Category Nigeria News

Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rhodes, has pledged to support his administration’s full commitment to working with the state’s youth and women to create jobs.

Governor Fubara made the pledge on Thursday when he made the visit to Government House in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, with the delegation led by the NDE Director-General, Silas Agara.

The governor stated that the governor’s administration would work closely with the NDE to increase the number of people who are receiving federal government employment and empowerment programs.

He argued that sub-national governments deserved praise for President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to boost job creation through the agency.

Fubara recalled a personal story that reinforced his faith in the NDE, narrating how his cousin, who had been working for the Directorate without any influence, was hired in Port Harcourt about 30 years ago.

He cited it as proof that transparent processes could transform lives, and he also expressed confidence that the agency would continue to support fairness and merit in its programs.

The governor stressed the need for renewed optimism and determination while recognizing that Rivers State continues to be a strategic hub due to its sea ports, expanding oil companies, and population growth.

He requested more information from the State Commissioner for Employment Generation and Empowerment, Chisom Gbali, in order to inform the government’s follow-up, and expressed particular interest in the three NDE farm centers that the Director-General mentioned.

Gov . Women are a crucial but frequently overlooked component of the migration and development process, according to Fabara, who also praised the Directorate’s commitment to women empowerment.

He urged the NDE to collaborate closely with the Employment Ministry to ensure that the state fully benefits from both the state’s ongoing and upcoming initiatives.

In order to improve coordination and improve the effectiveness of their collaboration, Governor Fubara suggested the creation of a joint state-NDE team.

He cited the state’s broader economic vision and the ongoing infrastructure projects, including the Ngo-Atlantic-Oyorokoto Road in Andoni, which he claimed would unlock the state’s potential for blue economy and tourism.

He believes that opening access to the Ngo beach area and Oyorokoto, rumored to be West Africa’s largest fishing settlement, would result in employment and investment.

He added that the less fortunate can obtain basic necessities like food, education, and shelter, putting the risk of increasing inequality in society at risk.

READ ALSO: Fubara Tells Traditional Rulers That Governance Is Back On Track in Rivers

Agara praised the governor’s open-door policy earlier in his remarks, claiming it had promoted collaboration and progress.

The NDE boss explained that since taking over the presidency in 2024, the organization has implemented a number of youth empowerment initiatives, including the training and engagement of over 90,000 beneficiaries nationwide.

In the upcoming weeks, he announced plans to train 500 more youths in 12 local government areas and give more people with disabilities opportunities.

He claimed that the NDE is also conducting training for rural women in agricultural and technical skills as well as for youth employment in the oil and gas industry.

Agara expressed hope that the agency’s Rivers State skill acquisition and farm centers would be fully operational by 2026, stressing that all of its procedures are ICT-enabled to ensure access to information and transparency.

A source told AFP on Thursday that Real Madrid and the Super League promoters are suing UEFA for more than $4 billion in damages after they falsely accused them of torpedoing the breakaway competition.

A Spanish court on Wednesday rejected UEFA’s contested league appeal.

The Super League project, which was proposed by 12 prestigious European clubs in 2021, quickly fell apart due to fierce opposition from English club supporters and threats from UEFA and FIFA.

The Super League’s ban was deemed unlawful by the European Court of Justice in December 2023.

A Spanish judge ruled that FIFA and UEFA were using their dominant position and engaging in anti-competitive behavior by opposing the Super League last year.

On Wednesday, the Madrid court rejected appeals from La Liga and the Spanish Football Federation.

A22 Sports Management, the project’s promoter, expressed regret over UEFA’s “refused any path of compromise” and “reforms” despite several months of discussions, and that it had “no other choice” but to “initiate proceedings to obtain compensation for the damages suffered.”

A22 CEO Bernd Reichart said, “UEFA can no longer ignore binding court decisions,” after years of legal proceedings.

They have caused significant harm to numerous clubs, players, and other stakeholders in Europe by abusing their monopoly and preventing new initiatives.

READ MORE: Mbappe, Madrid’s transfer from Bellingham to El Clasico

Although the court’s decision addresses regulations that have been completely rewritten, its scope is uncertain.

The governing body of European football said in a statement sent to AFP on Wednesday that this decision does not support the abandoned “super league” project announced in 2021 nor does it violate UEFA’s current authorisation rules, which were updated in 2024 and adopted in 2022, which continue to be in force.

These guidelines establish objective, fair, impartial, non-discriminatory, and proportionate criteria for the evaluation of any cross-border competitions.

Real Madrid claimed that the decision “confirmed that UEFA seriously violated the European Union’s free competition rules” by “abusing its dominant position.”

Real Madrid stated in a statement that the club “agrees that it will continue to work for the good of global football and fans, and that it has received significant damages from UEFA.”

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is home to six opposition members from the House of Representatives.

Also read: &nbsp, Four Reps Defect From APC.

Five Enugu State lawmakers are among them, and Governor Peter Mbah witnessed their defection at the green chamber.

Obetta Chidi, Anayo Onwuegbu, Dennis Agbo, Martins George, Nnaji Nnolim, and Daniel Asama, all of whom left the Plateau State, are the defectors.

Two weeks after Governor Mbah dumped the PDP for the APC, the Enugu lawmakers defected.

The governor defended his choice to switch camps during a state-wide broadcast to the state’s citizens, claiming that it was necessary to link the south-eastern state with the state’s population.

Every person has a moment when they must make a bold choice to choose their destiny.

We have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress today, he declared after a thorough analysis.

In the ruling APC, Governor Umo Eno and seven House members from opposing parties in Akwa Ibom State joined in July.

Unyime Idem, Martins Esin, Paul Ekpo, Uduak Odudoh, Okpolu Etteha, Bassey Okon, and Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo joined the APC as lawmakers.

According to the civic-tech foundation, the total revenue of Nigerian states nearly doubled in the same year in 2023, largely as a result of increased funding from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) and the elimination of the fuel subsidy.

Vahyala Kwaga, Deputy Country Director of BudgiT, stated on Wednesday on Channels Television’s Politics Today program that states are making significantly more money. IGR, on the other hand, has improved significantly across the board.

It is obvious that a large portion of this was caused by revenue and transfers from the federation accounts allocation committee or by the elimination of subsidies. So states are making significantly more money, Kwaga explained. “IGR has also improved significantly across the board.

Our evaluation of the ten-year performance this year is important because it examines the performance over the previous ten years. We’ve seen some significant improvements when we compare the growth of IGR year-on-year and the 2024 fiscal year. Some states’ IGR scores have significantly improved.

Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima’s administration has been backed by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), a well-known quasi-political and socio-cultural organization in the north, for the duration of their support.

The organization made the commitment when its leadership invited the Vice President to the presidential villa in Abuja ahead of the 25th anniversary of the ACF.

Bashir Dalhatu, the chairman of the ACF board of trustees, expressed satisfaction with the partnership between Vice President Shettima, Vice President Tinubu, and other sons and people from the northern region.

According to Dalhatu, the vice president continues to be the government’s number one ambassador to the north, standing up for the north in the country. He also works for Nigeria’s interests as a whole.

The Vice President is “our number one ambassador,” according to the northerners. We have seen that he has taken our spirit, our image, and our aspirations into account in this administration because of his image.

He has a 100% support for the president. The ACF BoT Chairman stated that we are very proud of the support he and all of our children are giving this government.

He stated that the ACF will continue to support the government under President Tinubu’s leadership.

They serve as excellent ambassadors. We’ll continue to support them despite their accomplishments. However, we will also continue to highlight areas where we believe improvement can be made for all Nigerians, not just those in the north, he continued.

The Arewa Consultative Forum was established in 2000 to advance the political interests of the people of northern Nigeria.

The ACF BoT Chairman stated in the scorecard that the organization has intervened in numerous areas of the north and throughout Nigeria.

He claims that there were a lot of other socio-cultural organizations when the forum was founded in 2000. However, the governors, the emirs, the chiefs, the sultan, and everyone else who were there at the time convened to urge a single organization that would unite our people before moving on in the same spirit to unite the nation. We did it correctly.

“We have intervened in a number of conflict-stricken regions of the north. Advice has been given. We’ve written reports. We’ve been to and discussed. In addition to these programs, we have intervened in numerous areas of social and economic development. This attitude will be continued by us.

There were “so many areas of conflict in the north” prior to the arrival of ACF. We have managed to reduce a lot of it, even though they haven’t finished completely, and I think everyone can now see the difference.

We have also continued to educate and inform people about how to be self-sufficient and how to work together to promote a prosperous Nigerian economy and, in turn, to support the growth of this nation’s economy.

The ACF leadership stated that the country’s progress would be aided by the silver jubilee anniversary by encouraging peace and harmony among the various regions and tribes of Nigeria.