Nation
Traders Make Case Against Total Motorcycle Ban
Traders under the aegis of the South East Amalgamated Markets Traders Association (SEAMATA) have urged the Federal Government to jettison total ban on motorcycles considering its serious negative socio-economic consequences.
They appealed to the Federal Government, through the National Security Council, to drop the proposed blanket ban (total ban) on motorcycles nationwide but use intelligence to spot light and identify areas where the ban had become imperative.
This is contained in a statement issued by SEAMATA President-General, Chief Gozie Akudolu, and outside its Secretary-General, Mr Alex Okwudili, in Enugu.
The statement stated that the attention of the association had been drawn to the proposal by the National Security Council to consider a total ban on motorcycles throughout the federation.
It said that according to the Council, ‘criminals and bandits were using motorcycles for their nefarious activities’.
The association expressed shock that the nation’s highest security organ could make this statement, adding that SEAMATA considers the statement rudderless and amounts to, ‘throwing the baby away with the bath water’.
“We wish to draw the National Security Council’s attention to the implications and dire consequences which this most unpopular proposal portends for the nation.
“The Council did not consider that there are hundreds of motorcycle manufacturing industries across the federation with hundreds of thousands of youths in their direct employment and other thousands in ancillary and indirect employment.
“This ban proposal means not only the folding up of these industries, with its adverse implications on the economy of the federation, but also sending hundreds of thousands of youths in their employments into the highly over-saturated Nigerian labour market.
“This will surely create a viable recruitment ground for bandits and criminals and in turn, escalate the security challenges of the nation.
“There are other industries that produce motorcycle components, especially the rubber and plastic parts, shall as well fold up and sack all their employees, who shall in turn, add to the serious challenges of insecurity to the nation.
“The distribution chain of this industry, ranging from the dealers in motorcycles, others in motorcycle spare parts, more in artisans like mechanics and vulcanizers and many more as apprentices, all in their millions are those whose businesses are put on the line. They will likely be potential criminals and bandits being uploaded”, they said.
Noting that motorcycles used for positive purposes far outnumbers that used in perpetrating banditry and criminality, they stated that it would sound illogical to ban motorcycle nationwide in order to get fight against insecurity, terrorism, banditry and criminality right.
By: Canice Amadi, Enugu
Nation
Council Boss Impeached 48 Hours To LG Polls In Katsina
The Chairman of Malumfashi Local Government Council of Katsina State, Maharazu Dayi, has been impeached.
Maharazu Dayi was impeached yesterday by 11 out of 12 councillors, barely two days before the local government elections in the State.
The councillors reportedly took action following allegations of misconduct and poor governance against the chairman after a dispute over the distribution of the council’s Paris Club funds.
The development has sent shock waves across the local government area, especially as the impeached chairman is among those who failed to secure the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest in the forthcoming election.
Nation
Association Tasks Fubara On Rumuwoji Market Phase Three
The Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association, Mile 1, Port Harcourt, has urged the state government to utilise the available spaces within the area to build phase 3 of the Rumuwoji Market in order to solve the ever increasing needs of traders.
The association, which said this at a media briefing in Port Harcourt, also described as a welcomed development the decision by the state Governor to open the phase 2 of the market for business.
According to the association, “We consider it as an answer to the various cries of the people, because he is a man on a mission who is out to place the interest of Rivers people first. It is a dream come true for the first time for the market to be dully allocated and open for business”
Chairman of the association, Hon Godspower Wobo, who briefed the press shortly after a meeting of the association in Port Harcourt, also urged the public to disregard the activities of some persons whose stock in trade is to cause disaffection in the market.
He said the attention of the association was drawn to the activities of some strange fellows who went about misforming the people about situation in the market, stressing that apart from his association, no other group exists in the market except subdiary unions.
Wobo also tasked the reallocation committee to tread with caution so as to avoid being deceived by any group.
According to him, time has come for the state government to engage in robust discussion with aggrieved shop owners who went to court and those who paid monies to the state coffers and issued with allocation certificates for the overall interest of peace.
He also advised the public to deal directly with his association, stressing that the meeting was to review activities for the last year as well as unveil their new Constitution.
Also speaking, former Chairman of the association, Deacon Kenneth Eze urged the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara to open the phase 2 of the market, as it is long overdue.
Eze who is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the association also urged the public to do business with only the Rumuwoji Ultra Modern Market Traders Association as it is the only union recognised by the traders.
Nation
AfDB President Denies 2027 Presidential Ambition
The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwunmi Adesina, has debunked reports linking him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.
Reacting to the report on his X handle yesterday, following a recent interview with Arise TV, the AfDB boss said his quotes were misrepresented and misinterpreted in several Nigerian media reports.
However, the AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for President.
“A segment of my recent interview on @Arise TV has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, “I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.”
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.
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