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Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has announced the review of guidelines for recruitment into the Civil Defence, Fire, Correctional and Immigration Services to accommodate 35 percent slots consideration for women.

The minister said henceforth, 35 percent of recruitment into the four services under the ministry would be allocated to women.

At a meeting of the Board of the Civil Defence, Fire, Correctional and Immigration Services yesterday in Abuja, Dr. Tunji-Ojo said the 35 percent allocation of slots to women was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Represented by the Board Chair, Tunji-Ojo, Ja’afaru Ahmed, he said “The federal government through the Board has approved the review of the guidelines for recruitment into, and promotion in all the four Services under the Ministry of Interior.

The development also come with modernisation of the operations of the Nigeria Immigration Service. The modernisation is going to be all-encompassing, training, recruitment, promotion, professionalism and capacity building and deployment of cutting-edge technologies

According to him, the ongoing recruitment into the Federal Fire Service would be based on the new guidelines which would focus largely on professionalism, gender mainstreaming and Federal Character principles.

The minister announced that all the Services would in due course release timelines for recruitments.

He warned Nigerians interested in applying not to patronise scammers, saying that government is already aware of some scammers who are asking for money for recruitment into the Fire Service.

“This is to appeal to Nigerians not to patronise scammers. Anybody asking you to pay money to be recruited into any of the Agencies is a scammer. We are aware of their activities and we will go after them.”

Shedding more lights on the modernisation of the Immigration Service, the Comptroller-General, Mrs Adepoju, said the Service would emphasis on capacity building, specialisation along professional lines to ensure that promotion is not a reward for redundancy.

A statement signed by the Minister’s Specialist Adviser, Media and Publicity, Also Babatunde, notes that other heads of service present at the meeting include Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, (NSCDC), Dr Ahmed, the Controller General of the Nigeria Correctional Service, (NCoS), Haliru Nababa and the Controller General of the Federal Fire Service, (FFS), Abdulganiyu Jaji.

By Flowerbudnews

Enugu:  Thinkers Corner area residents in Enugu metropolis are expressing gratitude towards the Enugu State Fire Service for prompt response in preventing a potentially disastrous inferno at Hanscharis Petrol Station in their neighbourhood.

It was gathered that the gallant fire-fighters responded swiftly to the inferno, which occurred at about 4:40 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18, at Hanscharis Petrol Station, stopped major catastrophe within Thinkers Corner area along the Enugu-Abakaliki Federal Road.

According to an eyewitness, who spoke on condition of anonymity on Friday, the fire, originating from a fuel tank containing 13,000 liters of premium motor spirit (PMS), also posed a significant threat to the Enugu-Abakaliki Federal Road by Emene Junction.

He noted that the Enugu State Fire Service, comprising dedicated personnel from Government House and Ogui Road Fire Stations,showcased their efficiency by deploying three fire trucks with registration numbers ENSFS 001, ENSFS 007 and ENSFS 010.

Reacting, Mr Titus Madu, a resident of the area, commended the Enugu State Fire Service for their quick response, adding, “I called the Enugu State Fire Service, and they arrived within 10 minutes with their trucks fully loaded.”

“This rapid intervention played a crucial role in preventing the escalation of the fire and minimizing potential damages to the surrounding area especially our homes in this Thinkers Corner,” Madu said.

Another resident, Chief Johnson Obikwelu, expressed his surprise over the timely intervention of the fire service men, especially with their equipment, as they had almost lost hope of getting a timely intervention.

Obikwelu called on the state government to continue its support towards the state fire service, as “they are one of the few functional government-owned establishments in the state”.

Speaking to newsmen, the Director of Enugu State Fire Service, Engr Okwudiri Ohaa, expressed gratitude for being able to avert what could have been a worrisome situation.

Ohaa acknowledged the vital support of Gov. Peter Mbah, emphasizing that their timely response was made possible due to the backing and hug support from the state government.

“We received the report around 4:43 pm and were on the scene by 4:53:10 pm, all thanks to Gov. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah’s unwavering support,” he said.

The director further highlighted the commitment of the fire service personnel in ensuring that the fire did not spread to adjacent properties, thereby preventing further damage to the entire neighbourhood of Thinker Corner.

The timely and successful containment of the fire at Hanscharis Petrol Station serves as a testament to the preparedness and efficiency of the Enugu State Fire Service. (Flowerbudnews)

By Lawal Sale

It has been one China, and there will always be one. China. That China is the People’s Republic of China which was affirmed at the United Nations during its 26th session in October. 1971.

With this affirmation of People’s Republic of China as the only “China,” the Republic of China also known as Taiwan, ceased to be another China from the day of that resolution but remained an inalienable part of sovereign People’s Republic of China.

It is worthy of note that prior to the UN’s 26th session, on October 1, 1949, the People’s Republic of China was founded, and the Central People’s Government became the only legitimate government of the whole of China.

The new government replaced the previously expelled KMT regime in a situation where China, as a subject under international law, did not change, and China’s sovereignty and inherent territory did not change as well.

It is evident that to date, about 185 countries out of 195 member states of the United Nations have acknowled the one-China principle and established full diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China on the basis of the “one-China” policy.

Analysts pointed out that the position of these member countries once again, acknowledged and strengthened the consensus of the one-China policy among the international community. In fact, the latest country to establish diplomatic relations with P.R. China among the 185 mentioned earlier, was the Micronesian state of Nauru in the Pacific.

In Africa, for instance, all the 54 countries except one adhere to the one-China principle and have strong diplomatic ties with the Beijing government.

Nigeria, with over 50 years of establishing diplomatic ties with China, recently restated its dedication to the one-China policy; this position was contained in a statement by Honourable Jafaru Yakubu, the chairman House of Representative Committee on Nigeria-China Relations.

The lawmaker reaffirmed Nigeria’s readiness to constantly adhere to the one-China principle noting that “there is but one China in the world, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory, and Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole China.

Similarly, in January 2017, Nigeria yet took another final decision and reaffirmed its commitment to One-China Policy. “The Federal Government, then made a significant and historic move when the then Nigeria’s Foreign Affairs Minister announced to the world during a joint press conference with the visiting Chinese Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, that Nigeria would no longer allow Taiwan to continue to operate in Nigeria as a country with an unofficial embassy, but would be committed to “One-China Policy”.

A Memorandum of Understanding between Nigeria and China was signed in respect of Nigeria’s commitment to supporting the policy and recognising People’s Republic of China as the sole legal authority undertaking diplomacy and other bilateral relations.

Decades past, China has been persuading Taiwan for a peaceful national reunification, but there is a recalcitrant set of people in the island that are being propelled by foreign forces to rebel against the idea of reunification with the mainland China.

President Xi Jinping, in his address marking the 130th anniversary of People’s Republic of China founder Mao Zedong’s birth, said, the “reunification” of Taiwan is “inevitable”, adding that “the realisation of the complete reunification with motherland is an inevitable course of development, is righteous and is what the people want. The motherland (China) must and will be reunited,” he said.

It will be recalled that an election in Taiwan was held on 13th January, 2024 where the ruling Democratic Progressive Party that is clamouring for independence won the presidential election despite China denouncing the candidate as a separatist, and called on the people of Taiwan to make the right choice while noting the harm the DPP’s candidate will bring.

Furthermore, in the aftermath of Taiwan’s elections, a statement from the Chinese government reiterated its stance that “the Taiwan’s question is China’s internal affairs. Whatever changes take place in Taiwan, the basic fact that there is only “One-China” in the world and Taiwan is part of China will not change; the Chinese government’s position of upholding the one-China principle will not change, according to the statement.

– Lawal Sale is an Abuja-based Global Affairs Analyst

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Friday, said arrests have been made of some persons in connection with feeding bandits with information in the area.

The minister disclosed this during a town hall meeting with the Gwagwalada area council chairman, traditional rulers, security operatives, and residents of Gwagwalada area council in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

Though he didn’t state the number of persons arrested or where the arrest was made, he assured residents of the Gwagwalada area not to panic as there will be improvement in the security situation in the FCT in the coming days.

Responding to one of the plights of residents which is limited security operatives in the area, the minister directed the commissioner of police to immediately set up two additional police divisions in the Gwagwalada area council.

This is the second visit Minister Wike is making in the series of area council visits to dialogue with residents and proffer possible to end insecurity in the nation’s capital.

Kidnapping for ransom has been on the increase in the FCT, with residents raising serious concerns about their safety.

On January 5, six siblings were kidnapped alongside their father, Alhaji Mansoor Al-Kadriya, from their home at Zuma 1, on the outskirts of Bwari town in Abuja, shooting two policemen.

The captors released their father to go and raise N60 million ransom to secure the release of his daughters

One of the siblings, Nabeeha, a 400-level student of Biological Science at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, was killed by the bandits on Friday, while her five sisters, including Najeebah, a 500-level Quantity Surveying student, and Nadherah, 300-level Zoology student, are still in captivity.

Bandits have also been operating unchallenged in the North-Western and North-Central states of the nation with Kaduna being the worst hit by banditry. Other states affected include Zamfara, Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger and Katsina.

The latest attacks forced President Bola Tinubu to hold an emergency security meeting on Monday