Category Nigeria News

Youths from FCT-based indigenous communities protested at the National Assembly’s offices on Wednesday over what they claimed is the FCT’s ongoing marginalization of its citizens.

The demonstrators are opposed to Solomon Adodo’s nomination to the North Central Development Commission (NCDC) Board under the banner of the FCT Youth Stakeholders Forum.

Zakari Gambo Babale, Adodo, a group leader, claims that the Benue State commission already has several members. He believes that FCT’s indigenous people are underrepresented in his nomination to the NDDC board.

Senate seeks a military base in Adamawa, also READ ALSO.

Security personnel forced the closure of the national assembly complex’s main gate as a result of the protest’s tense turn.

The entrance to the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) was redirected for staff and visitors.

Vice President Kashim Shettima has paid tribute to Africa’s richest man and Founder of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, describing him as the “greatest black man in the past 300 years”.

Shettima stated this while speaking at the Taraba International Investment Summit, tagged ‘ Taravest, ‘ in Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, on Wednesday.

Dangote was on Tuesday named on TIME Magazine’s inaugural TIME100 Philanthropy list, recognising the world’s most influential individuals shaping the future of charitable giving.

He is the only Nigerian featured on the prestigious 2025 list, which honours 100 philanthropists from 28 countries under four categories—Titans, Leaders, Trailblazers, and Innovators.

The Vice President, said, “I want to celebrate the greatest black man in the last 300 years, who single-handedly established the largest single train refinery in the world with the capacity to refine 650, 000 barrels of oil per day, 67 percent of Nigeria’s refining capacity, occupying 2, 635 hectares, larger that Victoria Island, employing 135, 000 Nigerians and training 900 engineers abroad”.

READ ALSO: &nbsp, Dangote Named On TIME’s 100 Global Philantrophy List

Shettima also commended the businessman for demonstrating patriotism by establishing the refinery.

“He started this project in 2007, 2008. If he had invested the $19 billion that it took him to set up the Dangote Refinery in Microsoft, in Amazon, in Google, he is going to be worth $120 billion now.

” But he decided to invest in his own country. Alhaji Aliko Dangote, we are mightily proud of you, “he added. &nbsp,

Dangote earned a spot among the 23 global figures recognised as Titans as he joined the ranks of Michael Bloomberg, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffett, and Melinda Gates.

TIME Honour

TIME commended him for his business success and robust philanthropic impact.

It said”, Business magnate Aliko Dangote, founder, president, and CEO of the Dangote Group, built a net worth of $23.9 billion through cement, agriculture, and oil refining operations in Nigeria.

“His Aliko Dangote Foundation, which he endowed with $1.25 billion in 2014, aims to give back to the continent that facilitated his success, spending an average of $35 million a year on programmes across Africa”.

Speaking on his foundation’s focus, Dangote said, “Health, education, economic empowerment, disaster relief, and food—these are the five main things that any African nation needs.

” We need to create the next generation of African leaders. Investing in nutrition, health, education, and economic empowerment is our contribution to setting Africans up for success. “

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.