Nation
THE STATES
Bauchi
Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State on Saturday directed medical personnel in the state to offer free treatment to victims of auto crash that occurred along Bauchi-Gombe road.
Report that Abubakar gave the directive at Bara Town, Kirfi Local Government Area of the state, when his convoy stopped at the scene of an accident.
He directed that, some of the vehicles accompanying him should be used to convey the victims from Bara to Alkaleri General Hospital for treatment.
Abubakar, who was on his way to Gombe for an official engagement, had arrived few minutes after the accident occurred, and ordered his personal physician to offer first aid treatment to the victims.
An eye witness told newsmen that the accident occurred when a vehicle conveying 14 passengers had a tyre burst and somersaulted.
Benue
A reprisal attack by suspected herdsmen on Tse Igba Uke and Aliade villages in Gwer Local Government Area of Benue State has left one person dead and many others injured, the police have confirmed.
Asp. Moses Yamu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), for the command in the state, confirmed the incident to newsmen last Thursday in Makurdi.
He said, the suspected herdsmen carried out the attack on Wednesday night, following an attack on their cattle by some youths of the village.
He also said, the corpse of the villager killed during the incident had been deposited at the Aliade General Hospital and the injured receiving treatment in the same hospital.
Yamu also told journalists that, angry youths took to the streets, on Thursday, following the reprisal attack on the village and barricaded Aliade Federal highway to protest the killing of one of their own.
Ekiti
The Ekiti State Police Command last Thursday, confirmed the killing of Mr Sunday Afolabi, an Assistant Superintendent with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Ekiti State.
Reports had it that, Afolabi was allegedly killed by yet-to-be-identified assailants along Afao Road in the evening of Wednesday.
The Public Relations Officer (PRO), of the state police command, Mr Alberto Adeyemi (SP), told newsmen in Ado-Ekiti that preliminary investigations had revealed that Afolabi was killed by suspected cultists.
He said that, his body had been deposited at the morgue of the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti.
The NSCDC spokesman, Mr Tolu Afolabi, who also confirmed the killing to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, on Thursday, said that further investigations into the incident had commenced.
FCT
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has urged troops in the North East to remain steadfast in prosecuting the counter insurgency as history would not forget them.
The army spokesman, Brig-Gen. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Sunday, that Buratai stated this during a visit to troops at Pulka and Gwoza in Borno.
Usman, said the visit was to assess troops in the ongoing “Operation Deep Push” to clear remnants of Boko Haram terrorists around Sambisa forest.
Buratai, who was represented by the Chief of Administration (Army), Maj-Gen. Idris Alkah, said that, the Nation was proud of their efforts in maintaining peace and order.
Kano
The Kano State chapter of RedCross Society on Sunday distributed relief materials worth millions of Naira to 516 Internally Displaced Persons (IPDs), in the State.
The Red Cross Chairperson in Kano, Dr. Urrata Balla, presented the materials to the IDPs at Hotoro in Tarauni and Gaida in Kumbotso Local Government Areas of the state.
Balla said, the gesture was necessary due to the condition IDPs found themselves.
Katsina
The Police Command in Katsina State says, it has arrested 22 victims of Human Trafficking in Katsina Metropolis.
The command said it has also arrested their Trafficker, Mannir Suleiman.
Superintendent of Police, Andrew Alpolsus, the Officer in charge of the Federal Anti-Robbery Squad in the state, presented the victims and the Trafficker to newsmen last Thursday in Katsina.
“The Police have arrested 12 young women of between the ages of 17 and 22 years and 10 men at a house at Kwando area of the Katsina metropolis.
Alpolsus said, the victims were on their way to Niger Republic when policemen intercepted and rescue, them.
Lagos
The president, of the Nigerian Army Officers Wives Association (NAOWA), Mrs Umma-Kalsum Buratai, on Saturday received the wife, of the Bangladeshi Chief of Army Staff (COAS) at its secretariat in Lagos.
Mrs Buratai, who received the wife of the Bangladeshi COAS, Mrs Shoma Huq, at the NAOWA Secretariat, Ikoyi, Lagos expressed appreciation for the visit.
She added that, it was a good development that would further strengthen the relationship between the two countries.
Mrs Buratai urged women to always be positive, adding that if the women get it right, the family will also get it right.
Mrs Huq commended NAOWA for their charity programmes, adding that, life was all about giving.
Ogun
The Octagon Nigeria, an NGO on Saturday, said it had given scholarship of N1 million to children of widows in Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun.
Mr Olatunji Egbewunmi, the founder of the NGO, disclosed this at the 3rd Anniversary Lecture/Award ceremony organised by the organisation in Ota, Ogun.
The lecture was entitled, “The Role of a True Leader in Economic Development”.
The Octagon Nigeria was established in 2014 with a mission to support the plight of the vulnerable segment, especially widows and their children, to become productive in the society through advocacy, economic empowerment and human rights programmes.
Egbewunmi, said that 10 children of widows benefited from the scholarship programme.
He said that the initiative was to provide qualitative but free primary and secondary education for gifted children of the poorest widows in the country.
Oyo
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Oyo state command, said it arrested 51 suspected drug traffickers and addicts from January to date.
A statement by the state command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mrs Mutiat Okuwobi, on Sunday in Ibadan, disclosed that, 1,933.28 kg of drugs were also seized during the period.
The PRO added that, the agency also got the conviction of 17 drug traffickers with jail terms ranging from six months to five years in the period under review.
She said, interventions were also given to some drug dependant persons through counselling after which they were reintegrated into the society.
The PRO said some drug users were still undergoing rehabilitation.
She said that, the command would continue to do its best to frustrate the activities of drug peddlers in the state.
Yobe
A Yobe philanthropist, Dr Muhammed Goje, last Saturday, awarded scholarship to 20 students from Gujba and Gulani Local Government Areas, to enhance education recovery in areas most affected by Boko Haram insurgency.
Muhammad, presented the awards to the beneficiaries in Damaturu.
He said, the beneficiaries were mostly orphans who lost their parents to insurgency and others from financially less privileged families.
“The beneficiaries have the required qualification for admission into tertiary institutions but lack the support to advance their studies,” he said.
He said, Gujba and Gulani Local Government Areas were the most devastated areas by insurgency that needed special approach for education recovery.
“The level of damage is so monumental for government to handle alone, individuals, groups and non-governmental organizations must give Yobe state government, a helping hand.
Zamfara
The Nigeria Police Force, is set to construct 500 housing units in Zamfara under its new Housing Scheme.
Maigari Dikko, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), in-charge of Logistics and Supply, said this last Thursday, while on a one-day working visit to the Zamfara State Police Command in Gusau.
The DIG said that, part of his visit to the state was to solicit land allocation from the state government for the police to construct the housing units.
Dikko, said that the new housing policy was initiated to end the housing problem among the rank and file, and would be on an “Owner-occupier basis”.
“It is unfair for one to have served the nation for 35 years and end up with no personal accommodation,” he said.
Rev. Fr. Godfrey Gopep, Parish Priest of St. Finbarr’s Catholic Church, Rayfield, Jos, has appealed to the Federal Government to review the retirement age for civil servants from 60 to 70 years.
Gopep made the plea in his sermon yesterday in Jos, adding that such move would address some of the challenges that retirees in the country were currently facing.
The cleric, who decried the rising spate of unemployment in the country, added that the move would also reduce incidences of falsification of age by people in order to be employed.
He added that it would also enable those who would be employed late to enjoy some good years in service before retiring.
“Because of scarcity of jobs and high rate of unemployment in the country, most people get to be employed are in their 40s.
“So, I want to call on the Federal Government to review the retirement age of civil servants from 60 to 70 years.
“If this is done, those who get employed a bit late can also have a enough time to contribute their quota to the development of the nation.
“It will also curtail the act where people have to reduce their ages just so that they can get employed and also spend some good years in service,” he said.
Gopep called on government at all levels to create job opportunities in the country and an enabling environment for private sector to thrive so as to create jobs as well.
Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, yesterday urged Nigerians to shun divisive actions such as hate speeches and fake news for the peace and unity of the country.
The governor made the call at an interdenominational church service in Jos to mark the 61st Independence of Nigeria.
He said such acts were inimical to the nation’s progress, adding: “we must come together and solve our problems because no one can build Nigeria for us.’’
He said the country’s challenges, especially insecurity, would be overcome and urged Nigerians to be grateful for the country’s progress so far in spite of the challenges.
“God has indeed been faithful to Nigeria and we must be grateful,’’ he said.
Governor Lalong said also that Nigeria was blessed with abundant human and natural resources, but required unity, tolerance, sincerity, loyalty and patriotism to maximise such resources for its development.
According to him, commitment from the leadership and followership was critical to achieve the feat.
“There is no nation which is great today that has refused to embrace diversity, tolerance, excellence, good work ethics, and a national philosophy that is based on honesty, reward for hard work and punishment for deviance,’’ he said.
He added that Nigerians were known as a highly religious people which should be demonstrated by showing love to all irrespective of ethnic, religious or political differences.
“We must stop being religious and start being godly,’’ the governor stressed.
He noted that the security challenges were setbacks Plateau’s Progress and assured the people that he was determined to put an end to them while calling for the cooperation of residents especially religious and community leaders to achieve the objective.
“I call on you to play your part in securing your immediate community and giving prompt information to security agencies to be able to act appropriately,’’ he said.
He also called on Nigerians to intensify prayers and vigilance as security agencies and government worked towards defeating perpetrators and sponsors of crises.
Governor Lalong assured Plateau people that the Oct. 9 local council polls in the state would be conducted peacefully.
In his homily, the Deputy Chaplain of Government House Chapel, Rev. Ezekiel Dewan, admonished Nigerians to shun negative narratives as there is power in the tongue.
He called for prayers for God’s intervention and mercy on Plateau and on Nigeria, as God instructs his people to not only pray for their leaders, but also for the cities they live in.
Special prayers were conducted for leaders, governments and the nation at the service.
Mrs Bianca Ojukwu said in Awka yesterday that she shunned Saturday’s flag-off of APGA governorship campaign to protest “post-mortem disrespect’’ to her deceased husband.
She laid the blame of the “post-mortem disrespect’’ to Dim Chukwuemeka Ojukwu on the doorstep of APGA’s leadership.
Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and Dr Ifeanyi Ibezim, APGA’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates, respectively, kick-started their 2021 campaign at on Saturday.
Bianca was conspicuously absent at the event unlike previous mega political activities held by APGA, a party that branded late Ojukwu as the spiritual leader of the party.
Another obvious sign which made some political observers note that there was serious crack in the party was the removal of Ojukwu’s image on the customised uniform of APGA worn by people at the event.
Some party faithful, however, wore the old uniform bearing the image of the Eze Igbo Gburugburu, Dim Ojukwu, to the event.
Bianca described as an affront, the treatments to her late husband by the present leadership of APGA.
“It is an irony that today Governor Willie Obiano has resuscitated Dim Ojukwu’s pictures for use in campaigning for the upcoming elections in Anambra.
“This is the height of opportunism and hypocrisy. Is Ojukwu not the same man Obiano once described as a dead man who was no longer relevant to the party?
“Why should I permit him to keep trampling on the legacy of my late husband who put his heart and soul into this party?
“Ojukwu should not be like a light switch to be turned on for party campaign, and turned off once the election is won,’’ she said.
The former Nigerian ambassador to Spain, expressed displeasure at the decision of APGA’s leadership to expunge her husband’s image from APGA uniform and other insignia of the party.
“It is most unfortunate that Gov. Obiano decided to remove the picture of Ojukwu and replace same with his picture just to drive home his statement that `he would no longer tie the fate and fortunes of APGA to the memory of a dead man’, obviously in reference to my husband,’’ Bianca said.
She listed other ill-treatments meted to her and the deceased husband and maintained that her presence at Saturday’s flag-off would have been an endorsement to the defrauding of scores of aspirants by the party during the party’s primary in the year 2018.
“It is unfortunate that the same APGA election managers that were responsible for the disastrous 2018 party primaries which resulted in severe damage to the party’s brand were also left to handle APGA’s campaign flag-off.
“Any political party that consistently robs its own members will not endure, APGA inclusive,’’ she noted.
She also lamented that the report of the Sen. Victor Umeh-led Peace and Reconciliation Committee that visited her in Enugu few weeks ago which pointed the way forward for APGA, had been discarded by the governor and the party leadership.
Bianca, however, indicated that she remained hopeful that in spite of APGA’s current travails that the party has a fair chance of producing the next governor of the state.
She described the party as presently constituted as a field of ‘sorrow’ for so many walking wounded…from aggrieved aspirants, party members at the grassroots, as well as party stakeholders.
Reacting to Bianca’s charges, Mr C-Don Adinuba, Director Media, Soludo Governorship Campaign Organisation, said that the omission of Ojukwu’s image on APGA uniform was not a ploy to insult late Ojukwu and his family.
“It was a mistake by the person who handled the recent uniform the party printed,’’ he said.
Adinuba who is also Anambra Commissioner for Information said he was confident that Bianca had nothing against Prof. Soludo as APGA’s candidate.
“I am sure that in the next couple of days Bianca will join the campaign tour of Prof. Soludo,’’ he said.
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