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COVID-19 Omicron Variant issue: PSC says it is monitoring situation

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The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 said it is currently monitoring circumstances around the world about the newly mutated COVID-19 version known as Omicron.

“As the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) just stated today, the emergence of the highly-mutated Omicron variant underlines just how perilous and precarious our situation is,” Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) and Chairman of the PSC, said in Abuja on Monday.

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“Rather than being penalized, South Africa and Botswana should be applauded for identifying, sequencing, and reporting this mutation.

Nigerians and residents are recommended to get completely vaccinated, get checked periodically, and continue to follow non-pharmaceutical intervention measures such as physical separation, good face mask use, proper ventilation, and hand cleanliness.

“However, the PSC is reviewing the global scenario and putting in place measures to mitigate the variant’s impact on the country.”

Mustapha went on to say that the PSC was aware of some travelers who were circumventing travel protocols by providing fake COVID-19 test results, permit to travel certificates, or declaring fake vaccination status at entry points.

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“The weight of the law is heavy, and it will come down severely on these people,” he added.

“The vaccination mandate will fully take effect on December 1, 2021, and I encourage every Federal Government worker, and in essence, all Nigerians and citizens to be vaccinated,” the PSC chairman said of the December 1 deadline for government officials to get vaccinated.

“The NPHCDA is increasing vaccination across the country to ensure that citizens have access to vaccines no matter where they are.” We need folks to go get their vaccinations now that the immunizations are available.

“People will not be able to travel without their confirmed immunization cards due to global changes.”

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“The PSC will wish to advise you that the deadlock on the Nigeria – UAE flights has been addressed in the interest of both sides,” he said of the suspension of the ban on Emirates Airlines.

“We thank everyone involved in bringing this deal to fruition, despite the fact that it took so long to complete with all of its ramifications.” In due course, a date for the start of flights between the two countries will be announced.

NYSC DG visits Lagos camp, warns against bad conduct

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As part of activities lined up for the ongoing 2021 Batch ‘C’ stream II Orientation exercise, the Director-General of the NYSC, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has visited the NYSC Camp in Lagos where he met with the prospective Corps members.

The Director-General, who addressed Corps members posted to Lagos state enjoined them to be good ambassadors of their respective families, institutions and shun all acts that are capable of tarnishing the image of the NYSC.

He also advised the Corps members to take advantage of the Skills Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development (SAED) Programme of the Scheme by learning entrepreneurial skills in order to become employers of labour.

General Ibrahim also commended the Corps members for obeying the clarion call and assured them that the NYSC has always been responsive to the welfare needs of its Corps members, while wishing them a memorable service year experience.

Earlier in the day, the Director-General interacted with all the prospective Corps members and staff nationwide, through a virtual addressed where he dispelled misconception about the COVID-19 vaccine and advised the Corps members to ensure they were fully vaccinated, reminding them that with the policy of the Federal Government making the vaccine compulsory for Civil Servants, effective 1st December, 2021, Corps members, who form part of the Civil Service will equally have to comply with the directive.

Security agents killed 13,241 Nigerians extrajudicially in ten years — CDD

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According to the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), security agents have killed 13, 241 Nigerians since 2011.

According to the report, extrajudicial killings by state actors have become the country’s leading cause of death.
This was revealed in the ‘Democracy Watch Reports,’ a collection of reports that look at the state of democracy in Nigeria since May 1999, which was formally launched in Abuja on Monday.

While giving an overview of the report, CDD Director Idayat Hassan said that unlawful killings went largely unpunished, partly due to Nigeria’s Force Order 237, which allows officers to use lethal force in ways that violate international law, and partly due to government corruption and a culture of impunity.

Nigeria’s successive governments have used extrajudicial killings to quell secessionist uprisings and terrorist activities.

“It is important to note that extrajudicial killings by state actors have become the country’s leading cause of death. In fact, since 2011, state actors have killed 13, 241 people,” she said.

She went on to say that detainees awaiting trial made up more than 70% of the prison population, with more than 20% awaiting trial for more than a year.

Despite 22 years of uninterrupted democratic governance, she said Nigeria’s democracy was still suffering major setbacks and that Nigerians had not reaped the benefits of democracy.

Read also: A Bill Introduced by the Real Estate Regulatory Council Will Reverse a Negative Trend — HDAN

Adebayo Olukoshi, Director of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) for Africa and West Asia, gave the keynote address and expressed concern that, despite the efforts of the election management body, Nigeria had continued to face an assault on its electoral integrity, as well as significant social and development deficits.

Olukoshi, who spoke on the topic of ‘The State of Democracy in Nigeria Over the Last Two Decades,’ emphasized the need for Nigeria to rethink its democratic process.

Reactions to the Slay Queen of Lagos pleading for mercy after stealing (Video)

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Nigerians are reacting to a video of a young lady stealing clothing material from a store.
After being caught with a clothing material inside her bag, the woman is seen begging the shop attendant not to humiliate her in the video.

The lady reportedly entered the shop to buy some materials, but pretended to be uninterested in what they were selling and left.

The shopkeeper, however, called her back and decided to check her bag, which is when she discovered the lady had stolen a piece of material from the store.

The lady’s actions have been condemned by some Nigerians.

Comments:

ANYAEGBU CHRISTIAN : “Fine gurl like dz b thief bikonu”

ALEX MORGAN :”YORUBA WOMAN FOR YOU NAH MANY OF THEM DEY STEAL IN ORDER TO MEET UP”

Anonymous: “Let’s learn to forgive sometimes. You can deal with her in a different way, not every act deserve public social media shaming. Not everybody can handle it hence suicide becomes an option for some. I’ve caught a theif before, after serious beating from crowd, I advised him, gave him some money pocket money. We can be kind”

The Lone Ranger: “Just to form big girl.. Shameful”

Anonymous: “You don’t want disgrace, why did you do shop lifting you don’t know crime and disgrace go hand in hand, it’s better to beg than to rob and as she beg for leniency they could have warned her and let her go that could have taught her a lesson next time she will try it again, if she is not a regular thieve”

Emmanuel Kachi: “Good for her… Suffer not the witch to live.”

A Bill Introduced by the Real Estate Regulatory Council Will Reverse a Negative Trend — HDAN

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Apart from cleaning up the housing sector, the Real Estate Regulatory Council Bill, if signed by President Muhammadu Buhari, will aid in reversing the country’s downward trend, according to Mr. Festus Adebayo, Executive Director of the Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN).

This was stated by an affordable housing advocate in response to the bill’s recent passage by the National Assembly.

According to Adebayo, the bill will ensure that the best practices available in developed countries are followed.

“We also want to commend the Senate President and every member of the Federal Republic of Nigerian Senate for working together to ensure that the bill passed on the Senate floor,” he said.

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Supporting claims that the bill, if passed into law, will help reverse the country’s negative trend, Adebayo said it will prevent all-comers in the sector from engaging in fraudulent practices.

“We’re in a situation where no one is protecting anyone, not even the subscribers,” he said, lamenting the abuse that has long pervaded the industry, where rules are constantly being bent.

The executive director expressed confidence in President Muhammadu Buhari’s ability to give the bill a speedy assent in order to promote sanity in the sector through appropriate regulatory frameworks.

He stated that his organization had reviewed the bill and was “working assiduously in collaboration with the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and other professional bodies involved, including government agencies such as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to ensure that the sector is safe and protected for investment.”

Adebayo revealed that the bill was presented to the National Assembly two years ago under the leadership of Reverend Ugochukwu Chime, former President of REDAN.

“As a result, we are very pleased that the current REDAN leadership has prioritized the bill,” he said.

According to him, the bill assigns responsibilities to all professional bodies in Nigeria’s construction industries, and it is not intended to take anyone’s job.

“This is something that Professor Akin Mabogunje, who had just turned 90, fought for a few years ago, for the sector to be regulated.” “I’m sure he’ll be pleased that the real estate sector will finally be professionalized and regulated,” he said.

 

El-Rufai allows workers to work four days per week

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Workers in Kaduna State will begin a transition to a four-day working week to help boost productivity, improve work-life balance, and allow them to spend more time with their families, as the Federal Government completes the handover of 700,000 school feeding program utensils to the state.

The governor said the state government would begin implementing the transitional arrangement in the public service on December 1, 2021, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye.

He stated that starting in December, public servants’ working hours would be 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

All public employees, with the exception of those in schools and healthcare facilities, will work from home on Fridays, according to the governor.

He explained that the interim working arrangement would last until the government was ready to move on to the next stage of the transition, which would see all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the state switch to a four-day work week.

“This measure is also intended to reflect lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitated a significant relaxation of old working traditions as well as the adoption of virtual and remote working arrangements,” he said.

In the meantime, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development has handed over 700,000 feeding utensils to the Kaduna State Government for distribution to beneficiaries of the state’s National Home Grown School Feeding Program.

The utensils were delivered at the Sheikh Gumi LEA Primary School in Kaduna, where Sadiyah Umar Farouq, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, said the initiative was designed to address poverty while providing more children from low-income families with access to education.

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Hajiyah Maimuna Idris, the ministry’s Deputy Director, Legal, recalled that the feeding program was one of the Federal Government’s four key intervention schemes under the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP) to boost school enrollment, nutrition, and local economic activities in communities across the country.

“The program’s benefits and impact on the lives and livelihoods of individuals, groups, and communities are clear evidence that malnutrition and poverty are being addressed.

“So far, over nine million pupils have been fed by employment through the program, and the impact on the school feeding ecosystem is undeniable,” she said.

A special focus on NEDC under Alkali

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Its two years since the constitution of the Board and management of the North East Development Commission, (NEDC). Pleasantly amazing, people of the Northeast region ravaged, devastated and ruined by over 12 years of Boko Haram insurgency have cause to again brighten their faces with smiles.

As the agency of the FGN mandated to lead the task of the socio-economic recovery of states in Northeast Nigeria, afflicted by perennial terrorism and its concomitant destructions and dislocations of normal life, it has proved its mettle of capability sufficiently, despite sickening challenges.

Thus, empowered by the FGN and other international intervention agencies, the Alhaji Mohammed Goni Alkali-led NEDC management embarked on this assignment with every seriousness and vigour , under the broad program of Rapid Response Intervention (RRI). Candidly, the NEDC management has crossed the proverbial ribicon registering its conspicuously resounding presence in the region in the process of restoring the lost socio-economic prosperity and glories of the people.

Therefore, early after it’s inauguration, the NEDC management launched an ambitious agenda tagged, North-East Stabilization and Development Masterplan Project (NESDMP). And 224 projects in sensitive sectors, covering the 112 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the six states of the Northeast region were enunciated for Borno, Adamawa, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe, and Taraba states.

In the Information and Communication Technology (ICT), the NEDC has spearheaded an exemplary ICT revolution in all the six states of the region. So far, by Year 2021, the NEDC trained and graduated 2,400 youths in ICT skills acquisition, spanning two batches across the Northeast region’s six states. The trainees were empowered upon graduation with starter packs to begin a life of independency. The region is bristling with an appreciable population of youths, who are ICT compliant.

The State Governor of Bauchi, Alhaji Bala Mohammed and his Adamawa state counterpart, Alhaji Umaru Fintiri have glowingly applauded the NEDC on projects execution in their states, specially, the training in ICT, which have kept them off the streets and away from recruitments into terrorists sects.

The agricultural sector has also been energized and boosted by the NEDC in the six targeted states. The commission has implemented various interventions programs under this sector commencing with sponsored training of select youths on farming and agricultural mechanization techniques, innovations, reactivation of Farm Service Centers and establishment of new ones which are handed over to farmers in the region to checkmate the incident of food shortage occasioned by insurgency.

This is in addition to the commission’s supply of agricultural machineries and inputs to encourage farming endeavors. Each state of the region has felt the commission’s intervention in agriculture, evidenced in greenish farm plantations dotting the region.

In the age of insurgency, the Northeast region faced challenges of shelter, as insurgents destroyed residential houses and forced millions of people into IDPs camps. A region already suffering from shortage of houses, the destructions to existing houses and commercial premises dealt a heavy blow on the natives and compounded the housing challenges in the region. Before insurgency, there were estimated stock of about four million houses in the region, but terrorism destroyed over 500,000 out of this quantum. Borno state, the hub of terrorism was the hardest hit by the satanic fury of insurgents.

However, the NEDC, through the presidential order immediately intervened to salvage the pathetic situation. It launched the first batch of 1,000 units of houses from the envisaged 10,000 housing units for in the region in Borno state. These first 1,000 Houses sited at Ngowom Village, Mafa LGA of the state have been completed, commissioned and handed over to Gov. Babagana Zulum of Borno state for onward allocation to returnee IDPs.

Meanwhile, the NEDC has performed the foundation laying ceremony of 500 units of similar housing projects, each in Yobe, Bauchi, Adamawa and Gombe and work has commenced aggressively on the sites, with modalities being worked out to launch same in Taraba state.

Boko Haram’s ferocious assault on education and its facilities was appalling, as admitted by security analysts. Insurgents attacked schools, razed structures to ashes, slaughtered or kidnapped staff and students. Both primary and secondary schools were massively affected by the insurgents’ onslaughts. It threw an estimated over 600,000 children of school age out of school and barred another over 1 million of them from attempting to acquire western education. NEDC has massively constructed, rehabilitated and reconstructed many destroyed schools spanning the region.

The glory of education is gradually being restored in the region.It has constructed mega schools, provided classroom blocks in some cases in primary and secondary schools in the Northeast. It has also funded soft-support to teachers’ training, curriculum upgrades and teaching materials. The commission is either constructing three Composite Mega Schools or upgrading existing ones in each state of the region, and in every senatorial district.

And through the Education Endowment Fund launched by the NEDC has expended N6 billion on annual scholarships to indigent students, spread across the region. It has placed hundreds of students under annual scholarships, in diverse disciplines’ stretching from first to doctoral degrees.

The NEDC has also registered strong presence in food and other relief materials supplies to displaced victims of insurgency since it commenced operations. The United Nation Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Ambassador Edward Kallon once expressed worries over the food insecurity conditions prevalent in the Northeast. The NEDC promptly responded by flagging off food and non-food items distribution at various IDPs camps to lessen the plight of the victims.

In Bauchi state for instance, NEDC distributed hundreds of bags of rice, gallons of vegetable oil, bags of sugar, cartons of spaghetti and macaroni. The commission also donated non-food items like blankets, mats and mosquito nets. And it replicated the gesture everywhere IDPs were located in the Northeast.

The health sector is another area, the NEDC management has significantly impacted on the lives of the people of the Northeast. During the outbreak of COVID-19, it donated and equipped infectious diseases laboratory for the testing of the coronavirus and other diseases in Yobe, Bauchi, Taraba States, Adamawa and Gombe states . These facilities also serviced members of the public in these locations.

Additionally, NEDC has constructed and commissioned Primary Health Care (PHC) center in Nafada, renovated existing PHCs at Gadi, Shaganawo, Tashan Kalgo, Shongom and upgraded one of the PHC to a Cottage hospital. NEDC has also constructed two first class Burns Centres in Yola and Maiduguri respectively to carter for victims of injuries sustained from bomb explosions. It also sponsored the training of some natives on the techniques of detonating bombs and landmines.

The commission has spared no aspect necessary in the rebuilding of collapsed infrastructures, particularly roads and bridges. Today, the Northeast is gradually being reconnected by the reconstruction of the roads and bridges damaged by insurgents. In Adamawa state, the Commission has commissioned the reconstructed three critical bridges in Kudzum, Dilechim and Wurro Ngayandi in Michika and Madagali LGAS of the state, which severed Adamawa from Borno state. Likewise, the roads, Alkaleri – Futuk, in Alkaleri LGA and Alkaleri -Kirfi- to Gombe Abba road in Kirfi LGA of Bauchi state, destroyed since 2014 and so forth.

The detailed interventions of the NEDC in rebuilding damaged critical infrastructures in the Northeast or victims support cannot be comprehensively captured in a single piece, including the logistics support to security formations. But so far, so good, the NEDC management has lived up to its mandate of bringing instant succour to distressed people of the region, as it looks forward to 2022 with more projects execution.

Gov Buni bags Politician of the Year award

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Governor of Yobe State, Hon. Mai Mala Buni, has been named ‘Politician of the Year’ by UK-based media conglomerate, TheNigerian News.

The governor will be presented with the award at an event to mark the company’s fifth anniversary on December 16th at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.

According to a press statement signed by Ms. Bridget Agada, secretary of the award planning committee, in his position as the interim Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Buni has, through deft management and excellent politicking, poured cold water on the fire raging in the party.

Agada noted that the 10-man committee were stunned by the manner Buni seamlessly combined politics and governance, delivering at both ends with massive gains.

The company further applauded the governor for being fair to all in the discharge of his duties.

It added that no wonder at just 54, Buni has risen to an improbable height that would have only been imagined.

“From the brink of imminent collapse, Mai Mala Buni has steered the party onto a safe pasture. The predictions of doom have once again fallen flat; the APC political machine, retooled and freshly oiled by the Yobe Governor, is alive and in motion across the country, successful in its drive to expand and reposition. Mai Mala Buni has put the APC in a better position to consolidate on previous successes,” she added.

The event will be chaired by the Honourable Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator (Dr) George Akume while His Royal Highness, The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero is the Royal Father of the Day.

Other distinguished Nigerians set to receive an award at the event includes His Excellency, Ambassador Tukur Burutai, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Benin Republic; His Excellency Govenor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, the Director General, National Youths Service Corps; Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Isiaka Amao; Mananging Director of the Northeastt Development Commission,Mohammed Goni Alkali among others.

Transportation Investment Is Crucial To The AfCFTA’s Goals – Prime Minister

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Mr Rotimi Amaechi, Nigeria’s Minister of Transportation, says that investing in transportation infrastructure is critical to achieving the African Continental Free Trade Area’s major goals (AfCFTA).

Mr Amaechi made the remarks at the National Institute of Transport Technology’s (NITT) International Conference on the Role of Transportation in the Implementation of the AfCFTA in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital.

According to him, transportation is critical for economic and social development because it connects production centers and markets.

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“Transport facilitates the flow of goods and people along corridors, connecting different points of activity and promoting regional and national integration and development,” says the report.

The sector, according to the Minister, is critical in implementing trade facilitation, enhancing regional integration, and supporting every other AfCFTA Protocol.

Mr Amaechi said the government was investing heavily in transportation infrastructure across the country, reiterating President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s commitment to providing an efficient transportation system in the country.

He did say, however, that the most difficult aspect of African infrastructure development was maintaining infrastructure for long-term service delivery.

“The transportation sector is endowed with a plethora of potentials and development opportunities.

“In its efforts to transform the sector for the benefit of Nigerian citizens, the current administration will not leave any stone unturned.”

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“I am optimistic that my sister, Distinguished Sen. Gbemisola Saraki, champion of the AfCFTA Transportation Infrastructure and Services Readiness Workstream, will mobilize all the human and material resources required to implement all the identified initiatives/action steps to ensure Nigeria taps into the AfCFTA opportunities,” Amaechi added.

Gbemisola Saraki, Minister of State for Transportation, reaffirmed the government’s efforts to ensure efficient transportation while speaking on the Readiness of Nigeria’s Transport and Logistics Sector for the Implementation of the AfCFTA.

Saraki stated that there was still much work to be done in the sector and expressed hope that the discussions at the conference would help to chart workable strategies for the AfCFTA.

“We hope that the outcome of this Conference will provide a better perspective on what more we can do as a sector to tap into the potentials of AfCFTA implementation.”

“I applaud NITT’s leadership for launching programs with themes that are relevant and needed in these times,” she said.

Olorogun John, the NITT Council Chairperman, also emphasized the importance of trade and transportation connectivity.

Transportation, according to NITT Director-General Dr Bayero Salih-Farah, is the gateway to economic growth and prosperity, and every other sector relies on it for growth and progress.

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“As a result, it is heartening that the current administration, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, recognizes the critical role of transportation and is working tirelessly to make Nigeria’s transportation system one of the best in Africa.”

“Traffic infrastructure is widely regarded as a key enabler of national, regional, and international integration and trade.

“Competitiveness, market access, and economic growth are all aided by a well-functioning transportation system.” It’s past time for Nigeria to start reaping the benefits of being Africa’s largest economy.

“It is claimed that intra-African trade is around 15%, a dismal figure attributed to unnecessary bottlenecks and a lack of infrastructure.

“As a result, massive investments in connectivity and transportation infrastructure are urgently needed, as transportation is the link between all the factors of production.”

“I assure you that the Institute is always ready to carry out its mandate as the industry’s think tank by proposing issues that will address the industry’s problems.”

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“Finally, I’d like to encourage every participant to feel free to contribute meaningfully to discussions about the conference theme, with the goal of improving recommendations and resolutions,” Salih-Farah said.

Mr Francis Anatogu, National Action Committee Secretary, AfCFTA, who was represented by Mrs Benita Gyang, also stated that efficient transportation and logistics were critical to the implementation of AfCFTA.

“Without transportation, the AfCFTA’s goals of creating a single market for goods and services will not be realized. Transportation is a facilitator. It is critical to the implementation of the AfCFTA.”

Former President Tasks Nigerian Leaders On Unity, Values

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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan speaks to the media on the situation in Chibok and the success of the World Economic Forum in Abuja May 9, 2014. Jonathan said on Friday he believes 200 schoolgirls abducted by Islamist insurgents last month are still in his country and have not been moved to Cameroon. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde (NIGERIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CRIME LAW BUSINESS)

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerian leaders to value the interests of all citizens in order to create a united nation free of agitation, disunity, and dissatisfaction.

On Saturday, Jonathan led members of the University of Port Harcourt alumni Association to the king of Opume kingdom in Bayelsa’s Ogbia Local Government Area, King Amalate Turner.

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The country, according to the former president, is endowed with both human and natural endowments that can only be appreciated in a peaceful environment.

He urged leaders to put more emphasis on creating a united nation in which no one society or tribe is valued more than the others.

“If leaders derail, there will be disunity and disenchantment among those who feel they are not being treated with the respect and value they deserve,” he said.

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Jonathan, an alumnus and member of the University of Port Harcourt’s pioneer graduate class of 1981, explained that the reunion is part of the alumni’s activities aimed at fostering bonds among old classmates.

He added that it also serves as a forum for them to discuss issues affecting their alma mater and to give back to the school and society at large.