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LG autonomy will foster transparency – APC chieftain

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LG autonomy will foster transparency – APC chieftain

A chairmanship aspirant for Ikoyi/Obalende Local Government Area of Lagos State, on the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, Omotola Soares, has said the local government autonomy will foster transparency at the grassroots level.

Soares said this during the Ikoyi/Obalende youths buffet and interactive session held at Victoria Island, at the weekend.

While declaring his ambition to vie for the chairmanship of the LG in the forthcoming election in the state, he said the development would make the council more accountable.

“LG autonomy means that you can stand on your own. It means money comes straight to the local government and its council. This signifies that there’s no bureaucracy and nothing comes between you and the money as a chairman, making you accountable.

“If I emerge as the chairman, I promise to be transparent with what I have done with the money. There are lots of programmes that can be set up with the money to better the community, such as empowerment and skills acquisition programmes.

“Empowerment is imperative. A leader must have the ability to hear when the people are not saying anything and to pay attention to important details.

“We care about the people, the community and what is going on around us. We believe certain issues need to be addressed,” he said.

The aspirant pleaded with the youth to shun violence and protests, while promising to tackle unemployment if elected.

“Tackling unemployment of the youth and the issues of security are my priorities. We also need to tend to the welfare of the youth and older generations within the community.

“To implement my vision for my area, we have engaged the youth to find out their stance on how things were being done, and what more needed to be done to help them and the community.

“One of the initiatives I’m taking is internship programmes on skills for the youth. This would introduce them to the labour market and they would gather more skills such as IT and good communication. We’re going to support them,” Soares said.

A member of the campaign team, Adeshina Arawole, speaking at the event, harped on the need for parents and guardians to monitor their wards, set examples and create awareness to help curb drug abuse and cultism.

Protests resume in Lagos Monday, say organisers

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Ohanaeze commends Igbo for boycotting #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest

Organisers of the ‘End Hunger’ protest in Lagos have said they will converge at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota, on Monday, to continue their demonstration.

This is according to a Sunday statement signed by Hassan Taiwo, Ayoyinka Oni and Adegboyega Adeniji, on behalf of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Organising Committee, Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos State.

They said they had listened with rapt attention to President Bola Tinubu’s broadcast on Sunday and “consider it rather unfortunate” that it took President Tinubu three days of protest to address the country.

Tinubu affirmed in the nationwide broadcast on Sunday morning that his administration was ready to listen to and address the concerns of protesters, affirming that he had heard their calls “loud and clear.”

“I hereby enjoin protesters and the organisers to suspend any further protest and create room for dialogue, which I have always acceded to at the slightest opportunity,” the president said.

The organisers noted that they consider the decision to address the nation an “important victory for our movement.”

“Without our courage and resolve to dare the odds, even this acknowledgement would not have happened. So far, we have demonstrated that a President is not greater than the rest of the country,” the statement read.

While taking note of Tinubu’s offer of dialogue, they noted that they were concerned that in the same breadth, the President had also ordered that the protest be suspended.

“In our view, the president cannot be approbating and reprobating at the same time. The President cannot offer an olive branch while at the same time holding a dagger to our throat,” the trio said.

The statement condemned the scenario “where thugs attacked protesters who had gathered for Sunday morning worship thereby injuring many.”

It added, “So we therefore call on all Nigerian youth and mass of the people to join us by 7 am at Gani Fawehinmi Park, Ojota, Lagos tomorrow (Monday) August 5, 2024, which is Day 5 of the protest.”

The Lagos protest had been considered peaceful by the state government, but a video on Sunday captured by Channels TV showed protesters being chased by hoodlums wielding sticks at Ojota a few hours after the President’s address.

A video also trended over the weekend showing the moment a protester addressing a journalist was hit in the head by a hoodlum during a live interview on the protest grounds.

The organisers also called the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress, the media, and the Nigerian Bar Association not to watch with arms folded what they described as attempts “to chase us out of the streets instead of addressing our demands.”

“As far as we are concerned, the #EndBadGovernance protest emerged from the suffering and frustration of ordinary Nigerian youth and people,” they added.

Nigeria’s Ajayi, Ashe fail to make men’s 100m final as Noah Lyles wins gold

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Noah Lyles has emerged men’s 100m Olympic champion after running a big personal best to win the title in 9.79seconds on Sunday night.
Kishane Thompson settled for Silver in the race, clocking an identical 9.79s to finish second.
Fred Kerley took the Bronze medal in a time of 9.81s.
Akani Simbine ran a new South African Record of 9.82s to finish 4th in the race, narrowly missing out on a podium placement.
Team Nigeria’s Kanyinsola Ajayi and Favour Ashe delivered below-par performances in the semi-finals and didn’t make it to the final.
Read Also: Golden Slam! Djokovic beats Alcaraz to finally win Olympic gold
Ajayi, who had impressed in Saturday’s heat, did not meet expectations in the semi-final, finishing sixth in his race.
South Africa’s Akani Simbine won with a time of 9.87s, and Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo came in second with 9.91s.
Ashe, also making his Olympic debut, finished sixth in his semi-final.
Jamaica’s Oblique Seville won the race in 9.81s, with world champion Noah Lyles taking second place with a time of 9.83s.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian duo of Samuel Ogazi and Chidi Okezie made their Olympic debut in the men’s 400m at the Paris Olympics, with Ogazi running the best race of his life to qualify for the semifinal.
The post Nigeria’s Ajayi, Ashe fail to make men’s 100m final as Noah Lyles wins gold appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.

Tinubu seems not to understand why people are protesting

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Protesters block road, hold Sunday service in Plateau

Some residents of Umuahia, capital of Anambra, on Sunday, urged President Bola Tinubu, to address the problem of hunger in the country to put an immediate end to the ongoing nationwide protest.

The people made the request in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria, describing the widespread hunger as the root cause of the protest.

They spoke against the backdrop of Sunday’s nationwide broadcast by the president.

In the broadcast, he ruled out the chances of reversing the policy on fuel subsidy removal, despite the agitation by the #EndBadGovernanceIn Nigeria protesters.

A resident, Mr Onyebuchi Irunna, argued that the protest was about the pervasive poverty in the country which, he said, was worsened by the high cost of living.

Irunna said: “I listened to Mr President’s broadcast today and I can say that he seems not to understand why the people are protesting.

“He said that he would not reverse the fuel subsidy removal, giving reasons for some of his economic reforms.

“The truth is that Nigerians are hungry and, if reversing the policy will bring immediate solution to this hunger, I think the government should listen to the people.”

A retiree, Mr Ibe Kanu, called on the president to obey the voice of the people by restoring the fuel subsidy.

“The president talked about the government’s efforts to bring about economic development, which is good, but the truth is that people are dying.

“It is the duty of the government to save the lives of the citizenry.

“So, of what good is a policy that is only causing untold hardship and death.

“Several lives have been lost in the past few days due to the ongoing protest; this government had the opportunity to prevent this but it could not,” Kanu said.

Also, a businesswoman, Mrs Caroline Ogbonna, said that fuel subsidy was the only thing the common man was enjoying from their country that produces oil.

“Our predicament as a country worsened the moment the president announced in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, that subsidy was
gone.

“He should toe the path of honour by reversing the policy, just as former President Goodluck Jonathan did during his tenure.

“Government should also reduce its expenses,” Ogbonna said.

He described the government’s huge spending on some unnecessary projects, including the purchase of N160 million Jeep for each member of the National Assembly, as a sheer display of opulence in the face of abject poverty amongst Nigerians.

NAN.

Protest: Arrest those blocking major roads – Edo govt orders police

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The Edo State Government has ordered security agencies to arrest members of #EndBadGovernance protesters found blocking major roads, obstructing vehicular traffic and extorting motorists.
Chris Osa Nehikhare, the Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, made the call on Sunday in a statement made available to newsmen in Benin City.
Nehikhare said any person arrested would be made to face the full weight of the law.
According to him: “We would like to sound a note of warning to hoodlums and criminals who would want to take advantage of the protest to cause mayhem, that security forces have been mandated to apprehend and arrest anyone caught disrupting public peace or perpetrating crime of any kind.
“We have received information that some persons have taken to blocking major roads, obstructing vehicular traffic and extorting motorists. Security persons have been mandated to round up all those involved in such criminal activities as they would be made to face the full weight of the law.”
He said the state government commended protesters in the state on their peaceful conduct during the nationwide protests.
He also added that the protesters have carried themselves responsibly in expressing themselves and letting their voices be heard on the state of affairs in the nation.
The commissioner opined that in the last four days, the protesters have shown to be law-abiding, bonding with men of the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, and other security agencies who were on hand to ensure that law and order are maintained during the demonstrations.
He enjoined law-abiding members of the public to go about their lawful businesses without fear, as government will continue to work to ensure growth and progress of the state.
Protest: Arrest those blocking major roads – Edo govt orders police

My plan to reduce suffering of Edo people, says Obaseki

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APC’s attack on Obaseki diversionary tactics, says aide

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, on Sunday, said his government has undertaken several bold and deliberate steps to reduce hardship  in the state.

He also noted that the state government was implementing several people-oriented programmes to reduce the suffering of Edo people in the wake of the difficult living conditions which the people have had to endure, arising from various policies that have been implemented by the Federal Government.

Obaseki, listed some of the programmes to ameliorate the sufferings of the people including raising the minimum wage for workers to N70,000 to boost their purchasing power, introducing a free transport scheme along the routes operated by the Edo City Transport Service, extending free Wi-Fi services to public spaces to help citizens telecommute and kick-starting a state-wide feeding for the vulnerable implemented in partnership with Christians and Muslim institutions, among others.

He expressed concerns that even though the well-intended measures yielded positive results and brought some relief, the people are still burdened by the worsening prevailing macroeconomic conditions in the country.

The governor said the deteriorating and difficult socio-economic circumstances faced by Nigerians including citizens of Edo State was what led the people to take to the streets to express their displeasure with their current living conditions through the ongoing nationwide protests.

He said, “The protest is obviously the result of the difficult living conditions which Nigerians have had to endure particularly over the last one year, arising from various policies that have been implemented by the Federal Government.

“These policies have taken a severe toll on citizens who have had to endure astronomic high food prices, high transportation costs, galloping inflation and loss of operating capital by small business owners across the country.”

“In Edo State, we have taken several actions within our constitutional authority to reduce the suffering and hardship of our people by showing empathy and supporting our people to weather and survive this trying time despite the challenges witnessed across the nation.

“Some of these measures include raising the minimum wage for workers to N70,000 to boost their purchasing power – the first state in the country to do so. We also introduced a free transport scheme along the routes operated by the Edo City Transport Service (ECTS). We extended free Wi-Fi services to public spaces to help citizens telecommute and kick-started a state-wide feeding for the vulnerable implemented in partnership with Christians and Muslim institutions.”

FG plans building materials manufacturing hubs

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FG plans building materials manufacturing hubs

The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has announced plans to construct building materials manufacturing hubs in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria.

Housing Minister, Ahmed Dangiwa, made the disclosure on Saturday during a courtesy visit from the Executive Chairman of Zheng Xiaopeng and Vice Chairman of Yiwu China-Africa Business Council, High Chief Mike Ugwu.

“We want to build a hub whereby we have industries or factories that are producing building materials,” Dangiwa explained.

The hubs will be located in Sagamu, Aba, Warri or Asaba, Ajaokuta, Kano and Gombe.

The minister sought collaboration with investors, saying, “We want to collaborate with any investor willing to bring funding to build the hub, manage it, recoup the investment, and then give us after recouping the investment.”

On security, Dangiwa assured that the locations are secured, and the intention is to have them built in locations where building materials markets already exist.

The hubs will manufacture building materials like roofing sheets, ceilings, tiles, and doors, and will have facilities like power, water and housing for workers.

The minister encouraged investors to present their designs, saying, “We cannot give you design since you have taken our concept.”

A minimum of 100 hectares of land will be provided for interested investors, and the hubs can be small, medium, or large.

Dangiwa also revealed that the government intends to make the hubs designated free zone areas to reduce importation costs, create jobs, and enhance economic growth.

Nigerian women make African history in Olympic basketball

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Nigerian women make African history in Olympic basketball

Nigeria’s women became the first team from the African continent, men or women, ever to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic basketball tournament on Sunday.

The Nigerians clinched their place in the last eight by beating Canada 79-70 at the Pierre-Mauroy Stadium near Lille.

The win means Nigeria are guaranteed to finish among the top three in Group B but the Canadians were eliminated without registering a single victory.

The Nigerians outscored the Canadians 23-5 in the third quarter. US-born Ezinne Kalu top-scored with 21 points and Elizabeth Balogun scored 14 points.

The draw for the women’s quarter-finals will be made later Sunday with the games to be played on Wednesday.

The knockout stages of the men’s and women’s basketball tournament will be played in Paris.

AFP.

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Alleged killings: God’s vengeance can visit for generations – Pat Utomi warns police

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Renowned political economist, Professor Pat Utomi has warned the operatives of the Nigeria Police Force to stop reducing everything to racketeering.
Utomi reminded them that God’s vengeance can visit generations, urging them to fear for the future of their children.
The statement comes amid allegations of killings of protesters by police during the nationwide protests across the country.
Police have denied the allegations.
However, in a post on his X handle on Sunday, the political economist said he prayed for the police to realise that the blood of innocent people slaughtered in cold blood and disposed of can cry to heaven for vengeance.
Utomi posted: “I have spoken now to one person who was arrested and has been released. I want to plead with the police to stop reducing everything to racketeering and to pray that they realize that the blood of innocents slaughtered in cold blood and disposed of can cry to Heaven for vengeance like that of Abel and that God’s vengeance can visit for generations so if they respect not their conscience or justice of a Nigeria with collapsing institutions, they should fear for the future of their children.”
Alleged killings: God’s vengeance can visit for generations – Pat Utomi warns police

American, Noah Lyles, wins men’s Olympic 100m gold

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American, Noah Lyles, wins men's Olympic 100m gold

World champion Noah Lyles roared to victory in 9.79sec to claim the men’s Olympics 100m gold in Paris on Sunday.

Lyles became the first American, male or female, to win the event since Justin Gatlin won in the 2004 Athens Games.

Details later…

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