Akwa Ibom, Cross River Insensitive to Calabar-Itu Road, Says Enang

The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Ita Enang, has lamented that stakeholders in Akwa Ibom and Cross River States have not done enough to draw the federal government attention to repair the Calabar-Itu federal road. Enang made the accusation when he appeared on the Correspondents' Arena in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, at the weekend. The presidential aide, who was the immediate-past Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, challenged all National Assembly members from Akwa Ibom and Cross River States to declare what effort they have made to draw federal government attention to the state of the road. According to him, "I challenge all members of the House of Representatives, all senators representing Akwa Ibom and Cross River States and the Governor of the states to mention their efforts towards the state of Calabar/Itu road." Speaking on the need to diversify the country's economy as the world continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, Enang said the Basin Development Authority has handed over all lands within its jurisdiction in all the Niger Delta states for agricultural purposes. As part of the COVID-19 relief programme, he disclosed that the federal government has, through the Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing system for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Nigeria Agricultural Lands Development Authority (NALDA), CBN, NDDC and the Cross River Basin Development Authority, released grants to beneficiaries collated to enable them go into large scale agricultural businesses, as part of the federal government Emergency Agricultural Programme.

2.6m Nigerians Displaced by Insurgency, Natural Disaster, Says Agency

The National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced People has stated that 2.6 million people are currently displaced in Nigeria. Besides, the commission disclosed a plan to build 600 housing schemes for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Kano State. The Federal Commissioner of the commission, Bashir Mohammad Garba, disclosed this on Sunday while flagging off the distribution of food items and materials to 7,500 persons affected by natural disasters at the Kano State Government House. Garba submitted that those displaced from their ancestral home were victims of insurgency attacks from the North-east region and natural disasters in many states in the southern part of the country. He noted that the federal government had concluded on a place to resettle the displaced persons in line with the mandate of the commission. The commissioner further posited that the federal government has partnered the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to build resettlement housing and project to relocate the affected persons across the country. Besides, he explained that the commission is establishing 50 different vocational skills to train the displaced persons, adding that funds would be provided to establish the beneficiaries after training. Garba urged those who benefited from the food items to make judicious use of them. While inaugurating the food items, the state Governor, Abdullah Umar Ganduje, said 47,616 persons were affected by various forms of natural disasters in state. Ganduje, who applauded the support of the federal government on food and non-food items distribution to IDPs in the state, pledged donation of 20 hectares of land to the refugee’s commission for the construction of the housing scheme.

Zulum Disburses N343m Cash to IDPs, Traders

Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum, has shared N343 million as food aid to internally displaced persons (IDPs), and soft loans to petty traders in Gamboru, a Nigerian border town with Cameroon. Zulum, who was in Dikwa and Gamboru at the weekend, supervised the disbursement of N343million and varieties of food and humanitarian interventions to residents of the border community in Ngala Local Government Area of the state. The total sum of N343 million was shared-N150 million distributed as soft loan and grants to small and medium scale traders, while N193 million was disbursed to 48,700 vulnerable residents. The governor personally took time to verify the list of beneficiaries, explaining that his action was to ensure that only deserving persons were allotted the loans, aimed at stimulating the local economy. Nineteen traders received N1 million each; 25 traders received N500,000 each; other categories received cash ranging from N250,000, N100,000 to N30,000 each, depending on the sizes of their businesses, the jobs they created and the capacity to off-set loans. He explained that the loan/grant with refundable period of four years was meant to resuscitate businesses and livelihoods destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents in communities in Gwoza. In Biu and Gwoza where similar disbursements were made few weeks back, Zulum emphasized in Gamboru, that any beneficiary that is able to repay 50 percent of his or her loans within that record time would enjoy waiver of the balance of 50 percent, while those who deliberately fail to repay within the deadline would be made to repay 100 percent of what they received as loans and grants. Aside disbursing N150million to traders, Zulum disbursed N193 million to vulnerable residents from different communities in Ngala LGA. A combined total of 48,700 residents received cash and variety of food items during the governor's humanitarian trip. Thirty thousand female residents received N5, 000 cash and a wrapper each; 4,372 male residents received N10,000 cash each, while 14,328 male residents, each received a bag of rice, a bag of maize and a bag of beans.

Fire Razes over 15 Shops in Edo Market

Goods worth millions of naira were last Saturday night destroyed by fire, which razed a section of the Ikpoba Hill market in Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State. It was learnt that the fire, which started at about 9p.m. last Saturday night, affected mainly makeshift shops made up of caravans. It was also gathered that the owner of one of the electronic shops affected by the fired simply identified as Tony, was rushed to the hospital after he collapsed on hearing the news. A witness identified as Peter said: "At about 9p.m., we saw smoke billowing from one of the shops, and before we knew what was happening, the whole place was engulfed in fire." He said the fire fighters, who came later, couldn't salvage the goods, as the fire had already engulfed the shops and razed goods worth millions of naira. The witness said the shop owners could not salvage their goods either, as the shops were already engulfed by fire before their arrival. When THISDAY inquired about the incident from one of the shop owners who was at the scene, he managed to say that it was pointless talking about the incident because they will not get any help from the government or individual. "Are you going to help me if I talk to you about it? Just leave me alone." A sympathiser, Mr. John Izu, said they were still wondering what must have caused the inferno, as there was no electricity in the area, blaming the fire service, which he said didn't come on time to salvage the shops. "This is an electronic shop, and the goods here worth over N10 million. I know the owner, and he is currently at the hospital because of the incident," Izuh said.

Nurses’ Strike May Paralyse Ondo Healthcare Services

The healthcare delivery services in Ondo state government-owned health facilities may be paralysed totally from tomorrow, as nurses under the auspices of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) will embark on a three-day warning strike starting from today. Already, medical officers under the umbrella of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) had been on strike for about three weeks due to issues relating to payment of monthly salaries. Similarly, the nurses said they are embarking on the warning strike to press home their demand on the half payment of salary by the state government. The decision of the nurses was contained in a letter dated February 26, 2021, and signed by the state Secretary of NANNM, Aina Emmanuel Oluwasegun. The secretary said the nurses’ decision was reached after the meeting of the leadership of the union and its members. He said the industrial action would commence from 12 noon tomorrow to March 3, 2021. The notice stated: “Sequel to the meeting the State Executive Council of National Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives (NANNM) held on February 16, 2021, we resolved that the state government should: ‘Pay 100 percent salary of January 2017, December 2020, January 2021; 20 percent of balance of December 2016; 50 percent of November 2020 and commencement of new salary adjustment for local government nurses within seven working days’. “Following the expiration of the seven working days ultimatum without any response from the government, you are directed to proceed on three days warning strike from 12 noon March 1 to March 3, 2021 at first instance."

Abaribe:I Fell out with Kalu as Dep Gov Because I Refused to Peel Egusi for His Mother

Senate Minority Leader, Eyinnaya Abaribe, at the weekend recounted his experience as the Deputy Governor to Senate Chief Whip, Orji Uzor Kalu, when the latter was the governor of Abia State in 1999, saying he fell out with Kalu for refusing to be one of his (Kalu) mother's ‘Egusi’ peelers. He also narrated how he survived three impeachment attempts as deputy governor of the state from 1999 to 2003. These revelations are excerpts from 10 chapter of Abaribe's 334 page autobiography titled: ‘Made in Aba’, which will be unveiled today in Abuja. The ranking senator in the book explained that his trouble as deputy to Governor Kalu started when he refused to join the league of ‘Egusi’ peelers who thronged his mother's abode for whatever reason. He stated on Page 155 of the book: "I was just not toadying to Orji Uzor Kalu enough that was my greatest undoing. I was not in the league of ‘Egusi’ peelers that thronged his mother's house for whatever reason. His minions had not succeeded in binding me to some ethereal commitment on any false loyalty scale." Explaining how he survived three impeachment attempts by the state House of Assembly, Abaribe, in the book, said: "I lasted exactly three years and nine months in office before I threw in the towel. The bumpy ride ended on March 7, 2003 , when I finally resigned and switched parties. "The one tenure was characterised by three attempts at impeachment. The one thread that runs through them all was that the government can make no error. Once the idea stuck in the head of the chief executive, the person around him would leave no stone unturned to actualise the desired end. It ties in with the inability to take responsibility for action, and drives the unwary to that inevitable hubristic manifestation described by Owen. The leader is always right complex in ‘Animal Farm’. "The first attempt at impeaching me died on the floor of the House of Assembly, and roundly defeated for the baseless shenanigan that it was. The second attempt, I survived by a hair breadth-by just one vote differential. The third one, I did not bother to respond to it." He further explained on pages 153 and 154 of his memoir that during his crisis with Kalu, the then President Olusegun Obasanjo and late former Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, intervened at different times but nothing came out of it. According to him, he was dehumanised by Kalu on one occasion which gained him friendship of an astute businessman and philanthropist, Chief Emeka Offor. "The Senate President, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, also intervened. He called me out to apologise to Orji Uzor Kalu in public, digressing from the project of road commissioning he had come for. "I had for the sake of peace, humbly stepped forward. The governor did not reciprocate the gesture. But everyone witnessed the coldness he exhibited towards me on that occasion, and was able to judge whether the trouble between us was as a result of Abaribe's convoluted pride, or whether it was a reflection of something more sinister that ‘hubris syndrome’! "My dehumanisation by Kalu on that occasion gained me the friendship of Chief Emeka Offor, who was part of the crowd at the said commissioning. Chief Offor had approached me quietly with a complimentary card, expressing his astonishment at the childishness of a governor, who would openly shun reconciliatory gesture." Abaribe added that while Kalu's eight-year tenure as a state governor lasted, two other deputy governors after him were impeached and removed from office.

Declare Abductors of Students Terrorists, NANS Tells FG

As distressing incidences of abduction of schoolchildren rage in the northern part of the country unabated, the National Association of Nigerian Student (NANS) has advised the federal government to list bandits perpetrating such ‘horrendous crime’ as terrorists. NANS averred that the abduction of over 300 schoolgirls from Government Girls Junior Secondary in Jangebe, Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State in the early hours of last Friday, was an indictment and clear indication of the failure of the country’s security apparatuses. Also, the students’ group advised the government to convey a national security summit towards galvanising the best brains in providing ideas and innovation to combating the multi-faceted security challenges in Nigeria. In a statement issued in Ado Ekiti on Sunday, NANS National President, Sunday Asefon, expressed disgust at the rate of kidnapping of schoolchildren in quick succession in the country, saying the experiences from Chibok, Dapchi, Kagara, and recently Jangebe in Zamfara State, were pointers to failure of governance at all levels. According to Asefon, "These gale of kidnappings has become one case too many, and the fact that these kidnaps happened without any form of opposition from the security agencies calls for serious concern. "The emotional trauma on the children even after their release is a long-term and unquantifiable one. It may have a lasting influence on their perspective about school and education in life, therefore, well-meaning Nigerians must be very concerned about this recent development. "The country currently faces multi-dimensional security challenges and continuous threats to the safety and security of our schools, and this can no longer be tolerated. "The recent event has made it expedient for the government to change its approach to the scourge of school kidnap especially in the north, so it is therefore imperative for the kidnappers to be declared as terrorists and treated as such." Asefon stated that NANS under his leadership may resort to civil disobedience should the federal government fail to curtail the rising wave of kidnapping in schools in the country. "The NANS National Secretariat shall be relocated to Zamfara State if the schoolgirls are not rescued within the next 72 hours, to solidarise with the schoolgirls and ensure that the governments at all levels are doing everything possible for the timely release of the schoolgirls. "We will not hesitate to undertake any civil disobedient action to ensure every stakeholder does nothing less than their best to ensure the prompt release of our students. "NANS calls on the citizens to collaborate with security outfits in the area of local intelligence gathering to forestall the reoccurrence of this ugly incident, and we encourage the security agencies to live up to the billings of making our schools safe for students and staff," he said.

2023 Elections: ADC Rejects Creation of New Polling Units

As preparation for the 2023 general election continues, the African Democratic Congress ( ADC) has rejected plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to create additional polling units in the country. The issue of additional polling units, which was shelved ahead of the 2015 general election, seems to have taken the centre stage again. In August 2014, INEC, under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, sought to create 30,027 additional polling units ahead of the 2015 general election, with 21,615 in the north and 8,412 in the southern part of the country. Addressing a press conference on the state of the nation at the weekend, the ADC said creating more polling units in addition to the existing 120,000 would further increase the cost of electioneering in the country. The ADC National Chairman, Chief Okey Nwosu, who stated this at the party's national secretariat in Abuja at the weekend, urged public officials to exercise restraint while formulating policies that would affect the economy of the country adversely. Nwosu noted that while the United States of America with a land mass of 9.8million square kilometres has 250,000 polling centres, Nigeria with approximately 923, 768 square km has 120,000. According to him, "Recently, INEC has been on the offensive to create more polling stations in addition to the existing 120,000 in spite of the Nigeria budget limitations and economic struggles. "INEC and the National Assembly have shown apathy to due diligence and efficacious financial management. The ration and rationale of election expenses to the GDP of the country is mind-boggling and sparks a sign of irresponsibility." The ADC chairman stated that the cost of electioneering in Nigeria is taking a heavy toll on the country, political parties and the citizens Consequently, he said the National Assembly, INEC as well as political parties should be concerned about the cost of elections in the country and its effects on the economy. "Our elections and democracy must not continue to sap the country because leaders are inept, corrupt and uncreative," he added. Also, Nwosu, while lamenting the level of insecurity in the country, said: "Today, Nigeria has become more divided than ever before. Leaders at national and state levels have learnt the art of designing and borrowing framework to source for money across the world to no end, while they leave the country and future generation in perpetual debts. "For over two years now, Nigeria has maintained the shameful record of the poverty capital of the world. The insurgency and brigandage at all level across the country is mind bugling. Boko haram terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and dangerous activities of herders who have infiltrated the country from all over Africa countries have continued to leave the country in a state of depression, despair and death." He also lamented that despite the huge borrowing, the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria presently is beyond redemption. On the National Assembly, the politician said: "The National Assembly has failed woefully. The former DIG of police, who got elected into the Senate in 1999, was embarrassed that the men in both the red and green chambers were persons that have criminal records, some of whom were on the wanted list of the force's CID units. The Senate has become converted to chambers for ex-governors and a refuge where people with large fraud records go to hide to avoid harassment from security agencies in the country.”