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Tag: Lafia

  • Nasarawa: PDP governorship candidate picks running mate

    Mr Emmanuel Ombugadu, Nasarawa State Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has picked Rep. Ogoshi Onawo as his running mate.

    The state chairman of the party, Mr Francis Orugu, who made this known to Newsmen on Tuesday in Lafia, said Onawo was carefully selected after due consultation with the relevant organs of the party.

    Orugu explained that the party gave Emmanuel Ombugadu free hand to choose his running mate and he picked Onawo from Nasarawa South.

    According to the PDP boss, the party had on July 28, zoned all elected and appointed positions as a strategy for victory in 2019 elections.

    He said that the decision of the party was based on the calculations at that time but the party had to change the decision in order to address new realities.

    “At that time, we zoned the governorship seat and deputy speaker to Nasarawa North; deputy governor and majority leader to Nasarawa West.

    “Others are speaker and Secretary to the State Government to Nasarawa South.

    “The party has now swapped all positions zoned to Nasarawa South and Nasarawa West. That is why the running mate was picked from Nasarawa South, ‘’ the Orugu said.

    He, however, described the recent primaries of the party as the best in the history of the state.

    Orugu, therefore, appealed to all aggrieved members to work for the victory of the party in 2019 general elections.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Onawo is a member of the House of Representatives, representing Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituency.

  • Police foil bank robbery attempt , kill two in Nasarawa

    The Nasarawa State Police Command on Thursday said it foiled a bank robbery attempt by a four-man gang, following a gun battle with the suspects in Lafia.

    SP Kennedy Idirisu, Spokesman for the command, confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.

    He said that policemen on duty at a branch of Diamond bank on Jos Road, Lafia, got a tip-off about the robbery on Wednesday, and engaged the gang in a gun battle at 10a.m. in front of the bank.

    Idirisu said that the gang drove in in two vehicles, both with Lagos registration number – a Toyota Lexus marked EKY 282 DP and Toyota Corolla marked FST 411 FH.

    He said that the police arrested one of the suspects, and two died while receiving treatment at the Dalhatu Araf Hopital, Lafia.

    Read Also: Refuse: Lagos Assembly orders PSP operators back to work

    According to the spokesman, a suspect escaped with bullet wounds.

    “Our investigation revealed that the gang trailed a staff of the General Hospital Nasarawa Eggon, from the bank in Lafia, where he withdrew N250, 000.

    “They followed him to Nasarawa Eggon, took the money, and returned to Jos Road, where there are clusters of banks, to carry out another operation, not knowing that they were being trailed.

    “The police swooped on them and arrested one of the suspects driving the Toyota Corolla, while the others in Toyota Lexus opened fire in an attempt to escape.

    “The jeep and two of the suspects were arrested on Shendam Road while the driver escaped with bullet wounds,” Idirisu said.

    He said that the arrested suspect confessed to the crime, adding that items recovered from the vehicles included the stolen N250, 000, a master key and a wallet containing N31, 000.

    Similarly, Idirisu said that the police arrested three other robbery suspects on the same day at Nasarawa LGA for allegedly robbing a couple at Gunki Village.

    He said that the robbery took place on Tuesday.

    According to him, the police recovered two locally-fabricated pistols, two live cartridges and valuables of the victims from the suspects.

  • NLC urges FG to accelerate implementation of new minimum wage

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged  the Federal Government (FG) to accelerate the implementation of the new minimum wage proposed by the tripartite committee on the issue.

    NLC National President, Mr Ayuba Wabba, made the call at a news briefing on Wednesday in Lafia.

    Wabba, who was in Lafia for the ground breaking of the affordable housing estate by the Federal Mortgage Bank, said the tripartite committee had already finished its assignment.

    “The committee has already completed its assignment and had to submit the reports first to federal government onward action.

    “So, we expect the FG to accelerate the process of implementation and transmit same to the National Assembly for other legislative actions,” Wabba stated.

    The NLC boss, however, commended the contributions of the private sector throughout the duration of the committee work.

    Read Also:NLC: ‘Fed Govt to announce new minimum wage soon’

    Wabba said that the union would not make the agreed amount public until all the processes were completed.

    He assured Nigerian workers that the union would not relent until success was achieved.

    Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, has said  that no agreement has  been reached on the exact amount that should be paid to workers as new  minimum wage.

    Speaking after the Federal Executive Council meeting in Abuja, Ngige said this was because the proposals ranged from N30,000 by the organised labour to N20,000 by state governments and  N25,000 by organised private sector.

  • Kwara PDP screens NASS aspirants Thursday

    Ahead of its primary elections, the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the screening of its senatorial and House of Representatives aspirants will take place on Thursday.

    In a statement by its Spokesperson in the state Tunde Ashaolu said that the screening exercise for National Assembly aspirants will hold at the Party’s Secretariat by Flower Garden, Ilorin by 10 am.

    Ashaolu said that the screening committee from the national headquarters of the party would be on ground for the exercise on Thursday, stressing that the process would be free, fair and transparent.

    Read Also: Fayemi raises 37-member inauguration committee

    He also announced that screening for governorship aspirants of the party will hold on Saturday, 22 September, 2018 at the PDP North Central Zonal Secretariat in Lafia, Nasarrawa State.

  • NiMet predicts nationwide thunderstorms, rains for Saturday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted that thunderstorms and rainfalls would prevail over most parts of the country on Saturday.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office (CFO) on Friday, predicted prospects of thunderstorm and moderate rains over the central states in the morning hours.

    It also predicted scattered thunderstorm over Abuja, Lafia, Jos, Minna, Bida, Ilorin and Lokoja during afternoon and evening hours with day and night temperatures of 25 to 30 and 16 to 24 degrees Celsius.

    The agency predicted thunderstorms over the northern cities with cloudy morning over Maiduguri, Dutse, Nguru, Potiskum and Adamawa axis.

    Read Also: NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rains for Wednesday

    It further predicted that northwestern cities would be cloudy while thunderstorm was envisaged over the northeastern part with day and night temperatures of 27 to 32 and 20 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, thunderstorms and moderate rains over the southern region in the morning with light rains over southwest inland.

    “Thunderstorms are envisaged over southeast inland and moderate rains over the coastal cities in the afternoon and evening hours with day and Night temperatures of 27 to 31 and 20 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively,” NiMet predicted.

  • Saraki visits victims of Lafia gas explosion

    …says PMB has failed on security

     

     

    The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Monday suspended his political activity in Lafia to visit the victims of gas explosion which claimed lives and properties worth millions.

    Senator Bukola Saraki who was in the state in furtherance to his consultations to pick the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP ) presidential ticket for the 2019 presidential election also condoled with the government and people of Nasarawa state.

    The presidential aspirant cut short his visit and went to Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital in Lafia where the victims of the fire incident were taken to for treatment before they were eventually transferred to the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, and national hospital, Abuja.

    He said it is rather unfortunate that the country is losing people who can add value to development of the country and expressed sadness that some of them they are no more.

    The senate president however stated that as a government and a concerned citizen, “We will ensure security of lives and property through provision of basic infrastructure and amenities that can forestall incidences as ugly as the one we have just witnessed”.

    “I want to stress hear that there is no amount of politics that should undermine the lives of fellow Nigerians,” he said.

    While addressing a large crowed of PDP supporters at the party secretariat, the senate president said it is time for the north central to also occupy the presidency of the country having supported other zones in the past.

    He said, the reason for his seeking to be elected as the president of the country was the failure of President Buhari to address the security and poverty challenges Nigerians are going through.

    He said that as a man who is from the north central, he is solidly behind the development of the region and the country at large.

  • Police arrest 23 suspected kidnappers in Nasarawa

    The Police Command in Nasarawa State has arrested 23 suspected armed robbers and kidnappers in August, the Commissioner of Police, Yahaya Bello, said on Friday.

    Bello told newsmen in Lafia that the suspects were arrested following distress calls and privileged information from courageous members of the public.

    According to the him, 17 of the suspects were arrested on August 2, for alleged armed robbery and kidnapping around Mararaba Udege in Nasarawa Local Government area of the state.

    Bello added that four others were arrested on August 9, at Kadarko in Keana Local Government area by a combined team of F-SARS operatives, Counter Terrorism Unit and conventional policemen.

    He said that the four of those arrested were believed to be among the gang terrorizing commuters along Lafia-Makurdi road.

    Bello, however, said that two policemen sustained severe injuries during one of the operations.

    Read Also: Army kills 14 terrorists, rescue 21 hostages

    The commissioner disclosed that one Ali Mohammed was arrested along Akwanga-Keffi on Aug. 29, with an Ak47 riffle while allegedly on his way to Dogon Daji village in Kaduna State to avenge the killing of his brother.

    Similarly, Bello said another suspect, Timothy Jija was arrested on August 30 with an AK 47 riffle at the yam market in Kadarko village along Lafia-Makurdi road.

    He listed the items recovered from the suspects to include: Four AK 47 riffles, One G3 riffle, Two revolvers, 30 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, knives and charms.

    Other items recovered are 26 mobile phones, Two IPads, a laptop and wraps of dry leaves suspected to be ‘Indian Hemp’.

    He appealed for more support from the public towards curbing violent crimes in the state.

    The commissioner urged residents with useful security information to call 08108795930, 08112692680 and 08108795980, for quick intervention by the police.

  • I make N180,000 monthly, says telephone charger

    A middle-aged man, Ibrahim Usman, who operates a telephone charging outfit in Lafia, says he makes N180,000 monthly on telephone charging, using generator and solar power.

    “I took advantage of the irregular electricity supply in Lafia to make about N180,000 monthly,” Usman told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lafia on Saturday.

    According to him, charging of phones and other electrical accessories has put food on my table and money in my bank account.

    “Although, I am not happy that there is irregular electricity supply in Lafia, I can say that has been to my advantage now.

    “Had power supply been stable, I would not have been able to make the N6,000 I make at least in a day. If you multiply it into 30 days, it is N180, 000 in a month,” he said.

    Read Also: Niger spends N930m on new road

    He told NAN that he powers his business by solar energy to augment his petrol-powered generator, on which he spends N1,000 daily on fuel.

    Usman appreciated his customers, even as he advised the youth not to always wait on the government for jobs.

    “Instead, youths can create something worthwhile for themselves. It is always good to have something to fall back on in the absence of the white-collar jobs.

    “You can learn one or two skills to enable you survive and live independently,” he added.

  • NiMet predicts cloudy weather, rain, thunderstorm for Saturday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudy conditions over the central states of the country with prospects of thunderstorm and rain over Jalingo and Mambilla Plateau, Lafia, Minna and Abuja on Saturday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Friday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 23 to 31 and 14 to 24 degrees celsius respectively.

    It added that there were chances of thunderstorm and rain over Abuja, Lokoja, Jos, Makurdi, Lafia, Minna, Ilorin and Taraba axis during the afternoon and evening hours.

    The agency predicted southern states would experience cloudy skies in the morning with day and night temperatures in the range of 25 to 31 and 21 to 24 degrees celsius respectively.

    It also predicted prospects of rain over Ado Ekiti, Akure, Oshogbo, Ibadan, Abeokuta, Lagos,
    Ijebu-Ode, Enugu, Umuahia, Abakaliki, Owerri, Asaba, Benin, Yenagoa, Port-Harcourt, Calabar and Eket axis in the afternoon and evening hours.

    According to NiMet, northern states will experience cloudy conditions over some parts of
    the northwest with thunderstorm and rain over Maiduguri,
    Potiskum, Nguru, Dutse, Gombe, Bauchi, Katsina, Gusau, Kano and Zaria
    during the morning hours.

    “However, thunderstorm is envisaged over the
    whole of this region during the afternoon and evening hours with day and night
    temperatures of 30 to 34 and 20 to 23 degrees celsius respectively.

    “Atmospheric conditions are favourable for rainfall activities across the country within the next 72 hours,” NiMet predicts.

  • NiMet predicts thunderstorms, rains, cloudy weather for Monday

    The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted morning thunderstorms over cities in the Central States of the country such as Ilorin, Minna, Abuja, Jos, Lafia and Bauchi on Monday morning.

    NiMet’s Weather Outlook by its Central Forecast Office in Abuja on Sunday also predicted day and night temperatures in the range of 25 to 33 and 18 to 23 degrees Celsius respectively.

    It added that there were chances of thunderstorms over Gombe, Lafia, Jos, Kaduna, Abuja, Makurdi and Lokoja axis later in the day.

    The agency predicted that southern states would experience prospect of cloudy morning with chances of rains over places like Awka, Ikom, Abakaliki, Obudu, Ogoja, Port Harcourt, Eket, Warri, Calabar, Ijebu-Ode and Lagos.

    It also predicted chances of thunderstorms and rains over most parts of the region with day and night temperatures of 27 to 31 and 21 to 24 degrees Celsius respectively.

    According to NiMet, Northern States will experience cloudy condition over the Inland of the south west with possibility of light rains over the remaining parts of the region in the morning.

    It also predicted thunderstorms and rains over the entire region with day and night temperatures in the range of 27 to 32 and 20 to 25 degrees Celsius respectively.

    “Cloudy conditions with prospects of thunderstorms and rain in varying intensities are anticipated over the country within the next 24 hours” NiMet predicts.