NEWS
Akanni Aluko, Lanlehin Condole Ayefele, Oyo NUJ over Ajiboye’s Death
Sen. Olufemi Lanlehin and a renowned Publisher, Chief Akanni Aluko, have joined other Nigerians to mourn the death of Mr David Ajiboye, the Station Manager, Fresh 106.9 FM Ado-Ekiti.
The duo, in separate statements made available to newsmen on Tuesday in Ibadan, condoled with Dr Yinka Ayefele, the Chairman, Fresh FM Stations and Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Oyo State Council.
Ajiboye, a former member of staff of the Nigerian Tribune and until his death, the Fresh 106.
9 FM, Ado-Ekiti Station Manager, died on Sunday at a private hospital in Ibadan during a brief illness.Lanlehin, in his statement, decried the unfortunate demise of Ajiboye, describing him as an hardworking and loyal young man.
“Ajiboye, an all-round journalist, made his mark in the Nigerian Tribune as an Entertainment Writer, before joining Ayefele.
“He had since then, dispatched his duties with zest and zeal, displaying, in no small measure, the true colours of loyalty and commitment,” he said.
Lanlehin, who described death as a debt all mortals owed, expressed sadness at the death of the young and upwardly mobile Ajiboye.
He said that Ajiboye died when his contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria, especially in the media sector was still needed.
Lanlehin commiserated with the Ajiboye family and Fresh FM family, praying God Almighty to grant the repose of the departed gentle soul and as well give everyone grieving the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
Also, Aluko, the Publisher of the defunct Third Eye Newspapers, in a statement he personally signed, expressed shock over Ajiboye’s death, describing it as unfortunate, sad and painful.
The renowned business mogul, who condoled with the family of the late journalist, prayed that God should give Ayefele the strength to bear the irreparable loss.
He described the late Ajiboye as a dutiful and passionate professional who displayed uncommon passion for his job.
“May God Almighty be with the family he left behind.
“I commiserate with Ayefele, the management of Fresh FM stations and Oyo NUJ family led by Alhaji Demola Babalola on the passage of this vibrant and dependable journalist.
“I pray for the repose of the soul of the renowned media and entertainment chief. I also sympathise with the immediate family of the late journalist.
“It is my prayer that God supply the family real comfort,” he said.
Aluko, who expressed concern over the growing risk associated with the practice of journalism, urged journalists to simplify their duty calls by networking rather than travelling to avoid the risk. (NAN)
NEWS
Customs Intercept Contraband Worth N510.92m in Two Conths
The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Federal Operations Unit Zone C, says it intercepted contrabands with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N510.92 million between July 15th and September 15th, 2024.The zone covers the six states in the South-South geopolitical zone and the five states in the Southeast geopolitical zone.
This is contained in a statement signed by Jerry Attah, Public Relations Officer, NCS, Zone C, and made available to journalists on Wednesday. According to the statement, Comptroller Michael Ugbagu, NCS, Zone C, gave the statistics while showcasing the seized contraband to relevant regulatory agencies at the Government Warehouse in Edo.Ugbagu said that the zone also recovered the sum of N25.57 million from demand notices raised based on some infractions noticed, making a cumulative sum of N536.49 million recorded within the months under review.“The DPV was derived from our seized goods, which include 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without an NAFDAC number.“1,015 sacks of dry donkey meat and skin, 75 jumbo bales of second-hand clothing, 463 cartons of foreign spaghetti, 269 pieces of used pneumatic tires, and 56 cartons of smuggled foreign tomato paste.“More worrisome is the interception of 49,699 sachets of various brands of tramadol and 3,350 bottles of various cough syrups with codeine without NAFDAC registration numbers.”He noted that the cough syrup with codeine and tramadol without NAFDAC registration numbers, if not intercepted, could have had adverse effects on youths.He added that the items were mostly intercepted along the Ewu-Okada/Benin expressways based on credible intelligence. (NAN)NEWS
APC Forum Decries Deplorable Condition of Federal Roads
The Forum of Stakeholders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has decried the deplorable condition of some federal roads in Nigeria. Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North-Central Chairman of the forum, said this in an interaction with newsmen on Wednesday in Jos. Zazzaga described some of the federal roads as ”death traps”, particularly those within the north-central region.
He said that some of the deplorable roads in the region include Jos-Akwanga, Makurdi-Oturkpo-Otukpa, Makurdi-Ankpa, and Jos-Saminaka. Other roads that needed urgent attention, he said, included Suleja-Minna, Ejule-Otukpa, Ganawuri-Manchok, Lokoja-Abuja, Lapai-Agaie-Bida, Birnin-Gwari-Bokani-Mokwa, Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora. ”Currently, the north-central region has the most deplorable roads and highways in the country. ”These deplorable roads have brought severe hardship on the people and lost lives and property through preventable road traffic crashes. ”We call on President Bola Tinubu to intervene and ensure the rehabilitation of these roads because good roads are vital enablers of development,” he said. The chairman also called on governors of states within the region to reconstruct the dilapidated roads and seek refunds from the federal government. ”Though these are largely federal roads, they are located within states, and the beneficiaries are the people of these states. ”So we call on state governments to reconstruct these roads and seek refunds from the federal government,” he added. (NANNEWS
Yuan Strengthens 7. 087 Against Dollar
The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 160 pips to 7.087 against the dollar on Wednesday.This is according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System.In China’s spot foreigners exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by two per cent from the central parity rate each trading day.
The central parity rate of the yuan against the dollar is based on a weighted average of prices offered by market makers before the opening of the interbank market each business day. (Xinhua/NAN)