Category: Southeast report

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, has described Bayelsa as the pilgrimage centre for Christians in Nigeria, as Jerusalem is to Christians all over the world.

The Deputy Governor made the assertion yesterday when the spiritual head of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society Worldwide, His Grace, Babatunde Emmanuel Adebona, paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

Ewhrudjakpo, who explained that the government and people of Bayelsa do not discriminate against any denomination, said the state was excited to have the Leader of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society.

While thanking the cleric and his team for visiting the state, he remarked that the visit would bring spiritual blessings to the land of Bayelsa.

Ewhrudjakpo restated the need for Christians to be united and steadfast in prayer, noting that unless the Nigerian Church did this, it might suffer the fate of the Church in Turkey, where Christianity was toppled by another religion.

He lamented that the Nigerian Church had preoccupied itself more in supremacy battles and therefore building towers of Babel, instead of focusing its energy on converting souls for Christ.

He maintained that “if the message from the pulpit was polluted, then the pew too would to that extent be polluted”, and called on the Cherubim and Seraphim Society to amplify the message of salvation.

He stated: “This is a state that has made itself the pilgrimage center for Christianity, and we believe that we must promote it. We did not just give ourselves the name, ‘The Glory of all Lands’ by mistake. It was divine. As Israel is to the rest of the Christian world, so Bayelsa would be to the black nations.

“In Bayelsa we do not segregate any denomination. For Christ said, ‘Father, as you have given these to me, and the others that would believe, make them all one.”

Speaking earlier, the Spiritual Head of the Cherubim and Seraphim Society Worldwide, His Grace, Babatunde Emmanuel Adebona, said he was in the state for the C and S Annual General Convention being hosted by the Eastern Izon District.

 

The Nigerian Air Force has on Friday graduated seventeen pilots, including two women, of the Integrated Helicopter Pilot Course 7/2021 from the International Helicopter Flying School, Enugu.

The graduation also witnessed the decoration of the pilots with NAF pilot wings by the Chief of Air Force Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, having demonstrated the professional competence in handling the helicopters, bringing the total number of helicopter pilots that have been winged within the past one year to an unprecedented 36.

Speaking at the winging ceremony at the 405 Helicopter Training Group (HCTG), Headquarters Ground Training Command, Nigerian Air Force, Enugu, Enugu State, Amao, who was represented by the NAF Chief of Policy and Planning, AVM Jackson Yusuf, noted that NAF under his leadership had succeeded in training and winging 36 pilots within the last one year even “as we have sent over 70 officers on various flying training course abroad.”

The CAS disclosed that so far under his leadership, over 2,000 personnel were currently undergoing various flights and flying training courses within various training institutions across the country to ensure NAF combats contemporary challenges and needs.

“NAF will continue to train its personnel for them to gather the best international experiences and exposure for improved operational efficiency, with the capability to respond swiftly in defense of national security.

“We are laying emphasis on training to ensure that NAF is ready to meet known and emerging security threats confronting the country’s territorial integrity in a joint operating environment,” he said.

He lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for the overwhelming support given to NAF, adding that all its flying training schools are functional at present.

“The successes recorded by NAF within this time cannot be possible without the overwhelming support of President Muhammadu Buhari that had ensured we lived up to our mandate effectively,” he said.

The Commander, 405 HCTG, Enugu, Wing Commander Ayodeji Omokunga, explained that the 17 newly winged pilots included a pilot that completed his training in India with excellence.

 

Simon Utebor, Yenagoa

The United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and the Bayelsa State Government have begun a partnership intervention programme on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH).

The synergy is to enable the state to cope with the problems relating to clean, quality and hygienic water posed by the floods which destroyed sources of water in impacted communities, villages and areas across the state.

To this end, the UNICEF and the state government held a one-day stakeholders’ engagement meeting for the WASH intervention emergency programme for the seven impacted local government areas in Bayelsa.

Declaring the programme open, the Commissioner for Water Resources, Mr Keme Wariebi, commended UNICEF for the partnership.

Wariebi noted that though the state government was still working assiduously to achieve the SDGs stipulated guidelines on clean, safe and hygienic water in all parts of the state, the intervention by UNICEF was a welcome development.

He reiterated the commitment of Governor Douye Diri’s administration in provision and execution of water projects in different parts of the state.

Wariebi stated: “As a state, we’re still grappling with meeting up the SDGs target on clean, safe and hygienic water for all Bayelsans.

“It is worthy of note that on September 12, 2021, following the Governor’s commitment towards the practice and observation of good hygienic conditions by our citizens, he, in company with dignitaries from all walks of life, flagged off the state’s version of a programme tagged, ‘Clean Bayelsa: Use the Toilet Campaign’.”

In an overview of UNICEF’s WASH intervention in emergencies such as floods, outbreak of epidemics and conflicts, a UNICEF WASH expert from its Enugu Zonal Office, who represented the Port Harcourt field office, Mr Timi Kiakubu, stated that UNICEF focuses on three thematic areas of WASH, which are children, water supply and hygiene.

On the sanitation component, Kiakubu said UNICEF ensures that there is proper excreta disposal, vector control and solid waste management mechanisms, while the hygienic component of WASH has to do with UNICEF’s intervention in the promotion of good and acceptable hygienic standards and related matters.

Speaking further on UNICEF’s scope of WASH intervention, Kiakubu said: “The purpose of the intervention is aimed at reducing the likelihood of transmission of faecal-oral and vector borne diseases, and environmental health risks by promoting good hygienic practices, providing water and sanitation services and ensuring the optimal use of facilities provided in flood-affected areas of Bayelsa State.

“The scope of the intervention is to enable 10,000 people have improved access to safe and equitable access to sufficient quantity of water for domestic needs.”

 

The Edo State Government has commenced the distribution of a new batch of motorcycles and patrol vehicles to operatives of the State’s Security Network as part of efforts to strengthen its security architecture.

The Coordinator of the Edo State Security Network, Col. Kole Oshoriamhe Omomia (Rtd), disclosed this while addressing journalists in Benin City, the state capital.

Col. Omomia said the vehicles distributed across the various local councils of Edo will further boost intelligence gathering and patrol activities, thereby reducing crime in the state, especially as the Yuletide season draws near.

Pledging to complement the government’s efforts at ensuring peace and security during the Yuletide, the coordinator noted, “One of the strategies we have put in place is to set up a monitoring team that will assist us to monitor the eighteen local government areas of Edo State.  Also, these bikes and vehicles will complement the Toyota Sienna we already have in Edo North and Edo Central.”

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He further hailed the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki for the state government’s commitment towards guaranteeing the protection of lives and property of every Edo resident.

On his part, the Vigilante Commander in Ute, Uhunwonde Local Government Area, Kennedy Osaumien Aghimien, hailed the government for the sustained support given to the group and other security agencies in the state to function effectively.

The Godwin Obaseki administration has continued to record great milestones in its fight against insecurity and crime. Recall that the government established the Edo State Security Network to complement its efforts at curbing crime and criminality in the state. The government has continued to support the network with equipment and other needed resources to ensure Edo is safe and secured for its citizens and other stakeholders.

 

Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, has been conferred with the Honorary Doctor of Law Degree (Honoris Causa) by the Rivers State University (RSU).

The governor, who donated N1bn to the school, called for a change in the educational standard, insisting that the RSU must benchmark its academic programmes to meet global demands.

Wike, who spoke in Port Harcourt at the 34th Convocation of RSU on Saturday in Port Harcourt, said his administration had invested funds generously to improve infrastructure in the school and establish faculties particularly the College of Medical Sciences.

Wike recalled that at the inception of his administration, he constituted the Governing Council of the institution and charged them to develop the blueprint that would engender sustainable transformation in the university.

He explained that his administration also resolved the lingering strike of the academic staff and recalled the staff unjustly dismissed for union activities by the previous government.

The governor said the action he took within his first two weeks in office restored industrial harmony to the institution.

“Third, we immediately started tackling the university’s infrastructural challenges, one after the other. We completed, furnished and commissioned the long-abandoned Faculty of Law complex within our first 100 days in office.”

Wike also stated that his administration completed the Faculty of Management Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technical Education, and Faculty of Environment Sciences within the second year of his administration.

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The governor said he started and completed the Senate Building in his third year in office and the College of Medical Sciences buildings in his fourth year in office

He said: “We also built the Basic Clinical Science and the Department of Clinical Sciences buildings, which were commissioned last week as components of the Medical College. We then transformed the former Braithwaite Memorial Hospital into the Rivers State University Teaching Hospital with the state of the art equipment.”

Wike remarked that the relatively new College of Medical Sciences of the university was on its way to becoming one of the country’s best medical schools as declared by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.

Wike said his administration also restored the multi-campus structure of the university that was cancelled by the military, adding that the campuses are located in Ahoada(East) Emohua, Etche, Sapkenwa; (Tai) Local Government Areas, fully equipped with faculty and administrative buildings, staff quarters and will commence academic activities soon.

He said: “A few weeks ago, we authorised the management to engage 1355 new academic and non-academic staff to resolve the staff shortfalls occasioned by retirements, resignations, and the establishment of new academic departments and centres.”

Wike said as the Visitor to the institution, he was satisfied with what had been accomplished with his administration’s investments over the last seven and half years.

Wike said the N1bn donation to RSU was to enable the management cater to the needs of the multi-campuses.

 

A Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Anambra State has assured its preparedness to ensure smooth and hitch-free traffic, before, during and after the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

The Sector Commander, Adeoye Irelewuyi who gave the assurance on Saturday in a chat with The Nation, however cautioned motorists against over-speeding, especially while plying the second Niger Bridge ahead of its opening on Thursday.

He said the temptation of over-speeding along the 3-km bridge would most likely be high in view of its smoothness, particularly during the yuletide.

The FRSC boss however assured visible presence of his officers across the length and breadth of the bridge to ensure its smoothness was not abused by drivers.

He said, “The temporary opening of the bridge is a welcome development and will definitely going to be a big relief. We look forward to freer traffic flow and shorter travel time.

“The smoothness of the highway, however, is not a license to speed. The faster you go, the less you are in control of the vehicle in case of any emergency.

“Yes, the bridge is a world class standard, with wonderful surface. The bridge is about 3km long and within that length, if the road user is not careful, he can be involved in a crash if he over speeds.

“We appeal to motoring public not to over speed. They should resist the temptation of pressing the pedal to the floor. It’s a very dangerous practice. It’s an abnormality of the human factor.

“We’ve mapped out deployment points for the periods. We’re going to ensure that normal speed is maintained to avoid situation where a scheme designed to ease traffic flow will now become a death trap.”

 

•IGP inaugurates projects in Akwa Ibom

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has reiterated its commitment  to local content policy.

According to the Ag. Managing Director of the NDDC,  Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua, the commission uses only competent and committed local contractors for its projects to ensure job creation, economic growth and wealth redistribution in the region.

Meanwhile the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, while in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, to attend the 35th Biennual Nigeria Police Games, inaugurated  two projects executed by the NDDC at the 26 Police Mobile Force Base.

The projects are an administrative block named after him and a network of 1.7km rehabilitated failed  internal peripheral roads.

The IGP said  the projects would give convenience to officers, boost their morale  and impact positively on their families.

“I always appreciate officers who add value to where they are working and where they are living. These are two things that can motivate, encourage and make an officer proud as he is working.

“When you have a good working environment and secondly, you have a barracks where roads facilities are in good shape, you will be motivated to give your best,” he said.

Baba urged the commission to continue to carry out more projects in police areas to motivate them.

Squadron Commander, 26 PMF Uyo, ACP Mohammed Baba Mala, thanked the NDDC for its cooperation, understanding and identifying with the police which led to the successful completion of the project.

Audu-Ohwavborua noted  that the total accumulative length of the road, with drainage was 1.7km. He said the jobs delivered in the base met the standards prescribed by the commission.

He thanked the police for  providing security for the commission’s contractors all over the state.

“The NDDC has as mandate to conceive, plan and implement in accordance to set rules and regulations of projects and programmes for the sustainable development of the 9 states of the Niger Delta region of which Akwa Ibom State is a member of this comity of states. Today, to further commission that mandate, the commission awarded contract for the construction of internal roads which were hitherto totally dilapidated,” he said.

Managing Director of God’s Owned Projects Ltd,  Brownson Sunday, who is the contractor, said the peripheral roads contract was awarded on April 23, 2019.

He thanked the NDDC for believing in him as an indigenous contractor.

“At least, today everyone can see that an indigenous contractor can do what the foreigners do and much cheaper. I want to thank the police community for giving us a safe environment to work in,” he said.

He said his company met all the criteria set for the project by the commission.  He exonerated the commission from failed projects.

“It is not NDDC that abandons projects. It is the contractor that does. That is why only competent contractors that should be given jobs. We were able to follow through NDDC projects specification and delivered in time. We did site clearing, earthworks, drains and culverts, pavement and surfacing and other ancillary jobs in good time and the commission supervised every step,” he added.

He said the project had  improved the mobility of people, goods and services in the barracks, reduced the rate of accidents and created a conducive working environment for the police officers.

Sunday called on the NDDC to overhaul its payment regime by making it responsive and timely.

“A lot of contractors who are competent, dedicated and committed are made to face challenges which they should not ordinarily face as a result of the payment regime at the commission. This should be looked at by the new management. If payment is timely and responsive, a lot of the projects abandoned will not be abandoned,” he said.

He, however, thanked the commission for regularly using local contractors who show capacity,adding that it  has raised the level of indigenous firms in the region and  assisted them to engage youths and other persons in the region.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called for monitoring in real estate to curb quackery, unlicensed operations and to protect residents.

He spoke at the third Lagos Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibition:  ‘Townhall Meeting on Lagos Real Estate Emerging Markets – Mitigating Potential Risks’

Sanwo-Olu, represented by Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat, said government alone cannot sanitise and regulate huge real estate transaction.

He said trends and practices in the sector call for increased vigilance, adding the real estate market can be a floodgate of prosperity when potential risks are minimised.

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Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) has defined guidelines for residents, which also provide a list of registered individuals/organisations.

Special Adviser to the governor on Housing, Mrs. Toke Benson-Awoyinka, noted that the government will sanitise real estate with a review of LASRERA Law 2022.

Mrs. Benson-Awoyinka emphasised that as professionals/stakeholders, the market must be rebuilt so investors/investees’ confidence can be restored, and ensure the vision of making Lagos a 21st century economy conforms with international best practices.

Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo yesterday rejoiced with His Eminence Francis Cardinal Arinze, who celebrated his 90th birthday.

The presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP),  Mr. Peter Obi, former governor Willie Obiano and his wife, Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, LP candidate for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Victor Umeh, among others were also present to rejoice with the celebrant.

Speaking at Holy Mass of Thanksgiving held at Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity, Onitsha, Soludo described the Cardinal as an inspiration to the world, wishing him good health and many more years on earth.

He gave special thanks to the Diocese of Onitsha for organising such an auspicious event and to everyone who attended the mass on a working day.

Responding, Francis Cardinal Arinze, an illustrious son of Eziowelle community in Idemili North Local Government of Anambra State, thanked the governor and other personalities who came to celebrate the special occasion with him.

Cardinal Arinze is the Archbishop Emeritus of Onitsha Diocese, a highly placed patriarch and an Ecclesiastical Ancestor in the Catholic World.

Born in Nigeria on November 1, 1932, Cardinal Arinze was ordained a Priest in Rome on November 23, 1958 and consecrated a Bishop in Onitsha on August 29, 1965.

He became the Archbishop of Onitsha between 1967 and 1985, and President of Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue, 1984-2002.

 

 

The Strategic Communication Committee (SCC) of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) has hailed the Federal Government for appointing PAP’s Interim Administrator, Maj.-Gen. Barry Ndiomu, to head an 11-man special investigative panel on oil theft.

Speaking in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, the Chairman of SCC and ex-agitator, Nature Dumale, said the new assignment was a testimony that Ndiomu was successfully discharging his roles in the Amnesty Office and making the Ijaw nation proud.

Dumale said the Federal Government was aware that some of the attacks on Ndiomu emanated from disgruntled elements, who were unhappy that the amnesty boss mustered the courage and determination to sanitise PAP.

Congratulating Ndiomu on his new assignment, Dumale thanked the Federal Government for reposing its confidence in the amnesty boss, saying he would also show commitment to his new task.

He said: “We believe that the Federal Government has carefully assessed the performance of Ndiomu in PAP; x-rayed his dogged commitment to reposition the programme without fear or favour and decided to entrust him with this sensitive task as the chairman of a special investigative panel on oil theft.

“We want to appreciate the Federal Government for observing the positive roles Ndiomu has played to realise the mandate of PAP despite efforts by his detractors and enemies of the region.

“We congratulate him and we want to say to him that the only man, who will not face battles and the only man, who will not have challenges is the man who is doing the wrong thing.”