Author: The Nation

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, says contrary to insinuations, the lawmakers are not as rich as being projected to the public.

Rep. Kingsley Chinda, the Minority Leader of the House, representing the speaker, said this at an interactive session with the House press corps organised by the ad hoc committee on Media and Public Affairs, in Abuja on Wednesday.

According to him, this arm of government isn’t as rich as being projected.

“You have heard that members go home with N30 million every week or that we earn more than American lawmakers.

“And when you tell people that these are not correct, we can’t achieve success because it is coming from us, but when it comes from the media, people will believe it because it came from you,” Abbas said.

He said one of the cardinal points of the 10th Assembly was putting round peg in a round hole, adding that the parliament remained the unsung arm of government and their success depended on the media.

He described the media as partner in progress of the Nigeria project, while urging the media to reciprocate the gesture.

“If democracy must succeed, the parliament must be strengthened through the media. We are not asking you not to give information but give correct and accurate information.”

Also speaking on behalf of the minority caucus in the House, Kingsley said their role as minority was to ensure that the House stood straight by checkmating the ruling party.

“If criticisms are not constructive that is dangerous to us. Let your information not destroy us, but should right the wrong in the society.”

Read Also: Tinubu will turn around ECOWAS as Chairman, says Speaker Abbas

Rep. Khadijat Bukar-Abba, the Chairman, ad hoc Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said the House would sustain efforts to engage with everyone with a stake in the affairs of the House and the committee.

“Together, we can make the House of Reps and Committee proud in discharging her responsibilities,” she said.

On his part, Rep. Julius Ihvonbere, the Majority Leader of the House, lamented that the lawmakers were not telling their stories as they should.

He said the 10th House would strenthen those that would work on media and media related issues to put their stories out and not a recycling of the usual perspectives.

He said it was unfortunate that some constituents still believe that constituency money were given to lawmakers, adding that even his own constituency believed the narrative.

According to him, this time, there will be an effort to pay attention and define the narrative. we will engage and communicate better.

(NAN) 

Engineer’s Representative for the second Niger Bridge, co-named Muhammadu Buhari Bridge, Seyi Martins has condemned the removal of road fittings from the Bridge by vandals.

He also attributed low traffic on the bridge to security challenges facing the region, stressing the experts’ mandate was to construct the bridge to decongest traffic.

Speaking with reporters on Wednesday in Onitsha, Martins however assured the Federal Government would beef up security around the bridge to protect it from further vandalism.

He said: “It is true that the bridge was vandalised, Those fittings will surely be replaced. It is an important national asset that should be protected by all.

“We have contacted all the security agencies and we will beef up security around the bridge and on the bridge.

Read Also: Buhari inaugurates 1.6 km second Niger bridge named after him

“People have cried for this bridge for decades now they have the second Niger bridge. Just a month after it was inaugurated, they vandalised it, I think something is wrong somewhere.

“This bridge will be beneficial to everybody, the vandalism on the bridge is unacceptable, it is not in the interest of the larger community as the profit from the vandalisation is just for a flitting moment.

“The effect of the destruction will be for a very long time because, at the end of the day, they will also suffer the consequences. So it is better not to vandalise public property. It belongs to you and me. 

“Government has done their part by providing infrastructure, it is left for us to guide it jealously because it belongs to everybody.”

Veteran actress Cynthia Okereke was reported dead on Wednesday.

Her colleague, Joseph Okechukwu, announced the tragic news on Wednesday, The Nation reports.

Here are seven things to know about her:

1. She was born on April 20, 1960.

2. She is from Enugu State.

3. She ventured into professional acting in 1998 when she joined the movie industry, popularly known as Nollywood.

4. Her breakthrough came with her first major role in the movie “King Jaja of Opobo”

5. She gained even more recognition for her performance in the movie “Osofia in London,” where she co-starred with Nkem Owoh.

Read Also: JUST IN: Veteran actress Cynthia Okereke dies

6. She has featured in over 50 Nollywood movies.

7. Cynthia Okereke is married with children and is blessed with grandchildren.

8. She has been nominated for a lot of awards, In 2013, Cynthia Okereke was awarded the “AGN Movie Ambassador” by Actors Guild of Nigeria.

9. She died on July 11, 2023.

The President and members of the Senate have congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his emergence as the Chairman of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The News Agency of Nigeria ((NAN) reports that Tinubu emerged at the recently concluded 63rd Ordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of ECOWAS held in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.

The congratulatory message was sequel to a motion moved by Deputy Senate President,  Jibrin Barau at plenary on Wednesday.

Moving the motion, Barau said Tinubu by clinching this influential and strategic position on his very first participation showed that the sub-regional body had reposed great confidence in his leadership qualities.

“It also reaffirms Nigeria’s leadership role on the African continent generally and the sub-region in particular.

“As the Chairman of ECOWAS, President Bola Tinubu is in a strategic and vantage position to uphold ECOWAS protocol which is promotion of peace and conflict resolution within the West African Sub-region.

“To promote democracy and good governance, strengthen collective response to security threats within the sub-region, and generally, foster economic cooperation amongst ECOWAS member states.

“The emergence of Tinubu as the Chairman of ECOWAS is a testimony of his avowed commitment to good governance promised Nigeria which the policies and decisions taken so far are yielding results and beginning to reposition our economy.”

Contributing, Sen. Adamu Aliero (PDP-Kebbi) described the President as the symbol of the nation.

“An honour done to the President is an honour done to all  Nigerians. For that reason, we congratulate the President and also Nigerians for getting this honour from the leadership of ECOWAS.

“I am not surprised because the  President has proved to be a leader that is very competent in whatever responsibility he is given.

“As a governor, he performed wonderfully well and as a President he has started very well and I am sure he will perform credibly to the admiration of Nigerians.

“He started by removing the petroleum subsidy which has been lingering for over 18 years.

“We are hoping that the palliatives that he promised will soon come so that they can cushion the effects of the petroleum subsidy removal,” he said.

For Sen. Godiya Akwashiki (SDP – Nasarawa) “Now that they have given Tinubu an additional responsibility to lead the ECOWAS, I want to believe it is a call to him and all of us, leaders of this country in one way or the other to make sure we support him.

“We should support him to make sure  he creates ideas that will move Nigeria forward and that will bring development and infrastructure to our people in their door steps.

“I want to urge the President to live up to expectation and to ensure things are done according to the rules and due process and according to the Constitution.”

Also speaking, Sen. Titus Zam (APC-Benue) said  the elevation of the President to the leadership of ECOWAS would give the nation the privilege and veritable platform to address its security challenges.

Sen. Ahmad Lawan (APC-Yobe) on his part, said that one way that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly would help the President was through ECOWAS parliament.

He said: “Issues that are germane to us and indeed across the ECOWAS which include security and infrastructure development must be at the front burner.

“And these are some of the issues that the President has championed before and has promised to champion.

Read Also: PHOTOS: Acting EFCC Chair, Chukkol meets Tinubu

“This is a senate that we will have to make as efficient and effective as possible to support the executive arm of government.”

Sen. Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia) thanked the Heads of State of ECOWAS for recognising Tinubu.

“It is coming at a time when our people in the sub-region are harassed.

“The President should use his office to address these issues,” he said.

In his remarks, President of the Senate,  Godswill Akpabio described Tinubu’s emergence a welcome development.

“It further renews the hope of all Nigerians that yes, indeed the administration of Tinubu will bring good tidings to all.

“As soon as we have our committee on foreign affairs, we will address the issue of harassment of Nigerians outside the country.”

(NAN)

The Federal Government on Wednesday, says it has taken steps to increase the production of wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and soyabean, through the provision of relevant farm inputs.

Dr Ernest Umakhihe, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated this at the stakeholders meeting for the implementation of National Agricultural Growth Scheme and Agro-pocket, and Agro Pocket (NAGs -AP) in Abuja.

He said the other relevant farm inputs are fertilizers, seeds, agro-chemicals among others to small scale farmers under both wet and dry season farming.

Umakhihe was represented by Dr Ibrahim Tanimu, the Director, Planning and Policy Coordination, Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the NAGs -AP is an ICT-based platform for the delivery of farm inputs such as Fertilizers, seeds, Agrochemicals and others to the farmers across the country.

Umakhihe said the goal of the National Agricultural Growth Scheme (NAGS), was to increase food production to crash the continued rise in the prices of agricultural commodities.

“The key objective is to increase the production of wheat, rice, maize, sorghum and soyabean through the provision of relevant farm inputs such as fertilizers, seeds, agro-chemicals among others to small scale farmers.

” Specifically, the project is targeted to support over 250,000 wheat farmers with relevant farm inputs to cultivate about 250,000 hectares with expected output of 1,250,000 metric tons of wheat.

“This is to be added to the food reserve with a view to reducing dependence on foreign importation of the product, and increase domestic consumption particularly for the flour millers,” he said.

The permanent secretary said the project aside supporting farmers with critical farm inputs for the production of the priority crops, would also provide institutional supports for better performances.

Read Also: Senate tasks FG on repair of South-East roads

Earlier, the Director, Department, Farm Inputs Support Services, Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Mohammad Sani, said  NAGS scheme was re-introduced to address the yearnings of the different value chain players.

He said the ministry would continue to partner relevant organisations,  to help the farmers attain their desired goals and increase conducive business environment for input operators to flour.

Sani was represented by Mr Francis Adole, Director  two, Department, Farm Inputs Support Services.

In a remark, Mr Ibrahim Arabi, National Programme Coordinator, Agricultural Transformation Agenda Support Phase one (ATASP-1), said  the meeting was organised to sensitize the farmers and fashion out the way forward in the implementation of NAGS-AP.

” The capacity to produce needs to increase across the value chain, hence this meeting which is on the strategy for supporting farmers with subsidised inputs and also with the institutional capacity for increased productivity,”‘he said.

(NAN)

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc. has announced upcoming upgrade of its Standard Transfer Specification (STS) prepaid meters to enhance efficiency that aligns with global standards.

The upgrade known as Token Identification (TID) Rollover aims to ensure continued seamless operation of prepaid meters while maintaining customer satisfaction.

The Managing Director of IBEDC, Mr Kingsley Achife, made the disclosure in a statement on Wednesday in Ibadan.

He said the upgrade would take effect from Aug 1.

Achife added that the upgrade would involve integration of a global software update into STS meters, making them compatible with the new TID Rollover protocol.

“This upgrade is imperative as, starting from Nov. 24, 2024, all STS meters worldwide will cease to accept old credit tokens without the necessary meter upgrade.

“To facilitate a smooth transition, IBEDC will provide its prepaid meter customers with Key Change Tokens (KCT) alongside their regular energy tokens when purchasing electricity,” he said.

According to him, the KCT serves as a special reset token and is crucial for the successful completion of the meter upgrade process.

“Obtaining the KCT is free, and customers can upgrade their meters without any impact on the current electricity tariff,” he said.

He added that customers must take note of some important details during the mandatory upgrade period.

“Customers must upgrade their prepaid meters by sequentially entering the two KCT tokens (KCT 1 and KCT 2) and then the energy token, as provided by IBEDC.

“Effective from Aug. 1, 2023, old credit tokens will become obsolete. Customers must ensure that any unused or previously purchased energy tokens are loaded into their meters before this date.

Read Also: IBEDC promises good service during sallah holidays

“On credit balance preservation, the meter upgrade process will not affect the credit unit balance on the meter.

“Customers can rest assured that their balance will remain intact after the upgrade.

“The meter upgrade is a one-time process. Subsequent energy token purchases will continue as usual after the upgrade has been completed, “he said.

He gave assurance of IBEDC’s commitment to supporting its customers throughout the transition, adding that its field officers would be available to assist customers and monitor compliance.

“If a meter fails to load energy tokens following the KCT upgrade, customers are advised to promptly contact our customer care at 07001239999, email us at customercare@ibedc.com or send messages to  WhatsApp number 07059093900.

“Customers are also encouraged to visit the dedicated IBEDC webpage – ibedc.com/tid-rollover-https://www.tidrollover.com – to access comprehensive information and step-by-step instructions for upgrading their meters,” he said.

(NAN)

A Family Court in Iyaganku, Ibadan, on Tuesday ordered that a skit maker Maruf Abdullahi, aka ”Trinity Guy”  be remanded in Agodi correction centre for allegedly sexually exploiting a 10-year old girl.

The Magistrate, Mrs  P. O. Adetuyibi ordered Abdullahi, 31,  Isiaka Ahmed, 40, and his wife Rofiat Ahmed, 29, parents of the child should continue to be remanded in Agodi.

Adetuyibi adjourned the matter until Aug. 3, for mention.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the police charged Abdullahi , alongside the parents of the victim with conspiracy and sexual abuse/exploitation.

Read Also: Abuse skit: Court remands Trinity Guy, minor’s parents

Earlier, the Prosecution Counsel, Insp Oluwakemi Arowosaye told the court that Abdullahi, Ahmed, and his wife Rofiat  allegedly conspired together to wit sexual abuse.

Arowosaye said ‘Trinity” on Dec. 17, 2022, was alleged to have sexually abused and sexually exploited 10-year- old girl  at Kuola area, Ibadan.

The offence, the police said, contravened the provisions of Section 35 (1) and punishable under Section 35  (2) of the Oyo State Child Right’s Law 2006.

She said it also contravenes the provisions of section 516 of the Criminal Code Laws of Oyo State 2000.

(NAN)