August 2022 – Page 37

Post Date : August 24, 2022

REPORT: New volunteer guards nab 5 fighters linked to Boko-Haram in Benue

The newly formed Benue Volunteer Guards that was inaugurated by the state Governor, Samuel Ortom, have nabbed five suspected foreign fighters known as Amazonian fighters and linked to Boko Haram. The suspects were arrested at about 3 pm on Monday at Jato Aka roundabout near a drinking joint in Kwande local government area of the state. The names of the suspects were given as; Stanley Vincent 25yrs, OJONG David, NJEKE Ronaldo 42yrs, NGUM Nelson Emmanuel and OBEM Tabel Samuel 26yrs. According to the statement issued by the Security Adviser, Lt Col Paul Hemba retd, security one of the suspects, Stanley was discovered during interrogation to have disguised to be personnel with the Nigerian Army, serving at Ojo, Lagos State. He said Stanley added, “That he was assigned by his boss to come and escort them to Cameroon. However, his identity card was not found on him, a development that triggered suspicion on those suspects. “On 22nd August, 2022 about 1500 hours at Jato Aka Roundabout, near DZOHO Aondofa Drinking Joint, Kwande LGA, BSCVG arrested Five (5) Ambazonian Fighters suspected to have had linked with not only Boko Haram but also Ambazonians fighting the Republic of Cameroon for years. The names of the suspects were; ”Further checks revealed that chemical weapons which carry a labels ‘DANGER’, Military Uniform, charms, and undisclosable number of ammunitions were found on the Amazonians who further disclosed to have stayed at Agogo Hotel, Jato Aka, for a period of six (6) months uninterruptedly, a hotel owned by one Dooorun AGOGO,” the statement read in parts. The Security Adviser said that the suspects had been handed over to police in Adikpo, headquarters of Kwande local government. Hemba further said in the statement that the criminal activities of the suspects might not be unconnected to armed robbery and kidnapping incidences which had occurred in the council area in the past six (6) months.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

South African Inflation Hits New 13-Year High

Inflation in South Africa accelerated to its highest level in 13 years in July, pushed mainly by surging food, transport and electricity prices, official data showed Wednesday as workers staged protests over the high cost of living. Consumer prices rose at an annual rate of 7.8 percent in July, up from 7.4 percent in June, the national statistics agency StatsSA said in a statement. The publication of the latest statistics coincided with protests in major cities over the worsening economic conditions, which have been particularly crushing for the poorest in the continent’s most industrialised country. Strikers led by South Africa’s two largest trade unions called for government action to combat rising poverty and the cost of living in the world’s most unequal country. While the new inflation figure is bad news for consumers, economists see the country likely reaching a tipping point and believe inflation could ease in the coming months. This “is likely the peak in the current inflation cycle,” according to Investec bank chief economist Annabel Bishop. “Inflation will be lower this time next year,” said Dawie Roodt, an economist with the financial services firm Efficient Group. Inflation has been soaring worldwide, fuelled by supply chain disruptions after the easing of Covid restrictions as well as surging energy and food prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. For South Africans, it has resulted in rising costs for necessities including food, electricity, fuel and medication, the statistics agency said. Although grain prices are on the decline internationally, Roodt said, “it takes as much as two years before a price shock works its way through the economy.” Prices for breads and cereals were up 13.7 percent in July, from 11.2 percent in June. It means a loaf of white bread now costs 17.84 rand ($1.05) compared to 15.57 rand ($0.91) a year ago, the statistics agency said. The price of fuel increased by 56.2 percent on last year. Rising inflation prompted the country’s central bank to impose the steepest hike to the benchmark interest rate last month, raising it by three-quarters of a percentage point to 5.5 percent. Roodt said another hike is likely to come. It will have a spiralling impact on the broader economy with higher rates resulting in higher debt repayments for consumers, which will hit household budgets, said Christie Viljoen, senior manager and economist for PwC South Africa. “This, in turn, results in reduced spending power for consumers and companies. This is a challenge for South Africa which is a consumer-driven economy,” he said. The rising cost of living is taking a toll on a population where the unemployment rate hovers near 34 percent. The government called the unemployment figures a “major concern” on Wednesday, saying more needed to be done to improve conditions following the pandemic. “Job creation and economic recovery remain the top priorities for government,” said cabinet spokeswoman Phumla Williams in a statement.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

FG approves N54.82bn for projects in two ministries

The Federal Government, on Wednesday, approved N54.82bn for various projects in the Ministries of Works and Housing, and Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development. This is as it approved a refund totalling N9.18bn to Kebbi and Taraba States for federal road projects executed by their governments during the Jonathan administration. The Ministers of the respective ministries disclosed this to State House Correspondents shortly after Wednesday’s Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Executive Council Chamber at the Aso Rock Villa, Abuja. Humanitarian Affairs Minister, Sadiya Farouq, who presented four memos on behalf of the North East Development Commission, revealed that her ministry will collaborate with other government and private agencies to deliver four road reconstruction projects in Borno, Yobe, Adamawa and Bauchi States. According to her, all four memos were approved and the projects are expected to run for 12 months except for Borno State which will stretch for 24 months. Giving details of the projects, she said, “Today, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development presented to council on behalf of the North East Development Commission four memos. These memos are in respect of road reconstruction for five states of the North East region, namely Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, Gombe and Bauchi. “For Borno, we have a 22.5km road that is to be reconstructed. This road is Ngon-Koshode and Ngon-Dosmari-Zabamari-Kongologo-Kajari Road with the contract sum of N13,553,902,668.95 “The second contract is on the construction of 53km Gombe-Abba-Dukurfi Road in Gombe and Bauchi state in the contract sum of N11,697,355,449.61. The other road is the 54km Mutayi-Ngalda Road in Yobe State with a contract sum of N12,199,182,845.70. “The fourth one is the one for Adamawa State, Garkida road, it has a contract sum of N6,202,214,413.29 inclusive of 7.5 VAT. Garkida Road in Adamawa state is located at the fringes of the Sambisa Forest.” She noted that the roads were selected in conjunction with the state governments and other critical stakeholders and are expected to stimulate economic activities, enhance security and facilitate the freer movement of goods and people in the region whose economic activities have been crippled by the 13-year insurgency. “We are also in partnership and collaboration with the Nigerian Society of Engineers in the area of engaging reputable local consultants for the design and supervision of the major works in line with the executive order five for promoting local content in science, engineering, and technology,” Farouq added. On his part, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the council approved the release of N6.706bn and N2.47bn for Kebbi and Taraba states respectively. The refunds are for several road projects undertaken by states on behalf of the federal government. Fashola explained that although Buhari had issued a directive that there should be no more intervention by states on federal roads, these refunds cover interventions done in the previous administration. He said: “The other presentation by the ministry is the report and recommendation of the council committee set up by the President in order to respond to demands by state governments for refunds on intervention made previously before this administration on federal roads before the President subsequently issued the directive that there should be no more intervention by states on federal roads. But there were some that had been done before this administration. “So there were three states, Kebbi, Yobe and Taraba states. The claims for Yobe for N18.66bn were approved on June 22 this year. That left those for Kebbi and Taraba states. So today the Council approved N6.706bn for Kebbi State and N2.47bn for Taraba States. “The Council also approved that the road under construction by Taraba state for which this reimbursement is being made, that the contract by the state government should now be terminated. That is the section between Bali and Seti in Taraba state. This is because you will recall last year that council had approved the full reconstruction of Bali-Set to Gembu under the NNPC tax credit scheme.” Explaining the mode of payment, the former Lagos State governor noted that the Ministry of Finance, subsequent to this approval, will seek approval from the National Assembly to raise debt to secure payment to the States. “So this is also part of the national debt. It’s important to note that when we’re having conversations about the national debt, these are some of the components. There were inherited debts that this government is also paying for infrastructure. This is a bipartisan approval, irrespective of party affiliations,” Fashola explained. The minister also revealed that the council approved a first memorandum for the award of contract for the reconstruction of the Mushin-NNPC-Apapa-Oshodi road for the sum of N11,166,270,197.95 to Strabic Construction Limited. “The works are expected to be executed in 20 months,” he said.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

Fighting resumes in northern Ethiopia after five-month lull

Fighting erupted between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in northern Ethiopia on Wednesday, shattering a five-month truce between the warring sides. The renewed warfare follows both sides repeatedly blaming the other for a lack of progress towards negotiations to end the brutal 21-month conflict in Africa’s second most populous nation. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said government forces and their allies had launched a “large scale” offensive towards southern Tigray early Wednesday after a months-long lull in fighting. But the Government Communication Service accused the TPLF of striking first, saying it had “destroyed the truce”. “Disregarding the numerous peace options presented by the Ethiopian government, the armed wing of the terror group TPLF, pushing with its recent provocations starting 5 am (0200 GMT) today committed an attack” around southern Tigray, it said in a statement. The rival claims could not be independently verified as access to northern Ethiopia is restricted, but there were reports of fighting around southern Tigray in areas bordering the Amhara and Afar regions. “They launched the offensive early this morning around 5 am local time. We are defending our positions,” TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda told AFP in Nairobi in a brief message. He said on Twitter that the “large-scale” offensive was launched “against our positions in the southern front” by the Ethiopian army and special forces and militias from neighbouring Amhara. – ‘Deafening warning’ – The March truce paused fighting in a war that first began in November 2020, allowing a resumption of international aid to war-stricken Tigray after a three-month break. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government and the TPLF have been locked in a war of words in recent weeks even as both sides have raised the prospect of peace talks. The two sides disagree on who should lead negotiations, and the TPLF also insists basic services must be restored to Tigray’s six million people before dialogue can begin. Abiy’s government says any negotiations must be led by the African Union’s Horn of Africa envoy Olusegun Obasanjo, who is leading the international push for peace, but the rebels want outgoing Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to mediate. William Davison, senior Ethiopia analyst for the International Crisis Group, said all parties should cease fighting before “a return to full-blown war”. “This serious breach of the truce agreed earlier this year demonstrates the need for the two parties to arrange unconditional face-to-face negotiations as soon as these hostilities cease,” Davison said in a statement. “It is also a deafening warning to the key international and regional actors that they must immediately ensure peace talks actually occur.” – ‘Enough of this war’ – On Tuesday, the Ethiopian National Defence Force had issued a statement accusing the TPLF of seeking to “defame” the army by claiming government forces were moving towards their positions or shelling them with heavy weapons. The conflict has killed untold numbers of people, with widespread reports of atrocities including mass killings and sexual violence. Millions of people need humanitarian assistance in Tigray, the country’s northernmost region, and neighbouring Afar and Amhara. The UN’s World Food Programme said last week that nearly half the population in Tigray is suffering from a severe lack of food. “Hunger has deepened, rates of malnutrition have skyrocketed, and the situation is set to worsen as people enter peak hunger season until this year’s harvest in October,” it said. The dire assessment came despite the March truce allowing the resumption of desperately needed international aid convoys to Tigray’s capital Mekele, with fuel shortages making it difficult to distribute supplies. Tigray is largely cut off from the rest of Ethiopia, without basic services such as electricity, communications and banking. Abiy sent troops into Tigray in November 2020 to topple the TPLF after months of seething tensions with the party that had dominated Ethiopian politics for three decades. The 2019 Nobel Peace Prize winner said it came in response to rebel attacks on army camps. The TPLF mounted a comeback, recapturing Tigray and expanding into Afar and Amhara, before the war reached a stalemate. Last Wednesday, an Ethiopian government committee tasked with looking into negotiations called for a formal ceasefire to enable the resumption of services to Tigray as part of a proposal it planned to submit to the AU. “If you can’t win, then you’ve got to sit down and talk,” Abiy said Sunday in remarks carried on state media. “My advice is… let’s have enough of (this) war.”

Post Date : August 24, 2022

Jigawa APC replaces deceased senatorial candidate after fresh primary

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State, on Wednesday, conducted a fresh primary election to replace its deceased senatorial candidate, Tijjani Ibrahim. Mr Ibrahim died on 13 August, three months after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared him the winner of the APC primary election for the Jigawa Southwest District. The politician polled 361 votes. He was the lone contestant in the election. Sabo Muhammed, the incumbent senator of the district, emerged as the new candidate of the party for the district in the election held at the Aminu Kano Triangle in Dutse. The head of the election committee, Shehu Umar, while declaring Mr Muhammad the winner of the election, said he was unanimously elected after scoring the entire 375 votes cast during the election. Mr Muhammad thanked the delegates, party leaders and the governor of the state, Muhammad Badaru, for their support. “I hope and pray that we will win the forthcoming election,” he said. “My promise to you (members of his constituents) is that I will not let you down.” The candidate, Sabo Muhammad Mr Muhammed was one of those accused by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) of multi-million fraud including converting public property for personal use in a constituency project scam and cornering a contract for the supplies of water rigs to his constituency. The ICPC said the senator awarded the contracts for the construction of hand-pump boreholes and supplies of water pumps, motorcycles and two Toyota Hilux trucks in Jigawa South-West Senatorial District to Schramm Global Services Ltd, a company owned and operated by two of his siblings. The two trucks, the ICPC report adds, “procured as constituency projects since 2016” would later be discovered and recovered from the contractor “who is also a younger brother of the sponsor”. The Jigawa Southwest District consists of seven Local Government Areas – Dutse, Buji, Birnin Kudu, Gwaram, Kiyawa, Jahun, and Miga. It has 75 political wards.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

FG: It Will Be Insensitive To Recommence Abuja-Kaduna Train Operations Now

The federal government has stated that it cannot recommence the Abuja-Kaduna train services for now because it will be insensitive to the plight of families whose loved ones are still in captivity. The Minister of Transportation, Muazu Sambo told state house correspondents after the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the state house. The transport minister who was addressing questions on the suspension of the service following the March 2022 train attack, noted that the government is still investigating the right type of surveillance equipment to procure in order to effectively monitor the tracks along the Abuja Kaduna route, as well as concessioning it in a Public Private Partnership arrangement. Wary about the huge cost involved, the Minister tentatively gives one month within which it will report back progress made in this respect. Meanwhile the Federal executive council approved 1.49 billion naira for the repair works to be carried out at the Nigerian Railway Corporation.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

Ayo Adebanjo: Peter Obi is fighting for the oppressed… we believe in same cause

Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Afenifere, a pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, says Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), shares the same cause as him. Adebanjo and the leadership of the Southern and Middle Belt Forum (SMBLF) met with the former Anambra state governor on Tuesday. The meeting came about six weeks after Adebanjo endorsed the candidacy of Obi. Commenting on the meeting in an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday, Adebanjo said Obi believes in restructuring and is fighting for oppressed Nigerians. “He (Obi) came to meet Southern and Middlebelt leaders in my house. It was an exchange of views; we believe in the same cause,” he said, adding that they won’t back any candidate that does not support restructuring,” he was quoted as saying. “We are all partners in progress. The fight he is fighting is a fight for the oppressed. “Restructuring was at the front burner; we should have a country first before we have any development plan. That is the pillar on which the Southern and Middlebelt leaders stand. “Constitutional review, community policing, devolution of power and others are all embedded in restructuring. Where we have a constitution where everybody is dissatisfied, you won’t have peace and without peace, there will be no stability. These are fundamental. “There is nothing new about restructuring; we are only saying let us go back to where we started before the military came. Where did we start? The constitution was made in 1964, endorsed by Awolowo, Azikwe and Sardauna, and was what we had until the military came in 1966 and imposed this constitution. “This constitution is a fraudulent one and the government has never refuted it. They set aside the constitution before 1966, imposed this one and included all the things that were excluded that are causing confusion till today. We must go back to that constitution.”

Post Date : August 24, 2022

FG promotes 2,382 fire service personnel

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Service boards, has approved the promotion of 2,382 officers of the Federal Fire Service. The Spokesman for the FFS, ACF Paul Abraham, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday. According to the statement, the Controller General of the FFS, Jaji Abdulganiyu, announced the promotion and advancement through an internal memo. He stated that 363 officers were promoted while 2,019 were advanced from the rank of Assistant Superintendents of Fire I and Deputy Superintendents respectively, in the 2022 promotion. While congratulating the newly-promoted and advanced officers, Jaji commended the Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Board, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and other members, for their roles in upgrading the officers. Jaji directed heads of commands and departments to decorate all officers in their respective commands and departments, while urging the officers to put in their best to justify the promotion/advancement.

Post Date : August 24, 2022

Osun election: Police officers decry alleged non-payment of allowance

Some police officers under the Osun State Command on Wednesday said they were yet to be paid their duty allowance for the coverage of the Osun July 16, governorship election, 38 days after the election. The officers who spoke, anonymously, to newsmen in Osogbo, stated that about 140 officers from the State Investigation Bureau (SIB), 30 from Explosive Ordinance Disposal ( EOD ), and about 160 Mobile police officers of MOPOL 39 had not been paid. One of the officers said, all other police offices, deployed for the election coverage had received their allowances, including those deployed from outside the state. He said they made efforts to find out the reason for the non-payment and they have not gotten any concrete feed back from the Force Headquarters. He said it would be against the code of service to protest in demand for the allowance but appealed to the Inspector General of Police to look into their case. Another officer said those mainly not paid were officers attached to the Osun Police Command but administratively handled by the force headquarters in Abuja. He said all the officers on General Operation in the state (wearing uniform) that covered the election had been given their allowances , saying reason for their non-payment was not clear to them. When contacted about the issue, the Osun Police Spokesperson, SP Yemisi Opalola, said she was not aware of officers not paid for the election coverage. She, however, said any officer that had issue of non-payment of allowance could take it up with the Force Headquarters in Abuja. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that some police officers, not paid election coverage allowance, similarly protested in July in Osogbo . The Force PRO, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement then, said the delay was caused by their banks. Adejobi said contrary to the claims of the officers who spoke to newsmen, some of those who were deployed for the Osun election started receiving their entitlements before the election began. He said the payment was disbursed directly into individual officers’ accounts from the Police Accounts and Budget (PAB) Office and not through any State Police Command (NAN)

Post Date : August 24, 2022

Dele Alake: Tinubu is visionary – no basis to compare him with Obi

Dele Alake, director of strategic communication in the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council, says Bola Tinubu, standard bearer of the party, is visionary and Nigeria needs him to develop. While appearing on Journalist Hangout, a current affairs programme on TVC, on Tuesday, Alake said Tinubu is focused on building an enduring economy. The director said there is no basis to compare the APC presidential candidate with Peter Obi, standard bearer of the Labour Party because the former governor of Lagos has achieved more than Obi. “There is no gainsaying the fact of all the candidates competing for votes to solve these problems, Tinubu stands far ahead of the competitors,” he said. “In terms of track record of performance as a governor, in terms of leadership, social engineering, and mental development, Tinubu is an embodiment of all the leadership qualities for a country eager to develop. “This is the driving force of Obi’s popularity on social media. The feeling is natural. The pent-up anger is real. “We all have opinions as Nigerians on how things should be or ought to be. This is what is being aggregated on social media. But social media will not determine the 2023 election. “The population of the social media warriors will not necessarily translate into votes, especially among rural dwellers. Whoever is basing Obi’s popularity on social media, has missed it. “If you put all the antecedents of the candidates on a table, Obi will trail far behind the others. There is no basis for comparison between Obi and Tinubu. The difference is clear. “It’s like that between the fluke and the substance.”