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Foundation Spends N6.7bn On Infrastructure In N’East

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Victims Support Fund (VSF) spent N6.7 billion in 2017 on rebuilding infrastructure in areas in the North East of Nigeria, ravaged by Boko Haram insurgency. Part of the fund was also used to empower victims of the insurgency.
VSF’s Executive Director, Prof. Sunday Ochoche told newsmen in Abuja that the bulk of the amount was spent on rebuilding schools and hospitals that were  destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
“Twenty four primary and secondary schools have been rebuilt by VSF’’ along with some general hospitals and local government secretariats which were  razed by the insurgents, Ochoche told newsmen.
He said that the rebuilding was done through direct labour with materials bought from markets in the affected areas as part of VSF strategies to reflate the economy of the states, save cost and achieve high quality project execution.
“When we reconstruct, we try to reconstruct better structures and facilities than those destroyed,’’ the Executive Director said, adding that plans were on to fence the rebuilt schools to enhance protection for the pupils and students.
Ochoche said that about 19,000 women in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states were  benefitting from the Fund’s economic empowerment programme. The programme was  designed for women whose husbands were killed by Boko Haram, resulting in their becoming family breadwinners.
“We gave them grants through civil society organisations to engage in small scale ventures like cap making ,’’ he said, adding that the partnering civil organisations helped VSF to monitor the women and promote the culture of savings among them.
Some of the VSF women economic cells “now have up to one million naira in their accounts,” confirming the increasing success of the VSF savings culture promotion initiative , he told our source.
Ochoche said that the Fund was also helping to meet the medical needs of victims in the few remaining Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.
He noted that the need for substantial health care support for victims as experienced in the previous years of intense insurgents attacks had reduced due to the successes recorded by the military against the insurgents.
The VSF Boss commended the Nigerian military for restoring normalcy in most part of the north east and for providing security support to VSF workers.
Victim Support Fund is a Nigerian foundation established to cater for victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the north eastern part of Nigeria. The Fund is being run by 33 personnel headed by the Executive Director Prof. Sunday Ochoche .
Ochoche has over 30 years’ experience in the UN system, government and academia.
Between 2006 and 2013, he served with the United Nations as Senior Political Affairs Officer in the UN Missions in Sierra Leone and Darfur, Sudan; Senior Policy Advisor with the Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) of the UNDP, New York; and Director of Political Affairs at the UN Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS), Mogadishu.
The Fund also has a national Committee with Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd), a former Minister of Defence, as Chairman and Fola Adeola, a co-founder of GT Bank as Deputy Chairman, along with several other Nigerian billionaires and prominent politicians as members.

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Why Wike Is Playing God In Rivers -Asari Dokubo

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A former Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, has claimed that the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is “playing god” in the current political crisis that has pitched him against the Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara.
Dokubo also chided President Bola Tinubu for, according to him, handing over “Rivers and Bayelsa” to the ex-governor.
“He is now playing god. It is dead on arrival, all those things that he is doing,” Dokubo said in a video that surfaced on X.com on Monday.
He added, “I advise my friend, President Bola Tinubu; what you are doing to all Ijaw, Ikwerre people in Rivers State (sic). You took Rivers state and gave it one man”
In April, Fubara revealed that the administration has raised the monthly Internally Generated Revenue of the state from N12 billion which he met upon assumption of office to N27 billion.
Dokubo described the development as commendable while alleging that the governor only had access to N6 billion when he assumed office.
“The governor had come out to say that the IGR for Rivers State is now N27bn up from N12bn. The governor is even being economical with the truth. When the governor came in, they were giving him a paltry sum of N6bn,” he said.
Meanwhile, in another twist to the ongoing crisis, Fubara on Monday said that he would set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
He disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticized recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
He stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”

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Investors, Tourists To Get Visa Within 48 Hours, FG Assures

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The Federal Executive Council chaired by President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a tripartite committee to streamline visa processes and acquisition for investors interested in investing in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, revealed this, yesterday, after the FEC meeting held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“Our visa processes are becoming cumbersome. The ease of doing business is also tied to our visa processes.
“Going forward, those investors, tourists would find it easy to acquire a visa within the next 48 hours,” Idris said.
The meeting which began on Monday was adjourned till Tuesday to allow for other “far-reaching” decisions, the information minister had told journalists.

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Panel To Probe Governance In Rivers Underway -Fubara …Swears In Iboroma As New Attorney-General

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Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has declared his readiness to set up a panel of inquiry to look into the affairs of governance in the state.
Fubara disclosed this during the swearing-in and administration of the oath of office on Dagogo Iboroma, SAN, as the new Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice.
The governor criticised recent comments by the former Attorney-General of the State and Justice Commissioner, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor, SAN, who resigned from his cabinet over a fortnight ago and urged the new Attorney-General to defend the state.
Fubara stated, “It is not the one that while you were here… the only thing you do is to sabotage the government.
“Instead of you to close your mouth, you publicly claim that you’re a learned person to tell people that you’re the Chief Law Officer. Chief Law Officer, you were here and went to stand before a Magistrate Court.
“At that time you didn’t remember that you’re a Chief Law Officer going against the ethics of your job.”
Addressing the new AG, the governor said, “You have a big task. As it is today in the local parlance, they say the jungle has matured. We will be setting a panel of inquiry to investigate the affair of governance.”
The governor further said there was a deliberate attempt to sabotage his administration, saying, “If we disagree, no matter how bad it is, it should be resolved.
“But it has become very clear that this disagreement there is no headway to it, and for many reasons, there is very visible evidence that there is sabotage, a deliberate attempt to sabotage this administration.
“Maybe where they are they are telling them nothing will happen, it is happening here live, we have our own legislators that are performing their duties according to the Constitution. So that record is threatened.”

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