Governor Sullivan Chime of Enugu State is alive, contrary to the rumours of his death, the Commissioner for Information, Mr.Chuks Ugwoke, said last night.
Speculations about the health of the governor have been rife in the last few weeks.
But when contacted,Mr.Ugwoke said he had just spoken on phone with Governor Chime.
The Cross River Commissioner for Information, Chief Akin Ricketts, has said that Governor Liyel Imoke is not dead.
“There is no iota of truth in the rumour making the round in the state and beyond that Governor Liyel Imoke is dead,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the commissioner as saying at a news briefing on Friday in Calabar
Rickett said the governor officially wrote to the state House of Assembly last week that he was handing over to his deputy, Efiok Cobham, to enable him proceed on a two-month accumulated leave.
“He is not dead, he is now recuperating. There are strong indications that he will soon return to the country,’’ he said.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary and Special Assistant on Media, Mr. Christian Ita, had in a statement on December 6 explained that Imoke was away on medical grounds.
The statement did not disclose the ailment but explained that Imoke started a two-month accumulated leave on December 7.
The Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday shut down Plateau State following unresolved wage dispute with Governor Jonah Jang.
Labour had written the government on its intention to protest the “No work, no pay” policy of the Jang administration.
Yesterday’s protest, however, turned violent when the local government workers torched property belonging to political office holders, particularly local government chairmen and members of the House of Assembly.
The home of the member representing Plateau South at the Assembly, Mrs Joyce Ramnap, was burnt down at Mabudi.
The home of Langtang South Local Government Chairman Nanman Darko was also burnt with his guest house.
Also, the home of the Commissioner for Youths Development, Mr Famak Barko Lohfa, was torched.
Labour union leaders defied an order of the Abuja Division of the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which restrained them from holding any rally in Jos.
They beat up civil servants who turned up for duties at the state secretariat.
At the Joseph Gomwalk state secretariat, Labour forced the workers to abandon their offices and return home.
A passerby, who was suspected to be a worker going to the office, was allegedly stabbed by a hoodlum who joined the Labour protesters.
Banks were forced to close for business, leaving their customers stranded.
The government described the protest as an act of criminality.
It alleged that the protest was carried too far beyond the national minimum wage for local government workers.
The government accused Labour of using the protest to run down the state.
Efforts to get the Labour officials, especially the Chairman of the state NLC, Comrade Jibril Banchir, proved abortive.
He could neither be found at the secretariat nor contacted on phone.
Rivers State is not broke, Commissioner for Finance Chamberlain Peterside said yesterday.
He was reacting to rumours that the state government was trying to enforce tax payment because it was broke.
Speaking with reporters in Port Harcourt, the state capital, alongside the Chairman of the Board of Internal Revenue, Mrs. Onene Obele-Oshoko, Peterside said people must learn to pay their taxes voluntarily, so that the government can provide basic necessities for them.
He said monthly, the state spends N6.5 billion on salary; N750 million on pension and about N900 million on overhead, totaling N8 billion.
Peterside said improving the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) would reduce the state’s dependence on Federal Allocation.
He said Rivers has saved N34 billion through its monthly N1 billion compulsory savings.
The commissioner said since his appointment in 2011, he has rid the system of ghost workers.
EDO State Commissioner for Health Mrs. Cordelia Aiwize has denied allegations that she was involved in corrupt practices.
She was reacting to rumours that she allegedly collected bribes from health workers before employing them to participate in the state’s free eye care scheme.
Speaking with reporters in her office, Mrs. Aiwize said the allegation that she reportedly collected N100,000 bribe from each of the 138 doctors and nurses that were employed were unfounded.
She said: “We have a board that is directly in charge of the 34 hospitals. When the issue of the N100,000 bribe came to my knowledge, I confronted the board members and they denied it. I did not collect a dime before employing anybody.”
She said work has begun on the building of eye laboratories in the three senatorial districts. Twenty-four million Naira was approved for the projects in February.
Delta State Commissioner for Higher Education Prof. Hope Eghagha has returned to Asaba, the state capital, it was learnt yesterday.
Eghagha was freed on Monday at about 7pm in Agbarho, Ughelli North Local Government Area, 15 days after he was abducted.
He was kidnapped on September 30 at Owa-Ekei by gunmen, who killed his police guard and injured his driver.
A source said a large ransom was paid for his release.
Police spokesman Charles Muka confirmed the release, but refused to comment on whether ransom was paid.
He said: “You know the police do not encourage the payment of ransom. I am not aware if any money was paid or not before the kidnappers released him. We will certainly arrest the kidnappers and bring them to justice.”
Information Commissioner Chike Ogeah said Eghagha was back in Asaba.
He said: “Eghagha is fine. I learnt he has returned to Asaba. He is still in a state of shock and needs to take good care of his health after being kidnapped for 15 days. He has to rest.”
Ondo State Police Commissioner, Danladi Mshelbwala, yesterday said nobody died at the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) rally.
He added that there was only an ‘accidental discharge’ between two policemen.
He was reacting to an allegation that a policeman killed a young man at the Democracy Park in Akure, venue of the rally.
He said nobody died, stressing that the victim is a police corporal and is being treated in an undisclosed hospital.
Some people had alleged that an unidentified young man was killed by a policeman at the governorship rally of the ACN.
The identity of the policeman could not be ascertained at press time.
Members of the ACN who were outside the venue of the event and traders in the vicinity reportedly cursed the policeman.
It was learnt that trouble began when the deceased tried to force himself into the campaign ground. This made the policeman to allegedly shoot him in the shoulder.
Efforts to revive him were said to have been unsuccessful.
His friends reportedly took him to an undisclosed hospital.
ACN leaders before the rally raised the alarm over a plot by the Labour Party (LP) to use thugs to disrupt the campaign by disguising as ACN members.
The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday summoned the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, over the plan to introduce the study of the Chinese Language, Mandarin, in public schools.
Mr. Abdoulbaq Balogun (Ajeromi/Ifelodun 2) said the introduction of Chinese Language in public schools would have no relevance on the state’s economy.
Mr. Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 2) said: “Our children are yet to understand our local languages and we are planning to introduce another language.”
Mrs. Lola Akande (Ikeja 2) said there was nothing wrong in introducing Chinese Language to schools.
Speaker Adeyemi Ikuforiji said: “In most of the countries I have visited, people from age 15 speak three or more languages. I think it is good for us to learn more languages.”