Youth Group Protest Bad Federal Road In Edo, Call For Immediate Action

August 27, 2022

Members of a group under the aegis of the Esan Liberation Movement (ELM) are protesting the unmotorable nature of the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi road in Edo State and asked

the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency fix the road.

In a statement yesterday, August 26 by the Leader of Esan Liberation Movement, Prosper Iyere, on behalf of the Concerned Ekpoma Eminent Stakeholders Forum, (CEESF), Iruekpen Youth Association respectively, the Group called on the federal lawmakers representing the entire Esanland to prevail on relevant government authorities to direct the contractor handling the road construction to mobilize to site and immediately commence work on the project, to address the pains and terrible experience the people face on a daily basis.

The group and other concerned youths in Esanland, which have been protesting the neglect of the road since August 22, said that despite a series of letters to authorities drawing attention to the deplorable condition of the road, they were yet to get any response.

“It is no longer news that the terrible condition of the road has a terrible impact on the overall socio-economic life of the people, including but not limited to the destruction of their businesses, particularly of those who deal with perishable foodstuffs, who get stranded on a daily basis when their vehicles break down on the road. The result of this sad experience has always been huge losses of revenues, loss of lives, waste of time on the highway, and risk to lives and properties.”

The Group said that the consequences of the failure on the path of government to fix the road has also led to the use of alternative routes inside Ekpoma town which they said have now become unbearable for the people.

“As part of the South-South region that contributes majorly to the sustenance of the Nigerian economy through revenue from oil and gas, we dare to say that we deserve to enjoy the proceeds that come from the region and demanding for a good road network is not asking for too much.”

The Group decried the negligent, conduct and nonchalant attitude of lawmakers representing the region, saying that they have refused to exercise oversight function on the road as well as other facilities in Esan land, particularly the Benin/Auchi highway.

“Equally, we are concerned with the insensitivity of our representatives in the National Assembly to the plight of the people, in terms of attracting amenities to our area.”

As part of its protest, group said that the Ewu axis of the highway will be sealed off from public use until “our demands for immediate action on the road rehabilitation are met.”

It however assured the Police and other law enforcement agencies of their resolve to be peaceful and law-abiding during the protest, adding that they will not allow any hoodlum or group of persons hijack the protests thereby tarnishing “our image by whatever means.”

The Group also pledged to support the contractors, Dantata and Sawoe, to effectively handle the construction.

CBN Rescues Crisis-Ridden Airlines With $265 Million

Greenbarge Reporters

August 27, 2022

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has released the sum of $265 million to the airlines operating in Nigeria to enable them settle outstanding ticket sales and save the country from the looming crisis in the aviation sector.

A statement today, August 26 by the Director of the Corporate Communications in the apex bank, Osita Nwasinobi said that while $230 million of the amount was released as special intervention, $35 million was released through retail SMIS auction.

The statement said that the Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele and his team were concerned about the unpleasant development in the aviation sector, and what it portends for the country in the comity of nations and the travellers.

Nwanisobi stressed that CBN is not against any company repatriating its funds from Nigeria, but that what the bank would always insist on is orderly exit by those that might be interested in doing so.

He said that with the release of funds today, it is expected that the airline operators and travellers will bounce back into business.

It will be recalled that some airlines had threatened to withdraw their services in the face of unremitted funds for outstanding sale of tickets.

Nature’s Room In Osara, Kogi

Greenbarge Reporters

August 26, 2022

Here’s a deep room, created by nature in the heart of Osara village, a few kilometers from Lokoja, capital of Kogi State. You may find it interesting.

Abike Dabiri Warns Nigerians Not To Go To Cyprus, Says 20 Nigerian Students Have Been Killed

Editorial staff

August 25, 2022

Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), Dr. Abike Dabir-Erewa has advised Nigerians not to go to the Northern Cyprus because it is not recognized as a sovereign country by the United Nations (UN) and its foreign policy is largely towards Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots Living Abroad.

“Please tell everybody to stop going to Northern Cyprus. Over 20 students have been killed over the years and nothing has happened.”

Abike Dabiri-Erewa, who spoke to news men today, August 25 on the weekly programme of ministerial briefing at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said that the country is in a complex situation since it declared independence from Cyprus in 1983 after the invasion by Turkish troops.

“Think twice before going to Northern Cyprus. We can’t do much for Nigerians there. Our students are being killed daily.
The NIDCOM boss said that the federal government needs to take a strong decision about places like Northern Cyprus, even as she admitted that no diplomatic success has been recorded by Nigeria in the affected country.

“We do a lot of diplomatic engagement in Diaspora matters in Northern Cyprus, because it’s being a lot of problem with Northern Cyprus.

“We did that sometimes ago and somebody said, how can you tell people not to go, and I’m saying it again, if you are going to Northern Cyprus think twice about it.

“Over 20 students have been killed over the years and nothing has happened; so these students came with themselves and said they have to embark on an awareness, saying don’t go to Northern Cyprus.

“Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey, it is not a United Nation recognized country.

“So if you run, we can’t do much, but our students are being killed on a daily basis and nothing is happening.”

The country’s president is Ersin Tatar. He is said to be pushing for strong ties with the United Kingdom, having graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1982.

I Will Still Be President Of Nigeria; Not Now, Pastor Chris Okotie Justifies His Prophesy

Editorial staff

August 25, 2022

Senior Pastor of the Household of God Church, Chris Okotie, has said that the fact that he failed to win his presidential bids three times so far despite allegedly hearing from God to run for office does not mean that his hope of becoming President is dashed.

According to Okotie, failing to win presidential elections three times has not invalidated the prophecy that he would lead the country.

The cleric who contested the presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011 but lost in all, said during an Arise TV interview today, August 25 said that God’s prophecies are futuristic and could take years to materialize.

“The thing about this is that it is difficult to communicate spiritual realities to a mind that is not renewed. The language of faith is totally different from that which we have in ordinary parlance.

“When God speaks to you, he doesn’t speak futuristically, he speaks in the present. God always says I have made you. He told Abraham ‘I have made you the father of nations’ when he didn’t even have a child. So, sometimes when we communicate spiritual information, people misunderstand. Because faith is beyond that which is cognitive.

“So, when I make a statement and when people think ‘Oh, well he didn’t win an election’ and they think that it is immediate.”

Pastor Okotie referred to instances in the Bible where God’s prophecies about Moses and Abraham took time to come to fruition.

“When the Lord sent Moses to Pharaoh, it took several times of going to Pharaoh before Pharaoh capitulated. When the Lord says he’s going to do something, he says it now but it takes time. It took time for Abraham to beget Isaac. So, we need to understand that it took time for the prophecy concerning the rainfall to take place when Noah started telling the people it was going to rain. It took 100 years before it began to rain and the people thought he was crazy. So, many times when we talk about faith, the unbeliever or infidel who doesn’t understand spiritual things runs into a place of confusion.

“But I can assure you that that which has been spoken will definitely come to pass. What I am doing right now is patriotic. I’m trying to evoke nationalistic sentiments at a time when Nigerians need to come together in a cohesive atmosphere where there is love, understanding, and unity. And we have that nationalistic brotherhood that could help us overcome the situation that we face today.”

Okotie had earlier proposed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration should be succeeded by an interim government that would restructure the country before a fresh election is conducted.

His proposal aligns with the one earlier made by Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola of the University of Ado Ekiti, who had said that instead of holding elections in 2023, an interim government should be formed to steer Nigeria in a new direction and give the country a new constitution.

Okotie said: “We are involved in a process that I call the conversational level, where Nigerians are holding conversations with each other as to the viability of this project (Interim Government) because we’ve recognized that a regime change is not going to solve any problem. If we go through that route, we are just going to come back to square one.

“Our restructuring is inevitable because what we are practicing today is not federalism. Because federalism involves the manipulation of centrifugal and centripetal forces. People want to have an opportunity to decide how their resources are controlled. So, the interim government will provide a ‘raprooshma’ for people to come together and decide so that these agitations for secession will cease.”

He urged that well-meaning Nigerians should support him to lead the proposed interim government “because I have demonstrated the tenacity to do soI would say that I have paid my dues denominated in tenacity and resilience and if I wanted to be a part of this bandwagon, I would have done so many years ago when I first ran for president in 2003.

“I am saying very clearly without any equivocation that the only way forward is an interim government led by Chris Okotie.”

We Don’t Pay Salary For Community Policing Constables, Force Headquarters Clarifies

Editorial staff

August 25, 2022

The Nigeria Police Force has made it clear that the recently introduced Community Policing Constabulary Scheme of the Force did not have monthly salary attached to those taking part in it.

Reacting to the recent protest of Community Policing Constables in Ilorin, Kwara State, the Force spokesman, Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Olumuyiwa Adejobi said that the scheme is a purely voluntary service that was introduced by the Federal Government to train and incorporate individuals with prior paid employment who desire to spend their spare time assisting the police in its simple police tasks within their various communities.
“It therefore came as a rude shock that members of the scheme were protesting non-payment of salaries in Kwara State recently when the ultimate purpose and rule of engagement of the scheme is to promote community partnership in crime control via the presence of respected members of the public, with a source of livelihood, partnering with the Force under the scheme to render voluntary service for better and improved policing within their communities.
“The scheme clearly delineates the roles of the Community Policing Constables, who are not direct employees/personnel of the Police but of their respective communities, at both divisional and state levels to include assisting the police in crime detection and prevention, conflict resolution, intelligence gathering and dissemination to local Police Commanders, maintenance of law and order, deployment to complement conventional police officers in patrolling their communal public space, advising the public on safety, crime prevention, and security tips, dealing with minor offences and social vices, working with relevant stakeholders on crime control, and traffic management and school safety duties.
“The Nigeria Police therefore re-emphasizes the fact that the scheme is voluntary and no payments were agreed with the individuals under the scheme neither were paid terms of appointment discussed prior to its commencement. Subsequently, considering the fact that a protest for payment when there is no basis for such is mischievous and ill-conceived; the Force however, will be taking adequate measures to review the effectiveness of the scheme as soon as possible.”

Activist, Deji Adeyanju, Confirms Obasanjo’s Full Support For Peter Obi

Editorial staff

August 25, 2022

An activist, Deji Adeyanju, has confirmed that former President Olusegun Obasanjo is supporting the candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, to become the next Nigerian president in 2023.

The activist, in a statement today, August 25, said that Obasanjo has been soliciting funds for Obi’s presidential campaign, which will kick off next week, according to the calendar of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

He said however, that Obi will come a distant third in the next year’s presidential election despite such support, challenging anybody in doubt to a bet.

“I have information and those who know me know this. OBJ is supporting Obi 100% and I said this days ago.

“Baba (Obasanjo) has been the one calling people all over the place for Obi; from PDP governors to international connects and even people that can help fund the campaign but Obi will still come distant 3rd. Do you wanna bet?”

Atiku Holds APC Responsible For The Crisis In PDP, Begs Supporters Against Attacking Party Leaders

Editorial staff

August 25, 2022

Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar has held the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the crisis that is tearing his party.

He begged the stakeholders of the party and his supporters to desist forthwith from attacking leaders of the party.

The former Vice President, in a statement by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe in Abuja today, August 25 said: “it has become imperative to appeal to all party members, leaders and everyone related to, connected with or associated with the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar to desist from making comments that potentially reduce the optics of PDP’s image as a united political party.

“This appeal becomes necessary in order to call the attention of party leaders and members to the diversionary antics of the ruling All Progressives Congress which, in manufacturing a false impression of division within the PDP, aims to hoodwink the Nigerian public to overlook the monumental failures of the ruling party.

“Today, Nigerians look up to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to lead the charge in ousting the ruling party. This expectation from the people is the reason why the APC is jittery of their impending fall in next year’s general election. It is also the very reason why the ruling party is manipulating the political process to create a sense of division in the PDP.

“Because they know that there is nothing to campaign with from their records of performance in office, the APC has elected to play the role of the devil’s advocate, regaling in celebration of their imaginary invincibility upon a fraudulent claim that the PDP is divided.

“It is for this reason that appeal to every true member of the PDP and anyone who truly wishes the success of the PDP presidential candidate to not fall for the antics of the APC in making statements that could give credence to the false claim of divisions in the PDP.

“All the leaders of the party, including especially the governor of Rivers State, His Excellency Nyesom Wike and all governors of the PDP are united in working for the victory of the PDP in next year’s general election across board.

“What is at stake in the next year’s election is the future of Nigeria and all leaders and members of the PDP are on the same page in the mission to rescue Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC.”

Federal Govt Approves N718 Million For Security On Abuja Rail Mass Transit Track

Editorial staff

August 24, 2022

The Federal Government of Nigeria has approved contract for the provision of security services to the Abuja Rail Mass Transit phase at a total sum of N718, 193, 250 million.

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who made this known after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) at the Presidential villa today, August 24, said that the contract was awarded to two security service providers, namely Messrs Al-Ahli Security Guards Ltd, at the cost of N407, 214, 000 million, covering a distance of 27.245 kilometers and comprising of eight rail stations and Messrs Segad Security Protective Company Ltd, at the cost of N310, 979, 250 million, covering a distance of 18 kilometers, comprising of four stations.

According to the minister, the scope of the contract, which will last for a period of two years, includes protection of the rail tracks, Communication and Control Centre infrastructure as well as electrical and signaling equipment.

The FCT Acting Secretary, Transportation Secretariat, Usman Musa Yahaya, who provided more details on the contract, explained that the provision of emergency security services to the rail tracks became imperative following vandalization of portions of the track.

Yahaya recalled that following the commissioning the Abuja Rail Mass Transit operation in June, 2018, provision of rail services continued till the nation-wide lock down, which was occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He regretted that vandals took advantage of the lock down and vandalized some of the rail facilities.

“This approval is therefore a very good one for the FCT because it will go a long way in securing the rail track.”

2023: I Have No Preferred Candidates Other Than That Of APC’s – Buhari

Editorial staff

August 24, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he has no preferred candidates for the 2023 general elections other than the ones duly elected at the party’s primary.

He made it very clear that he will continue to be a “disciplined statesman/soldier” of the APC “and will, in all the coming elections, support only those candidates fielded by the party and no other.”

A statement today, August 24 by his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu quoted him as warning whoever decamped to other parties as well as those who are still in court against official candidates of the APC that they are on their own and nobody outside the party should link what they are doing to him.

The President wanted to be quoted as saying that he is the “occupant of the high office of the President by the Grace of God who used the instrumentality of the APC to bring him to power with a historic verdict in 2015.”

He said that God returned him with a bigger majority in 2019, saying that for the first time, a non-PDP government came to power with a huge majority after 16 years of the Fourth Republic.

His constant refrain is: “I will not betray or undermine my party by supporting candidates other than those of the APC.

“My stand is not against any particular candidate. However, it is clear that only those candidates fielded by the All Progressives Congress, APC, will enjoy my support and I will campaign for him or her. Furthermore, we welcome the support for our candidates from all corners of the country.”

The President said that he will continue to support the party at all levels to enforce discipline and success.

He also directed officials in and around the Presidential Villa and all those engaging in loose talk to desist from making untrue and unfounded statements that will not help the party in any way.

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