Agency Reporter

MINISTER of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi has urged the people from Southeast and Southsouth to work together to enable them foster growth in the region.

Amaechi, in a statement to reporters yesterday, made the call during an interactive session with the Southeast, Southsouth Professionals of Nigeria (SESSPN) in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that SESSPN invited the minister to address some concerns of the people, which included security, power, economic and social integration and representation in government.

Amaechi said: “We fight a lot among ourselves. In Southsouth and Southeast we fight among ourselves. I’m saying this so that we can separate emotions from reality.

“Today, it is not about President Muhammadu Buhari. It is about us. This administration is doing a lot, but because it is President Buhari, we pretend not to see it.

“We complain about lopsided appointments. Apart from the area of security, have you checked other areas side by side?

“The President will appoint someone from the Southeast and people from the same region will fight against the appointment. If you are the President, how will you feel?

“When we took office, the President asked us to complete all projects left by previous administrations before starting new ones. We did that and it was across all regions.

“We completed Port Harcourt Airport, we are working on Enugu Airport; Enugu-Onitsha road, work is going on, no matter how slow.

Read Also: Amaechi: FG will complete Kano Dry Port

“The second Niger bridge in Onitsha is 48 per cent completed and we have assured the country that by 2022 it will be completed.”

On rail projects, Amaechi said: “What informs my decision of choosing which rail line to construct at any point in time is the economics of the project.

“And currently, the economics show that Lagos to Kano has the capacity to move 30 million tonnes of cargo per year. I do the same analysis for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, 11 million tonnes. We are currently doing the analysis for Lagos to Calabar to know how many tonnes of cargo can be moved there per year. So we started with the Lagos to Kano rail.”

Our Reporter

GOVERNOR Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State on Monday  visited the defunct office of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit of the Nigeria Police Force in Enugu.

The visit was made to confirm that the facility has been closed in compliance with the Federal Government’s directive based on the demands of the protesting youth against SARS brutality in the country.

Governor Ugwuanyi, who was accompanied by the  Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Miletus Eze and his Information counterpart, Nnanyelugo Chidi Aroh, was received by the Commissioner of Police,  Ahmad Abdurrahman, who took him round the facilities, including the empty cells.

Speaking, the police commissioner confirmed to the governor, who he described as “the most-friendly and security-disposed governor” that the SARS unit has been closed accordingly and the 11 detained suspects evacuated from the cells. He said: “Today, we don’t have SARS in Enugu.”

 Nsa Gill. Calabar

CROSS River State Governor Ben Ayade has tendered an apology to the people of the state and lawyers in particular for the delay, which lasted for 48 days, before a Chief Judge was sworn in to head the judiciary.

The governor spoke at the State Executive chambers yesterday when he swore in Justice Eyo Effiom Ita as the acting Chief Judge.

The swearing-in of Justice Ita was done by the governor in a brief ceremony before a group of concerned lawyers in the state led a protest to the Governor’s Office demanding that the governor should rather do the right thing by swearing in a substantive Chief Judge.

Read Also: Ayade opens school, others

Governor Ayade said the swearing-in was in keeping with “the obligations and provisions of the constitution, particularly with reference to Section 217 of the Constitution.”

He apologised to the people of the state and lawyers for the delay in the appointment of a new chief judge, saying the state was waiting for communication from the National Judicial Council (NJC).

The governor said the ceremony was taking place because the NJC had Wednesday last week taken a decision “that the next in ranking be appointed as Acting Chief Judge.”

 Bassey Anthony. Uyo

AKWA Ibom Oil Producing Community Development Network (AKIPCON) has hailed House of Representatives Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila for constituting an Ad Hoc Committee to investigate oil spills in oil producing states.

The Speaker had ordered oil companies operating in the country to submit their oil spills reports to the Ad Hoc Committee on Oil Spill Clean-Up and Remediation in the Oil Producing States for investigation.

AKIPCON said the probe was a good move to bring sanity to the affected areas as well as ensure a clean and sustainable environment for the well-being of Niger Delta region’s residents.

In a statement yesterday in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, AKIPCON President General Dr. Ufot Phenson also called for oil spill clean-up and remediation in the oil producing states.

The statement reads: “AKIPCON commends the House of Representatives …on the constitution of the ad hoc committee to investigate oil spill clean-ups and remediation in the oil producing states.

“We describe the initiative as a bold step taken in the right direction as the action is intended to bring about clean and sustainable environment for societal well-being.

Read Also: Nigeria fighting for survival, says Gbajabiamila

“We and other collaborating socio-economic groups in the state, namely: Oil and Spill Minerals Producing Areas Landlord Association of Nigeria (OMPALAN), Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCON), War Veterans, Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Market and Church Associations, Policy Alert and Advocacy Coalition for the Survival of Oil Producing Communities (ACSOBEC) have observed certain omissions in the terms of reference given to the committee by the House of Representatives.

“The host communities of the oil producing states, which suffer the harmful economic activities of oil companies (oil spills, gas flaring and emissions, toxic waste dumping, gas leakage and emissions, etc), should be invited to make their representations and or calls for memoranda from oil producing communities. This is to enable the House to have a balanced and on-the-spot reports/information that will help the committee’s investigation.

“The terms of reference of the ad hoc committee to investigate oil spill cleanup and remediation in oil producing states should be amended to include details on compensation payments by oil companies to the victims to alleviate their prolonged suffering.

By Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

Crisis is brewing at Egbemo-Angalabiri community in Ekeremor Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, following the abduction of the acting paramount ruler, Chief Ayakurai Gometi, by armed youths after demanding his resignation.

It was gathered that armed youths led by ex-militants leaders last Saturday stormed the meeting venue of the community leadership and ordered Gometi to resign.

By Bassey Anthony, Uyo

Three children of police officers have drowned in an open pit filled with flood water at Eket Divisional Police Barracks in Akwa Ibom State.

Our correspondent gathered that the children aged between 5 and 10 had gone to play in the open pit at about 5pm on Tuesday when the sad incident occurred.

Two of the children, it was learnt, were of the same parent, an inspector, while the other belonged to another police officer whose name could not be confirmed at press time.

Our correspondent, who visited the barracks at about 8:30am on Wednesday, observed that carpenters were working to barricade the pit with plywood.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said the pit was dug to collect flood water in the barracks after rains.

The mother of one of the deceased cried uncontrollably.

Read Also: Akwa Ibom, Lagos enjoy cash transfer

None of the bereaved parents could speak about the incident.

The command’s spokesman, Odiko Macdon, a Superintendent of Police (SP), confirmed the death of the three children.

“Police Commissioner Amiengheme Andrew received with shock the news of the drowning of three children of serving inspectors of police in Eket Divisional Police Headquarters in the barracks,” he said.

 Emma Elekwa, Onitsha

THE National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Anambra State on Wednesday celebrated 12 of its serving corps members who got married in the state.

The couples, all of 2019 Batch ‘C’ set, including those redeployed to the state, said they met at the orientation camp.

The couples include Eze Obinna and Oluchi Peace, Henry Nwachoko and Charles Ruth, Oluchukwu Davis and Ahedo Etiosa.

Others are Nsofor Obianuju and Ohale Nkemakolam, Ogburie Collins and Nwokearu Chinyeremaka, Bernard Faith Amarachi and Okafor Chukwudi.

NYSC State Coordinator Kehinde Aremu described the event as unique, saying there had never been an assemblage of marriage in the history of the scheme.

Read Also: Ganduje inaugurates NYSC governing board

He attributed the success story to a conducive environment and the friendly disposition of the people of the state and the government.

The Assistant Director, Corps Welfare and Health Services, Mrs. Ify Nwafor, said one of the reasons for establishing the scheme was for integration, including chances for corps members to meet the love of their lives.

One of the couples, Onyema Nwachoko, said he met his wife while praying at the Family House of the Christian Corpers Fellowship.

He thanked Almighty God and the government for creating the NYSC platform.

“Without NYSC, I wouldn’t have met my wife,” Nwachoko said.

 Nwanosike Onu, Awka

ANAMBRA State Government has planned estimated draft budget of N140.8billion for 2021 fiscal year.

Governor Willie Obiano is seeking the inputs of the stakeholders to help in reflecting the yearnings of the populace in the budget.

Budget and Economic Planning Commissioner Mark Okoye made the presentation yesterday on Medium Term Expenditure Framework Covering Period (2021-2023).

He said other things being equal; the 2021 budget was estimated at N140.8billion.

The increase in the budget size, according to him, was N25.9billion from the 2020 revised budget of N114.9billion, representing an 18.3 per cent increase.