Issue
Osun governor seeks government-citizens parley on security
Osun State governor Adegboyega Oyetola has urged the citizens to rally support for the government to protect the state against any form of security challenge. This was made known today while the Special Adviser to the Governor on civic engagement, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, visited Isale – Agbe community in continuation of the community engagement tour organized by the government. Speaking on behalf of the Governor, Oyintiloye reiterated that the only way by which insecurity could be defeated is through collective efforts of all communities in the state. “It’s generally believed that insecurity has become a topical issue in the national discourse, hence the need to pursue it as a common cause and work towards a society that is free of threat and violence. “As we are all aware, Osun remains on...
Food blockade: AFAN blames institutional failure, inequity
The All Farmers Association of Nigeria, AFAN, Friday, blamed institutional failure for the blockade of foodstuff supply and transportation to Southern Nigeria as the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, AUFCDN, embarked on the protest over factors militating against their business. Speaking with newsmen, National President, AFAN, Arc Ibrahim Kabir, said the whole issue boils down to poor discharge of constitutional duties by relevant government organisations that would have mitigated the plight of members of AUFCDN earlier, and such blockade of food supply would not have happened. Kabir said: “The situation arose principally due to institutional failure and inequity. The institutions saddled with maintaining national security must work properly so also those charge...
PIB: Rivers governor supports allocation of 10 per cent oil revenue to host communities
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, has advocated not less than 10 percent fund allocation to host communities in the Petroleum Industry Bill that is still before the National Assembly. Governor Wike said it is also necessary that the bill state in clear terms what specific development projects that the allocated fund should be spent on, so that development of host communities can be truly actualised. The governor gave the charge when the members of the National Assembly Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill, visited him at Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday. Governor Wike stated that oil bearing communities have suffered the loss of their livelihood, good drinking water and their socio-cultural life disrupted because of the insensitivity of the International Oil compan...
CNG: Northerners should be wary of Yayaha Bello, Femi Fani-Kayode
The Coalition of Northern Groups, CNG, has said that Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, and Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, fooled the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria, AUFCDN, to suspend its strike action and resume supply of food items to the South. It also said northerners should be wary of the duo, who it accused of being driven by personal interests and not the interest of the North. The leading northern group said this in a statement by its spokesman, Suleiman Abdul-azeez, made available to newsmen today. The statement reads: “The Coalition of Northern Groups CNG is of the view that the conclusion to suspend strike action embarked by the cattle and foodstuff dealers under the aegis of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers of Nigeria (AUFCDN) was fo...
Borno governor urges Nigerian government to seek external support to end insurgency
Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno has called on the federal government to seek external support from neighbouring countries, in order to end insurgencies in Nigeria. Zulum, who is also the Chairman, North-East Governors’ Forum, made the call in Bauchi, on Wednesday, at the commencement of the ‘4th North-East Governors’ Forum meeting’. He lamented the high rate of insurgency, especially, in the Northeastern part of the country, and called on the new Service Chiefs to devise tactical measures to counter the current and future attacks in the region. “As it is now, especially in Borno state, violence being perpetrated by insurgents seems to be on the increase. “It has become a matter of tactical necessity for the new Service Chiefs to devise new and authentic strategy to counter the current att...
Rivers governor urges media practitioners to report objectively
Gov Nyesom Wike of Rivers on Tuesday urged media practitioners to be more circumspect while reporting issues that could further polarise the country. Wike gave the advice in Port Harcourt at a meeting held to reconcile Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed. He advised media houses to play a role in stabilising the peace and unity of Nigeria. “The press should have a role to play in stabilising the country; it is not everything you must report. You don’t try to escalate things and when you do that you are not helping the country,” he said. Wike thanked the two governors for amicably resolving their differences. “We give God the glory today that the differences have been sorted out,” he said. Similarly, Ortom thanked Wike and Gov Ahmed Fintiri of Adamawa f...
President Buhari directs security chiefs to recover areas being occupied by criminals
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the nation’s security chiefs to recover all areas being occupied by insurgents, bandits and kidnappers across the country. The National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno, told State House correspondents that the president gave the order during the just concluded meeting of the National Security Council. The meeting was presided by Buhari at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday. According to him, no sovereign nation will allow a group of non-state actors to bring it down to its knees and render the state in state of panic, apprehension, mistrust and disorder. “Therefore, both the defence and intelligence organisations have been charged that while we look forward to having a peaceful, non-kinetic reso...
Senator Saraki urges President Buhari to include opposition, others in fight against insecurity
A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to include opposition parties and the international community in the fight against insecurity in Nigeria. He spoke with newsmen shortly after he met with a former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, behind closed doors at his penthouse residence located within the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL), Abeokuta, Ogun State. Saraki, who is the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Reconciliation and Strategy Committee, was joined in the meeting by former Governors, Ibrahim Dankwanbo (Gombe), Olagunsoye Oyinlola (Osun), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Ibrahim Shehu Sema (Katsina) and former Majority Leader, House of Representatives, Mulikat Akande Adeola. Speaking after about two hours c...
Ondo governor suspends NURTW, RTEAN, orders unions to vacate motor parks
Ondo State Government has suspended both the National Union of Road transport workers, NURTW, and the Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria, RTEAN in the state. The Senior Special Assistant to the governor on special duties and strategy, Dr Doyin Odebowale, said that the suspension was with immediate effect. Odebowale attributed the suspension to recent leadership crisis within the two unions He directed the leadership of both unions to vacate motor parks across the eighteen local government areas of the state and to stop collecting dues from taxi drivers and other motorists across the state. Odebowale also directed taxi drivers to revert to the old price of N50 per drop across the state. He explained that new tickets would be purchased directly from the state government and no ...
Osun governor condemns ethnic colouration in fight against terrorism
Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State has condemned the ethnic coloration in which the fight against terrorism and insurgency is taking in Nigeria. Oyetola, however, called on Nigerians to form a collective synergy with the aim of bringing an end to the worrisome security situation bedevilling the nation. Oyetola, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prince Oluwole Oyebamiji, on Saturday at an international colloquium organised in honour of Prof. Siyan Oyeweso’s 60th birthday and Book Launch held at Western Sun International Ede, Osun State, flayed the ethnic coloration the issue of security is taking in the country. The governor called on security operatives to go after criminals devoid of any kind of sentiment. According to him, the menace of terrorism and insur...
Coronavirus: Niger government directs civil servants to resume work March 1
Niger State Government on Thursday directed all civil servants to resume work from March 1. The State Commissioner for Information, Malam Sani Idris, disclosed this during a press conference in Minna. He said the Gov. Abubakar Sani-Bello gave the directives during Thursday’s weekly State Executive Council Meeting. Newsmen report that the state government had on Dec. 21 directed civil servants to stay at home as a result of the upsurge of the second wave of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. Also, Alhaji Yusuf Suleiman, the State Commissioner for Water Resources said the ministry presented a memo seeking approval to establish Small Towns Water and Sewage Agency. He said the memo was approved by the council which would be translated to the state house of assembly to come up with a bi...
Bauchi, Benue governors reconcile in Port Harcourt
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Tuesday, brokered a truce between the Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom and Governor of Bauchi State, Senator Bala Mohammed in Port Harcourt. The conflict was resolved following the intervention of Governor Wike and his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmed Fintiri. Briefing journalists at the meeting, which held at Governor Wike’s private residence at Rumuepirikom, Governor Mohammed said the outburst between him and Governor Ortom over herders/Fulani profiling was regrettable. “We don’t mean to divide the country, to divide our people. We are still friends and brothers and that we will move forward because most of those issues are fully resolved. “I want to seize this opportunity to tell Nigerians that whatever misconception that is there, th...