward peace and security in the country.

    According to him, it is for these reason the military is inflicting severe damage on terrorists, insurgents and violent extremists through operations across the country.

    He added that “accordingly, we are targeting their leadership, infrastructure and foot soldiers.

    “The coordination between air and ground forces is like never seen before and yielding amazing results.

    ‘:We are expecting new platforms that would further enhance our capabilities to further root out terrorists and destroy their military capabilities.”(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)/ Flowerbudnews

  • CBN Warns Against Panic Withdrawals, Says Old Notes Remain Legal Tender

    CBN Warns Against Panic Withdrawals, Says Old Notes Remain Legal Tender

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again assured Nigerians of sufficient naira notes in the country, and warned against panic withdrawals.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again assured Nigerians of sufficient naira notes in the country, and warned against panic withdrawals.

    The apex bank, in a statement on Wednesday, reiterated that old and new naira notes remained legal tender.

     

    “For the avoidance of doubt, while reiterating that there are sufficient banknotes across the country for all normal economic activity, we wish to state unambiguously that every banknote issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria remains legal tender and should not be rejected by anyone, as stipulated in Section 20(5) of the CBN Act, 2007,” said CBN spokesman, Isa AbdulMumin.

     

    “Accordingly, branches of the CBN across the country have been directed to continue to issue different denominations of old and redesigned banknotes in adequate quantities to Deposit Money Banks for onward circulation to bank customers.

     

    “We wish to restate that all denominations of banknotes issued by the CBN remain legal tender. In line with Section 20(5) of the CBN Act, 2007, no one should refuse to accept the Naira as a means of payment.”

    The apex bank “reaffirm that there is sufficient stock of currency notes to facilitate normal economic activities”.

     

    Last October, then CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced plans to redesign the three highest naira bills and asked Nigerians to deposit their old notes before January 31, 2023, when they would cease to be legal tender.

     

    The naira crunch caused economic turmoil as many Nigerians suffered hardship, leading to riots in some states and the burning of some banks and Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).

     

    The apex bank subsequently said then President Muhammadu Buhari had approved an extension of the deadline for the naira swap.

    Some then governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC) dragged the CBN and the Federal Government to the Supreme Court and the apex court ruled in March 2023 that the old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes would remain as legal tender until December 31, 2023.

     

  • Immigration rescues 2 Niger-bound mothers to NAPTIP in Kebbi

    Immigration rescues 2 Niger-bound mothers to NAPTIP in Kebbi

    The Kebbi State Command has handed over two mothers suspected to have been victims of human trafficking to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP).

    The Comptroller of the NIS in the state, Mrs Rabi Bashir-Nuhu, disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Birnin Kebbi.

     

    Bashir-Nuhu said the victims, from Edo, were arrested in Kebbi while travelling to Niger via Kebbi when they were arrested by immigration border personnel in the Yauri Local Government Area of the state.

    The victims, who are mothers aged 31 each, have children; one has one child, and the other has three children.

     

    “They have left their children at home as they were promised domestic jobs in Niger Republic and have no travelling documents – no visa and no passport.

     

    “We have to apply Pact 10 and 11 of Immigration Act 2015, to intercept them and hand them over to NAPTIP,” she said.

    The comptroller reassured that the NIS would not allow any suspicious character or person profiting from human trafficking to escape the service drag-net.

     

    The victims, in their confession, confirmed that they were going to the Niger Republic, following their sisters’ invitation, who claimed to have secured a job for them.

     

    “I have one boy and two daughters and I am taking this step for myself so as to have a better life for myself and my children,” one of the victims said.

     

    Receiving the victims, the Head of Operation of NAPTIP in the state, Alhaji Sadiq Atiku, said that the agency would undertake a proper and thorough investigation into the matter to unravel the perpetrators.

     

    “We thank the NIS for making our job easier, and we are going to investigate thoroughly from the victims’ take-off destination, the transporters and people involved, to their trafficking to Niger.

     

    “We are going to rehabilitate and counsel the victims and ensure that they are united with their children,” he said.

    Atiku commended the NIS for its collaboration with the agency in the fight against human trafficking in the country.

     

  • BREAKING: Osun Gov Adeleke presents N273bn budget to State Assembly

    BREAKING: Osun Gov Adeleke presents N273bn budget to State Assembly

    The Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke has presented a budget of N273, 908, 997, 410:00 to the Osun State House of Assembly.

    The budget forms part of the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

     

    Governor Adeleke while presenting the budget tagged: Budget of Reconstruction and Recovery at plenary, on Thursday, said the budget was divided into N165, 654, 976, 700:00 for recurrent expenditure and N108, 254, 020, 710:00 for capital expenditure.

    In his words, Adeleke said, “the budget is aimed at rebuilding the battered economy of the state.

     

    “This budget presentation is in conformity with the existing laws of the state which stipulate that the budget should be presented to the House before the end of the year.

     

    While thanking the House of Assembly for their understanding, the Governor assured that the state would be taken to greater heights.

    He also sought the support of the House in the coming years.

     

    Earlier, the Speaker of the Assembly, Adewale Egbedun expressed the readiness of the House to work with the Executive arm of government to ensure the successful implementation of the budget.

     

    “This budget will be approved with a strong sense of responsibility.

    The Assembly will deliver a budget that addresses the challenges in the state.

     

     

  • JUST IN: Tinubu appoints SSA on disability matters

    JUST IN: Tinubu appoints SSA on disability matters

    President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mohammed Isa to serve as his Senior Special Assistant on Disability Matters.

     

    The appointment was disclosed on Thursday by the Special Adviser to the President, Media & Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, at the State House, Abuja.

     

    Ngelale stated that the appointment follows Tinubu’s determination to ensure that every segment of society is sufficiently catered to within the ambit of the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration,

     

    The statement read that the new SSA is a “distinguished champion of persons with disabilities with over a decade of experience in local and international advocacy on matters concerning persons with disabilities.

     

    “The new presidential aide is a graduate of Public Administration with honours from the University of Maiduguri where he would go on to earn a Master in Public Administration at the same institution in 2017.”

     

    Ngelale noted that the President “tasks the new appointee to proactively create avenues of opportunity for inclusion through the inculcation of PWD requirements and perspectives in the policies and programmes of all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies of the Federal Government while working closely with sub-national authorities to build a national consensus on PWD-friendly policy and environmental conditions in collaboration with the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD).

  • Probe begins as OAU lecturer punches student

    Probe begins as OAU lecturer punches student

    The management of Obafemi Awolowo University has begun a probe into a fracas that involved a male student and a lecturer of the university.

     

    PUNCH Metro gathered that the student identified simply as Gift, who is a 200-level student at the university, suddenly dashed into a lecture room where the lecturer, identified simply as Dr Ariyo, was conducting a class on Wednesday.

     

    Sources on the campus disclosed that Gift was said to have mistaken the class for the one he was to attend and upon realising this, he quickly made attempts to exit the class when the lecturer called him back.

     

    A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the lecturer engaged the student in an argument, which eventually degenerated into a scuffle.

    He thought the class was meant for him as well. When he saw that the faces in the class were strange, he quickly dashed out. The lecturer then called him back. After a while, we discovered that the lecturer invited the security personnel to take the student. He also dragged the student’s phone,” the source said.

     

    In one of the videos of the incident that circulated online, the student was seen struggling with a man said to be a security official. The student was also seen making an attempt to press his phone when the lecturer shouted, “Don’t call anybody! Switch off that phone! You can’t be more than me, even if you’re the VC’s son, I won’t take this from you. Switch off the phone!”

     

    “What did I do?” the student, Gift, was heard saying.

    After some seconds, the man said to be the lecturer was seen struggling to take the phone from the student whose back was already on the wall. He was subsequently seen throwing a punch at the student afterward as other students in the class watched in amazement.

     

    Students’ Union spokesperson, Elijah Omisore, when contacted, condemned the incident, saying the union was demanding that the lecturer be prosecuted.

     

    “We are investigating the matter. The lecturer is planning to apologise but we’re not taking any apology. We want the necessary prosecution,” Omisore told PUNCH Metro.

     

    Narrating the incident further in a statement shared with our correspondent by Omisore, the union said, “Around 10 am, the union leadership got information that a lecturer, Dr Ariyo, was harassing Gift, a Part 2 student. Information has it that Gift mistakenly walked into the lecturer’s class trying to locate the venue for his lecture but learned that it was not his class and left immediately. Still, he was called back by Dr Ariyo, and an argument erupted, leading to a physical assault from the lecturer against the student.”

     

    “We demand an open hearing and a public apology from Dr Ariyo, to the generality of Great Ife students; That the lecturer and the entire department make a commitment that the victim and other students in the class won’t face any form of victimisation moving forward,” the statement added.

     

    The union said the lecturer alleged impersonation.

     

    Contacted, the Public Relations Officer of the university, Abiodun Olarewaju, also condemned the action of the lecturer but said a probe into the matter had begun.

     

    Olarewaju said, “We’ve seen the video. The Vice-Chancellor is not happy about it. We are not known for such behaviour and we have decided to go administrative concerning this and we will make our findings known. But for the main time, we just want the students to remain calm. The VC has called the Dean of the faculty involved, who will get in touch with the Head of Department and get in touch with that lecturer.”

     

  • Shakeup in police as IG deploys 14 AIGs, 26 CPs

    Shakeup in police as IG deploys 14 AIGs, 26 CPs

    The Inspector-General of Police, Olukayode Egbetokun, has ordered the posting and redeployment of 40 senior police officers comprising 14 Assistant Inspectors General of Police and 26 Commissioners of Police to various commands and formations in the country.

     

    The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Thursday, said the postings and redeployments were part of a mandate to have a professionally competent, service-driven, rule of law-compliant, and people-friendly police force, and to reflect the new status of senior officers who were recently elevated to their next ranks.

     

    The PUNCH reports that the move followed the approval of the Police Service Commission.

     

    The AIGs posted and redeployed are;

    Zone 7 Abuja – AIG Ogundele Ayodeji

    Zone 11 Osogbo – AIG Patrick Edung

    Border Patrol FHQ – AIG Badru Lawal

    Zone 8 Lokoja – AIG Bartholomew Onyeka

    DOPS FHQ – AIG Suleiman Yusuf

    FCID Annex Alagbon Lagos – AIG Idowu Owohunwa

    Maritime Lagos – AIG Rhoda Olofu

    Zone 13 Ukpo Dunukofia Awka – AIG Godwin Aghaulor

    ONSA Abuja – AIG Effiom Ekot

    CTU FHQ Abuja – AIG Anene Innocent

    Zone 16 Yenagoa – AIG Odama Ojeka

    Zone 4 Makurdi – AIG Ebong Eyibio,

    Zone 17 Akure – AIG Adebowale Williams

    xiv.Investment FHQ Abuja- AIG Sahabo Yahaya.

    Similarly, the 26 newly posted/redeployed Commissioners of Police include;

     

    Benue State-CP George Chuku

    Jigawa State-CP Ahmed Tijani

    Niger State-CP Dan Mamman Shawulu

    Gombe State-CP Usman Hayatu

    Imo State-CP Danjuma Aboki

    Rivers State-CP Disu Olatunji Rilwan

    Taraba State-CP Joseph Eribo

    Osun State-CP Isyaku Mohammed

    Safer Highways FHQ-CP Mohammed Barde

    PPP DLS FHQ-CP Polycarp Emeka

    Anti-Human Trafficking -CP Shehu Abubakar

    Border Patrol FHQ-CP Lawal Ayodeji

    Maritime Lagos-CP Emmanuel Agene

    Admin Airwing-CP Jude Azuka

    Commandant Police College Kaduna- CP Dan Idi

    Force Provost Marshal-CP Ibitoye Olajide

    INEC-CP Adamu Isa

    Procurement DLS FHQ-CP Nwanosike Okocha

    PSO to IGP-CP Johnson Adenola

    PAP Western Port Lagos-CP Olanrewaju Shola

    Int’l Investigation INTERPOL -CP Shelleng Yusuf

    SEB FCID Abuja-CP Emmanuel Aina

    Info-Tech ICT FHQ Abuja-CP Miller Dantawaiye

    Director NPF-NCCC-CP Henry Uche

    DOPS FHQ Abuja-CP Vungmoh Kwaimo

    Commandant Police College Ikeja – CP Fasuba Olabode.

     

    While noting that the posting was with immediate effect, Adejobi added that the IG has charged the newly posted/redeployed officers to work in tandem with the force’s policy and support the agenda of government for economic recovery and growth as well as sociopolitical development of the country.

    Egbetokun also stressed the importance of entrenching professionalism and diligent policing services to all officers and men under their command, while calling on them to partner with all relevant stakeholders to bring policing closer to the people.

  • Abort mission’ Davido tells Adeleke over viral video of hawker

    Abort mission’ Davido tells Adeleke over viral video of hawker

    Afrobeats singer, Davido has called on his uncle, Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, to ‘abort mission’ over a promise to help a physically challenged hawker captured in a viral video a few days ago.

     

    Recall that comedian Brainjotter shared a clip from a hawker selling bottled water on the street in Lagos a few days ago. He also urged netizens to support the hawker.

    Reacting to the video, Davido tagged Gov. Adeleke in a post on X after the hawker mentioned Osun State in the video.

    The governor responded in a tweet and said, “Thanks for sharing the video, Eniola’s dedication to making an honest living is inspiring. She embodies the qualities that represent Osun. I’ve directed my office to get in touch with her & explore possibilities to assist in advancing her education or improving her makeup skills.”

     

    However, the singer has called on the governor to ‘abort mission’ after reports emerged that the hawker is a ‘crossdresser’. Brainjotter, in a post on Instagram, expressed his shock after discovering the hawker is a male who disguised as a female.

     

    His words: “Excellency dem job us !! Dem say nah man ABORT MISSION”

  • Photos: NLC, TUC protest, ground main entrance of Abuja Airport

    Photos: NLC, TUC protest, ground main entrance of Abuja Airport

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and their members have mobilized in a protest that grounded tmain entrance of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Abuja.

     

     

    The organised labour gathered at the airport around 8:58 a.m. on Thursday to enforce their directive to members working in the aviation sector to stop all flights to Owerri, the Imo state capital.

     

    It was gathered that the protest is part of a series of actions that the two labour unions say they will zero in on Imo State, following the attack on the NLC President, Mister Joe Ajaero.

     

     

    The NLC and TUC declared a nationwide strike, which will commence on Tuesday, November 14th, also because of the face-off with the Imo State Government