News
‘APC Govt Has Rendered 20m Nigerians Jobless’
Ahead of the 2019 general elections, Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike says the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government has forced Nigerians to loose over 20 million jobs across the country.
The governor also said that over 85 per cent of Nigerian youths do not have jobs under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government.
Wike made this disclosure in Port Harcourt, last Monday, during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Rally for Ikwerre Local Government Area at Saint Martin’s Anglican Church field, Omagwa near the Port Harcourt International Airport, Rivers State.
The governor, who blamed the Nigerian youths for the lack of jobs in the country, said the youths voted APC into power to cause the unemployment experienced in the country, and charged Nigerians to vote PDP Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as President come February 16, 2019.
He also urged Ikwerre people to vote him as governor of Rivers State while also voting all the PDP candidates at state and national levels to restore the economy.
Describing Atiku as one of the major employers of labour in the country and a job creator, Wike told the mammoth crowd at the rally that APC does not stand to fight corruption in Nigeria as the party itself is the home of corruption in the country.
Wike also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) not to postpone the 2019 general elections in the state and in Nigeria as such may cause problem in the polity.
He charged the leadership of INEC to shun rigging of Rivers State election results as any attempt to rig the election would cause serious crisis.
According to Wike, “Anybody who attempts to rig election in Rivers State, his or her family would be rigged”, just as he insisted that INEC should allow the electorate in Rivers State to vote for the party and candidate of their choice.
Wike openly declared that PDP in the state would not go to court to contest any results, but assured that the party would win the 2019 governorship election in the state.
Accompanied by the state Chairman, PDP, Bros Felix Obuah, former Governor of Rivers State, Sir Celestine Omehia, Commissioner for Information and Communications, Barrister Emma Okah, Senator Thompson Sekibo, Barrister Boniface Emerengwa and other party chieftains, Wike reminded the people that all the state governors that do not pay salaries to workers belong to APC.
Describing APC as a desperate party, Wike accused the former governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi of selling off the state Olympia Hotel and the facilities at Abonnema Wharf to his cronies at the detriment of Rivers people.
On the March 2, 2019 governorship election in the state, Wike called on party faithful and all Rivers people not to panic, saying that “PDP has everything its takes to win the poll as the party has prepared for the 2019 elections for over two years in the state”.
Wike also declared ‘Operation Deliver Your Units’ in the 2019 elections across all local government areas of the state, as he appealed to all PDP faithful to ensure they totally deliver their units to the PDP.
While describing PDP as a party that preaches peace and unity, Wike said he completed and commissioned all internal roads in Isiokpo, Omademe, Ipo and Igwuruta communities, including UNIPORT-Aluu and Rumuekini-Aluu link roads in the LGA.
The governor also said that he was not contesting election with anybody in Rivers State as his footprint in terms of projects’ execution speaks volume for his re-election.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Chairman, Ilwerre Local Government Area, Engr. Samuel Nwanosike, had said Ikwerre people would no longer allow the use of armoured personnel carriers and military personnel by some persons in the LGA to rig the 2019 elections in the area.
He assured the governor that Ikwerre people would give the party a landslide victory in the governorship and Presidential elections come February and March, 2019.
The chairman also confirmed to the governor and the PDP family at the rally that for the 2019 election, 480,000 voters registered in the LGA as against 125,000 in 2015 polls.
Nwanosike insisted that over 161,000 voters in Ikwerre LGA have collected their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs) ahead of the 2019 polls in the area.
According to him, “The 181 units in Ikwerre LGA have resolved to vote Governor Nyesom Wike on March 2 and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on February 16, 2019 elections in the country, as the opposition party has no root in the LGA and cannot win election in the area”.
Highlight of the rally was the official presentation of party flags by state Chairman of the party, Bros Felix Obuah to Senator Thompson Sekibo as PDP senatorial candidate for Rivers East and Barrister Boniface Emerengwa as PDP candidate for House of Representatives’ Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency and Hon Anslem Oguguo for the state House of Assembly.
The agency also arrested an 80-year-old suspected drug dealer in Rivers State, a businesswoman linked to cannabis shipments from Canada, a Chadian woman, a couple and other suspects in coordinated operations across Lagos, Edo, Kogi and Rivers states.
The NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement, yesterday.
According to the statement, the latest intelligence-led operation came barely one week after NDLEA operatives recovered 558,900 pills of tramadol concealed in the false-bottom compartment of a truck that entered Lagos through the Togo-Benin Republic route.
Babafemi said, “Ongoing efforts to dismantle a transnational drug trafficking syndicate smuggling tramadol from Togo, through Benin Republic into Nigeria have yielded another success with the interception of two long trailers used to move One Million Six Hundred and Thirty (1,630,000) pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in fabricated compartments of the trucks across multiple borders into Lagos.”
He added that one of the two trailers was intercepted on July 2 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where operatives recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor.
Babafemi said, “One of the two trucks already heading to Kano was tracked and located on 2nd July 2026 along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where NDLEA officers recovered 853,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the trailer and arrested the 22-year-old driver Jabir Kabiru.”
He further disclosed that another trailer was intercepted two days later on the same route.
“Two days later, 4th July, NDLEA operatives acting on processed intelligence successfully tracked and recovered the second trailer from the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway while heading to Kano. A total of 777,000 pills of tramadol 250mg concealed in a fabricated compartment beneath the cargo floor of the truck were evacuated and the 22-year-old driver Muhammed Nuhu arrested,” the statement read.
According to Babafemi, investigations established a link between the three intercepted consignments.
He said, “Investigations revealed that all three trucks and consignments intercepted on 21st June, 2nd July and 4th July belong to the same transnational drug trafficking syndicate operating along the Togo-Benin Republic-Nigeria axis.”
The agency also intercepted 4.70 kilograms of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos.
Babafemi said, “Two consignments of Canadian Loud, a synthetic strain of cannabis, with a combined weight of 4.70 kilograms have been intercepted at the import shed of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos. The cargoes, which arrived the Lagos airport from Canada in cartons with ‘Odugwu’ boldly written on them, came aboard British Airways and Ethiopian Airlines flights on 24th June and 3rd July respectively.”
He said two cargo agents, Ali Rotimi Samson and Orimolade Oluwagbenga, were initially arrested in connection with the shipments, while another suspect, Edeh Onyeamachi Stanislus, was apprehended after arriving at a logistics company to take delivery of the consignments.
The ministry, in a public notice posted on its official X handle, yesterday, described messages, links and websites advertising the alleged programme as fraudulent.
It urged Nigerians to disregard such claims and verify information only through official government channels.
“The Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction has NOT commenced registration for any ?50,000 National Support Allowance,” the ministry said.
It added, “Disregard fraudulent messages, links and websites claiming otherwise. Verify any info only through official govt channels.”
The alert is in response to a circulating scam flyer that falsely claims the program is ongoing under President Bola Tinubu’s directives.
The fake advertisement, which includes text in Hausa and English, directs victims to a suspicious website (kluspz.com) for applications.
The ministry’s warning comes amid heightened concerns over digital fraud targeting vulnerable populations seeking social support.
Similar scams have previously surfaced around programs like N-Power, prompting questions from citizens in replies to the official post.
NLC President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, hinted at this while making his remarks at the commissioning of the Comrade Godwin Abumisi Pensioners Legacy House and Multipurpose Hall in Abuja.
Ajaero said it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
He advised workers and pensioners to get prepared for the ideological and economic battles that lie ahead.
According to the NLC president, “The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (NUP) is one of the proud affiliates of the Nigeria Labour Congress. Therefore, your struggle is our struggle, and your welfare remains a priority for the organised labour movement.
“We are currently in the preparatory stages for a major national struggle for a comprehensive review of the national minimum wage.
“However, let me state unequivocally that it is no longer acceptable to discuss the welfare of workers without also discussing the welfare of those who have completed their active years of service.
“Accordingly, the Nigeria Labour Congress will not only push for a new national minimum wage but will also demand the establishment of a national minimum pension. It is a historical injustice that men and women who devoted their youth, strength and productive years to the service of this nation should be condemned to live below the poverty line after retirement.”
Ajaero noted that the cost of living has risen astronomically as food, healthcare and transportation have become increasingly unaffordable.
“We cannot continue to allow our senior citizens to survive on pensions that have become poverty wages. Every retiree deserves to live with dignity after decades of faithful service to the nation,” he said.
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He urged pensioners across the country to remain united and prepared as the process begins, adding: “This Legacy House should not merely be seen as a physical structure; it should become a centre for mobilisation, strategic engagement and solidarity as we prepare for the struggles ahead.”
The NLC president pointed out that the working class has always understood that “those who exploit workers are united in advancing their interests. We too must remain united in defending our collective interests and ensuring that government fulfils its obligations to both serving workers and retirees.”
He said the completion of the project should serve as a clarion call to all workers and lovers of the masses.
“We must not only build physical structures but also build a strong movement capable of compelling government to honour its commitments,” he said.
Ajaero further stated: “We will continue to demand the immediate payment of all outstanding pension arrears and the implementation of a pension regime that guarantees every retiree a life of dignity and security.
“Together, we shall continue to fight until every Nigerian worker and pensioner receives the justice, respect and welfare they deserve.”
-
News2 days agoRivers NUJ Seeks Recruitment Into State Media Houses …Urges Govt To Reposition Public Service
-
News2 days agoFamily Seeks Police Help As Woman Goes Missing After Fleeing Female Circumcision Threat
-
Oil & Energy2 days agoNCDMB Partner Renaissance To Train 300 Youths On oil, gas Skills
-
News2 days agoNigeria Hosts World Public Relations Forum Sept …As Experts Seek Inclusion Of PR In Decision Making
-
News2 days agoTinubu, Fubara Condole Amaechi Over Mother’s Death
-
News2 days agoNDLEA Intercepts 1.63m Tramadol Pills, Arrests 80-Year-Old Suspect
-
Oil & Energy2 days agoAbia Secures $145m Investment Commitment To Establish Solar Manufacturing Plant
-
Oil & Energy2 days agoLocal Crude Shortage Crippling Nigerian Refineries – MAN