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Abuja Demolishes Drug Traffickers’ Den

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Shanties that serve as den and hide-outs to traffickers in hard drugs and other criminals in the Federal Capital territory (FCT) Abuja have been demolished by authorities of the FCT, in a renewed fight against the illicit trade.

Also demolished are other illegal structures that lined up parts of the streets of Area 1 in Garki district of the Federal Capital.

Involved in the joint exercise were officials of the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Abuja Environmental Protection Board, Department of Development Control, Department of Road Traffic Services, Social Development Secretariat, Nigeria Police Force and other security agents.

Reacting to the exercise, FCT Minister, Senator Adamu Ailero directed all the Secretariat, Departments and Agencies (SDA’s) of the FCT Administration concerned with enforcement to ensure the drug dealers hid-outs and dens, and other illegal structures pulled down in the exercise, did not spring up again.

“They should all intensify their efforts to immediately put a final stop to the ugly trend whereby after demolition, some illegal structures still spring-up,” adding that “the Federal Capital City must be sanitised and returned to its original concept in line with the dictate of the Abuja Master Plan and anything standing on the way of the master plan must be dealt with and uprooted.”

Ailero frowned at a situation whereby traffickers in hard drugs used the nation’s capital as a launching pad for their illicit trade and justified the demolition of their hide-outs, saying that “the hard drug dens that were removed were being used by the criminals as hub and platform for perpetuating their nefarious acts and attacking residents of the territory.”

He insisted that the demolished structures were not only deffacing the city but constitute environmental nuisance which has no place in the Abuja project.

Ailero disclosed that during the exercise, over 70 beggars were arrested and 27 commercial motorcycles impounded in addition to 13 rickety and abandoned vehicles that were evacuated to the auto pound.

Minister Ailero assured that the Nigerian Capital would emerge ‘one of the best cities in Africa’ as the government is determined to rid the city of all illegal structures and enhance its beautification while calling for co-operation and understanding of residents and enjoined occupants of illegal structures to vacate them, immediately.

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Kebbi Doctors Give 2,500 Patients Free Medical Care

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Two thousand, five hundred persons benefitted from the medical outreach conducted by the Kebbi chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) in Gwadangwaji Community in Birnin-Kebbi Council Area of the state in August.
The outreach covered dental and gynaecological cases and awareness campaign on cancer, particularly cervical cancer.
NMA Chairman in Kebbi, Dr Murtala Muhammad-Dandare, told The Tide’s source in Birnin-Kebbi on Wednesday that the outreach was conducted after its 2023 Annual General Meeting.
He said the NMA in Kebbi organised the outreach in collaboration with the Kebbi State Contributory Healthcare Management Agency (KECHEMA) to provide free and quality healthcare service.
“We organise the outreach in collaboration with KECHEMA annually as part of programmes for our annual general meetings.
“We conducted outreaches in other council areas in the past, but a bigger outreach is being organised to cover free surgeries.
“In the August outreach, beneficiaries requiring surgeries were noted for the oncoming outreach”, Muhammad-Dandare he said.
The Chapter Chairman also told the source that the outreaches were usually funded through members’ monthly contributions and donations by individuals and organisations.
“We rely solely on our members’ monthly contributions and sometimes donations by philanthropists and organisations.
“We appreciate KECHEMA and thank the organisation for its efforts and assistance in the procurement of drugs and the provision of logistics,”, he said.
Muhammad-Dandare called on the State Government to assist the association to expand the outreaches to remote communities of Kebbi.

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FG Conducts 2nd Phase Computer-Based Exams For Public Servants 

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The Federal Government on Wednesday conducted the second phase of computer-based Confirmatory Promotional Examination (COMPRO II) for junior cadre officers in public service across the nation.
The examination conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), had a total of 9, 618 candidates from paramilitary and junior officers from the core Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), who participated in the exams nationwide.
Speaking after touring Abuja centres, the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), Dr Marcus Ogunbiyi, commended JAMB management for proper conduct of the exams.
“As you can see, the exam has been well organised and this is the first time we are holding a CBT for junior COMPRO candidates. Last year was for the senior cadre officers and I commend the level of their comportment.
“The way they have handled the system for now is encouraging and I believe by the time we come back next year for the same exercise, things will be better”, he said.
Ogunbiyi, however, identified some areas of lapses to include accreditation of officers which he said would be addressed before the next conduct of such exercise.
He said the reason behind the initiative by the Federal Government was part of its vision to reform the public service by going digital and to improve civil servants in the course of their work.
“In the first instance, the COMPRO is to test the ability and how well the public officers know the public service and to test the level of their potential to handle the assignments given to them as public servants.
“What we are doing now by going digital is part of reforms of the nation’s public service”,  he said.
He said over the years, the service had been handling bulk questions papers and a lot of human interface in assessing officers.
“But going digital, we are now reducing the human contacts, it is done seamlessly. So it is what you put there, that is what you get back”, he explained.
Also, Mr Ateboh Ademu, Director, Learning and Development, office of the HOCSF, said Head of service office was satisfied with the level of performance of the exercise.
“As the Director of learning and development, the assessment so far as we have witnessed by all indication is excellent, is even beyond expectations, the attitude.
“The conducts of candidates and handling of the whole exercise have been done excellently”, he said.
Ademu gave assurance of non compromise of the system to sustain the needed standards.
According to him, having examined some of the problems encountered during the first conduct of the exam, the office of the HOCSF in collaboration with JAMB have put some measures on ground to address all observable challenges.
In the same vein, Mrs Blessing Garuba, one of the candidates from Nigeria Immigration Service, commended the innovative of computer-based examination for public servants in Nigeria.

Garuba added that it had improved her horizon as she could confidently operate computer on her own.

“When I heard about the exam I was panicking but going into the exam hall, I found out that it is all what I know. Besides, I have learnt a lot resulting from using computer”,  she said.

The Tide’s source reports that the Federal Government had in 2022, introduced the computer-based examination for the senior cadre officers across all MDAs to fulfill its agenda of improving public service to a global standards.

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EEDC Strengthens Partnership With Police Against Vandalism, Energy Theft

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The Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) says it is strengthening existing partnership with the Nigeria Police to curb vandalism and energy theft with its network franchise area covering the South-East.
Head of Security in EEDC, Mr Frank Ejiofor, said this during a courtesy visit to the new Commissioner of Police in Enugu State, CP Kanayo Uzuegbu, in his office in Enugu on Wednesday.
Ejiofor also noted that the visit was part of EEDC’s strategy to collaborate with its critical stakeholders.
“The EEDC is using this opportunity to solicit for continued support of the Nigeria Police Force against the various activities that impact negatively on our company’s operations.
“Some of these activities include vandalism of electricity infrastructure, energy theft and assault on our officials among others”, he said.
He also lauded the commissioner on his efforts to curtail the security challenges in the state.
Responding, CP Uzuegbu, assured EEDC of the Police Command’s willingness not only to support its operations but also its readiness to attend to any call on them for assistance.
The commissioner commended EEDC for its socio-economic impact and development in the country especially in the area of job creation for the teeming youths in the state.
Accompanying Ejiofor to the courtesy visit were EEDC’s Head, Corporate Communications, Mr Emeka Ezeh; Head, Customer Service, Mrs Ijeoma Ogudebe; District Business Manager, Ogui District, Mr Chimezie Chukwu, and the Chief Security Officer, Ogui District, Mr. Jonathan Arum.

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