Nation
THE STATES
Adamawa
The presidential committee on relief materials has
initiated the distribution of relief materials to persons displaced by attacks in Adamawa State.
The Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okwonjo-Eweala, who presented the materials, said they were meant to cushion the effect of insurgency on the victims.
The event took place at Bajabure displaced peoples camp in Girei Local Government Area of the state.
The minister said the gesture had no political undertone as being insinuated, adding that the victims were Nigerians and that government had the obligation to ease their suffering.
In his address, Mr Boni Haruna, Minister of Youth Development, said government was concerned about the victims.
“Government is very concerned and is bound to respond on issues in the North-East region of the country. It is making progress in the war against insurgency,” he said.
Borno
The Borno State chapter of the Christian Associa
tion of Nigeria (CAN) yesterday advised political and religious leaders in the country to examine their conduct and lead with the fear of God.
This is contained in a message delivered by Bishop Naga Mohammed at the October 1, Unity Prayer organised by the association in Maiduguri.
The association said God had freed Nigeria and Nigerians from the clutches of under-development, corruption and endemic poverty but expressed regret that the nation’s leaders had repeatedly held the country in captivity.
“God has given us freedom but the devil is usually out to snatch it from us through our act, especially most of our leaders. Nigeria got independence from the British colonial masters but we are not free from poverty and many problems,’’ CAN stated. It urged Nigerian leaders to purge themselves of selfish interest and seek truth so that the nation could be set free.
Ekiti
Former Head of State and All Progressives Con
gress (APC) presidential aspirant, General Mohammadu Buhari (rtd), has urged Nigerians to use the opportunity of the 2015 general election to stop what he referred to as “the tyranny of the Peoples Democratic Party in the country.”
Buhari, who was in Ado Ekiti, on Wednesday, to inaugurate the newly-constructed Ekiti Parapo Square built by Governor Kayode Fayemi, said it was time for Nigerians to take their destiny in their hands “and rescue themselves from bad governance and oppression.”
Buhari, who was a special guest of honour at ceremonies to mark the 18th anniversary of the creation of Ekiti State, lamented that Nigerians had “been traumatised by the PDP reign in the country,” saying it was time for them to make a change.
FCT
Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday, cau
tioned politicians against inflammatory and treasonable statements, ahead the 2015 elections.
Mark, at a special church service to mark Nigeria’s 54th Independent anniversary at St. Mulumba’s Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja, added that unguarded statements could overheat the polity and create avoidable tension.
He insisted that ambitions of individuals were subordinate to national interest, adding that “Nigeria must exist as a nation first before we could pursue our individual ambitions.”
Mark also stated that those who had been seen fanning the embers of war must immediately desist as, according to him, Nigerians had a lot to gain by being united.
Kaduna
All Progressives Congress (APC) members in the
Kaduna State House of Assembly have endorsed General Muhammadu Buhari to contest the 2015 presidential election.
The APC members that constituted the opposition at the Assembly said they endorsed Buhari on behalf of their constituencies.
Minority Leader in the Assembly, Mohammed Ali, in company of other members of opposition, said many people fear General Buhari because they are beholden to corruption and greed, adding that many adore him because they believed he has the ability to turn things around.
“Never in the history of this nation have we come close to a failed state as it is presently experienced owing to the ineptitude of those charged with the responsibility of leading the nation but history has it that when General Buhari was the Military head of state, Nigeria blossomed as a nation while discipline was restored and Nigeria was respected worldwide, “ he said.
Kwara
The Project Director, Ambico Sendivian Limited, Mr.
Idowu Salawu, has said that the cause of the floods which had destroyed properties worth millions of Naira in Illorin, the Kwara State capital, was not because the federal government had abandoned the channelisation of the Asa River in Kwara State.
In an interview with our correspondent in Ilorin yesterday, he stated that it is incorrect that the Federal Government had abandoned the project, adding that the project is still on course and that the Federal Government had mobilized the company for the channelisation of the Asa River.
He blamed the flood on the heavy rains currently being witnessed as a result of climate change.
Ogun
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday de
scribed the death of Dame Remi Oyo, the former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) as painful.
Oyo, who was the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Obasanjo when he was president between 1999 and 2007, died in a London hospital on Wednesday at the age of 61.
Reacting to the death, Obasanjo said in a statement in Abeokuta that: “The sudden death of this thorough-bread journalist left a very sour taste in our mouths.”
He noted that Oyo, through her public service as his media aide, earned the recognition and admiration of many of her compatriots across the length and breadth of Nigeria.
“She was a dutiful and hardworking woman and did her very best to the end in the service of her fatherland.
Osun
In its quest to eradicate corruption in Nigeria, the Secre
tary of the National Universities Commission, Professor Akinsola Okebukola has tasked educationists to fight against corruption in the education sector.
The call was made at the 2014 Foundation Day Lecture of the Osun State University, with the theme: When will the Glory days of Nigerian Universities be here?
In his lecture, he stressed the importance of operating and maintaining a standard academic atmosphere. According to him, “the practical way of handling corruption is by including reward and sanction and rewarding good behaviour and punishing bad behaviour.”
Lagos
The Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) yesterday said
the implementation of the minimum standards for haulage at the ports would commence on October 2.
The Apapa Port Manager, Mr Anas Nasir, told newsmen in Lagos that the new haulage policy would be inaugurated at Lagos ports with an awareness campaign for truck drivers.
The NPA had earlier informed the Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) of its intention to implement the policy.
“We are going to adopt a gradual approach in enforcing the minimum standards for operational trucks at the port following the association’s appeal. Being the last quarter of the year, there may be high demand for their services and it may harm their business if a number of them cannot operate, ’’Nasir said.
The port manager, however, noted that adopting a mild approach for now did not mean safety standards would be compromised.
Taraba
A Taraba group, DSK Project 2015, yesterday faulted
General TY Danjuma over his reported endorsement of the minister of state for Niger Delta, Architect Ishaku Darius as consensus candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Southern Taraba.
Director General of DSK Project 2015, Senator Abdulaziz Ibrahim, at a press conference in Jalingo said Gen. Danjuma was ‘misinformed’ by ‘Abuja-based politicians’ into endorsing Ishaku as against the earlier decision of the southern zone which chose Chief David Sabo Kente as its consensus candidate.
“While we respect General TY Danjuma as a national elder-statesman and distinguished military general of Taraba State extraction, we fear he has faulted as he allowed himself to be misdirected-through misinformation-by a group of politicians who are based in Abuja, who have no direct contact with the grassroots-our local populace in Taraba”, he said.
Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Zainab Maina (left) with the Deputy Head of Chancery, British High Commission, Josephine Guide, during the visit of Josephine to the ministry in Abuja, recently. Photo: NAN
The Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) has commemorated the 15th anniversary of the release of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Environmental Assessment Report on Ogoniland, reaffirming its commitment to restoring the environment and improving the livelihoods of affected communities.
In a statement signed by the Project Coordinator, Prof Nenibarini Zabbey, to commemorate the anniversary, HYPREP described the anniversary as a significant milestone in Nigeria’s environmental restoration efforts, noting that the project has made remarkable progress in implementing the recommendations of the landmark UNEP report released on August 4, 2011.
The UNEP report had revealed extensive oil pollution across Ogoniland, severe environmental degradation, and serious public health risks resulting from decades of petroleum operations. It also recommended an initial $1 billion fund to commence the cleanup of the affected communities.
According to HYPREP, the Federal Government formally launched the Ogoni clean-up in 2016, while the Project Coordination Office was established in 2017 to drive the implementation of UNEP’s recommendations.
Zabbey said the current administration has continued to prioritise the project under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Providing an update on the cleanup, the Project Coordinator disclosed that 30 of the 65 contaminated sites identified by UNEP have been fully remediated, while work is ongoing at several medium- and high-risk locations. It also stated that more than 1.5 million mangrove seedlings have been planted as part of what it described as the world’s largest restoration of oil-degraded mangroves, with over 1,000 hectares of shoreline already rehabilitated.
Zabbey further revealed that 49 Ogoni communities have been connected to potable water schemes through multiple water projects and booster stations aimed at providing safe drinking water across the region.
In the health sector, he said the 100-bed Ogoni Specialist Hospital in Kpite and the 43-bed Cottage Hospital in Buan are nearing completion, adding that several existing health facilities have been upgraded with modern medical equipment, while five ambulances have been donated to improve emergency healthcare services. The Project Coordinator also disclosed that a three-year human health biomonitoring study is being conducted in collaboration with the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).
On economic empowerment, Zabbey stated that the Project has created more than 8,000 direct jobs and trained thousands of Ogoni youths and women in various vocational and technical skills, including software development, cybersecurity, aviation, commercial diving, seafaring, mechatronics, and creative arts. The project also reported awarding scholarships to more than 1,000 students, providing grants to small businesses, and supporting persons living with special needs through skills acquisition programmes.
The statement further highlighted ongoing legacy projects, including the Ogoni Power Project and the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Restoration, which it said is about 96 per cent complete. HYPREP also welcomed the recent designation of the Ogoni Wetland as a Ramsar Site of International Importance and pledged to continue promoting biodiversity conservation and sustainable management of the ecosystem.
Marking the anniversary, Zabbey said the progress achieved over the past 15 years demonstrates the collective commitment of government, development partners, stakeholders, and local communities to restoring Ogoniland. He called for renewed collaboration to sustain the cleanup effort, promote environmental sustainability, and support the long-term development of the region. 3