Pro-Fubara, Wike Lawmakers Hold Parallel Sittings Today
Photo Credit:Punch Newspapers
There is palpable tension in Rivers as the two factions of the State House of Assembly will have parallel sittings this morning.
On Sunday night the Victor Oko-Jumbo-led House loyal to the State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara had in a letter by the Clerk, Dr G. M Gillis-West, invited a new commissioner-nominee, Emmanuel Frank-Fubara, to appear before it on Monday for screening and confirmation as a member box the State Executive Council.
Meanwhile, the Martin Amaewhule-led House loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, will also hold plenary today, our correspondent reliably gathered.
While the pro-Fubara lawmakers holds it string in an improvised Hallowed Chamber in the Government House, Port Harcourt, the pro-Wike legislators sit at the State Assembly official quarters along Aba Road, also in the metropolis.
Both factions will sit by 10 am today (Monday)
Though it is not clear what the Amaewhule-led lawmakers will deliberate on, it will be their first sitting since the Court of Appeal judgement recognised the pro-Wike lawmakers as members of the House.
The lawmakers may among others, discuss the issue of the 23 local government councils in the state, which has been barricaded by the police for over two weeks in the wake of the crisis that greeted the tenure of the then Local Government Chairmen.
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Gunmen Kill 3 Vigilantes, Teenager In Imo
Photo Credit:Vanguard Newspapers
Unidentified gunmen, Sunday evening, killed three vigilantes and a teenager in Umuaka, Njaba Local Government Area of Imo State.
A source in the community said the vigilantes were on a patrol in a bus in the community when the gunmen attacked them at Afor Umuaka.
According to the source, the attackers laid an ambush and opened fire on the security men.
A stray bullet was said to have hit the teenager who died on the spot.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Henry Okoye, who confirmed the incident, said a tactical squad had been deployed to append the attackers.
“The Commissioner of Police Imo State Command, CP Aboki Danjuma, has strongly condemned the attack and gruesome murder of the vigilante Personnel of the Umuaka Autonomous Community by gunmen on Sunday evening, 7/07/2024.
“In the wake of the tragic incident that claimed the lives of three gallant vigilantes who were on routine crime prevention patrol and a passerby, the Commissioner of Police has deployed the Command’s Tactical Squad with the available operational resources to go all out in synergy with other security agencies and hunt down the hoodlums responsible for the dastardly act.
Dangote Refinery On Track For July Petrol Supply–Official
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The Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, Devakumar Edwin, has reiterated that the Dangote oil refinery will supply petrol in July as promised.
Edwin said this when he took officials of the S&P Global on a tour of the facility over the weekend.
According to Edwin, the company aims to catalyse a virtuous cycle of industrial development, job creation, and economic prosperity by harnessing Africa’s abundant crude oil resources to produce refined products locally.
He also revealed that “as earlier promised, the company will start the production of Premium Motor Spirit this month.”
While claiming that the products from the facility are of high quality and that they meet international standards, Edwin said it could meet 100 per cent of Nigeria’s demand for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and aviation fuel, with surpluses available for export.
Meanwhile, S&P Global said the Dangote refinery is capable of resolving Nigeria’s foreign exchange challenges by putting an end to fuel importation, which mounts huge pressure on the local Naira currency.
Our correspondent learnt that S&P Global visited the Dangote Refinery at Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos as part of its sovereign credit ratings assessment of Nigeria.
UK PM Starmer Meets Northern Ireland’s Leaders
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United Kingdom Prime Minister, Keir Starmer made his first visit to Northern Ireland on Monday, with hopes high on both sides of the political divide that relations will improve after years of Brexit turmoil.
Starmer, whose centre-left Labour party won last week’s UK general election, briefly met the leaders of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive at the Stormont parliament buildings early on Monday.
He held talks with First Minister Michelle O’Neill, of the pro-Irish unity Sinn Fein party, and Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), as he continues a whistlestop tour of the UK.
The Labour leader was due in Cardiff later on Monday, where he will meet party allies who head the devolved administration there.
In Northern Ireland, both main parties expect Starmer to bring greater stability and closer engagement, as well as patch up relations with Dublin.
“There’s cautious optimism about the new government across the board, but for different reasons,” James Pow, a politics lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, told AFP.