The Federal government on Monday promised to lift people above the poverty line also to expand small and middle enterprises and industries to grow better Minister of Industry Trade and Investment Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite on Monday made this known shortly after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu.   While promising to attract more investments into the country, the minister assured of her determination to promote a business-friendly environment for indigenous businesses to grow. According to her, our work here is to ensure that we create more jobs, more employment, lift people above the poverty line and ensure that small and middle enterprises and industries that are already existing expand and grow better. Our job is to attract investments. There is so much opportunity. One of them I have already witnessed here is human resources. “If we only just harnessed our human resource potential Nigeria will be great even without our mineral resources. “Even without our non-mineral resources only our human capital alone is enough to take us where we want to. “Now combine that with the new potential we have with mineral and non-mineral deposits. “I think it is just for us to open the doors and say investors please come what do you want, we are here to facilitate that,’’ she said. The minister said that projecting Nigeria’s image positively was crucial in attracting investors and ensuring that businesses thrive in the country. According to her, our ministry would ensure that the image of the country out there is as investment-friendly as the investments that we have here. `So, I want to put that on the table and we will be doing a whole lot of branding and image-making for the country because we have to re-introduce ourselves to the world. `To tell the world what the country has and to tell it in the way that will make them happy to come. “Secondly, apart from doing that is to ensure that we showcase the resources and the potential that we have in the country very well. “This actually goes into more of having the investment opportunities clearly defined with all the necessary opportunities, processes, and procedures that they need to go through. Earlier, Ngige while welcoming the minister assured her of the support to oversee the activities of the ministry. Ngige urged the minister to bring her wealth of experience to bear in the ministry’s task of developing economic growth, boosting industrialisation and promoting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises as well as facilitating trade in goods and services.

  At least five young men have been reportedly electrocuted in Rivers State while trying to mount a billboard with a metal frame in the state. It was learnt that four others were battling for survival at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) where they were rushed for treatment. The incident was said to have occurred at Obiri-Ikwerre area of Rumuosi Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state. It was learnt that a team of nine men were mounting the bill board structure with a metal frame that conducted current when the high-tension cable. The current was said to have gripped and shocked five of them to death while four others were said to be battling for survival. The victims were said to be private businessmen contracted to mount the billboard for a church. The police public relations officer, Grace Iringe-Koko, a Superintendent of Police, described the incident as pathetic. Iringe-Koko said police had opened investigation into the incident.

  The Ohanaeze Ndigbo has advised Peter Obi to join forces with President Bola Tinubu rather than his counterparts from the Peoples Democratic Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso respectively. In a statement on Monday, the Secretary-General of Ohanaeze, Okechukwu Isiguzoro said the alliance would die on arrival because Nigerians will reject Kwankwaso or Atiku. Isiguzoro noted that any coalition that seeks to jeopardise Tinubu’s administration will fail. He added that Nigerians are very much aware Atiku will never support Obi to emerge leader of the opposition because he is desperate to become president, so they won’t support any coalition that involves him. The statement partly reads, “Peter Obi, Atiku, and Kwankwaso’s plan to take power from APC is not only a pipe dream but satanic. The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, insisted that the ongoing reported talk between the opposition political party leaders is a welcome development as it will put the APC-led Federal Government on its toes to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration delivers all the campaign promises to Nigerians. “But anything contrary to these is regarded as the inconsiderate pursuits of drowning politicians whose aims are satanic, mischievous, but laughable. Ohanaeze Ndigbo observed that there is the possibility of a collapse in their talks because Nigerians will not accept Atiku or Kwankwaso as the leaders of the alliance. “Nigerians know that the uncharitable disposition and desperation of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP will never allow him to support Peter Obi to be the leader of the Nigerian opposition; the ill-fated journey of Atiku, Obi, and Kwankwaso will crumble in the future.”

  The outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the Nigerian government of using the Supreme Court to subvert justice for its leader, Nnamdi Kanu. The group disclosed this in a statement by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, on Monday, which was forwarded to PREMIUM TIMES. Background Mr Kanu was first arrested in 2015 under the administration of former Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari. The IPOB leader was later granted bail in April 2017. He fled the country after an invasion of his home in Afara-Ukwu, near Umuahia, Abia State, by the Nigerian military in September of that year. He was re-arrested in Kenya and brought back to Nigeria in June 2021, about four years after he fled the country. The Court of Appeal, Abuja, on 13 October 2022, held that the IPOB leader was extra-ordinarily renditioned to Nigeria and that the action was a flagrant violation of the country’s extradition treaty and also a breach of his fundamental human rights. The court, therefore, struck out the terrorism charges filed against Mr Kanu by the Nigerian government and ordered his release from the State Security Service (SSS) in Abuja. But the government refused to release the IPOB leader, insisting that he (Kanu) could be unavailable in subsequent court proceedings if released and that his release would cause insecurity in the South-east, where he comes from. The government, through the Attorney-General of the Federation, later appealed the court ruling and subsequently obtained an order staying its execution at the Supreme Court. Mr Kanu, on 3 November 2022, through one of his lawyers, Mike Ozekhome, filed an appeal against the stay of execution order at the Supreme Court. But the court is yet to resume hearing on the appeal following repeated adjournments. IPOB kicks In the statement, Mr Powerful said the “continuous adjournments” by the court were stage-managed by the Nigerian government to keep Mr Kanu in the SSS custody and undermine justice.   The spokesperson said the group received another information from Mr Ozekhome, SAN, that the court has again cancelled the earlier scheduled hearing on 14 September due to the court’s annual holiday. He argued that the recent adjournment was against the Supreme Court’s rules governing criminal trials. “If the present intention of the apex court is not a rape of democracy and clear subversion of the course of justice, how could they have adjourned to 14 September 2023 without being guided by their diary, which contains the entire schedule of activities and holidays of the Supreme Court for the entire year?” Mr Powerful said. Kogi AD The spokesperson argued that the stay of execution order in a criminal trial “is both criminal and unconstitutional”. He alleged that the Nigerian government colluded with some judicial officers in the Court of Appeal to reverse the court order which earlier freed Mr Kanu. The style of successive adjournment basically at the instance of the Federal Government of Nigeria is to justify the illegal detention of our leader, which is clearly an abuse of judicial process. ⓘ “Our leader has been in detention for one year since he was discharged by the Court of Appeal. Yet, the government that appealed the decision discharging our leader is not interested in prosecuting the matter because they are aware that they will still lose at the Supreme Court,” he said. Dangote adbanner 728x90_2 (1) He stressed that the IPOB leader was still being detained without any pending charge, which he contended, was against the Nigerian Constitution. Mr Powerful called on international governments and institutions to immediately prevail on the Nigerian government and the Supreme Court to hear and determine Mr Kanu’s appeal. “If the Federal Government of Nigeria is no longer interested in prosecuting their appeal, our leader should be immediately released in line with the order of the penultimate court made on the 13 day of October 2022,” he stated. IPOB is a group leading the agitation for an independent state of Biafra, which it wants to be carved out from the South-east and some parts of South-south Nigeria.

  UK supermarket chain Morrisons said on Monday it had joined forces with the state-run National Health Service to put advice labels on underwear about the early warning signs of breast and testicular cancer. The initiative comes amid record waiting times for NHS treatment due to a pandemic backlog, repeated doctors’ strikes and long-term difficulties retaining staff. Morrison’s will initially place the advice labels in boxer shorts in its Nutmeg clothing line, followed by crop-top bras in coming months. NHS guidance about early symptoms including changes to the look and shape of breasts or painless swellings in testicles will be accompanied by a QR code linking customers to more detailed information on the NHS website. “This is the first time the whole of the NHS has worked with a national supermarket brand to put health messaging on clothing, with the aim of encouraging thousands more people to be body aware, so they can spot new or unexplained changes that might be cancer symptoms early,” said NHS England’s national director for cancer Cally Palmer. The NHS chief said overall cancer survival rate were at an all-time high but stressed that the earlier the disease is detected the higher the chances of successful treatment. The UK government said last week that cancer treatment targets in England would be streamlined from October with the objective of diagnosing and treating patients’ cancer faster. The new strategy aims to diagnose 75 percent of people at an early stage. Some cancer charities welcomed the treatment shake-up but others warned steps still need to be taken to tackle the country’s “current disastrous cancer performance”. Oncologist Pat Price, co-founder of the #CatchUpWithCancer campaign said the target needed to be 95 percent not 75 percent. “The only measure that will ‘move the dial’ is the development and implementation of a radical new plan backed up with smart investment in people and kit,” she said. Research published last month by the Swedish Institute for Health Economics found cancer survival rates in the UK lagged behind those of other European countries. Royal College of Radiologists president Jeanette Dickson said in June the impact of doctor shortages was being felt across the country and was “affecting the NHS’s “ability to diagnose and treat cancer in a timely manner”.

  Minister of Information and National orientation, Muhammed Idris, has said the ministry will not need to tell lies to defend the government rather “we will always say it as it is.” Speaking when he assumed office after his inauguration, he said the ministry and the government will be transparent and truthful while giving out information. He said the government would own up where it errs or make any mistake and try to adjust where necessary. Idris said National orientation would be a core aspect of the government, hence “in a matter of days we would roll out our plans to Nigerians.” He called on Nigerians to shun fake news and always clarify issues before taking it out to the public, hence noted that the ministry would be accountable and open to nigerians. On her part, Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative economy, Mrs Hannatu Musawa said the ministry would export Nigeria to the world and would also make money for Nigeria. She said the ministry would also do all it has to do to change the negative narrative which the country has across the world. Musawa noted that it was also important to restore the unity of the country which was the wish of the founding fathers of Nigeria.

  The Commander of the Benue State Livestock Guards, BSLGs, and three of his colleagues have been reportedly killed by unknown armed men in separate attacks in Ukum Local Government Area, LGA, of the state. The Commander of the Benue State Livestock Guards, BSLGs, and three of his colleagues have been reportedly killed by unknown armed men in separate attacks in Ukum Local Government Area, LGA, of the state.   It was gathered that the Commander, Jarule Likita, who until his deaths headed the Mbatian Ward Command of the Guards in Ukum LG, was killed at about 8pm at Tine-Nune settlement, by the assailants who shot him severally on the chest. According to a source in the area, “the murdered Commander was tailed by the assailants to the spot and they opened fire on him. “When they confronted and started shooting him, everyone scampered and you know that this area is known for the activities of armed militia some of who are said to be loyalists of the late Terwase Agwaza also known as Gana. So no one was brave enough to confront them.” Speaking on the development, the State Commander of the Guards, Mr. Linus Zaki state aside the Mbatian Ward Commander, three others were also murdered in cold blood by armed men few weeks back. The Commander said “I was just informed that some armed men attacked and killed him, the Commander. Today he is the only one that was killed. “The armed men have been killing them like that. Three of my men also died few weeks back. They just come, fire them and go away. They call them gunmen and unknown gunmen, that is the report reaching me. One of those killed went to pick his wife and he was gunned down so also others. I do not know where these gunmen are coming from.” Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene said she was yet to receive any report on the incidents.

  The Kaduna State government has reduced tuition fees for state-owned tertiary institutions as part of efforts to cushion the effect of the rising cost of living in the wake of the petroleum subsidy removal. The tuition fees were slashed between 30 to 50 percent for students of the Kaduna State University, Nuhu Bamali Polytechnic, and Kaduna State College of Education, Gidan Waya among others. Governor Uba Sani, who announced the tuition fees reduction at a news conference on Monday, said the move is in response to an outcry over fees charged by tertiary institutions in the state and its effect on school enrolment and retention “The welfare of the people is our topmost priority. Our administration shall continue to take all measures necessary to ensure access to free and qualitative education for every child in Kaduna state from primary to secondary school,” Governor Sani said. “We will expand access to higher education, enhance teachers’ welfare and teaching standards, improve school infrastructure, build ICT competence in our students from the basic education level, and intensify investments in technical & vocational education.” He also restated his resolve to make the welfare of the people a priority of his administration. This is as he promised to sustain free and qualitative education from primary to secondary schools in Kaduna State, while at the same time expanding access to higher education and enhancing the welfare of teachers. While acknowledging the place of human capital development as a key pillar of his SUSTAIN Agenda, Governor Sani disclosed that his administration has taken steps to provide succour to the poor, underserved, and vulnerable groups in Kaduna state through his first Executive Order on financial inclusion for 2.1 million vulnerable citizens.