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Kano unveils committee on new minimum wage

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Kano distributes fertilizers worth N1.2bn to farmers 

The Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, on Tuesday, inaugurated a State Advisory Committee on the new national minimum wage, just 48 hours after President Bola Tinubu approved the N70,000 minimum wage as agreed with the organised labour unions.

The unveiling which took place at the Government House, was conducted by the Deputy Governor, Aminu Gwarzo, on behalf of the governor.

In a statement by the Deputy governor’s spokesman, Ibrahim Shuaibu, said Governor Yusuf emphasised the committee’s responsibility to plan effectively for the newly approved minimum wage and to present a practical recommendation for the state government’s immediate implementation.

Yusuf assured that the implementation of the new minimum wage would increase the development of the state across all sectors, as the welfare of workers is a government priority.

“The committee has been tasked with delivering results within three weeks. The Governor reminded the committee members that their selection was based on merit and urged them to deliver convincing results,” the statement said.

The newly inaugurated Chairman of the Committee, Special Adviser to the governor on state Affairs, Usman Bala, expressed his gratitude to the state government for its confidence in the committee.

He noted that the exercise would significantly impact thousands of workers in both the private and public sectors by balancing the interests of employers, employees, and the public.

He assured that the committee would use thorough data analysis and consider all relevant factors to arrive at a sustainable minimum wage recommendation for the state government.

Other members of the committee include Commissioner of Finance, Ibrahim Fagge, and Commissioner of Planning and Budget, Alhaji. Musa Shanono and Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Halilu Dantiye.

Others are Baffa Gaya, Prof. Aliyu Isa Aliyu, Salahudeen Habib Isa, Ibrahim I. Boyi, Ibrahim Muhammad Kabara, Mustapha Nuraddeen Muhammad, Abdulkadir Abdussalam, Umar Muhammad Jalo, Hassan Salisu Kofar Mata and Yahaya Umar.

Ohanaeze skips Igbo Day, opens condolence register for Iwuanyanwu

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Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu

The National Executive Council of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide has opened a condolence register in honour of its late President, General, Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu.

Iwuanyanwu, who passed away at the age of 82, served as the 11th President-General from April 30, 2023, following the death of his predecessor, George Obiozor, in December 2022.

The NEC held an emergency meeting at the organisation’s national secretariat in Enugu, where Secretary General Okey Emuchay expressed sadness over Iwuanyanwu’s passing, noting that it occurred less than two years after the organisation lost Obiozor.

Iwuanyanwu’s son, Jide, had confirmed his father’s death in a statement on July 25, stating that he died in Abuja after a brief illness.

While describing Iwuanyanwu as a rare human being, who had wonderful ideas and visions for the Igbo nation and Nigeria, Emuchay explained that a central burial committee would be established very soon.

“All activities, especially, the Igbo Day Celebration of 2024 scheduled to be held on the 29th of September 2024 in Imo State, will be skipped in respect and honour of the departed President General,” he said.

Speaking further, he said, “We want to assure that the ship of Ohanaeze is in safe hands, collectively as NEC, we want to give assurance that we shall match on from where he stopped.”

He urged all state Secretariats of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the chapters in Nigeria and the diaspora to open condolence books so that people could come and write and convey whatever thoughts and prayers they have for the departed President General.

Kogi commits to sustaining eye care programme

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Kogi assembly confirms two commissioner nominees, 50 special

The Kogi State Government has pledged the timely release of the Blindness Prevention Fund in the approved state budget, adding that the residents would continue to have access to quality eye care services.

The state governor, Usman Ododo disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the ceremony marking the end of the Sightsavers Kogi State Eye Care Programme project.

Ododo, represented by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Abdulazeez Adeiza, said, “My office will ensure the timely release of the blindness prevention vote in the approved budget of Kogi State. We will also provide the retention and maintenance of the eye care Hilux donated by the International Society of the Blind to enhance the logistics of the eye care programme team.

“I won’t call it a closing ceremony but rather a transition ceremony of  Sightsavers rendering eye health services to the people in the state. They have rendered diagnostic and therapeutic interventions to thousands of persons in the state. They have also helped in training health workers, nurses and doctors on how to give quality eye care to people.

“We are grateful for the support and resources provided by Sightsavers International which has enabled us to establish comprehensive eye care centres, train doctors and provide equipment and resources. We are committed to sustaining the achievements of this programme and ensuring that the people of Kogi State continue to have access to quality eye care services.”

The Country Director, Sightsavers Nigeria, Dr. Joy Shu’aibu noted that stakeholders developed the state’s eyecare committee, which will help sustain the gains of the three-year partnership with the organisation.

Shu’aibu said, “We have examined an average of 14,000 people across the areas where we have worked. We have dispensed approximately 8,000 spectacles. We have refracted about 10,000 people, and we have offered life-changing cataract surgeries to several people in Kogi State and other related eyecare surgeries,” among others.

Speaking on some of the key achievements of the project,  Sightsavers’ Senior Programme Manager for Eye Health, Selben Penzin disclosed that they invested in the control of avoidable blindness in the state.

BRGIE announces new slogan for Biafra’s liberation

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Biafra Republic Government In-Exile. BRGIE, led by Simon Ekpa, has announced a new slogan for the actualisation of the Biafra Declaration.
Ekpa disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday through his official X handle.
According to him, the new slogan for the separatist movement is ‘freedom.’
He said the latest slogan is expected to take effect from Tuesday.
“The Biafra Government New Slogan! Our Slogan has changed, effective from today 30.7.2024. Freedom”, he said.
This comes amid the continued call for Biafra Independence by BRGIE and other regional agitators in Nigeria.
BRGIE had cited marginalisation, underdevelopment, insecurity and poverty in the southeast region as justification for self-referendum.
BRGIE announces new slogan for Biafra’s liberation

FG to pay 10,000 N’Delta youths N50,000 monthly

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Group hails Tinubu, wants INEC to conduct polls

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Benjamin Kalu, and the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission Dr Samuel Ogbuku, have called on youths and people of the region to shun the planned August 1 protest against economic hardship.

This follows Akpabio’s launch of a Youth Internship Scheme initiated by the NDDC for 10,000 youths from the Niger Delta region.

Speaking during the NDDC Executive Management Engagement with Niger Delta Ethnic Nationalities and Selected Stakeholders in Port Harcourt on Tuesday, Akpabio declared that the proposed nationwide protests by some youths would not take place in the nine states of the Niger Delta, describing the region as a protest-free zone.

Detailing the Youth Internship Scheme, the Senate President said, “the 10,000 youths would be engaged in the programme designed to improve their skills, noting that the beneficiaries in the first phase would be paid N50,000 monthly.”

Akpabio stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to the development of the Niger Delta region. He noted that following a presidential directive, the NDDC recently inaugurated five flagship projects covering roads, bridges, and electricity across the region.

He commended the NDDC for restoring some damaged sections of the East-West Road and assured that the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road project would not only commence from Lagos but would also start simultaneously from the Niger Delta.

Akpabio added that despite the challenges of developing the Niger Delta region, the NDDC had executed several projects that had improved the lives of the people, promising that henceforth, the Commission would receive its full share of statutory allocations.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the NDDC Governing Board, Mr Chiedu Ebie, assured that the Commission would continue to focus on completing capital projects that would add value to the Niger Delta region.

Ebie said, “Our commitment is to work towards transforming the region, in line with the 8-Point Presidential Priorities, as well as in accordance with the demands of the NDDC Act of 2000.”

He thanked members of the National Assembly for expeditiously passing the 2024 budget of the Commission, which would set the tone for the implementation of projects and programmes benefiting the people of the Niger Delta region.

Speaking, the NDDC Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, remarked that the people of the Niger Delta region had transitioned from militant agitation to intellectual struggle, noting that the region was now reaping the benefits of these struggles.

He said, “We have provided more opportunities and hope to Niger Delta youths through our Holistic Opportunity Projects of Engagement, designed to identify youths’ interests for skills training.”

The NDDC boss said that Project HOPE had helped the Commission develop a comprehensive digital repository, comprising important information about the youths of the Niger Delta region, including their qualifications, skills, interests, needs, and current employment status.

Ogbuku remarked that the NDDC was working with the Niger Delta Chamber of Commerce to train youths and young entrepreneurs in the Niger Delta region.

He explained that the Commission would collaborate with the Chamber of Commerce to support Small and Medium Enterprises in the region and ensure the sustainability of youth development programmes.

“We will also partner with the Bank of Industry to fund projects, support businesses, and facilitate the success of our empowerment programmes. We will provide all necessary support for youth entrepreneurship schemes,” he added.

Ogbuku urged Niger Deltans not to be lured into any protest that could destabilise the country, as such actions would hinder development and further impoverish the ordinary people.

In his goodwill message, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, stressed that progress could only be achieved through unity and peace.
He lauded the Board and Management of the NDDC for working hand-in-glove to develop the Niger Delta region.

Similarly, the National Chairman of PANDEF, Senator Emmanuel Ibokessien, acknowledged the numerous achievements of the NDDC and appealed to Niger Delta youths to disregard those calling for protests.

The President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Jonathan Lopkobiri, maintained that Niger Deltans had no business with those inciting youths to anarchy. He observed that the protesters’ demands did not address the long-neglected East-West Road.

He commended the NDDC for providing relief to users of the road, which he noted was still threatened by flooding.

I’ll ensure no state pays higher wage than Edo

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Edo strengthens gender policy with GIZ partnership, training

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the welfare of workers in the state, pledging that his administration will ensure that no worker in the country earns better than those in the state’s employ.

The governor, who spoke while addressing civil and public servants in the state, at the John Odigie Oyegun Public Service Academy in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the investment in the workers is part of efforts to ensure that the workers are adequately motivated and empowered to deliver effective to Edo people.

Commending the workers for their relentless contributions to the development of the state, the governor said his government has ensured that the workers are provided with a conducive working environment and incentives that are befitting of their immense contributions to the growth of the State.

The governor said that the state government under his leadership has trained over 2700 civil and public servants on digitisation, information technology, and digital transformation, among others, as part of ongoing efforts to drive the government’s digital economy plans and ensure the use of technology in processing government’s transactions and activities.

He further stated that his government has built and strengthened institutions that will ensure the sustainability of the e-governance reforms and other laudable initiatives of his administration in the State’s civil and public service.

Obaseki stated, “The new Edo will be driven by you, using technology. One of the considerations for promotion is that you have taken training on one aspect of technology to enable you to move to the next level. We will retain you in the service by improving your conditions of service and ensuring no state pays wages that are higher than that of Edo State.”

He added, “I will continue to work until my last day as a governor to ensure everything we started in the last eight is sustained.”

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Protest: Critical national assets may become targets of criminals – NSCDC

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The Abia State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, has vowed to protect critical national assets in the state from destruction during the forthcoming nationwide protests.
The commandant of NSCDC in Abia State, Usman Ishaq Alfadari, assured the public that the corps is fully prepared to protect lives and properties and all national assets and infrastructure in Abia State, during and after the protest.
He gave the assurances while addressing a gathering of officers and men of the command and members of the press regarding the planned nationwide protest.
He said that credible intelligence and experience have shown that criminal elements may hijack the protest as an opportunity to destroy public and private properties and threaten people’s lives.
“We understand the concerns of the public and want to assure them that we have made adequate arrangements to ensure their safety and security,” said Commandant Alfadarai. “Our officers and men are well-trained and equipped to handle any situation that may arise during the protest.”
He also warned that NSCDC would not tolerate any act of violence or destruction of property and that anyone found engaging in such activities would be dealt with decisively.
“We are committed to maintaining law and order, and protecting the rights of all citizens,” said the NSCDC commandant. “We urge the public to remain calm and go about their lawful activities without fear.”
Alfdarai also assured the public that the corps is working closely with other security agencies to ensure a hitch-free protest.
Protest: Critical national assets may become targets of criminals – NSCDC

WTO chief, Okonjo-Iweala, sounds alarm on global trade

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WTO chief, Okonjo-Iweala, sounds alarm on global trade

The head of the World Trade Organisation, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on Tuesday, said global commerce was going through troubling times, with protectionism on the rise.

Okonjo-Iweala said the future of trade lay in services, digitalisation and the green economy, in the global trade body’s annual report.

“These are troubling times for global trade. Amid geopolitical tensions and the backdrop of the climate crisis, we see increased protectionism and unilateral policy measures.

“After years of talk of decoupling, trade may be starting to fragment along geopolitical lines,” she said.

Opportunities do remain, she added, pointing to the potential for growth and job creation through digitalisation.

Trade, she said, could also “enhance global food security and accelerate the push towards net-zero emissions.”

The WTO’s annual report looked back at the Geneva-based organisation’s activities in 2023 and early 2024.

The WTO’s 13th ministerial conference was held in Abu Dhabi in late February and ran on into early March, ending with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, highlighting the sharp divisions between members amid geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds threatening global commerce.

– Digital trade hopes –

Okonjo-Iweala said that in 2023, merchandise trade volumes fell by 1.2 per cent, after growing 3.0 per cent in 2022, as many countries dealt with the lingering effects of inflation and high energy prices.

The decline was partially offset by strong growth in services trade, which increased by 9 per cent in value terms, boosted by a post-pandemic tourism surge.

The report said the value of total goods and commercial services trade was $30.4 trillion last year, close to record highs.

Digital commerce is growing far faster than its traditional counterpart.

“The future of trade is services, digital, green,” said Okonjo-Iweala, the former Nigerian Finance and Foreign Minister.

Efforts to draw up global digital trade rules advanced Friday when dozens of nations wrapped up negotiations with a draft text, but more talks will likely be necessary as the United States and several other countries are still not on board.

Protections for online consumers, digitalisation of customs procedures and recognition of electronic signatures are among the measures laid out in the text aimed at promoting and facilitating digital transactions.

European Union trade chief Valdis Dombrovskis called the text “historic,” saying countries had “negotiated the first global rules on digital trade.

“This will facilitate e-transactions, boost innovation and integrate developing countries into the digital economy,” he said.

AFP

Ex-Delta commissioner kidnapped inside church in Asaba

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A former Commissioner for Higher Education in Delta State, Joan Onyemachi Mrapkpor, popularly known as “Ada Anioma” has reportedly been kidnapped on Tuesday.
The former member of the House of Representatives, who recently resigned her appointment to enable her junior brother to contest the local government council chairmanship election, was abducted inside her church during church service.
Reports disclosed that the ugly incident occurred inside her church, off Delta Broadcasting Service street in Asaba, Delta State.
An eye witness said: “There was a commotion inside her church close to police headquarters, DBS Road. We all ran due to the shooting. It just happened about a few minutes ago. One aide was shot dead and a security personnel is presently unconscious.”
The Delta State Police Command Public Relations Officer, SP Bright Edafe, who confirmed the incident, when contacted, said one of the command’s officers was killed by the abductors.
Edafe, however, said detectives are on the trail of the abductors. He promised to give more details of the incident in due course.
Ex-Delta commissioner kidnapped inside church in Asaba

France, Argentina set for Olympics football quarter-final clash

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Making Olympic timekeepers' bells a labour of love

France set up a potentially explosive quarter-final showdown with Argentina in the men’s Olympic football tournament after beating New Zealand 3-0 in their final group game on Tuesday.

Argentina had sealed their last-eight spot earlier in the day and France joined them in the knockout phase with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Desire Doue and Arnaud Kalimuendo scoring for the hosts against New Zealand in Marseille.

France finished on top of Group A with three wins out of three and no goals conceded, with the United States going through as runners-up after seeing off Guinea 3-0, Kevin Paredes scoring twice.

That means Thierry Henry’s French side will take on Argentina in Bordeaux on Friday after the South Americans, two-time gold medallists, went through in second place in Group B thanks to a 2-0 win over Ukraine in Lyon.

Thiago Almada’s superb strike gave Argentina the lead just after half-time and substitute Claudio Echeverri sealed their victory late on.

It will be the first meeting of the nations since Argentina players were recorded singing racist chants about French players as they celebrated winning the Copa America earlier this month.

FIFA has announced an investigation into the chants, which targeted France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and included racist and homophobic insults.

Argentina players have already been booed by rival fans at the Olympic tournament.

The nations last met in the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar which Argentina won on penalties after a 3-3 draw.

However, the men’s Olympic football tournament is an under-23 competition, except up to three over-age players per squad. Only two members of Argentina’s Olympic squad, Nicolas Otamendi and Julian Alvarez, played in the 2022 game, and none of France’s.

Argentina will only face France after missing out on first place in Group B to Morocco head-to-head.

– Egypt surprise Spain –

Morocco beat Iraq 3-0 in Nice in their last group game thanks to goals by Amir Richardson — the son of former NBA star Michael Ray Richardson — Soufiane Rahimi’s fourth of the tournament and a stunning goal from Abde Ezzalzouli, all in the first half.

Morocco and Argentina finished level on six points, and tied on goals scored and goals conceded, but Morocco won 2-1 when the sides met in their opening game.

That was only because a last-gasp equaliser for the South Americans was disallowed after a VAR review before the final minutes of the game were completed in an empty stadium following crowd trouble.

Morocco, winners of last year’s Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, will play their quarter-final tie on Friday in Paris against the United States.

Earlier, Egypt reached the quarter-finals with a surprise 2-1 win over already-qualified Spain, with Ibrahim Adel scoring both goals.

Adel gave Egypt the lead in Bordeaux with a superb strike late in the first half and added another on 62 minutes, pouncing to score after possession was given away by Spain’s Jon Pacheco.

Samu Omorodion pulled one back late on for Spain, but Egypt held on for the win allowing them to leapfrog their opponents and snatch first place in Group C.

Egypt, captained by former Arsenal midfielder Mohamed Elneny, will play their quarter-final on Friday in Marseille against the runners-up in Group D, which contains Japan, Paraguay, Mali and Israel.

Egypt lost in the quarter-finals three years ago to Brazil, who went on to beat Spain in the final.

Spain’s last-eight tie will be in Lyon against the winners of Group D, which will be completed later on Tuesday.

AFP

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