“With the number of decampees I received into our great party today in Katsina, we can say without fear that PDP is dead and buried and can’t recapture Nigeria again come 2019.
“A party where virtually all their bigwigs, Senator Ibrahim Ida and host of others had deserted because they have seen the light and are now in the fold of APC; so you can see that PDP is weak even in Katsina state.”
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun spoke today, Saturday at a grand rally and reception of over 300,000 decampees from other political parties into APC, said PDP. They include Senator Ibrahim Muhammad Ida, former PDP Senator representing Katsina central, Hon. Ya’u Umar Gwojo Gwojo, two terms Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Bature Umar Masari, 2015 PDP Campaign Director General, Dr. Yusha’u Armiya’u.
Chief Oyegun said: “I have been receiving lots of decampees in other states of the federation but the ones I received today are the best considering their reputations”.
The APC chairman said that the federal government, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, has generated about 7000 MWs of electricity within three years, stressing that the president had repositioned the power sector and agriculture via meaningful projects.
“When we came on board we meet 3000 MWs of electricity, but the president has increased it to 7000 MWs within a shortest period of time. On agriculture, Buhari has made the sector almost self-sufficient for everyone”.
Earlier in a welcome address at the occasion, the state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, said that PDP had been completely decimated and have no capacity to make any impact in the governorship and Presidential elections, let alone winning them. [myad]
Member of the House of Representatives, Hon Muhammed Kabiru Ajanah, representing Adavi and Okehi federal constituency in Kogi State, has said that what the ‘sleeping industrial giant;’Ajaokuta Steel Company needs to spring to life is more of a political will than money.
Nasiru Ajanah, who spoke today, Saturday, during the Annual Conference organized by Ebira Youth Progressive Initiative in Abuja, the nation’s federal capital explained that all the ground works have been completed for the steel company to return to full operation.
He asked the people from the steel city and its environs tp embark on serious prayer for President Muhamadu Buhari to be endowed with such political will to make the steel company to resume full operation.
Representative Ajanah said that the lawmakers from the area in which the steel company is located have been doing their best to ensure that it resumes full operation so that youths would have ample opportunities of being massively employed.
He said that apart from Ajaokuta, lawmakers from the Kogi Central senatorial district are working on the possibility of developing Osara Dam to the point of turning it into what he called ‘tourism centre.’
“We want a situation where there will eventually be Osara Fishing and Cultural carnival like Argungu carnival in Sokoto,” Hon Ajanah remarks.
Speaking at the occasion, the founder of Danjuma Eye Foundation (DEF), Prince Danjuma Abdulmalik Attah lamented the lack of leadership direction in Ebira land, stressing that the socio political challenges the land is facing now is due to leadership deficit.
He argued that the solution cannot come from the youth who themselves, have been part of it, by being available to be used by the politicians and other leaders that are divided along clannish lines.
This was even as the chairman of the occasion and Consultant Obstetrician and Gynecologist at Maitama Hospital in FCT, Dr. Abdullahi Jimoh Anate called on the Youths to redirect their energies towards positive development and unity of their societies, away from the wishes of divided political leaders.
Dr. Anate pledged to meaningfully assist youths that are ready to embark on positive projects and programme that would promote the unity and development of Ebira land.
The guest speaker at the event, Dr. Zubairu Ochi Abdulrahman, dwelt on the good qualities of youths and the benefits which such qualities could bring to the society if they are properly utilized. [myad]
At least 125 people, including a dozen high school kids in Milwaukee, have been infected with HIV, syphilis, or both in one of the biggest outbreaks ever reported in the city.
According to Milwaukee’s Journal Sentinel, which broke the story on Tuesday, the outbreak has been identified as a “cluster,” meaning a large number of people have become infected in a particular time and place.
“This is an epidemic people are not talking about enough, and it leads to people taking unnecessary risks,” public health consultant, Melissa Ugland told the Journal Sentinel.
Those involved may have all connected with one another during a 12-month period, said Ugland, who could not be reached for comment by Yahoo Lifestyle. Many of the infected are men, 45 percent of which are HIV-positive, according to Ugland and other health care advocates.
Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Milwaukee Health Department, and Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) did not return Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment.
Less than 10 percent of those infected attend MPS, though the numbers could rise. The district sent a statement to the Journal Sentinel which read: “Because schools have a significant number of students in the 15-18 age group, we are working with the Milwaukee Health Department, in a collaborative and preventive effort, to share information with young people in middle schools and high schools to keep them healthy and to protect their health.”
The news outlet also reports that the cluster is being called a “sentinel event” due to the number of youth infected with HIV and because three area babies were born with syphilis in 2016.
“It’s a really big deal,” Ugland told Journal Sentinel.
The National Coalition of STD Directors, which called the Milwaukee case a “crisis,” published a statement Friday calling out lawmakers.
“This is unacceptable,” wrote executive director David C. Harvey: “Those of us working in the field know that STD prevention works when it’s funded. Investing just 10 cents per person per year in syphilis prevention could cut the number of syphilis cases by almost a third.
“Congress must recognise that these epidemics will continue to rage if federal investment does not rise to meet the ever-rising tide of STD rates, and we call on Congress to increase federal funding for STD prevention at CDC.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that during the first two stages causes painless genital sores, swollen lymph nodes, and fever. The final stage involves no symptoms but can damage the heart and brain, as well as other major organs. Mothers may also pass syphilis to their unborn children during pregnancy and experience complications such as stillbirth. Syphilis is treated with antibiotics.
HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, is an autoimmune disease contracted through unsafe sex or sex with multiple partners. The virus, for which there is no cure, destroys white blood cells called T-helper cells, and spreads throughout the body, presenting itself with a variety of symptoms, including fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and night sweats. The late stage of HIV is AIDS, which greatly weakens the immune system and the body’s ability to fight other infections.
“HIV and syphilis spread efficiently within the first few months, often with the person experiencing nonspecific symptoms or those that mimic the flu,” Jeffrey Klausner, MD, a professor of medicine and public health at the University of California, Los Angeles, tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “And because doctors rarely ask questions about patients’ sexual activity — either because they’re embarrassed or untrained — the diagnosis could be missed.
“We’ve seen a massive erosion in public health resources due to the 2008 recession. Many city clinics were shut down and never refinanced.”
Klausner says syphilis is treatable if done so timely, and that “HIV is manageable and treatable — not the death sentence it was 20 years ago.”
An Abuja Federal High Court has granted an application by Anti-Corruption and Integrity Forum (ACIF) seeking the arrest of Anambra senator, Andy Uba for alleged certificate forgery.
The court approved an order seeking to compel the attorney general of the federation and the inspector general of police to arrest and prosecute Senator Uba over allegation of certificate forgery.
Justice Binta Nyako, who delivered the ruling also granted the exparte application before the court filed by the civil society organisation through its lawyer, Amobi Nzelu.
The organization said it is important for the court to compel the AGF, IGP to exercise its constitutional powers under S174(1) of the 1999 constitution by commencing the proceedings against Uba.
In an affidavit in support of the motion on notice, deposed to, by one Ikechukwu Godswill, the deponent said that on April 24, 2017, the law firm of Anthony Agbolahor wrote a letter to the IGP on behalf of Victor Uwajeh, regarding the alleged fake West African Examination Council Certificate of the Senator.
Godswill said that based on the directive, the office of the DIG, wrote a letter to the registrar of WAEC to confirm the authenticity of the certificate.
“That the West African Examination Council responded to the said letter wherein it stated clearly that the certificate was not issued from their office. The said response from West African examination Council is attached and marked exhibit D.
“That based on the said response from the Registrar of the West African Examination Council, the deputy inspector general of police Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Department (CIID) through the office of the Senate President, requesting senator Emmanuel Nnammdi Ubah a.k.a Andy Ubah to see him for interview on the 31th of August 2017. The said letter is attached and marked exhibit E.
“That the said interview never held due to the intervening circumstances arising from the letter written by the 1st respondent to the Deputy Inspector General of Police force criminal intelligence and investigating department on the matter,” the affidavit said.”
The exhibits attached to the application include an alleged forged WAEC certificate, letter of the police to WAEC to confirm the authenticity of the social certificate with number SC544753 linked to examination number: 05465089 and response from WAEC stating that the certificate was not issued by them. [myad]
The minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has promised to refund to Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), the sum of N6.3 million which it used to refurbish nine broken down vehicles and machinery.
The Minister, who inspected the vehicles today, Friday in Abuja, encouraged other Secretariats, Department and Agencies (SDAs) of the FCTA to emulate the example of the AMMC which has saved the Administration more than N225 million it would have cost it to procure new vehicles.
“We are going to refund you the money you have spent in undertaking the refurbishment of the vehicles,” Bello assured them.
“This is judicious utilization of funds and I must commend the management of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Council for this initiative. This demonstrates that the anticorruption stand of the Buhari Administration and its commitment to prudent management of public resources is bearing fruits.”
The minister directed the management of the Council to use the money he promised to refund as a revolving fund to continue the rehabilitation work on the remaining 25 defunct vehicles in its yard.
He observed that most of these vehicles and machines still had lives in them but were abandoned on very flimsy repair excuses even as he said: “there is nothing wrong with auctioning of unserviceable vehicles but it becomes a matter of great concern when it is done when the affected vehicles are still very serviceable.” [myad]
Senate has asked the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Idris Ibrahim and Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Buratai to appear before it for the purpose of briefing it on step taken so far to ensure freedom of kidnapped of secondary school girls in Chibok and Dapchi by Boko-Haram.
The decision of the Senate was sequel to a motion sponsored by Senator Biodun Olujinmi on international women’s day celebration who expressed dissatisfaction with reoccurring kidnappings of young school girls in the North East.
Olujinmi, who was apparently angry over the kidnapping of the school girls said, that the development may prevent Nigeria from achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.
Presenting a motion on the International women’s day, Senator Olujinmi said that the international women’s day is a day set aside to honour the achievements of women and call attention to their rights.
“Achievement of the goals including ending poverty, promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth, reducing inequality and empowering women and girls rests upon unlocking the full potential of women through the instrumentality of education.”
“The recent kidnap of 110 school girls in Dapchi, Yobe state and the earlier kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno state is ugly trend that is yet to be tackled , the girl child education which is part of the objective of goal number of 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would have been lost in Nigeria even before the 2030 target year.”
Supporting the motion, Senator Attai Aidoko who described herself as half woman, asked the lawmakers to collectively support women in view of continued marginalization and targeted attacks on women by terrorists.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the plenary session said: “We need to celebrate our women every day.
“We must commend them for the jobs they do in their offices and in our homes. We encourage them to hold more leadership positions in the country.” [myad]
The Minister of Interior, General Abdulrahman Dambazau has lamented that the Port-Harcourt Prison which was built for 804 prisoners is currently accommodating 4,204 inmates.
Dambazau, who spoke when he visited Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State in his office in Port-Harcourt, said that Stakeholders Panel on Prison Decongestion had already recommended Rivers as one of the states from the six geopolitical zones in which 3,000 capacities Prison will be constructed.
According to him, the Federal Government’s proposed Prison Project would be carried out on a land that was allocated to the Prisons Service in 1979 in Bori, Rivers State.
This was even as Governor Wike promised to provide necessary supports and cooperation towards the commencement and completion of the new prison project.
The Governor called on the Federal Government to complete the ongoing construction of a prison at Omoku so that it would decongest other prisons in the state.
The Controller General of Prisons, Ja’afaru Ahmed, told the Governor that the contractor handling Omoku Prison had been contacted to hasten the project for early completion. [myad]
Publisher of an online newspaper, the Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, has announced his intention to contest the 2019 presidential elections but without saying on which political party platform he will do so.
In an interview with Premium Times, Sowore said: “it will be the largest mobilization of Nigeria’s ignored and dispossessed people. It will be the most direct engagement of a people in their own political future, said the former student union leader.
“I’ve always offered Nigerians a platform for amplifying their concerns and dreams for Nigeria. I am continuing that struggle. Yes – we will be part of a coalition of parties. These will all be progressive parties – committed to nothing other than the advancement of the Nigerian nation. It is Nigeria’s moment to see revolutionary politics in action!”
Swore said that it is time the country moved forward as the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has failed in entirety.
“No single major victory has been notched in the anti-corruption fight. Boko Haram is still alive and kicking. And the president’s inaction and lack of leadership is causing the herdsmen-farmers conflicts to take on an even more dangerous dimension. The Nigerian state is in shambles, he said.
“If there is anything we have learned in the last few years, it is the fact that the Nigerian electorate has become impatient with purposeless leadership. My candidacy is generating significant interest across Nigeria, especially amongst the youth. The youth demographic is the largest single voting bloc.” [myad]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), in its resolve to guarantee liquidity in the market, has again, injected the sum of $355.43 million into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS).
Information from the apex bank today, Friday, said that the figure is to meet requests in the agricultural, airlines, petroleum products and raw materials and machinery sectors.
The Bank’s Acting Director in the Corporate Communications Department, Isaac Okorafor confirmed the figures, adding that the CBN interventions in the market were aimed at sustaining liquidity in the market as well as boosting production and trade.
He said that with increasing accretion to the country’s reserve, the Bank is in a much better position to ensure liquidity in the inter-bank sector of the market and as such would continue to intervene in order to drive growth in the economy and guarantee stability in the market, particularly now that the economy had gained steam due to an upsurge in the non-oil sector.
He said that with the rates now at N360/$1, it is obvious that the Bank’s forex intervention will maintain the country’s external reserves in order to safeguard the international value of the Naira.
It will be recalled that the CBN, in its last SMIS in February 2018, injected the sum of $321.4 million in the interbank market, while also intervening in the inter-bank Foreign Exchange Market to the tune of $210,000,000, comprising of $100million for the wholesale segment and $55 million for both the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and invisibles segment. [myad]
National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has told Vice President Yemi Osinbajo that the respect and affection he has for him for a long time are deep.
Asiwaju, in a letter to congratulate Professor Osinbajo as he marked his 61st birthday today, March 8, wondered that the high office occupied by the vice president has not changed him as he remains humble and committed to the principles of justice, honesty and equality of all people.
“Your birthday gives me the chance to tell you that the respect and affection I have for you as a brother and friend are deep and abiding. Your life has been one of commitment to the principles of justice, honesty, fairness and equality of all people under God.
“As a lawyer, you plied your knowledge of the law to advance the welfare of the common man and thus protect those ideals and beliefs integral to the exercise of our collective humanity.
“During your eight years as Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice, you continued to stand for profound and worthy causes just as you did in private practice. You did not allow high office to change you or dilute your humanity.
“You vitally contributed to most of the landmark cases and laws passed in the state, which paved the way for the ongoing development of the state. Those same rare talents and traits you continue to live by today.
“Holding the office of the Vice President has not changed you. You remain as humble, as brilliant and as committed to performance as you have ever been.
“Your performance and service to the nation is a source of pride to those who know you. Along with President Buhari, you have helped to show that assumption of high office does not have to lower one’s sense of morality or lessen their humanity.
“Thank you for being a champion for those who are without. Thank you for your service to the country. Thank you for your loyalty to President Buhari.
“May God grant you more years, good health, strength and wisdom. I wish you a most happy birthday dear brother.” [myad]
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