News
NGE Advocates Insurance Cover For Journalists
The President, Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE), Mr Mustapha Isah, has called for insurance cover for journalists in the country to encourage them carry out their duties effectively.
Isah made the call in in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), yesterday in Abuja.
He said such insurance policy would encourage journalists to go the extra mile in getting authentic stories and disseminating credible information.
He said that insurance cover for journalists in the country was a necessity and would boost their morale, enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the media industry.
According to him, journalists in Nigeria are practising under a difficult and sometimes dangerous environment, thereby putting their lives on the line.
“During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, media houses didn’t shut down. Journalists were still going out to do their work, even without any form of insurance cover.
“Some of us were infected in the process. Also, some journalists lost their lives in Kano and Abuja during the Shi’a protest.
“As we speak now, a reporter from Vanguard newspaper is missing and has not been found. Journalists should have insurance cover.
“CNN would not take you without having an insurance cover for you. That is why their journalists would be bold to report even from the war front,” the NGE president said.
Isah narrated how a director of press in a military formation in Maiduguri once told him to come to Borno to cover the war against insurgency instead of calling via the phone every time there was an attack.
“I told him I didn’t have insurance cover to cover the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Borno.
“I asked him if I died in the process, what would happen to my family.
“So, there is the urgent need for media house owners and outfits to get insurance cover for their journalists,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL) has said that it was ready to partner with the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) on empowerment to enhance their livelihood even after retirement.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NIRSAL, Dr Aliyu Abdulhameed, revealed this at the weekend.
The MD/CEO said this in his keynote address at the 17th All Nigeria Editors’ Conference 2021, organised by the NGE, last Friday, in Abuja.
Abdulhameed said there were many opportunities and services at NIRSAL that the NGE could benefit from, adding that they were ready to partner with the Guild.
He said: “What NIRSAL would do with the NGE is to speak with them through a technical team set up by the Guild and create a model for up and down stream of how the Guild can benefit from the various opportunities in NIRSAL.
“Then, we optimise these models so that when we put in N1, we can get N3 in return because it is not economically wise to put in N1 and get N1.
“The agriculture sector is subject to science and modelling.
“So, when we optimise your project with you, we then optimise financial solutions.
“Then, we approach the bank.
“My call of action to the Guild is: how can we work with you to create a technical pilot model to benefit the Guild?”
Abdulhameed urged members of the Guild to understand that agriculture was a business venture, adding that the sector contributed to about 24per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He stressed that in Brazil and Egypt, especially in the Nile Valley, agriculture had been passed from generation to generation, saying it had the potential of enhancing the livelihood of the citizens.
According to him, it is regrettable that a lot of farmers think agriculture only begins and ends with production.
He said production was an aspect of the agriculture, there was need for other chains like packaging to enhance value.
The conference provides a platform for relevant stakeholders in the media from across the country to cross fertilise ideas for improved efficiency.
Earlier, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Ltd had advocated for the consideration of what he calls “energy justice” in the implementation of global energy transition.
The Group Managing Director of the NNPC Ltd, Mele Kyari, said this at the 17th All Nigerian Editors’ Conference in Abuja ahead of the commencement of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, this week.
Discussions on countries transiting to less carbon-intensive energy sources have been gaining momentum in the last few years, with global leaders calling for a shift away from fossil fuels as a critical action towards tackling the climate crisis.
The GMD argued that wholesale execution of energy transition without regard to the peculiar socio-economic conditions of various countries would cause dislocations that could exacerbate security challenges in developing nations.
Kyari, whose paper was titled “Insecurity as it Affects the Oil and Gas Sector”, maintained that his concept of energy justice was to allow each country, especially developing nations, to progress at their own pace while leveraging on their hydrocarbon resources for smooth transition to net zero by 2050.
“Talking about energy transition, it is my very well-considered view that there must be energy justice, which means that countries should develop at their own pace while taking into consideration the realities that they face,” Kyari stated.
According to the NNPC CEO, individual nations should be allowed to transit on the basis of their contributions to the carbon emission to the point that ultimately, there will be justice for all by 2050.
“Energy justice would ensure that as we transit, we are allowed to develop at a pace and in a manner that is just,” Kyari added.
The NNPC helmsman also urged the media industry and other stakeholders to champion the cause of energy justice in the global quest for cleaner energy, stressing that gas development remained the only option for Nigeria to achieve energy transition.
Speaking on NNPC’s refineries and the role they play in ensuring energy security for the country, he said NNPC management under his leadership was keen on changing the narrative and getting the refineries back on stream by taking advantage of the free-hand given to the management by President Muhammadu Buhari to do the right thing.
“This is the first time in history that NNPC and its subsidiaries are allowed to do things the way things should be done. Now, I can confirm to you that we have taken responsibility and we will fix the refineries. We have started the process, contractors have been mobilized to the Port Harcourt refinery; while the same process for Warri and Kaduna refineries will conclude by the end of this year,” he declared.
On the menace of crude oil and products theft, the NNPC CEO said much progress has been made through collaboration with security agencies.
He called for support of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) and other stakeholders towards reducing insecurity within the oil and gas industry.
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) have foiled attempts by drug trafficking syndicates to smuggle illicit substances concealed in carton walls, winter jackets, and body cream containers through Murtala Muhammed International Airport and a Lagos-based courier firm.
The agency said two consignments bound for Italy were intercepted at the Lagos airport, leading to the arrest of suspects linked to the shipments.
In a statement released yesterday, the agency’s spokesman, Femi Babafemi, said one of the suspects, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was intercepted on Friday, March 20, 2026, while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Rome, Italy.
The statement partly read, “Two of the consignments heading to Italy were to be moved through the Lagos airport where two suspects linked to the shipments were promptly arrested.
“One of them, 37-year-old Friday Ehianuka, was going to Rome, Italy on Friday, March 20, 2026, when he was intercepted while attempting to board an Ethiopian Airlines flight with 2,698 pills of tramadol 225mg concealed in containers of skin-lightening body cream, all packed in the suspect’s luggage.
“In his statement, Ehianuka, who is a resident of Milan, confirmed that he was to be paid a negotiated fee in Euros if he had succeeded in trafficking the consignment to Italy.”
In another operation on Wednesday, March 18, Babafemi said NDLEA officers at the departure hall intercepted another passenger, Christian Agbonhese, attempting to board a Lufthansa flight to Milan.
A search of his luggage uncovered 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg, 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg, and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg concealed in two large winter jackets.
“No fewer than 23,150 pills of tramadol 225mg; 4,000 tablets of tapentadol 250mg; and 1,320 pills of tramadol 100mg, all concealed in two large winter jackets, bringing the total number of opioids recovered from him to 28,470 pills. The 38-year-old Agbonhese is also a resident of Milan,” the statement added.
In a separate operation at a courier firm in Lagos, Babafemi said NDLEA officers on Monday, March 16, intercepted two parcels of Loud, a strong strain of cannabis weighing 1kg, hidden in a carton shipped from the United States.
“Also thwarted was an attempt to export 158 grams of methamphetamine concealed in the walls of a carton to New Zealand,” he said.
In Kano State, operatives arrested Abdulkadir Mamuda, 35, with 102.5kg of skunk at Dan-Tsalle, while another suspect, Uche Johnson Festus, 47, was nabbed at Naibawa Gabas with 95.5kg of the same substance.
Babafemi said the agency also recovered 21,737 bottles of codeine-based syrup during a raid at Otto, Ijora area of Lagos on Wednesday, March 18, adding that two suspects, Chidiebere Anigbogu and Paul Nwagbara, were arrested the same day on the Third Mainland Bridge while conveying 8,380 bottles of the syrup.
In Edo State, operatives recovered 97.5kg of skunk from the residence of Akeem Idde, 37, in Ojah, Akoko-Edo Local Government Area on March 16.
In the FCT, officers intercepted a commercial bus along the Gwagwalada Expressway on March 18, recovering 91,840 pills of tramadol hidden in body compartments of the vehicle. The driver, Aminu Ali, 27, was arrested.
In Oyo State, a suspect, Bankole Bari, was on Tuesday, March 17, arrested at Oke-Oyan, Ibarapa LGA, with 71.2kg of skunk, which he smuggled into Nigeria from Benin Republic through the Oyan River.
In a similar development, “Not less than 586,000 pills of tramadol and Exol-5 were recovered by NDLEA operatives from Lawal Anas, 28, along Kaduna-Zaria Highway, Kaduna, on Tuesday, March 17, while 7,290 tablets of tramadol 225mg were seized from Musa Shuaibu, 22, at the same location on Friday, March 20,” Babafemi said.
In Taraba State, officers intercepted Aliyu Adamu, 26, along the Takum-Jalingo Highway with 77,660 capsules of tramadol, while in Adamawa State, six suspects were arrested in connection with the seizure of 82.8kg of tramadol in a truck in Yola.
The suspects include Ramatu Aliyu, Jungudo Abdullahi, Najid Abdullahi, Musa Mohammed, Usman Abdulrahim, and Musa Mohammed.
The agency said its commands across the country also intensified War Against Drug Abuse sensitisation campaigns in schools, worship centres, and communities during the week.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), commended officers of the MMIA, DOGI, Lagos, Kano, Kaduna, Edo, Oyo, FCT, Taraba, and Adamawa commands for the arrests and seizures, urging them to sustain the balanced approach to drug control efforts.
News
RSG Applauds FRSC, NDLEA For Enhancing Security In Rivers …As NDLEA Pushes For Drug Tests In Schools, NYSC Camps
The Rivers State Government has commended the dedication and collaboration of federal government agencies in sustaining security in the State.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by the State Commander of the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), CN Bature Dawa, in Port Harcourt, last week, the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Dagogo Wokoma, said Governor Siminalayi Fubara appreciates the strong synergy between the agencies in promoting his administration’s vision of peace, prosperity and progress in the State.
Wokoma urged residents to remain law-abiding, noting that respect for the law is essential for good governance and sustainable development in all parts of the state.
He stated that the governor has remained committed to initiatives that promote peace and social order, stressing that the administration will continue to support programmes of federal agencies aimed at strengthening security and public safety.
“Our governor is committed to peace, progress and prosperity in Rivers State. I therefore encourage all residents, especially young people who are often targeted by those involved in drug abuse, to stay away from drugs, crime and reckless driving,” he said.
In his remarks, the State NDLEA boss, Dawa, disclosed that the agency has arrested 39 suspects in the state from December 2025 to date, including 16 new cases currently under investigation.
He explained that the NDLEA, through its Drug Demand Reduction and Drug Supply Control Units, has intensified efforts to curb the spread of illicit drugs and ensure offenders are brought to justice.
Dawa also called on parents and guardians to closely monitor their children, while urging hotel owners and managers to remain vigilant and prevent their facilities from being used for drug-related activities.
He further advocated the introduction of drug integrity tests in schools and within the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme as part of measures to discourage drug abuse among young people.
In a related development, Dr Wokoma received the Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), CC Inyang Umoh, during a courtesy visit, and urged residents to abide by road safety laws and drive in consideration of other road users.
In his remarks, the FRSC boss expressed appreciation to Governor Fubara for the continuous support to the Corps.
Muslims in Rivers State have commended Governor Siminialayi Fubara for his dedication and commitment to the development of the state.
They also lauded the governor for promoting peaceful co-existence among various religious groups in the state.
Vice President General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs ,Alhaji Nasil Awhelegbe Uhor, gave the commendation last Friday during the Eid-el Fitri prayer to mark the end of Ramadan fasting period, at the Port Harcourt Central Mosque, Niger Street, Port Harcourt.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after the prayer, Alhaji Uhor said Governor Fubara has shown exemplary leadership in the affairs of the state.
Uhor who is the leader of the South South Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, called on Muslims to remain committed to the ideal of peace and fear of the Almighty Allah.
According to the Rivers State Islamic leader, the message is for Muslims to imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink into their lives and shape their ways of doing things.
He urged Muslims to imbibe the culture of love and respect for one another.
“My message is that all Muslims should imbibe and allow the lessons of Ramadan to sink with them,” he advised.
Uhor stressed the need for Muslims and all Nigerians to remain patriotic, while avoiding all forms of anti-social behaviours.
He also called on the political leaders to put the country first, stressing that there is no need for Nigerians to continue to wallow in abject poverty when the country is so rich with natural resources.
Also speaking, the Chief Imam of Rivers State, Alhaji Ibrahim S Yalo, urged Muslims to fear God, and speak the truth always.
According to him, time has come for Nigerians to cultivate the habit of peaceful coexistence, speak the truth and be each others keeper.
“Nigerians own a duty to ensure peace, live together in fear of God and speak the truth always,” he said.
By: John Bibor
-
News2 days agoNigeria Recorded Two World’s Deadliest Terror Attacks In 2025 –Report
-
Politics1 day agoEid-el-fitr: INEC Urges Staff Discipline Ahead Ekiti, Osun Guber Polls
-
Editorial2 days agoThumbs Up For Sit-At-Home Reversal
-
News2 days agoPerm. Sec Pats Rivers NUJ On The Back
-
News2 days agoExplosions Rock Lagos, C’River, Kill One, Injure 40
-
News2 days agoFubara Hails Umah Ukpai’s Contributions To Global Christian Evangelism
-
Education2 days agoOpobo Kingdom moves to incorporate Ibani Language Into School Curriculum, Takes Off April
-
News2 days ago
Etche Monarch Alleges Death Threats, Assault