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Tinubu urge Germany to benefit from new incentives for investments in Nigeria

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German officials have been urged to take advantage of the new incentives for foreign investment in Nigeria by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Tinubu made this comment at the G-20 conference in India, according to a statement made by President Ajuri Ngelale’s spokeswoman on Sunday.

Spreading Nigeria’s economic relationship is important to his administration, Tinubu said in a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

For us, it is more than just creating the financial framework for a larger economic collaboration, Tinubu said.

The practicality of matching the viewpoints of your large manufacturers, like Volkswagen and others, with the reality of the new incentives my administration is putting in place for them to come and succeed across numerous value chains and industries inside our country, is another important consideration.

Read Also: FG to position health sector for provision of high-quality services

The development of the trade ties between Germany and Nigeria is something that German Chancellor Scholz shown interest in.

“Mr. President, I appreciate you having this crucial conversation. I appreciate having the chance to strengthen our business ties. Our businesses have a history in Nigeria, and your market is distinctive.

The German leader commended Tinubu for putting in place business-friendly measures.

He stated a desire to travel to Nigeria in October, which will help make these projects possible.

Group wants FG to rename Nigeria’s six geopolitical region

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The Foundation for Peace Professionals, better known as PeacePro, a think tank for peacebuilding, has urged the Federal Government to give historical names to Nigeria’s six geopolitical regions.

The group claimed in a statement released by its Executive Director, Mr. Abdulrazaq Hamzat, that simply referring to Nigeria’s six geopolitical regions as North West, South West, North East, South East, and North Central has no political significance and that a more politically aware strategy is necessary to end regional unrest.

Hamzat contends that in order to accurately reflect the preferences and ambitions of the populace, the Federal Government should name the six zones.

Running away from such political identities will naturally make them feel entitled to those identities, as people in different zones of Nigeria identify themselves by particular names and descriptions.

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To mobilize individuals in their search for significance, non-state actors simply invoke those identities for which people have affinity and connections, according to Hamzat.

Therefore, he suggested renaming the South West region Oduduwa, the North West region Arewa, the South East region Biafra, the North East region Kanem Borno, the South-South region Niger Delta, and the North Central region Middle Belt.

The naming of these regions, according to Hamzat, has political ramifications because non-state actors frequently use them as rallying points to sow discord among the populace in an effort to garner support for their activities, and officially adopting them automatically strips them of existing and historical concepts to sow discord among unsuspecting members of the public.

 

Shooting practice: Kano police warn residents against panicking

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On Sunday night, the Kano State Police Command issued a warning to locals living near the Customs Training College in Goron Dutse not to become alarmed when they hear gunshots in the coming days.

SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, the Command’s spokesman, revealed that a seven-day shooting range practise is being held at the training institution.
The staff of the Nigeria Customs Training College, Goron Dutse Kano, will conduct seven days of shooting range practise at Hawan Kalibawa, Dawakin Tofa LGA, Kano State from Monday, September 11th, 2023 to Sunday, September 17th, 2023 from 0600hrs (6am) to 1800hrs (6pm) daily, according to CP Mohammed Usaini Gumel’s announcement to the public.

In order to prevent panic, the CP encouraged the public, especially those living in the Dambazau, Gangaren Dutse, Tumfafi, Kakurum, and Dandalama villages in the Dawakin Tofa/Ungogo LGAs and its surroundings, to avoid the region at the first sign of gunfire until the exercise was finished.

UK warship arrives Nigeria to support maritime security

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On Sunday, HMS Trent, a warship of the Royal Navy, docked in Lagos, Nigeria.

Trent is now in Nigeria for the second time as part of its regional mission to support allies and partners in combating criminal activities like piracy and illicit trafficking.

The visit would aid in delivering capacity training and supporting maritime security in the area, the British High Commission said in a statement.

The HMS Trent, according to the commission, left Gibraltar with a Puma surveillance drone and a skilled boarding team of UK Royal Marines. The HMS Trent’s mission, according to the commission, is to support West African allies by assisting nations to build their capacity to combat maritime crimes and ensure they can effectively contribute to the stabilisation of wider West Africa.A portion of Trent’s mandate is to promote stability in the Gulf of Guinea by training partner navies to help them take the battle to criminal actors, fostering relationships and sharing knowledge, while conducting patrols to boost security. This is because the region is home to about £6 billion worth of UK trade.

Commander Tim Langford, the commanding officer of HMS Trent, stated that the Royal Navy has a long history of engagement in the area and a strong collaboration with the Nigerian Armed Forces. My team is eagerly looking forward to the chance to collaborate with their Nigerian peers and strengthen the bonds we started when we went to Lagos in 2021.

Jonny Baxter, the UK’s deputy high commissioner in Lagos, said the deployment showed how a genuinely global Britain is assuming leadership roles to address common global security concerns.
Nigeria is a crucial and valued partner for the UK in West Africa’s defence, according to Baxter. We are eager to collaborate with Nigeria to overcome these dangers and contribute to enhancing marine security in the Gulf of Guinea as our two nations face numerous common threats.

FG to position health sector for provision of high-quality services

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In order to provide high-quality healthcare services to Nigerians, the Federal Government must restructure and reposition the country’s healthcare system.

In order to provide validated and trustworthy data that can be used to provide care to the people, it has finished plans to digitize the country’s health care system and will launch a National Electronic Medical Record platform.

Speaking to reporters yesterday in Abuja, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Mohammed Ali Pate, announced that the government is planning to mobilize private capital to invest in physical infrastructure, equipment, and human resources in an effort to restore confidence in the healthcare system of the country and deter Nigerians from seeking treatment abroad for conditions that can be treated domestically.

In order for our people to have faith in our healthcare system, he continued, “We need to make sure that our hospitals operate better. In order for the health workers who have left the country to start returning, we need to address the issue of the workforce that we are losing. To reduce the effects of emigration, we will restructure our human resources for health. To do this, we will expand the local medical workforce pipeline and keep hold of the best people.

According to Pate, if the government works to upgrade the country’s infrastructure and address the problems facing health workers, it will go a long way toward putting an end to the ongoing strike in the healthcare industry and luring some of the workers who have fled back home.

The minister said that as part of efforts to address the ongoing strikes in the health sector, he met with four professional associations, along with the Minister of State and the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, and they acknowledged the need to put the past behind them and start to rebuild trust and restore the respectability of the health profession.

In addition, Pate highlighted that Nigeria’s doctor to population ratio falls short of WHO standards despite the country having over 400,000 health workers in various categories. So there is a need to train additional healthcare professionals.

The Minister gave the assurance that the government would improve the country’s health security so that outbreaks could be handled quickly when they occurred.

He asserted that the state governments must play a significant part in advancing the health industry.

To track success, lessen political involvement, and strengthen inclusivity, we must enhance the quality of health governance. The foundation for reunifying our nation and fostering togetherness can be improved health.

“We will put equities first and focus on providing excellent customer service. All Nigerians would have access, especially the most vulnerable groups.

“Our own mentality will change to become more focused on people in order to make sure that individuals feel respected and valued. In order to achieve goals of import substitution, we will unlock value chains, enable the manufacturing of medical equipment, goods, and medicines in Nigeria for Nigerians, and make sure that these goods and services have reliable marketplaces and can reach their target audiences.

“We will maintain health security and make sure Nigeria is ready to respond to epidemics, pandemics, and humanitarian disasters in an effective manner.”

Earlier, Tunji Alausa, the minister of state for health, stated that the nation’s research facilities needed to be updated and promised that the government would establish a research fund.

If prompt action was not taken, he warned, the country will be severely burdened by the increased incidence of communicable diseases.

Alausa promised that the healthcare system would be properly regulated, allowing for the accountability of healthcare facilities.

NDLEA arrests others after seizing 399 bombs, illegal narcotics, including grandma

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On Thursday, September 7, agents of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency discovered 399 improvised explosive devices on Asana Leke, 39, near the Mokwa-Jebba Road.

The suspect, who claimed that the explosives were given to him in a park in Ibadan, Oyo State, to be conveyed to someone in Kaduna, has since been given to the military authorities in Niger State along with the evidence.

In addition to the different drug control initiatives, the NDLEA state commands and other formations continued the anti-narcotics agency’s advocacy campaigns against drug misuse in areas like schools, places of worship, palaces, and local communities, among others.

The NDLEA’s spokesperson, Femi Babafemi, announced the news in an official email that was received on Sunday.

 

He also mentioned that methamphetamine concealed in discarded clothing and skunk concealed in tomato paste were both intercepted by NDLEA agents on their way to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

“While the cargo of skunk in tomato pastes, weighing 20 kg, was stopped on Friday, September 8, at the SAHCO export facility of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, the shipment of meth, weighing a gross of 1.60 kg, was intercepted at a courier firm in Lagos.

A further shipment of 556 grammes of Canadian Loud delivered from Canada to Tunji Adebayo in Ikorodu, Lagos, was also stopped by NDLEA agents from the Directorate of Operations and General Investigation who were working for courier services.

Despite the fact that Adebayo was not home when agents arrived at his residence in Ikorodu at 52, Aina Atoloye Street, he nonetheless instructed his younger brother to sign for the package on his behalf. The brother was quickly taken into custody,” Babafemi stated.

Meanwhile, on September 4, NDLEA agents stormed the residence of a reputed drug lord in Akala, Mushin, Lagos, Abdul Rauf, dubbed “Na God,” recovering 1,101kg of Ghanaian Loud and arresting three suspects while the desired kingpin remained at free.

Following the recovery of 41kg of marijuana from Titilayo Adetayo at Sagumu Interchange the day before, a follow-up operation in Ogun State on Tuesday, September 5, resulted in the arrest of Yinka Azeez in Sabo Lafenwa, Abeokuta.

Additionally, at least two individuals were detained on September 5 with more than 426.5 kilograms of skunk, including Muhammad Aliyu, 38, and Abdullahi Zakariya, 40, who were both found in Haye Arewa, Hotoro, Kano, and Zaria-Kano Road, respectively.

Onyeka Uzor, 25, was taken into custody in Idemili, Anambra State, along with 64.8kg of skunk and Tramadol, while Destiny Irabor, another suspect, was taken into custody on Friday, September 8, together with almost 180kg of opiates stashed in his Toyota Sienna bus.

On Wednesday, September 6, two suspects, Ahmed Yusuf and Rilwan Nura, were detained in Kaduna in connection with the discovery of 100 blocks of marijuana totaling 55kg along Abuja Road.

In Edo State, NDLEA agents attacked the Ekudo woodland in the Onwude Local Government Area and destroyed cannabis crops totaling 4.236347 hectares.

In a similar vein, on September 7, agents searched the home of Amuodu Egwehide, 40, in Iloje Okpuje, Owan West LGA, and found 22 bags of skunk weighing 261.4kg; at the same time, Mrs. Eunice Egwehide, 60, was detained in the town the same day, and 17kg of the same substance were taken from her.

On Wednesday, September 6, a suspect named Gapchiya Modu, 26, was detained with 60 kg of cannabis at the Kano-Nguru route in Nguru, Yobe State. In contrast, Usim Orji, 45, was found with 200 blocks of the same substance and 57 kg of it along the Aba-Owerri route in Imo State.

Idoko Ifesinachi, 40, was linked to the importation of 76.9kg of Canadian Loud that was discovered in a container with the identification MSDU6686346 at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex, Onne, Rivers State on June 2. After more than two months of surveillance, NDLEA agents finally detained Ifesinachi on September 6 after more than two months of observation.

At his hideout in Lagos, he was apprehended and brought to Port Harcourt.

FG secures $163m loan from AfDB for wheat production

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…60,000 hectares in Kebbi, Jigawa, are being considered for farming.

Sen. Kashim Shettima, the vice president, announced that the federal government has obtained a $163 million credit line from the African Development Bank to support wheat production.

“To enhance wheat output, we have secured a $163 million loan from the African Development Bank. When Shettima paid the Emir of Argungu, Sumaila Mohammed, a courtesy visit at his palace in Kebbi State, he announced that the project will be implemented soon.

Olusola Abiola, the Office of the Vice President’s State House Director of Information, made this known in a statement he signed late on Sunday under the heading “Tinubu will keep his word to Nigerians, VP Shettima assures during condolence visit to Kebbi.”

 

The VP asserted that the wheat production initiative in the states of Kebbi and Jigawa needs at least 60,000 hectares of fertile land.

We need 10,000 hectares of land in Kebbi State, he remarked, while reiterating the intention of the Tinubu administration to keep its promises, particularly in the agricultural sector. However, Jigawa State will successfully carry out the plan by cultivating 50,000 hectares of land to increase wheat production.

On behalf of President Tinubu, he also paid a condolence visit to the family of the late Islamic scholar Sheikh Abubakar Giro, expressing his regret that “the state, the nation, and West Africa had suffered a significant loss.”

In his village of Argungu, Kebbi State, Giro, a well-known priest who just passed away, has subsequently been buried according to Islamic customs.

Shettima continued, “I am here on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, who contacted me from India and told me to come to Argungu to express my condolences to the family of the revered Sheikh, the administration, and the people of Kebbi State and the north in general.

The VP went on to say that the late Sheikh Abubakar Giro was a renowned academic. He lived a simple life, worked for God, and didn’t care about material things. May God grant him eternal life and pardon his transgressions.

The late Sheikh Giro’s accomplishments were something of which the Emirate of Argungu was proud, according to the Emir of Argungu.

In addition to thanking President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for their support, he prayed for the progress and unity of Nigeria.

Sheikh Bala Lau, the National Leader of the Izala Sect, commended President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Shettima for their display of affection as he met the Vice President on behalf of Giro’s family.

The State Governor, Dr. Nasir Idris, who was traveling with the Vice President, welcomed him at the Sir Ahmadu Bello Airport in Birnin Kebbi earlier.

Sen. Umar Tafida, the deputy governor of Kebbi State, Minister Abubakar Kyari, and other members of the Kebbi State Executive Council were also in the Vice President’s entourage.

Minister promises to carry out Tinubu’s program for agricultural reform

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President Bola Tinubu’s program for agricultural transformation is being implemented, according to Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security.

At a lavish reception for all elected officials, political appointees, and other state stakeholders, Abdullahi delivered his remarks in Minna.

According to the minister, the President is making every effort to see that his plan for transforming agriculture and ensuring food security is a success.

He went on to say that the President’s dedication to the agricultural revolution was the driving force behind the choice of Borno and Niger as the senior and junior ministers for Agriculture and Food Security, respectively. These two states are the largest and are both severely affected by insecurity.

Despite acknowledging that the two states face a security crisis, Abdullahi emphasized that the military’s and other security services’ continued campaign against criminals will bring the situation under control and clear the way for agricultural activity.

The minister had earlier received assurances from Rt. Hon. Umar Mohammed Bago, the governor of Niger State, that the state will support the President’s program for agricultural transformation.

President Bola Tinubu arrived Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates: Photo

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Following his participation in the G20 conference in New Delhi, India, President Bola Tinubu flew into Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on Sunday.

According to a statement by the President’s Special Adviser, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu would meet with the leaders of the country “to address specific salient issues within the bilateral relationship.”

List of 25 Governors Tribunal May Remove by End of September, along with Reasons

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There is concern in some areas since courts reviewing petitions for governorship elections in various states are likely to rule on the fate of no fewer than 25 governors in Nigeria.
Decisions on the petitions are reportedly anticipated to be made before the end of September.
before least 25 of the 28 states with governorship elections held on March 18 were under appeal before the judiciary.
In accordance with the Practice Director of the petitions issued by Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen, the president of the court of appeals, the tribunals in the 25 states that were involved have reserved their judgments once the parties have concluded their hearings and adopted written addresses. Here is a list of governors and the states they represent:
Francis Nwifuru, Ebonyi Governor Francis Nwifutu, the governor of the state of Ebonyi in Nigeria, was one of the governors whose destiny would be decided by the end of September. This is because the state governorship election petition, which is being heard in Abuja, has postponed making a decision on the petition to oust him as the victor of the governorship election on March 18. The petition was filed against Nwifuru and the All Progressives Congress (APC) by Professor Benard Odoh and Chief Ifeanyi Odii of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Sokoto native Ahmed Aliyu Additionally, the Sokoto State governor Ahmed Aliyu of the APC would learn his destiny this month on the petition Sa’idu Umar of the PDP filed against him regarding his victory in the state’s governorship election on March 18. The governor’s secondary and university diplomas differed, according to the petitioner, who also claimed that there were serious irregularities in the election.
Abba As the tribunal has postponed rendering its decision till this month, Kano State Governor Yusuf has turned to religion in response to the petition filed by the APC.
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the APC have both claimed that there are outside influences on the court, which has caused tension in the state before the decision. Delta Sheriff Oborevwori Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the APC filed a petition against Oborevwori of the PDP about the latter’s victory in the state’s March 18 governorship election, but the tribunal in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, has yet to set a date for rendering its decision. Both the APC and PDP have voiced confidence in their ability to win the tribunal. Abiodun Dapo, Ogun AP’s base of operations Both Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and his main rival, Ladi Adebutu of the PDP, are hoping to prevail before the tribunal.
Abiodun’s triumph, according to Adebutu, was marred by violence, rigging, and anomalies. Below is a list of other governors whose fate could be decided at the tribunal in September:

The majority of Senate seats were won by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the National Assembly elections held on February 25. The APC assumed control of the chief executive and senate officer roles since it had the most senators in the red chamber.