Two police officers have been killed in a road crash after their speeding van ran into a stationary trailer on Ilorin-Ogbomoso expressway. The officers were returning to Ilorin from Ogbomoso where they had escorted a bullion van. “The police officers were coming back from Ogbomoso where they had escorted bullion van,” confirmed Kwara police public relations officer SP Ajayi Okasanmi. “One of the tyres of the escort vehicle burst and it rammed into a trailer parked along the road.” Both officers died on the spot, but others involved in the accident sustained injuries. Their bodies have been deposited at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin, while the injured ones were said to be receiving medical attention in the hospital. The state sector commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Jonathan Owoade, also confirmed the incident. Editor’s note:This photo is for illustrative purpose

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his administration reformed the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for greater service delivery. He stated this on Thursday when he commissioned the headquarters building of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), 25 years after the groundbreaking ceremony. He commended the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, for steadfastness in ending many years of renting by the commission, and the attendant profligacy. The President, who virtually commissioned the building from the Council Chamber of the State House, said the land was acquired by the Oil Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission (OMPADEC) in 1996, and was abandoned after series of design amendments. “In 2015, as part of our Administration’s cardinal objectives to kill corruption, some critical reforms were embarked upon, part of which was a holistic reform of the NDDC for greater service delivery for the people of the region. “To achieve this, I reassigned the supervision of the NDDC to the Hon. Minister of Niger Delta Affairs for administrative efficiency. Second, was the appointment of Forensic Auditors to review the operations of the Commission from inception to 2019 and to ensure that the appropriations made to the NDDC are commensurate with what is on the ground,’’ he said. While commending the minister for ensuring the historic completion of the building, President Buhari urged the management to commit the amounts used for renting to more rewarding benefits. “I, therefore, use this opportunity to commend the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, for providing the required leadership that saw to the completion of this edifice. “Today, we are handing over to the people of Niger Delta, a befitting Head Office Complex for present and future use. Consequently, huge yearly rentals would now be saved and deployed to other areas of needs in the region. “I commend the management and staff of the NDDC for staying the course and keying into the Reform Agenda of our Administration. I am particularly pleased to note the cordial relationship between the NDDC and the National Assembly and hope that this relationship will be strengthened further for the benefit of the people of the Niger Delta region,’’ the President added. The Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, thanked the President for the completion of the building, promising that the nine governors under the NDDC would continue to support his bold steps in development. In his remarks, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs noted that the completion of the NDDC building signals the President’s commitment to the development of the oil-producing region, and ending of activities of corrupt public officials, who also negated the connection of the offices to the national grid over many years in order to seek rent on fueling of generators. “You will be remembered by this gesture, and generations will never forget you,’’ the minister said. Sen. Akpabio urged leaders, traditional rulers, and youths in the region to support President Buhari’s administration so that it would complete most of the abandoned projects by previous administrations, which include the Second Niger Bridge, warning that the persistent fights and petitions among leaders must be shelved for development.

The House of Representatives says it is broke and cannot afford to carry out its constitutional mandate effectively. Rep. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia), the spokesman for the House, said this when he spoke with newsmen on Thursday in Abuja. The lawmaker said the budget of the National Assembly should be reviewed upward to enable it to cope with the situation. “Yes the house is broke, I have said it before and I am saying it again and I am not afraid of saying it. “This is the fact until Nigerians believe that the appropriation that was made for the running of the National Assembly which was done when the exchange rate of naira to the dollar was 180 is less now than what it used to be. “The dollar equivalent today has gone up to over N400, the purchasing power of the budget as it is now, is weaker than it was 10 years ago,” he said. Kalu said that he had fought with the leadership of the house and I have asked the question. “Why are you afraid to raise the budget of the National Assembly that will enable us to conduct our services efficiently and effectively. “We appropriate for agencies to run effectively and yet, we are in penury trying to run our own constitutional mandate, it is a disservice to Nigerians and the poor budget of the parliament is a disservice to Nigerians,” he said. The spokesman explained that the N128 billion appropriated for the National Assembly was divided among all the agencies in the parliament about 6,000 members of staff and lawmakers aides. Kalu said that legislators needed professional experts to work with them to produce laws and motion that would address the needs of the people. “If you go to U.S., you see professors who are consulting and working directly with members of parliament,” he said.

The Federal Government has stopped giving grants to youths, instead , they will be giving revolving loans. The Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, stated this in Awka , the Anambra State capital at the end of a two – day workshop organised by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture , Ibadan in conjunction with the National Root Crops Research Institute Umudike/International Fund for Agricultural Development . The workshop was titled “ Challenges and opportunities for rural youth employment in Sub -Saharan Africa : A mixed-method study to inform policy and development programmes . ” The Minister who alleged that most of the grants given to the youths were misappropriated and in some cases squandered , said “ With this we have decided that there would be no more grants to the youths , instead they shall be given loans that they will repay after an agreed period so that others will benefit from the same scheme . Dare said the Federal Government had created several windows to engage the youth in agriculture and other vocations through the establishment of two centres in the north and south. Represented by an Assistant Director of Vocational Skills in the ministry , Adamu Usman Kaina , the minister called on well- spirited individuals and corporate bodies to partner government for the empowerment of the young people across the federation. He said the youth should have a mindset of creating value for themselves. He said , “ Lessons learnt from the nationwide #EndSARS protests showed that every young person believes that those in government are their enemies . He said about 4600 youths had benefitted N 500, 000 each from the COVID – 19 gesture of the government . Speaking , the Gender and Social Scientist, IITA and IFAD-IDS Youth Research Project Lead/Representative ( Nigeria ) , Dr. Bela Teeken, observed that the study , which was carried out in collaboration with the Institute of Development Studies, United Kingdom , sampled four communities of Ida Amu/Igbokiti and Oba Oke in Osun State , as well as Umumbo and Igbariam in Anambra State . Teeken said selected male and female youth were engaged in focus group discussions to understand current rural employment dynamics. Some of the problems identified as confronting the youths included lack of access to agricultural loan, poor transportation facilities and multiple taxations .