Rulers
School feeding programme: Nigerian government to enroll 67,307 pupils in Ebonyi – NOA
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says Federal Government will enrol 67,307 primary school pupils into the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme in Ebonyi. The Director of NOA in the state, Dr Desmond Onwo, said this on Wednesday during his visit to the Traditional Rulers Council in Abakaliki. Onwo said the programme would capture 561 public primary schools in the 13 local government areas of the state. He urged the traditional rulers to key into the programme and support NOA’s campaign to ensure that the people participated actively. “The programme is going to commence across communities in the state with an enumeration in order to identify the children. “It is going to cover from primary one to three in public primary schools. “This is not for all states in the country but Ebon...
Yobe governor: No plan to retrench workers
Gov. Mai Mala-Buni of Yobe on Tuesday said his administration has no plan to retrench civil servants in spite of the state’s meagre resources. Mala-Buni gave the assurance in Damaturu on the sidelines of the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed permanent secretaries and board members. He said he would continue to attract investments to Yobe from both state and non-state actors in order to meet the financial obligations of the state. “People accuse me of frequenting Abuja; the truth is, if I remain in Damaturu, we cannot pay even our salary bills. “And that means we will have to join the league of states that are retrenching workers; we don’t have such plan. “You are aware of the projects we started, including the four modern markets we are building, the ongoing 3,600 houses, the over 87...
Nigerian government set to tackle oil, gas infrastructure vandalism with skills acquisition
The Federal Government has expressed plans to create a reorientation programme aimed at engaging the youth in skills acquisition to address oil and gas infrastructure vandalism. The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, stated this at a Town Hall Meeting on “Protecting Oil and Gas Infrastructure” on Monday in Abuja. Newsmen report that the town hall meeting was organised by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture. Akpabio said that the programme would be targeted at the pupils and students of primary and secondary school across the nine states in Niger Delta. He explained that the Federal Government was currently meeting with stakeholders, traditional rulers, youth groups and all others from one state to the other. “We are setting up skills acquisition centres, we...
Ethiopia urges Tigray rebels to join ceasefire, hostilities persist
Ethiopia’s government urged Tigrayan rebels to join a unilateral ceasefire in their conflict on Thursday as aid agencies struggled to reach hundreds of thousands of people facing famine. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the former rulers of Ethiopia’s Tigray region, said on Monday it was back in control of the regional capital Mekelle after nearly eight months of fighting. The government declared a unilateral ceasefire but the TPLF dismissed it as a joke. Hostilities persisted on Thursday and pressure built internationally for all sides to pull back. “Operations are under way … and the number of prisoners of war is increasing by the minute,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told Reuters by satellite phone, with light artillery fire crackling in the background. “We are closing in on...
JAMB chief accuses institutions of awarding fake certificates
The Registrar, Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, has accused some higher institutions of mobilising and awarding IJMB/JUPEB certificates to individuals who did not attend their institutions. Oloyede alleged that some of the certificates issued by the Interim Joint Matriculation Board (IJMB) and Joint Universities Preliminary Examinations Board (JUPEB) centres for Direct Entry into universities were fakes He made the allegation in Abuja on Tuesday, at the 2021 Batch ‘B’ pre-mobilisation workshop of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) on the theme ‘Sustainable Mobilisation Process: The Role Of Stakeholders’. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that IJMB and JUPEB are national educational programmes approved by the Federal Government. They are quali...
Nigerian government urges increased awareness on violence against women, girls
The Federal Government on Thursday called for increased awareness on violence against women and girls aimed at ending the scourge. Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, Wife of the Vice President and founder, The Women’s Helping Hands Initiative, made the call at the launch of “Orange the World with Doctors,” in Abuja. Orange the World with Doctors is a plenary with medical practitioners initiated by UN Population Fund (UNFPA) aimed at ending Gender Based Violence (GBV) with doctors at the forefront. Osinbajo, who commended the UNFPA for the initiative, decried all forms of violence on women and girls, calling for stronger collaboration to end it. She reiterated the imperatives of strengthening Nigeria’s health system, noting that it key in fighting GBV. She said “I commend all who have joined hands in the...
ASUP: Why we suspended strike after 65 days
The Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) has suspended its 65 days industrial strike with effect from Thursday, following an agreement reached between the union and the federal government. A statement by Mr Abdullahi Yalwa, National Publicity Secretary of ASUP and made available to newsmen in Bauchi, announced on Wednesday. According to the statement, “the suspension of the strike action was for a period of three months, to enable the government complete the implementation of the issues contained in the Memorandum of Action signed with the Union. “Following an appraisal of the report indicating the gradual implementation of the items contained in the Memorandum of Action signed between our Union and the Federal Government, the Union has resolved to suspend its 65 days old industrial...
Constitution Review: Sultan canvasses unrestricted usage of hijab
Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, the Sultan of Sokoto, has advocated the use of Hijab by Muslim women, without restrictions and in total observance of the freedom of religion in the country. The Sultan, who is also the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), stated this in Birnin Kebbi, on Tuesday, at the North West Zonal Public Hearing on the Constitution Review organised by the House of Representatives for Stakeholders from Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara. Abubakar wondered why the wearing of the Hijab would be a problem for others who were not using it, stressing that the other religions could also be encouraged to adopt what their religions ordered them to do. “The most important issue is the issue of religion. Almighty God created us to worship Him and you m...
Myanmar junta leader says Aung San Suu Kyi will soon appear
Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi was healthy at home and would appear in court in a few days, in his first interview since overthrowing her in a Feb. 1 coup. The coup has plunged the Southeast Asian country into chaos and one of several ethnic armed groups opposed to the ruling junta advanced to attack a military post in a northwestern jade mining town on Saturday, local media said. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her long struggle against previous military rulers, is among more than 4,000 people detained since the coup. She faces charges that range from illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios to violating a state secrets law. “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is in good health. She is at her home and healthy. She is going to face trial at the cou...
Presidency: Benue governor politicising insecurity
The presidency has said President Muhammadu Buhari expressed his condolences to the families of citizens who lost their loved ones in the recent spate of killings in Benue State. Also, presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, in a statement on Thursday night, said the president stated that the rising level of incidents, especially the killings and violence in various parts of the country calls for further collaboration with security agencies to curb its recurrence. He also stated his disappointment and sadness to hear the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom’s litany of accusations against his person and his government, following the recent unfortunate incidents in the state. Shehu said no responsible government takes pleasure in such events as the killing of the military and that of innocent...
Imo monarchs vow to invoke curses on perpetrators of violence
Traditional rulers in Imo State yesterday condemned the recent attack on the country home of the state Governor, Hope Uzodimma, at Omuma, calling on security agencies to carry out thorough investigations into what transpired and ensure that the culprits and their sponsors are brought to book. Rising from a critical meeting that lasted for few hours at their office in Owerri, the traditional rulers also threatened to invoke curses on those behind the insecurity ravaging the state should they refuse to change. In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting, the Chairman of the traditional institution and Chairman of the Imo State Community Policing, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, said the royal fathers are of the opinion that the attack was politically motivated, and therefore warned politicians in...
Senator Saraki urges Nigerian government to seek help over escalating insecurity
Former President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, has advised the Federal Government to seek help wherever it could to address the escalating insecurity in the country. Saraki, in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, said that calling for help in the present situation of the country was not a sign of weakness. He said he was worried over cases of violence, kidnapping and terrorism recorded on Monday in Anambra, Kaduna, Yobe, Niger, Lagos states and many parts of the country. The ex-senate president reiterated the need for President Muhammadu Buhari to convene meeting of all those who could help in finding solutions to the problem at hand. ”The people include former presidents and heads of state, serving and former chief justices, serving and former presiding officers of the National Assembly...
