Flowerbud News

Category: General News

  • Shehu Sani thanks President Buhari

    By Ismaila Chafe/Daura

    Sen. Shehu Sani, on Thursday, paid Sallah homage to President Muhammadu Buhari at Daura, Katsina State, and thanked him for intervening in the crisis he faced with the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State.

    Sani, representing Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, who spoke to newsmen after a closed door meeting with the President, said they deliberated on issues bordering on strengthening the APC through resolution of all internal strife in the party.

    According to him, he used the opportunity to assure the President on the support of his constituency to his re-election bid in 2019.

    He said: “I am also here to fully assure him of the support of my constituency, Kaduna Central, to his aspiration for the second term.

    “I’m also here to assure him of my own wholehearted support to the success of his administration and his return to office for the second term.

    “Those were the basic issues that we discussed with him and other issues that border on the need to strengthen our party; the need to end all internal strife and also the need to put heads, hearts and hands together for the success of his administration and also for the success of the party.’’

    The Senator stated that his decision to remain in the APC was not because his grievances against the party leadership in Kaduna state had been addressed, but due to the intervention of President Buhari and the National leadership of the party.

    He, therefore, called on all aggrieved members of the APC in the national assembly to put aside parochial interests and join hands with the party in promoting national interest for the general good of all citizens.

    “Well, there is no human being without any grievances but when national interest is put at the front side you have to put aside other parochial interests.

    “What we need to do as politicians and as people representing those who elected us is to always put the country first and know very well that we have both constitutional and moral duty to work to the progress of Nigeria and of this government.

    “So, I think these are the basic issues which we discussed, grievances are natural but we have to know that we have a country that we need to keep and also we have a country that we need to support, so that it can progress,’’ he added.

    On whether he has been assured of automatic ticket to seek re-election in 2019, Sani said even he was not so keen about automatic ticket but the party had pledged to reward loyalty.

    He, however, stressed that while rewarding members for their loyalty to the party due process must be followed.

    “I think the party had made it very clear and known to each and every person that there will be reward for loyalty but in every sense of the word due process of the party needs to be followed

    “And as far as we are concerned, what matters most to us is not simply about automatic ticket but about the peaceful and transparent conduct of the 2019 election and also the very need for us as a people and as a nation to know that the fate of the country is on our hands.

    “There is the need for us to keep aside all sectional, ethnic and religious differences for the progress of this country and going by the very fact that the President has intervened and chairman of the party has intervened – all family squabbles would certainly come to an end,’’ he said.

  • Thierry Henry favourite to coach Bordeaux

    France’s leading international goalscorer Thierry Henry was Wednesday being touted as the next coach of Bordeaux who suspended Gustavo Poyet after just one league game of the season.

    Henry, a member of the 1998 World Cup winning team and who was part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching staff with Belgium at the World Cup, was emerging as the overwhelming favourite after a fevered round of speculation which had linked Laurent Blanc, Jurgen Klinsmann and Claudio Ranieri with the job.

    According to RMC Sport, Henry would say ‘yes’ if approached while the 20 Minutes outlet claimed the former Arsenal striker will Thursday travel to the United States to meet the GACP group, the American investors who will officially take over the Ligue 1 club on September 28.

    However, the club refused to comment on reports linking 41-year-old Henry with the coaching hotseat especially with Poyet officially still the man in charge.

    Poyet was suspended last Friday for a week after an angry outburst at club bosses over their transfer policy.

    “Technically everything is possible,” said club president Stephane Martin in reference to Poyet’s future, with a sacking looking a distinct possibility.

    The decision to suspend the Uruguayan comes after he launched a furious tirade at the Bordeaux board over their decision to sell the striker Gaetan Laborde to Ligue 1 rivals Montpellier.

  • NEMA expresses worries over erosion menace in S/East

    NEMA expresses worries over erosion menace in S/East

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has expressed worries over the level of erosion menace in the South east.

    Mr Walson Ibarakumo, the Enugu Regional Coordinator of the agency, expressed his worries in an interview with the News agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Thursday.

    Ibarakumo said among other emergency issues such as flooding and fire, erosion ranked topmost in the threat facing the people of the South-East and their livelihood.

    He said Abia, Anambra, Enugu and Imo, were seriously affected by erosion menace, adding that only Ebonyi had been enjoying relative stability in the area.

    The coordinator said that NEMA was redirecting its attention to healthy environmental management and increasing awareness on erosion.

    “Erosion is very serious, the impact is much here in the South east. They are majorly hit.

    “We have been to places where electric installations were destroyed and major infrastructure damaged.

    “In our next stakeholders meeting, we are going to focus on erosion; if I may classify South east, erosion is number one ahead of flooding and fire because of the impact.

    “Though, I have not seen much of it in Ebonyi , all other states in the region are  under serious threat of erosion or the other.

    “That is why we are moving attention to erosion and better management of the environment,” he said.

    Ibarakumo said though flooding had not been massive this year, the chances were not entirely over.

    He said that 20 communities in five council areas in Anambra were badly affected by rain-induced flooding between June and August.

    He listed them as: Anambra East, Anambra West, Anyamelum, Awka North and Onitsha South.

    He said that on-the-spot- assessment in theses council areas showed that many people were temporarily displaced and large expanse of farmlands and machinery destroyed.

    He said the displaced families had gone back to their homes, but added that the camps for IDPs were still being kept ready because the peak of flooding was being anticipated in September.

    “The flooding that came was as a result of the heavy rains, but after about three days the affected people returned to their houses.

    “Because of the forecast we are looking forward to taking them to IDP camps which we have created. The outlook is still cloudy going by the forecast.

    “We expect flooding in September, so the danger is not entirely averted because September is when river flooding is expected to be at its peak.’’

    He said that many livelihoods were  also affected, especially, farms and farming equipment.

    “We are working on their resettlement, I am hopeful that very soon assistance will come their way based on the impact of damage,” he said.(NAN)

  • Emir Sanusi urges collection of PVC, National ID card

    Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, has urged registered voters to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in preparation for 2019 general elections.

    Sanusi made the call on Thursday during the traditional Hawan Nasarawa at the Government House in Kano.

    The Emir also urged Nigerians to get their National Identification Cards.

    He described the PVC as an important means of voting and identification, which all Nigerians of voting age must possess to avoid being disenfranchised.

    The monarch praised the State Government for its efforts in providing level playing field for all politicians.

    Sanusi urged politicians to avoid conducts capable of causing violence, and sued for peace, tranquility and unity in the country,

    He also commended the State government’s strides in the health sector, while also wishing safe return of Nigerian pilgrims from Saudi Arabia.

    The Emir advised residents to clear the drains in order to avoid flooding in the state, appealing to them to dispose waste responsibly and be hygienic.

    Also at the event, the state governor,  Abdullahi Ganduje said that the government had completed two well-equipped hospitals with a total of 500- bed capacity.

    He said his administration would continue to invest in quality education at all levels, as it remained paramount to the development of the state.

    Gov. Ganduje also disclosed that the government had constructed Yan- Tebura Mall, in Kwari Market, at the cost of over N4 billion.

    “This project is part of our market reforms. It is sad to see traders in the sun, enduring heat and rain in the open, as their wares get ruined,” he said.

    Ganduje urged the people to continue to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari, as well as for peace, stability and progress of the country.

    Similarly, he called on the electorate to obtain their PVCs and vote in the coming general election.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also at the occasion were Senators Kabiru Gaya and Barau Jibrin, commissioners, members of House of Reps, members of the Emirate Council and the diplomatic corps.(NAN)

  • Girls are not sex objects, says ex beauty queen, Chioma Obiadi s

    Girls are not sex objects, says ex beauty queen, Chioma Obiadi s

    Immediate past Miss Nigeria, Chioma Obiadi, has advised young girls and women to flaunt their gender with dignity to protectprotect them against being used as sex objects.

    Obiadi spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos on her pet project,  “Green Girl”, which projected decency and dignity of the female gender.

    She said that it was wrong for young girls and women to be seen as sex objects by the men folks in the society.
    “I think it is completely wrong for women to be seen as sexual objects by the men folk in the society, it is totally degrading and terrible.

    “Those men who see girls as sex objects are opportunists who capitalise on the weakness of female gender and use it for their selfish interests,” she said.

    According to her, many girls fall victims out of desperation for wealth or positions which can be avoided through self-development and achievement.

    The 24-year-old beauty queen reminded girls that their bodies were meant to be the temple of God which must not be defiled but accorded some respect.

    Chioma, a Geography student of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra, frowned at the manner some girls threw themselves at men who capitalised on their weaknesses.

    “It is really disheartening to see the way some of our girls flaunt themselves on men just to get one favour or the other from them.

    “Those who go into such acts are not good representation of the female gender and as such I advise ladies to display serious mindedness.

    “There is no situation you cannot overcome through self-achievement, no need to look for short cut with selling of your God made temple, we must stop it,”she said.

    She noted that if ladies could carry themselves with dignity, no man would be able to abuse them or bastardised their womanhood.

    “In all of these, I think women should say ‘no to nudity’ and then the men would have no choice than to follow suit in maintaining a sane relationship with women,” she said.

    On her pet project, Chioma said she had gone round schools where she spoke with young girls and boys on keeping themselves and their environment clean, decent and disciplined. (NAN)

  • Don’t use culture to avoid family planning, group admonishes couples

    In an effort check increasing population growth, an advocacy group, Voice for Family Planning and Reproductive Health Centre (V4FPRCH), has advised couples to refrain from hiding behind culture to avoid family planning.

    Prof. Josiah Mutihir, the Plateau State Chairman of the group, gave the advice on Friday in Jos at a meeting organised for the media.

    “We should not follow the culture that says the more children one has, the richer one becomes,” Mutihir said.

    He said a situation where some Nigerian couples still as many as seven children, posed a danger to the nation’s population and planning.

    According to him only 18 per cent of married women use child spacing methods in Plateau.

    Mutihir noted that Plateau had over 500 facilities offering family planning services.

    “We have these services in private hospitals and primary health centres supported by partners in the state.

    He urged the media to be part of the campaign against population explosion by taking the message to rural dwellers.

    In a remark, Mrs Hannatu Dung, the Secretary of the group, said that the campaign for child spacing was important in order to create an atmosphere where a child would enjoy love and security and for the good of society at large. (NAN)

  • Freed IPOB Women: Group advises women to continually lead society out of injustice

    Freed IPOB Women: Group advises women to continually lead society out of injustice

    Women Arise for Change Initiatives, an NGO, on Saturday advised Nigerian women not to allow themselves to be silenced by anti-democratic elements in the society.

    Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, President of the group, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that women had the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.

    The activist spoke against the background of the unconditional release of the 114 women suspected to be members of proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) by a high court on Friday in Owerri.

    The women were remanded by an Owerri Magistrate’s Court after they were arrested and arraigned by the police for demanding to know the whereabouts of IPOB leader, Nnamdi Kalu.

    “My advice is that Nigerian women must not allow themselves to be silenced by any anti-democratic elements or authority.

    “They must understand that they have a right to peaceful protest, which is a fundamental human rights and as such, no one should be allowed to deny them of it.

    “Women must also realise that they can lead the society out of whatever injustice, as already demonstrated by the Owerri 114.

    “This should serve as a lesson to other women to learn from,’’ Okei-Odumakin said.

    The activist also urged the women to approach the courts to demand proper compensation for alleged unlawful detention.

    Okei-Odumakin regretted that innocent people were incarcerated in an inhumane and illegal way for merely expressing themselves in a legitimate manner.

    She urged the police and whoever was involved in the arrest and detention of the women to tender an unreserved apology.

    She said: “The police must apologise for dehumanizing the peaceful protesters, illegally detaining them and parading them as treasonable felons. That must be done.’’

    Okei-Odumakin expressed joy that her organization joined other pro-democracy elements in demanding for the release of the women through pressure well-coordinated by Nigerians and stakeholders in Imo.(NAN)

  • Politics not do or die affair – Etsu Nupe

    Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, has appealed to Nigerians not to take politics as a do or die affair as the 2019 general elections approaches.

    Abubakar, who is also the Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, made the appeal in his Wadata Palace in Bida, Niger State, during the Bariki Sallah celebration to mark the end of Eld-el-kabir on Saturday.

    “God gives leadership to and takes it from whosoever He wishes at His appointed time; every Nigerian has equal right to aspire to any position.

    ”There should be a level playing ground for all to thrive; we should bear in mind that we can only have one chairman, governor or president at a time.

    “As such, politicians should know that it is not a do or die affair but rather have faith in God.”

    He urged Nigerians to strive to make democracy to work in the country by emulating the best global democratic practice.

    The monarch advised his subjects to be law-abiding and respect constituted authorities irrespective of ethnic, religious and political affiliations.

    Furthermore, Abubakar appealed to Nigerians to shun all acts capable of breaching peace and unity of the country.

    “As patriotic citizens, we should continue to uphold the noble virtues of peace, unity and love for one another, irrespective of our religious beliefs, tribe or political background.”

    He also warned the people of Bida Emirate and Nigerians in general to stop indiscriminate dumping of refuse on water ways to guard against flooding.

    The traditional ruler said it was unpatriotic for citizens to continually clog waterways, saying that the act was responsible for environmental degradation in many parts of the country.

    “Human activities which included felling of trees, dumping of refuse in water channels contributed to the present ecological problems in many parts of the country” he said (NAN)

  • NEMA partners NMA to strengthen medical assistance in disasters

    NEMA partners NMA to strengthen medical assistance in disasters

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says it is partnering with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) to strengthen the provision of quick and appropriate emergency medical assistance to victims of disasters across the country.

    Mr Sani Datti, Head of Media and Public Relations (NEMA) made this known in a statement on Sunday in Abuja.

    According to Datti, a Bilateral Technical Working Group (BTWG) has been established between NEMA and the NMA to draw up details of the working relationship.

    He said that Mr Mustapha Maihaja, Director General of NEMA led management staff of the agency to meet with the national executives of the NMA in Abuja at the weekend.

    Datti quoted Maihaja as identifying the imperatives for the partnership to actively engage members of the association in addressing gaps in the provision of medical supports in the aftermath of disaster incidents.

    Maihaja said, “though there were a number of medical personnel in NEMA, response to disaster situations would always require more professionals to guide and direct us appropriately.

    “Partnership with the NMA would avail the services of specialists in various medical fields to deal with situations such as malnutrition among Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    “Deployment of First Aid by emergency workers and advocacy against environmental health issues among others.”

    Datti said that the National Executives of the NMA led by the President Dr. Francis Adedayo in discussion with the NEMA management noted that the partnership would enable them offer more services.

    Adebayo said that with agreement better services would be offered to the less privileged and those in distress in all the States of the Federation including FCT with Specialist in all the Categories of the Medical Profession. (NAN)