The Zamfara State Government said it has made all necessary arrangements to conduct a local government election by August 2024 to enable the Councils to collect their allocations.
Addressing newsmen at the state house in Gusau, the Senior Special Assistant, SSA on Communication and Mobilization, Farouk Rijiya said the PDP-led government in the state was filling some gaps within the party.
“Zamfara State Government supports the Supreme Court verdict on Local Government autonomy as it will attract more development”, he added.
He said the government would ensure a perfect and credible local government election in the state and that the party would fill all the vacant positions of the party leadership.
These include three delegates across 147 wards of the state and one national officer each, apart from some key positions at the state level that were in acting capacity.
He further said the national leadership of the party had authorized the state leadership to fill all the vacant positions by selection instead of a mini congress that is expected to be held.
“Now, we are waiting for the arrival of the Chief Executive of the State, Governor Dauda Lawal to carry out the task before notifying the national leadership for permission on the local government election preparation”
We have made adequate arrangements for credible LG election in Zamfara – State govt
We have made adequate arrangements for credible LG election in Zamfara – State govt
Police arrest prison escapee behind general’s murder in Kano
The Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Police Command have arrested one Hashiru Baku – the mastermind behind the murder of late Brigadier General Harold Udokwere.
Udokwere, who was the National Chairman, Retired Members of the Nigerian Armed Forces, was murdered by armed robbers who invaded his residence on June 22, 2024, and took away his gun.
The police arrested and paraded Ibrahim Rabiu, Nafiu Jamil, Aliyu Abdullahi and Mohammed Nuhu in connection with the crime on June 24, 2024.
Addressing journalists on Monday while parading arrested suspects, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh said Baku was arrested in Kano State while trying to run away from the country.
Igweh said the suspect was an escapee from the Kuje Correctional Centre.
He said, “I did show you the four killers, kidnappers, and robbers that went and killed Brigadier-General Uwe Harrod, retired. Today, I will show you the organiser of the killing and the robbery.
“As well as we have recovered the general’s gun that was with him. We have recovered the wristwatch of the general and the wife’s jewellery which they stole from the general’s house.
“The organiser is here and we have arrested him. He is the organiser. He was in prison and during the Kuje Correctional Centre attack, he escaped.”
The police boss added that “instead of him to repent, he continued with more audacity. We arrested him in Kano where he was trying to exit the country.
“We recovered these drugs in his residence. So, that’s what they take and they will continue to be high.”
Details later…
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NBMA, NAFDAC to address GMO safety concerns
In a move to address public concerns about Genetically Modified foods, the National Biosafety Management Agency and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control have pledged to strengthen their collaboration on food safety in Nigeria.
The joint meeting, convened by the Minister of State for Health, Dr. Tunji Alausa, brought together the Director-General of NBMA, Dr. Agnes Asagbra, and the Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.
According to a statement by the Ministry of Health on Monday via X, Alausa emphasised the need for consistent communication among government agencies.
“He said that there was need for a collaborative approach to properly address safety concerns related to GM foods, referencing extensive scientific evidence supporting their safety,” the statement said.
Also speaking, Asagbra highlighted the existing cooperation between the agencies.
“She confirmed that no GM food permits are issued without NAFDAC’s involvement, and stressed the agency’s commitment to all cooperative efforts to promote food safety,” the statement added.
Subsequently, Adeyeye clarified NAFDAC’s stance on GM foods, explaining that previous remarks had been taken out of context.
The statement said, “On her part, DG @NafdacAgency said that while previous remarks on GM foods had been quoted out of context, thorough scientific research and safety assessments remained a key requirement for approving GM foods. Prof Adeyeye reiterated NAFDAC’s commitment to safeguarding the health of Nigerian consumers.”
Accordingly, the meeting resulted in several key resolutions, including establishing a Technical Working Group between NBMA and NAFDAC; Developing Terms of Reference for the TWG and setting up a secretariat; Referring applicants to NBMA prior to processing by NAFDAC; Continuing collaboration on risk assessment and GM food labelling; Enhancing capacity building and training exchanges and Joint efforts in IT and Global Listing initiatives.
“Consequently, the public is hereby invited to note that both agencies remain committed to working together in ensuring that scientific evidence guides their actions as they continue to build public trust in the nation’s food safety regulations and in safeguarding the health of Nigerians,” the statement said.
Yola airport shut to air traffic as faulty airplane blocks runway
Inward or outward-bound flights have been banned at the Yola International Airport since Sunday night following a minor incident on the runway.
Reports indicate that on Sunday night, the tyres of an airplane ruptured in motion as it was attempting to leave the airport causing a traffic situation.
A Max Air plane was reported to be taxiing for takeoff when it experienced a tyre burst, forcing it to come to a standstill on the runway, blocking other planes from either taking off from the airport or landing.
The Max Air flight which was carrying 119 passengers with six crew members had been cleared to take off from the Yola airport en-route Abuja when the ground incident affecting all its tyres happened.
The Assistant General Manager in charge of Corporate Communications of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, FAAN, Mrs Ijeoma Nwosu-Igbo who disclosed this over the phone Monday afternoon, said the faulty aircraft would be removed soon.
She could not immediately say when the removal would be effected.
A different source, at the Yola airport, however, said during the filing of this report just before 5pm Monday, that engineers had arrived at the airport to fix the faulty plane.
Yola airport shut to air traffic as faulty airplane blocks runway
Katsina grants widows four months mourning leave
The Katsina State Government has introduced an Islamic Iddah period law to enable female civil servants in the state to stay home for four months and ten days in case they lose their husbands.
According Online reports that Islamically, the Iddah period is for wives to mourn their deceased husbands.
The introduction of the new law came after the State House of Assembly had earlier passed a motion, seeking the state government to look into the issue of the Iddah period, which was subsequently approved by the executive.
The Katsina State Head of Civil Service, Falalu Bawale, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Monday in Katsina.
Bwale further said a circular has been issued to all the ministries, departments and agencies of the State government to grant its female officers the liberty to observe the period when the need arises.
He said, “We decided to take the issue before the National Council on Establishment so that it can be included in the civil service rules where women who lost their husbands will be allowed to stay and observe the Iddah period after the death of her husband.
“The council said, all States have the liberty to make a rule that suits their purpose. So we can come back here and present the issue before the state executive council; if it is approved, then it can be implemented.
“So we drafted a memo and presented it before the State Executive Council, which the Council graciously approved and considered our recommendations.
“We issued a circular to all ministries, departments and agencies to grant female officers the chance to observe the Iddah period. It has now become a law.”
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Tinubu returns home after attending AU meeting
President Bola Tinubu has returned to Abuja from Accra, Ghana, where he attended the 6th Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union.
He arrived at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on Sunday night.
The president was received at the airport by his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and other senior government officials.
In the Ghanaian capital, Tinubu briefed the African leaders on the achievements and challenges of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) where he is the chairman.
He said the sub-regional body had allocated at least $13 million to support counter-terrorism efforts in frontline and humanitarian efforts in the sub-region under his watch.
Tinubu left the country for Accra on Saturday.
The post Tinubu returns home after attending AU meeting appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Aston Villa sign Amadou Onana in £50m deal from Everton
Aston Villa has completed the high-profile signing of Belgian midfielder Amadou Onana from Everton, as confirmed by renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano and officially announced by the club.
Romano said on Monday via X, “Official, confirmed. Aston Villa have signed Amadou Onana as a new midfielder from Everton. Deal signed for £50m fee plus add-ons and sell-on clause, while Onana has signed long-term contract.”
The 22-year-old joins Villa in a deal worth £50 million, with additional performance-related add-ons and a sell-on clause included in the agreement. Onana has committed his future to the club by signing a long-term contract.
In their official statement, Aston Villa expressed their excitement about the acquisition, stating, “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Amadou Onana from Everton.”
The club highlighted Onana’s strengths, describing him as a deep-lying midfielder adept at breaking up play and winning back possession. They also noted his recent international experience, mentioning his participation in UEFA Euro 2024 with Belgium.
Onana’s professional journey began with Hamburger SV in Germany, followed by a stint at LOSC Lille in France’s Ligue 1. He joined Everton in the summer of 2022, where he made a significant impact, appearing in over 70 matches and scoring three goals in his final season with the Toffees.
The statement said, “The 22-year-old took his first steps in professional football with Hamburger SV in Germany before spending a year at LOSC Lille in Ligue 1.
“Onana would then join Everton in the summer of 2022, going on to make over 70 appearances for the Toffees, scoring three times last term. On the international stage, he has been capped 17 times by his country.”
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Group tasks CSOs on strengthening advocacy with accurate data
Media Awareness and Justice Initiative, a Non-Governmental Organization, has advised other Civil Society Organizations, CSOs to empower themselves with adequate data before embarking on advocacies or campaigns.
The Coordinator of the group, Onyekachi Okoro gave the advice during a workshop tagged, “Inception Meeting and Data Training for Environmental Reporting and Advocacy” held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital over the weekend.
Okoro decried the narrative style of reporting especially, on environmental issues by CSOs saying that the International Oil Companies and other stakeholders engendering pollution have taken advantage of such gaps to dismiss burning issues that need to be addressed, expressing worry that the oil companies now described such reports as mere narrations.
He urged the CSOs to equip themselves with requisite data on environmental issues such as quality of air and temperature to ascertain the level of pollution in the targeted areas and confront the IOCs with the data so that their advocacies would not be invalidated.
His words, “Over the years, communities and key stakeholders have based their advocacies on narrative style reporting without any number attached to it and in most cases these narrative styles can be dismissed either by local authorities or oil companies and we feel that these lack of empirical data have done advocacies no good.
On his part, Ikechukwu Ahaka, speaking on ” Data, Knowledge and Action,” said the possession of adequate and real-time data boosts the confidence and morale of a CSO to face the audience or stakeholders.
Harping on the importance of data in advocacies, Ahaka said, gone are the days when people in the Niger Delta region used violent protest to press their demands and urged them to be intentional in their advocacies.
Group tasks CSOs on strengthening advocacy with accurate data
US Secret Service failed to protect Trump, say Director
The United States Secret Service Director, Kimberly Cheatle, acknowledged on Monday that the agency “failed” in its mission to prevent the assassination attempt on former president Donald Trump.
“The Secret Service’s solemn mission is to protect our nation’s leaders,” Cheatle said during testimony before the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
“On July 13, we failed,” she said. “As director of the United States Secret Service, I take full responsibility for any security lapse.”
Cheatle, who is facing bipartisan calls to resign, said the assassination attempt on Trump, who was slightly wounded in the ear while speaking at a campaign rally, was “the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.”
The 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, opened fire on Trump with an AR-style rifle just minutes after the former Republican president and current White House candidate began speaking at a campaign event in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Crooks was shot dead by a Secret Service sniper 26 seconds after firing the first of eight shots.
Investigators have determined that Crooks, who lived in a town about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from Butler, acted alone and have not been able to identify any strong ideological or political leanings.
Two rally attendees were seriously wounded in the shooting and a 50-year-old firefighter, Corey Comperatore, of Freeport, Pennsylvania, was shot dead.
Opening the hearing into the assassination bid, Republican committee chairman James Comer said “This tragedy was preventable” and “It is my firm belief, Director Cheadle, that you should resign.”
“The Secret Service’s protective mission is to protect US and visiting world leaders and safeguard US elections through protection of candidates and nominees,” Comer said.
“The Secret Service has a zero-fail mission, but it failed on July 13 and in the days leading up to the rally,” he said.
“The Secret Service has thousands of employees and a significant budget, but it has now become the face of incompetence.”
AFP
Kamala Harris will be hard for Trump to defeat – Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister
An erstwhile Foreign Affairs Minister, Bolaji Akinyemi, says Kamala Harris will be a strong opponent for Donald Trump in the next election, highlighting that she will be a hard nut for Trump to crack.
TVN recalls that Joe Biden on Sunday dropped out from the US presidential race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party’s fresh nominee, shaking up an already extraordinary race for the White House.
In the letter announcing his withdrawal, Biden said it was in the best interest of his party and the country to leave the race.
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to serve as your president. And while it has been my intention to seek reelection, I believe it is in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and to focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term,” Biden had said.
Reacting to the development during an appearance on Arise News on Monday, Akinyemi praised Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as his successor.
He said, “President Biden’s choice of Kamala Harris as the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party is a good choice, not necessarily because of her own character but because she is the Vice President.”
“I hope nobody is going to underestimate Kamala Harris. She had to keep a low profile, and I said three weeks ago that when you are the Vice President, you cannot be seen outshining the President. You do what the President tells you to do.”
“Kamala Harris is going to be a hard nut for Trump to crack. Be careful of lawyers, especially someone who has been an attorney general and a prosecutor. She will take you to pieces with the way she will put her own questions and the way she will use you to wipe the floor. She won the Senate seat by 60% from California when she ran, so you see that she is not an easy nut to crack.”
Kamala Harris will be hard for Trump to defeat – Ex-Foreign Affairs Minister