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Youths abandon protest and leave East-West road

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Youths abandon protest and leave East-West road

On Sunday evening, hundreds of teenagers from Eleme and neighboring villages in Rivers State, who had laid siege to a part of the east-west road in Rivers State, paused their protest and will leave the road at midnight.
Following assurances from the Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Obarilomate Ollor, that the contractor awarded the contract for the reconstruction of the road has been mobilized to the site, the demonstrators have ceased their protest, according to our correspondent.

Ollor, who spoke to reporters at Trailer Park, Ejamah, Ebubu Eleme, where the contractor deployed its equipment to begin work, said the decision to suspend the protest was reached after careful consideration of several factors, including the need to allow work on the road to begin, the suffering of the people, and the collapse of business activities in the area.

People will not hesitate to return to the road if action is not made to reconstruct it within a specified time frame, he said.
He bemoaned the road’s poor condition, which connects the area’s main ports and businesses with Akwa Ibom, Cross River, and many local government regions.

Read also: Navy deployed eight ships and helicopters to the Gulf of Guinea for a special mission.

Fyneface Dumnamene, one of the protest’s organizers and the Executive Director of the Youths and Environmental Advocate Centre, stated that the demonstrators will leave the road by midnight on Sunday.
He stated that if nothing major is done on the route, the demonstrators will return in 14 days.
The youngsters had been on the road since Monday, July 26th, when the local council issued two ultimatums to the federal government to reconstruct the route, both of which were ignored.
Passengers and commuters were forced to walk for long distances, and economic activity in the vicinity ceased as a result of the siege on the road.
Godswill Akpabio, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, stated last week Thursday that the government had provided N2.5 billion to the contractor to move to the site, and that attempts to secure the N85 billion needed to complete the project from the Sovereign Wealth Fund would be intensified.

FCTA works with NADDC on a more environmentally friendly transportation system

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FCTA works with NADDC on a more environmentally friendly transportation system

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has stated that it will assist the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) in building an environmentally friendly public transportation system to help make Abuja a green metropolis.

Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), announced this when he received the NADDC administration, led by its Director General, Jelani Aliyu.

After enjoying a test drive in a Hyundai Kona, an electric vehicle produced in Nigeria as a significant mode of public transit, the FCT minister stated that the administration’s long-term goal was to turn Abuja into one of the country’s greenest capitals.

“The suggestion presented by the DG fits into our long-term plan for the city,” he stated. As you are aware, we take pride in making Abuja one of the country’s greenest cities, from the creation of vegetation and tree planting to deliberate efforts to ensure that sophisticated trash disposal systems are established.

Read also: After paying a ransom, an ex-Jigawa PDP legislator is rescued from his kidnappers

“So, this basically brings us to the next phase, which is attempting to strengthen the city’s transportation infrastructure, particularly our mass transit system and what’s known as the last mile.

“That is why, as you may have observed, we no longer allow tricycles and motorbikes to operate in many parts of the city, and we are gradually phasing out the usage of diesel buses. But, in the end, my vision and that of my team is for Abuja to go electric in terms of transit systems and even motor vehicles, as we have seen today,” he added.

“This is something that requires a lot of planning, and as you can see, technology for solar, solar batteries, and power retention is gradually improving,” the Minister stated when asked about the availability of technology to enable widespread usage of electric vehicles.

So, if we start today and instill it as a culture, I believe it will only be a matter of time before we get there.”

He promised the NADDC the support of the FCT government in terms of the NADDC’s project criteria, either directly or through a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

He also praised the NADDC DG and his team for their efforts around the country, encouraging them to consider Abuja as a good site for all of their activities.

Read also: Prof. Ibe offers scholarships to Youths in Abia Skills Gap

Mr. Jelani Aliyu, Director General of the NADDC, said his team was at the FCTA to begin discussions with the administration in order to contribute to making Abuja one of the world’s most advanced and green cities.

He claimed that the Hyundai Kona is Nigeria’s first electric vehicle, with a range of 492 kilometers and the ability to be charged from any electric outlet, and that the NDDC has built solar charging stations in Sokoto, Lagos, and Nsukka to support the vehicle.

Buhari has been appointed as a special ambassador for the Indian app.Koo

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Buhari has been appointed as a special ambassador for the Indian app.Koo

Muhammadu Buhari, a citizen of Nigeria, appears to have become a special ambassador for Indian social media platform Koo, since his photograph was included on the app’s social media promotion, promising “exclusive updates from him exclusively on Koo App!”

In June, the app Koo, which is comparable to Twitter, was released in Nigeria. This came shortly after the Nigerian government imposed a ban on Twitter and its activities in the nation.

President Muhammadu Buhari vowed to punish regional secessionists in the country’s South-East area in a post that was deleted by Twitter two days later.

As official federal government social media sites stopped tweeting and switched to Koo, Koo’s popularity skyrocketed.

Top government officials, presidential aides, government agencies, and other pro-government figures joined Koo.

Read also: Police in Ekiti State have launched a manhunt for the suspected killer of an APC member

According to the federal government, all social media platforms functioning in Nigeria must now be registered as a corporate entity in the country. One of the preconditions for the removal of the Twitter ban was that the same requirement be met.

Since then, the Indian microblogging site has stepped in to capitalize on the trend, preparing to open a physical presence in Nigeria and engage with key influencers.

Aprameya Radhakrishna, a co-founder of Koo, suggested on Twitter:

“In Nigeria, @kooindia is available. We’re considering supporting local languages as well. “How do you feel?”

Within days after the Twitter suspension, Koo was accessible in the Apple and Google app stores, and employment vacancies for local language speakers were advertised on LinkedIn.

The circumstances behind Koo’s launch to Nigeria are identical to those surrounding its introduction to its native market.

Thousands of farmers began protesting three problematic agricultural regulations once Koo was introduced, and many others turned to Twitter to express their displeasure. The Indian government has asked that Twitter ban accounts belonging to several news organizations and political parties, claiming that they are disseminating false information.

Because the Prime Minister Modi-led government did not accept Twitter’s loud support for freedom of expression, Koo positioned itself as a government-friendly alternative. As a result, it became a forum for spreading anti-Muslim sentiments and hate speech.

In Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that he wants to exert control over social media, which has been widely utilized by activists and opposition organizations to question government narratives.

Under the pretext of combating “misinformation,” Nigeria’s ministry of information and culture has enforced increasingly strict rules.

The new advertisement using Mr Buhari as the face of Koo in Nigeria has been slammed by the Center for Democracy and Development (CDD), a civic society organization.

“It’s a pity the #TwitterBan has lasted this long, considering the economic catastrophe it’s proven to be for young people who rely on Twitter for their employment.

We find this commercial from #koo, another microblogging network, both unethical and unpleasant for obvious reasons.

On Sunday, CDD tweeted, “KeepitOn.”

Michael Salako, an Ogun man, kills a motorcycle

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Michael Salako, an Ogun man, kills a motorcycle

Michael Salako has been detained for allegedly killing a motorcyclist.

Michael Salako, a 40-year-old man, has been detained by the Ogun Police Command for allegedly killing a motorbike (an okada rider).

DSP Abimbola Oyeyemi, the command’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), verified the event on Sunday.

Salako was apprehended by the police on July 28 in the Lafenwa neighborhood of Abeokuta, according to Oyeyemi.

“At around midday, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Lafenwa Divisional Headquarters, got a distress call that an Okada rider had been battered to death at Sanni street, Lafenwa Abeokuta, and the culprit was apprehended.

“When CSP Samuel Aladegoroye received the distress call, he mobilized his troops and rushed to the location, where the suspect was quickly arrested,” he added.

Read also: Police in Ekiti State have launched a manhunt for the suspected killer of an APC member

Salako, who claimed to know the dead in their village, told the police that he requested the deceased to drive him someplace on his motorbike the day before, but he refused.

Salako went on to say that when he met him on that fatal day, he tried to interrogate him about his motives for refusing to take him out the day before, which resulted in a fight.

The deceased, on the other hand, fell and died while battling.

Meanwhile, he added, the body of the victim, only known as Abudu, had been put in the mortuary for autopsy.

According to him, the Commissioner of Police, Mr Edward Ajogun, had ordered the suspect’s immediate transfer to the state criminal investigation and intelligence department’s homicide division for further investigation and prosecution.

Navy deployed eight ships and helicopters to the Gulf of Guinea for a special mission.

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Navy deployed eight ships and helicopters to the Gulf of Guinea for a special mission.

The Navy has sent eight ships and two helicopters to the Gulf of Guinea for Operation Beni Kekere 2021, which means “water defense” in Ijaw.

Rear Admiral SK Ibrahim, the Flag Officer (FoC) Commanding Eastern Naval Command, characterized the maritime domain in the Gulf of Guinea as crucial to national security and development as he flagged off the operation in Rivers State over the weekend.

Piracy, maritime robbery, crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, as well as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, among other things, have all been chronic threats to the resources, according to Ibrahim.

Though the navy has made significant progress in reducing such threats, he added that the persistence of the offenders necessitated a constant renewal of measures to deny them freedom of operation.

“In this respect, the Eastern and Central Naval Commands have organized a combined exercise, the first of its type in recent years, to build on the accomplishments of the current operation Calm Water II,” he added.

Read also: Breaking: Bukola Saraki has been arrested by the EFCC

Additionally, the Navy has released a captured vessel in the Delta.
The sea exercise, which will include anti-piracy operations, protection of oil installations, and search and rescue operations, among other things, will include all maritime domain awareness facilities and components of the commands, according to Ibrahim.

In conjunction with Operation Delta Safe, he said the two commands’ operation bases and naval security stations will conduct clearance operations in the backwaters against criminal hideouts and illegal refineries.

He expressed hope that the operation would give the country’s anti-piracy law, which was just enacted by the National Assembly, the required bite.

Ibrahim praised Vice-Admiral AZ Gambo, Chief of Naval Staff (CNS), for providing the exercise with the required assistance.

Rear Admiral Kennedy Egbuchulam, the FOC of Central Naval Command, said the exercise’s goal was to improve the navy’s teamwork and fighting skills against crime.

After paying a ransom, an ex-Jigawa PDP legislator is rescued from his kidnappers

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After paying a ransom, an ex-Jigawa PDP legislator is rescued from his kidnappers

Haladu Bako Uza, a former member of the Jigawa State House of Assembly who represented the Auyo seat, was released after paying a ransom.

Mansur Ahmed, a social media adviser to the state’s ex-governor Sule Lamido, verified his release.

He claimed the victim was released about 3:00 p.m. on Saturday after a N1.5 million ransom was paid to the kidnappers to ensure his release.

Read also: Breaking: Bukola Saraki has been arrested by the EFCC

In Jigawa, the secretary of the People’s Democratic Party was kidnapped.
Gunmen seized the former legislator on his route to Auyo town on the Kano-Hadejia road on Wednesday night, according to reports.

ASP Lawan Shiisu Adam, a police spokesperson for the Jigawa State command, confirmed the victim’s, but did not disclose if the ransom was paid before the victim’s release.

However, he stated that the police have increased their manhunt in order to apprehend the perpetrators.

Police in Ekiti State have launched a manhunt for the suspected killer of an APC member

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Police in Ekiti State have launched a manhunt for the suspected killer of an APC member

The police in Ekiti State have launched a manhunt for the suspected killer of an APC member who was killed during a ward congress on Saturday.

After an alleged beating with substances suspected to be charms, a man identified as Jide was killed at ward 10, Ado Ekiti.

The conflict, which erupted between two rival groups, was said to have erupted over the outcome of the ward’s congress.

Read also: NMA provides free medical services to the people of the FCT

The victim was rushed to the hospital but died only a few minutes after being admitted.

ASP Sunday Abutu, the Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, told journalists in Ado Ekiti on Sunday that the police are working tirelessly with the party leaders to apprehend the suspect.

“We are making every effort to find the alleged killer, including working with the party leaders to have him apprehended.

“The incident occurred yesterday, and what we are doing now is conducting a thorough investigation to determine who was involved in the heinous act.

“Although no arrests have been made, we are hopeful that no effort will be spared in this case because the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Babatunde Mobayo, will not tolerate crime and criminality in Ekiti,” Abutu said.

APC will cease to exist after 2023 – Lamido

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APC will cease to exist after 2023 – Lamido

Sule Lamido, a former governor of Jigawa State and a PDP chieftain, has prophesied that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will cease to exist after 2023.

He asserted that the APC will implode because it was founded on animosity for the PDP and had failed to keep its promises, with its leaders exposed as liars.

The former foreign minister predicted that the PDP will reclaim power in 2023 as Nigerians became bored of the governing party.

Today, Lamido disclosed this in an interview with Daily Trust.

President Muhammadu Buhari won the 2015 election on the back of a campaign focused on addressing the country’s security issues, improving the economy, and combating corruption. In 2019, he was re-elected to another four-year term.

Opposition groups, most notably the PDP, have been plotting to topple the governing party ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Read also: Lalong goes on a revenue drive to make way for more projects to be executed

Additionally, the former governor chastised President Buhari and the APC leadership for encouraging cross-carpeting into the governing party, saying that they used extortion to get opposition members to join their ranks.

“It is irresponsible for Buhari to now host PDP members in the Villa. This entails corruption, as stealing a PDP ticket and transferring it to another party is the worst type of corruption,” Lamido stated.

In response to the then-new party’s attempt to recruit him in 2014, he stated that leaving the PDP would mean biting the hands that feed him. “I declined to go because I doubted their sincerity. And their methodology is questionable. They lack basic decency. How could they assault me and then come back to me with a different story?

“In all of our goals and divides as citizens, politicians, and activists, we should prioritize Nigeria. Allow Nigeria to be developed, regardless of whether you are in the APC or the PDP,” he stated.

Additionally, Lamido stated that the desire for reform was fueled by a lack of trust in the system, poor governance, unfairness, and nepotism.

However, in response to Lamido’s comments, Yekini Nabena, the APC’s deputy national press secretary, today stated that the party will not collapse.

He asserts that the party is really national and has achieved important milestones in the country, noting that it was formed on democratic values rather than on falsehoods.

“What did Sule Lamido accomplish for the people when he was governor of Jigawa State? Allow him to investigate himself first. I can guarantee that the APC will not implode. In 2023, the party will keep power. It has surpassed the point of extinction,” he stated.

In Gombe, 25 Corps Members Test Positive For COVID-19

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In Gombe, 25 Corps Members Test Positive For COVID-19

At least 25 potential members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in the state have tested positive for covid-19.

Dr. Habu Dahiru, the Commissioner for Health, revealed the fact to press yesterday. He said the corps members were tested during the previous three days.

He said that the sick corps members had been sent to the state’s isolation facility at the Kwadon Idris Mohammed infectious disease institute.

“Of the 1,291 people tested using the Polymerase Chain Reaction, 25 were positive, one of them is a nursing mother,” Dahiru explained.

Read also: Page And His Futile Attempt To De-market President Buhari

“For the purpose of coordination, the incident management system in Gombe convened a meeting at the Public Health Emergency Operation Center, and we also relocated corps members to the Kwadon isolation center as mandated by the guideline.

“We have provided for their meals, medication, and protection at the isolation center.

“We have drafted police to ensure the area’s security. They will be isolated until they test negative, at which point they will be released to their fellow corps members.

“We’ve also offered psychosocial assistance for those who are asymptomatic and may be wondering why they’re being held there. As a result, we had to teach them that they are a risk to the broader public since they will unknowingly infect others.

“Now that we have information about their states and local governments, we will contact the impacted states and request that they send representatives to their residences to do contact tracing.”

Breaking: Bukola Saraki has been arrested by the EFCC

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Breaking: Bukola Saraki has been arrested by the EFCC

Former Senate President Bukola Saraki has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Saraki is being held in jail on charges of stealing and money laundering.

Mr Saraki, the former governor of Kwara State, was held on Saturday, according to people acquainted with the issue, which might lead to another round of difficulties for the politician.

Between 2015 and 2019, Mr Saraki served as Senate President, during which time he was accused of corruption and fraudulent asset declarations. The Supreme Court acquitted him in June 2018.

Read also: NCC urges PPP model to bridge digital infrastructure gap

Saraki will be questioned about the alleged theft and laundering of public monies through a network of friends and proxy firms.

The accused proxies who reportedly carried out supposed contracts for Kwara State under Mr Saraki allegedly made returns to the former governor for many years, establishing a well-organized network of illicit money flow.

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