Flowerbud News

Month: April 2024

  • NISS Seeks Collaboration With Kogi State Government To Tackle Insecurity Through AI.

    NISS Seeks Collaboration With Kogi State Government To Tackle Insecurity Through AI.

     

    National Institute of Security Services (NISS) says it has engaged the Kogi State government to advance strategic collaboration that would enhance the application of Artificial Intelligence,AI, towards improving national security.

     

    Speaking during a visit to the Executive governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo at the Government House in Lokoja on Monday,the NISS delegation leader Mr. Hyanus Ngelle, said the visit was a fact-finding mission to enrich ongoing research that focuses on Artificial Intelligence sustainable development in Nigeria

     

    Ngelle,who led a team of delegation of Executive Intelligence Management Course a study group with representations from various security agencies under the auspices of NISS, typically senior officers in security agencies, including the military, police, intelligence services, and other relevant agencies, used the medium to invite enrolments from the state government .

     

     

     

    He said the institute prepared high-level security intelligence professionals, as well as senior level manager for critical roles in various fields.

     

    The Kogi State deputy governor, Mr. Joel Salifu Oyibo, who received the team on behalf of the Governor Alhaji Ahmed Usman Ododo, affirmed the readiness of the state government to collaborate with the Institute, and, indeed, any private and public institution that is focused on national development and security.

     

    Ododo reiterated the advancement the state government had made on the issue of security.

     

    According to him,it is within this context to consolidate the tremendous successes in the fight against insecurity that the state government, last week,distributed 100 vehicles to the vigilante groups across the twenty one (21) local government areas of the state to intensify the fight against criminals.

     

    The governor disclosed that the government also extended its benevolence by sending some vehicles to some neighbouring states, adding that the the gesture was to articulate the government stand in supporting and improving the security of lives and properties.

     

    He noted a strong synergy between the security agencies in the state, pointing out that deploying AI would ease and enhance the activities of the security agencies.

     

    Visited 7 times, 7 visit(s) today

  • Obaseki increases minimum wage to N70k

    Obaseki increases minimum wage to N70k

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State has announced a new minimum wage of N70,000 for civil servants.

     

    The governor made this known on Monday, while inaugurating the Labour House.

    Obaseki named the Labour House after Adams Oshiomhole, Senator representing Edo North, and former governor of the state.

    The new minimum wage regime in Edo will take effect from May 1, 2024,” the governor said.

     

    Recall the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, have been pushing for a new minimum wage for workers across states. This is coming on the heels of the hardship occasioned by the economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

     

    The removal of subsidy on petrol and unification of the forex windows in 2023, immediately led to food inflation and a spike in the prices of other goods and services.

     

    Meanwhile, the national minimum wage has been pegged at N30,000 since April 18, 2019.

     

    However, this sum has been described as “grossly inadequate” and “poverty wage” in the face of prevailing economic hardship.

    More details coming on the minimum wage announced by Obaseki.

  • COUNCIL POLLS: Oborevwori Warns Against Imposition Of Candidates

    COUNCIL POLLS: Oborevwori Warns Against Imposition Of Candidates

    Delta State Governor, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, Sunday, ruled out imposition of candidates in the forthcoming local government council elections in the State.

    Governor Oborevwori who disclosed this at the PDP Delta Central Stakeholders meeting held at his Osubi country home, said Delta State Independent Electoral Commission, DSIEC, would soon come out with a timetable for the conduct of the election.

     

    He said: “Delta State is one of the most solid states in Nigeria. Very very soon we will have our local government elections. Like what the State Chairman of our party said, it is DSIEC that is in charge. They will come out with timetable after their meeting with the parties.

    Only popular candidates that the people love and generally accepted by all stakeholders, will emerge as candidates of the party.

    We will not accept any candidate through the back door. For anybody to emerge, it must be a collective decision from the wards and must be a popular candidate. Collectively we must agree on candidates so that the primary election can be smooth.”

     

    The Governor had earlier thanked the party leaders for their support and for the vote of confidence passed on him and his administration

    The Deputy Governor said, “I want to assure you that this administration ably led by His Excellency, Rt.Hon.Sheriff Oborevwori is ensuring that every nook and cranny of Delta State, Ukwuani inclusive, enjoy peace and prosperity

     

    If you look at the agenda of the government, peace and security is one important part of the agenda that ensures that we have peace and security and the government is working assiduously to make it better

    He assured the people that government is tackling herdsmen menace and will not also, allow any part of its territory to be taken by other states.

    While calling on communities in the state that are having boundary issues with their neighbors in Edo, Ondo and Bayelsa States to remain calm, Deputy Governor Onyeme stated that the National Boundary Commission will ensure that the boundaries are properly demarcated to forestall break down of law and order.

     

    Earlier in an address, Chief Chinyonye Aliyu who led members of Ndokwa Committee For Growth And Development to visit the Deputy Governor, called on government to check the menace of herdsmen at Obiaruku, Obinomba, Ebedei, Umutu, Umuaja and other communities in Ukwuani Local Government Area

     

    She also raised alarm that communities in Edo State backed by the government of that state are harnessing their land and called for urgent intervention from the government of Delta State.

     

    The member representing Ndokwa West Constituency at the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Charles Emetulu, his counterpart in Ndokwa East, Prince Emeka Osamuta, the Commissioner for Finance, Chief Fidelis Tilije, the Deputy Chief of Staff, Sir Christopher Osakwe and other top government functionaries witnessed the event.

    .

     

  • At least 15 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah

    At least 15 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Rafah

     

    Xinhua

    GAZA, (Xinhua) /Flowerbudnews– At least 15 Palestinians were killed Sunday night in Israeli airstrikes on three residential buildings in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, Palestinian official news agency Wafa reported on Monday.

    Many others were still trapped under the rubble, local sources told Xinhua, adding that civil defense crews were working to rescue them.

    The Israeli army killed 66 Palestinians and wounded 138 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 34,454 and injuries to 77,575 since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out on Oct. 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

     

  • PDP clears Oyo LG polls

    PDP clears Oyo LG polls

     

    PDP clears Oyo LG polls

     

    By Olatunde Ajayi

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won the chairmanship seats in all the 33 local governments in Oyo State following Saturday’s council elections.

     

    The announcement was made at the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) headquarters in Ibadan by the returning officers for the local governments.

    Chairman of the Commission, Isiaka Olagunju, while speaking to journalists, attributed the success recorded in the exercise to the support given by Gov. Seyi Makinde and other stakeholders.

     

    The OYSIEC chairman, who doubles as the Chief Returning Officer, however acknowledged the fact that there were some aspects of the elections that required improvement.

     

    He said such areas would reflect in the elections report that would be submitted to the state government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Makinde, while commenting on the elections on Saturday, had said the security report about the elections had been excellent, indicating that it was violence-free.

     

    He noted that his administration had successfully eradicated caretaker administration at the local government level, which had made people not have a say in who should govern them. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

  • Commentary | U.S. police brutality against student protesters exposes hypocrisy on free speech

    Commentary | U.S. police brutality against student protesters exposes hypocrisy on free speech

     

    Xinhua

    As the world watches in horror at the footage of U.S. police viciously suppressing student protests, it becomes painfully evident that America’s espousal of free speech is a sham.

    by Xinhua writer Wang Xinyi

    BEIJING,  (Xinhua) /Flowerbudnews: — Harassment, doxxing, death threats, stereotyping, unequal treatment … And then there was tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets, all fired at student protesters across the United States.

    Campuses have been torn apart this week as pro-Palestinian protests roiled U.S. colleges and escalated over more forceful and violent countermeasures by administrators and police.

    Footage showing police beating protesters, dragging students to the ground and carrying them off in handcuffs flooded social media in a fray going from merely demanding ceasefire and divestment to lodging legal maneuvering and civil rights claims.

    Hundreds of students and faculty members were arrested. Now the drama goes on as more colleges on Friday joined in Columbia University’s lead in a coast-to-coast protest. The Ivy League school has been the epicenter of student protests for over a week.

    Perhaps a much heavier blow than a forced switch to remote learning, delayed classes, canceled commencement ceremonies and disrupted graduation plans is a dangerous encroachment on academic freedom and a painful disillusionment with the American system.

    Peaceful student demonstrators were framed by armed police and U.S. media as “perpetrators” deserving “crackdown.” Capitol Hill elites were fast enough to define this protest as “anti-Semitic,” bashing the students for incorrectly associating the civil rights movement with what is going on in Palestine and suggesting external tinges as behind the protest without producing a single shred of evidence.

    “Arrests being made right now & will continue until the crowd disperses,” Governor of Texas Greg Abbott wrote Thursday on X. “These protesters belong in jail. Antisemitism will not be tolerated in Texas. Period. Students joining in hate-filled, antisemitic protests at any public college or university in Texas should be expelled.”

    While our memory may wane, the Internet has it intact. In 2019, Abbott proudly tweeted “I just signed a law protecting free speech on college campuses,” in stark contrast with his hardline take this time.

    For him and the like, these encampments on campuses are clearly not “a beautiful sight to behold.” Not in the slightest when they appear on U.S. soil.

    Influencers and politicians on the far-right portrayed the protesters as “violent, dangerous and intent on taking over the country,” USA Today observed in a report on Friday, saying “the claims were similar to what happened after mostly peaceful protests against police brutality in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd.”

    This distorted portrayal not only serves to demonize the protesters but also perpetuates a narrative that undermines the legitimacy of their grievances. Nearly four years after the Floyd tragedy, real change in policing remains elusive, despite outcries triggered by one nationwide protest after another.

    Or perhaps, deep down, U.S. politicians know what it is, they just play dumb at home with filibusters and play the judge abroad whenever they feel their geopolitical interests at stake or whatchamacallit “a national security threat”.

    And when necessary, they blur the lines between rights and crimes. Because in the end, they reserve the right to explain, designate and interpret such terms as democracy, civil rights, national security, or whatsoever.

    As the world watches in horror at the footage of U.S. police viciously suppressing student protests, it becomes painfully evident that America’s espousal of free speech is a sham.

    This appalling display of state-sponsored violence lays bare the hypocrisy of a nation that prides itself on democracy while trampling on the very principles it claims to uphold.

  • Palestinian president warns of results of possible Israeli attack on Rafah

    Palestinian president warns of results of possible Israeli attack on Rafah

     

    Xinhua

    File Photo: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks during the General Debate of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, on Sept. 23, 2022. (Xinhua/Wang Ying)

    GAZA, (Xinhua)/Flowerbudnews: — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday warned of a possible Israeli attack on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, expressing his fear of the displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank to Jordan after the end of the conflict.

    Abbas said in a speech during a special meeting of the World Economic Forum hosted by Saudi Arabia, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

    “If Israel invades the city of Rafah, where most of the people of the Gaza Strip gather, the biggest catastrophe in the history of the Palestinian people will occur, and they will be displaced outside the Gaza Strip,” stressed the president.

    “We called for an end to the aggression and to supply the population with the humanitarian supplies they need, and under no circumstances will we accept the displacement of Palestinians, whether from Gaza or the West Bank outside their homeland,” he added.

    Abbas also called on European countries to recognize the State of Palestine and recognize it as a full member state of the United Nations.

    “There must be a political solution that brings together the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and Jerusalem in an independent Palestinian state through an international conference. This is what we have called for since October 7 (last year) until this day,” he added.

    He noted that “while Israel has the right to obtain security, Palestinians also have the right to obtain the right to self-determination, an independent state like the rest of the peoples of the world.”

    Meanwhile, Abbas expressed his fears that Israel would displace Palestinians from the West Bank to Jordan after the end of the Gaza conflict.

    On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved a plan for the ground operation in Rafah but did not allow the army to move yet, according to Israeli media.

    Rafah has become the last refuge for more than 1.4 million Palestinians after their displacement from the northern and central Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel for more than six months.

    Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken hostage.

  • Tinubu Arrives Riyadh to Attend World Economic Forum

    Tinubu Arrives Riyadh to Attend World Economic Forum

     

    [Workaholic Mr President]

    By Flowerbudnews

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR [@NGRPresident @officialABAT] has arrived in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to attend a special meeting of the World Economic Forum [@wef].

    The Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development, scheduled to take place in Riyadh from 28 to 29 April 2024, will help public and private sector leaders address shared global challenges.

    The meeting will also advance key Forum initiatives in the region and beyond. It aims to bridge the growing North-South divide, which has further widened issues such as emerging economic policies, the energy transition and geopolitical shocks.

    The Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development will bring together over 700 leaders from all sectors and industries.

    It will enable a comprehensive dialogue on leveraging global cooperation for economic development, promoting a global energy transition that underpins sustainable development, and furthering technological advancement.

    The meeting will support the Forum’s work to shape a more equitable and resilient global economy. (Flowerbudnews)

    #PBATInSaudi

    @AjuriNgelale @aonanuga1956 @otegaogra @trueNija

  • Danish shipping company, A.P Moller-Maersk plans $600m investment in Nigeria

    Danish shipping company, A.P Moller-Maersk plans $600m investment in Nigeria

     

    By Flowerbudnews

    Danish shipping and logistics company, A.P Moller-Maersk has disclosed a planned investment of $600 million in Nigeria to accommodate more container shipping services in Nigerian ports.

    Chairman of A.P Moller-Maersk, Mr. Robert Maersk Uggla, disclosed the decision during a meeting with President Bola Tinubu on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth and Energy for Development in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday.

    President Tinubu noted that this investment will complement the administration’s ongoing $1 billion investment in seaport reconstruction across the eastern and western seaports of Nigeria.