BBN’ll inject N2bn into Nigeria’s economy –Experts

The ongoing edition of hit reality television show, Big Brother Naija (BBN), which kicked off on Sunday, will bring an estimated N2 billion into the Nigerian economy, according to financial sector sources.

MultiChoice, producers of the show, the  sources said  has ensured the show, holding in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, is held under much stricter measures in conformity with the public health and safety protocols.

MultiChoice’s investments in the show have risen to N2billion because of capital intensive projects necessary for the successful hosting of the show. These include the addition of 250sqm to the 1800sqm Big Brother House, provision of furniture, technical equipment and other safety systems. The costs are said to be exclusive of production, marketing, talent performances and other sunk costs absorbed by the pre-existing Big Brother House.

Huge sums of money, said sources, have been expended on items such as building design permits, civil engineering works, landscape management, heating ventilation and air conditioning as well as mechanical and electrical systems upgrade. Similar outlays have been made to ensure the upgrade of acoustics to studio specifications, purchase of power generators, water purification, information technology facilities and adaptation of the Big Brother House to conform with COVID-19 protocols.

Ebonyi group commends Umahi for sacking over 1000 aides urges him to recruit youths into civil service

Group under the Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in Diaspora, AESID, has commended governor Dave Umahi, for sacking over 1000 of his aides while urging him to recruit young men and women into the state’s civil service, saying politics is not a vocation.

In a statement signed on Thursday by the group’s President, Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, AESID also expressed satisfaction with the state government’s decision to share the COVID-19 palliatives to Ebonyians after three months.

The statement reads, “We commend the decision of the Governor to sack his Executive, Special and Technical Assistants who he acknowledged have been grossly inefficient in the discharge of their duties since their appointments.

“However, we urge him (the governor) to immediately recruit youths into the state’s civil service as he has not recruited any single soul into the system since his emergence in 2015.

“Because it is our believe that politics is not a vocation, we rather urge the governor to provide skilled employment opportunities for our teeming youths to teach them how to fish rather than just hand over pieces of fish to them.

“For us, it is very heart-warming that the State government has after months of delays and obstinate procrastinations, finally decided to share the COVID-19 palliatives to Ebonyians.

“We must therefore caution that these items must get to the government’s targeted benefactors which are poorest of the poor in our extremely poor State.

” It should not be hijacked by some political hawks wearing the toga of ‘Honourable’ in the various communities comprising our dear State.”

The association expressed displeasure over actions and inactions of certain principal officers of the state government for manipulating justice system against poor citizens in the state.

“On the other hand, we are also deeply saddened by the notorious and nefarious activities of some of those manning the hallowed temple of justice in our beloved State.

“We are reliably informed for instance, that despite AESID’s laudable call for immediate release of an Ebonyian, Engr. Stephen Oken who was recently arrested, detained by security agencies obviously working on the firm instructions of the state government for merely baring his mind on the plights of some displaced Ezza indigenes following the construction of the State’s airport project, he was later ‘dumped’ in prison and literally denied bail.

“A reliable source had stated very ostensibly that an appointee of the governor, had curiously demanded for a ‘book shelf’ for his office use to sign the bail bond of the said accused person before he was released from the Correctional Service Centre in Afikpo where he had been ‘dumped’ and abandoned for weeks on frivolous charges.

“This organization is miffed by this ugly development in our justice system as we may not know how many poor Ebonyians must have been denied justice due to the actions and inactions of certain principal officers of the state government.

“We hereby call on the Governor to thoroughly investigate this allegation and bring those culpable to book.”

The association also commended the leadership of the Department of State Security Service for its diligent and disciplinary action which led to the removal of the former director of DSS in Ebonyi following the outcome of investigations on a petition filed against him by a Business mogul and the Executive Director, Economic Strategic Growth and Development Initiative of Africa (ESGADIA) Maazi Obinna Agommuo.

“We wish to call on its men to be more circumspect and thorough by not allowing itself to be used as a pawn in the Chess board of some political actors and shenanigans in the state which we have keenly observed to be the case, particularly in our dear Ebonyi state.

“The falling of the dried leaves should ordinarily serve as a warning to the green ones and we believe the new Director who has since been posted to Ebonyi to replace the former would not tow the path of his predecessor.”

Breaking: Tension in Delta as youths set to shutdown oil facilities over 57 marginal fields

On as 14 days ultimatum for FG expires

The prevailing peace in Delta State, is being threatened as Urhobo youths in Niger Delta, have concluded plans to shutdown all oil facilities in Urhobo land over alleged neglect and marginalization on the proposed sale of the 57 marginal fields by Department of Petroleum Resources.

Urhobo youths leaders on Thursday in Ovvwian, in Udu Local Government Area, near Warri, said, the decision to execute their earlier threat was as a result of the expiration of the ultimatum handed down to the Federal Government.

Olorogun Ese Kakor, President, Campaign for the Economic Survival of Urhobo Nation (CATESUN) and other leaders of the group , said no going back in their earlier resolve to shutdown of operations of multinational oil companies in Urhobo nation.

Kakor added that the Federal Government failed to meet up with their demands before the ultimatum expired last Monday.

The group had earlier handed down a 14 days ultimatum to shutdown oil and gas operations in their area if the Federal Government fails to initiate fresh process of ceding out the 57 marginal oil field and address issues of gross marginalization of oil multinationals a the federal government against the Urhobo people.

It said, their call for fresh ceding process of the 57 Marginal Oil Field was necessitated by illegal moves by the Minister for State for Petroleum Resources, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Director General of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), to exclude Urhobo people from the process.

It emphasized that a new process will give competent Urhobo men and women the opportunity to participate in oil and gas activities fairly, having “endured injustice, since the discovery of crude oil in their lands.

“We are not going back on our threat to shutdown operations of International Oil Companies in Urhobo nation, enough of the marginalization”, they queried.

Lawmakers kick as Senate confirms 1 career, 39 non-career ambassadors-designate

Petitions stop Niger, Yobe nominees

There were protests by some lawmakers yesterday as the Senate confirmed the nomination of one career and 39 out of 41 non-career ambassadors-designate forwarded by President Muhammadu Buhari for approval by the upper legislative chamber.
The confirmation was sequel to the presentation and consideration of a report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs by its chairman, Senator Muhammadu Bulkachuwa.
President Buhari had in a letter dated June 17, 2020, entitled ‘Appointment of Non-career Ambassadors,’ sought for confirmation of the nominees by the upper legislative chamber.
Some senators, however, kicked against the confirmation of some ambassadors-designate for different reasons of not interacting with them before now or the purpose of spread of political offices among the zones.
Minority Leader Eyinnaya Abaribe, asked Senator Bulkachuwa to explain criteria used in arriving at the nominees that made some states to have three nominees while some have one.
“I just want the chairman to enlighten Nigerians, the criteria which the nominations were made in respect of states. Some states have three, some have one. So, on what basis were the nominations made?”
It would be recalled that while states like Kano, Kwara and Oyo had three non-career ambassadorial nominees, Kebbi, Abia and the FCT had none.
Senator Abaribe was immediately overruled by Senate President Ahmad Lawan, who asked chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs to ignore the question.
Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Phillip Aduda, also queried list of nominees, noting that the territory had no nominee.
Senators Gabriel Suswam and Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, equally demanded that confirmation of nominees from their respective states be stepped down.
Specifically, Senator Suswam argued that his senatorial district had been deprived of representation while Senator Yusuf claimed that the nominee from Taraba was not known to him.
Also, the Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, demanded that the nominee from his state, Adamu Hassan, be stepped down for failing to interact with senators from the state.
However, the protesting lawmakers were all overruled by the Senate president who insisted that nomination of ambassadors-designate was an executive function.
The Senate later confirmed 39 out of the 41 ambassadors-designate, leaving out nominees from Yobe State, Alhaji Yusuf Mohammed and his counterpart from Niger State, Air Commodore Peter Gana (rtd).
In his closing remarks, the Senate president advised nominees who had been accused of not having good relationship with their senators to try and correct such negative perception by having fruitful interactions before they were assigned their respective international duty posts.
Lawan also advised the federal government to cultivate the habit of adequate funding and staffing of foreign embassies.
The Senate president, while stressing the need for government to fund the embassies or merge some of them, said “it is very important that we fund the embassies.
Those confirmed are Engr. Umar Suleiman and Kevin Peter from Adamawa State, Oboro Effiong Akpabio (Akwa Ibom), Elijah Onyeagba (Anambra), Abubakar D. Ibrahim (Bauchi), Phillip K. Ikurusi (Bayelsa), Tarzoor Terhemen and Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue), Al-Bashir Ibrahim All-Hassan and Brig. Gen. Bwala Yusuf Bukar (Borno), Prof. Monique Ekpong (Cross River), Ominyi N. Eze (Ebonyi) and Yamah Mohammed Musa from Edo State.i
Also confirmed are Major General C. O. Ugwu (Enugu), Dr. Hajara I. Salim (Gombe), Obieze Ijeoma Chinyerem (Imo), Ali M. Magashi -Jigawa, Prof. M. A. Makarfi (Kaduna), Hamisu Umar Takalmawa, Jazuli Imam Galadanci and Mrs. Amina Ado Kurawa from Kano State, Amb. Yahaya Lawal (Katsina), Dare Sunday Awoniyi (Kogi), Ibrahim Kayode Laaro, Abioye Bello and Mrs. Zahra Maazu Omar from Kwara State, respectively.
The rest are Demola Seriki representing Lagos, Henry John Omaku -Nasarawa, Chief Sarafa Tunji Ishola (Ogun), Mrs. Opunimi Akinkugbe -Ondo, Adejare Bello (Osun), Adesina Alege and Ms. Folakemi Akinyele (Oyo), Shehu Abdullahi Yibaikwai (Plateau), Hon. Maureen Tamuno (Rivers), Faruk Yabo (Sokoto), Adamu M. Hassan (Taraba) and Abubakar Moriki from Zamfara State.

N75bn Youths Fund Approval Excites NYCN

The National Youth Council of Nigeria has said the approval N75 billion for the establishment of Nigerian Youth Investment Fund, to be otherwise known as the Youth Bank has further confirmed its confidence that the President Muhammad Buhari administration is committed to ensuring self actualisation of the youths.

President of NYCN, Solomon Adodo in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday explained that the initiative will not only energise the teaming number of youth with brilliant ideas but also steer economic growth of the country.

The Minister of Youth and Sports, Mr. Sunday Dare, had while disclosing the approval of the fund by the Federal Executive Council in Abuja on Wednesday said the fund would be created to support enterprises, ideas and innovations evolved by about 68 million Nigerian youths, aged between 18 and 35.

According to to the minister, the ‘youth bank’ will help to facilitate the acquisition of credit facilities to fund ideas and innovations that have the potential to create wealth and employment as well as develop the capacity of the Nigerian youth.

“Once again, President Muhammadu Buhari has proven that he is a leader that has the interest of the young population at heart. The coming of his administration has not left anyone in doubt of it’s vision for a productive and vibrant youths participation in national development.

” To ensure that youths are gainfully engaged, the administration introduced several economic intervention programmes such as anchor borrowers scheme, N-Power to mention a few. All these have helped in reducing the volume of youths that where before now idling about.

“In the political sphere too, the President demonstrated his desire for the youths to take leadership roles by assenting to the Not Too Young to Run bill into law as well as engaged a number of youths in his administration”, the youth body noted.

Though the minister earlier hinted that the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development and other relevant ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) would work out the modalities for its funding, the NYCN pledged to follow through to ensure that legible youths benefit from the initiative.

“NYCN notes with satisfaction similar funds made available by successive governments such as the Sure-P fund and the Agri-Business/Small and Medium Entreprise Investment Scheme as well as other youth friendly schemes which had the capacity to put an end to the unemployment situation in the country but were poorly implemented.

” Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that funds made available for this project are not diverted by selfish elements who are bent on robbing Nigerian youths of their birthrights and politicising every initiative for personal enrichment”, the statement added.

Taskforce arrests 11 in Benue over illegal taxation

TASK FORCE set up by the Benue Internal Revenue Service, BIRS, to combat the activities of illegal taxation in the state has arrested 11 persons for extorting unsuspecting tax payers.
The suspects, who have since been handed over to the police, were arrested for various offences ranging from extortion to mounting of illegal tax points.
The arrest of the illegal road block operators in the state may have been triggered by the State Security Council meeting that was presided over by Governor Samuel Ortom last Monday.
Recall that the Governor told newsmen after the meeting that the SSC “resolved to strictly enforce the ban on illegal roadblocks in the state.
“Security operatives will be given full backing to arrest and prosecute any individual or group found illegally blocking a road to extort money from people under the guise of revenue collection and a task force is to be set up on illegal roadblocks,” the governor stated.
However, a statement signed by the BIRS Media Consultant, Terkula Ati and made available to newsmen in Makurdi on Wednesday, said the operators were arrested in a sting operation carried out by the taskforce across Makurdi, Tarka and Gwer-East Local Government Areas of the state.
The suspects include Joseph Agena, John Under, Jacob Iorkyase, James Ieren and Dickson Terkor.
Others are Bem Akaaka, Dewua Ayo, Orngu Ahungwa, Kpandev Ijirgba, Sunday Atim, and Aondoakura Iorgbidye.
Ati further warned against mounting of illegal tax points, insisting that BIRS would not rest on its oars in the fight to sanitise the Benue tax environment.

Breaking: Gunmen attack Prison Officers, free criminal suspects in Plateau

Unknown gunmen on Thursday attacked a convoy of Prison officials near Plateau High Court, Barkin Ladi, freeing six criminal suspects.

The convoy was conveying 14 suspects charged with different crimes ranging from murder to kidnapping and rape, it was learnt.

Our correspondent gathered that  on arriving the court premises, the gunmen who had laid ambush by the court entrance opened fire at the convoy, releasing the suspects unchallenged, eyewitnesses say.

ASP  Ubah Ogaba ,the Police Public Relations Officer of the command confirmed the incident to our correspondent in Jos .

He said that the State Commissioner of Police, Edward Egbuka  has visited the  scene of the incident .

Ogah said the Police is out to ensure that the culprits are arrested..