Nation
OSPRE Charges Stakeholders On Substance Abuse
The Director-General, Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE), Mr Chris Ngwodo, has urged stakeholders to collaborate in addressing challenges of substance abuse before it becomes a full-blown crisis.
Ngwodo made this call during a roundtable policy dialogue and technical workshop organised by OSPRE in collaboration with At-Risk-Children’s Project (Arc-P), Police Reform and Transformation Office (PORTO) and Milestones Foundation.
The Tide source reports that the workshop’s theme was: “The Breaking Bad Summit: Hybrid Strategies for the Multi-Dimensional Challenges of Substance Abuse in Nigeria”.
“Substance abuse is a clear and present danger to the well-being, development and peace of this country.
“It has a corollary impact on crime, violence, insecurity and conflict.
“We are all aware of individuals or communities dealing with this challenge”, Ngwodo said.
He stated that the purpose of the event was to forge a coalition of key actors to advance collective strategies for tackling substance abuse in the country.
The Lead presenter, Dr Jude Oboh, briefed on the transnational dimensions of the substance abuse challenge, highlighting the activities of organised crime rings dealing in the international drugs trade.
A Senior Project Officer of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Dr Akanidomo Ibanga, in his presentation, highlighted the need for more substance abuse treatment centres to cater for the huge demand.
The Executive Director of the Milestones Foundation, Dr William Ebiti, commended the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for its impressive successes in securing the convictions of drug traffickers.
He said there was need for stakeholders to deepen their collaboration, especially in the sharing of information.
The stakeholders present also resolved to share data on their activities in the areas of drug demand and supply reduction, enjoining OSPRE to serve as a hub to facilitate this exchange.
The source reports that OSPRE, also known as the National Centre for the Coordination of Early Warning and Response Mechanisms, was established in June 2022 with the signing of Executive Order 12 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It was created in pursuant to Article 58 of the treaty of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
Also, it was formed on the basis of Article 16 of the 1999 Protocol on the Mechanism relating to conflict prevention, management, resolution, peacekeeping and security.
The centre is mandated to address threats to human security and to build the preparedness and resilience of institutions and communities.
Nation
Gombe Opens Bid For Construction Of Three-Arm Zone Project
Gombe State Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation has opened bids for the construction of three arms zone complexes within the Gombe Capital Special Development Zone which held at the Ministry’s conference hall.
Speaking while presiding over the bid opening proceedings, the Commissioner, Engr. . Usman Maijama’a Kallamu assured the bidders that the bid opening would be carried out using procurement process which is based on specific regulations that are credible, fair, and transparent.
The Commissioner, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Alh. Idris Yambiu Buba said that the Ministry will continue to align itself for optimal results in the implementation of government policies and projects in line with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya’s commitment to bringing development to the State.
While assuring the bidders of a transparent process, the SSA to the Governor on Special Project, Arch. Yakubu Mamman thanked Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for his foresight in infrastructural development of the State, adding that government is committed to ensuring that all bidders had an equal chance to participate and compete based on merit to maintain standards and specifications.
Nation
Gov Mbah Signs Bill To Establish Teaching Hospital In Enugu
Governor of Enugu State, Dr Peter Mbah, yesterday, signed the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences (SUMAS) Teaching Hospital Bill 2024 into Law, promising to expedite action to actualise the teaching hospital immediately to provide quality training and healthcare services in the Enugu North part of the State and the State in general.
Mbah, while commending the Enugu State House of Assembly for accelerating action on the processing and passage of the Executive Bill, said that establishing SUMAS Teaching Hospital was in line with his manifesto.
He said, “What we have done by signing into law the Enugu State University of Medical and Applied Sciences Teaching Hospital Bill is that we now have in place a legal framework to immediately begin to put in place all that is required to upgrade SUMAS to a teaching hospital. This is part of our campaign promises and we are committed to delivering on that expeditiously.
“We believe that the importance and significance of siting a teaching hospital in our Enugu North zone can never be lost on us. So, we are not going to spend any time in making sure that everything that is necessary and required to upgrade and get the teaching hospital operational is put in place. With this Law, we are going to redouble our commitment and our efforts to achieve that.”
He assured the Governing Council and the Management of SUMAS of his continued support, adding that his administration would equally be counting on their pedigree and contacts to bring the teaching hospital to fruition in record time.
“We are going to continue to support you and we are also going to continue to count on your experience, network, and profile in raising resources to actualize the project.
“This year alone, we are going to spend 33 per cent of our budget on education. This underscores the importance of education to this administration. So, be sure to come to us whenever there is a need. We are going to support you because we are interested in education and we are investing heavily in it,” he said.
On his part, the Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu, who also spoke at the Bill signing witnessed by the Chairman of SUMAS Governing Council, Msgr. Obiora Ike, and the Vice Chancellor, Prof. James Ogbonna, and top hierarchies of the institution, commended Governor Mbah’s speed and faithfulness in delivering on his campaign promises. He assured that the House of Assembly was ever ready to fast-track every executive bill that would impact positively on the state and its people.
“We promised we are going to support this administration by doing our job expeditiously to ensure that there is no delay in your delivery of democracy dividends to our people. Therefore, the SUMAS Teaching Hospital Bill received expedited hearing and today you have the signing of the bill into law,” he stated.
Nation
Ododo Applauds Security Agencies Over Rescue Of 43 Bus Passengers
Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo has applauded security agencies in the State for their efforts in the rescue of 43 bus passengers.
The Special Adviser on Media to the Governor, Ismaila Isah disclosed this in a statement yesterday.
The statement noted that the governor welcomed the news of the release of the abducted bus passengers in Okehi Local Government Area of the State and called for sustained collaboration between security agencies and local communities to improve intelligence gathering and prevent crime and criminality in all parts of the state.
Ododo commended the caretaker chairman of Okehi LGA, Mr Amoka Eneji, the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Professional Hunters, Ebira Local Hunters Group and other security agencies for their intervention, which led to the rescue of the passengers who were abducted outside the state.
“Governor Ododo also commends the response of security agencies to the robbery incidence in Felele area of Lokoja and called for more urgency in addressing cases of insecurity in any part of the state.
“The Governor reassured the people of the state that his administration will not relent in its efforts in deploying maximum resources to ensure that all communities in the state remain unsafe for criminal elements.”
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