The Osun State Government on Wednesday disclosed that it is still expecting the N5bn federal government pledged to make available to the state to cushion the effect of subsidy removal.
This is as the committee set up for the distribution of the rice components of the palliative disclosed that it has decided to wait for the second batch before distributing the rice to the vulnerable members of the society.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi while addressing newsmen on Wednesday at the Governor’s office in Osogbo, disclosed that the state government has received the 3,000 bags of 50kg rice for the first batch but is yet to receive N5bn promised by the federal government.
“Yes, we have received all the 3,000 bags of 50kg rice from the federal government, but we have not received any amount from the N5bn it pledged to the state. I am not speaking for any state, but here in Osun, we are still expecting it and when we get it the whole world will know.
“We are still waiting for another consignment of 14,000 bags as well as 3,200MT of maize. Governor Ademola Adeleke is running an open administration, when we get it, we will definitely make public”, he said.
Also, a member of the committee on distribution, Sheikh Mustapha Olawuyi said it has decided to wait for the second batch of 14,000 bags of rice before it will distribute it to the populace.
“The State Governor, Ademola Adeleke handed over the delivered goods to us. We have drawn a template for the distribution but decided that the second batch arrived before we embark on its distribution”, he said.
The Nigeria Air Force (NAF) will soon receive 18 attack helicopters, according to the Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Hassan Abubakar.
Abubakar made the remarks during a one-day tour of NAF 115 Special Operations Group (SOG) formations and units in Port Harcourt on Wednesday.
He stated that the US would provide 12 attack helicopters, while the Turkish government would provide another six helicopters in September.
We are not deterred by recent developments as the Federal Government has approved the acquisition of 12 AH1 Zulu Cobra and six T129 Helicopters from the United States and Turkey respectively.
The first two T129 helicopters are scheduled to come into operation by September, to enhance our operational capabilities.
So, yes, we are saddened by the recent loss of our airplane (MI 171 helicopter) but then, we have a lot more (aircraft) coming in and our capabilities are increasing, he said.
Abubakar said he visited the state to commiserate with families of the NAF pilots and crew that died in the ill-fated helicopter crash in Niger on Aug. 14.
So, we came here to express our deepest condolences to the immediate family members of the crew that we lost.
The 115 special operations group is the home base for the airplane and all the crew that were onboard the unfortunate crash of our MI-171 helicopter.
Aside from this, we are also here to interact with the officers and men of the unit to encourage and assure them of our support in Operation Delta Safe, he added.
The deceased crew onboard the crashed aircraft included the pilot, co-pilot, and two airmen who oversaw the cabin, according to the Air Force chief.
He stated that the Air Force was currently putting measures in place to end military aircraft crashes in the country.
According to him, one of the measures was the formation of an air crash investigation board to determine the probable causes of the crash and to prevent future occurrences.
Abubakar stated that the air force would continue to increase the number of attack helicopters deployed to combat illegal refineries in the Niger Delta.
He claimed that joint operations with sister security agencies had resulted in the destruction of several illegal refining sites as well as the seizure of vessels used to steal crude oil from the region.
Mr Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s (LP) presidential candidate in the February 25 election, has explained why he did not hold local government elections while governor of Anambra State.
Obi claimed he was prevented from holding local government elections due to court action.
The former governor announced the party’s mega rally in Benin to rally support for LP candidates ahead of the Edo State local government elections on September 2.
Obi said;
"As Anambra governor, I was prevented by arms of legal and litigation from conducting local government elections for over six years in the state."
The Labour Party’s Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi, will launch the party’s campaigns for the November 11 governorship election in Imo state today.
The event will take place at Owerri’s Kanu Nwankwo Stadium.
The governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, the party’s national chairman, Julius Abure, and other national officers and chieftains would join Obi to launch the campaigns in the state officially.
Athan Achonu, the LP’s governorship candidate in the state, told journalists in Owerri that everything was in place to welcome Obi and his entourage.
He stated that the party’s goal was to run an issue-based campaign in the hope of unseating the state’s All Progressives Congress government.
Achonu stated that the LP members and all supporters were looking forward to Obi’s arrival in Owerri on Tuesday.
Achonu, who was in the Senate in 2015, described Obi as a transformational leader and said the former Anambra governor inspired him to join the LP.
He claimed that his candidacy and the LP’s unwavering support in the state had already positioned the party as a lovely bride.
He stated that his campaign slogan, “Bring Investment Home,” would significantly address insecurity and food insecurity issues while promoting agriculture, education, investments, health, tourism, human capacity development, infrastructure development, and housing projects.
The Lagos State House of Assembly, on Wednesday, confirmed 22 out of the 39 cabinet nominees sent recently by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for screening.
The Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who presided over the day’s plenary, said the confirmation followed a rigorous and detailed screening of the nominees by an ad hoc committee led by the Chief Whip of the House, Fatai Mojeed.
Obasa commended the committee for its effectiveness and urged the confirmed nominees to always remember that they are in office to serve the people of the state and not individuals.
He also promised that the House would continue to do its best in the interest of the state.
Seventeen nominees were, however, rejected during the confirmation which was done through a voice vote as Obasa mentioned the name of each of the nominees.
The lawmaker representing the Ikorodu Constituency II in the House, Aro Abiodun, when contacted by our correspondent on why the 17 nominees were rejected, said he could not speak for the House but only for his constituency.
Also, when contacted by The PUNCH, the chairman of the screening committee and Chief Whip of the House, Mojeed, simply said in a text message, “It was a decision of (all) 40 members (of the House).”
However, a former member of the House who pleaded anonymity said such rejection could be for several reasons.
“A nominee may be rejected for several reasons. It may be for not having the (APC) party membership card or for presenting a controversial qualification. Other reasons could be security-related or criminal records, unexplained dismissal from office, among others.”
Asked if there would still be an opportunity for the rejected nominees to be cleared later, the ex-lawmaker said, “No. They won’t be cleared. The governor will have to send other names.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu, Gboyega Akosile, in a telephone chat with The PUNCH late Wednesday said the outcome of the screening and confirmation had yet to be transmitted to the governor, hence the governor had yet to know the reason for the reported rejection of some nominees.
“Mr Governor has not received it officially, but we are just hearing from the media. So, we will wait for when the Speaker transmits it to the governor, then we will know the appropriate reaction from the governor,” Akosile said.
The rejected nominees are: Folashade Adefisayo, Akin Abayomi, Yomi Oluyomi, Folashade Ambrose, Barakat Bakare, Gbenga Omotosho, Olalere Odusote, Rotimi Fashola, Bolaji Dada, Sam Egube, Olalekan Fatodu, Solape Hammond, Mosopefolu George, Aramide Adeyoye, Seun Osiyemi, Rotimi Ogunwuyi, and Olumide Oluyinka.
Edo North Senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has said President Bola Tinubu broke a jinx by appointing Nyesom Wike as the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
Oshiomhole said Tinubu’s decision to appoint Wike as FCT Minister was ground-breaking.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday, Oshiomhole said Tinubu gave every part of Nigeria hope with his ministerial appointment.
He also noted that President Bola Tinubu should be credited for fixing what former Presidents could not do.
Oshiomhole assured Nigerians that Tinubu was already laying a solid foundation for the development of the country.
According to Oshiomhole said: “May this government be credited as the one that fixed what others could not fix. This will not be a government of lamentation, but one that will do what others failed to do.
“This singular move shows that anyone can become the minister regardless of their birthplace, tongue and dialect.
“For me, one of the ground-breaking decisions President Tinubu has taken is to give every part of Nigeria a hope that regardless of your birthplace, tongue or dialect, you can be the Minister of the FCT.”
[DailyPost]
The Lagos State House of Assembly made a decision to decline confirmation for 17 out of the 39 nominees for commissioners and special advisers who had been put forth for screening by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
Among the governor’s selections, only 22 cabinet nominees were granted confirmation by the Assembly.
Prominent figures among those not selected include Gbenga Omotoso, who previously served as the Commissioner for Information and Strategy; Prof. Akin Abayomi, the former Health Commissioner; as well as Sam Egube, the former Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, among others.
Details later...
[Nairametrics]
The United States government, through the US Agency for International Development, is providing $9 million in humanitarian assistance to bolster disaster response efforts in North-East Nigeria.
This was contained in a statement by the US embassy in Nigeria and made available to our correspondent on Wednesday.
Through the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration, the funds will provide emergency shelter, water and sanitation, psychosocial support services, and cash to populations affected by floods from the ongoing rainy season across Borno, Adamawa, and Yobe states.
In addition, the funds will provide critical life-saving assistance to populations affected by other natural disasters such as fire or climate-related shocks.
In 2022, Nigeria witnessed the worst flooding in more than a decade, which affected 4.4 million people, displaced over 2.4 million people, and killed over 600 people.
As the United States Mission to Nigeria announced in October and December 2022, the U.S. Government provided $6 million in life-saving aid to support the people affected by last year’s devastating floods.
The statement reads, “This included $1.75 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Societies in partnership with the Nigerian Red Cross Society; $2.5 million to the International Organization for Migration; and $1.75 million divided among Save the Children, FHI360, and Intersos.
“These agencies used the funds to reach more than 225,000 people in seven highly affected states with critical aid.
“The assistance included emergency shelter repair kits, water and sanitation purification tablets to protect against waterborne diseases, hygiene kits to promote safe and healthy practices, and multipurpose cash for families to purchase what they need to recover,” the statement said in part.
In its 2023 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction, the Nigeria Meteorological Agency indicated that earlier than the normal onset of rainfall this year could put 4.2 million people at risk of flood-related impacts.
In light of this, the new $9 million U.S. Government assistance will bolster community preparedness and strengthen vulnerable people’s ability to cope with the impact of natural disasters.
The USAID Mission Director, Dr. Anne Patterson said, “The United States will continue to stand with the people of Nigeria to mitigate the effects of climate change and address the impacts of more frequent natural disasters. We have a long history of providing humanitarian assistance across the country.”
From 2021 to 2022 alone, the United States provided over $356 million in lifesaving, multi-sector assistance to people most affected by conflict and food insecurity.
[Punch]
A Federal Capital Territory High court has struck out two separate fundamental rights enforcement suits by two siblings of the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele, against the Attorney General of the Federation and the Department of State Services.
The two brothers, George Emefiele and Okanta Emefiele, had separately approached the court, seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the secret police from inviting, intimidating, harassing, and arresting or detaining them on any matter relating to the ongoing investigation of the suspended apex bank governor by the DSS.
At the resumed hearing of the cases on Wednesday, counsel for the applicants, Grace Ehusani, informed the court that the applicants separately filed a notice of discontinuance of the case, though she did not give any reasons for the application.
On his part, counsel for the DSS, Ibrahim Awo, urged the court to dismiss the case, instead of striking it out as requested by the applicants’ counsel.
He added a cost of N2 million should be slammed against the applicants in favour of the respondents.
Counsel for the AGF, Maimuma Lami-Sheru agreed with Awo’s request.
Ruling, the presiding judge, Justice Emmanuel Okpe, struck out the cases and ordered that no cost should be paid by the applicants.
The National Universities Commission says the implementation of the Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards will begin by September 2023.
The CCMAS document is expected to guide institutions in the design of curricula for their programmes while bringing necessary innovation into the content and delivery of their programmes towards achieving the overall goals of education and training in the country.
Speaking at the stakeholders’ colloquium on CCMAS in Abuja on Wednesday, the acting Executive Secretary of NUC, Chris Maiyaki, said the document would reposition Nigerian universities to be among the best-rated in Africa.
Maiyaki said that CCMAS would make up 70 per cent of the curriculum while the university decides what to include in the remaining 30 per cent.
According to him, the implementation will help sharpen the future of the education sector.
”The role and development of the CCMAS is to ensure commitment in advancing of our education and our great nation.
“NUC is primarily dedicated to ensuring quality and global competitiveness of Nigerian universities as well as the graduates we produce.
“The development of the CCMAS went through a painstaking process by bringing experts from our universities comprising of professors, regulatory bodies, Nigerian Economic Summit Group and all stakeholders.
“The CCMAS reflects global initiative that will equip graduates with knowledge and wherewithal that will advance the development of the nation,” he said.
The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, encouraged universities to make optimal use of the 30 per cent university senate’s input.
Mamman advised universities to ensure that learning outcomes, skills as well as soft skills were acquired, irrespective of the core discipline.
He said that the skills must be readily applicable to the environment of the university, the country in particular and the global community in general.
“There is no better place and time than now to develop a strategy that will guide tertiary institutions particularly universities in their mandate to provide appropriate manpower for the country,” he stated.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has prohibited street vending in Abuja saying that street traders, including those selling corn, contribute to crime and instability in the city.
The former governor of Rivers State made this announcement during a meeting with the management staff of the Federal Capital Territory Administration and Federal Capital Development Authority, urging them to prioritise doing what is right.
“The important thing we must do is to ensure that Abuja is back to what it ought to be. I moved around Abuja and found out there is total darkness in most of the places.
“What we need to do is to ensure light comes back as soon as possible,” he said.
Wike ordered the immediate cleanup of Abuja adding, “If you are in charge of sanitation, I will call you at any time of the day.”
He warned that he would not hesitate to remove any official who is not meeting his standards of cleanliness. He also stated that motor parks would not be allowed to operate in unauthorised areas.
He added, “Street trading is prohibited. People selling corn will drop their waste indiscriminately and these are the things that cause insecurity. Criminals come to buy and use the opportunity to spy and give information to criminals. It is imperative we clear street hawkers.
“Development control is a serious crisis area we have to stop. Why are there illegal structures and shanties everywhere? We will demolish any illegal structure. No matter how highly placed, the structure will come down,” he reiterated.
More...
A Shari’a Court in Kaduna State on Wednesday ordered that a 22-year-old man, Inuwa Ahmad, be given 35 strokes of the cane for stealing a cell phone and building materials worth N130,000.
The judge Malam Anass Khalifa, who gave the order also sentenced the convict to six months imprisonment after he pleaded guilty to theft.
“The court was lenient to you because you did not waste the court’s time before pleading guilty.
“The court will reduce the 50 strokes of cane intended to 35 strokes hoping it will serve as a lesson to you not to steal again,” he said.
Earlier, Ahmad had pleaded for leniency saying he stole because the money his brother gave him after he worked for him was not enough to meet his daily needs.
The Prosecution Counsel, Insp Sambo Maigari said Malam Abdullahi Shuaibu, the complainant reported the matter on Tuesday at the Rigasa police station.
The police added that the convict was a serial offender.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has approved the demolition of slums in Garki, Jabi and 28 other areas which have earlier been surveyed by the Federal Capital Development Authority before this administration.
According to the FCTA, the demolition will affect about 6,000 buildings which have been marked in an effort to rid the territory of shanties and illegal structures.
The FCTA said the demolition will affect 30 areas across the Federal Capital Territory.
Naija News recalls that on Monday, Wike vowed to restore the master plan of FCT, saying that all illegal structures would be demolished and that his administration was ready to end land speculations.
Wike said: “We will take back our land and give to those who want to develop, and you must sign that you must develop at so and so time.’’
However, the Director of the FCTA Department of Development Control, Muktar Galadima said a new survey will be conducted.
“We would find time to go back and conduct a new survey,” noting that the last survey carried out was in February, 2022.
Areas marked for demolition according to information which has been authenticated by the FCTA are:
1. Apo Mechanic Village
2. Byanzhin.
3. Dawaki
4. Dei Dei.
5. Durumi.
6. Dutse.
7. Garki.
8. Garki Village.
9. Gishiri.
10. Gwagwalada.
11. Idu.
12. Jabi.
13. Kado Village.
14. Karmo.
15. Karshi.
16. Karu.
17. Katampe.
18. Ketti Village.
19. Kpaduma.
20. Kabusa.
21. Kpana Village.
22. Kubwa.
23. Lokogoma.
24. Lugbe.
25. Mabushi.
26. Mpape.
27. Nyanya.
28. Piya Kasa.
29. Jikwoyi
30. Galadima
The General Overseer of Deeper Life Church, Pastor Williams Kumuyi has said that Nigerians are going to see good things though President Tinubu and members of his cabinet.
While speaking with newsmen ahead of the monthly Global Crusade of the Church scheduled for Osogbo on Thursday, August 24, Kumuyi said God has not forsaken the country and Nigerians will witness a new country through the President. He opined that the President’s new cabinet was carefully chosen and made of people with good antecedents.
“Let’s forget the past. This is a new day and I believe; we all believe that we’re going to see new things for our country through our President and through the members of the cabinet. Good things will happen.
“If you look at the new ministers one by one, you’ll see the good things they’ve done either as state governors of the past or as former ministers and I would say they have been carefully chosen. If we support and accept them and if we are not criticising their every step, we believe that God will walk through them and use them as instruments to build our nation.
“God will perform a miracle in the heart of our leaders and their hearts will be towards the people and the wisdom to lead us and do everything that will benefit us as a country, the Lord himself will do it in their hearts”
Political economist Pat Utomi has said Nigeria’s maritime industry suffers setbacks because of lack of proper regulatory frameworks to drive the sector to economic prosperity.
He said the sector has not managed to stipulate its possibilities due to leaders and politicians, who see the sector as a meal ticket.
Utomi warned that if Nigeria does not catch up with the trends, and make laws for economic competitiveness, the country would continue to lag behind comity of nations.
He spoke yesterday at a maritime roundtable workshop organised by the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML) and Utomapp Limited on the theme: “Emerging Technology and Regulations in the Global Maritime Industry of the Future and the Impacts on the Nigerian Sector.”
Rather than leaders see the industry as a cash cow, he said the industry could solve the nation’s economic challenges with its tremendous possibilities.
He said, “When you have an area that can transform your economy, you do not send boys to go and make money there, you find people who are capable of opening the place up and get them to go and transform your country. But because regulators and people, who lead, do not understand what they are doing, because there is a challenge of purpose. The maritime sector is seen as a place where they send people to go and make money. This is an industry where we can solve the problem of this economy because the possibilities are tremendous. There are so many ventures that flow out of the maritime sector.”
As the technology change continues to impact the future of the sector in Nigeria, Utomi said some of the technologies that could influence the sector, such as digital platforms for ship and cargo tracking, robotics, blockchain technology, autonomous ships and unmanned ports, as well as big data, Internet of things and Artificial Intelligence.
He said the inefficiencies in the Nigerian port system have led to low productivity, thereby, appealing to regulators and legislators to continue to build their knowledge and liaise with industry clarity of national strategy.
A former minister of interior, capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho (rtd), said technology was the way to go for Nigeria to achieve a prosperous maritime sector.
According to him, technology is vastly encroaching on the delivery of maritime services. “How ready are we? How do we understand technology and what kind of technology is it projecting into the future?”
Iheanacho, who is the managing director of Genesis Worldwide Shipping, said Nigeria needs to start understanding and defining emerging technology that would drive the maritime sector.
He said: “For a prosperous maritime sector, technology was the way to go. It is geared towards getting better output into the input made. Goods that are carried on ships are going to be cheaper, the lives of the seafarers are safer, and the environment is projected. With these, we will not want to be behind, we want to be at the forefront of defining how this goes.”
The managing director of the NLNG Shipping and Marine Services Limited (NSML), Abdulkadir Ahmed, said stakeholders have significant roles to play in ensuring that Nigeria is not left behind in the new global maritime economy.
As strategic leaders and regulators of the maritime industry, he said there is a need to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities of the tropical issues, develop clear actions and guidelines that would guide regulators and place Nigeria on the pathway to success, through a safe, reliable and globally competitive maritime industry.
He maintained that technological advancement and regulations were critical issues fully anchored on the objectives of ensuring a safe, reliable and sustainable industry.