The Take It Back Movement in Delta State has urged Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene and engage with market leaders and stakeholders to reduce the cost of food items.
The State Coordinator of the Movement, Ighorhiohwunu Aghogho made the call in a statement signed and made available to TVN.
The group asked the governor to implement policies to stabilize food prices as well as subsidize essential food items for low-income families.
It also appealed to the governor to support local farmers to increase food production and establish food banks and relief programs to alleviate the suffering of vulnerable residents.
Take It Back, in the statement, expressed the belief that with the governor’s intervention, food can be made available and affordable for Deltans.
“We can make food affordable for all Deltans. We await swift action to address this critical issue.”
Take It Back said the call became necessary now as soaring prices of garri, beans, and other essentials have left residents starving.
“The Delta Take It Back movement is sounding the alarm on the devastating impact of skyrocketing prices of garri, beans, and other staple foods on residents of Delta State.
“We are calling on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to take immediate and decisive action to address this crisis, as many Deltans are now struggling to access necessities.”
According to Aghogho, “The prices of garri, beans, and other essentials have risen exponentially in recent months, making it difficult for ordinary citizens to afford food.
“As of the 23rd of June, a bag of garri now costs ₦74,000, a bag of beans costs ₦185,000 and 25 litres of palm oil costs ₦32,000. This situation is unsustainable and demands the governor’s prompt intervention.
“Families are going hungry, with many unable to afford even one meal a day. Children are malnourished, and their health and well-being are at risk, small businesses are struggling to stay afloat, threatening the livelihoods of many.”
Hardship: Intervene, engage market leaders to reduce cost of food – Group to Gov Oborevwori
Hardship: Intervene, engage market leaders to reduce cost of food – Group to Gov Oborevwori
Christ Embassy fire under control, says Lagos fire service
The Director, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, has stated that the fire that engulfed the Christ Embassy Church located at Oregun, Ikeja, Lagos has been brought under control.
According Online reported earlier on Sunday that the building caught fire, and officials of the LSFRS were also reported to be at the scene to put the fire out.
In a statement on Sunday, Adeseye provided updates on the situation, stating that no casualties have been reported.
She wrote, “At 07:27 hours, a fire outbreak was reported at the Christ Embassy Church located on Billings Way, Ikeja.
“Firefighting units from Alausa and Ikeja fire stations were promptly dispatched and arrived at the scene by 07:36 hours. The church auditorium was found to be engulfed in flames. The fire is currently under control.”
Adeseye added that some parts of the building have been pulled down to ensure that the fire is completely extinguished.
She added, “In addition, LASEMA’s excavator is being used to pull down some parts of the building to ensure complete extinguishment and to prevent further structural collapse.
“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin.
“No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available.”
The President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, also known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has also said the fire incident was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.
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Nigerian embassy, NGO, rescue 24 girls trafficked for prostitution in Senegal
The Nigerian Embassy in Senegal in conjunction with a Dakar-based Non-Governmental Organisation, “La Lumiere”, which translates to “Free the Slaves” in English, have rescued 24 Nigerian girls who were trafficked into the country for prostitution.
Acting Ambassador to Senegal, Salihu Abubakar, who disclosed this at a press conference in Dakar on Sunday, said combined operatives of the Nigerian Embassy and the NGO rescued the girls who were subjected to sexual exploitation in the Tamaccounda and Kedougou regions of the West African country.
According to Abubakar, most of the girls are under-aged, ranging between the ages of 11, 13, and 24, and were trafficked to Senegal, through Cotonou, Republic of Benin, via the Mali to Senegal border for sexual exploitation.
“These girls and many more are being trafficked to Senegal, through Cotonou, Benin Republic via Mali to the Senegal border for prostitution,” Abubakar said.
READ ALSO:Police in Ogun arrests woman for trafficking 16-year-old to Libya for prostitution
The envoy stated that preliminary investigations revealed that most of the girls who were school dropouts, are from Edo and Delta States, with a few of them from Imo and Abia States while two others are from Plateau State.
He, however, said of the 24, 22 were already repatriated weeks ago while the two other ladies were repatriated to Nigeria on Saturday and had landed in Nigeria safely.
“Our main goal and number one priority is to discourage the trafficking of our Nigerian girls to any part of the world for prostitution under any disguise,” Abubakar said.
Abubakar added that the successful repatriation of the girls to Nigeria was a clear indication of the strengthened international cooperation in combating human trafficking between the embassy and the Senegalese NGO.
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Nigeria loses N636bn revenue as oil production dips
The repeated slump in Nigeria’s monthly oil outputs since January 2024 has resulted in a revenue loss of about N636.3bn, findings by Sunday According shows.
Oil production data obtained from a Federal Government agency indicated that Nigeria produced 1.43 million barrels of crude oil (excluding condensates) in January this year, but this nosedived to 1.25mbpd in May.
Figures obtained by our correspondent from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission showed that while the total volume of crude produced in January was 44.22 million barrels, it dropped to 38.8 million barrels in May.
This represents a crude oil production plunge of 5.43 million barrels between January and May this year, based on NUPRC data.
The average cost of Brent, the global benchmark for crude oil in January was $80.12/barrel. It moved up marginally to $81.75 in May, according to data from Statistica, an international statistical firm.
Also, the average exchange rate of the naira against the United States dollar in May this year was N1,434.1/$. The naira has been struggling since January this year, dropping in value repeatedly against the dollar.
Based on the 5.43 million barrels crude oil production plunge, price of Brent and exchange rate of the naira in May, Nigeria lost estimated revenue of about N636.3bn between January and May this year.
Meanwhile, it was further observed that while Nigeria produced 1.43mbpd of crude oil in January, this dropped to 1.32mbpd in February, crashed to 1.23mbpd in March, rose up a little to 1.28mbpd in April, before falling to 1.25mbpd in May.
The continued plunge in Nigeria’s oil production has been blamed on the incessant vandalism of oil pipelines as well as crude oil theft. Efforts have been ongoing to end this, though not as fruitful as expected yet.
On June 13, 2024, for instance, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited urged the judiciary to create a special court to try culprits of oil theft and pipeline vandalism.
NNPC’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, made the plea at the National Judges Capacity Building Workshop on the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, organised by the National Judicial Institute and INVESTIN 234 in Abuja.
Kyari also urged the judiciary to accelerate hearings on offences related to crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, according to a statement issued by the spokesperson of NNPC, Olufemi Soneye, at the time.
The NNPC helmsman further called for the support of the judiciary in tackling the twin challenges of crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism in order for the oil and gas industry to achieve its full potential as an enabler of national economic and industrial growth.
Kyari had said, “The gains of the PIA have been severely undermined by crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism and urged the judiciary to consider the creation of a special court to try offences related to crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism or granting accelerated hearings to such cases.”
He had explained that the role of the judiciary was critical to the success of the efforts of the various security arrangements put in place by NNPC, the law enforcement agencies and other stakeholders in the industry.
“In particular, is the recommendation that a special court be created to try those offences as they hinge on our survival as a country, and/or for such trials to be conducted under an accelerated hearing process by the issuance of Practice Directions to that effect, with concomitant sanctions to deter would-be offenders,” he stated.
The GCEO had also called on the judiciary to accelerate hearing on criminal cases in their courts, through timely determination of the criminal charges and imposing adequate punishments and sanctions on culprits to serve as deterrence to others.
He said NNPC remained committed to collaborating with all relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the PIA.
“Together, we can ensure that the benefits of our natural resources are maximised for the economic and social development of our country,” Kyari stated.
Crude oil theft has also been a major obstacle to the operations of refineries in Nigeria. It limits the government’s revenue from oil exports, as well as deny international oil companies major oil earnings.
Our correspondent had exclusively reported in a recent edition of Sunday According that major oil companies lamented the impact of oil theft and pipeline vandalism on the availability of crude for local refineries.
The Director-General of the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr Chinyere Almona, while speaking on behalf of the companies through the Oil Producers Trade Section in LCCI, identified crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism as factors hindering the oil majors’ inability to meet their daily quotas.
Almona also explained that modular refineries were finding it hard to get enough crude.
She also identified low crude oil production in Nigeria as a factor limiting international oil companies’ capacity to supply crude to the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, and other modular refineries.
Family takes on Lagos hospital over ‘manipulated’ bills, mother’s detained corpse
The family of late Mrs. Charity Broderick has accused a Lagos hospital of manipulating medical bills and detaining her corpse.
In an exclusive interview with The According, her children, Solomon and Joy Broderick, alleged that the hospital demanded a payment of N515,000 despite inadequate care provided to their mother.
They also claimed that the hospital moved her corpse without their knowledge or consent.
The family is appealing to the hospital to release her body so they can give her a proper burial.
When contacted, a hospital representative, Mrs. Nkechi, explained that the payment was for dialysis treatment and that the outstanding bills must be settled, and a death certificate issued before the body can be released.
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Deaths from Indian toxic alcohol rise to 53
The death toll from a batch of toxic illegal alcohol in India has risen to 53, media reported Sunday, as more victims in hospitals succumbed to the poisonous brew.
Tamil Nadu state Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin has said the locally brewed arrack drink was laced with poisonous methanol, killing 37 within hours after they drank the illegal alcohol on Tuesday.
More than 100 people were rushed to hospital, but some were too sick for medics to save.
Hundreds of people die every year in India from cheap alcohol made in backstreet distilleries, but this poisoning is one of the worst in recent years.
To increase its potency, the liquor is often spiked with methanol which can cause blindness, liver damage and death.
The Indian Express newspaper on Sunday quoted a local councillor, Palraj, describing how poor labourers in the Kallakurichi district regularly bought the liquor in plastic bags costing 60 rupees ($0.70), which they would drink before work.
Some went blind and were rushed to hospital.
Others died rapidly, collapsing in the street.
– ‘Work just to drink’ –
“The men work just to drink, and the women run the family”, motorised rickshaw driver Shankar, who lives on a street where 23 people died, told the Indian Express.
The top government official in the state’s Kallakurichi district, M.S. Prasanth, said “53 people have passed away”, according to the latest figures on Saturday, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.
Other Indian media on Sunday put the toll as high as 55, but there was no immediate official confirmation.
Prasanth said that seven people had been arrested in connection with the “spurious liquor tragedy”, PTI added.
Tamil Nadu is not a dry state, but liquor traded on the black market comes at a lower price than alcohol sold legally.
The Indian Express also spoke to Kolanji, a domestic helper whose husband died on Thursday after drinking a packet of the tainted brew.
She said people drank the moonshine “because they cannot afford” alcohol from the government-run shops.
“They start buying packets early in the morning,” she said.
Selling and consuming liquor is prohibited in several other parts of India, further driving the thriving black market for potent and sometimes lethal backstreet moonshine.
Last year, poisonous alcohol killed at least 27 people in one sitting in the eastern Indian state of Bihar, while in 2022, at least 42 people died in Gujarat.
AFP
Did you know an African tribe with ostrich feet?
Meet the Doma Tribe of Zimbabwe, a fascinating group of traditional hunter-gatherers with a unique physical characteristic that sets them apart from other indigenous tribes.
The Doma people, also known as the vaDoma, have a distinctive feature that has sparked interest and curiosity among anthropologists and enthusiasts alike.
According to Doma mythology, their ancestors emerged from a baobab tree and began walking upright to hunt and gather fruits from the land.
This tribe has a language all on their own, called Dema, and is the only non-agrarian society in Zimbabwe, relying solely on hunting and gathering for their sustenance.
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Christ Embassy will build bigger church, says Oyakhilome
The President and founder of LoveWorld Incorporated, better known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has said the fire incident at the church’s headquarters was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.
He said this during a live Sunday service at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State.
According Online earlier reported that the church headquarters, located in the Oregun area of Ikeja, Lagos State, caught fire on Sunday morning.
This was revealed in multiple videos from the scene shared on X.com on Sunday.
Speaking on the incident, Oyakhilome said, “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja Cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.
“I thought to myself that if it collapsed, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.
“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound.”
Officials of the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service are also said to be at the scene to salvage the situation.
Sharing a video from the location, Augustine, tweeting as Chief_Augustin1 on X.com, wrote, “Christ Embassy Church on Billings Way, Oregun, is on fire.
“Serious fire is raging, and men of the Lagos State Fire Service are working hard to put it off. Thank God service hasn’t commenced fully.”
FG urges Nigerians to ensure clean environment
The Federal Government has advised Nigerians to imbibe good personal and environmental hygiene to curb the spread of cholera in the country.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Environment, Mahmud Kambari, said this on Saturday at an event to commemorate the 2024 National Environmental Sanitation Day in Piwoyi, a suburb community in the Federal Capital Territory.
The National Environmental Sanitation Day is held on June 28 yearly to create adequate awareness of the significance of personal and environmental hygiene among Nigerians.
Kambari, who was represented by the Director of Pollution Control and Environmental Health in the ministry, Olubunmi Olusanya, said the purpose is to create awareness among the Nigerian populace on the importance of sanitation practices as a veritable means of controlling and preventing communicable diseases.
He said, “Currently in the country, we are faced with the challenge of a cholera outbreak as you all know is caused by bacteria infection, which is spread through contaminated water or food as a result of unhygienic practices.
“For us to stop this, we need to imbibe good environmental sanitation practices, for example, open defecation is one of the primary causes of cholera.”
He stated that the government will continue to partner with the community to ensure that the community is adequately clean.
“Open defecation is one of the primary causes of cholera before. So, before we eat, we need to wash our hands so that we don’t transmit cholera disease into our bodies, we also need to cook our food thoroughly. If you practise good sanitation and hygienic practices, you will be free from diseases,” he added.
The representative of the World Health Organisation, Dr Edwin Edeh, encouraged landlords to build toilets in their houses to promote good hygiene.
“We want to encourage landlords here that when you build houses, make sure you have toilets so that people can use them, and I also encourage everyone in the community to wash their hands regularly,” he said.
The representative from Breakthrough Action Nigeria, Jonathan Duku emphasised the need for the community to keep their environment clean.
“Mitigating environmental challenges will not only eradicate cholera but also Lassa fever. We all know that a dirty environment attracts rats that cause Lassa fever and with this team, we are encouraging every community member in Piwoyi to keep their environment clean,” Duku said.
Meanwhile, the Etsu of Piwoyi community, Lazurus Bahago applauded the government and its partners for the awareness campaign.
He also promised to work with his team to ensure the residents of the community imbibe good environmental sanitation practices.
So This Happened (253) reviews Ojude Oba festival, Nigeria, Ghana facing brain drain, others
In this episode of So This Happened, we discussed the 2024 Ojude Oba festival in Ogun State, Nigeria, which was a celebration of culture, fashion, and resilience. The event, which honours the Awujale and paramount ruler of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, featured stunning aso-oke outfits, horse-riding competitions, and cultural performances.
We also discussed a new report which revealed that nearly two-thirds of Nigerian professionals and three-quarters of Ghanaian professionals are willing to work abroad, with English-speaking countries with strong economies being the top destinations, posing a risk of brain drain in Nigeria.
Lastly we reviewed how Binance, the crypto giant, was fined $2.25 million by India’s Financial Intelligence Unit for violating the country’s Prevention of Money Laundering Act, marking another legal issue for the company, which is already facing allegations of money laundering and tax evasion in Nigeria.
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