Assertion
NNPC commits to ensuring energy sufficiency, wealth creation for Nigerians
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has reiterated its commitment to ensuring effective stewardship of the nation’s hydrocarbon resources to guarantee energy security and drive wealth creation in Nigeria. The Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari, made this assertion while delivering the keynote address at the 2021 Nigeria Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition (NOG 2021) on Tuesday in Abuja. Speaking on the topic: “Vision and Priorities for Nigeria’s Energy Transformation,” Mallam Kyari stated that for a nation with a teeming youth and a developing economy, Nigeria needed the right policies to unlock its huge economic potential, stressing that NNPC was working towards bridging the energy gap to multiply wealth for its varied stakeholders. “We see a nation that m...
NSCDC: Inadequate manpower hinders agro rangers’ operations
The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC)’s Agro Rangers’ productivity has been slowed down due to several challenges confronting the unit, notwithstanding its marked performance. To buttress the assertion of improved performance, a recent survey conducted in the Northeast showed that many farmers had returned to their farms without fears, and they had a bumper harvest in the last farming season. The Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Ahmed Abubakar Audi, disclosed this in Abuja over the weekend at the first Civil Defence Security Empowerment Workshop 2021 for personnel of the Corps in the Northeast. The Commandant-General, represented by Zachari Ibrahim Ningi, Deputy Commandant General, Administration, said the impacts of the Agro Rangers were tremendous “as a recent survey condu...
Senator Gyang: Nigerian government hasn’t captured Plateau in housing units resettlement
Deputy Chairman Senate Committee on Defence and Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, said Federal Government is yet to consider Plateau State on the 500 housing units constructing for for destroyed communities in North East due to Insecurity. He appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari in the spirit of fairness and Justice to come to the aid of Plateau communities, particularly destroyed communities in Barkin-Ladi, Riyom, Bassa and other villages in Plateau North. Sen. Gyang disclosed this on Monday during an interaction with Journalists at his constituency office, tagged, “The People’s Parliament” lamented over the the deteriorating security situation in the country. “I have being crying out for Federal Government to include Plateau State in the 500 housing units being build...
Rivers governor: PDP will suffer if I leave
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has said that his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will suffer if he leaves for another party. Wike made the assertion on Monday while briefing newsmen in Government House, Port Harcourt, the state’s capital. Newsmen report that the governor’s claim is coming barely one week after his Cross River counterpart, Ben Ayade, dumped the part for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The governor also claimed that he would win election in any party he joins, stressing that PDP in Rivers State lack political detractor. Governor Wike, who described himself as asset to the national opposition party, accused some members of the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) of been “tax collectors”. He said, “If I leave PDP tomorrow, the party will suffer… S...
Anambra: JUSUN strike a national issue, not state-driven
The Anambra State Government on Monday said the ongoing strike by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), was a national issue and not state-driven. Prof. Solo Chukwulobelu, Secretary to the State Government, made the assertion, while addressing members of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Anambra branch, at a peaceful protest to the Government House in Awka. Newsmen report that the protest followed a directive issued on April 18 by the President of the NBA, Mr Olumide Akpata, to all branches of the association. Chukwulobelu said the executive was aware of the need to ensure that all aspects of the three arms of government function properly. “Your demands on independent judiciary are very important, but it is a national issue. “The fact that the courts are not sitting is not becaus...
Governor Wike: Nobody can undermine Rivers in quest for Nigeria’s presidency
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has said that anybody jostling to be president of Nigeria would also need to secure votes in Rivers to combine with either Kano or Lagos to emerge victorious. Wike said such pivotal position establishes the importance of Rivers State in the political scheme of the country, stating that nobody would be allowed to undermine it. He made the assertion at the grand finale of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Election Campaign that held at Ulakwo in Etche Local Government Area, yesterday. The governor said: “I keep telling the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), that no state has given more votes to the party than Rivers. “And it is only in Rivers, in the whole of South-South, that the All Progressives Congress (APC) didn’t get 25 per cent votes...
More than 90 killed in Myanmar in one of bloodiest days of protests
Security forces killed more than 90 people across Myanmar on Saturday in one of the bloodiest days of protests since a military coup last month, news reports and witnesses said. The lethal crackdown came on Armed Forces Day. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the junta leader, said during a parade in the capital Naypyitaw to mark the event that the military would protect the people and strive for democracy. State television had said on Friday that protesters risked being shot “in the head and back”. Despite this, demonstrators against the Feb. 1 coup came out on the streets of Yangon, Mandalay and other towns. The Myanmar Now news portal said 91 people were killed across the country by security forces. A boy reported by local media to be as young as five was among at least 29 people killed in...
Nigerian government blames states for failure of past development plans
Federal Government has blamed the states for the shortcomings of the past development plans, saying it did not receive the needed co-operation from the sub-national governments. Speaking at the closing of 19th National Council on Development Planning (NCDP) meeting on Friday in Abuja, Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, said the overall score card of previous plans were adjudged to be below expectations because of inadequate collaboration from the subnational governments. According to her, the previous plans did not make much impacts based on the assertion that the plans were more of federal government than national. “However, the overall scorecard of previous Plans were adjudged to be below expectations and these were among other factors attributed to inadequate collaboration from Sub-...
World Forest Day: Nigeria’s forests reduced to less than 25% – environmentalists
Some environmentalists on Monday said that unwholesome human activities had reduced the nation’s forest resources to less than 25 per cent. The environment experts made the assertion during an event in Lagos State to commemorate the 2021 World Forest Day, held every March 21, to raise public consciousness on conservation of forests. Newsmen report that the theme of the 2021 edition is “Forest Recovery, a Path and Wellbeing’’. The environmentalists, who envisaged danger as a result of depletion of forests, advised Nigerians to always replenish nature, whenever their activities caused violation of nature. At the event, Executive Director, Sustainable Research and Action for Environmental Development, Nigeria, Dr Leslie Adogame, said “with reduced forestry resources the human habitat is under...
Rumble in Edo as governor runs government without cabinet
Precisely 129 days into his second tenure as governor of Edo State after his election on September 20, 2020 and inauguration on November 12, 2020, Godwin Obaseki, has not formed his cabinet. This has generated some flaks from different quarters, including the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), constitutional lawyers, political analysts, public commentators, residents among others. While others feel that Obaseki has not committed any crime or breached any law, others believe that he is running a one-man administration and must go ahead to form his cabinet. They argued that going by Section 192 of the 1999 Constitution, the governor is obliged to form a cabinet, saying this is a circumvention, which the state House of Assembly should take action on. Obaseki had said that his ...
PDP: Presidency’s ‘wait on God’ remark on insecurity admission of President Buhari’s failure
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has observed that the dismissive statement by the Presidency that Nigerians should ‘wait on God’ for solutions to the insecurity in the country is a direct admission of failure by President Muhammadu Buhari. Making this assertion in a statement issued by Kola Ologbondiyan, National Publicity Secretary, in Abuja on Saturday, the party noted that the remark has “shown clearly that the Buhari administration is completely helpless and has come to its wits end in governance; a development, which validates the position of majority of Nigerians that President Buhari is grossly incompetent and should step aside.” The PDP maintained that the presidency’s statement further goes to confirm that the Buhari’s administration has “outlived its usefulness, if it had any,...
2023: Kogi commissioner tackles Ohanaeze over zoning
Mr Kingsley Fanwo, Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, has reacted to comments by Igbo socio-political group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo on Gov. Yahaya Bello’s assertion about rotation of Nigerian presidency among the different regions of the country. Bello had during a maiden edition of the ‘Governor Yahaya Bello seminar for political and crime correspondents’ in Abuja on Friday, described rotational Presidency as “unconstitutional.” The Governor, who has also declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2023 added that “Nigerians should be allowed to make their choices for the best candidate to emerge for the top post”. But reacting to the claim, Ohanaeze Ndigbo which has been at the vanguard of the clamour that a Nigerian of South-East origin should succeed President...