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Kidnapping: Wike Pledges Positive News Within Days

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The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says residents of the territory will get positive news within days with regards to efforts being made to tackle insecurity in the FCT.

“I can assure you that in a matter of days, you will be hearing positive stories,” Wike told a townhall meeting in Kwali on Tuesday.

“We are ready to support our security agencies with whatever they need to ensure that our people can sleep with their two eyes closed.

“We are going to provide the councils with motorcycles to support the vigilante groups so that they can get information and assist our security agencies,” he added.

The minister directed chairmen of the six areas councils in the territory to strengthen and motivate local vigilante groups as part of measures to reinforce community policing.

Wike also asked the councils to procure more motorcycles for the vigilante groups, to enable them navigate difficult terrains while supporting security agencies.

He said that the FCT Administration would soon conclude the procurement processes for more operational vehicles to support security agencies in the discharge of their responsibilities.

“For me, whatever that is going to bring development or improve security, the government has no hesitation in doing it,” he said, adding that residents should support the security agencies with actionable information to address any security threat.

“We need information from you because without information, the security agencies would have little or nothing to do; if you give them information on time, they will make sure that bad things don’t happen,” Wike said.

On infrastructure, the minister promised to construct two roads in each of the six area councils, in addition to the ones being constructed.

The minister said that henceforth the FCT annual budget would rely on inputs from the people.

“Every year, before submitting any budget proposal to the National Assembly, I will meet with traditional rulers and the people to get their inputs.

“This is by way of getting them to recommend people-oriented projects that can be incorporated into the budget; we will not abandon you. We will make sure we develop the area councils.

“Before the end of the tenure of President Tinubu, you will see a lot of infrastructure going on in the area councils.”

Earlier, Kwali Area Council Chairman, Mr Danladi Chiya, appealed for the establishment of a police divisional office and military base in some parts of the area council.

Chiya also complained of bad roads, which according to him, have contributed to the rising insecurity in the area.

“The roads are not motorable, come to our aid to help put the roads in good shape. That will help reduce the incidences of kidnapping.

“We also require further military presence. We need more police stations especially in Gwako which has become a haven for these bad elements.

“We also need motorcycles for the vigilante groups. I have given them some, but we need more,” he said. (NAN)

NEWS

Breaking: George Akume remains SGF – Presidency

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The presidency says there has been no change in the status of Senator George Akume, as Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

This is according to a statement by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Mr Onanuga says President Bola Tinubu, currently in Saint Lucia, has not made any new appointments.

He described the information circulating about Akume’s replacement as untrue, adding that agents of mischief fabricated it.

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NEWS

Diri Campaigns Against Drug Abuse, Trafficking

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

Bayelsa State Governor, Sen. Douye Diri yesterday, led a campaign against drug abuse and illicit trafficking as part of activities commemorating the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Diri advised people of the state, particularly the youths, to shun hard drugs and trafficking of illicit substances, saying they were harmful to their health and to the society.

The Bayelsa governor, who spoke shortly after the weekly Prosperity Walk exercise at the Samson Siasia Sports Complex in Yenagoa, also urged youths to develop themselves by acquiring a skill and work towards actualising their God-given potential.

“We just completed a nine to 10km walk, which is a test of our fitness. As it is said, health is wealth.

“Today is the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. We are not only observing the global campaign, we are also leading it here in Bayelsa.

“No one in his right senses goes to commit crime and violent acts except that individuals are under the influence of hard drugs. My advice to youths is to be self-confident, have the fear of God and develop your innate potential for you to become a star.”

He implored youths to emulate the shining example of a Bayelsa-born United States-based athlete, Victory Godah, who was discovered through the state’s sports programmes.

He commended her gesture of donating sporting equipment as a way of giving back to the state.

“Victory Godah from Ekeremor local government area was discovered here and because of her skill, she is now at the University of Minnesota, United States. She has given back to the state through sports equipment so that more of us can have that access.”

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Seiyefa Brisibe, emphasised the importance of the weekly walk, stating that participants above 40 years would have their blood pressure controlled after taking about 5,000 steps.

Also, state chairman of the Drug Abuse, Addiction, Prevention and Rehabilitation Committee, Dr Peter Owonaro, said the committee’s outreach in the state had been a huge success, noting that a recent research indicated that the drug abuse prevalence rate in Bayelsa dropped by five per cent from 21.4 per cent.

Also, the state commander of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kanu Sunny, lauded the state government for its unprecedented support in the fight against drug abuse and trafficking.

He said the campaign was taken to secondary schools as well as tertiary institutions and encouraged all to join in the war against the menace.

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Foreign News

Ally of Cameroon President, 92, Quits ‘Broken’ Government to Challenge Him

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Issa Tchiroma Bakary – a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya – has quit Cameroon’s government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya’s four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections.

Just four months before the central African nation went to the polls, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had “broken” public trust and he was switching to a rival party.

“A country cannot exist in the service of one man,” he said on Wednesday.

While he was communications minister, Tchiroma notably came under fire for denying – then backtracking on his denial – that Cameroonian soldiers had killed women and children in a viral video.

His other roles during almost two decades in government include being a spokesman for the Biya government, and, until his resignation on Tuesday, he was employment minister.

Paul Biya – the world’s oldest head of state – has yet to confirm if he will attempt an eighth term as president. Last year, the country banned reports on the president’s health following rumours he had died.

As this election approaches, high unemployment and soaring living costs are of concern to many Cameroonians, as are corruption and security. A separatist insurgency in the English-speaking provinces as well as jihadists operating in the northernmost region have forced many thousands of Cameroonians from their homes in the past decade.

Cracks in Tchiroma’s relationship with President Biya were blown open earlier this month, when he told crowds in his home city of Garoua that Biya’s time in power had not benefited them in any way.

Tchiroma, widely reported to be 75, continued this criticism in a 24-page manifesto released a day after his resignation – promising to dismantle “the old system” so that Cameroon could move beyond “abuse, contempt, and the confiscation of power”.

One of his proposed solutions is federalism – he is offering to hold a referendum on devolving more power to Cameroon’s 10 provinces. This has long been mooted by many as a solution to the country’s so-called Anglophone crisis.

Specifically addressing English-speaking Cameroonians, who have long complained of marginalisation and discrimination in Francophone-dominated public institutions, he said “you do not need people to speak for you – you need to be listened to” and that “centralisation has failed”.

Tchiroma also used his manifesto to say Cameroon “has been ruled for decades by the same vision, the same system. This model, long presented as a safeguard of stability, has gradually stifled progress, paralysed our institutions, and broken the bond of trust between the state and its citizens”.

As the October presidential election approaches, rights groups have condemned the government’s crackdown on dissent.

Shortly after Tchiroma announced his plans to run for the presidency, the government reportedly announced a ban on all political activities by his Cameroon National Salvation Front (CNSF) party in a sub-district of the Far North region – a part of the country where he is said to be an influential power-broker.

Weeks earlier, fellow presidential hopeful Maurice Kamto had his movements curtailed during a two-day police stakeout in Douala, after promising supporters at a rally in Paris that he would protect Biya and his family if he wins in October.

Parliamentary elections that were also supposed to take place earlier this year have been delayed until 2026.

Reaction to Tchiroma’s presidential bid has been mixed – some think he is canny.

“By positioning himself as the elder statesman who ‘saw the fire coming’, Tchiroma is hedging that his break with Biya will be seen as bold – not opportunistic,” Cameroonian analyst and broadcaster Jules Domshe said.

“From economic fallout to youth unemployment, insecurity, and growing unrest in the North-West, South-West, and Far North [regions], Cameroon is ripe for change.”

Opposition voices are divided – some want Tchiroma to support Kamto, who was the runner-up in 2018 with 14% of votes. But others say he is tainted by his long association with Biya.

“He cannot embody change… He was part of the system for too long. The youth do not trust him,” says Abdoulaye Harissou, a legal notary and prominent critic once detained by the government.

Another member of the opposition – Jean Michel Nintcheu of the APC coalition – simply said: “We don’t see Tchiroma as a potential winner.”

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