Dennis

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, says  his administration is commitment towards fulfilling its electioneering promises to the people of the state. Governor Diri, also said his administration had already made good some of the promises silently in the area of infrastructural development, stressing that no amount of political shenanigans would make it to lose focus. Speaking  through his deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, while addressing members of his support group, Bayelsa Unite for Douye Diri (BUDD) in Government House, Yenagoa, the governor said the present administration has made appreciable progress in its effort to complete the Sagbama-Ekeremor and Yenagoa-Oporoma road projects. Informed the jubilant supporters that, as part of the benefits of continuity of government under the Peoples Democratic Party in the state,  people can now drive to Angiama in Southern Ijaw and Ekeremor MainTown on asphalt. While responding to requests made by the group, he ins...

The Senate has proposed the establishment of 376 new agencies and institutions despite moves by the Federal Government to restructure the public service in line with the Steve Oronsaye Committee Report on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commission.   The report recommended the scrapping or merging of some ministries, departments and agencies in order to reduce the cost of governance.   A white paper committee set up by the Federal Government to review the parastatals, agencies and commissions created since 2014  submitted a draft report in August.   The Federal Government also in November last year, inaugurated sub-committees headed by former heads of service of the federation, Bukar Aji, Ama Pepple and Oladapo Afolabi , on the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, while the Ebele Okeke Committee was to draft a White Paper on the Ama Pepple Committee Report and harmonise the other committee reports.   The Secret...

Security experts have said Nigerians who are afraid of elections are responsible for the rising attacks on the Independent National Electoral Commission offices in some states.   According to recent data released by INEC, the commission has so far recorded 50 attacks on its facilities across 15 states in the last four years.   Imo State has the highest number of attacks on INEC facilities with 11 incidents, followed by Osun, seven; Akwa-Ibom, five; Enugu, five; Ebonyi, four; Cross River, four; Abia, four; Anambra, two; Taraba, two; Borno, one; Ogun, one; Lagos, one; Bayelsa, one; Ondo one; and Kaduna one.   A retired Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Ojukwu, who spoke to our correspondent on Tuesday, noted that, aside from poor security intelligence, the identification of sponsors by security agencies will help curb the rising attacks, noting that those who do not want the election to hold are responsible.   Ojukwu said, “The attacks have occurred too often; by now, s...

The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, has ordered the immediate suspension of his Special Assistant on Technical Affairs, Mr Collins Eze, from office for acts of gross misconduct.   The News Agency of Nigeria reported that the suspension was contained in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Abakaliki by the Secretary to the State Government,  Dr Kenneth Igwe.   According to the statement, the suspension is indefinite.   ''As a direct consequence of this indefinite suspension, the governor has, in the exercise of his powers as enshrined in the State Honours Law, 2022, approved the cancellation and withdrawal of the honours award recently given to Eze by the state government.   “Eze is directed to hand over all government property in his possession to the Secretary to the State Government and Coordinating Commissioner before the close of work on Wednesday, December 28, 2022,” the statement added.    

A total of 583 deaths have been recorded from cholera, while 23,550 people are suspected to have been infected with the disease from January to November 27, 2022, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.   The NCDC disclosed this in its latest weekly Cholera situation report for weeks 44–47 obtained by our correspondent on Tuesday.   The report revealed that the suspected cases were reported across 270 Local Government Areas in 33 states.   Cholera is an acute diarrhoeal disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, a gramme-negative rod-shaped bacterium.   In Nigeria, cholera is an endemic and seasonal disease, occurring annually mostly during the rainy season and more often in areas with poor sanitation.   The report showed that of the suspected cases since the beginning of the year, the age group 5–14 years is the most affected; 49 per cent are males and 51 per cent are females.   The report read in part, “32 states and the FCT have reported suspected c...

The OML 83 and 85 NNPC/FIRST E&P Joint Venture has concluded a medical outreach that targeted eight communities in Bayelsa State, including Koluama 1, Koluama 2, Ezetu 1, Ezetu 2, Foropa, Fish Town, Ekeni, and Sangana.   According to a statement made available to Newsmen on Tuesday, the JV carried out the activity as part of its corporate social responsibility programmes aimed at improving the socio-economic well-being of people within its host communities.   The statement read, “The outreach, which took place recently, was carried out by 62 medical doctors and other healthcare professionals.   “The programme provided free preventive, referral and curative medical services to over 2,200 people across the targeted communities. Beneficiaries received free medication for malaria, diabetes, high blood pressure and various forms of optical ailments.   “The outreach resulted in the issuance of free de-worming medication, 692 pairs of prescription eyeglasses, and 1,200 ...

The Federal Road Safety Corps has confirmed seven persons dead and 29 injured in an accident that occurred during the annual Calabar Carnival on Tuesday.   The Sector Commander of the Corps, Maikano Hassan, confirmed the casualty figure to the News Agency of Nigeria.   He said the accident occurred in front of the Jumat Mosque in Bogobiri in the capital city of Cross River during the Bikers Parade activity of the carnival.   Hassan listed the number of injured to include 21 male adults, three women, two male children and three female children.   He said the injured were rushed to the Naval hospital and the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for medical attention.   He added that the remains of the dead had been deposited in the two hospitals in Calabar.   According to him, the incident occurred when a Toyota Camry car lost control and rammed into a crowd of onlookers during the carnival.   NAN reports that the incident abruptly brought the day fiv...