News
Again, Bandits Kill 27 In Katsina
No fewer than 11 persons were, late Wednesday, killed in Kankara and Danmusa Local Government Areas of Katsina State as bandits struck in various communities in the councils.
Sources said the bandits had earlier in the day, attacked Maidabino in Danmusa Local Government Area where they reportedly killed 16 people.
Two people said to have been injured in the attack were taken to the General Hospital, Dutsin-ma for treatment.
It was learnt that the bandits struck at Maidabino’s local market.
One of the sources said, “The bandits suddenly arrived while trading was going on at Maidabino market and started shooting anyhow.
“People had to scamper for safety. Sixteen people were killed in the process. We initially recovered 10 bodies while we recovered an additional six bodies this morning (Thursday). We have taken the two people who sustained gunshots injuries to the General hospital, Dutsinma for treatment.”
The bandits reportedly struck again, last Wednesday night at various communities in Kankara Local Government Area, where they reportedly killed four people at Unuwar Nagwande; nine at Unguwar Rabo and two at Gidan Daji.
The spokesman for the Katsina State Police Command, SP Gambo Isah said 11 people were killed in Kankara LG, adding that two were shot at Maidabino.
Meanwhile, two people have been confirmed dead and over 30 vehicles burnt following the early morning fire that engulfed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) pipeline at Ijegun, a Lagos suburb.
Suspected pipeline vandals were said to have ignited the fire at about 5am, yesterday, at Fire Junction, Ijegun, in a bid to prevent security operatives from pursuing them.
According to the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), the vandals had siphoned Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) into a 33,000 litre capacity tanker and were loading a second one when security operatives intercepted them.
The Chief Executive Officer of LASEMA, Femi Oke-Osanyetolu, said the vandals spilled some of the PMS which entered drainages while fleeing and allegedly lit a fire that followed the spilled content backward.
He said: “While trying to escape from the security agencies, some of the siphoned fuel spilled into the drainage and the vandals were alleged to have set the spilled fuel on fire in a bid to deter the security agencies from apprehending them.
“The fire then spread back to the pipeline, the point where the vandals had siphoned the fuel and exploded with escalating fire which led to two fatalities and over 30 vehicles burnt.
“The actual loss will be determined upon conducting post disaster enumeration after the fire has been put out. Responders at the scene include Lagos State Fire Service, Police and Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).”
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army, yesterday, said its troops have successfully repelled fresh attack coordinated by Boko Haram insurgents on the 212 Tank Battalion at Gajigana, Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno State.
The development came barely two days after the troops repelled a similar attack by the insurgents on troops’ location at Goniri in Yobe State.
The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander Sector 1, Operation Lafiya Dole, Brig-Gen Bulama Biu, made the disclosure while addressing newsmen at the scene of the attack.
Biu disclosed that the insurgents on gun trucks attempted to infiltrate the troops’ location on Wednesday night, adding that they met stiff resistance by the troops.
He explained that the troops with the support of the Nigeria Air Force engaged the insurgents in a fierce battle and repelled the attack.
Biu revealed that the troops killed a number of the insurgents, recovered two gun trucks and high caliber ammunition from the attack.
The commander added that the army had initiated a new operation, codenamed ‘Halaka Dodo’, to root out remnants of the insurgents hibernating at Gwoza-Mandara Mountains, Lake Chad basin and the northern part of the state.
Biu warned people in the region against collaborating and supplying logistics to the insurgents, noting that the action was undermining the nation and the efforts of the military to end insurgency and restore peace to the northeast.
He also called on the insurgents still in the bush to surrender, stressing that the army was ready to flush them out of their enclaves.
The commander conveyed the commendation of the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen Tukur Buratai, to the troops over their gallantry and professionalism in defeating the insurgents and discharging their constitutional mandate.
Biu reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to the provision of equipment and improvement of troops’ welfare to ensure successful implementation of the counterinsurgency operation.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.