Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri on Monday alleged that desperate politicians who lost the last governorship election are plotting to use the #EndBadGovernance protest to cause mayhem in the state.
Diri, who spoke in Yenagoa, cautioned youths of the state to be wary of failed politicians who plan to use the planned national protest to cause mayhem.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as appealing to the youths to avoid being used by such politicians, saying they do not mean well for the state.
The governor, in the statement, said his administration will not fold it arms and watch self-serving politicians disrupt the peace the people had worked hard to achieve.
While acknowledging that there are challenges in the country, he called for dialogue as a way of resolving the issues.
The governor stated that his administration has continued to engage genuine groups such as the Ijaw Youth Council led by Jonathan Lokpobiri and student leaders, noting however that peaceful protest was the right of individuals and groups in any society and that the doors of his administration were open to those who genuinely love the state and want to see it progress.
He also called for the arrest of any other person parading himself as IYC President apart from Lokpobiri.
The governor confirmed the receipt of 20 trucks of rice from the Federal Government and directed the immediate distribution to people in communities across the state, irrespective of political party except political appointees and civil servants.
Protest: Failed politicians plotting to cause mayhem in Bayelsa – Gov Diri claims
Protest: Failed politicians plotting to cause mayhem in Bayelsa – Gov Diri claims
Sports minister hails D’Tigress’ victory over Australia
The Minister of Sports Development, John Enoh, hailed Nigeria’s female basketball team D’tigress after defeating their Australian counterparts, 75-62 in the Olympics in Lilee, France.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Minister, Diana-Mary Nsan, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Lagos.
Enoh, who said that the win was s inspirational to the entire Team Nigeria contingent competing in various sports, showered praises on the team for their outstanding performance.
“D’ Tigress displayed remarkable character in their first match of the Olympic Games, taking down a basketball super-house and world number three nation to record a historic victory,“ he said.
The Opals of Australia and five-time Olympic medalist, couldn’t stop the brave Nigerian ladies.
The first and second quarters ended 18-17, and 23-11 respectively, while the third and fourth quarters ended 10-19 and 24-15.
The minister expressed excitement on their performance, stating, “This victory is not just a win; it is a monumental achievement.
“Our D’ Tigress has shown the world what determination and teamwork can achieve. They have made every Nigerian proud, beating the number three nation in the world rankings.
“The resilience and spirit displayed by our women’s basketball team is a beacon of hope and inspiration for all athletes competing in Paris.
“Their performance is a shining example of the excellence we aspire to achieve across all sports.”
He added that the dedication and hard work of D’Tigress paid off spectacularly.
Enoh said, “This victory will undoubtedly boost the morale of the entire Team Nigeria, and I am confident that it will lead to more successes in the days to come.
“Let us all rally behind our athletes as they continue to strive for greatness.
“D’ Tigress have handed Nigeria its first win at the ongoing Olympics, setting a positive tone for the rest of the games.”
(NAN)
Police recruitment: Successful candidates to resume training August 10
The Police Recruitment Board has approved the 10th August, 2024 for the commencement of training for successful applicants of the 2022 Constable Recruitment exercise.
Ikechukwu Ani, Head, Press and Public Relations of the Police Service Commission, PSC, in a statement on Monday, said the candidates are expected to confirm their status by logging onto to confirm further details of the training exercise.
“Specialist applicants are however to resume training two months after that of their General Duty counterparts.
“Information on date and venues for their own specialised training will be announced in due course,” the statement said.
“The Police Service Commission wishes to appreciate the applicants for their patience and understanding while efforts were made to ensure that the exercise was inclusive and generally acceptable,” the statement added.
The Commission also stated that it will continue to ensure that recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force is based on merit and respect for the Federal Character principles.
It enjoined the successful candidates to see their new status as a call to duty for the Nigerian nation, stressing that the Commission will monitor their training programmes to ensure that they will come out prepared to join forces in fighting the security challenges facing the country.
Police recruitment: Successful candidates to resume training August 10
Tell your father Nigerians are suffering, VeryDarkMan tells Tinubu’s daughter
Controversial social media critic, Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has publicly criticised Folashade, the daughter of President Bola Tinubu, for telling Nigerians to let her father govern for three years before accessing his tenure.
Folashade, the Iyaloja General of Nigeria, recently disclosed that Nigerians should be patient with her father while admonishing parents to stop their children from participating in the planned hunger protest scheduled for August 1 to 10.
Responding in a video on Monday, VeryDarkMan expressed his disapproval of the Folashade’s statement while urging her to, in turn, beg her father to desist from plunging Nigeria into more woes.
He argued that it was unreasonable to expect silence from the masses while the current administration exacerbates economic hardship.
He maintained that Tinubu’s first year in office was the worst so far and emphasised the severe impact of the drastic increase in fuel prices.
“Did you realize that people will not be complaining if your father does not have the first worst year in office in the history of Nigeria’s presidency?
“Warn your father, tell him that Nigerians are suffering. Talk to Daddy for us. Did you warn your dad when he went to protest against Goodluck Jonathan when he raised the fuel price from N65 to N87? The only thing I won’t approve of is that the protesters are violent. Stand for your rights, Nigerians.
“Protest, but don’t loot. Look at the prices of things. Fuel is N700 plus, and it is still not available. See the queues in gas stations. You can’t increase the price of things, and they will still not be available,” he said.
The country’s economic hardship has skyrocketed after former President Muhammadu Buhari left office, ushering in the new administration on May 29, 2023.
On the inauguration day, Tinubu declared that his administration would no longer subsidise fuel, hence calling for the end of the financing because it was beneficial to neighbouring countries.
His decision made the price of the Premium Motor Spirit rise from N185 to over N700.
Also, as part of his government’s reforms in the financial sector, the naira has embarked on a continuous free fall against the dollar after the Central Bank of Nigeria floated the currency to move towards market-determined interest rates.
This action has led to the instability of the naira to the dollar in the market, making it sell for between N1,200 and N1,500.
Meanwhile, both decisions — naira floating and subsidy removal — which are largely the factors determining the growth of the economy, are being held spellbound and have sent more Nigerians below the poverty level.
These have led to widespread calls for demonstrations across the country, with the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar, and Peter Obi, supporting the organisers.
We are ready to protect peaceful, lawful protesters – Oyo Police Command
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Ayodele Sonubi, says the Command is ready to provide adequate protection for peaceful and lawful protesters in the state.
Sonubi stated this on Monday in Ibadan during a stakeholders’ meeting on the Command’s preparations for the planned nationwide protest slated for Aug. 1.
NAN reports that the meeting was attended by religious leaders, traditional rulers, transport unions, the National Association of Nigerian Students, the Nigeria Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, among others.
Osinubi said that the Police in the state acknowledged the undebatable right of the citizens to engage in peaceful protest, which must not, however, turn violent.
He said it was imperative for those carrying out the protest to ensure it was peaceful and violence-free.
The Police commissioner said that the Command was prepared to give adequate protection to those carrying out peaceful protests and would not hesitate to deal with anyone who turned the protest to violence.
“When a protest turns violent, it is criminal to the Police at that point and we will need to deal with the situation as it arises.
“There is no law enforcement agency that will allow criminality to have its way. The moment it turns violent, the law will turn its face and act appropriately,” Sonubi said.
We are ready to protect peaceful, lawful protesters – Oyo Police Command
Tinubu signs new minimum wage bill into law
29th July 2024
President Bola Tinubu, on Monday, signed the new Minimum Wage Act into law.
Tinubu signed the new law at 2 pm at the Council Chamber of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The brief ceremony was witnessed by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, among others.
Details shortly…
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NSCDC beefs up security in Kwara, advises youth to shun violence
The Kwara State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps said that it has deployed its men and officers to every nook and cranny of the state to safeguard the safety of lives and property.
This is as momentum builds up ahead of the August 1 nationwide protest.
A statement signed by the state’s NSCDC Public Relations Officer, Ayoola Michael, on Monday, said that the command would deal ruthlessly with anyone who perpetrated criminal activities during the protest in the state.
He said that the State Corps Commandant, Dr Umar JG Mohammed, has issued a stern warning to those who may seek to exploit the protest for criminal activities and cause unrest in the state.
The statement said, “The command is on red alert, with robust measures in place to ensure law and order are upheld before, during, and after the protest.”
He further stated that the command would not fold its hands and watch hoodlums wreak havoc, and vandalise critical national assets and infrastructure, as adequate deployment will be made across the state to ensure watertight security of life and property.
While acknowledging the citizens’ right to protest, he urged “the youth and other concerned citizens to lawfully and peacefully express their grievances, ensuring that national security and public safety are not compromised.”
He also encouraged law-abiding Kwarans to continue with their daily activities without fear, affirming that stringent measures have been employed to address the envisaged threat.
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We suffer shortage of staff, poor accommodation, no vehicles – Plateau BPP
The Plateau Bureau for Public Procurement, BPP, has decried the dearth of personnel, conducive accommodation, functional vehicles and other needs crucial to efficiency.
The BPP also said the challenges had constituted a major setback to the effective operation of the bureau toward ensuring open contracting in the state.
This was disclosed by the Acting Director General of the agency, Mr Yabilsu Dogo, at a stakeholders’ consultative meeting organised by a group, Accountability Lab, in Jos the Plateau State Capital.
According to him, “We don’t have a conducive environment for procurement operations in the state.
”Few days ago, our entire office building was flooded and we are currently operating outside.
”As we speak, we don’t have a functional vehicle, how do we embark on monitoring projects?
”Our portal has been down for months, we have reverted to manual operations, and open contracting means making all government activities open,” he said.
Dogo also decried the unwillingness of most Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the state to cooperate with the bureau by availing details of ongoing projects under them, for proper capturing.
Earlier in his address, Mr Onyekachi Chuwkwu, the consultant to the accountability lab, said the meeting was supported by Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) and funded by the United Nations Development Agency (UNDP, to promote open contracting and ensure accountability in the procurement processes of the state.
Chukwu identified a lack of political will, poor citizen engagement, low data, low incentives for personnel, and lack of autonomy, among others, as factors hampering the effective operation of the bureau in the state.
He, however, said that the meeting is particularly aimed at finding a lasting solution to the challenges of strengthening the procurement processes in the state.
We suffer shortage of staff, poor accommodation, no vehicles – Plateau BPP
Djokovic defeats Nadal as Daley dives to fifth Olympic medal
Novak Djokovic overcame a gritty Rafael Nadal comeback Monday in probably the last chapter of their epic tennis rivalry at the Paris Olympics, where British diver Tom Daley grabbed his fifth medal in five Games.
In the pool, Canada’s Summer McIntosh launched her bid for 400m medley gold in the morning session, with Australian Ariarne Titmus hotly tipped to win her second swimming gold later in the day.
With fans basking under glorious blue Paris skies, a happy contrast to the soggy opening ceremony only three days ago, golds are up for grabs in 11 sports.
As forecasters issued a heat warning for Paris and surrounding areas, the hottest ticket in town was at Roland Garros, where Djokovic and Nadal clashed for a 60th time.
Coming into the match, Djokovic held a razor-thin 30-29 edge in their rivalry but the Spaniard had always ruled the roost on the clay in the French capital down the years.
Age and injuries have caught up with the Spanish great however and he had warned before the match he would struggle to be competitive with Djovokic.
That proved painfully prescient in the first set as the ruthless Serb dispatched the former king of clay 6-1.
But Nadal rolled back the years in the second set, roared on by a packed Roland Garros crowd, fighting back from 4-0 down to 4-4 with two breaks of serve.
Djovokic found an extra gear at the end to claim a 6-1, 6-4 victory, the two tennis legends embracing at the net and Nadal waving to the Roland Garros faithful.
• ’Goofy Tassie girl’ –
Another electric night of swimming action is expected, with Titmus bidding to add the 200m freestyle crown to her dominant 400m triumph on Saturday, when she blew away rivals McIntosh and Katie Ledecky to retain her title.
The 23-year-old Titmus is favourite at 200m — she is reigning champion and world record-holder.
Her biggest threat is fellow Australian Mollie O’Callaghan, who boasted the fastest time ever until Titmus smashed it in June.
Monday’s other swimming finals are women’s 400m individual medley, men’s 200m freestyle, men’s 100m backstroke and women’s 100m breaststroke.
• ’It’s very sad’ –
In diving, Daley took an emotional silver medal with partner Noah Williams in the men’s synchronised 10m platform behind China’s Lian Junjie and Yang Hao.
Williams choked back tears as he recalled his former coach Dave Jenkins, who died in 2021 after the last Olympics in Tokyo.
Daley, whose father Rob died of cancer in 2011, told the BBC: “I’ve never seen Noah cry in my whole life, I know how much today mean to him.
“It’s very sad Dave is not here, but I know Dave and my dad would both be so proud to see us here today.”
Daley made his Olympic debut as a 14-year-old at the 2008 Beijing Games and won his first Olympic medal with a bronze at the 2012 London Games.
He took another bronze in Rio, then another at the Tokyo Olympics before finally winning gold in the men’s synchronised 10m platform event at those Games.
China scooped the first diving gold in Paris with victory ahead of the United States and Britain in the women’s synchronised 3m springboard.
• Seine events scrapped –
Another fascinating battle pits China and Japan against each other for gold in the men’s team final of the gymnastics.
Gold medals are also up for grabs in archery, canoeing, mountain biking, equestrian, fencing, judo, shooting and skateboarding.
Yuto Horigome defends his men’s skateboarding street title after the event was postponed on Saturday because of rain.
Japan could snatch all three medals, with the 2023 world champion Sora Shirai and 14-year-old Ginwoo Onodera also strongly fancied.
In women’s basketball, the United States launch their bid for an eighth consecutive gold medal when they open their campaign against Japan, with veteran Diana Taurasi aiming to snare a sixth gold in her farewell international tournament.
Meanwhile, Olympic organisers cancelled a second day of triathlon training in the River Seine planned Monday after weekend downpours polluted the waterway.
AFP
NCC orders MTN, others to reactivate blocked SIMs
The Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) on Monday directed MTN Nigeria and other mobile telecommunication companies to reactivate Subscribers Identification Modules (SIMs) blocked over the National Identification Number (NIN).
Details later…
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