Category Nigeria News

The House of Representatives demanded the immediate implementation of all approved pension increments in response to a motion that was made regarding the need to address the Federal Government’s failure to pay pension increments and withholding of approved palliatives.

The House also urged the Federal Ministry of Finance to release all palliative measures that had been delayed and to ensure that pensioners’ suffering was alleviated.

The President’s approval of a N25, 000 wage award palliative and an additional N32, 000 pension increase for federal pensioners was brought to the House by Hon. Ibrahim Isiaka, who moved the motion.

Also read: Senate Moves to Make Fruit Ripening With Chemicals Legal.

The House of Representatives has decided to take the move after considering a separate motion.
to examine operational issues involving driver’s license issuance, revenue generation, and usage over the past three years.

The Hon. sponsored motion. Afam Ogene stressed the need to know exactly which government agency is legally responsible for creating, producing, and issuing a driver’s license.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has a state of emergency, which the House wants to see enforced by the federal government, to ensure that necessary medical equipment is purchased, medical personnel are hired, and hospitals are upgraded.

This is a follow-up to Hon. Hon.’s motion of urgent public importance. Nnamdi Ezechi speaks about the FCT healthcare system’s imminent health crisis.

The House noted that the population of the FCT has increased significantly over the past 20 years as a result of the government hospitals and medical facilities being severely overstretched, leading to a severe shortage of bed spaces and medical personnel.

The House is concerned that many of the country’s current government hospitals have been constructed.
several years ago, little or no expansion was made to meet the growing demand for healthcare services.

The Senate plans to amend existing laws to make such use of dangerous chemicals, particularly calcium carbide, by fruit vendors to artificially ripen fruits, and expresses concern to the Senate.

The lawmakers demanded more investigation into the ugly practice, citing the use of dangerous substances for fruit ripening as a significant public health threat to consumers across the nation.

The action came in response to Senator Anthony Okorie Ani’s (Ebonyi South) request for urgent response from relevant regulatory bodies.

Read more about Reps’ demand for more private sector investment in response to the energy crisis.

The Senate then authorized the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration to conduct an investigation into the rising prevalence of the dreadful practice.

Senator Ani noted that the consumption of toxic chemicals for fruit ripening has caused serious health issues, including cancer, kidney failure, and other life-threatening illnesses, and that continued exposure could have a significant impact on public health.

To deter crime and protect Nigerians’ health, the Senate proposed stiffer penalties for offenders.

Ignatius Kaigama, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, has urged Nigerians to embrace tolerance as a necessary step toward national harmony, harmony, and development.

At the inaugural Taravest Summit in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State, he made this known on Wednesday while speaking with prominent public figures, stakeholders, and participants.

No religion encourages violence, according to Archbishop Kaigama, who stressed the value of religious harmony.

No religion preaches violence, he said, so people should be taught to abandon religious fanaticism and embrace peace for sustainable development.

The cleric argued that religion shouldn’t prevent celebrations of victories by using football as a metaphor for national unity.

Nigerians watch football games intently and collectively. Everyone cheers in excitement as one nation’s citizens whenever a goal is scored. Nobody can deny that a Christian or Muslim scored the goal; instead, we simply congratulate Nigeria for its accomplishment.

The “Tolerance Ingredient For Peace”

Kaigama cited the importance of tolerance in society as evidence that ethnic and religious harmony is a prerequisite for peace and security.

In a heterogeneous system, tolerance is an unavoidable component of peace, which harmonises various religions and ethnic groups. This offends God because religion should cultivate its adherents rather than dominate, dominate, or alienate others.

Read more about the Zamfara government’s investigation into a woman’s conversion to Christianity.

He referred to tolerance and mutual acceptance as the “pathway to peace, security, and sustainable development among people of various racial and ethnic backgrounds.”

Kaigama emphasized the necessity of interreligious dialogue that transcends theory and is put into practice. Additionally, he urged more effective land- and resource-use.

Interreligious dialogue is not required to be theoretical; it must be real. Regardless of religion or tribal affiliation, people must imbibe the spirit of tolerance for any country to live peacefully and promote development, he said.

“Religious abuse only leads to violence,” says the statement. Every religion should promote harmony, love, and peaceful coexistence. Every pluralistic society’s pivot for nation-building is tolerance.

The government must be open and honest in its fight against religious or ethnic issues that prevent our progress for Nigeria to join the developed nations. We just need to appreciate God and end unhealthy rivalries at the same time. Use the land to grow food rather than fight and argue over it; ultimately, no one wins.

Archbishop Kaigama praised Taraba State’s strategic position and demanded more investment in the area while bringing up the economic prospects.

Investors should find Taraba State’s strategic location and location to be very alluring. We anticipate that Taraba will become a promising destination for international investors looking for long-term and profitable ventures as the state government works to strengthen its human capital and infrastructure.

Leading stakeholders gathered to discuss opportunities in the state at the Taravest Summit, which was themed “Unlocking Taraba’s Investment Potentials: Advancing Agriculture, Energy, Mining, and Industrialization (AEMI) for Sustainable Growth and Development.”

The completion of the Kashimbila Dam in Taraba State, according to the Sultan of Sokoto, should be prioritized over the implementation of the project, which would solve Nigeria’s persistent electricity issues.

The Sultan praised Governor Agbu Kefas for his commitment to enhancing security and creating a conducive environment for investment at the inaugural Taravest Summit held on Wednesday in Jalingo, the state capital.

The Sultan, however, expressed concern about the Kashimbila Dam’s slow construction and stressed the need for immediate and complete completion.

“We need that dam completely prepared,” he said. Many of the issues we are currently facing with power would have been eliminated if that project had been finished and that company had already produced power.

It has taken years for successive governments to address it, but we must now concentrate on completing the project entirely. The Sultan urged the country to use it to power both Taraba and the entire North-East and the entire nation as a whole.

READ ALSO: Foreigners Can’t Invest in Nigeria – Dangote Without Local Investors

“Taraba More Secure”

The governor’s pragmatic leadership has also helped Taraba become more secure and attractive to investors, according to the monarch.

“In the past, Taraba’s situation wasn’t positive.” However, we can confidently say that someone is acting morally today. If there is no security, investors won’t come, no matter how hard you try to attract them.

Governor Kefas and I have been having fruitful discussions, respectively. People can now enter Taraba peacefully because it is safer than it once was, he said.

The Sultan continued, “We are here as moral and spiritual leaders as you need the support you need,” noting that traditional rulers are unwaveringly supportive of the administration and its development objectives. We assure you that you won’t hide under us.

Top government officials, private sector leaders, and investors gathered for the Taravest Summit to learn about Taraba’s abundant resources and potential development opportunities. The theme of the summit was “Advancing Agriculture, Energy, Mining, and Industrialization (AEMI) for Sustainable Growth and Development.”

Among those present were Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, former vice president Atiku Abubakar, business mogul Tony Elumelu, the Ooni of Ife, and Vice President Kashim Shettima.

Kashimbila Dam

On the Katsina-Ala River in Taraba State, the Kashimbila Dam, which is formally known as the Kashimbila Hydroelectric Power Station, is located.

Its purpose included a variety of uses, including flood control, electricity generation, water supply, irrigation, and regional economic stimulation.

The dam’s main goals are to reduce the risk of flooding caused by the potential collapse of Lake Nyos in Cameroon. A 40 MW hydroelectric power station is a part of the project’s goal to supply southern Taraba with electricity.

Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate for president in the 2023 general elections, asserted that a stable and secure business environment will attract both investment and economic growth.

Atiku made this statement during his Wednesday speech at the Taraba International Investment Summit, which was tagged “Taravest,” in Jalingo, the capital of Taraba State.

He claimed that Taraba’s economy has significant potential for investment and could be improved to enable the development of a stable and secure investment environment.

He urged the government to take steps to reduce investment risks and close bottlenecks and identified agriculture as key factors in the state’s development.

Read more about the security and access to electricity in Nigeria – Elumelu.

The government is urged to take steps to address investment risks, implement interventions, and stop bottlenecks, according to the statement.

He said that host communities’ “poverty, security, and stability” are key factors in the direction of investment flows.

He suggested that the government should focus its efforts on attracting investment through well-designed, well-defined goals, objectives, and strategies as well as well-defined, cogent, and consistent policy measures.

According to Atiku, effective institutions would transform the way that infrastructure is delivered, improve the availability, and maintain the foundation of sustainable development.

Private and Public Partnerships

No Nigerian state, in his opinion, has the resources to support economic growth and maintain sustainable development independently.

Therefore, he claimed that addressing resource gaps and utilizing the state’s potential to facilitate investments was essential by developing strategic partnerships between the state, private investors, local businesses, and communities.

Additionally, the former vice president asserted that private investments would increase internal revenue by bridging the gap between external resources and by reducing internal resource gaps.

Indeed, he said, Taraba must work with private sector resources, including, as Aliko Dangote put it, finance, skills, and technology, to realize its potential and sustainably grow its economy.

I am aware that domestic and foreign investment drives economic growth and development as a private businessman.

The state will benefit from private investments, which Taraba is renowned for, to leverage and maximize the economic potential of its agricultural, industrial, and solid mineral sectors. This initiative aims to provide inclusive growth and lay the groundwork for a diversified economy.

Atiku emphasized the value of skill and technology transfer, which, in his opinion, could boost local businesses’ productivity and boost their competitiveness.

READ MORE: Without Local Investors, Foreigners Can’t Make Investments in Nigeria-Dangete.

“Taraba will be able to upgrade the social and economic infrastructure to promote human capital development and economic growth.
The state’s human resources workforce will be strengthened by investments in education and healthcare services.
“Tarab will better support the poor and the vulnerable by empowering them, improving their access to basic services, and ensuring an equitable distribution of resources to reduce poverty,” he continued.

However, the governor was commended for his deft actions that were clearly demonstrated in the former vice president’s favor of economic growth, prosperity, and raising living standards.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has taken a stand against the controversial arrest of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), insisting that its activities are only limited to those of Nigeria’s territorial borders.

This became apparent when a prosecution witness, who was a DSS intelligence officer, was being cross-examined.

Paul Erokoro, who was the defense’s attorney, resumed the cross-examination of the prosecution witness shortly after.
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The witness stated that the DSS is run by the National Security Advisor and that it can be influenced by politicians or ministers. Additionally, he made it clear that the DSS’s operation is not teleguised by the Attorney General.

READ ALSO: As Nnamdi Kanu’s trial draws to a close, the court accepts important evidence.
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The witness noted that the sources of intelligence collected by the DSS are numerous, including human and social media, among others.
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The witness added that DSS employees are able to obtain information when needed because of their level of training.
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Further investigation revealed that the witness claimed that Nnamdi Kanu had told him that he had been “snapped” from Kenya and had come back to Nigeria in 2021. Mr. BBB argued that the agency lacks the authority to make arrests outside of Nigeria’s borders in response to allegations that the dss committed the act.
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The witness then reaffirmed Kanu’s claim that he incited violence, including during the 2020 EndSARS protests, through his Radio Biafra broadcasts. The defendant, according to the witness, stated that he was willing to use all means, including war, to bring about Bbiafra.
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Mr. BBB argued that the IPOB leader’s inciting remarks caused the Lagos state high court, the Lagos state police station, and the Lagos-based Murtala Mohammed Airport’s cargo shed to burn.
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Paul Erokoro requested an adjournment at some point during cross-examination and informed the court that a video clip the defense wants to present. He requested that that be made possible for some time.
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In addition, the court acknowledged as evidence the validity of the three nnamdi kanu-filed fundamental rights enforcement lawsuits. These include those of the Abia State High Court, the federal high court, the Umuahia division, and another Enugu State high court court decision.

The trial judge issued a warning about the use of social media and live streaming of court proceedings, as well as a note of caution against Aloy Ejimakor, a member of the defense team, and other individuals who regularly post live streams and court documents on social media just before the cross examination began.

The court was informed of a letter from the prosecution’s lead counsel, Adegboyega Awomolo, regarding the illegal live streaming of court proceedings by the defense’s lead counsel, Kanu Agabi, the day’s proceedings began.