Abia State Governor Alex Otti has directed local government chairmen across the 17 councils to dismantle the billboards used by parties during the last general election.
This was contained in a statement issued yesterday by Prince Okey Kanu, commissioner for Information and Culture.
Kanu, quoting the governor, gave the local government chairmen till the end of this month to carry out the directive.
University of Cross River State (UNICROSS) Alumni Association has appealed to Cross River State Government to consider and approve increase in the subvention given to the state-owned university.
The body, under the leadership of Mr. Peter Inyali, the recently-elected national president of the body, spoke in Calabar during a presentation event where they donated 50 bags of rice (10kg) to ex-students working in the university.
Inyali implored Governor Bassey Otu to consider an upward review of the government’s monthly subvention to the university.
He said some officials were owed salaries not because the management was unwilling to pay, but because the money not just there.
“The subvention from the government can no longer carry the university because the institution is growing with new programmes and the staff strength is expanding. Even if salaries are paid, the hard economic condition will make it difficult for you to cater to the enormity of challenges facing you with your meager salaries,” he added.
Inyali hailed the governor for the rehabilitation of internal and external roads within the institution, noting that he had been generous to the university even before now.
Speaking on behalf of ex-students working in the university, Dr. Godswill John, convener, ‘BLazers for UNICROSS’, praised the alumni executives for their magnanimity, noting that the rice would be shared fairly.
Indigenous contractors handling projects for the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) have appealed to the state government to allow variations in their contracts, due to rising inflation.
They hinged their stance on the depreciating value of the naira and continued delay in adequate funding of projects by previous administrators of the commission.
Chairman of DESOPADEC Indigenous Contractors Forum, Ogie Samson, an engineer; made the appeal at the body’s thanksgiving/end of year party held at Jeddo, Okpe Local Government.
He said members were facing challenges in the execution of projects due to increase in prices of materials, and stressed the need for the interventionist agency to allow for review of contracts.
Ogie said: “We the indigenous contractors are pleading with DESOPADEC to allow for contract variation where cogent and verifiable reasons are adduced because of inflation, since the commission owes contractors heavily”.
Disclosing that the forum had received some favourable response, he, however, urged the management of the commission to keep to the promise as from next month.
The forum chairman said no union or association enjoys using protests to press home genuine demands when the system works seamlessly.
Lauding the Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Chief Oghenekome Okpobor, for his response to the forum’s complaints unlike before, Ogie assured DESOPADEC management of mutual relationships in the coming year, in an effort to hasten development of the host communities, in line with the mandate of the agency.
He hailed Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for his sterling performance since he assumed office, expressing confidence that he would not disappoint the people.
He urged the governor to allocate more funds to DESOPADEC to enable the commission bring the expected development to the oil producing areas.
Highlight of the event was a thanksgiving service held at Dunamis International Centre, Warri, along NPA Expressway.
No fewer than 110 facilitators in Delta State have begun training aimed at enrolment of beneficiaries into the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme.
The cash transfer programme is a partnership between the World Bank, federal and state governments targeted at uplifting 15 million poor and vulnerable Nigerians.
Delta State Head of the Cash Transfer Unit, Mrs. Modupe Osharode, spoke in Asaba during a one day workshop for cash transfer facilitators from the 25 local governments.
She said the beneficiaries were expected to receive a monthly stipend of N25,000 for a three-month period.
Osharode said: “The part the state plays is to facilitate enrolment of the beneficiaries, but the Federal Government pays the money.
“They (facilitators) know their local governments, they know their communities, they know their terrain very well, so they work as foot soldiers.
“What I want to tell the communities is that the register is credible, our duty is just to disclose the list so that they will come out and check if their names are there.”
She said the focus of the exercise were the over 60,000 unbanked households in the state social register.
“Most times, we target the adult female in the household. She is the person that comes out for the household, but the money is for the use of the household.
“What we are set to do is to go and look for the unbanked ones, so that they can open accounts for them.”
Some of the facilitators expressed readiness to accomplish the task of enumerating beneficiaries, following the training by the state Cash Transfer Unit.
The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) has sought the support of the media practitioners and other critical stakeholders to help in strategic evaluation and dissemination of the Nigerian content performance.
The acting General Manager, Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, Mr. Esueme Dan-Kikile, made the appeal yesterday at the Nigerian content capacity building workshops for media stakeholders in the Southsouth, held in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
Speaking on the theme, ‘The Role of the Media in Sustaining Nigerian Content Legacies’, Dan-Kikile noted that the workshop was targeted at empowering media practitioners with the requisite knowledge in disseminating local content policies and evaluating its performance, using the fundamentals of media strategy and corporate storytelling techniques.
He said: “The idea behind this media workshop that we have held is simply in two folds: one is for us to have this interface with the media and use the opportunity to evaluate where we are in terms of Nigerian content performance and also what our public, which includes the media, stakeholders, community people and their perception of NCDMB performance.
“The second objective is for us to use it to develop knowledge for media practitioners. At every point in time, we choose very specific leaders in communication, leaders in the media, leaders in other areas of practice including, in one instance, a very senior legal practitioner to speak to journalists on the ethics of their profession and how those things converge to help in the reporting of Nigerian content.”
A Communication Consultant and Executive Director, Institute of Communication and Corporate Studies, Lagos, Dr. Austin Tam-George, said media strategy in the context of the NCDMB was the ability to develop and sustain the relationship in a long term with the media community.
He said NCDMB is a government institution that serves the people in the specific sector of oil and gas.
Speaking on corporate storytelling, Tam-George said the development helps in creating a narrative of efficiency and goal setting.
He advised that corporate stories must be true and verifiable, realistic and achievable, inspirational, aspirational and engender some teachable moments in order for people to have faith in such an organisation.
Delta State Government says it has signed an agreement for the development of a Floating Liquefied Natural Gas with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) and a private investor, UTM Offshore Ltd.
A statement yesterday by Chief Press Secretary to Delta Governor, Festus Again, quoted the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Kingsley Emu and Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Omamuzo Erebe, as signing on behalf of the state government, while the Group Chief Executive Officer, NNPC Ltd, Mr. Mele Kyari and Group Managing Director, Julius Rone, signed for NNPC Limited and UTM Offshore.
The statement said Delta State Government would own eight per cent share of the project, NNPC Ltd, 20 per cent and UTM Offshore, 72 per cent.
The ceremony was held in Abuja.
Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori said his government took eight per cent in floating LNG project because of its conviction of the strategic importance of the project to the national economy.
He added that with 40 per cent of Nigeria’s proven gas reserves in the state, it was a worthy investment.
Kyari hailed Oborevwori for not just being a promoter of gas development in the country, but for also investing in gas projects.
Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekprikpe Ekpo, noted that it was time for the country to begin the monetisation of its huge gas reserves for the development of the economy.
UTM Group Managing Director, Mr. Rone, said the signing ceremony marked another significant milestone in actualising Nigeria’s first indigenous FLNG.
Barr. Prada Uzodimma, daughter of Gov. Hope Uzodimma, has announced plans are underway to launch the Prada Uzodimma Imo Indigenes Law Scholarship Grant (PUIISG), a scholarship grant to sponsor Imo indigenes to study law at any state or federal university.
She stated this at the award ceremony for the 2023 beneficiaries of the annual Prada Uzodimma Law School Scholarship Grant (PUSG), an educational and philanthropic project that seeks to provide financial support to selected indigent law school aspirants across Nigeria.
According to the UK-trained lawyer, the PUSG and PUIISG schemes were born out of passion to ease the difficulties for indigent but aspiring young lawyers across Nigeria to enable them realize their dreams of becoming legal luminaries.
She however explained that while the PUSG covers the cost of going to law school for indigent students across Nigeria, the PUIISG was tailored for indigent Imo indigenes to study law at any state or federal university.
“Both the Prada Uzodimma Law School Scholarship Grant and the Prada Uzodimma Imo Indigenes Law Scholarship Grant (PUIISG) are our initiatives to help the less-privileged young people realize their dreams of becoming lawyers.
“However, the PUIISG is for Imo Indigenes, to help them begin the journey of becoming lawyers by sponsoring their undergraduate programme in any state or federal university in Nigeria,” she explained.
She added: “ A lot of people often ask why I decided to launch these initiatives and my answers remains that we are investing in the future of young aspiring lawyers, we are giving them the opportunity they deserve.
“The focus is not on the smartest student but on the indigent students, we are giving indigent students the opportunity of becoming lawyers.”
Uzodimma explained that the annual PUSG was launched in partnership with Principle Legal Consult in 2021 with five successful beneficiaries.
“In 2022, we decided to increase the number of beneficiaries to 10 ,and they have just concluded the bar exam and we are looking forward to all being called to bar next year and this year the numbers of beneficiaries have increase to 15, and we do not prioritize any particular person, religion or tribe.”
She urged well-to-do Nigerians of good will to support the initiative in order to ensure that aspiring law school students across the countries realize their dreams of been called to the Nigerian bar.
According to her: “Your sponsorship will infuse life into the vulnerable dreams of indigent students and contribute to the journeys of aspiring lawyers in Nigeria. We are seeking your kind support today. Join us on this path, sponsor a law student today!”
Barr. Prada Uzodimma, Imo-born legal icon, is a humanitarian, who frequents various television programmez to educate the masses on their Human & Legal rights.
She is also the Co- founder of The Ability Life Initiative, a foundation engineered to breach the gap for persons living with disabilities,and as a seasoned legal practitioner who has garnished a wealth of legal knowledge and experience over the years, she has dedicated herself to shaping young people.
In 2021, she launched the PUSG in partnership with Principle Legal Consult, with five successful beneficiaries of the PUSG who had their Nigerian Law School tuition fees covered.
The PUSG’s application portal opens up simultaneously with the Nigerian Law School Application portal and all applications must be submitted through the website.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma has signed into law the 2024 Appropriation Bill.
He said the success of the budget would depend on the prudent implementation of the items contained in the document.
He said the budget would act as a stimulus and catalyst for the growth and development of the state, in line with its theme: “Budget of Renewed Economic Growth.”
Speaking at a brief ceremony after assenting the N592.2 billion budget into law at the New Exco Chambers, Government House, Owerri, yesterday, the governor noted that the budget was unique in the sense that “in the history of Imo State, there has not been an annual budget with a capital expenditure of over 82 per cent, meaning when implemented, the result will make Imo the envy of other states.”
He hailed the Speaker and members of the House of Assembly for the uncommon synergy and for conceding to his request to give the Bill accelerated hearing, culminating in its passage.
He promised prudent implementation of the budget.
Speaker Chike Olemgbe said the Appropriation Bill brought to them was “carefully crafted”, which made their job “easy and seamless,” noting that “the proposal shows that the governor is determined to give Imo people a renewed overall growth and development.”
Traders of B line at the popular Asa Nnentu Spare Parts Market, located in Ugwunagbo Local Government of Abia State are counting their losses, following a fire which gutted the market on Sunday afternoon.
The market, located at Alaoji area of Enugu-Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway, our correspondent reports, is one of the biggest spare parts markets in the Southeast.
The cause of the fire could not be ascertained at press time.
It was gathered that it affected about 30 shops.
Fire servicemen from Umuahia reportedly put out the fire, preventing it from spreading to other buildings in the market.
The Nation learnt that one of the affected traders offloaded a 40 feet container filled with goods 48 hours before the fire incident.
Some of the traders lamented the huge losses they had incurred.
Commissioner for Trade and Commerce, Dr. Chimezie Isaac Ukaegbu, visited the traders in company with the Director-General, Greater Aba Developmental Authority, Uche Ukeje. The Mayor of Ugwunagbo Council and his Aba North counterpart, Ide John Udeagbala, also paid a condolence visit to the market.
The commissioner, sympathising with the traders, said he was at the market at the instance of Governor Alex Otti, to assess the level of damage caused by the inferno.
He promised to convey his findings to the governor.
He advised the traders to be careful, to prevent fire incidents, “especially during this harmattan.”
Wife of Anambra State Governor, Dr. Nonye Soludo, was in tears yesterday as she visited orphanages in Onitsha and its environs
As a result, she has promised to undertake surgery for a child with cerebral palsy in one of the children’s homes in Onitsha.
She visited three registered homes where she discussed with the management of the homes on the need to take up the treatment of one of the inmates.
The governor’s wife, who had visited five of the 39 registered homes, promised to visit all community homes in the state before Christmas.
She said the visit was to extend love and kindness to the children’s homes, as a way of reassuring them that they are not alone in their plight.
She described Christmas as period of showing love, compassion and support to one another.
Mrs. Soludo urged well-meaning individuals, corporation organisations and groups to reach out to the needy and make the Christmas celebration a special one for them.
The Manager, Onitsha North Children’s Home, Mrs. Rita Anekwe, expressed appreciation to the governor’s wife, saying the gesture would put smiles on the faces of the children.
Mrs. Soludo distributed items such as bags of rice and beans, tubers of yam, toiletries, beverages, as well as cash to the homes. They are Onitsha North Community Children’s Home, In-land Town; Onitsha South Motherless Babies Home, Odoakpu and Missionaries of Charity/Gift of Mercy Community Children and Compassionate Home/ Orphanage, Fegge-Onitsha.