Politics
Umahi Orders Banishment Of Non-Registered Voters
Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. David Nweze Umahi has ordered traditional rulers to banish of non-registered voters from various villages and communities in his state.
Governor Umahi gave this order recently at Onuebonyi Primary School in Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State during the official disbursement of scholarship fund to indigent students of Izzi clan by Senator Sam Egwu, representing Ebonyi North Zone in the National Assembly.
The governor, represented by the Speaker of Ebonyi State House of Assemby, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru, charged all the traditional rulers to sway into action against non-registered voters in their various communities.
According to him, any mature person who has no voter card should be chased out from his or her community by the traditional rulers, pointing that such person has no good vision for national growth and development.
He hinted that government would soon look out for non-registered voters in the various markets in the state, insisting that voter card would be then used to guarantee entrance into markets for buying and selling of goods.
He also warned against posting of offensive messages on social media, advising that social media users should learn to upload messages that can enrich people’s life.
Umahi extolled Egwu’s philanthropic gesture saying that he has special passion for promoting education.
Noting that Sen. Egwu emergence as the Senator representing the zone has immensely added value to the lives of his constituents, the speaker pleaded with his constituents to endorse him for re-election in the 2019 general elections.
Egwu had earlier pledged to give full support to ensure the people of Izzi in 2023 produce the next governor after Governor Umahi’s second tenure.
He disclosed that he had made a proposal for a Federal College of Education in the state, promising that it would be located in Izzi land, having appealed to the people to provide a permanent site for the college before he could get back to Abuja.
On his part, the President of Izzi Youth Forum, Ben Aloh Nwovu commended Egwu for the training over 60 youth in Information and communication technology , adding that each of the trainees were given a laptop and cash gifts.
He also thanked the Senator for granting scholarship to over 75 students from his clan including other empowerment programmes.
However, Nwovu reminded that the Izzi displaced people from Ochudo site had been roaming about without a place of settlement and therefore called for government intervention, among other requests.
Victor Nwegede, Abakaliki
Politics
Protest Rocks Kano Over Appeal Court Judgment
Protests erupted in Kano city and its environs on Monday afternoon with the demonstrators denouncing the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal that sacked the state Governor, Abba Yusuf.
The Tide’s source reports that uneasy calm pervaded the state capital following a contradictory Certified True Copy of the Appeal Court that affirmed the prayers of both the appellant and the respondent in the contentious Kano governorship, though the judiciary had since cleared the air.
In what appeared like a coordinated action on Monday, huge crowd of protesters had stormed strategic positions in the city as it visited temporary hiccups on commercial activities.
Kano- Zaria Road, Maiduguri Road by Muhammadu Buhari’s interchange, and Kantin Kwari (Kano textile market) were taken over by hundreds of youths who called for justice for Abba Yusuf.
Some of the placard read: “Kano my city my state”, “Justice for Kano”, “ Justice for Abba”, “Abba’s mandate was stolen in 2019, we will not allow it happen in 2023″.
The protest came on the heels of discovery by the Police that “some faceless group are bent on unleashing violence in Kano”, stressing that the police were on top of the situation.
Cp Hussaini Gumel told newsmen in Kano on Monday that already 7 suspects had been arrested and would be arraigned soon.
Gumel revealed that “we have the understanding with the leadership of the contending political parties, and they have signed a peace pact. In view of that, therefore, any one found outside this arrangement will be treated as common criminal”.
However, normalcy had since returned to the ancient city following the peaceful protest that lasted several hours.
Politics
NASS To Receive Tinubu’s 2024 Appropriation Bill, Today
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will today, present the 2024 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly.
Secretary, Research and Information of the National Assembly, Dr Ali Barde Umoru, confirmed this on Monday to journalists while requesting the list of those to be allowed into the chamber during the budget presentation.
This will be the first budget estimate President Tinubu will present to the National Assembly in person.
He had earlier transmitted two supplementary budgets, 2022 and 2023, to the National Assembly, which the parliament speedily approved.
President Tinubu had, weeks ago, also forwarded to both chambers of the National Assembly, the 20224-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) where the sum of N26.1 trillion was proposed as the total expenditure for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Senate, following the recommendation of its joint committee, which scrutinised the document, approved the MTEF/FSP.
It approved the N26.1trn proposed as the 2024 budget and other parameters as proposed by President Tinubu.
It approved the new borrowings of N7.8 trillion, pegged the benchmark of oil price for 2024 at $73.96, and oil production volume per day at 1.78 million barrels.
Other parameters approved are a GDP growth rate of 3.76%, an inflation rate of 21.40%, an exchange rate of N700 to $1 dollar, and a projected budget deficit of N9.04 trillion.
Politics
Muslim Clerics Offer Prayers For Tinubu, Kwankwaso In Kano
Over 1,000 Islamic clerics have offered special prayers for President Bola Tinubu and the NNPP national leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for peace, progress and political stability in Nigeria.
Abdulmumin Kofa (NNPP-Kiru/Bebeji) hosted the ulamas at Kiru for the success of Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State at the Supreme Court, according to a statement by the lawmaker’s media aide, Sani Paki, on Monday.
During the prayer session, the clerics recited the Qur’an 1,101 times and prayed for peace, progress and political stability in the country.
Mr Kofa said his relationship with the president was no secret, noting that Mr Kwankwaso is his mentor. He said he would continue to support and promote a harmonious relationship between Messrs Tinubu and Kwankwaso.
Mr Kofa described NNPP as a promising party open to collaboration, alliance and merger with the APC and even with the People’s Democratic Party, Labour Party or any other party that showed interest, so long as it is for the good of Nigerians.
He also promised to deploy his modest political network to reach out to gladiators in Kano politics towards resolving all resolvable issues and to de-escalate the current tension in the state due to the Kano governorship seat.
Also, after the prayer session, the legislator hosted 5,000 primary school kids across his constituency, as he often does, and provided them with school kits.
According to the statement, Mr Kofa assured the pupils of the good plans of the federal and state governments, especially on free education and free school feeding programmes.
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