Flowerbudnews (Abuja) The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Staff Multipurpose Cooperative Society Limited
Author: Ibrahim Abusadiq
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NAN Staff Cooperative declares over N20m profit for 2023
has declared N20,334 million as profit after expenses for the 2023 financial year.The President of the society, Mr Stephen Igiewe, announced the amount at the agency’s 12th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja on Thursday.He said the amount was higher than the N16.09 million profit after expenses declared in 2022.Igiewe said the profit was realised due to the1 committee’s engagement in vigorous trading during the period in spite the economic challenges.He said the economic challenges affected the declared profit.The president proposed that 69 per cent of the profit representing N14,030 million be declared as dividend and interest.Igiewe said the value of share capital of the cooperative stood at N39,586 million while members’ saving stood at N300,009 million as at Dec. 2023.He proposed that N8,418 million representing 60 per cent of the profit be set aside for interest on savings.Igiewe said that N5,612 million representing 40 per cent of the profit would go to shares which translated to 14k per share.The president proposed that N2,033 million representing 10 per cent of the profit be set aside as education fund.He proposed that N2,033 million representing 10 per cent of the profit be placed in general reserve.”The executive committee embarked on vigorous trading during the period in spite the economic challenges.”The Cooperative shall continue with purchases and sale of food items, electronics and other forms of trade beneficial to members and non-members.”The executive committee continued to invest in money markets, Federal Government treasury bills and fixed deposits, instead of keeping excess cash idle in the current account,” he said.The Managing Director of NAN, Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, said that the cooperative society was necessary for the individual and collective safety of members of staff.Ali said that investing in cooperatives would help the staff to have a life after retirement from service.He advised all members of staff to subscribe to the cooperative to ensure a robust life after retirement.”I am delighted to be here as a bonafide member of the cooperative.”It is only when we come together that we will achieve together.”As Africans, it is only when we have a common purpose that we can achieve a common result.”What you see tomorrow is function of your action of today,” he said.Mr Salako Olusegun, the Deputy Director, Cooperative, Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), said that cooperatives had been relegated to the background.He said the development had left many members unaware of some cooperative issues.Olusegun advised NAN members of staff who were yet to join the cooperative to do so; saying that it was the best alternative to funds after retirement.He said that cooperatives were economy propellers in various countries including United Kingdom, Germany, Kenya and Botswana, among others.Olusegun expressed optimism that cooperatives in the country would get to that international level.Some members who spoke at the meeting appealed to the executives to work toward establishing other businesses to generate more money.Mrs Ese Eniola Williams, a member of the cooperative, commended the executive committee for the profit in spite of the current economic challenges.Willians suggested that the cooperative should engage in the sale of diverse food items, Point of Sale (PoS) to enable members benefit from them.Ms Chidi Opara, also a member of the cooperative, said that venturing into businesses like transportation would open up more opportunities for the society.Mr Waziri Abubakar, suggested that the sharing formula between shares and savings be reviewed.NAN -

BOI donated relief materials to indigents citizens of Niger.
By Mohammed Baba Busu
The Bank of Industry on Monday donated assorted relieve materials to Niger government for onward delivery to indigents citizen of the state.
The gesture is aimed at providing relief to the most vulnerable citizens of the state.
The items was received by the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor, Sadiq Yusuf along with the state Commissioner for Environment, Yakubu Kolo in Minna, Niger state capital.
The Special Adviser to the Niger state Governor, Abdulbaqy Usman Ebbo on his Facebook page stated that the palliative items includes; essential food products, are set to be distributed to those in need across the state in no distance time
In a letter addressed to the Niger state Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, the Bank of Industry expressed gratitude for the Governor’s leadership style and dedication to serving the people.
According to Abdulbaqy Ebbo, the total package of the items is 1,513 and each package contains the following items consisting of 2 packs of 1kg Golden Penny Semovita, 10 packs of 70g Golden Penny Noodles,
Others are; 1 pack of 910g Golden Penny Vegetable Oil, 2 packs of 500g Granulated Sugar and 2 packs of 900g Honeywell Wheat Meal.
The Special Adviser noted that this initiative is a demonstration of the Bank of Industry’s commitment to supporting the lives and well-being of Nigerians, particularly during challenging times experienced recently in the country.
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Appeal Court dismisses suit seeking to disqualify Akpata as LP governorship candidate
Flowerbud News
The Court of Appeal on Wednesday, dismissed a suit seeking to disqualify Olumide Akpata as the gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the Sept. 21 election in Edo.
The appellate court held that the suit instituted by an aggrieved governorship aspirant, Kenneth Imasuangbon lacked cogent and verifiable evidence in the allegations against Akpata.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Okon Abang, the court held among others, that Imasuangbon failed to explore inter conflict resolution mechanism of the Labour Party before rushing to Court.
To this end, the court held that his case was premature in law and cannot be entertained on the ground that conditions precedents were not met.
The unanimous judgment of the three-member panel also held that the appellant failed to tender the disputed results of the February 23 primary election of the party which he claimed to have won.
Justice Abang held that the claim of Imasuangbon that he was not given official results by Labour Party cannot hold waters because he had his agent at the primary election.
The court further held that the appellant did not call as witness, a single delegate from those he claimed voted for him at the primary election.
The court added that Imansuangbon’s allegations that Akpata did not sign the Indemnity Form is statute-barred and therefore lacked jurisdiction.
The appellate court therefore upheld the judgment of the Federal High Court in Benin delivered by Justice Babatunde Quadiri, which had earlier dismissed Imasuangbon’s suit for want of merit.
Imasuangbon had in the suit prayed that Akpata be disqualified as Labour Party gubernatorial candidate on the allegations that he was not qualified to have participated in the poll.
He asked for an order of the court compelling Labour Party to withdraw the candidacy of Akpata and submit his own name as the right candidate having come second in the primary election.
NAN
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Customs Service Board confirms appointment of 2 DCGs, 5 ACGs
Flowerbud News
The Nigeria Customs Service Board(NCS) has confirmed the appointment of two Deputy Comptroller-General(DCG) of Customs, and five Assistant Comptroller-General (ACG) of Customs.
The Spokesperson of the NCS, Abdullahi Maiwada, made this known in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
The newly confirmed officers are DCG OA Alajogun, DCG KI Adeola, ACG IG Umar, ACG MM Tilley-Gyado, ACG BA Makinde, ACG OA Salefu and ACG T Bomodi.
Maiwada stated that the appointments were made in response to the statutory retirement of senior officers, and are fully aligned with the Federal Character Policy, as outlined in Section 14(4) of the Nigeria Customs Service Act, 2023.
He quoted the Comptroller-General (C-G)of Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, as congratulating the new appointees on their positions.
Adeniyi emphasised the need for them to double their efforts in carrying out the critical roles of revenue generation, trade facilitation, and the suppression of smuggling to bolster Nigeria’s socio-economic development.
The board during its 60th regular meeting chaired by Mr Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Economy, also approved the upgrade of its Information Communication Technology(ICT) Unit to a full-fledged department.
He described the move as a strategic upgrade which was vital to the ongoing modernisation efforts within the NCS.
“DCG KI Adeola has been appointed as the substantive Deputy Comptroller-General in charge of the newly upgraded ICT-Modernisation Department.
“ She will be supported by an Assistant Comptroller-General and five Comptrollers to ensure the successful implementation of ICT initiatives aimed at enhancing the service’s operational efficiency and digital transformation,” he said.
NAN
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#EndBadGovernance: Court admits 10 protesters to N10m bail each
Flowerbud News
A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday, admitted 10 #EndBadGovernance protesters charged with treason to a N10 million bail each with one surety each like sum.
Justice Emeka Nwite, in a ruling on their bail applications, agreed with the submissions of the counsel for the defendants.Justice Nwite ordered that each of the defendants’ sureties must own a landed property in Abuja and submit the documents of the property to the registrar of the court.The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government had, on Sept. 2, arraigned the protesters on counts bordering on treason, intent to destabilise Nigeria, conspiracy to commit felony and inciting mutiny, among others, which are punishable under Section 97 of the Penal Code.The Federal Government, through the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, field the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/454/2024 on Aug. 30 against the defendants.10 of the 124 persons arraigned included Michael Adaramoye also known as Lenin; Adeyemi Abayomi, Suleiman Yakubu, Opaluwa Simon, Angel innocent, Buhari Lawal, Mosiu Sadiq, Bashir Bello, Nuradeen Khakis and Abdusalam Zubairu.NAN reports that some youths staged a nationwide protest against economic hardship between Aug. 1 and Aug. 10 in the country.The demonstration turned violent in some parts of the country, with looting and vandalism recorded in some states.The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty.NAN -

Gov. Bago awards contract for remodeling of Umaru Musa Yar’adua General Hospital
By Mohammed Baba Busu
Gov. Mohammed Umar Bago, has awarded contract for the remodeling of Umaru Musa Yar’adua General Hospital Sabon Wuse, Tafa Local Government Area.
This is contained in a statement by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Digital Media and Strategy, Abdulberqy Usman and made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Minna.
He said work has already commenced on the project.
Abdulbaqy Ebbo added that the Hospital will be equipped with modern facilities
to meet international standards.He stressed that a well-function healthcare system is a cornerstone of public welfare and assured that people receive quality care when they need it most.
The special adviser said that Farmer Governor Bago is prioritizing the healthcare system
He is investing in the improvement of hospitals as one of the most crucial responsibilities of his administration to ensure effective and efficient service delivery.
He also said that Bago believed that improving hospitals is an investment in the future.
“And healthy citizens are more productive who can contribute more to the economic growth of the state, and increase public trust in the government.
Abdulbaqy Ebbo further revealed that in less than two years, Bago’s administration has achieved several milestones in healthcare.
“Including the remodeling of the intensive care unit of IBB Specialist Hospital with state of the art facilities, converting the old Shiroro Hotel into the first teaching Hospital in the state,” he said
He added that the Minna General Hospital, now have a new doctors quarters and construction is ongoing for a hundred level two Primary Health care centres across the state.
NAN
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Petrol price hike: Nsukka residents resort to trekking
Flowerbud News
Many residents of Nsukka in Enugu State have esorted to trekking long distances following the hike in petrol pump price.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), correspondent who monitored public motor parks and petrol stations, reports that a litre of petrol now goes for between N1, 100 and N1, 200 resulting in hike of transportation fares in Nsukka.
A Filling Station manager who pleaded anonymity attributed the increase to hike of pump price to N855 per litre by the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on Sept. 3.
He said, though the station was yet to get new supply, they had to adjust to the new price to enable him buy product when they exhaust the stock they have.
A resident, Mr Victor Ezema, who trekked from Nsukka Old Park to Obeachara Junction Nsukka, a distance of about three kilometres said before the hike, commercial motorcyclists were collecting N300, but now raised the fare to N500.
“I have trekked in order not to be stranded since I am still traveling beyond Nsukka to attend to my office work,’’ he said.
Ezema, a civil servant appealed to government to urgently address the problem of petroleum products supply, especially by fixing the refineries to check constant hike in pump price which inflicts hardship on Nigerians.
Another resident, Mrs Joy Nnadi said she trekked from Odenigbo road to Nsukka Main Market because of fare hike and appealed to government to look into the sufferings of Nigerians due to the recent hike in pump price.
“We used to pay N200 from Odenigbo to the market, but today the tricycle operators were charging N400 and this has certainly affected the market list I prepared this morning.
“To make sure I buy the items, I resorted to trekking from Odenigbo area to the market in spite of my health challenge.
“As we speak, all parts of my body are paining me because I do have rheumatism,’’ she said.
She expressed worry that as a crude oil producing nation, why our government had yet to come up with viable solutions to petroleum refining in the country.
NAN also reports that the new increase in patrol price had affected prices of goods and services in Nsukka town and environs as a bag of sachet water that was sold at N350 now sells at N500.
Also, barbers have increased adult hair cut from N500 to N700, while childrens’ hair cut rose from N300 to N500.
Mr Sunday Ugwo, a barber at Lejja Park area of Nsukka, said he increased his price list because of the increase in petrol pump price.
“Before, adult hair cut was N500, children N300 and shaving N200 but now, adult is N700, children N500, while shaving is N400,’’ she said.
NAN
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Edo suspends school resumption over hike in fuel price
Flowerbud News
Edo Government has announced an indefinite postponement of resumption of all schools in the state over the hike in fuel price.
The government announced this, in a memo by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Ojo Akin-Longe, in Benin on Saturday.
The permanent secretary said the resumption, scheduled for Sept. 9, was postponed until further notice.
“The Edo State Government hereby announces the postponement of the resumption of all public and private schools in Edo State, originally scheduled for Monday, 9th September 2024, until further notice.
“An official statement from the government has directed that schools remain closed due to the tension arising from the recent increase in fuel prices and the challenges faced by parents and guardians.
“The government urges parents, guardians, and caregivers to monitor the activities of their children and wards closely, given the current situation and the rising tension caused by the fuel price hike,” Akin-Longe said.
NAN
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Ugwunwa wins javelin’s silver to give Team Nigeria fifth medal
Flowerbud News
Team Nigeria on Saturday in Paris at the 2024 Paralympic Games added a silver medal to its haul, after Flora Ugwunwa won in the women’s javelin throw event.
Ugwunwa, who competed in the women’s F54 category of the athletics event, achieved a throw of 19.26 metres to finish second in the competition.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this winning throw was her second in the competition’s final, with her first being 18.00m.
Her third was 18.24m, with the fourth, fifth and sixth being 18.68m, 18.40m and 17.50m respectively.
Uzbekistan’s Nurkhon Kurbanova won the event’s gold medal with a world record-setting throw of 21.12m as her best in the mandatory six throws.
Kurbanova, who had earlier won the bronze medal in women’s shot put F54, never gave her competitors a chance.
She had throws of 20.07, 21.02, 20.27, 21.02 and 20.98 in her first, second, third, fourth and sixth throws respectively, with the world record-setting 21.12 in the fifth throw.
NAN reports that Ugwunwa’s win has now made it one gold, two silver and two bronze medals so far to place Team Nigeria in the 52nd position at the Games.
The Games comes to an end on Sunday.
NAN