Nigerian Newspapers
Federal roads: Jonathan gives condition for payment
President Goodluck Jonathan has given conditions under which the Federal Government will make refunds to states that fix or build federal roads.
He said such states must comply with the Due Process Law.
Jonathan spoke yesterday at the inauguration of WEMPCO Steel Mill Company Limited at Magboro, Ogun State. He was responding to remarks by the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, that his efforts to develop the state were being hampered by some agents of the Federal Government who feel the state is interfering with its involvement in the maintenance and construction of some federal roads.
“I wish to state that Your Excellency would have visited the state more than the four times earlier mentioned if not for the fact that our investment drive is being greatly hampered by an embarrassing dichotomy called Federal and state roads,” Amosun said.
“However, we are being accused by agencies of the Federal Government for improving on the standard of roads in our state. What is more painful is that, these federal roads are very germane to our investment drive because, they link most of our industrial sites,” Amosun said.
The President, who arrived at the venue in a helicopter, escorted by two Air Force choppers, said there should be no controversy at all in any state or local government intervening in anything owned by the Federal Government. Anything owned by any arm of the government belongs to the people, Dr Jonathan said.
He went on: “I will emphasise that the ordinary Nigerian does not want to know whether it was the Federal Government, or the state that built a road. All that Nigerians want are good roads.
“But for us to pay, you must ensure that the procurement process must follow our due process law. So, those are the conditions. So, if you follow the due process, we can payback that part and you can pay the rest. But, assuming that you have enough money to fix the roads, then you don’t have to bother us with our procurement laws, you can go ahead and build the roads. We will never stop you from building the roads, but we will not refund any part because you did not follow our due process law.”
He said the government will release a blueprint to address the issue.
In his words: “But if some state governments want to give out federal roads to private persons for the purpose of tolling, we’ll say no. If the state governments have the money to build the roads for the people, we will give them the go ahead to do so.
“There is no reason the government will give the road to the states, and the states in turn will give it out to a private person. No, we will not accept that. But if you want us to refund some money, you can involve our Ministry of Works, then our due process guidelines must be followed. ” He said the government would come up with a clear blue -print on the issue.
The President praised Amosun for making Ogun State conducive for investment, adding that the government is working assiduously to bring the security challenges in the country under control.
He noted that the steel sector offers immense opportunity for the country, but observed that the potential has not been fully exploited.
No nation can industrialise without a vibrant iron and steel sector, the President said, adding that the government was working towards attaining three million metric tonnes of liquid steel by the end of this year and 12million metric tonnes by 2020.
Jonathan said the government was committed to ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in steel production.
Amosun said Ogun State has attained the second position, nationwide in Internally Generated Revenue (IGR). He said from N700million monthly IGR 23 months ago, the state now generates about N3.9billion monthly IGR, making it second only to Lagos State.
He said: “Our administration will continue to give its unflinching support to serious investors by providing incentives needed for business to thrive. We have fast- tracked the process of land acquisition, registration and approval, which hitherto had been very difficult. Extension of infrastructure to industrial sites and the accompanying waivers can now be assessed at finger tips.”
The governor pleaded for collaboration between the state and industrialists who, he said, should complement the efforts of the state government through prompt payment of taxes and levies, assuring that the state, on its part, will continue to serve as a catalyst for industrial growth through the provision and improvement of infrastructural facilities which will generate profitable and competitive business for the benefit of stakeholders.
The Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the firm, Lewis S.N. Tung, listed Nigeria’s potential for steel development to include oil and gas, iron ore and coal, massive human resources and a huge market.
Tung said whatever deficit, machinery and technology can be easily sourced from outside.
At the event were Foreign Affairs Minister Ambassador Gbenga Ashiru; his Trade and Investment counterpart, Olusegun Aganga and his Iron and Steel counterpart, Musa Mohammed Sada, as well as the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Deng Bo Qing, and the GMD of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imokhuede.
Many traditional rulers, including the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona and the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, were at the ceremony.
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Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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