We did not suspend Kano governor, says NNPP
Photo Credit: The Nation Nigeria
The national chairman of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ahmed Ajuji said on Thursday, April 18, that the party did not suspend the Kano state governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf as being speculated in the media.
A fraction of the party led by the former national publicity secretary, Agbo Major had announced a six-month suspension of the Kano governor, alleging his failure to appear before a disciplinary committee.
Ajuji said: “For record purposes, Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf is a bonafide member of our great party and a worthy ambassador of NNPP whose leadership and unprecedented achievements in Kano state are a thing of pride to us, and as such we have no reason to suspend him. In essence, the NNPP did not suspend our Governor.”
“Nigerians were amused early this week when expelled political comedians, hirelings, and clowns craving for relevance announced the suspension of the party’s action Governor Abba Yusuf for attending the NNPP national convention.
“The jokers played back a cracked record and poorly scripted movie of suspension of the Kano State Governor as their sponsors and target audience no longer listen to the endless suspension and expulsion of His Excellency, Engr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the National Leader of the party.
“These political jobbers were also the ones hired to scuttle Governor Abba Yusuf’s election at the Tribunal, Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court falsely claiming that he was not duly and properly nominated by the party as its Candidate for the 2023 General election.
“To God be the glory the Supreme Court Justices in their own wisdom saw through their lies, and agreed with us and the INEC that Gov. ABBA Kabur Yusuf is a bonafide member of NNPP.
Rejig your economic team, PDP tells Tinubu
Photo Credit: Punch Newspaper
The National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party on Thursday asked President Bola Tinubu to immediately rejig his economic team in order to salvage the country’s economy.
“NEC demands that President Tinubu should immediately rejig his economic team to bring in persons of proven integrity and competence without bias and vested interest to assist in repositioning the economy,” the PDP said in a communique issued at the end of the 98th NEC meeting in Abuja.
“NEC further demands that the Federal Government should review all policies and programmes which are stifling the economy with suffocating effect on the lives of citizens; including the increase in the price of fuel without cushioning measures, hike in electricity tariff, increased taxation and implementation of adverse fiscal policies.
“NEC expresses concern over the ill-implemented policies of the insensitive APC administration, leading to worsening insecurity, harrowing economic hardship, soaring unemployment rate, high cost of food and other necessities of life with pervading misery and despondency across the country,” the communique signed by the PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, added.
The NEC also asked the President to urgently convene a special National Security Council meeting to proffer a holistic solution and measures to curb the disturbing insecurity with its attendant negative consequences in the country.
Photo Credit: Google
“NEC expresses serious apprehensions over the spate of acts of terrorism and violence, including the escalated cases of mindless killings, mass abduction of innocent Nigerians, and marauding of communities in various parts of the country.
Anambra ex-gov Ezeife for burial Saturday
Photo Credit: Punch Newspaper
THE arrangements and programme of activities for the final burial of the late former governor of Anambra State, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, have been slated to begin in Awka, the state capital, on Friday.
Ezeife, popularly called ‘Okwadike’, was Anambra State governor from January 2, 1992, to November 1993, during the aborted Third Republic.
He died at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja, on December 14, 2023, at the age of 85.
According to a burial poster signed by the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Paul Nwosu, the deceased would be given a state burial, with the obsequies commencing with some pre-burial events.
The events, some of which had already been held, included a service of songs at the Ecumenical Centre, Abuja (slated for April 12, at 5 pm); a celebration of life and times of
‘Okwadike’ at the Eagle Square, Abuja (slated for April 13, at 10. am); and the National Night of Tributes at Thisday Dome, Abuja, (slated for April 15, at 5. pm).
These will be followed by state burial events, which include state commendation and thanksgiving service at the International Conference Centre, Awka (slated for Friday, April 19, at 10. am) with tributes commencing immediately after service.
Service of Songs will be held at his country home, Igboukwu in Aguata LGA, by the Salvation Army Church (slated for Friday, April 19, at 5. pm).
Palliative measures failed to stop annual Ogun community flooding —Minister
Photo Credit: Punch Newspaper
The Minister of State for Environment, Dr Iziaq Salako, in this interview with SODIQ OJUROUNGBE, speaks on the government’s commitment to tackling environmental challenges, including the devastating impact of flooding on communities like Isheri, the border town between Lagos and Ogun states
What is the government doing on desertification and land degradation, particularly in the North?
Land degradation is another resultant effect of climate change because of the global warming we are experiencing. We have desertification happening very fast, and then land depreciation also because of the way we use our land in a non-sustainable manner.
For us, one of the key things to prevent land degradation is to adopt nature-based solutions in terms of planting trees. And that’s why we have the agencies like the Great Green Wall planting trees. For example, the mandate given by Mr President to the ministry is to ensure that we plant at least six million trees in 2024. And we have designed our programmes to ensure that we achieve this. The agencies are going to plant trees are the Forest Research Institute of Nigeria in Ibadan, the Great Green Wall and then the ministries and then we have a special intervention project by Mr President that is also going to plant trees, to achieve large-scale tree planting.
We are also going to use tree planting to promote agroforestry and bamboo as an alternative to trees. So, you see us doing all kinds of programmes like that to address land degradation.
Well, the game show is still in the cooler. We will not want to reveal too much for now. I am sure that in the coming weeks or months, you will see the public presentation of the game show, and then everybody will see the details of it.
For the tree planting, we’re going to first engage the youth in tree planting. We are going to engage retirees in tree planting, and then we are also going to have our agencies planting trees. We are also going to support the state ministries to plant trees.
We’re going to produce seedlings that we can donate to states and interested non-governmental organisations that have track records of successful tree-planting programmes. Those are the strategies that we are going to adopt.
The presidential initiative that I spoke about is going to engage youths and retirees, especially to plant trees. The whole idea is to train youths to be able to raise seedlings on their own and also to plant those trees, nurture them to adulthood, and be compensated as they go along with doing that by the Federal Government.