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  • Lagos PDP woos Gov Ambode

    The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday said it would   welcome Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode into its fold, if he decided to dump the All Progressives Congress. (APC).

    The Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Taofeek Gani, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Gani spoke following reports that Mr Jide Sanwo-Olu, a former Commissioner for Training and Establishments in the state, had been adopted by the APC leaders to succeed Ambode.

    The APC chairman in Lagos State, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, had told newsmen on Wednesday that the governorship ticket of the party was open to all aspirants.

    NAN reports that the former Commissioner for Works, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, is another aspirant seeking the job of Ambode with Sanwo-Olu.

    NAN also reports that all the aspirants have since obtained and submitted their nomination forms.

    The PDP spokesman said that the party would be glad to receive Ambode into its fold if he decided to leave APC for whatever reason.

    Gani said: “Any forward-looking party would not have rejected its main opponent joining it, especially a big personality like Ambode.

    “We are ready to welcome him (Ambode) to our party, if he decides to join for any reason. We are very ready to accept him, if he decides to join us.

    “You see PDP is a party for all, so far value will be added. We cannot turn down our opponents, especially a big personality like Ambode.

    “Therefore, he is welcome. His joining us will definitely add value and boost our chances to win the state.”

    He said the party would accord him all the rights and privileges with the existing members to realise his political ambitions.

    NAN reports Chief Deji Doherty and Mr Jimi Agbaje are among those who have picked the PDP nomination forms for the governorship ticket. (NAN)

  • 2019: Mimiko joins president race promises security, restructuring, youth empowerment

    Dr Olusegun Mimiko, former governor of Ondo state on Thursday, declared to run for president of Nigeria on the platform of the Labour party (LP) in 2019.

    Mimiko, who declared his intention at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja,expressed concern over what he described as wanton killings in the Middle Belt and other parts of the country.

    He said that the effect of the current economic reality, unprecedented level of division, distrust at individual and communal levels, were of great concern to him.

    Mimiko said ability to envision great ideas and demonstrable track record, rather than place and circumstances of birth should be the most compelling basis for investing candidates with power.

    He said:“This is, therefore, not the time to cheapen the dialogue by engaging in argument on whose turn it is to run the country. Rather, it is time to insist that only the best is good for Nigeria.

    “It is time to all march out and recall our past, take charge of the present and launch out into greatness as one inclusive and cohesive family,

    “There comes a moment in the life of a nation when every patriot must stand up to be counted!.At such a moment, no person worthy of a place in history can afford to remain ensconced in his or her comfort zone.

    “ For our country, Nigeria, the moment is now! .The truth, however, is that bad as these times are, they will not pass away if we choose to remain on this same old path.

    “I am running for president because I believe that working together, we can restructure and redesign our country in such a way that it would mean for all of us.’’

    “We shall frontally attack corruption in all its ramifications by strengthening existing institutions, deploying technological tools and deepening relevant policies on cashless society while proactively leveraging global frameworks for anti-corruption.

    He said that as governor of Ondo state for eight years, he restructured the state, empowered youths and transformed the education as well as health sector among others.

    Mimiko promised to commit to mobilising the youth of Nigeria for education, providing opportunities for them to be productively engaged and elevating them into leadership, through a careful process of acculturation.

    Speaking, Alhaji Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, the factional Chairman of Labour Party, congratulated Mimiko for his declaration.

    Abdulsalam said that the party decided to support and give Mimiko nomination form, based on his track record as one time governor of Ondo.(NAN)

  • 9,822 stranded Nigerians in 18 months receive by NEMA

    9,822 stranded Nigerians in 18 months receive by NEMA

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) says no fewer than 9, 822 Stranded Nigerians were assisted back home by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) from 10 different countries in 18 months.

    The Zonal Coordinator of NEMA, South West Zone, Alhaji Yakubu Suleiman, disclosed this while receiving another batch of of 153 Assisted Voluntary Returnees (AVR) brought back by IOM from Libya on Friday.

    He said majority of the returnees were from Libya with about 8,657 voluntary returnees, while others were brought back from Niger, Mali, Morocco, Liberia, Burkina Faso, France, Ireland, Austria and Poland made up the remaining balance.

    Suleiman explained that IOM had been working with NEMA and other federal agencies towards giving the returnees appropriate humanitarian assistance since the exercise started.

    According to him, the returnees were brought back between April 2017 and September 2018.

    “The IOM analysis of the exercise reveals that out of the total figure, 59 per cent of the returnees are males and 41 per cent are females.

    “Further analysis shows that out of the above, 57 per cent are adult males, adult females consisted of 37 per cent , minor males are three per cent and minor females are also three per cent,”he said.

    Suleiman said 215 of the women returned under various stages of pregnancy while while 214 males and 141 females had various degree of medical challenges.

    He also disclosed was that there were 59 males and 52 females unaccompanied minors while about 24 males and 174 females need psychosocial first aid.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the new batch of returnees arrived at the Cargo Wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos at 1.05 a.m. on Friday.

    The Nigerians, comprising of 97 males and 56 females, arrived aboard a Libyan Airline with registration No: 5A-DMG and flight No: BRQ 189. (NAN)

  • Don’t obey IPOB sit-at-home order, Police tells Enugu residents

    Don’t obey IPOB sit-at-home order, Police tells Enugu residents

    The police command in Enugu state on Thursday, said the recent sit-at-home order by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) should be disregarded and urged residents to go about their normal businesses.

    The Commissioner of police in the state, Mr Mohammed Danmallam, said this in Enugu on Thursday during the meeting he held with the 17 local government chairmen in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the commissioner made the plea against the backdrop of the Sept. 14 sit-at-home order across the South-East states by IPOB.

    NAN gathered that IPOB had earlier written to various unions and associations in the state, including council areas, to shut down businesses and other activities.

    The group has also posted notice of the sit-at-home order in strategic locations across the state.

    Danmallam said, “the command is appealing that you use your good offices to help encourage residents of your areas to come out as usual to do their various businesses without fear of intimidation or molestation and not to succumb to any threat of sit at home by any faceless group.

    “The peace and security in the state cannot be compromised, as nobody or group of persons whether known or faceless, will be allowed to threaten the existing peace and security.

    “However, the command and other sister security agencies are on the trail of those in this habit of putting fear and panic in the minds of law abiding citizens with a view to arresting and bringing them to book.’’

    He commended the local government chairmen for maintaining peace and security in their respective domains and solicited their cooperation, before and after the controversial order.

    “I will seek your further co-operation to ensure that business activities as well as other activities take place before, during and after Sept. 14 in your domain.

    “The command is assuring you that security operatives are already on ground to ensure that members of the public go about their normal lawful businesses.’’

    NAN reports that the Federal High Court in Abuja on Sept. 21, 2017 gave judicial backing to the executive order of President Muhammadu Buhari, outlawing the IPOB and declared its activities as acts of terrorism and illegality. (NAN)

  • FRSC Recruitment: Screening, physical assessments begin Sept. 24

    The Federal Road Safety Commission  (FRSC) has scheduled its screening and physical fitness assessment on recruitment for Sept. 24 to 29.

    Mr Bisi Kazeem, the FRSC Public Education Officer, said in a statement on Friday that the screening would be conducted in all the state capitals.

    Kazeem advised applicants to check their email used for submission of the applications on Sept. 19 for information on the exercise.

    “The email information will contain the venue, date, time of screening and required items to be taken along for the exercise,” he said.

    According to him, shortlisted applicants are to come with the summary data page earlier received and email notification slip which shall admit them to the screening venue.

    The FRSC image maker said that any candidate without the printout of the summary data page and notification slip for the phase of the exercise would not be admitted into the venue.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the FRSC recruitment started on May 28, with the uploading of the application forms on FRSC recruitment portal. (NAN)

  • ABU to get N800m ecological project, says SGF

    Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SFG), said on Friday that the government had earmarked N800 million for the execution of ecological projects in Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
    Mustapha made the disclosure as the Special Guest of Honour at the 13th Annual General Assembly Public Lecture held at the ABU main campus, Samaru, Zaria, Kaduna State.
    The lecture was organised by the ABU Alumni Association.
    Mustapha said: “Mr Vice Chancellor, I have good news for you. Under my office as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, we have a department that deals with ecological projects.
    “We have undertaken one project here at the second phase, a project that will cost about N800 million has been approved for the university. Of course it’s time to give back to our alma mater.”
    He said as an alumnus of the university, he was highly excited that ABU was rated high among universities on the continent.
    The SGF said the success story was made possible, partly by the diligent and focused impact of ABU Alumni Association as well as the contributions of its members.
    He said such contributions were for the university and the growth and development of Nigeria.
    Mustapha said that during his days in the university, students made friends at very intimate levels without prejudice to the region, religion or ethnic groups they belonged.
    “We had genuine relationships that saw us behaving as Nigerian students first before other considerations.
    “It is possible to rekindle those feelings and extrapolate same to the national level to enable Nigeria truly achieve a nation devoid of prejudices and other primordial sentiments.
    “I make bold to state that the giant strides as well as conscious strategic planning by President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in this direction in respect of attempt to evolving a true nation among Nigerians is like no other since the return to democracy in 1999.
    “The administration, fully conscious of various sociological tendencies that in many African nations resulted in chaos and fiasco, has weathered the tendencies and pulled through despite many attempts to distract the president from delivering his and APC’s campaign promises.”

    Mustpha assured students, youths and other Nigerians that the present administration was doing everything possible to ensure a brighter future for the citizens.
    In a paper entitled: “Repositioning Education for National Development”, Hadiza Bala Usman, the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, appreciated the alumni association for being alive to its responsibilities.
    “I want to appreciate the alumni association for continually awakening the consciousness of all students as well as succeeding administrations of the school to the important task of sustaining culture of excellence for which ABU is known within and outside of the country.
    “I want to register my desire to improving the standard of Ahmadu Bello University. Education is the reason why we are here today, I am a stakeholder in this aspect.
    “I am a child of ABU, whatever I present here is because of the fact that I was nurtured, born and brought up in ABU, it is my desire to see how ABU can be repositioned and indeed education in Nigeria can be repositioned.
    “Of course, if the education sector is repositioned it will give us the kind of leadership and government the society deserves,” she said.
    The ABU Vice Chancellor, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, said the university had no choice but to restructure but not in the way that people were calling for restructuring of the country.
    “We have restructured and continue to restructure our academic delivery system. Our faculties have before now remained a cage, they have refused to grow and refused to modernise.
    “One of the tasks of the success story is really to make sure that our university is competitive on the global scale such that we also give more access to the teaming countries that always solicit coming to this university.
    “We have already achieved the restructuring or the break-up of the Faculty of Science into two Faculties now. We used to have a situation where one department in the former Faculty of Science was awarding three degrees.
    “And there were quite a few of those departments, now we have Faculty of Physical Sciences and Faculty of Live Science but the biggest is breaking of the long-time standing culture of keeping a small republic called Kongo Campus.”
    He said the Accounting Department and Business Administration Department had been moved from Kongo and merged with Economics Department at the main campus to form a brand new “ABU Business School”. (NAN)

  • No release of Lagbo dam water by Cameroonian authorities yet, says NIHSA boss

    Ahmed Mabudi, the Acting Director-General of Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA), said the rumor making rounds about the release of water from the Lagbo Dam by Camaroonian authorities was untrue.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports there were circulating reports that people living along the water banks of the Rivers Niger and Benue should run for their lives with the release of water by the operators of Lagbo dam in Cameroon.

    According to the report, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Nigerian Police are quoted as warning those living along the water banks to run for their lives “between now and Saturday’’ or many houses will  be over run.

    Mabudi, however, told NAN on Sunday in Abuja that the news was false.

    “We’ve have spoken with the operator in charge of the dam in the Southern Cameroon region, Mr Abdullahi and we are in constant discussion with him.

    “There is a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nigeria and Cameroon that the Cameroonians must give us a long notice in the event that they want to release water from the dam so we can take precautionary measures to contain any havoc as a result of the release.

    “As at Tuesday when we spoke with Abdullahi, he said the water level at the dam was 12.1m, so it has to get to 12.6m before they start any release.

    “So, when we alerted him about the stories making the rounds, he was shocked and refuted the claims.

    “Yes, we know that there are rising water levels in Adamawa, Taraba and the Benue axis, but this is basically due to the torrential rain fall being currently experienced in the country,” he said.

    He urged people living in high level water areas to remain vigilant and calm, adding that the Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adams as well as NIHSA were in touch with operators of the Lagbo Dam.

    NAN also reports that as at Sunday, the water level in Lokoja is 11.2m as against 10.66 on Wednesday. (NAN)

  • Bandits kills 2,385 people in 7 years in Zamfara – Gov. Yari

    Bandits kills 2,385 people in 7 years in Zamfara – Gov. Yari

    Gov. Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara has revealed that a total of 2,385 people were killed by armed bandits in the state from 2011 to date.

    The governor made the disclosure on Monday in Gusau at the opening of a Special Town Hall Meeting on Security organised by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Information.

    He also said that more than 6,000 people were injured during the period, with 25,000 cows stolen by the bandits.

    Yari added that the activities of the bandits during the period led to the destruction of over 3,000 hectares of arable land, over 600 shops and 336 vehicles.

    “Thousands of people were displaced from their towns and villages with hundreds of others kidnapped by the bandits who charged millions of naira as ransom,” he added.

    Yari, however, said that the formation of  reconciliation committees by the state government had helped to contain the situation, leading to the recovery of over  3,000 assorted arms from some of the bandits that embraced peace.

    The governor who described the Zamfara killings as higher in number to those in Plateau, Benue and Taraba states, urged the Federal Government for more action to end the killings.

    According to the governor, the killings in Zamfara are pure cases of criminality.

    He commended the ongoing joint security operations in the state, saying it had brought about stability in most villages hitherto terrorised by the bandits.

    In his speech, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed said the security situation in the state has improved drastically since the commencement of the joint security operation.

    The minister chided the media for allegedly under reporting the efforts being made to restore peace and stability in the state in the same manner the killings were reported.

    He commended the Zamfara government for its support to the efforts being made to enhance peace in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a video containing pictorial situation of the crisis was shown to the guests and a copy of the clip handed over to the Information Minister.

    Ministers of Defence, Mansur Danali; Environment, Usman Jibrin; Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu;Budget (state) Zainab Ahmed, and Industry (state), Aisha Abubakar attended the event. (NAN)

  • General Elections: Okitipupa youths threatens boycott over 10-year power outage

    September 9, 2018 5:31 pm by  aderemi.bamgbose – Nigeria –

    Group threatens election boycott over 10-year-old power outage

    Blackout
    By Remi Bamgbose
    Okitipupa (Ondo State), Sept. 9, 2018 (NAN) Some youths in Okitipupa, Ondo State, under the aegis of Bring Back Our Light, say the people of their area may not participate in the 2019 general elections if electricity supply was not restored in their communities.
    In a statement issued by the Convener, Mr Olumide Akinrinlola, in Okitipupa on Sunday, the group advised its members not to be deceived by promises at a meeting scheduled by the state governor to address the situation.
    Gov. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu scheduled a town hall meeting on the 10-year-old blackout in the southern part of the state on Tuesday in Okitipupa and Igbokoda,
    The group described the meeting as “another political deception” coming ahead of the upcoming elections.
    The group threatened that the people of Okitipupa, Irele, Ilaje and Ese-Odo local government areas, mostly affected by the blackout, would boycott the elections, unless electricity was restored to their communities.
    “We urge our members to attend the proposed meeting but they should be careful not to be gullible to political gimmicks, especially now that elections are around the corner.
    “We remain resolute that the four councils mostly affected by the blackout shall not participate in the 2019 elections, if our light is not restored by the state government,” it stated.
    The group said it was sceptical about the intention of the Akeredolu-led administration of organising the town hall meeting few months to the 2019 polls.
    It wondered why the administration, which promised to restore electricity to the area within three months of assuming office could not do so two years after its inauguration.
    It urged the state government to align itself with the resolve by the Edo State Government not to renew the contract with Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) which would be due in one month.
    It noted that in spite of the presence of Omotosho and Niger-Delta Power Plants in its domain, BEDC could not provide the area with electricity.
    “Our planned peaceful mega protest at the Omotosho Power Plant will hold as planned in order to register our grievances and expose atrocities committed by BEDC for their licence to be terminated,” the group added. (NAN)
    BAA/USO/JCE
    ===========
    Edited by Sam Oditah/Chukwudi Ekezie

     Posted in General news |

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