As part of efforts to support ongoing operations in the North Western Zone of the country, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) today, 16 August 2020, deployed Special Forces (SF) operatives to Southern Kaduna. The SF Team, led by the Commander of the 404 Force Protection Group (404 FPG), Squadron Leader Richard Ngaro, was airlifted by a NAF Mi-171E Helicopter from NAF Base Kaduna to Kafanchan, where they were received by the Commander Sector 7 of Operation SAFE HAVEN, Colonel David Nwakonobi, to join the contingent of the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) SF personnel already deployed to the area.
In his address to the troops during the deployment, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, who was represented by the Air Officer Commanding Air Training Command (AOC ATC), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Musa Mukhtar, noted that the deployment was in line with DHQ Directives to beef up Operation SAFE HAVEN. The CAS charged the SF personnel to maintain the high level of discipline that the NAF is known for, whilst always upholding the NAF’s core values of ‘Integrity’, ‘Service before Self’ and ‘Excellence’ as they carry out their assigned tasks. He equally reminded them to ensure they respect the human rights and personal freedoms of all law-abiding citizens in the course of performing their duties.
Speaking to the Press, the Representative of the CAS, stated that the NAF SF Team were additional elements to augment the DHQ SF personnel already deployed to beef up Sector 7 of Operation SAFE HAVEN in Southern Kaduna. “The deployment would last as long as necessary until lasting peace is restored. We also have Operation THUNDER STRIKE, which is domiciled in Kaduna to take care of the North West axis, with the Air Component Commander coordinating the air power aspect from Kaduna in support of ground operations in Southern Kaduna”, he added.
He further disclosed that, as part of efforts to enhance Civil-Military relations, a NAF Medical Team would arrive Southern Kaduna in the next few days to conduct medical outreach to provide healthcare services to displaced persons and others affected by the crisis. While highlighting that the military was in the State to assist the civil populace, the CAS called on the residents of Southern Kaduna to cooperate with the Commander Operation SAFE HAVEN and his troops by providing credible information that would facilitate the effective conduct of their operations.
IBIKUNLE DARAMOLA Air Commodore Director of Public Relations and Information Nigerian Air Force
The Enugu State Government has issued new business operation times for Tricycle Operators (Keke Riders), markets, restaurants and bars in the state, in respect of cautious easing of COVID-19 lockdown in strict adherence to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) protocol.
In a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Simon Uchenna Ortuanya, the Tricycle Operators, popularly known as “Keke Riders” will with effect from Wednesday, August 19, 2020, operate from 6am to 9pm daily.
According to the statement, markets within the state, will also, from Wednesday, August 19, operate between 8am and 6pm daily while restaurants and bars will operate from 6am to 7pm.
The statement added that all “Night Clubs in the state are still barred from operation till further notice”.
It disclosed that “the state government further enjoins the good people of Enugu State to continue to observe all NCDC COVID-19 Protocol, including hand washing with soap, use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer, compulsory use of face shield/mask and maintaining social/physical distancing.
In reference to the above mentioned incident and after the conclusion of operation last night, about 7:05 pm another distress call was put accross to the Agency alerting on the re-ignition of the fire same night Friday 14th August, 2020 at about 9:30pm.
Quickly, the Team, LRU Fire and LASG Fire moved in to prevent the spread of the inferno.
A fresh and deep dampening down was done before leaving the scene last night.
Unfortunately, another distress call was put accross to the Team earlier this morning Saturday 15th August 2020 at about 6:55 am informing of another Re- ignition from the same spot, However, the team and other responders with the Agency’s Hiab and Super Metro evacuated some of the abandoned vehicles and also cleared up some of the vulnerable spot which can lead to another re- ignition of the fire.
The course of the incident was attibuted to the decomposition of combustible refuse within the compound.
The Director of Operations LASTMA, Mr. Oreagba was on ground to monitor the whole proceedings.Update on the above reported incident.
The vulnerable spots were cleared, abandoned vehicles were repositioned to prevent re-ignition of the fire.
Minister of Communications and Digital Economy Digital Economy, Dr Isa Ali Ibrahim (Pantami) has today commissioned the new Digital Centre domiciled at the Headquarters of the National Information technology Development Agency, (NITDA) and also unveiled the new logo, mission, vision and core values for the Agency.
The commissioning of the Digital Centre, which houses the integrated Computer Emergence Response and Readiness Centre, Digital Media Studio and Digital Conference Room was the third phase in the series of commissioning of Digital Economy projects for a Digital Nigeria.
The Minister, in his address as the special guest of honour commended the management of the Agency for carrying on with the legacies and projects he initiated while he held sway as the Director General of the Agency which were aimed at transforming the Agency to a smart organisation.
Dr Pantami noted that all the projects are in line with the three cardinal objectives of the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to grow the economy, improve the security of lives and properties of Nigerians and also curb corruption in governance.
He said, “We have earlier had Computer Emergence and Readiness and Response Team and as you all know, when you deploy facilities to promote cyber security, you need to upgrade the facilities from time to time. This is an upgrade of the facilities of Computer Emergence Response and Readiness Team which is in alignment with the three priorities of our boss, President Muhammadu Buhari.
Dr Pantami said with the current security challenge the nation is facing, the upgrading of the Computer Emergence Response and Readiness team would be able to frontally stem the tide. “Today there are many challenges with regards to security based on what is happening online, with these new facilities, we would be the watchdog of the Federal Government to monitor potentials cyber-crime attacks in our country, come up with policies and strategies to see how we can prevent our country from attacks,” he added.
While assuring that through the digital service promotion, the ministry and parastatals under it would be able to attain all the critical objectives of the administration, the minister explained that the Digital Media studio would positively impact the critical mass of the people by promoting digital literacy.
On the change of NITDA logo, Dr Pantami stated that the change became imperative because the evolving nature of Information Technology noting that since the Information Technology policy has changed to reflect the new trend in the sector, there is need to change the logo to reflect the digital policy of the government.
“The policy of government has changed completely. Before, the policy which we have been working on from 2001 to 2019 was National Information Technology policy which has become obsolete. The world now has gone digital and is no more Information Technology policy but Digital Economy policy. We have been mandated to develop National Digital Economy Policy for Digital Nigeria by Mr. President and this is what brought about the new logo. The new logo identifies with Digital Economy Policy.
Earlier, the NITDA Director General, Mallam Kashifu Inuwa Abdullahi in his welcome address informed that all the projects are in consistent with President Buhari campaign promises to improve security, diversify the economy and strengthen the fight against corruption.
Mallam Abdullahi recalled that the remodeling of the NITDA headquarters was the initiative of the Minister while he was the DG of NITDA. “Recall sir when I visited you here in October 2016, you said to me, Kashifu, this office looks like a local government secretariat I will remodel it and transform it into a better working place.”
He maintained that the rebranding of the Agency is to ensure it reflects the Digital Economy Agenda of the government. While commending the Minister for his vision for the nation, the DG observed that several unsuccessful attempt were made to review the IT policy to reflect the new trend but within the three month of the minister in office, he has come up with National Digital economy for Digital Nigeria.
“This new Policy has expanded NITDA’s mandate and made it compulsory to rebrand in line with the new policy. The new brand is a paradigm shift from IT-centric to digital centric NITDA which includes a new logo, new vision, new mission and new core values,” he said.
He assured that the brand would be a game changer in the culture, mindset and public perception of the Agency adding that for the Agency to implement the National Digital Economy policy, it would need to be “digital and smart.”
The commissioning was graced by the Chairman, NITDA Governing Board, Dr Abubakar Saidu, Executive Vice Chairman of Nigeria Communication Commission, Prof Umar Garba Dambatta, Managing Director, Galaxy Backbone, Prof Muhammed Bello Abubakar, Managing Director, Nigerian Communication Satellite limited, Dr Abimbola Alele, Head Universal Service Provision Fund, Mallam Ayuba Shuaibu and other top government functionaries.
The Lagos State Government has indicated its readiness to deliver the Ikorodu sub-region Masterplan as the proposed development plan for the area reached Stage Three of the Draft on Friday.
Speaking during the technical presentation of the masterplan by the town planning consultants, Cityscape Planning Services at the Nigeria Institute of Town Planning House, CBD, Alausa, Ikeja, the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako said that when completed, the Master Plan would address physical planning challenges brought about by the growth of the sub-region over the years.
He explained that the Ikorodu sub-region Masterplan, like all others, is essential in curbing the haphazard and unplanned developments in the area, adding that the masterplan would drive socio-economic growth in the sub-region for the next 20 years as well as guide present and future development of the region.
Dr. Salako said, “The masterplan will bring about an organised, orderly, livable and sustainable environment, where adequate consideration is given to social infrastructure, sustainable housing, interconnectivity and functional transportation system, drainage and environmental management, among others”.
Noting that the plan has made the stage three of the draft, which precedes preparation of the final masterplan, having gone through the interim and baseline report stages, he urged members of the Technical Committee drawn from different focal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to go through the report and ensure its compatibility with the recommendations they had given in line with their respective mandates.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Urban Development, Mr. Ganiyu Adele Ayuba, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made so far towards preparing the Ikorodu sub-region masterplan, saying that the relevance of such plans to the development of the State informed the Ministry’s strategic role in the achievement of the T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda of the government.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Arc. Foluso Dipe enjoined members of the Technical Committee from MDAs to view their inputs in the masterplan vigorously as there could be no meaningful plan without proper scrutiny.
The Chief Executive Officer, Cityscape Planning Services, Mr. Niyi Odetoye said that as part of stage three, the Ikorodu Sub-Region Master Plan would go through a 28-day public presentation in the nine catchment Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas after which the final report, which would have incorporated all comments and observations, will be presented for the State Government’s validation.
The Ikorodu Sub-region Masterplan covers the following LGs and LCDAs – Ikosi Ejinrin, Igbogbo Baiyeku, Imota, Ikorodu North, Ikorodu West, Agboyi-Ketu, Ijede, Ikosi-Isheri and Ikorodu Central.
The Lagos State Government has commenced the removal of structures encumbering the Right of Way (ROW) on the Lekki Regional Road.
The development was disclosed by the Honourable Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, at a stakeholder meeting in Alausa, on Monday, where he noted that the removal became necessary to pave way for the smooth execution of the project.
He recalled that the Ministry had taken its time to go through the due process of stakeholder-engagements and the service of statutory notices to owners of affected structures as expressed in the newspaper publication of June 16, 2020.
Urging owners and occupiers of identified structures to cooperate by moving out of the approved Right of Way of the Regional Road, Salako revealed that the commenced process of establishing the Right of Way of the road is a strong indication of the government’s determination to execute the project in earnest.
He reiterated that the Lekki Regional Road is a major road being embarked upon by the Lagos State Government to facilitate the transportation and socio-economic development in line with the T.H.E.M.E.S agenda.
…Restates commitment to partner telecom consumer rights advocacy groups
In spite of the threat posed by COVID-19 contagion, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) is thinking out of the square to demonstrate its commitment to tackle consumer-centric issues in the telecom eco-system, as it hosts the second quarter meeting of Industry Consumer Advisory Forum (ICAF), the first virtual meeting of the Forum.
At the meeting, anchored from the Commission’s Head Office in Abuja recently, the NCC reiterated its commitment to increase its partnership with consumer rights advocacy groups in the sector to expand the sphere of consumer education through timely, accurate and adequate information sharing to enhance the level of education of the average telecom consumer.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive (EVC/CE) of the Commission, Prof. Umar Danbatta, who spoke through the Director, Consumer Affairs Bureau (CAB), Efosa Idehen, said the Commission is working consciously and appropriately to ensure that continuous and informed conversations take place among all stakeholders in the industry on all matters, particularly as it affects telecom consumers, who are the lifeblood of the sector.
“The just-concluded virtual meeting of ICAF speaks to NCC’s commitment to give full expression to the metaphorical saying: ‘thinking beyond the box’, to get the work done in the face of challenging circumstances, such as the restrictions resulting from the outbreak of COVID-19. We are, therefore, committed to partner ICAF and other stakeholders in the telecom industry to stimulate value-adding conversations that will generate ideas to sustain and advance the relevance of telecommunications as a critical enabler of digital economy,” Danbatta declared at a brief in-house evaluative session on the ICAF meeting.
As a testimony to NCC’s readiness to work harmoniously with other stakeholders in the industry, the Commission, in collaboration with ICAF, is finalising the production of Telecom Consumer Handbook, in order to deepen consumer education about telecom products and services.
The Management of NCC was particularly pleased that issues affecting differently-abled people featured prominently at the meeting and promised that such matters will continue to be on the priority list of the Commission. The differently-abled people are those, hitherto referred to as ‘the physically-challenged’. A representative of the group informed the meeting that the United Nations had passed a resolution that the persons in that category be addressed as “Differently-Abled People.”
The ICAF also requested all telecom consumer rights advocacy groups to enhance their activities and programmes on telecom consumer information and education; and to be involved, in synergy with the Commission, to increase sensitisation on infrastructure protection.
While the meeting commended the attention the issue of telecom infrastructure protection has received from the Federal Government, it also called on the Commission to sustain the administrative advocacy on obtaining Executive Order, as well as the legislative process to ensure the passage of the Critical National Infrastructure Protection Bill by the National Assembly.
The NCC expressed appreciation to members of ICAF for the impressive attendance of the first virtual meeting and for the consistency in being very constructive partners to the Commission since the creation of the Forum in 2009.
In line with the corporate responsibilities,BUA a giant in the manufacturing space in Nigeria has donated equipment , cars and manpower to fight Covid 19 in the oil rich state of Akwa Ibom. This is a true demonstration of what it means to be a responsible corporate citizen.
An elated governor Mr. Emmanuel Udom said “Today, we received very kind donations for the fight against Covid-19 and other health challenges from the BUA Foundation at the Government House, Uyo. They included five ambulance buses and one hundred thousand face masks. “
He added that “The ambulance buses will be deployed to different local government areas of the state in line with our administration’s policy of ensuring that every part of the State is well equipped for eventual medical emergency, while the face masks will be sent to schools for students in exit classes who have resumed for examinations.”
in appreciation ,the governor said “I deeply appreciate the Chairman, BUA Foundation, Abdul Rabiu represented by the Director of the Organization, Dr Aliyu Idi Hong for the gesture and support.”
The state is fighting the Covid 19 pandemic with the resources at their disposal,with this donation from the BUA group,it is assumed that it would be a respite to the governor.
The Akwa Ibom State Government has emphasized that local content will be strictly adhered to in the construction process of the Ibom Deep Seaport.
The Commissioner for Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport, Mr. Akan Okon reechoed this when members of Nigeria Dredgers Association paid him a courtesy visit in his office today, Thursday.
Mr. Okon who asserted that Akwa Ibom State has a lot in relation to local content, assured that opportunities would be given to willing Nigerians to contribute to the realization of the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
He reminded citizens of Akwa Ibom of the need to upgrade themselves in various skills that will be relevant during the construction process of the port in order to stand the chance of being incorporated into the various available opportunities.
The Economic Development Commissioner noted that upon completion, the sea port will not only add value to the maritime sector, but will also be of immense benefit to the entire country.
Mr Okon expressed optimism that the final approval for the kick off of the project will be gotten soon, saying that the project is at the last stage of approval.
Mr. Akan Okon lauded the State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel for creating an enabling environment for industries to thrive and ensuring that the sea port project is actualised.
He assured the dregers of full inclusion in the construction process of the port.
Speaking on behalf of the Dregers Association, the Chairman, Engr. Fortune Baridoma, explained that the Association is made up of season engineers from various fields of engineering who have come together to contribute their wealth of experiences towards the actualisation of the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
Engr. Baridoma commended the Akwa Ibom State Government for initiating the port project which will create employment opportunities for both indigenes and residents of the State as well as increase revenue of the country.
He pledged members support to the Ibom Deep Seaport project.
Press Unit. Ministry of Economic Development and Ibom Deep Seaport
The divine and historic judgement that restore the stolen mandate of His Excellency, the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma as the truly and democratically elected Governor of IMO State took place on the 14th day of January, 2020.
Upon assumption of office, it was bare to the Governor that Imolites yearn for good and quality leadership due to the several years of neglect by the previous administrations in every sector of the economy.
The Governor swung into action immediately, despite distractions and attacks from the opposition and a few disgruntled individuals who constituted themselves into a parasitic cabal bedeviling the civil service and governance within the states.
The Governor identified areas of urgent and immediate needs to quickly arrest the issues of infrastructural decay (including erosion control) especially with the rains approaching.
Contracts were awarded, massive quality road constructions commenced. Erosion situation arrested and access roads and connecting roads quickly addressed.
Seven months down the line, the Executive Governor, His Excellency, the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma commissioned completed road projects yesterday being 14th August 2020, as itemized below:
1.) Douglas road.
2.) Oparanozie/Edede/Amaigbo street roads.
3.) Thomas More, JP Ajaelu & Gozie Nwachukwu road.
The Governor while commissioning these roads stated that his administration is committted towards giving Imo people good and quality road across the State adding that the government is determined to reposition and redefine the state of Imo roads for ease of doing businesses and other economic benefits accruing therein.
With these recorded achievements just within seven months of the Shared Prosperity administration of His Excellency, the Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodimma, IMO state is set to witness massive infrastructural reconstruction, rehabilitation of existing systems and recovery of lost glory.
