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Tag: Federal government

  • Fed Govt to close land borders from 12noon

    •IG orders restriction on vehicular movement

    THE Federal Government has ordered all land borders to be shut with effect from 12.00noon today to 12.00noon tomorrow.

    Minister of Interior Lt.-Gen. Abdrahman Dambazau (retd), who gave the order, said there would be restriction of movements across the borders during the election days.

    Also yesterday, the Acting Inspector-General (IG), Muhammed Adamu, ordered the restriction of vehicular movement on the election day.

    A statement issued by the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) Comptroller-General Muhammad Babandede: “Further to the presidential election taking place on the February, 16, 2019, the Honourable Minister of Interior has directed the closure of all Nigerian land borders with effect from 12.00noon of Friday, February 15 to 12.00noon of Sunday, February 17, 2019.

    “This is to restrict movements across the borders during the election days. The public is to take note and ensure compliance.”

    Read also: President reassures foreigners, Nigerians of safety

    Vehicular movement, according to the police, would be restricted from 6am to 6pm.

    The police explained that the ban on movement would assist the security agencies to do their jobs properly and also prevent hoodlums from disrupting the electoral process.

    A statement in Abuja yesterday by the Force Spokesman ACP Frank Mba reads: “As part of efforts in furtherance of the overall interest of public order, public well-being and safety and national security as it relates to the general elections billed to take place on Saturday, February 16, 2019, the Inspector General of Police, Ag. IGP Muhammed Adamu, has ordered the restriction of vehicular movement from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, 16th February, 2019.

    “The IGP notes that the restriction will assist the security agencies in effectively policing the electoral process, thereby preventing hoodlums and criminally-minded elements from hijacking and disrupting the electoral process.”

    The police boss, while stating that adequate security arrangements have been made, urged members of the public to troupe out en-masse on the day of the election to exercise their franchise without fear.

  • APC kicks as PDP plans its own results collation

    PDP to deploy 40m for votes tabulation  It’s plot to cause anarchy, says govt

    With a plan to collate results of tomorrow’s presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday set the stage for a dispute – according to the Federal Government.

    The opposition party said it had put in place a Parallel Voting Tabulation (PVT) system to collate results. It is deploying 40 million of its members for the job.

    But the All Progressives Congress (APC) said it was all a plot to rig the election.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the only authority for the collation and announcement of results.

    The PDP’s campaign spokesman and chairman of its Strategy Committee, Osita Chidoka, told a news conference in Abuja described  PVT as a “scientifically proven and a best-practice technique” designed to keep umpires on their toes.

    Chidoka, specifically said the PDP would be transmitting the results as certified by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) officers at the polling units.

    “The PDP has pivoted from recruiting first-time polling agents to recruiting high quality, educated individuals, whose maturity and experience will help them manage and mitigate against challenges on election day,” Chidoka said.

    Reacting, Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed said the PDP was planning to create chaos by creating a parallel electoral umpire.

    The PDP’s plan is a flashback to the June 14, last year governorship election in Ekiti State. Former Governor Ayodele Fayose was announcing results from the Government House on the state-owned television and radio stations. He claimed to be relying on results collated by PDP agents from the polling units.

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) shut down the stations and penalised them. They were re-opened after paying fines.

    The Minister said the opposition resorted to the tactic, having realised that it could not win free, fair and peaceful elections. He spoke in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, after an interactive session with retirees and pensioners.

    Mohammed added that the alarm “is in line with the warning we have been issuing all along, that the PDP, jittery at the fate that is about to befall it and desperate to grab power at all costs, will seek to scuttle the elections, failing which it will work to discredit the results”.

    The latest manifestation of this desperation was revealed at a news conference by the PDP on Wednesday, during which the party said it would set up a parallel electoral body, under the tag of Parallel Voting Tabulation (PVT) system.

    “The PDP said clearly that PVT is a tool that will determine whether or not it accepts the results of the elections. Now, this is anarchy.

    “Yes, it is standard practice for political parties to have their own monitoring systems during elections. What is not standard is to set up a pseudo electoral commission and imbue it with the power to collate and announce results. That’s precisely what the PDP is doing under the guise of PVT. And this is totally unacceptable.

    “Whereas the PDP’s presidential candidate says his ambition is not worth the life of any Nigerian, his party has been doing everything possible to instigate anarchy and in turn put the lives of Nigerians in danger.

    “The PDP has been building up to this crescendo all along. The party has consistently attacked the two institutions that are pivotal to the elections: the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police. The strategy is aimed at eroding the credibility of the two key institutions as a prelude to discrediting the elections. We warned about this, and we have now been vindicated.

    “At this stage, we believe that INEC is the only body that has the statutory role of collating and announcing the results of national elections. Any attempt by any individual or organisation to usurp this role is a recipe for chaos.

    “We are, therefore, using this occasion to warn the PDP that there will be dire consequences, should it proceed with its plan to usurp the role of INEC. We call on the security agencies to ensure the sanctity of the polls by providing a safe and secure environment for Nigerians to cast their votes.

    “We also appeal to Nigerians to feel free to exercise their franchise without fear. We also wish to alert the international community to the evil plans by the PDP, which has been threatening fire and brimstone, if its candidate fails to win on Saturday. We want to remind all Nigerians that the country’s unity and survival are more important than the ambition of any candidate.”

    Read also: Why Buhari is Nigeria’s best choice, by Tinubu

    Also yesterday, the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said that the PVT system could undermine tomorrow’s election.

    Besides, the move is a ploy to rig the election, create a credibility crisis and ultimately spark chaos after the poll, it said.

    Reacting to what the PDP described as its five strategies to checkmate rigging, which includes “a state of the art” Parallel Voting Tabulation System, the pro-Buhari group quoted the PDP as saying that it will reject the 2019 presidential election if the results collated by INEC does not tally with its PVTS.

    In a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the BMO said that the template being created by the PDP was borne out of the realisation that its “sham” campaign; “a campaign lacking in strategy and execution, is not going anywhere”. The group says it believes that this strategy will also fail.

    The BMO spokesmen said: “We know that it is the usual template for PDP to create various scenarios in build-up to elections. Sensing defeat, they begin to create imaginary, unsubstantiated and unscientific claims and stories.

    “We urge them to be careful so they do not impose the conclusion of their mental gyration on Nigerians, especially when Nigerians have decided for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “We find it laughable that just a while ago, Osita Chidoka claimed they – the PDP – have mobilised 40 million people as PDP’s independent election monitors. Now if we may ask, how many voters are there that they need 40 million election monitors? Are they mobilising to rig the election because we do not know anywhere in the world where election monitors are up to 40 million?

    “Who could be more fitting as a rigger than the PDP which, for 16 years, hatched several flawed electoral process that even its former president admitted openly to?

    “We know that it is deeply engraved in the culture of the PDP to be scammers, from the Maurice Iwu days to the employment scam of 2014, to this bogus claim that they have mobilised 40 million election monitors. Such claims ought to be disregarded as Nigerians focus on the polls on Saturday.”

  • Osinbajo launches AfDB-funded $258m NE recovery intervention

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Federal Government  have launched the Inclusive Basic Service Delivery Livelihood Empowerment Integrated Programme – a $258million comprehensive mult-isectoral intervention aimed at bolstering rehabilitation efforts in North eastern Nigeria.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo launched the program at the bank’s premises in Abuja. The launch was attended by governors of five northeast states, ministers, development partners and key stakeholders.

    “It has been gratifying to note how enthusiastically our friends and partners have rallied to our support, mobilising resources to tackle the crisis in the northeast, Osinbajo said, adding, “we would like to express the profound appreciation of the Federal Government to the bank for being a partner in progress with us.

    “When the story of the region’s recovery is told, the work of the AfDB will occupy a well-merited and prominent chapter,” Osibanjo said, lauding the programme as a landmark intervention in support of the region, which has suffered devastation from insurgency.

    The AfDB stated clearly that state governments of the northeast will implement  its $258million programme with the Federal Government’s support.

    In terms of impact, 14 million affected people including 2.3 million internal displaced persons (IDPs) will benefit from health, nutrition, education, water and sanitation services.

    The programme is targeting 9,000 IDPs and heads of vulnerable households, who will receive direct economic assistance, while 2,023 small and medium scale enterprises (79 per cent women) will receive business development support. About 2,900 construction artisans and mechanics in the informal sector will also get help to improve their productivity. The initiative envisages that 2,000 unskilled youth will be trained for employment.

    AfDB President, Akinwumi Adesina highlighted the programme’s emphasis on inclusivity.

    Represented by the bank’s Senior Director in Nigeria, Ebrima Faal, the president said: “It incorporates special gender considerations by ensuring that women are active participants in all stages of the project and providing training for women and youth entrepreneurs to increase their chances for employment and business opportunities.

    “The bank has remained a strong partner of the Federal and state governments in their efforts to restore livelihoods in the northeast. For instance, throughout the period of heightened conflict in the region, the bank intervened with two critical programmes in Yobe and Taraba states. The experience gained and lessons learned from implementing these two projects are incorporated in the design of the current intervention.”

    Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar thanked the bank for putting together what he described as the first integrated and inclusive plan for rebuilding of Northeast Nigeria.

    “Part of the underlying factors that led to the crazy phenomenon of Boko Haram is illiteracy and lack of economic capacity. For the first time, we have now a program that attempts to address all these issues at once,” he said.

    The intervention seeks to reduce fragility aggravated by the Boko Haram insurgency by contributing to emergency transition, recovery and peacebuilding efforts. It focuses on three main components – service delivery, economic recovery and institutional strengthening. It also includes support to ensure increased access of the poor and vulnerable to basic social services in water, sanitation, hygiene, health and education, as well as livelihood opportunities, food security and strengthened safety net systems.

  • 665,655 poor, vulnerable families mapped in 26 states, says agency

    NO fewer than 665,655 poor and vulnerable households have been mapped in 26 states across the country to benefit from the Federal Government’s social intervention programmes.

    National Safety Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO) National Coordinator Mr. Apera Iorwa, who stated this yesterday, said the mapping of the poor and vulnerable families was the first leg in the Federal Government’s social safety initiative, which is aimed at pulling the poor out of poverty.

    Iorwa spoke in Lagos yesterday during the inauguration of the Lagos State Operations Coordinating Unit (SOCU) at the state’s Ministry of Economic Planning and Budgets.

    The national coordinator said NASSCO was happy that Lagos was finally joining other states across the country in mapping the poorest of the poor from its local governments for the purposes of intervention.

    The NASSCO Coordinator, who addressed top level government officials drawn from ministries of Wealth Creation and Employment, Youths Sports and Social Development, and Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) as well as the team leader from United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) Mr. Mohammad Okere, said besides the initial intervention of N300 million, the Federal Government ensured that the repatriated $850 million Abacha fund was domiciled and managed by NASSCO.

    According to him, NASSCO’s mandate was to generate from across the 36 states and Abuja, a credible National Social Register from where the poor and vulnerable members of the society can be mined for the purposes of any intervention that may be targeted at them by the tiers of government.

    “The major assignment before the SOCU officials is to coordinate the social safety nets programmes of the government aimed at lifting the poor and the vulnerable out of the nets of poverty. To achieve this, SOCU is to embark on the mapping of the state to generate a Social Register of the poor and vulnerable households, which would be escalated to the NASSCO office for inclusion into the national register.

    “SOCU would, using the data generated by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), determine the poorest local governments in the state. It will take the affected local governments to identify the poor and vulnerable households, which would be uploaded to the national social register. The report would be generated along the three natural groups male, women and youths.”

    Iorwa said the vulnerable poor would have the access to enjoy N5,000 intervention fund transfer, while the youth would be open to skill acquisition and job employment opportunities that would push them out of the poverty net.

    Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget Olusegun Banjo said Governor Akinwunmi Ambode approved the establishment of the unit because of its obvious benefit to generate a social register that would lead to conditional and unconditional transfer to the poor and vulnerable segment of the people.

    He said the National Social Safety Nets has led to effective targeting of vulnerable households across the country, adding that the initiative had all elements of believability because it has the support of World Bank, UNICEF and other development partners.

    Permanent Secretary Ministry of wealth Creation and Employment, who was represented by Mrs. Lola Kaka, said the intervention would assist the state to achieve more in its strides to reach more vulnerable segments of its population.

    Lagos SOCU Coordinator Mrs. Olukemi Adedeji, who hailed Ambode for approving the unit, said her team was prepared to achieve the set targets and give the state a credible social register that would be transparent and reliable for planning.

     

  • Benin residents hail Fed Govt, BEDC for improved power supply

    Residents of Benin and its environs have commended the Federal Government and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for the improvement in power supply to the areas.

    Some of the residents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin, in separate interviews on Wednesday, said the commendation was against the background of their experience within the last quarter of 2018.

    The people said that with the improvement in power supply, they had been enjoying electricity from a near zero hours daily to at least, 12 hours daily supply.

    They further stressed that the improvement in electricity supply had remarkably led to the improvement in their means of livelihood as well as their lifestyle.

    Mr Osaigwe Aghedo, a resident around Abuja quarter area of the Government Reserve Area (GRA), Benin said that the electricity supply to her area was constant at 12 hours daily.

    “It is usually brought for every 3 hours, I mean 3 hours on and 3 hours off, which add up to 12 hours daily and it has been ongoing since January,” he said.

    Aghedo said this was not the case between October and November 2018, when residents practically stayed in the dark for weeks.

    Another resident, Miss Jemima Osaikhuiwuomwan, who lives around Iduoriyekemwen area of the town, said that some areas around Isior had also been enjoying power supply daily.

    “I don’t know where the electricity supply came from, but it has improved recently to the extent that sometimes I have to switch off some of my electrical gadgets,” she said.

    The story is the same with John Omoruyi and Festus Napoleon who both reside at Irhirhi area, off Airport road, Benin.

    They said that the area usually have power up to 12 hours daily supply.

    The duo, however, bemoaned the issue of estimated billing which they described as “extortion.”

    Similarly, Osato Udiase who resides at Utese, Ovia North East Local Government Area, said that the communities around his area benefitted from supply between 12 to 20 hours daily “unlike before.’’

    While commending BEDC for the improved electricity supply, he also lamented over the excessive billing system.

    NAN reports that the state in general and residents of Benin in particular had experienced poor power supply for the better part of the last quarter of 2018.

    The development was caused by a faulty power transformer of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

    The issue got to a climax that Gov. Godwin Obaseki and other prominent citizens, including the Civil Society Organisations, called for the revocation licence of the BEDC.

  • Fed Govt, Dangote flag off Ofeme community road reconstruction

    Succour may soon come to  Ofeme Community in Abia State as the Federal Government and Dangote Industries Limited have kicked off the reconstruction of the roads and bridges in the community.

    The reconstruction will be handled by AG-Dangote, a subsidiary of Dangote Industries.

    The project is covered under Executive Order #7 of 2019, titled: ‘’Road infrastructure development and refurbishment investment tax credit scheme’’.

    “Participating investors will use tax credits to reduce corporate taxes payable to government until they recoup the value of their investments in roads and bridges.”

    President/Chief Executive, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, extolled the Federal Government for the Executive Order #7, which allows private sector intervention in the provision of critical infrastructure.

    Dangote, represented by the Southsouth Regional Director of Dangote Cement, Mr. Okoro George, said a new dawn had come to Ofeme community as the deplorable state of their roads would soon be fixed.

    He explained that the 16-kilometre road would form a ring road around Ofeme and connect it at two points to the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, while the two bridges connecting the town to other communities, would be rebuilt.

    According to him, “the entire road network will be built on concrete pavement instead of earth pavement, which has a lifespan of about 40 years. It will contain drains on both sides while the surface will be made of concrete also instead of asphalt”.

    He added that AG-Dangote has established itself as a reputable construction firm having delivered the 26-kilometre Ibese-Itori concrete road in Ogun State, the two kilometre Apapa-Wharf dual carriage concrete road, the ongoing 43-kilometre Obajana-Kabba concrete road and the 35-kilometre Apapa-Oworonshoki Expressway.

    Dangote Group, he said, pioneered the use of concrete for road construction in Nigeria, adding: “Countries that have achieved self-sufficiency in cement production have found it expedient to adopt the construction of concrete roads because they are cheaper, more durable and environment friendly. I believe Nigeria should not be an exception. We must move with the times.”

    He said Dangote Group was ready to partner the government in providing critical infrastructure to lift the people’s living standard.

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola described the Ofeme Community road network reconstruction as a gigantic project that would open the community and surrounding towns to development.

    The Minister, represented by Federal Controller of Works, Abia State, Mr. Nwankwo Chukwudike, an engineer, said the project on completion, would open up access roads to manufacturing clusters, reduce transportation cost and raise the people’s living standard.

    It would make cheaper and easier movement of produce.

    Ofeme Progressive Union President General Mr Ndubuisi Kanu expressed gratitude to the Federal Government and Dangote Group for selecting his community as a beneficiary of Executive Order #7, adding that Alhaji Dangote had shown so much love to Ofeme people.

    Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Okey Enelamah said the administration, desirous of providing critical infrastructure, enacted Executive Order #7, which involves partnering the private sector. He said the road reconstruction project is one of the many development oriented projects coming to the community.

    Chairman of Dangote Cement, Aliko Dangote had earlier made strident calls for adoption of concrete roads in the country. He urged the federal government to embrace the option of using concrete for roads in the country. Aside from being very cheap, he said concrete roads are more durable and that its maintenance cost is near zero.

    According to him:, “We are pushing for Nigeria to do a concrete road. It is cheaper to do a concrete road that will last over 40 years than to do a bitumen road. It will also help in eliminating corruption. The project is for the benefits of the community. It is obvious that the option for concrete roads will be the solution to solve the road infrastructural decay in the country. This is because concrete road is less expensive than asphalt road by almost 23 per cent and also we can build concrete road in less time.

    “Even in terms of maintenance, we don’t need so much resources to maintain it like the asphalt roads. In countries like Brazil, Portugal, India, where they use concrete roads majorly, they don’t have the type of road challenges we have in Nigeria because concrete roads can last for a minimum of 40 years as against asphalt roads that can last for between seven and eight years. So, the good option for the Nigerian government will have to be for them to embrace the use of concrete roads,” he added.

  • Govt accuses PDP of planning to scuttle poll

    THERE is a plot to orchestrate a crisis and trigger panic among the populace, the Federal Government alleged yesterday, accusing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of planning the trouble.

    It said the plot is in furtherance of the opposition party’s plan to discredit the election and cause a constitutional crisis.

    The government, however, urged the international community to ignore the plot to discredit Saturday’s poll before it is conducted.

    The government, which made the claims in a statement in Abuja by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed, said PDP bigwigs, including its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Peter Obi, PDP governors and others, were planning a world press conference to level frivolous and unfounded allegations against the government.

    The statement said: “With just a few days to the presidential and National Assembly elections, the Federal Government has alerted the nation to the last-minute desperate plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to orchestrate a crisis and trigger a sense of panic among the populace, in furtherance of their plan to discredit the election and cause a constitutional crisis.

    ”The plot confirms the alarm raised by the Federal Government on Jan. 21st and Feb. 3rd 2019 that the PDP is planning to scuttle the election and, where that fails, discredit it.

    “In the days ahead, PDP bigwigs, including its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, his running mate Peter Obi, PDP governors and others, are planning a world press conference in order to level frivolous and unfounded allegations against the Federal Government and the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

    The statement gave insights into the alleged plot by the opposition, including alleged connivance with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by the Presidency.

    The statement added: “Part of the false allegations they plan to make is that the Presidency, in connivance with the APC, is planning to force the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to announce presidential election results that are favourable to the government in power, on the basis of the false premise that the APC’s intelligence team is worried that the ruling party would lose the elections.

    “The PDP bigwigs also plan to use their world press conference to further disparage the Buhari Administration as well as the ruling APC, with a view to painting an unfavourable image of both to Nigerians and the international community and to put the government on the defensive in the run-up to the polls.”

    The Minister said the “PDP’s last joker is a two-hour live press conference to be addressed by the PDP Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbodiyan, on Feb. 14th, the last day of electioneering campaign, to chronicle all their concocted allegations and lies against the ruling government, cast aspersion on the government and the ruling party’s officials and throw innuendos here and there”.

    The statement added: ‘’As electioneering campaign winds down, the PDP has realised that it cannot possibly win a free, fair and credible polls. It has thus resorted to engaging in red herring, hauling insults and abuses at Federal Government and ruling party officials and making outlandish allegations with a view to creating a sense of panic and crisis.

    ‘’The truth is that President Muhammadu Buhari, a man respected globally for his integrity, has continuously assured that the elections will be free, fair, credible and peaceful. He has warmly welcomed observers, both local and foreign., because he has nothing to hide, and because he is sure that the achievements of his Administration will win him re-election.”

    Mohammed urged international community to ignore plot to discredit the poll.

    ‘’We are, therefore, calling on all Nigerians and the international community to disregard any attempt to scuttle or discredit the polls.

    “We urge observers to keep an open mind. There is no cause for alarm, except in the warped imagination of the PDP, which has entered the panic mode and is already ruing the loss of another general election even before it has been held,’’ he said.

  • Elections: FG warns against threat to internal security

    As Nigerians prepare for the Feb. 16, and March 2, general elections, the Federal Government on Monday, warned against any form of threat to internal security, before, during and after the polls.

    The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd) issued the warning in Abuja, in a statement signed by Mr Mohammed Manga, the ministry’s Director of Press & Public Relations.

    Dambazau said that President Muhammadu Buhari, was committed to ensuring free, fair and credible elections; and that “in order to achieve this commitment, elections must be peaceful.

    “Therefore, government will leave no stone un-turned in its efforts towards free, fair and credible elections.

    “The Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and other security agencies have been directed to arrest and prosecute anyone threatening internal security either in form of possession of weapons of any type.

    “Interfering or causing election related disturbances, threats of violence and intimidation during the elections, disturbance of peace or involvement in political thuggery, will be decisively dealt with in accordance with the laws,” Dambazau said.

    He advised parents to ensure that their children were not used by desperate politicians to disrupt the electoral process, as security agencies had been mandated to guard against any form of internal security threats before, during and after the elections.

    The minister said similarly, “anyone found to be involved in sponsoring political thuggery, violence or threat to internal security will face the wrath of the law”.

    He said that Nigerians had the right to belong to any political party and vote candidates of their choice; adding that; “as such, politicians must give them the opportunity to do so”.

    According to Dambazau, government has put in place adequate security architecture to neutralise all forms of security threats that may occur before, during and after the elections.

    While praying for God’s guidance and protection during the polls, the minister wished all Nigerians peaceful elections. (NAN)

  • FG to close borders during polls

    The federal government will temporarily close borders during the general elections to guarantee more security, Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdrahaman Dambazau (rtd) has stated.

    He vowed that security operatives will do everything possible to secure borders especially during the elections.

    Dambazau gave the assurance while launching the situation room of the Nigeria Internal Security and Public Safety Alert System (NISPSAS) on Friday.

    NISPSAS is an integrated and single mobile application developed to assist the public access prompt response to emergencies and public safety concern the Federal Ministry of Interior situation coordination.

    He said: “I want to assure you that we are very conscious of our borders particularly now and everything we can do to protect our borders during elections we will do.

    “During the periods of elections all the borders will be temporarily closed till the elections are over.

    “When we came in in 2015 one of the challenges we met was this lack of coordination among our security agencies.

    “Lack of collaboration and cooperation and we tried to look at various ways to make things possible because without this collaboration, there so many implications.

    “One of them is that you cannot really coordinate their activities well another disadvantage is the fact that you cannot have that synergy and they are bound to waste resources.

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    He added: “This will make them not to achieve the objectives of public safety and internal security which is the major mandate of this ministry.

    “This is how we thought of having a situation room within the ministry that will link up to all the services so that we can have to monitor their activities anytime.

    “We embarked on this project since 2016. This has digitalised their activities. Immigration can also with this monitor activities at the land borders and also the fire service could be able to create an alert system whereby if there is fire any part of the country they can monitor and respond. We should have the capacity to respond to incidents.

    “I thank God that today we are launching this internal security and public safety alert system which linked to all the services. This app is user-friendly. The public can report any incident using this app.”

  • 2019: FG directs missions to issue visas to foreign media

    The Federal Government ( FG ) has directed all Nigerian Missions abroad to issue visas to foreign journalists willing to cover the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said this in a statement issued by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Mr George Edokpa, on Friday in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2019 General Elections is scheduled for Feb. 16 and March 6.

    “The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama has directed all Nigerian Missions to issue visas expeditiously to journalists travelling to cover the forthcoming 2019 General elections in Nigeria,” the statement said.The Federal Government has directed all Nigerian Missions abroad to issue visas to foreign journalists willing to cover the 2019 General Elections in Nigeria.

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    The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, said this in a statement issued by the Ministry’s Spokesperson, Mr George Edokpa, on Friday in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 2019 General Elections is scheduled for Feb. 16 and March 6.

    “The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama has directed all Nigerian Missions to issue visas expeditiously to journalists travelling to cover the forthcoming 2019 General elections in Nigeria,” the statement said.