The Bayelsa State local government election conducted on Saturday by the State Independent Electoral Commission was relatively peaceful across the eight local government areas and 105 wards of the state.   Besides voter apathy, voting materials and personnel of the BYSIEC were said to have arrived late in Yenagoa, Sagbama, Ekeremor, Kolokuma/Opokuma, Ogbia, Nembe, Brass, and Southern Ijaw council areas. However, the major opposition party in the state, the All Progressives Congress, shunned the council poll. It was gathered that a skirmish occurred in Sagbama LGA where the Labour Party chairmanship candidate, Timi Ogosi, was slugging it out with his Peoples Democratic Party counterpart, Alice Allen. Some hoodlums were said to have hijacked electoral materials meant for Wards 6, 7, 11, 13, and 14 in the Sagbama LGA. But the state governor, Douye Diri, described the election as peaceful after casting his vote along with his wife, Gloria, at their Kalamaoweiwari Unit 4, Ward 6 in Sampou community, Kolokuma/Opokuma Local Government Area.   Speaking with journalists, Diri lauded the BYSIEC for the proper handling of the council poll and expressed optimism that his party, the PDP, would sweep the poll. He said, “The PDP enjoys the support of the people, and judging from the outcome of the November 11, 2023 governorship election, our party will still take the upper hand. “As you have seen, the voting process was peaceful and seamless and l think if this is the way it is in every other unit and ward, then we expect a peaceful and successful local government election to usher in a new leadership at the third tier of government.” Also, the deputy governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the PDP was on the ground and would win the council poll. Describing the electoral process as peaceful, Ewhrudjakpo, in an interview with journalists shortly after voting at his Ward 2, Unit 6 in Ofoni community, Sagbama LGA, observed that the electoral umpire however had a challenge with logistics. He said, “But for sure, you know that Ofoni is PDP, and the whole of Sagbama is PDP. You are also aware that in the last governorship election, it was only in Sagbama (LGA) that APC did not get up to 25%. “So, we don’t expect anything different from that. The voting will be going on. I just cast my vote. The process is going on fairly, squarely, and transparently.”

  Chief Elias Atabor, the Leader of Agojeju-Odo community in Kogi, has urged the Federal Government to establish a military base in the Omala Local Government Area to checkmate bandits’ incessant attacks on the people. Atabor made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja on Friday.   “We are so worried that the death toll keeps rising by the hour,” he said. The community leader made the call when it was discovered that the death toll of Thursday’s attack on the Kogi community attack rose from 19 to 25. The figure included four children, while several persons were being hospitalised. But retired Commodore Jerry Omodara, Special Adviser on Security to Gov. Usman Ododo, said the death toll had risen to 21, with more being discovered by the hour. Atabor said: “We are pleading with the Federal Government to bring to our community a military base that will help us to checkmate the incessant attacks in our communities in Omala LGA. “Thursday’s attack is the second in less than three months this year alone. The first was on Jan. 29 when four persons were killed by bandits.   “We cannot continue dying like fowls in our own community. Agojeju-Odo is our ancestral home and we have no other place to go besides it. “Many of our people are still missing and we are still discovering more corpses. It’s painful and worrying. “Government should come to our aid and save us before those bandits, who are sophisticatedly armed to wipe us out from this Earth.” The leader said that the communities, Agojeju-Odo, Ajokpachi-Odo and Bagaji had become ghost towns with no economic activity going on due to the attacks. According to him, their children can not have the desired education because virtually all the schools in those communities are closed down. He expressed gratitude to Gov Usman Ododo and the security operatives for their immediate response by deploying personnel to the troubled communities. Also, a community stakeholder, Mr Ademu Ibrahim, urged President Bola Tinubu and Gov. Ododo to assist the communities with some relief materials, having lost their farm produce to the bandits. He described the attacks as “wicked and unacceptable”, considering the way and manners the bandits were killing the people. Ibrahim said there had been a running battle between militia groups in parts of Benue and some bandits, which led to the onslaught on the quiet towns of Agojeju-Odo, Ajokpachi-Odo, Bagaji and environs. According to him, the bandits have destroyed farm produce with ease in an attempt to draw the communities into the conflict. NAN reports that 19 persons were killed and several others injured during Thursday’s broad daylight bandits attack on Agojeju-Odo community in Omala Local Government Area of Kogi. (NAN)

  Russia said Saturday it had evacuated more than 4,000 people in the Orenburg region, which lies near the Kazakhstan border, due to flooding after a dam burst. Emergency services had been working through the night after a dam burst in the city of Orsk, near the border with Kazakhstan. The press service of the Orenburg governor said “4,208 people, including 1,019 children” had been evacuated and more than 2,500 homes were affected by the flooding after a dam burst on Friday following torrential rain. Russia opened a criminal case on “negligence and violation of construction safety rules” into the burst of the dam, built in 2014. Authorities said the situation was difficult throughout the region, warning of a dangerous water level on the Ural river in the main city of Orenburg. Governor Denis Pasler said the flood had reached its “peak”, saying the situation was especially difficult in Orsk. Russian emergency services published images of rescue workers going through villages on boats and hover crafts. Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the floods were one of the worst natural disasters in Kazakhstan in 80 years. He called for authorities in the Central Asian country to be ready to help those affected. Several regions in the Urals and western Siberia have been affected by floods at the start of spring. AFP

  Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, on Friday, said he inherited N192.2bn debt from his predecessor, Okezie Ikpeazu. He said Ikpeazu, on his part, inherited N34.5bn from his predecessor. Otti disclosed this during an interaction with journalists. He said, however, that some of the debts have been paid off as they are with high-interest rates, adding, “It is tough, but we have to do it. We manage our expenses well and are able to live.”   Otti also expressed his happiness that at the state did not feature in the list of debtor states recently released by the Debt Management Office. He added, “Opposition said we borrowed N148bn, and we debunked it. We will borrow when the need arises, but for now, we are managing. “I have been consistent with the cost of governance and managing. Borrowing money is not bad, but what you do with the money you borrowed. Where the money for projects I am doing in the state is coming from is my secret. We have been able to manage and cut costs. We are doing financial engineering.” On his payment of pension arrears. the governor said, “We had promised last year to pay off the pension arrears but are saddled with a difficult verification exercise that ended a few weeks ago. “All pensions have been paid as of last Thursday. All the arrears have been taken away. These pensioners who would have been begging for money are now feeding by themselves. “So, we have returned power to these pensioners. 12,500 of them were paid. Going forward, 100% of their entitlement will be paid as and when due. We have always paid 100% salaries. Never again will we have a backlog of pensions, some of which date back to 2014.” Otti expressed his happiness that work is going on by mayors at all the local government areas headquarters in the state, stating that 90% of the headquarters were in dilapidation stage following neglect by previous administrations. On the alleged hijack of LG funds, the governor said, “LG funds can’t be hijacked under my watch. The LGAs are working. It is impossible to hijack the funds under me. Soon, salary arrears of parastatals will be paid as they have been keyed in.”

  Florin Talapan, ambassador of Romania to Nigeria, says his country will increase scholarships for prospective Nigerian students. Talapan spoke on Friday when he presented his letter of credence to President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja. “Nigeria is a second home to me, and I have lived here for many years. I have to give back every good thing I have received from Nigeria,” a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesperson, quoted the ambassador as saying. “My country is looking towards a strategic alliance with Nigeria in the areas of education, energy, and defence.” Tinubu also received letters of credence from Lincoln Downer and Leilani Bin-Juda, high commissioners of Jamaica and Australia, respectively. During separate meetings, Tinubu assured the ambassadors of Nigeria’s support for a rewarding stay. The president reaffirmed his government’s commitment to maintaining an open-door policy toward strengthening existing economic, cultural, and diplomatic relations. In his conversation with Downer, the president spoke of Nigeria’s readiness to reactivate energy cooperation with Jamaica, particularly in the context of climate change and the utilisation of gas as a transition fuel. ”The essence of a relationship is to understand one another. With Nigeria’s energetic and talented youth, we have a cultural affinity with Jamaica and a lot of potential for cooperation in the areas of culture and tourism that will benefit the youth populations of both countries,” Tinubu said. The high commissioner conveyed his prime minister’s willingness for a relationship with Nigeria and announced plans for a Jamaican business delegation to visit the country later this year. Downer also invited Nigerian investors to explore opportunities in Jamaica’s special economic zones.   Speaking with Bin-Juda, Tinubu acknowledged the shared values and interests between Nigeria and Australia. He called for more cooperation in mining, given Australia’s leading position in iron ore export. “The Minister of Solid Minerals was in Australia recently, and we look forward to further collaboration in this area. We are also ready to deepen our mutual cooperation in the area of education,” Tinubu said. In response, the Australian high commissioner expressed readiness for further collaboration. He extended an invitation to Tinubu to consider visiting Australia during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa.