NEWS
Alia Swears-in 17 Commissioners, 23 Advisers
From David Torough, Makurdi
Benue state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, has sworn-in 17 Commissioners and 23 Special Advisers as well as Special Assistants respectively.
The event took place on Tuesday, at the government house, Makurdi.
The 17 commissioners were also assigned portfolios and their ministries.
Those Sworn-in include: Mrs.
Joy Ahunde Luga (Gboko LG), Ministry of Cooperatives, Urban & Rural Development,Barr Oga Matthew Omale (Apa LG), Ministry of Power & Transport,
Hon.
Dr Ortese M. Yarmar (Guma LG), Ministry of Health & Human Services,Rev. Dr. Frederick Ikyaan (Gwer-West LG), Ministry of Education & Knowledge Management, Hon.
Ugwu Ameh Odoh (Ogbadibo LG), Ministry of Water Resources, Environment & Climate Change, and Hon. Kwaghba Amande (Katsina-Ala LG), Ministry of ICT & Digital EconomyOthers include; Aboh Matthew Mnough (Ukum LG), Ministry of Information, Culture & Tourism, Hon. Tiza Orya Imojime (Buruku LG), Ministry of Works & Housing,
Hon. Kunde Aondowase (Konshisha LG) Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs & Disaster Management, Prof. Ogbaji Moses Ikape (Oju LG), Ministry of Agriculture, Barr. Martins T. Shaager (Ushongo LG), Ministry of Lands, Survey & Solid Minerals, Hon. Michael Oglegba (Otukpo LG), Ministry of Finance, Budget & Economic Planning, Mrs Anna Itodo (Okpokwu LG), Ministry of Women Affairs & Social Welfare, Barr Fidelis Mnyim (Makurdi LG), Ministry of Justice & Public Order, Rt. Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange (Ushongo LG), Ministry of Youths, Sports & Creativity, Rt. Hon. Nick Eworo (Obi LG), Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation and
Hon. Orpin Manasseh Alumo (Tarka- LG), Ministry of Commerce & Industries
Governor Alia also inaugurated 23 Advisers but they were not assigned portfolios until after a retreat which the governor said will be held in two days time.
He urged the newly sworn in commissioners and Advisers to remember that the people of Benue placed great hope in their abilities and should work hard to justify the people’s confidence.
The governor thanked the Benue State House of Assembly for their unwavering support for cutting short their break to expeditiously screen and confirm the commissioner nominees to ensure the continued smooth administrative governance of the state.
Speaking separately in an interview during a reception in his honour at the Makurdi residence of Senator Joseph Akaagerger, the Commissioner of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Hon. Aondowase Kunde, expressed gratitude to Governor Alia for finding him worthy of the appointment and expressed confidence to serve Benue well with the support of Benue people.
In his goodwill message, Acting Chairman of Vandeikya local government, Hon. Alex Dugu, described Hon. Aondowase Kunde as a grassroots mobilizer and a humble gentleman who will not disappoint governor Alia and Benue people entirely.
He advised Kunde to be focused and liaise with BSEMA and advise the Governor on how to return IDPs to their ancestral homes.
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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