News
Boko Haram Kills Three Soldiers, Injures Eight
The Nigerian Army, yesterday, said three soldiers died while eight others sustained injuries during a fierce encounter between troops of Sector 3 of Operation Lafiya Dole attached to Super Camp Munguno and Boko Haram terrorists on Saturday.
The troops were said to have encountered the terrorists while on patrol along Monguno-Mairari-Gajiram axis of the North-East region.
But the Army said the troops dealt a ‘devastating blow’ on the terrorists by killing “countless number while a few escaped with gunshot wounds going by blood trails in the general area.”
The acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, in a statement, said, “the patrol team came in contact with the terrorists and engaged them with heavy volume of fire that neutralized countless number while a few escaped with gunshot wounds going by blood trails in the general area.”
The statement read in full: “Troops of Sector 3, Operation Lafiya Dole attached to Super Camp Monguno on Friday, 30th August, 2019 while on patrol dealt a devastating blow on Boko Haram terrorists along Monguno-Mairari-Gajiram axis.
“The patrol team came in contact with the terrorists and engaged them with heavy volume of fire that neutralized countless number while a few escaped with gunshot wounds going by blood trails in the general area.
“The gallant troops also recovered some weapons and equipment from the terrorists.
“Sadly, during the encounter three of our gallant soldiers paid the supreme price while eight other soldiers sustained injuries.
“The bodies of the fallen heroes and those that sustained injuries have since been evacuated.
“The wounded are being treated and are in stable condition.
“The highly motivated troops have continued combing the general area with a view to clear remnants of hiding terrorists.
“The Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, along with some Principal Staff Officers from the Army Headquarters, Theatre Commander Operation Lafiya Dole and other commanders, have visited the troops and those wounded in action.”
Also, suspected members of Boko Haram sect, yesterday, invaded Yimirmugza near Kautikari community of Chibok Local Government Area of Borno State, sacked community members, destroyed and set houses on fire.
They equally looted some foodstuffs.
The insurgents stormed the community at the time most panicking residents have fled into the bush for safety.
According to an elder statesman from Chibok, Mallam Abga Pogu said, “Reports coming from Yimirmugza, Kautikari in Chibok LGA indicates that houses were burnt, stores broken provisions looted, cars burnt and people injured”.
At the time of going to press, there was no official confirmation on the attack from the police or military authorities, as all effort proved abortive.
However, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has said its attack aircraft attached to its Air Task Force, of Operation Lafiya Dole, killed scores of Boko Haram terrorists in an air strikes carried out last Saturday, in Yuwe area of Borno State.
The Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, in a statement, yesterday morning, said the air raid which was executed in continuation of Operation Green Sweep 3, followed a “credible Human Intelligence, HUMINT reports, which were also corroborated by series of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), missions, that the settlement was being used as a hideout for the Boko Haram terrorists.
“The ATF, therefore, detailed two Alpha Jets and an L-39ZA aircraft to attack the target area. As the aircraft arrived overhead the target area, several Boko Haram terrorists were seen attempting to flee while many others concealed themselves in the structures and dense vegetation of the area.
“The jets took turns attacking the target, scoring crucial hits on the hideout leading to the neutralization of several Boko Haram terrorists fighters”, the statement said.
It read in full:”Nigerian Air Force (NAF) attack aircraft of the Air Task Force (ATF), Operation Lafiya Dole have neutralized scores of Boko Haram Terrorists (BHTs) in air strikes conducted yesterday, 31 August 2019, at Yuwe ‘C’ in Borno State.
“The air raid was executed in continuation of Operation Green Sweep 3 after credible Human Intelligence (HUMINT) reports, which were also corroborated by series of Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions, established that the settlement was being used as a hideout for the BHTs.
“The ATF therefore detailed 2 Alpha Jets and an L-39ZA aircraft to attack the target area. As the aircraft arrived overhead the target area, several BHTs were seen attempting to flee while many others concealed themselves in the structures and dense vegetation of the area. The jets took turns attacking the target, scoring crucial hits on the hideout leading to the neutralization of several BHT fighters.
“The NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain its operations against the terrorists in the North-East”.
Meanwhile, the confidence of the Nigerian Army troops in the front line of the Operation Lafiya Dole in Borno has been boosted following a visit by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai.
The visit which took place between Friday and Saturday, followed an ambush by the Boko Haram terrorists at Gasarwa village, along Gajiram-Monguno road in Nganzai Local Government Area of Borno, last Saturday.
Buratai, who arrived Maiduguri on Friday, proceeded to the scene of the incident in the company of some Principal Staff Officers from the Army Headquarters.
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.