The Nation Newspaper

Author: The Nation

  • Poly moving to permanent site in 2021, says Rector

    Poly moving to permanent site in 2021, says Rector

    Our Reporter

     

    THE Federal Polytechnic, Ukana, Akwa Ibom State, will move to its permanent site in 2021, it was learnt yesterday.

    Rector Dr Uduak Ukekpe stated this when he conducted reporters on a tour of projects in the school to mark his second year as Rector.

    Ukekpe said 80 per cent of ongoing projects in the institution’s permanent site was sponsored by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

    According to him, academic activities might resume at the permanent campus in June 2021. Ukekpe said eight new academic programmes – Computer Engineering, Survey, Accounting, Business Administration, Civil Engineering, and Electrical/Electronics Engineering – would be added to the existing two programmes – Statistics and Computer Science.

    The new programmes would likely kick-off at the permanent campus, he added.

    According to Ukekpe, the polytechnic currently has 85 students due to the carrying capacity of the institution because the school could not admit more than the carrying capacity prescribed by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE).

    Read Also: Offa Poly expels convicted student

    He said: “By next year we will be good to go for the engineering programmes. Some of the equipment have been installed.

    “When I came in, there was no access road, no buildings that were near completion, no contractor was on site. We are targeting eight more courses. We have manpower on ground but it is not adequate. We will be employing if the embargo is lifted next year.

    ”Eighty per cent of the projects you have seen here is from TETFUND intervention. I thank TETFUND and we are doing our best to attract more interventions.”

  • Adamawa Assembly passes N140b budget 

    Adamawa Assembly passes N140b budget 

     Onimisi Alao, Yola

     

    THE Adamawa State House of Assembly has passed next year’s budget of N140 billion as proposed by the Executive.

    The Assembly passed the budget during what was described as a rare sitting yesterday.

    Governor Ahmadu Fintiri had had on November 23, presented the  fiscal proposal of N140,034,404,449 tagged: Budget of Stabilisation, and the Assembly passed yesterday with no major alteration.

    Read Also: Adamawa governor orders immediate closure of schools

    The passage of the budget followed the presentation of the report of House Standing Committee on Finance, Appropriation and Budget, by the committee chairman and member representing Demsa Constituency, Kate Mamuno.

    Mamuno moved a motion for the adoption and consideration of the report and was seconded by the member representing Ganye State Constituency, Alhassan Hammanjoda.

    Assembly Speaker Aminu Iya Abbas, who presided over the plenary, directed the Clerk   to prepare a clean copy of the bill to the executive arm for the governor’s assent.

     

  • Bayelsa’s road project for January

    Bayelsa’s road project for January

     Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

     

    CONSTRUCTION of the 22-kilometre Igbogene-AIT Outer Ring Road in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, will begin in January, it was learnt on Thursday.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Ayibaina Duba, his Works and Infrastructure counterpart Moses Teibowei, and Commissioner for Health Dr. Pabara Igwele, addressed reporters after the State Executive Council (SEC) meeting.

    Teibowei said the project, which was initiated in 2013 by the previous administration, would start in the second week of January. It will cost N22 billion. The project is expected to last 24 months.

    Read Also: Fire guts Bayelsa furniture market

    Teibowei said phase one of the Edepie-Etegwe roundabout expansion project is almost completed while phase two, which involves the building of a retaining wall and sand filling near the Etegwe bridge, would begin soon.

    According to him, the project would prevent encroachment and illegal trading on government’s right-of-way, beautify and make the place motorable.

    Igwele added that civil servants, political appointees, and government functionaries should go for testing in light of the second wave of COVID-19.

    He added that the council also directed that active cases be searched out, especially in Yenagoa, the state capital. Bars, night clubs, event and recreational centres, restaurants and hotels are also directed to comply with safety protocols.

    The commissioner urged the people to restrict attendance at events (weddings, conferences, congresses, office parties, concerts, seminars end of year parties, religious gatherings) to 50 persons.

  • Emmanuel donates 30 patrol vans to police

    Emmanuel donates 30 patrol vans to police

    Bassey Anthony, Uyo

     

    AKWA Ibom State Governor Udom Emmanuel has donated 30 patrol vehicles to the police.

    The vehicles are the first batch of 100 promised to security agencies.

    Emmanuel, who commiserated with the command on for its officers and men who died during the #EndSARS protest, urged them not to relent in curbing crime.

    He said: “Reports of gradual reduction in crime is heart warming, and I believe it is because of hard work by the command.

    “My donation of these patrol trucks is to support the police and other security agencies to enhance their performance, and ensure a smooth yuletide.”

    Read Also: ‘Probe abandoned projects in Akwa Ibom’

    Commissioner of Police Andrew Amiengheme thanked Emmanuel for the gesture. He said the vehicles would boost morale of the officers.

    Amiengheme assured Emmanuel of maximum protection of residents through ceaseless patrols during the yuletide and beyond.

    “Let me assure you that the command, under my watch, will ensure criminals are brought to book. We are determined to confront crime, end killings, cultism, robbery, rape among others,” he added.

  • Niger Majority Leader impeached

    Niger Majority Leader impeached

     Justina Asishana, Minna

     

    THE Niger State House of Assembly on Thursday impeached  Majority Leader Abba Mohammed and his deputy Binta Mamman. Mohammed represents Borgu Constituency.

    Both officers were removed for what the lawmakers termed dereliction of duty.

    However, the Deputy Leader Binta Mamman’s removal was later reversed because she was in isolation recovering from COVID-19 virus.

    The lawmakers lamented that the majority leader abandoned plenary at a time when an important matter of the presentation of the report of the 2021 budget estimate.

    The motion for the impeachment was moved by the member representing Bida I, Bako Kasim Alfa and seconded by the member representing Wushishi, Mohammed Lokogoma.

     

  • Ex-grand Kadi Lemu dies at 91

    Ex-grand Kadi Lemu dies at 91

     Justina Asishana, Minna

     

    THE first Grand Kadi and foremost Islamic scholar in Niger State, Sheikh Ahmad Abdullahi Lemu, is dead.

    He reportedly died in the early hours of Thursday in Minna, the state capital.

    He was 91.

    The late Lemu authored many Islamic books and literature and was the winner of the King Faisal Bin Abdul-Aziz award in recognition for his contribution for the promotion of peaceful coexistence among people of different faith and backgrounds.

    His death was announced by one of his children, Nuruddeen.

    Read Also: Aisha Lemu: A fulfilled risky life

    The state government expressed shock and sadness over his death, describing him as a bridge-builder who reached across ethnic and religious divides to promote peace and unity.

    A statement by the Secretary to the Government of Niger State (SSG), Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, said the contributions of the deceased as a renowned Islamic scholar of high repute earned him respect on religion matters.

    It described the deceased as a proponent of peaceful co-existence among the people for national integration and human rights.

    “The commitment of late Sheik Ahmed Lemu in the propagation of Islam in the country and beyond earned him the award of King Faisal International Prize in Service to Islam for the Year 2014 by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

  • Suspect hails SCID over investigation

    Suspect hails SCID over investigation

    Our Reporter

     

    MR. Olajide Salako, a suspect in the death of a nurse, Bukola Folarin, who died in a hotel room in Lagos, has hailed men of the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, Lagos for investigating the incident.

    Salako, who spoke at a news conference in Agege, Lagos, said he remained grateful to the officers who watched the long CCTV footage “and saw that I left the hotel premises after checking the late Bukola Folarin before her death.”

    He added: “The incident was earlier reported that she died from marathon sex with me in a hotel, but nothing could be further from the truth.

    Read Also: Police parade 15 suspects for ‘stealing’ transformers

    “The truth is that Ms Folarin and I attended a social function in our old neighbourhood (Agege) on Saturday, November 28, and we had drinks shared with other old friends in the neighbourhood at the party.

    “We left the party at night and Aunty Bukky (as she was fondly called), requested that I dropped her at a nearby hotel, as it was too late to go to her house (which is far from our old neighbourhood).

    “Truly, I checked her in at a hotel in Abule Egba, but I left for my home that night about 10:20 pm.”

    Salako said the fact of the case remained that although she died in the hotel, she was alone at the time of the sad incident, noting that her sudden death could best be described as an act of God.

    “As revealed by the CCTV footage, Folarin, while in an emergency, called one of her relatives and tried her best to get help, but unfortunately she didn’t survive,” he said.

     

  • Osun begins sharing 40,332 bags of CACOVID rice

    Osun begins sharing 40,332 bags of CACOVID rice

    Our Reporter

     

    OSUN State Government has begun the sharing of the rice component of Private Sector Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID) food items donated to the state.

    The distribution followed the delivery of the much-expected 40,332 of 10kg bags of rice component of CACOVID palliatives aimed at cushioning the adverse effects of the dreaded global Coronavirus pandemic.

    The CACOVID monitoring and evaluation team has lauded the state government for its well-designed distribution template.

    The state government had during a joint news conference on Monday stated its readiness to commence the distribution of the rice component of the CACOVID palliatives on receipt.

    Addressing reporters while delivering the bags of rice to the state government officials, the Osun Coordinator, CACOVID Monitoring and Evaluation Team, Mr. Ademola Adebisi, lauded the government for adopting a strategic distribution process that captures every segment of the society.

    Read Also: All quiet in Amosun’s camp

    Adebisi noted that the state government had distinguished itself and demonstrated a high sense of transparency and accountability in its resolve to ensure that the food items get to the targeted beneficiaries across the state.

    “I am extremely impressed with what I have seen here. I have spoken with the Commissioner in charge of this and I have seen some of the beneficiaries of this palliative items.

    “I have looked through the way the palliatives are being distributed and I must confess that I am pleased with the template of the distribution, which takes care of every vulnerable group in the state.

  • Gunmen kill three policemen in Benue

    Gunmen kill three policemen in Benue

    Our Reporter

     

    Benue State Police Command said gunmen on Thursrday killed three officers at the home of the Katsina-Ala Local Government Chairman, Mr. Alfred Atera.

    Spokesperson DSP Catherine Anene said in Makurdi that the incident occurred early in the morning.

    She said Atera was not hurt, adding that investigation had begun.

    Barely five days after an Army Captain, G.S.M. Abubakar, was gruesomely murdered by suspected kidnappers on Lokoja- Okene highway, gunmen have killed two naval officers, a man and a woman, in Kogi State.

    The incident occurred yesterday about 6pm on Lokoja-Okene highway when the hoodlums shot the duo in their Sienna Toyota van. Police Commissioner Ayuba Ede, who confirmed the incident, said the naval officers were killed on Okene -Lokoja highway.

    Read Also: Police smash Benue robbery gang

    He said he had dispatched operatives to the scene to ascertain details of where the victims were coming from and where they were heading before the incident.

    It will be recalled that Captain Abubakar was on Sunday killed by suspected kidnappers on the highway, while his mother, wife and children were abducted by the gunmen. Their whereabouts were unknown last night.

    Abubakar, who was attached to 353 Artillery Ojo Cantonment, Lagos, was going for his official decoration following his new promotion when the incident happened.

     

  • IGP orders watertight security during Yuletide

    IGP orders watertight security during Yuletide

    Nicholas Kalu, Abuja

     

    INSPECTOR-General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu has ordered round-the-clock watertight security across the country during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

    He gave the directives to assistant inspectors-general of police and commissioners of police in charge of zonal and state commands nationwide, to ensure a peaceful celebration.

    The IGP urged proactive high visibility patrols nationwide.  Force spokesman Frank Mba made this known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    He said the IGP equally directed strategic officers to ensure massive deployment of intelligence and other operational assets of the Force, particularly on major highways, airports, railway stations, recreational centres, motor parks, places of worship, financial institutions, among others.