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THE STATES

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Adamawa
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has
said that the commission is yet to decide on when to conduct the governorship election in Adamawa state following the recent impeachment of the governor and the resignation of his deputy.
Also, the commission said that it is yet to be formally informed of the impeachment of Muritala Nyako as governor and the resignation of James Ngilari as the deputy governor.
The constitution mandates that a governorship election should be conducted within 90 days of the impeachment of the governor.
The INEC Chairman, Prof.  Attahiru Jega, disclosed this  during a dialogue with Media Professionals in Abuja, where he justified the drafting of military to maintain peace in Ekiti state and advocated that military also be drafted to maintain peace in the August 9 governorship election in Osun state.
Borno
Eleven women have been delivered of babies at the two camps
established by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) for people displaced from Damboa as a result of the capture of the town last weekend by the Boko Haram insurgents.
NEMA also revealed on Thursday that it has registered about 10000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) at the two camps established in Biu town, about 100 kilometres away from Damboa town.
In a statement by the Northeast zonal information officer of the agency, Mallam AbdulKadir Ibrahim, who revealed that the agency had deployed two truckloads of relief materials to Biu to take care of the IDPs, revealed that the ten of the women had normal deliveries at the camps while a lone woman had to be taken to the General Hospital, Biu where she was delivered after a Caesarean Session (CS).
Ibrahim said the newly delivered mothers were apart from the normal relief materials, also given some toys, feeding bottles and baby food for the needs of the newly delivered babies.
Ekiti
Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State has criticised the House
of Assembly for passing the bill for creation of 19 additional local governments in the state.
The Assembly on Wednesday approved the creation of 19 additional councils following the adoption of the report of the ad-hoc committee set up to work on the bill seeking the creation of the new councils.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti by the State Publicity Secretary, Kola Oluwawole, said the action was illegal because there is a suit seeking to stop the LCDAs and also wondered why the Assembly increased the number of the proposed LGs from 18 to 19 when referendum was conducted for 18 LGs.
Oluwawole said, “We are still in court challenging the legality of the Ekiti State Independent  Electoral Commission and the body went ahead to organise an illegal referendum. The Assembly added more illegality to an illegal act by increasing the number of the councils. We are restating the fact that both State Independent Electoral Commission and Assembly are into illegal acts.
Jigawa
The Jigawa Government on Thursday said it earmarked N1.8
billion for the construction of senate building and Vice Chancellor’s lodge at the state university, Kafin-Hausa.
The Commissioner for Information, Youth and Sports, Alhaji Babandi Ibrahim, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse that the money was approved during the state executive council meeting on Wednesday.
He said N1.6 billion was set aside for the construction of the senate building, while N128 million would be used for the construction of of the vice chancellor’s residence.

Kaduna
A former National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party and
Nigeria’s Ambassador-at-Large, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has described the recent bomb blasts in Kaduna State, which killed about 82 innocent Nigerians, as “most barbaric and unholy.”
Tukur, in a statement in Abuja on Thursday, said it was more painful that the perpetrators of such heinous crime against humanity could carry out such action during the month of Ramadan.
He said no right-thinking person would like to take the lives of innocent people away against the teaching and doctrines of Christianity and Islamic injunctions and  called on those “behind these dangerous acts against humanity” to have a re-think and return to the path of religious and social rectitude.
Tukur said, “The perpetrators of these acts are not thinking of the consequences of their actions against God and humanity. The damage they have done to human race are irreparable and condemnable. The Boko-Haram sect do not belong to any religious organization since every religion in the world clearly condemn murder of fellow human being in any form, shape or ramification.”
Kano
A non governmental organization (NGO), under
the aegis of Health Initiative Forum (HIF), yesterday in Kano, commended Resident Doctors in Kano and Kaduna states who voluntarily went back to work following the bomb blasts that rocked the two ancient cities.
Chairman of the group, Alhaji Bala Danladi, during a chat with reporters, observed the human feeling in the hearts of the doctors that participated in the rescue operations and their leadership in the affected states.
“Despite their perennial disagreement with the Federal Government, these doctors believe that the strike action should not stop them from showing love to Nigerians under such emergency situations. We also believe that Nigerian doctors are not enemies of Nigerians as some elements were trying hard to make us believe,” he stated.
While commending the widely circulated statement of the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors of Nigeria (NARD), Dr Jibril Abdullahi, immediately after the happening of Kaduna blasts, the group urged federal government to make a second thought on her stand on the doctors’ demands.

Nasarawa
The Chief Judge of Nasarawa State Justice
Suleiman Dikko, last Friday inaugurated a seven-member panel to investigate the allegation of gross misconduct levelled against Governor Umaru Al-Makura by the state assembly.
The state lawmakers had on July 23, passed a resolution directing the Chief Judge to set up the probe panel within seven days in line with the provisions of the constitution.
Inaugurating the panel on Friday in Lafia, Dikko said that setting up of the committee was in line with the state assembly’s request to appoint a seven man panel to investigate the governor.
Those in the panel are MalamYusuf Usman (Chairman); Malam Mohammed Sabo Keana; Rev. Joel Galadima;  Alhaji Abdul Usman; Mr Samuel Chaku; Malam Mohammed Sani Usman and Pastor Daniel Chaga as members.
The chief judge urged the members to discharge their duties in line with Section 188, Sub-section 1-11 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Ondo
The remains of the late Lagos lawyer and human rights activist, Bamidele
Aturu, were buried  in his hometown, Ogbagi Akoko, Ondo State, last Friday.
Scores of sympathisers, including  human rights activists, legal practitioners, members of the organised labour , were in attendance to witness the burial service.
His corpse was moved into the venue of  the burial programme around 10.25 by the casket bearers and followed by a song rendered by members of the Redeemed Christain  of God (RCCG) who came to honour one of their own. Aturu  was an Assistant Pastor in the church.
The officiating minister, in his sermon, said death is an inevitable end for every human, hence, the need for people to move closer to God
He described Aturu as a dogged fighter and a fearless lawyer who stood for justice and equity,urging the younger ones to emulate his virtues.
Osun
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has gone to
the courts to challenge  the powers of President Goodluck Jonathan to deploy troops to Osun State for the August 9 governorship election.
The party said it was also seeking to oust the power of the Inspector-General of Police Mr. Muhammed Abubakar, to impose a curfew on any part of the state during the election.
In a statement issued yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the actions were aimed at avoiding a repeat of the massive harassment, intimidation and arrest of opposition politicians witnessed during the Ekiti State governorship election, and to prevent any illegal lock down of Osun State, which turned out to be a ploy to pigeon-hole opposition politicians, while allowing PDP members to move around freely during the polls.
The party urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take concrete actions to ensure that all the candidates in the August 9 governorship election in Osun State are provided with a level playing.

Plateau
The crisis rocking the Plateau State chapter of the
All Progressives Congress deepened last Thursday as some aggrieved members locked out some executives and other stalwarts of the party who were holding a meeting at the secretariat.
The party had been enmeshed in crisis over the outcome of its state congress, especially the chairmanship position, which a former aide of the former Governor, Joshua Dariye, Mr. Latep Dabang won.
The outcome of the exercise was hotly contested by the former interim state chairman, Senator John Shagaya and another member, Amos Gombi, who had earlier petitioned the national secretariat.
However, the new twist occurred following an attempt by the Dabang-led executive to hold a meeting at the party secretariat for the nomination, but was prevented from doing so by some aggrieved members of the party.

Governor Sule Lamido (left) of Jigawa State with the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi, during Sallah in Dutse, yesterday.

Governor Sule Lamido (left) of Jigawa State with the Emir of Dutse, Alhaji Nuhu Sunusi, during Sallah in Dutse, yesterday.

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Rivers Deputy Governor Hails PH City One Love For Humanitarian Gesture

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Rivers state Deputy Governor Professor Ngozi Nma Odu has commended “The Port Harcourt City One Love,”a Port Harcourt based humanitarian orgnisation For it’s commitment towards alleviating the sufferings of the poor and vulnerable in the society.

Professor Ngozi Nma Odu said this while speaking at this year’s edition of “operation feed the needy” a yearly outreach program of “The Port Harcourt City One Love ” in Port Harcourt.
The Deputy Governor said by feeding more than sixty thousands hungry people within the past six years, the Port Harcourt City One Love Movement has distinguished itself as a club that cares for the less privilege in the society.

She commended the , organization for listing eleven thousand persons to be fed in the current exercise.

Meanwhile The Port Harcourt City One Love  has planned a permanent solution to the problem of feeding the poor in the state.

The leader of the group Mr Idaere Gogo Ogan who said this in an interview with newsmen during the distribution of food items to the poor and vulnerables in Port Harcourt said the organization is planning a permanent food kitchen where poor and vulnerable persons can work in anytime and get fed.

Idaere Gogo Ogan said more than sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons across Port Harcourt City and environs have been fed since the inception of “The operation feed the needy” program six years ago,adding that so far sixty thousands poor and vulnerable persons have beneffited.

 

He described the group as a platform to promote friendship, brotherhood, community development empathy and feeding the less privilege and hungry people
“That’s what we are doing today here,so we started the exercise six years ago”.he said.

Ogan said the effort was a private sector driven initiative but added “it also involves people in Government because the platform does not recognize any division,we bring everybody together in unity , friendship and brotherhood”he said.

He said the effort will go along way in alleviating hunger especially following the prevailing hunger in the country.

According to him “you know the country is very tough, people are hungry people are starving, there is a whole lot of economic hardship,so for us, this is just our own way of reaching out, our own social contribution to what is very difficult”he said.

Over eleven thousand persons were fed in the just concluded exercise.
Areas of coverage include, Isaac Boro park, Port Harcourt prison/Macoba, Borokiri/Enugu waterside Bundu areas Waterlines and others.

Some of the beneficiaries including an 80 years old widow commended the movement for the annual programm and urged other organizations to emulate them

 

John Bibor,/Esuuk Oyet/Suotor Memoye /Jeremiah Hannah

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We’ll Partner Private Sector to Industrialize Rivers State – Fubara …Hints Revitalization of Ahoada, Trans Amadi Industrial layout

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Rivers State Governor , Sir Siminialayi Fubara says the industrialization of the state remains a key drive of his administration.
Speaking through Director General of the Rivers  State Investment Promotion Agency, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside at the Shell Gas Limited and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria(MAN) Investors Forum held in Port Harcourt, Fubara stressed that public /private partnership is key to revive production in the state.
“We are ready to partner Shell Gas Limited to revive manufacturing in Rivers State at Ahoada Industrial Park, and the new Port City project, including the proposed Bonny Industrial Park which will grow industries along the Bonny corridor” he declared.
Part of the scheme, he further stated is to collaborate with Shell Gas Limited and the private sector to transform Rivers State into a major manufacturing hub in the South of Nigeria.
Commending Shell and MAN for leading the frontline, Sir. Fubara said,” the time to act is now  and thank God Shell is taking the lead to prioritize gas.”
The governor opined that the gas sector provides huge investment opportunities to drive the state economy as the world is gradually shifting towards gas and other environment friendly energy, while urging stakeholders to evolve an actionable gas policy for the state.
Earlier in his remarks, Shell Gas Limited Head of Gas Distribution, Mr. Chukwuka Amos-Ejesi said it is high time the state utilized its huge gas resource.
“Today gas offers investors opportunities and raises the value chain as it boosts production for industry users,” Amos-Ejesi said.
The Shell Gas Distribution executive said the company seeks to support manufacturing by adopting a user friendly approach that allows manufacturers to grow profitably with affordable cheaper energy.
He explained that natural gas provides huge potentials and aligns with federal government  policy of gas utilization.
Chairman of MAN Rivers and Bayelsa Branch, Elder Vincent Okugu described gas as the backbone of manufacturing.
He said the forum has become timely and key to address the pressing energy provision to boost production in the sector, as he lamented the high costs borne by manufacturers in sourcing energy alternatives.
In her remarks, Chairperson of  the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Industry Mines and Agriculture, Dr. Chinyere Ngozi Nwoga commended Shell for the forum which she described as a bridge to reduce gap of energy provision for manufacturers.
Ngozi Nwoga said the transition to natural gas has become imperative, stressing that pipeline gas offers cheaper and smooth energy provision for industries.
Former MAN chairperson for Rivers and Bayelsa States, Mrs Emilia Akpan was of the view that the quest to provide cheap energy should be driven with technical manpower, as she emphasized  need for Rivers State to recreate its economy.
By Kevin Nengia
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SheVentures Open Zero-interest Loan Applications for Women Entrepreneurs

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First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has opened a new round of applications for its SheVentures proposition, offering zero-interest loans of up to N10 million to women entrepreneurs to ease access to working capital and support business growth.
The facility provides loans ranging from N500,000 to N5 million under a general category, and N5 million to N10 million for sector-specific businesses, with funding capped at up to 50% of an applicant’s average monthly turnover.
Managing Director and Chief Executive of First City Monument Bank (FCMB),  Yemisi Edun,  said the initiative reflects a deliberate approach to inclusive growth.

“Inclusive growth requires access to capital and the right conditions for businesses to deploy that capital effectively. Women-led enterprises are critical to economic activity, yet they face structural barriers.

“This intervention aims to help close that gap by providing financing that supports job creation, business expansion, and long-term sustainability for women entrepreneurs”, Edun said.

Group Head, SheVentures and Impact Segments at First City Monument Bank (FCMB), Nnenna Jacob-Ogogo said access to affordable finance remains a major constraint for women entrepreneurs.

 

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