NEWS
Alia Inaugurates 41-Member Planning C’ttee For Akume’s Homecoming Reception
From David Torough, Makurdi
Benue State governor, Hyacinth Alia, on Wednesday inaugurated the Central Planning Committee (CPC) for a thanksgiving service and homecoming reception in honour of Sen. George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in his home state, Benue.
The CPC is chaired by Arc.
Sunny Echono, the Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) with members drawn from all the six states in the North -Central geo-political zone, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).Alia described the SGF as the most senior-ranking member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who has made his people proud hence the need to give him special recognition and honour.
“Let us give appropriately, honour to whom honour is due”, Governor Alia stated during the inauguration.
The governor added that the home-coming of the SGF was not only a Benue event but that of the entire North Central and should be given proper planning.
Responding, the committee’s chairperson, Echono, thanked APC North Central and the Government of Benue State for finding them worthy to serve in that capacity.
He promised on behalf of other members to commit their time and work diligently with a view to making the event a huge success.
The governor, who is a political godson of Senator Akume, did not say who will bankroll the thanksgiving ceremony and reception, and how much the event would cost or may have been budgeted.
It is however, assumed that the bill, which will include accommodation, feeding, transportation, allowances and logistics, will be paid by the Benue State government, a situation seen by many as extravagant in view of the poor state of the state’s treasury, with several months of owed salaries and pensions.
In his welcome address, Austin Agada, the Chairman of APC in Benue State, paid tribute to Akume for his political exploits and accomplishments, emphasising the need for the North Central states to honour him with a grand reception.
The committee’s members include Prof. Joseph Alakali, Hon. Mrs. Beckie Orpin, Hon. Mrs. Dorothy Mato, Hon. James Ornguga, Senator Emmanuel Udende, Dr. Stephen Tsav, Chief Mike Onoja, Barr. Mike Aondoakaa, Mukhtar Shagaya (Kwara), Prince Mathew Kolawole (Kogi), Alhaji Nma Kolo (Niger), Hon. Yakubu Kwanta (Nasarawa), Hon. Jude Dakor (Plateau), Hon. Yakubu Adamu (FCT), Hon. Asema Achado, Hon. Lady Helen Atom, Hon. Godwin Dajoh, Senator Titus Zam, Alhaji Mohammed Hassan, Hon. Terhemen Shom, Moses Atagher, Joe Abaagu, Hon. Tony Sende, Terdoo Kenti, Asema Lazarus, Aondoaver Alfred Emberga (Berger), Cephas Sado Adom, Moses Okoh and Jacob Obande Ajene.
Others include Edire Lina, Christiana Samu, Prof. Christopher Obute, Barr. Vincent Uji, Hon. James Tor, Bishop Pinot Ogbaji, Comrade Okpokwu Ogenyi, Mrs Theresa Ikwe, Linda Ene Dirisu, Barr Pius Akutah, and Comrade Vitalis Hwande, Secretary
No date has been fixed yet for the homecoming, reception which is believed will feature an interdenominational thanksgiving church service in Makurdi.
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)
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. (NAN
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)
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