NEWS
Reps Lawmaker Demands Overhaul of Security Architecture in FCT
By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja
A House of Representatives Lawmaker, Rep. Joshua Obika (LP-FCT) on Thursday, demanded an overhaul of security architecture in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) following the spate of criminality in the nation’s capital.
Obika who made the call while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, said some locations under the bridges are totally infested with criminals.
The member who represents AMAC/Bwari Federal Constituency of FCT, said that he had received several reports of people who were tracked and picked up in front of their gates.
“As if these were not enough, another dimension to the criminality has been introduced by hoodlums who mob passers-by upon choreographed fake alarms of missing genitals,” he said.
He said the criminals use the ensuing chaos to dispossess innocent victims of their cell phones and valuables.
The lawmaker said that no class of people had been spared in the criminality, adding that no one knows who would be the next victim.
According to him, Abuja is no longer safe and residents keep asking whether the security of Abuja is slipping through our fingers.
He said that there is an urgent need for the government to restore the hope of both the citizens and investors in Abuja.
“Pursuant to this, I appeal to President Bola Tinubu for the creation of a Special Security Intervention Fund for the complete overhaul of the FCT security architecture.
He says, “Added to this is the need for the FCT Administration to evolve a strategic initiative for the deployment of smart technologies in the nooks and crannies of the city and satellite towns.”
Obika called for the upgrade of the FCT Security Department to the rank of a directorate or an agency, empowered with adequate professional staff and an institutional framework.
He said this was to coordinate the security efforts in the FCT, adding that Abuja has become too big and complex to be handled just by an officer at the directorate level.
He said that nightclubs should be given standard operational procedures, adding that they should be required to install necessary electronic security surveillance gadgets in and around their places of business.
Speaking on education in the FCT, Obika said the educational system in the FCT, especially at the basic level, was in dire need of a major intervention.
He said most schools in the rural FCT lack the enabling environment for learning, adding that pupils study under blown-off roofs.
The lawmaker said that children sit on the ground to receive instructions, adding that there are no sanitary facilities and no adequate teaching materials.
“It is common to see schools without fences or security guards. These expose our children to the risk of insecurity,” he said.
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)