NEWS
Presidency celebrates presidential aides that bagged Nigerien highest awards
Presidency has honoured State Chief of Protocol (SCOP), Amb. Lawal Kazaure and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Household and Domestic Affairs, Sarkin Abba, for bagging Nigerien highest Civilian National Awards.
The Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, organised the reception in honour of the presidential aides.
Kazaure and Abba were conferred with the awards by President Mohammed Bazoum of Niger Republic.
Speaking at the event, Gambari expressed delight over the existing cordial relationship between Nigeria and Niger Republics.
According to Gambari, those countries sharing borders with Nigeria, including Cameroon, Benin Republic, Chad and Niger Republic, share the same interests and cultural affinities which bind them together.
”All these boundaries are very much artificial.
”The Europeans in Congress of Berlin just took a piece of paper and were drawing lines across places where they have never been; they never intended to be.
”They separated people who should be united and uniting people, perhaps, who should be separated.
”But, the leaders of Africa decided that it’s wise to keep those boundaries artificial as they may be.
”This is because to change them other than peacefully, will be creating even more problems than they can solve.
”But, in any case, whether by those lines, whether artificial or not, Niger/Nigeria share common boundaries, common interests, common concerns with their families across the borders,” he said.
On Buhari’s foreign policy, Gambari said: “In his (Buhari’s) earlier incarnation, as Head of State, the defining feature of his policies was concentric circle of Nigerian foreign policy.
”That our interests, our efforts, will be concentrated on promoting Nigeria’s interests in concentric circles at the epicenter; the defense of Nigeria’s integrity, the prosperity, the welfare of its people.
“But, next is the neighboring countries, then West Africa, then Africa, and then the rest of the world.
”And he has proved the continuity of Nigeria’s foreign policy in this sense by the fact that the first countries he visited after being sworn in were the neighboring ones,” Gambari said.
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The State House Permanent Secretary, Tijjani Umar, who also spoke at the event, congratulated the awardees.
He, however, said that the challenge of COVID-19, climate change and lately, the Russian/Ukraine war had impacted ”the population negatively and as such, it has become important for countries to watch each other’s back.”
He stressed that the honour conferred on the presidential aides had further strengthened the bonds between Nigeria and Niger Republics.
Kazaure, who spoke on behalf of his fellow awardees said the international award was in recognition of the enviable strides made by the Buhari administration.
He, therefore, thanked the president for exposing them locally and internationally.
Kazaure also thanked the Chief of Staff for organizing the reception in their honour. (NAN)
A tragic building collapse in Rivers State has left a middle-aged contractor, identified as Udeme, feared dead after a two-storey structure under construction caved in at the Egbelu Mgbaraja area of Ogbogoro Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.
This incident comes just one week after a three-storey building collapsed at the Iriebe axis of the same local government, though that incident fortunately recorded no casualties.
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The latest collapse occurred on Monday, November 4, 2024, around 2 p.m., with construction workers on site when the structure gave way.
According to eyewitness Mr. Jonathan Obey, the building’s second floor suddenly buckled, trapping Udeme beneath the rubble, while another worker managed to escape with serious injuries.
Obey, who attempted to rescue the trapped contractor, suspected negligence, saying, “We couldn’t reach him despite our efforts. An inspection revealed substandard materials had been used, with the foundation only three feet deep for a two-storey building, which is insufficient. The rebar was of poor quality, and essential supports, such as a center beam, were absent.”
The Rivers State Government has since sealed off the property and declared the developer, Vincent Nwoye, wanted for questioning.
Rt. Hon. Evans Bipi, Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, visited the site and expressed his dismay, attributing the collapse to gross negligence.
“This tragedy was preventable,” Bipi stated. “The developer failed to obtain an approved building plan and used inferior materials. The government will ensure accountability and take severe action.”
Bipi extended his condolences to the victim’s family and the Ogbogoro Community, affirming that the government will facilitate the family’s recovery of their loved one’s remains. “We sympathize with the bereaved family and the entire community,” he added.
The Commissioner for Special Duties, Dr. Samuel Anya, also condemned the developer’s actions, highlighting the dangers posed when profit is prioritized over safety. “This loss is a direct consequence of unethical practices,” he said.
The government has committed to a thorough investigation and tighter regulatory enforcement to prevent further tragedies in Rivers State.
The Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye has passed on.
The news of his passing was leaked by a reliable source under the condition of anonymity.
The sad incident, according to the source, happened in Ado Ekiti in the early hours of Tuesday.
His death is being traced to a sickness which came upon him following the injury he sustained when a section of the Ekiti State High Court Complex, Ado Ekiti wall collapsed in July 12, 2023.
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The late Justice Adeyeye was at the office when the building collapse happened and sustained injuries.
While the state and his family were yet to issue statements on his demise, the Ekiti State Chapter of the Association of International Female Lawyers (FIDA) has sent condolences to the family.
The condolences message read: “With deep sorrow in our hearts and in total submission to the will of God, FIDA Ekiti consoles with the family of the Chief Judge of Ekiti State, Hon Justice Oyewole Adeyeye on his call to glory.
“May He find rest with his maker.
“I pray that God grants the family, the Judiciary and the people of Ekiti State, the grace to bear this irreparable loss.
Adieu great one.”
Justice Adeyeye was born 1960 in Araromi Ugbesi in Ekiti East Local Government of Ekiti State and was called to bar in 1986.
He started his career as a State Counsel in the civil service of the then Ondo State before joining the Ekiti State Judiciary Service Commission shortly after the state was created in 1996.
He was promoted to the position of a judge in the state’s high court in 2002 and has served at different occasions in the election petition tribunal.
A Federal High Court in Abuja has dismissed all charges against 76 individuals accused of participating in the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protests.
The ruling came after the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, moved to discontinue the case under orders from President Bola Tinubu.
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Justice Obiora Egwuatu, presiding over the matter, struck out the charges after hearing a motion from the AGF’s representative, Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF) Mohammed Abubakar.
Citing Section 174 of the 1999 Constitution, the AGF formally took over the case from the Inspector General of Police, then requested to drop all charges against the defendants, many of whom are minors.
The judge granted the AGF’s application without objection from defense counsel, ordering the immediate release of the accused, who were not present in court.
This decision follows a directive issued on Monday by President Tinubu, instructing the AGF to withdraw charges against the protesters.
More to follow……….
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