It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the community on Monday night, shooting sporadically and sending residents scampering for safety.
A traditional ruler in Wereng community under Riyam Local Government Area of Plateau State, Chungyang Mwadkon, has been killed by gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen.
Five other people were also killed while three others sustained injuries during the attack.
It was gathered that the gunmen invaded the community on Monday night, shooting sporadically and sending residents scampering for safety.
Wereng had been under siege for over 10 years and more than 30 people have been killed in the process.
Nobody has been arrested and prosecuted despite repeated assurances from security personnel.
President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has approved automatic employment for students of education upon graduation.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu made the disclosure on Monday, to mark the World Teacher’s Day Celebration in Abuja.
Adamu said that Buhari has also approved the extension of teacher’s retirement age to 65 and teaching service years from 35 to 40.
The president also approved free tuition fee and automatic admission to the biological children of teachers. While also approving a special salary scale for teachers in the country.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday, approved the release of N10 billion for the conduct of a national census. The funds would be handed over to the National Population Commission (NPC) for the undertaking the Enumeration Area Demarcation (EAD) exercise in phases in the remaining 546 Local Government Areas of the country ahead, of the conduct of a census.
Buhari also approved an additional N4.5 billion to be included in the 2021 Budget for completion of the exercise as part of the preparations for the next census.
The governor of Oyo State, Engr Seyi Makinde took to his social media accounts earlier today to celebrate teacher’s day. Engr Seyi Makinde who was celebrated by teachers and other state workers during the celebration of his first year in office, is known to have set some standards in the educational system of Oyo State.
Prompt payment of workers salaries and pension , cancellation of school fees , provision of textbooks, renovation and construction of classroom blocks amongst others proves how much enthusiasm Engr Seyi Makinde has for education.
He made a statement through his social media account;
This #WorldTeachersDay2020 , we reaffirm our commitment to our dear teachers in Oyo state to keep improving the learning and teaching environment. We appreciate you for all you do for our children. Happy #WorldTeachersDay!
Former Governor of Lagos State and National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, has debunked the report that he is quietly opening a presidential campaign office in Abuja.
Tinubu in his reaction noted that he is focused on helping President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver on his mandates.
Recall that a news platform had claimed that the APC National Leader secretly opened a campaign office.
However, Tinubu, who spoke through his Media Aide, Tunde Rahman, called on his supporters to work with Buhari.
He further stated that followers of Tinubu want him to run for Presidency.
“His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has not even declared his intention to contest the 2023 presidential election let alone opening a campaign office. He has repeatedly said 2023 is still some years away and that he is at present focused on helping President Buhari to deliver on his mandate as he is doing and coast home to victory.”
“That is his position. You know also that many of his friends, associates and supporters who feel he is eminently qualified for the presidency and has done excellently well to advance our democracy and want to see him contest for the top job are doing everything on their own to see this happen.”
“I don’t know the office you are talking about, but it may just be one of those things these people are doing to get Asiwaju Tinubu to do as they wish. And I think they have a right to advance the course they believe in. Asiwaju’s appeal, however, is they allow the present government to concentrate on the good job it is doing and allow the matter of 2023 to take care of itself in the fullness of time,”
I have never been on a train in Nigeria and I hope to board one someday. However, when I heard a story narrated to me by an “ex corper” , I began to have a rethink. I hope the present administration finds a lasting solution to the obvious dangers in this mode of transportation system.
It actually ought to be the best mode of transportation with comfort, less traffic , itch free movement and a kind of mind blowing experience. I like trains but this story is the complete opposite of what I dream for in Nigeria. The story starting from the next paragraph reflects the experience of an “ex corper” during his service year in the northern part of Nigeria as narrated by him.
This time around , I was alone on the train without a friend. I boarded the train and got on the first class coach . It was a perfect time to get on the train as it wasn’t a festive period. The train was not overloaded and nobody was on top of the train as I experienced few months ago. As soon as the train began to move, I noticed it wasn’t in a good condition because of the unusual sound and slow movement. Most passengers did not give these signs any attention because they believed there were engineers and technicians on-board as well.
It was around 12 a.m. when the train needed to be refilled with fuel and have maintenance check done before proceeding on the journey. Then exactly 2.30 a.m., I decided to get a drink from the bar. Upon returning to my seat, I overheard some of the engineers discussing how they intend to manage getting the train to the next terminus.
The driver however began to make the train move fast because of the delay we encountered earlier while taking off. Unfortunately, some of the coaches loaded with goods got disengaged immediately the driver applied the break, there was a momentum ( collision) , when the detached coaches began to hit other coaches. As a result of this, the train stopped moving . A lot of us sustained injury as many were asleep at that time, they began to nurse their injuries.
There were a number of casualties , although not many and thankfully, no fatal injury was sustained. We were in the middle of an unknown place for several hours , the engineers and technicians began to proffer solutions to the problem, trying their possible best to ensure the train moved again. At about 5 a.m. in the morning, they agreed on a plan to solve the problem and decided to leave behind some coaches containing goods.
Fortunately, the train was ignited and it responded. We got on-board again to continue our journey. As we kept moving , the day got brighter and the sun began to rise. I couldn’t help but think that if anything happened again, at least we would be able to see our surroundings clearly in case of any danger. Of course the train wasn’t still in a good condition, it was still moving at a slow pace.
We eventually got to a sandy area where sand had covered part of the railway track. At that point, the train couldn’t move anymore. We had no choice as many of us got down the train , while we split up. Some of us started clearing the track while others pushed the train in order to move past that point, as the engine was weak. Fortunately, the train responded again and we moved ahead till we reached our final destination!
“After that terrifying experience, I stopped boarding trains. I realised that the risk I tried to avoid while travelling by road was even more alarming on rails.”
According to the presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari will not “succumb to threats and undue pressure” , being mounted by advocates of restructuring the country.
The Presidency, in a statement, criticised “the recurring threats to the corporate existence of the country with factions giving specific timelines for the President to to do one thing or another or else, in their language, “the nation will break up.”
The statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, added:
“This is to warn that such unpatriotic outbursts are both unhelpful and unwarranted as this government will not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time when the nation’s full attention is needed to deal with the security challenges facing it at a time of the COVID-19 health crisis.”
“This administration will not take any decision against the interests of 200 million Nigerians, who are the President’s first responsibility under the constitution, out of fear or threats especially in this hour of health crisis.”
He further stated that;
“The President as an elected leader under this constitution will continue to work with patriotic Nigerians, through and in line with the Parliamentary processes to finding solutions to structural and other impediments to the growth and wellbeing of the nation and its people.”
In another statement, the Presidency said those condemning the organised Labour for reasoning with the government by suspending a planned nationwide strike last week are enemies of the country.
The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), after rounds of negotiations with the federal government, suspended the industrial action slated to commence on September 28.
The decision was criticised by varying groups, with some suggesting that the decision was a betrayal.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, noted that the attack on the Labour unions was borne out of pain for “traducers of the Administration”, having failed to achieve an alleged plan to use the strike to score political and electoral gains.
The statement said:
“Since Organized Labour toed the path of sense and sensibility last week, seeing reason with the imperatives of fuel price adjustment, and opening a further window of dialogue on the service based electricity tariff, some groups of Nigerians have been dolorous, disgruntled, and disconsolate.
“They had apparently perfected plans to use the strike by the labour unions as smokescreen to unleash anarchy on the land, fomenting mayhem and civil disobedience. But the plan blew up in their faces, and they have been in severe pains since then. They have launched series of tirades against Organized Labour.”
“For some interest groups, their intention was to use the umbrella of the strike to further their whimsical and pie-in-the-sky dream of a revolution in the country. It went bust in their faces.”
“For some others, Bitter-Enders, who have remained entrenched in pre-2015 and 2019 elections mode, it was opportunity to avenge the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, which they believe largely devalued the government of the day, and led to its eventual ouster in 2015.”
“The strike that was to have come up last week, they wanted to use as opportunity for a pound of flesh, which they calculated would weaken the government so much, and influence the 2023 elections.”
“For them, it was all about hanker for power, its trappings and appurtenances. Nothing about love of country. They have since then been calling Organized Labour all sorts of names, claiming they deceived Nigerians.”
“The times in which we live-with severe security, economic and social challenges-call for all hands to be on deck, and goodwill and support for government, as it strives to put the nation on an even keel. We commend Organized Labour for putting the country first.”
“Those sponsoring and encouraging discord and anarchy, either for selfish ends, or as revenge for perceived injuries, are enemies of the country. Nigerians are urged to beware of them, as the Muhammadu Buhari government is only interested in engendering better quality of life for the citizenry. Nothing more.”
Pastor Enoch Adeboye,the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), prayed that all terrorists and their sponsors will not see 2021 yesterday.
Adeboye also assured Nigerians that the Almighty God will arise against those pretending to be the country’s friends while planning to enslave the nation.
In his prayer, he said:
“Where they say there is no way, God will arise and make a way for Nigeria and everyone. Any form of stagnation in Nigeria will come to an end and every terrorist and their sponsors will not see the New Year in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”
Claiming that God has given the country victory over the Coronavirus pandemic, Adeboye admonished everyone to always praise God at all times.
He made a statement;
“We thank God for the victory over Coronavirus and we pray that the victory will be total and permanent.”
He said further;
“We also pray that God will help us to be united and let our tomorrow be alright.”
The RCCG General Overseer, who took his reading from the book of Psalms 68: 1 to 4, also said;
“God will fight for us, arise and make a way where there is no way.”
Ondo State government has directed workers to resume back to duty as from Monday, 5th of October, 2020.
Those given the directive to resume back to work , are from grade level 1 to 12, who had been working remotely for over five months due to the Coronavirus outbreak.
Head of Service in the state, Oludare Aragbaye, gave the directive for the resumption of the workers in a memo on Sunday in Akure, the state capital. He said;
“It can be recalled that efforts by the state government at combating COVID-19 yielded encouraging results to the effect that the curve of the virus has been flattened to a very large extent in the state”.
“It is in view of this that Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu directed all public servants on grade level 01-12 and other workers who have hitherto worked from home to resume work on Monday, 5th October 2020”.
“Therefore, all workers are hereby enjoined to rededicate and commit themselves to effective and efficient service delivery to reciprocate government’s good gesture.”
The Minister of Youth and Sports Development in Nigeria, Mr Sunday Dare said that ; the federal government will review the operations of the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS).
In a statement issued on Saturday by his Media Aide, John Joshua-Akanji, the minister said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had been monitoring reports of the attacks of young Nigerians by SARS.
The minister further stated that the government will investigate the reports of harassment by SARS officers and will bring any officer culpable to justice. He assured the young Nigerians that his ministry would continue to protect their rights.
The statement ;
“The ministry of youth and sports is worried about the menace, increasing harassments and attacks by SARS, especially targeted at youths and other innocent members of the public, and brought it to the attention of the relevant security agencies in Abuja”.
The minister of youth and sports development, who has also been monitoring the reports of alleged SARS harassment and attacks, has called for immediate investigations that will unravel the truth.
The ministry wishes to assure that this government, through relevant security agencies, will step into the matter to protect our youth and the fundament human rights of every Nigerian.”
Why should we run away from our history? It means that that ugly past is still haunting us in a way. In any case, we cannot be saying that the presidency or Biafra is anybody’s to give. It is our collective patrimony. It is not a matter of “take this or that”. Must we continue to dissipate energy in the sing song of the woes of yesterday?Not at all.
“The people we lead expect to draw inspiration from us , not lamentations of marginalisation.”
The tactics of red eyes only leads us to producing more war lords, not champions of democracy. Although it worked for the Yoruba, the North and Niger Delta, I do not believe it will work for Ndigbo. As is said earlier, where is that leading us?
No matter where the president is going to come from, what we should concern ourselves with is who will do this dirty job of rehabilitating our collapsed building. Nigeria, as far as I am concerned is a collapsed building with so many people, mostly youths, trapped underneath. The next president must be one who has the capacity to ensure that the people trapped underneath are rescued alive. For that to happen, it means that all hands must be on deck. For all hands to be on deck, Nigeria must be reformatted and every nationality re-motivated.
To employ the metaphor of a collapsed building still, all the professionals, architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, technicians and what have you, must be involved. In short, the next president of Nigeria is going to be the most tasked in the history of Nigeria. I have seen some people moving up and down and I just laugh. The presidency of Nigeria this time around will not be for sale or by threat or bullet.
A lot of people still talk about the fact that the roads built during your tenure are still intact, with little or no portholes even though it is over twelve years since they were constructed. What was the magic?
There was no magic. It was just that all our road projects were properly designed by qualified consulting engineers and bills of quantities produced by professionals, including environmental impact assessment reports. The projects were properly advertised, tendered and awarded to well-known engineering firms and supervised by the engineers of the state’s ministry of works. In short, what you are referring to is the due process strategy we adopted which Imo people are still benefiting from.
Some of our leaders have a habit of passing the buck to the youths. The other time, the President at a forum abroad said Nigerian youths are lazy…
The president might have been misquoted, I can assure you. However, we would be doing the wrong thing by blaming the youths for a situation that is no fault of theirs. Is it really their fault that the standard of education has fallen? Is it the fault of Nigerian youths that the only prospect facing them after graduation is unemployment? Who do we blame? There is enough blame to go round. But the blame game cannot solve the challenges we face today. The next president of Nigeria must endeavour to return the political class to the critical business of nurturing opportunities for the youths.
You are of the opinion that it is not necessarily the dearth of good leaders that is responsible for the situation in the country, where do we put the blame squarely on?
Let me put it this way, by re-iterating the views expressed by some notable world leaders that what Africa needs are strong institutions not strong leaders and I think that our country, Nigeria, fits into this template very well. Our problem is largely institutional; what you might also describe as systemic. This is why I remain a strong advocate of a political restructuring of the country.
All the problems confronting us as a nation today are nothing but symptoms of the present flawed structure that has failed every test in the last 60 years. Because of that systemic flaw, we have been unable to develop strong institutions. We must re-examine the structure which concentrates power and responsibility at the centre. What we have is not the political structure our founding fathers negotiated at independence.
But we have been on this for some years now. About five years ago restructuring was the only talk in town but suddenly nobody talks about it again…
And to our detriment; but I don’t think Nigerians have given up on that. As far as I am concerned, any other thing outside restructuring would remain a mere palliative. Everybody is talking about presidency, but a country gets the type of president it deserves.
“Unless we restructure, the country will remain standstill and even retrogress. Unfortunately, some of our brothers up north are not comfortable with the idea of restructuring and seem determined to ensure that we remain with the current arrangement that is not working”.
But what would you attribute such an attitude to? Many Nigerians support restructuring. Even in the North, some of the most ardent advocates of restructuring are from there, a leader like former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar for example. What do we do to convince the few but powerful elements who are anti-restructuring?
The reason rests on fear of the unknown and the comfort zone syndrome. Some of the elements in the North fear that restructuring will tamper with their comfort, just like the man with a blanket under winter trying to cover himself alone with the entire blanket. They are comfortable the way things are now. It is our duty to convince them that they will be even more comfortable with restructuring or we may be compelled to look for our own blanket. Perhaps that is what those agitating for Biafra are doing unconsciously. Looking for their own blanket.
When you talk about imbalance, is the Southeast not getting attention already? The Second Niger Bridge is right now under construction.
The Second Niger Bridge matter is an over flogged issue. It is being built under a Public-Private sector arrangement that will involve tolling in order to recover the cost of building it.
I don’t think many of us understand the politics of this Second Niger Bridge. You may recall that when the administration of President Obasanjo came up with the idea of a national intervention programme to promote peace and restore a sense of belonging in the country, the Southeast was initially left out. But the Federal Government, under that programme, embarked on the construction of the East-West road at a cost of N400 billion; the Kano-Maiduguri road at a cost of N600 billion; the Lokoja-Abaji-Abuja road at a cost of N200 billion and the Ibadan-Ogbomosho-Osogbo road at a cost of N150 billion.
There was nothing for the Southeast and when we asked questions, we were promised the Second Niger Bridge. You will recall the several back and forth around it and even when it started, see the condition. Our share of that national intervention programme is still outstanding till date. None of the other intervention road projects have a tolling arrangement, meaning that the people of the Southeast will be indirectly paying for the bridge since more than 80 percent of the road users that will cross the bridge will be indigenous of the Southeast or at least those resident there. Where is the fairness in that? There is also this road, the Otuocha-Nmiata-Kogi road of less than 150 kilometres that was awarded by the Yar’Adua regime to a company called Niger Cat in 2009. That road is still abandoned by the federal government till date. If completed, it will shorten a journey from any part of the Southeast to Abuja by more than three hours. Why is that road still abandoned?
That reminds me of your lecture at the first Achebe International Conference at the University of Nigeria in 2017, where you tried to debunk the notion that the Southeast is land locked. Did that make any impact?
Well, I don’t know what you mean by impact but the truth remains that, contrary to that impression, the Southeast has one of the potentially deepest seaports in the country at Osemoto-Oseokwa axis between Imo and Anambra states, offering a potential for a natural Greenfield deep sea port. Besides, it lies only 18 nautical miles to the Atlantic Ocean and will be a strategic hub for the oil industry and inland dry-docks to promote trade. It has the capacity of handling over 35 percent of marine business in Nigeria. A sea port was designated there in 1959 but the project was abandoned for political reasons. I can tell you that it was the attraction to its potentials that made my administration to site the Oguta Wonder Lake And Resort Centre in the area to encourage both the federal government and foreign investors. The Yar’Adua administration also cited a Naval base and a Marine Police in the area but these projects were subsequently abandoned till date.
Let’s come home to Imo State. Over eight months ago, something quite dramatic took place in your state, Imo. The Supreme Court sacked the administration of Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, in favour of the current governor, Senator Hope Uzodinma. You were a strong supporter of the Ihedioha administration and it is a well-known fact that you were at the background guiding the governor with your experience. But up till now, you have not made any comment on that development as the people would expect you to. Why did you decide to keep mute?
I don’t understand why I needed to say anything. It was a straightforward matter. The highest court in the land had ruled on it and I had no option but to join other law abiding citizens to respect the judgment.
US president, Donald Trump, was rushed to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday night to be treated for Covid-19 after announcing on his social media handles that he had contracted the deadly disease.
The hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, is the United States’ biggest military medical center that cares for the wounded, ill and injured from global conflicts. It has close to 7,000 staff workers taking care of those who are hospitalized.
The hospital is located nine miles from the White House in Washington, DC and has 244 beds and 50 intensive care unit beds.
White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Friday ;
“Trump would be spending a “few days” in the hospital’s presidential suite”.
The suite, known as Ward 71, is equipped to allow the president of the United States to keep up with his official duties even while in the hospital.
The suite which is around 3,000 square feet includes bedroom-type areas, living rooms with couches, a doctor’s office, conference room, office space and a dining room.
According to USA Today, the presidential suite is one of six special patient rooms reserved for high-ranking military officers and members of the White House cabinet.
The White House controls the entire presidential suite unlike other parts of the hospital controlled by Walter Reed administrators and the Defense Department.
If the White House doctor can’t treat something specifically, the medical center has prescreened specialists whose background checks are already available to the president.
Trump’s chief of staff has his own office space in the suite. The White House doctor has sleeping quarters there, so they could be constantly there while Trump is constantly being treated 24/7.
If Trump’s condition worsens, he will have to transfer power to Vice President Mike Pence using the 25th amendment .
With just 5 weeks to the election, such a scenario will dramatically upset the US presidential election.
The Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu(SAN), is set to make Ore, a commercial town in Odigbo Local Government Area of the State , to an industrial town before 2024.
He made this statement on Friday , when he visited Odigbo local government area , Akeredolu said,
“my second term shall be a blessing to the younger generation”.
“By the grace of God, we have just started. We started with the Ore redemption bridge because we needed to ensure safety before hitting the ground fully”. “I am a believer in God. I am saying again, that by the grace of God, Ore will be turned to a new Nnewi before February 2024. Presently, we have seven companies here, including a cassava to ethanol factory. Because of that, cassava is now like gold in Ondo. The cassava available in Ondo State is not even enough for the factory, the company go as far as Taraba State to get Cassava”.
He further stated;
“I want to congratulate all cassava farmers in Ondo on this feat. We have produced a market for you to sell your cassava. Ore and the entire Southern Senatorial District are where we want to use to run our industrialisation policy”.
“The factories will be at the Ore Industrial Parks, the Bitumen Exploration shall be operating in Ikale while the Sea Port will be in Ilaje”.
“I, therefore, congratulate the younger people of our state on what is ahead of them. My second term shall be a blessing to the young people because our future bleaks if we fail to develop the younger generation”.
“So, we need your vote to return to office. Without continuity and consistency in governance, we are going nowhere.”
Senator Ali Ndume, the lawmaker representing Borno South senatorial district, on Friday, told a Federal High Court in Abuja, that he is not aware of the location of the former chairman of Pension Reform Task Team, Abdulrasheed Maina.
The All Progressives Congress chieftain is standing as bail for Abdulrasheed Maina, who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on 12 counts of money laundering involving about N2billion. Information obtained revealed that Maina has been absent from court three times consecutively within a week.
In line with terms and conditions of the bail which the judge Justice Okon Abang gave in January 2020, Ndume gave legal commitment to accompany the defendant to court every trial date and provided the court with the title documents of his property worth N500m in a choice area of Abuja as a guarantee.
They were both absent at the September 29 proceedings, but Ndume, on September 30 was at the court without Maina.
The senator told the judge that he was not present for the September 29 proceedings due to Boko Haram’s attack on the convoy of the Governor of Borno State. Asked by the judge if he knew the defendant’s whereabouts, Ndume said,
“My lord, I must confess, I do not know.”
The lawmaker, who recalled that he agreed to serve as Maina’s surety following pleas by the defendant’s wife and uncle, also said,
“I did not foresee these circumstances, my lord.”
He said he did not know Maina’s residence in Abuja, but he knew the one in Kaduna.
The senator pleaded for more time to enable him to find the defendant.
The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), on Friday, asked its members to commence a 14-day warning strike. The directive was given by the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of the two unions in a statement.
The statement was jointly signed by Prince Peters Adeyemi for NASU and Comrade Samson Ugwoke for SSANU. According to the unions, the strike had become necessary due to the inconsistencies of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) in the payment of salaries of members of the two unions.
The statement read,
“Following the recent directives from the National Universities Commission to Vice-Chancellors for immediate resumption/safe reopening of universities you are hereby directed to commence a 14-day warning strike effective from 5th to 19th, October 2020.”
Among the demands of the unions are ‘Non-payment of Arrears of Earned Allowance being owed NASU and SSANU members despite various Memoranda of Understanding; non-payment of arrears of national minimum wage to members, non-payment of retirement benefits to outgone members and lack of seriousness by government in the renegotiation of 2009 FGN/NASU and SSANU agreements.
Others include usurpation of the headship of non-teaching units by academic staff in violation of conditions of service and establishments, neglect and poor funding of state universities, corruption in the university system and none constitution of Visitation Panel for the universities in line with the laws.
NASU and SSANU said the 14-day warning strike is a prelude to a full-blown, total and indefinite industrial action if the demands of the unions are not properly addressed.
Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, presented 54 Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV) to local government chairmen and their deputies. The vehicles were given to 18 local government councils in the state.
The 54 Sport Utility Vehicles comprises of : 18 Ford Edge to the Local Government Chairmen, 18 Ford Escape to the Vice Chairmen and 18 Ford Ecosport to the leaders of Council.
The deputy governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ivara Esu who represented the governor, charged the officials to make effective use of the vehicles. He said this during the presentation ceremony held at the Governor’s office in Diamond Hill, Calabar.
“It is not about giving cars; what is happening is important at the time we are now . With zero allocation, COVID – 19 and the economic crisis , if we were to rely on federal allocation, even salaries will not be paid. The governor is prudent in managing our resources. If this was not the case , the cars will not be provided. ”
The deputy governor further stated that;
“The cars are not free gifts , they were purchased through the JAAC Accounts and going by the NFIU regulations , they were procured by the chairmen themselves and the funds came through their individual local government accounts. The governor kept funds for them even before they came in and that is why we have been able to purchase the cars. It is their entitlement because it has always been a practice that the chairmen of council , considering the exigencies of their office, deserve mobility.”
Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, the Chairman of Akpabuyo council, Emmanuel Offiong Bassey, commended the state government for meeting the mobility needs of council chairmen. He pledge that the vehicles would be used for the purposes for which they were bought.
Scores of people under the aegis of #RevolutionNow movement yesterday morning stormed the major streets of Osogbo, Osun State to protest alleged harsh policies of the President Muhammadu Buhari- led administration.
The protesters, who gathered at the Old Garage about 8.30am, were chanting antigovernment songs to condemn the hardship faced by Nigerians. New Telegraph saw officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) at the Old Garage trying to disperse the demonstrators from proceeding with the protest but to no avail. The protesters, including members of the Coalition of Revolution (CORE) movement, decried the brutality they suffered in the hands of operatives of the DSS in Osun State. The DSS operatives were accused of beating and arresting 11 members of the group during the protest.
The arrested members were later released at the entrance of the DSS office. One of the protesters, who is a member of “Take it Back Movement,” Olaoluwa Owoeye, said the regime of President Buhari should resign with immediate effect.
He said: “We are calling for immediate resignation because we cannot continue with this act of indiscipline; we cannot continue with this act of corruption; we cannot continue with this act of fuel hike; we cannot continue with this act of electricity tariff hike. “We are calling for the immediate and unconditional release of the materials that have been taken such as our phones, money. We are also calling for the probe of the battery regime, the DSS head, we are saying he should withdraw his neck from this unruly act that they perpetrate against Nigerians.
“They should do that within 24 hours or else, they are going to see us on the streets again.” Also, Temitope Fagunwa Maberu said Nigeria was the poverty capital of the world. He said: “We have the poorest people living in the whole world domicile in Nigeria, and yet the Nigerian state has the audacity to tell us that we are celebrating independence.
“We are saying that this independence is nothing to write home about; it is nothing to celebrate because the entirety of what we are told as citizens should celebrate in the 21st century, we are not entitled to it. “We are also sending a message that the Nigerian state under its current liberal practice, capitalist practice cannot guarantee us the normal dividends that all citizens should enjoy.
“We are saying that only a socialist government can transform the entirety of whatever we want to demand as citizens of this country. And we are saying that the insecurity in the North is also tied to the failure of the Nigerian government. Any government that cannot guarantee protection and safety as a citizen, that government has failed. “We are saying this because in 1960 when they told us that we gained independence, many of our people did not understand that the kind of independence they gave us was flag independence. “Many people did not understand that the kind of independence they gave us was nothing but political independence.
But we have refused to gain the right independence, which is economic independence. That is why we are here today. That is what has brought us this mess; the mess of failure. The mess of maladministration, and no matter how much you talk about it, Nigeria is a failed country.
“There is no need for us to negotiate this. There is no need for us to discuss this. The government has failed to protect the lives of her citizens, and that government had no reason to stay in power, which is the point about the Buhari government. “The Buhari government should be ashamed of itself, and those that are supporting the Buhari government should be ashamed of themselves because this government has failed both inside and outside.”
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the coronavirus, the president tweeted.
“Tonight, (at)FLOTUS and I tested positive for COVID-19. We will begin our quarantine and recovery process immediately. We will get through this TOGETHER!”
Trump announced late Thursday that he and first lady Melania Trump were beginning a “quarantine process” after Hicks came down with the virus, though it wasn’t clear what that entailed. It can take days for an infection to be detectable by a test. This marks a major blow for a president who has been trying desperately to convince the American public that the worst of the pandemic is behind them even as cases continue to rise with less than four months before Election Day. However, it stands as the most serious known public health scare encountered by any sitting American president in recent history.
Hicks traveled with the president multiple times this week, including aboard Marine One, the presidential helicopter, and on Air Force One to a rally in Minnesota Wednesday, and aboard Air Force One to Tuesday night’s first presidential debate in Cleveland.Trump had consistently played down concerns about being personally vulnerable to contracting COVID-19, even after White House staff and allies were exposed and sickened.
Trump, the vice president and other senior staff have been tested for COVID-19 daily since two people who work at the White House complex tested positive in early May, prompting the White House to step up precautions. Everyone who comes into contact with the president also receives a quick-result test.
The news was sure to rattle an already shaken nation still grappling with how to safely reopen while avoiding further spikes. The White House has access to near-unlimited resources, including a constant supply of quick-result tests, and still failed to keep the president safe, raising questions about how the rest of the country will be able to protect its workers, students and the public as businesses and schools reopen.Yet since the early days of the pandemic, experts have questioned the health and safety protocols at the White House and asked why more wasn’t being done to protect the commander in chief. Trump continued to shake hands with visitors long after public health officials were warning against it and he initially resisted being tested. He has been reluctant to practice his own administration’s social distancing guidelines for fear of looking weak, including refusing under almost all circumstances to wear a mask in public.
Trump is not the only major world leader known to have contracted the virus. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson spent a week in the hospital, including three nights in intensive care, where he was given oxygen and watched around the clock by medical workers. German Chancellor Angela Merkel self-isolated after a doctor who gave her a vaccination tested positive for the virus, and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau worked from home after his wife fell ill.
The White House got its first COVID-19 scare in early March when at least three people who later tested positive came in close proximity to the president at his private Florida club. That included members of the Brazilian president’s delegation, including the Brazilian charge d’affaires, who sat at Trump’s dinner table.In mid-March, as the virus continued to spread across the country, the White House began taking the temperature of everyone entering the White House complex, and in April, it began administering rapid COVID-19 tests to all those in close proximity to the president, with staffers being tested about once a week.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Thursday, described President Muhammadu Buhari’s independence anniversary speech as a slap on the sensibilities of Nigerians, particularly his justification of his administration’s increment of the pump price of the Premium Motor Spirit, also known as fuel.
President Buhari had in his broadcast pointed out a number of oil producing countries including Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Egypt and Niger Republic where the price of fuel is higher than in Nigeria, and concluded by saying that “sustaining the level of petroleum prices is no longer possible.”
In its reaction, the PDP, in a statement signed by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan called on President Buhari to “wake up to reality and take demonstrable urgent steps that will address the divisive tendencies and poor economic policies of his administration, which are fast decimating our dear nation under his watch.”
According to the party, “President Buhari’s attempt to justify the increase of fuel price in Nigeria by comparing it to the N168 per litre cost in Saudi Arabia is a morbid joke,” adding that “the minimum wage in Saudi Arabia is N305,113 (3000 Saudi Riyals), ten times higher than our paltry N30,000 which is largely unimplemented in Nigeria.”
The statement further read: “Is Mr. President not aware that, on the average, a person working in Saudi Arabia earns around 4,230SAR (N430, 267) to 16,700 SAR (N1, 698,693) per month?
“Our party charges Mr. President to always check his books before making such offensive comparisons including the price in Egypt where monthly average earning is around N222, 841 (9,200 EGP) against our N30,000.
The major opposition party in the country also flayed the togetherness theme of the President’s speech, describing the allusion as a mere rhetoric.
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