Some nurses in the Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State have kicked against the demand of N20,000 from apex nurses in the area as contribution for the retirement celebration of the Directorate Apex, Kudirat Odunoye.
According to the aggrieved nurses, Odunoye allegedly threatened to deal with anyone that does not make the contribution, as she allegedly instructed heads of primary health centres in the LGA to compile the names of defaulters.
The nurses were reportedly mandated to pay the N20,000 between October and November 2021, as the senior officer has been scheduled to retire in January 2022.
One of the affected nurses said that she was afraid that her job could be under threat.
She said, “Alimosho has a lot of primary health centres. The Apex Director, Kudirat Odunoye, who heads directorates in all the primary health centres in the area, is compelling all nurses to pay N20,000 for her send-off ceremony.
“We have been mandated to pay the money between October and November and she has threatened to deal with any nurse that does not pay the money. She made the threat at a meeting and requested the name of any nurse that refuses to pay. The demand is fraudulent; it is oppressive.”
Another nurse urged the state government to intervene, as some nurses have started paying the money out of fear.
“We pay outrageous amounts for people’s retirement. We pay N20,000 annual dues without justification, and now we are to pay N20,000 just because someone is retiring.
“She is the director of all the head nurses in the area, who are further obligated to make nurses under them pay the money. I know two nurses who have been forced to pay,” the nurse said.
The aggrieved nurses provided WhatsApp chats to confirm the demand.
One of the chats reads, “Good evening, great nurses. Based on the meeting we held today with all the Apexes and Directorate Apex Alimosho concerning her sent forth party, each nurses to contribute N20k each for gift and attire aso ebi for (the) day which commences between the month (of) October and November, I pray that almighty will bless each every one of us in Jesus name.”
When contacted, Odunoye denied compelling nurses to pay money for her retirement.
She said, “I will not be the first or last to retire. I don’t know where they see the person that is threatening them. I don’t know who is compelling them; but there is a committee that they set up. Definitely, you know I cannot be part of the committee.
“The committee has a lot of things it has been doing for retirees; mine will not be the first or last. I never compelled or threatened anybody. You can call the chairman of the committee as I never met with any nurse.”
The chairman of the committee, who identified herself only as Onigbanjo, said, “There is nothing like that, although our Directorate Apex is retiring by the grace of God by January 2022 and we as nurses believe that for someone that has served humanity and the state for 35 years, we should give her a befitting send-off.
“We are still at the planning stage and I believe if any nurse is against what we are planning, the person should register her objections instead of running to the Press to tarnish the image of our beloved mother.
“She is not even aware of our planning until you called her and we have not called a general meeting to discuss the financial implications with the nurses.”
The Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nurses and Midwives, Alimosho chapter, Elizabeth Famuyiwa, confirmed the demand, but said that no one was under compulsion.
She said, “We concluded that nurses should pay N20,000 in preparation for the party and we told the apexes to inform the nurses; but no one is compelling them and there is no sanction. It is just an appeal to appreciate her (Odunoye).”
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development have been accused of failing to distribute $100,000 (N41.1million) allowances donated by three banks to Nigeria’s women basketball team for their Tokyo 2020 Olympic participation.
According to SaharaReporters, a member of the senior women basketball team, D’Tigress, revealed that their allowances, bonuses, training grant worth $4,900 had also not been paid.
She added that none of the D’Tigress team members would show up in camp in preparation for the February 2022 FIBA World Cup if the Nigerian government failed to pay them.
She said, “The last time we checked, some of our allowances, bonuses and training grants have not been paid. All our accounts numbers have been submitted but still no remittance. Donations made by banks for players, officials, volunteer stipends etc. dating all the way back to 2018 but I will let the managers address the vendor/contractor’s situation.
“They forget we all have a relationship and do communicate; $500 each 2018 FIBA World Cup for players and officials; $1,000 each for finishing final 8 in FIBA World Cup; $1,000 each bonus for winning AfroBasket in Senegal for 2019 players and officials.
“$300 – $400 each Mozambique Olympic Qualifier allowance balance, were supposed to be paid $100 per day; $2,000 each training grant balance from Tokyo Olympics, players only. The $100,000 donated by three Nigerian banks to all the players and officials that made D’Tigress Olympics qualification possible final roster. The men also got $100,000 assigned to them, the total was $200,000.
“Miscellaneous expenses by players and officials; the full breakdown has been submitted to the outgoing Basket Ball President and the honourable minister, Sunday Dare.
“With all due respect to the association leadership, the Presidency, the Ministry and NBBF administration old and new, if these monies are not paid before the next qualifier of the next tournament in February 2022, FIBA World Cup, the entire D’Tigress team will not show up in camp. We are all saying this as one unit and one voice.”
On the poor outing of the team at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic, she said, “Whoever watched the Olympics games and knows Nigerian Basketball could see that something was wrong. We didn’t play our best because we weren’t treated or given the best during one of the greatest stages and moments of an Athletes career.
“Yes, we had some injuries, could have executed better but there were a lot of distractions around us like; Not knowing who we have available on the team. Not having enough practice time with each other to build cohesiveness.
“Our head coach did not prioritize adequate preparation nor trust his staff enough to delegate significant responsibility. Poor decision by the outgoing President Musa Kida, he avoided the D’Tigress in camp because we inquired about our money amongst other basic things, when he made it to the U.S, he bypassed us in Atlanta to Vegas to support the men’s team. He did not support us with any leadership personnel.
“I believe each player that has been a part of D’Tigress since 2017 has their own thoughts and feelings about the dissolved NBBF Board and coaching staff over the course of the time. It is evident that our voices haven’t been heard, our request for little things ignored, we are not being celebrated and recognized as this team deserves, instead allowances and bonuses are being owed by the NBBF and Ministry.
“Once again, not having a General Manager (GM) on the team created unwanted disorder. This was the icing on the cake for all players with the emotional buildup over the years. We knew all we could do is stick together, try to stay positive and enjoy the Olympics the best that we could. As a team, we know if we were well prepared to play in the Olympics, that there would be no doubt we could have advanced out of our bracket. To our loyal Fans that has been by our side, we appreciate you all.”
The slaying of Sankara, a pan-Africanist icon, has for years cast a shadow over the poor Sahel state, fuelling its reputation for turbulence and bloodshed.
Sankara and 12 others were riddled with bullets by a hit squad on October 15, 1987 during a putsch that brought his friend and comrade-in-arms Blaise Compaore to power.
Compaore, the chief accused, announced through his lawyers last week that he would boycott the trial.
He ruled the country for 27 years before being deposed by a popular uprising in 2014 and fleeing to neighbouring Ivory Coast, which granted him citizenship.
He and his former right-hand man, General Gilbert Diendere, who once headed the elite Presidential Security Regiment, face charges of complicity in murder, harming state security and complicity in the concealment of corpses.
Diendere, 61, is already serving a 20-year sentence for masterminding a plot in 2015 against the transitional government that followed Compaore’s ouster.
He appeared in court dressed in military uniform and looked relaxed.
Another prominent figure among the accused is Hyacinthe Kafando, a former chief warrant officer in Compaore’s presidential guard, who is accused of leading the gunmen. He is on the run.
Compaore has always rejected suspicions that he orchestrated the killing.
His lawyers last week announced he would not be attending a “political trial” that they said was flawed by irregularities, and insisted he enjoyed immunity as a former head of state.
A young army captain and Marxist-Leninist, Sankara came to power in a coup in 1983 aged just 33.
He tossed out the country’s name of Upper Volta, a legacy of the French colonial era, and renamed it Burkina Faso, which means “the land of honest men”.
He pushed ahead with a socialist agenda of nationalisations and banned female genital mutilation, polygamy and forced marriages.
Like Ghana’s former leader Jerry Rawlings, he became an idol in left-wing circles in Africa, lauded for his radical policies and defiance of the big powers.
Burkina Faso has long been burdened by silence over the assassination and many are angry that the killers have gone unpunished.
During Compaore’s long rule, the question of Sankara’s bloody death was taboo.
After his ouster, the interim government in 2015 launched an investigation into the episode, and the following year issued an international arrest warrant for him.
Sankara’s widow Mariam, who lives in southern France, came to Ouagadougou for the opening of the trial.
“This is a day of truth for me, my family and all Burkinabe,” she said, referring to the name of Burkina citizens.
The family’s lawyer, Stanislas Benewende Sankara — who shares the same name but is not a relative — said Compaore’ absence was a “slap in the face” to Burkina Faso’s justice system.
The trial “may not be the end of the tunnel, but we are reaching a very important phase, judicially speaking,” he said.
One of the world’s most impoverished countries, Burkina Faso has also been battling a jihadist insurgency since 2015 that has claimed more than 1,400 lives and forced 1.3 million people from their homes.
Deputy Country Representative, United Nations Children’s Fund, Ms Rushnan Murzata, says digital inclusion of girls is crucial to ensuring equitable distribution of wealth and development in the country.
Murtaza stated this in Abuja, at a Policy Dialogue, as part of events to mark the International Day of the Girl-Child.
She said there was need to increase investment to close the exclusive gaps across geographic lines and opportunities, created by the digital divide in order to accommodate more girls in the space.
Speaking at the event, the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, represented by His Chief of Staff, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, urged stakeholders and development partners to identify gaps in existing laws that needed amendments.
This, according Omo-Agege, is to effectively accommodate the rights of girls to access digital technology.
On her part, Miss Mariam Samani, the President, 2021 IDGC, said increased investment in the country’s ICT sector would facilitate easy access to the digital space and increase inclusion of the girl-child in ICT.
Also, AIG Aisha Abubakar, Gender Adviser to the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, explained that the digital space had security implications, and advised girls to be vigilant while using social media platforms.
Abubakar, during a session on “Safety and Insecurity in Schools; Impact on Adolescents Girls Retention and Transition in Schools”, advised girls to learn the act of self-defence and avoid divulging information on social media.
On her part, Mrs. Abiola Salihu, representative of Education In Emergency Working Group, said Nigeria recorded the highest number of abduction of learners and education personnel between 2020 and 2021.
Salihu, therefore stressed the need to consider the Gender Impact while implementing the Safe School Declaration in Nigeria.
Speaking at the event also, Dr Asabe Vilita-Bashir, Director General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), said ICT skills would ensure personal security, better access to education and jobs, financial inclusion and access to basic healthcare information for girls.
Former Big Brother Naija Shine Ya Eye housemate, Tega Dominic, has alleged that her husband cheated on her by bringing his lover to their home.
She alleged that she got to know when she interacted with some neighbours.
She made this known in a recent interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, on his show, WithChude, where she spoke about her marriage and BBNaija.
When asked if her husband cheated on her, Tega stated that she got to know “spiritually” before finding out from the neighbours.
Tega said, “Well, I got to know that he cheated and took someone home. I am deep – spiritually. How I go to know was that one day, I was in class and it was something like a trance. I saw him driving, and a babe was in front.
“And I’m like, ‘What’s this? What’s going on?’ I saw it like twice. So, I called my sister and I asked her what was going on and she denied it. I said, ‘Okay no problem.’
“I relate with the guys in my street a lot. So, I called one of them and I also did some FBI stuff. And then, he came up with ‘Okay, he’s always bringing this babe to the house.’
“My sister was at home, my kid was at home, your brother was at home, and you brought this girl to the house. That was the height of disrespect for me. It was not like I didn’t know he was doing stuff outside. But then, bringing this girl home was just it for me.
“Then we talked about it and he was so defensive. What really broke me was that he said, ‘You went to Lagos to be with a man, that’s why I did all of this.’
“When Big Brother came, I was like, ‘Okay, this is going to fly’. And then my mum spoke to me that I should not do it but I spoke to him and told him, this is what I wanted to do.’”
While Tega was on the BBNaija show, her husband, in a now-deleted post, had confessed to cheating on his wife, stating that the act broke his marriage.
This came even as Tega was being trolled on the internet for engaging in erotic activities with a former housemate of the show, Boma.
Officers of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday stormed the headquarters of Kaduna State Urban Planning Development Agency (KASUPDA), whisking away the Director General, Malam Ismail Umaru Dikko.
KASUPDA has gained the reputation of Kaduna’s most feared agency due to its demolition of properties across the state.
Its boss, Dikko, was a Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, before he was elevated to head the agency in 2019.
It was gathered that the DG was in a meeting with other staff members when officials of the EFCC took over the office premises a few minutes after 10am, Daily Trust reports.
Eyewitnesses said there was some commotion before the DG entered a black hilux Toyota vehicle of the EFCC.
Sources said two EFCC officials in suit, with two police officers with rifles accompanied the KASUPDA boss into the vehicle.
The source said some staff members at KASUPDA had tried to stop the EFCC from leaving with the DG and security guards at the gate had prevented the car from exiting.
However, the DG asked the security guards to open the gate.
Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc, Raymond Dokpesi
The Chairman Emeritus of DAAR Communications Plc, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi, said he was supporting a northern presidency in the 2023 elections because they had been marginalised with the death of former President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua in 2010.
According to him, it will not be fair and just should power return to the South in 2023, even though the regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), would have done eight years.
Dokpesi, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, stated these in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Saturday as part of activities marking his 70th birthday.
He said his support for northern presidency was in line with PDP agreement during the party’s convention in 2006.
But ironically, Dokpesi said he was also canvassing for the national leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu for President in 2023 because they had been childhood friends.
He said, “Let me tell you that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, before he became governor, when he was still in Mobil, you know the Headquarters of Mobil is just directly in front of my house in Lagos. As young men, we ate and drank together; we were close friends before he became governor.
“He is a philanthropist; he is kind-hearted. He is supportive of the ordinary person available, and he has brought about bringing hope to people. For 2023, I wish him the very best in whatever he puts his hands on. So, it has nothing to do with politics; it is a matter of the good relationship we have always had and I cherish it and I want to keep it.”
While insisting that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan won the 2015 election, Dokpesi said he did not believe that he (Jonathan) would join the APC as being rumoured and had not told anybody.
Delegates from the Taliban and the United States have held “candid and professional” talks in the Qatari capital, according to a US official, with the two-day discussions focusing on security and “terrorism” concerns, the rights of women and girls as well as evacuations from Afghanistan.
The weekend talks in Doha were the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides since the Taliban took over Afghanistan on August 15.
“The discussions were candid and professional with the US delegation reiterating that the Taliban will be judged on its actions, not only its words,” Ned Price, spokesman for the US Department of State, said on Sunday.
“The US delegation focused on security and terrorism concerns and safe passage for US citizens, other foreign nationals and our Afghan partners, as well as on human rights, including the meaningful participation of women and girls in all aspects of Afghan society,” he said.
“The two sides also discussed the United States’ provision of robust humanitarian assistance, directly to the Afghan people.”
Al Jazeera’s Natasha Ghoneim, reporting from Doha, said that the Afghan delegation had described the two-day talks as “positive”.
“They hope it paves the way for recognition of the Afghan government – not only by the United States, but the international community,” she said.
The Afghan delegation, led by the Afghan acting foreign minister, Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi, also came to Doha seeking financial assistance that comes with any sort of international recognition, she said.
The Afghan delegation was asking the US to end economic sanctions and to “unfreeze” some $10bn worth of assets, she added.
The Taliban announced its all-male Cabinet last month, but it has struggled to govern amid a liquidity crisis after it was cut off from the international financial institutions, such as IMF and World Bank.
The group has said it needs to pay government employees and provide services to Afghans amid a looming economic and humanitarian crisis.
Neither the US nor the Taliban have said if any agreements were reached during the talks.
“What concessions were made to get financial assistance, what deals might be made … we don’t know as of now,” said Ghoneim.
The Taliban took back power in Afghanistan in August, almost 20 years after they were ousted in a US-led invasion for refusing to hand over al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US.
Ahead of the weekend talks, US officials told the Reuters news agency that the US would press the Taliban to release kidnapped American Mark Frerichs. Another top priority would be to hold the Taliban to their commitment not to allow Afghanistan to again become a hotbed for al-Qaeda or other armed groups.
The U.S. officials said the talks were a continuation of “pragmatic engagements” with the Taliban and “not about granting recognition or conferring legitimacy” to the group.
Washington and other Western countries are grappling with difficult choices as a severe humanitarian crisis looms large in Afghanistan.
They are trying to work out how to engage with the Taliban without granting the group the legitimacy it seeks, while ensuring humanitarian aid flows into the country.
While the Taliban has signalled flexibility on evacuations, it has said there would be no cooperation with the US on containing armed groups in Afghanistan.
The US-Taliban agreement of 2020, which was negotiated by the administration of former President Donald Trump, had demanded that the Taliban break ties with “terrorist” groups and guarantee Afghanistan would not again harbour “terrorists” who could attack Washington and its allies.
In turn, the Afghan group has demanded that its senior leaders be taken off the “terror list”, accusing the US of violating the Doha agreement, which paved the way for the US withdrawal.
Since the Taliban took power, the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), an ISIL (ISIS) affiliate, has ramped up attacks in the country, particularly targeting the Shia Hazara community.
ISKP has claimed a suicide attack on a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in which dozens of people were killed.
Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has sent a passionate appeal to members of the National Assembly to save the country the trouble that will result from the proposal to make direct primaries compulsory.
Saraki, in a statement yesterday by Head of his Media Office, Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that the decision to include a provision in the proposed Electoral Act, which makes direct primaries compulsory for parties would only create new problem while trying to solve another.
He added that many of the political parties lack the necessary infrastructure to successfully conduct direct primaries at all levels, while the attempt would lead to litigations that might jeopardise the general election.
“I feel compelled to, once again, appeal to senators and members of the House of Representatives on the proposed Electoral Act because I realised that while the focus of the general public has been on how to get the electronic transmission of results into the proposed law, another potential problem that may clog our electoral process is included in the Electoral Act – provision on direct primaries.
“The two options on the table are to make direct primaries compulsory for all the parties or to leave it open for parties to decide. We should take the latter option. Let us leave each party to decide how it wants to source its candidates. Past experience shows that direct primary will lead to a crisis, if forced on the parties. We saw how people sent from the national headquarters to conduct primary elections stayed in hotel rooms and conjured up figures, which were announced as the result of direct primary elections,” he stated.
According to him, the direct primaries option will also put pressure on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), whose officials must monitor all the primaries.
Saraki added: “The direct primaries provision may work for us in the future, but not now that we are not prepared for it, as the primaries may hold next June. That is just nine months from now. The time for adequate and necessary preparations towards direct primaries is even not there. There will be so many litigations arising from the process. Do we have the time to hold crisis-free primaries and not create booby-traps for the general elections?
“My appeal goes to all members of the National Assembly. Please, do not let us take a position on critical issues based on partisan and personal consideration. Let us put Nigeria first and act in the best interest of our country. During our time in the National Assembly, whenever we were confronted with issues like this, we just appealed and prevailed on members to put the nation first before any other consideration. I believe the same appeal should go to the present federal lawmakers.”
President Muhammadu Buhari has renewed the determination of his administration to uplift the quality of life of Nigerians through aggressive implementation of humane and gender responsive budget as well as security measures to check criminal activities in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the president presented the 2022 Appropriation Bill for an aggregate expenditure of N16.39 trillion to the joint session of the National Assembly (NASS) on Thursday.
The president described the 2022 Appropriation which was earlier approved for presentation to NASS by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Oct. 6, as Budget of Economic Growth and Sustainability.
According to him, the 2022 budget is also the first in the nation’s history, where Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were clearly advised on gender responsive budgeting.
The President seized the opportunity of the budget presentation to provide an overview of global and domestic developments in the country.
While observing the COVID-19 protocol during his presentation, the president also gave a summary of his administration’s achievements and its plans for the next fiscal year.
President Buhari stressed that these were exceptional times for Nigeria.
He said: “The grim realities of COVID-19 and its lethal variants are still upon us. From President to pauper, the virus does not discriminate.
“This is why our country still maintains its COVID-19 guidelines and protocols in place to protect citizens and stop the spread of this disease.’’
Buhari had earlier returned to Abuja on Oct. 5 after attending the inauguration of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia for a second five-year term in office.
The Nigerian leader was in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopia capital, on Sunday where he delivered a goodwill message at the inauguration event held at the historic Meskel Square.
NAN reports that other African leaders at the event included the Presidents of Djibouti, Kenya, South Sudan, Senegal, Somalia, Uganda and the Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Also while in Addis Ababa, Buhari had on Oct. 5 met with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan where he expressed Nigeria’s readiness to assist South Sudan to achieve political and economic stability.
The president assured the full support of Nigeria to all efforts to bring long-term stability and prosperity to the continent.
On Oct. 6, the Federal Government warned that it may be forced to impose State of Emergency in Anambra to ensure peaceful conduct of the forthcoming gubernatorial election in the state.
The Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federal, Abubakar Malami, gave the warning when he fielded questions from State House correspondents at the end of the meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
The meeting was presided over by Buhari in Abuja on Wednesday.
NAN observed that stakeholders in Anambra project including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had raised alarm over the upsurge in cases of violent attacks on individuals and government facilities in Anambra as the governorship election in the state draws closer.
The minister, however, threatened that the federal government may declare a state of emergency, if the security situation in the state did not improve.
Buhari also granted audience to a team from ExxonMobil Corporation led by Liam Mallon, its President on Upstream Oil and Gas, at State House Abuja, on Wednesday.
At the meeting, the president urged operators in the petroleum industry to take advantage of the new Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to promote their investments in the oil and gas sector.
Also on Oct. 6, Buhari met behind closed doors with former President Goodluck Jonathan, in his office at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The agenda of the meeting was unknown to newsmen, while no official statement was issued on the outcome of the meeting.
Jonathan, who is ECOWAS Special Envoy to the Republic of Mali, had been updating Buhari on efforts by West African leaders to restore stability to the country.
The president on Oct. 7 also met behind closed door with Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
NAN observed that the meeting came barely 24 hours after the Federal Government had threatened to invoke emergency rule as part of measures to address security challenges and safeguard electoral process in the state.
Obiano, who spoke to State House correspondents at the end of the closed door meeting, said he updated the President on security challenges facing the state, saying bandits from neigbouring states are responsible for the killings and disruption of public peace in the state.
The governor, however, described the call for the declaration of State of Emergency in Anambra to address security challenges in the state as “very unfortunate’’.
On Oct. 8, the president, who also doubles as Ministry of Petroleum Resources, received the certificate of incorporation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).
He noted that with the certification of the company the country expected nothing less from the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, and the Chief Finance Officer, “than the realisation of a global national oil company that this nation desires and deserves”.
Under the recently signed Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), was expected to transform to a limited liability company, a fact that has now been accomplished.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo was also in London, the United Kingdom, where he participated at different meetings including the High-Level United Nations event on the Energy Transition plan in Africa with special focus on Nigeria.
The meetings included first, a closed-door session with COP26 President-Designate, Mr Alok Sharma, a cabinet rank British Minister and the Chair of the UK Government’s COP26 Energy Transition Council (ETC) at Whitehall.
He was also at an interaction with the academic community at Imperial College followed by meetings of the Global Energy Alliance and presentations on the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan and Nigeria’s Integrated Energy Plan.
Osinbajo observed at Imperial College that Africa as a continent was home to the world’s youngest fastest growing population and in order to create jobs and enable climate-smart industrialisation, “the scale and quality of electricity services must increase significantly”.
Also on Friday, Buhari assented to the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill 2021 to boost agricultural activities in the country.
The president, who assented to the bill before his recent visit to Ethiopia, said the bill was in consonance with the commitment of his administration to diversify the economy with agriculture playing a critical role.
”With the amendment, the Council is expected to play a crucial part in coordinating research efforts in the agricultural sector towards achieving food sufficiency and security in the nation,” he added.
Buhari also approved the establishment of the Federal College of Agriculture, Kirikasamma, and the Federal College of Education (Special), Birnin Kudu, both in Jigawa.
NAN reports that a 55-minute documentary, titled: ”The Buhari Effect: Undeniable Achievements”, was aired on Channels Television on Oct. 9 at 7p.m.
The documentary, which is in view of some milestone of the administration of Buhari, would also be aired on Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Sunday at 7 p.m.
Buhari ended the week at the Passing Out Parade for Cadets of 68 Regular Course (Army, Navy and Air Force) in Kaduna, Kaduna State, where he pledged that the Federal Government would do everything within the ambit of the law to protect Nigerians from the activities of criminals.
The criminal activities, according to the President, include insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and politically motivated killings.
The president said that more equipment had been received from some friendly countries to improve the security operations in Nigeria.
According to him, the government remains focused on its priority of improving security, bolstering the economy and fighting corruption.
