Showing posts with label LOCAL NEWS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label LOCAL NEWS. Show all posts

Friday, 26 August 2016

Chigboken

ANAMBRA BLESSED WITH THE HIGHEST GAS RESERVES IN AFRICA – OBIANO

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ANAMBRA BLESSED WITH THE HIGHEST GAS RESERVES IN AFRICA – OBIANO


Governor Willie Obiano yesterday said Anam­bra state community of Igbariam in Anam­bra East has the highest untapped deposit of gas in Africa based on empirical records.
Obiano announced this at a press conference to mark the 25 years Silver Jubilee of the creation of the state at the Executive Chambers of the, Governor’s office.

Obiano praised previous gov­ernments for its contribution to the development of Anambra and assured his team would leave Anambra state the children of today would be proud of in net 25 years when it would be marking its Golden Jubilee.

He assured that with the good work he is doing with his team, Anambra would be an investment destination and Taiwan of Africa in net 25 years when the oil producing state of the state would have been manifest.

The Anambra state Governor further informed that the state indeed exported vegetables after a team from UK championed by Captain John Okakpu trained the local farmers spread in 7 communities with Ololo being the vantage of the communities.

He informed the group signed an agreement of 18 years with the local farmers to be culti­vating for export.
He announced his plans to embark of massive husbandry of local animals including cattle, and goat to place the local farmers at advantage even pointing out the local breeds are more nutritious.

He stated that his government last year distributed seedlings and cassava stems worth N200 Million.
On the erosion menace in South-East, Obiano lamented that his state was the worst hit as An­ambra alone has 972 Active erosion sites, while Imo state has 27, and less in some other states.

He however said his admin­istration has been able to attract attention from NEWMAP to 12 sites even though they inherited 4 sites from last administration.
He pointed out that one fifth (1/5 ) Anambra land has been washed away by erosion, where­as Lagos state is recovering land from the sea.

Obiano announced immediate release of the state Correspondents bus he promised last year regretting he was not in the know the bus was not released.

He said the state would as part of 25 years anniversary name some streets after some individuals in the state for their feats in bringing glory to the state in various ways in the past.

Some part of the speech he read earlier before taking ques­tions from newsmen read in part: ‘’My hope is anchored on the fact that 25 years is a milestone in the history of individuals, groups and societies. It calls for deep introspection, stocktaking and projections. It is a veritable crossroads in Time where we usually pause to hatch new dreams.

“For any responsible admin­istration, events like the Silver Ju­bilee Anniversary usually come in handy for the renewal of the social contract between the gov­ernment and the people.

“This Anniversary has of­fered my Team and I a chance to renew our pact with Ndi Anam­bra and strengthen our commit­ment to the emergence of a more prosperous state.

“Some of you were old enough when Anambra State came into existence 25 years ago. Some of you must have wit­nessed the sudden rise in our people’s hopes; some of you must have heard the liberation songs on the lips our mothers who saw the new state as the fulfilment of their aspirations.

 a hard road paved with agony and pain to the prom­ise of a new day. This anniversa­ry celebration will be more sym­bolic and less showy of what our dear state stands for.

“Consequently, we have de­signed a tight programme of ac­tivities that will begin from to­morrow, August 27 and end in December this year. From to­morrow these are the things we will do.

“We shall begin the day with a Special Anniversary Broadcast that will put the entire Anambra @25 in a proper perspective.

“After that we shall flag off the one million-Tree Planting Campaign. Then, we shall lay the foundation for the Oxygen Project Plant of the Odumegwu Ojukwu Teaching Hospital.

“We shall flag off the N20m project per community initia­tive. All these are the activities for the Anniversary Day. The cel­ebration continues till December this year.

“A Cultural Carnival has also been scheduled to take place in the three Senatorial Districts during this period with a Grand Finale of the Festival billed for December. There will be a Spe­cial Lighting of the Christmas Tree on November 25 and an Interdenominational Service on November 26,” he stated.
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Thursday, 25 August 2016

Chigboken

The Latest: Turkey secures area around captured Syrian town

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The Latest: Turkey secures area around captured Syrian town


FILE - In this Feb. 22, 2015 file photo, Syrian Kurdish militia members of the YPG make a V-sign next to a drawing of Abdullah Ocalan, jailed Kurdish rebel leader, in Esme village in Aleppo province, Syria. A Turkish military expedition into Syria has threatened a Kurdish political project just as Kurdish forces seemed on the verge of connecting their northern Syrian zones. It is the first Turkish ground intervention in the course of the Syria war, now in its sixth year, and it underscores how seriously Turkey is taking Kurdish autonomy next door. (Mursel Coban/Depo Photos via AP, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — The Latest developments in the Syrian civil war, following Turkish ground forces' incursion (all times local):
12:40 p.m.
Turkey's defense minister says Turkish forces are securing the area around the town of Jarablus in northern Syria, a day after helping Western-backed Syrian rebels take the town from Islamic State militants.
Minister Fikri Isik saod on Thursday that the Turkish-backed operation has two main goals — to secure the Turkish border area and to make sure the Kurdish Syrian forces "are not there."
Isik says "it's our right to remain there until" the Syrian opposition forces take control of the area.
Turkey is concerned about the advances of the Kurdish Syrian forces, fearing they aim to set up a Kurdish entity along Turkey's border with Syria. Ankara maintains that the Syrian Kurdish militia is linked to Kurdish rebels waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.
Isik says Ankara and the United States have agreed the Kurdish Syrian forces would pull out of the northern area around Jarablus "within two weeks." He spoke to the private NTV television.
He says that "for now, the withdrawal hasn't fully taken place. We are waiting for it and following it."
___
10 a.m.
Turkish Foreign Ministry says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Turkish counterpart that Syrian Kurdish forces have started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River.
The pullback was a major demand by Ankara after Turkey sent in forces across the border to take a key Islamic State stronghold the previous day.
Turkish ministry officials say Kerry and Mevlut Cavusoglu spoke by telephone on Thursday. Turkey's incursion into northern Syria was also meant to contain an expansion by Syria's Kurds.
Battling IS militants in Syria, the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds have been able to seize nearly the entire stretch of the border with Turkey in northern Syria.
Vice President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that the Syrian Kurdish forces will lose U.S. support unless they retreat east of the Euphrates.
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Wednesday, 24 August 2016

Chigboken

EFCC arrests Cross River Governor's brother for fraud

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EFCC arrests Cross River Governor's brother for fraud


Calabar - The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested a brother to Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State over alleged N2.4billion contract scam, Premium Times reports.

Francis Ayade was arrested on Tuesday in connection with the scam.

Ayade, managing director of Leophina Nigeria Limited and Hally Brown International Limited, was fingered in alleged shady deals involving diversion of public funds into his companies’ accounts.
He allegedly took a loan of N350 million from First Bank Plc, on behalf of Cross Rivers Rural Access and Mobility Project to finance a road construction contract to the tune of N2.4billion in 2011.

The loan, was however, unused for the contract, but transferred into the Mobility Project according to Saharareporters.

Ayade has also been implicated in alleged suspicious transactions involving Obudu Micro Finance Bank, among other allegations.
He has been offered administrative bail but still in the custody of the EFCC until he fulfills the bail conditions.

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Chigboken

Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Receives first Cargo Aircraft

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Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu Receives first Cargo Aircraft




The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, received the first cargo aircraft in the airport on Tuesday.
Speaking at the occasion, the Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, commended the Federal Government for the realisation of the cargo section of the airport.
The governor, who also addressed stakeholders and the business community that witnessed the landing of the first cargo aircraft in the airport, described the occasion as significant.
He said that the landing of the cargo aircraft, a Boeing 757 operated by Ethiopian Airlines, would open up the South-East of the country to the international community.
“Three years ago, precisely on August 24, 2013, we welcomed the first ever international flight to this airport operated by Ethiopian Airlines.
Today, we have gathered to celebrate the first landing of cargo courtesy of the same airlines.
We cannot over-emphasise the tremendous socio-economic benefit that this significant milestone in the history of aviation in the state promises to bring to the region,” he said.
Ugwuanyi said that the state government would take advantage of the economic benefits afforded by cargo delivery at the airport.
“Not only can our people fly to and from all parts of the world, but they can now have bulk cargo delivered to them through the airport.
It will save cost, enhance convenience in the importation of goods, create employment and help raise the profile of this airport.”
We thank the Ethiopian Airlines for taking the lead to assist our people in the economic development of our region.
I urge the business moguls to take advantage of this for the benefit of all,” Ugwuanyi said.
The Traffic and Sales Manager of the airlines, Biniam Addisu, said that the future of the cargo business in the airport was viable.
Addisu said that the Ethiopian Airlines needed more support from the Federal Government to realise its plans for the country.
“We have been working for the past three years to operate cargo in this airport and there were some issues we had to address. We are working with the stakeholders and government. We are succeeding and the future will be very nice and the prospect viable, but we need more support from the Nigerian government,” he said.
Addisu also appealed to the Federal Government to upgrade the facilities at the cargo terminal to meet international standards.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the lead pilot of the aircraft, Capt. William Williams, said that the flight was hitch-free, adding that the terminal ground was smooth and beautiful.
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Chigboken

Aviation workers protest privatisation of MMIA, others

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Aviation workers protest privatisation of MMIA, others


By Louis Iba
Vehicular movements into the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, was difficult yesterday as airport workers staged a protest against the planned privatisation of four of the nation’s airports.
There was a severe gridlock on the road as vehicles coming into the airport from the Ikeja axis and the NAHCo end of the road were obstructed by the protesting workers even though there were  policemen from the Lagos Domestic Airport Police Station on ground to ensure free flow of traffic.
The protesting aviation unions include Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN), National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and the National Union of Pensioners (NUP).
Acting General Secretary of NUATE, Olayinka Abioye, and General Secretary, ATSSSAN, Francis Akinjolen, who addressed the protesting workers, said that the unions will resist any attempt by the Federal Government to concession the four major airports, disclosing that the unions were aware of the presence of some influential interests that had already been positioned to buy Nigerian four most economically viable airports.
They argued that the unions cannot fold their arms and watch the retrenchment of over 6,000 workers of FAAN by a few selfish businessmen and women in the name of concession of four airports.
They further contended that the uncontrolled employment and improper placement of certain category of staff without recourse to Federal Character and Public Service Rules in recent months was a ploy to render FAAN insolvent for them to acquire.
Meanwhile, in Lagos, all gates leading to FAAN offices were shut down to ensure that all workers complied  with the directive to join the protest organised by the unions.
Some of the workers who would not have participated in the protest were seen trekking along with the union members, a situation that further confirmed that the gates to their offices were locked by the unions.
The protest came few days after the Minister of State, Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, assured Nigerians that their interest would not be jeopardised in the resolve to concession some of the nation’s airports.
Sirika had told Nigerians that the decision to concession the airports in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano was borne out of its desire for effective and efficient management of the airports and adequate utilisation of the abundant skilled manpower in the aviation sector.
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Chigboken

How land documentation worsens Lagos housing deficit

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How land documentation worsens Lagos housing deficit


Stories by Maduka Nweke

But for the cumbersome processes required of would-be home-owners to go through before certifying that their buildings are safe from government caterpillars and pail-loaders, the acute housing deficits in Lagos State would have been reduced.
But while most businessmen and women who are financially stable detest paying rent to others, they prefer to do whatever they can to get a land where they will build their own houses. This gives them the freedom to use their premises as they wish. They plant flowers to compliment what the frontline musician, Oliver de Coque, said that tenant does not plant flowers because the landlord can eject him at any time but in his own house, if he cares, he can create flower beds right in his living room.
Apart from this freedom, there is also the joy of ownership that attracts you home no matter how late you close from your place of work or business or wherever your daily itinerary takes you. No one can lock you out or give you some of the egocentric rules that remind you that your freedom is limited. Your freedom in your compound is as you desire.
But the rigours of the rules of obtaining land documents do not only regulate people’s joy and freedom, they also, to a large extent, retard development because those who would want to build their own houses would have to first secure the certificate of occupancy (C of O) with other signings and dotting that are not easy to finish. With these processes, people are discouraged from putting up their own buildings and that for sure increases the primitive “face me I face you” apartments that still adorn even the most urbanised cities in Nigeria.
These undue bottlenecks in securing land titles and documentations in major cities in Nigeria, especially Lagos, have been identified as a major clog in the wheel of the state’s effort at ensuring affordable and habitable housing for its teeming population.
It is often said that Nigeria has a housing deficit of 17 million, but Mr. Yacoob Abiodun, an urban planner, planning advocate and pioneer Secretary, Federal Housing Policy Council, stated that Nigeria has an urgent necessity for reliable housing data. He said that experts have brandied the 17 million deficit figure as the authentic figure of the housing shortages in the country, but “all is mere fallacy as it could not be supported by any verifiable data.”
According to him, as alarming as the figure is, one may be tempted to ask: “What is the source of the data? How was the figure arrived at? Was any research done? Who or which institution spearheaded the study? I am asking these relevant questions as a result of my personal experience,” he said recently.
He, therefore, posited that of the 17 million housing units needed to satisfy the accommodation needs of Nigerians, Lagos State alone could take more than seven million housing units and will need far above 287,500 new homes over the next five years to meet the needs.
Experts in housing and urban development sector, who spoke at an Urban Housing Talk on Lagos Homs organised by Heinrich Boll Stiftung in Lagos, said the state’s dream of meeting the two million housing units deficit will continue to be a mirage until the government sees less of monetary gains on land and title documentations.
The state Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, recently said that the state has introduced a rent-to-own policy, along with the construction of mass houses to reduce the gap. The policy, he said, provides a way for low and medium income earners to pay for houses within 10 years at six per cent interest rate. He also revealed government’s plan to construct 50 housing units in all of the 20 Local Council Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
But the Project Director of Arctic Infrastructure, a private Lagos-based organisation with focus on infrastructure, urban development and environment, Mr. Lookman Oshodi, noted that public participation will not work without first dealing with the cumbersome nature of security tenure prevalent in the state.
According to him, if states like Lagos can assure citizens and developers of easier access of titles and land documents, the huge housing deficits would be reduced. He stressed that insecurity of tenure or lack of evidence of documentation that can be used as a proof of secured tenure has robbed the state of several housing units that could have added to the efforts of the state government.
According to him, this is so when security of tenure is one of the indicators of habitable housing. He stressed that government alone cannot provide the needed housing units for over 4661,194 households in the state, urging the state government to work out a modality that will reduce the cost and stress involved in securing titles and land documentation in the state.
Another expert in infrastructure, urban and international development, who has worked on various housing and urban projects with several international NGOs, agreed that many developers have discarded social housing scheme because of the huge cost paid to government agencies.
Also, former Chairman of Lagos State branch of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIEVS), Mr. Sola Fatoki, posited that the cost of security of tenure and titles should be reduced while government makes land available for investors to mitigate the gap in housing units in the state. The estate surveyor and principal partner of Sola Fatoki & Company, said social housing could only be possible when government sees less of land documentation and titles as a means of generating money.
“Social housing is not possible in Nigeria with the rigorous and cumbersome documentation process in Lagos and other Nigerian states,” he said. He therefore called on the Federal and State Governments to improve on the available housing stocks and review all housing programmes in the country with a view to making it affordable for the majority of its citizens as well as encourage private developers by giving them incentives and lands.
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