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Ihedioha Meets Buhari, Pleads For Infrastructure in Imo

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By Mathew Dadiya, Abuja

Imo State Governor, Emeka Ihedioha Monday, met behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa Abuja where he solicited support for infrastructure development.

Speaking to State House Correspondents after the meeting, Governor Ihedioha said that he came to pay courtesy call on the President and to solicit his intervention on infrastructure decay in the state.

 

The former Deputy Speaker of House of Representatives said that he discussed the issue of agriculture and how the state would benefit from the federal government’s agricultural programmes which he said that his predecessor failed to key in.

He said that the state needs the Federal Government support in all facets of the economy. 

According to him, government would need to support us in agriculture because the government we succeeded didn’t take advantage of government policies in agriculture. 

“We are working towards agricultural revolution to ensure that that becomes a source of revenue. So we need federal government support in that regard. We need government support in education, we need government support in the area of healthcare, we need government support in area of building institutions. “

He also explained that he introduced the Treasury Single Account (TSA) to improve the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) instead of over burdening the poor masses with multiple taxation.

According to him, “When I came in I found out to my shock that there were accounts in the number that was reported in the media and of course so much leakages and we were not as a state making significant progress from the IGR. 

He said that the IGR base of the state was very weak.  

He noted that the IGR base “is weak without having a productive economy that obviously meant that we depended essentially from what came from federal allocation and of course other agencies being an oil producing state.”

“It became necessary that we should find a way out and I set up a Financial Advisory Committee and the Financial Advisory Committee recommended that in view of where we are and because of our decision to instill a regime of fiscal discipline and a regime of transparency and accountability and of course to reduce the level of corruption in the state, we had to introduce the TSA which is not very ideal in many places. 

“But for us we felt we needed to start a new, we needed to confront the issues and begin to reposition our state as a state that will be alive to the demands expected of us by our people. 

“When the electorate voted us in, they believe in our ability to come and transform the state, to rein in a regime of transparency and accountability, that is what we are trying to do. So we have done that. 

“But apart from that, we are strengthening the Bureau for Public Procurement in the state. If you check through the ranking in ease of doing business, Imo finished 34th out of 37 and in several ways we have been lagging behind, we have fallen back, deteriorated from where we used to be. 

“Ours used to be a very civilized state, so we have a duty and conviction that we need to take it to that level. So we have taken steps, closing the gap and we have enjoined the Mjnistries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to work with the authorities to ensure that we a more accountable system of running the affairs of the state.”

He said that as a result of the rot in the previous administration, there have been pressure from the people to take action against the past government, saying that his interest was not to talk on the past government but to be focused and bring sanity to governance. 

“The issue is that I have been bending over backwards, I have been putting pressure on a lot of people who want certain things done. I will tell you for instance the opaqueness in land administration in my state which you must have heard. 

“So stakeholders of the state who own those lands that were taken away from them have been on the government, putting a lot of pressure to investigate but I am like just saying take it easy that is not what I am here for, we have to redesign the state, we want to regain confidence back in Imo. 

“For instance we have restored the autonomy of local government administration in Imo State. Today local government funds go to local government areas. We collaborate with them to ensure there is also accountability, sense of responsibility. 

“We are not focusing on what the man had done, we are focusing on what we are doing and for once you give it to us that if a chief executive of a state says to his people look I want to run a transparent government and an accountable government that is something significant you have to work upon. 

“If you are restoring public water that is something you are doing because you did not meet water. Am I going to say I met water when there was no water? Government house Owerri was disconnected from public power supply when I came, am I supposed to clap? 

“The state Secretariat as we speak is still disconnected from public power for about eight years, bridges are built in my state without iron rods, haven’t you heard about it, you have not read about it? You must have heard about it from people who visit Imo, am I surprised to clap? 

“You are endangering the lives of Imo people. We don’t lead a government of propaganda, it is not about me and I don’t like talking about my predecessor in office, I am talking about government, 

I am talking about focus, I am talking about the ideals of government that what we are doing first is we are restoring confidence in the entire system. 

“Judicial workers were being owed, was I the one that owed them? Didn’t you hear that they were not paid full salaries? So is it a crime if I said let’s sanitize the entire sector? Is that a crime? I come to government house and I can not operate from government house, I don’t want to talk on all those things.”

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Karimi Raises the Alarm over Rising Insecurity in Nigeria

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From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja

Chairman, Senate Services, Sen. Steve Karimi has expressed concern over the spiraling insecurity in the country, which has threatened and diminishes the “good work” done by the administration of President Bola Tinubu in the last two years.

Karimi in an interview with DAILY ASSET cited the resurgence of killings across the Federation, especially in states like Benue, Plateau, Kogi, banditry in the North-West and the renewed attacks by Boko Haram in the North-East, saying they must be investigated immediately.
“This rise in insecurity is all over the country; on all sides, even in the North-East, there is the resurgence of Boko Haram; at some point, everything became calm, but now they are coming back.
“Check other parts of the country, there is kidnapping now on the rise again, whether in the South-West, South-South or South-East; it is happening all over the place.“Almost on a daily basis, there is one reported incident of banditry or another in the North-West.“I consider this resurgence an attempt by desperate groups and individuals to discredit the good work this government of President Bola Tinubu has done in the last two years, especially now that talks about 2027 elections have started”, Sen. Karimi said in a statement in Abuja.Karimi, who represents Kogi-West Senatorial District, commended security agencies for the sacrifices they had made so far in service to their fatherland to guarantee the safety of lives and property across the states.However, the lawmaker called on heads of the agencies to confront the new challenge squarely by thoroughly investigating the factors responsible for the “regrettable development” and proffer urgent responses.“This government worked so hard over the last two years to contain the porous security situation it inherited, including the scaling up of the defence and security budget.“At the National Assembly, there has been collaboration to ensure that the targets of the government are met through the existing Legislative-Executive harmony, which is to guarantee safety for all Nigerians.“This was achieved at some point. Unfortunately, there is this sudden resurgence, which is threatening to spoil the President’s records. I suspect sabotage that calls for immediate investigation”, Karimi added.The senator’s intervention came amid plans by the Senate to convene a National Security Summit as an expression of further legislative response to the renewed security challenges.

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FG to Convert JD Gomwalk House to National Job Outsourcing Hub – Tijani

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From Jude Dangwam, Jos

The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Hon. Olatunbosun Tijani has disclosed that the federal government is set to convert the famous Joseph Gomwalk House Jos into a national outsourcing job hub in the country.Tijani during his inspection visit in Jos the Plateau State capital said installation of fibre cables and renovation works is expected to be completed in six months to come, adding that the centre is going to provide proper technical training for young people in the North Central region of Nigeria.

In his words, “As you know, we’re an extremely youthful country about 70% of our population is under the age of 30. For us, it’s a priority to ensure that we provide meaningful job opportunities for these young people.
”While we’ve done extremely well with our 3 Million Technical Talent program, which focuses on training 3 million young people across the country, it’s also important that we find avenues to help them secure jobs. That’s why we’re in conversation with the governor of Plateau State, it’s one of the states we’re focusing on to see how we can accelerate the introduction of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) jobs here.”Companies all over the world are looking to outsource job opportunities. Historically, they’ve done this with countries like India. But Nigeria actually has an advantage, we speak better English and we’re well-positioned to handle many of these jobs. That’s the direction we’re heading in,” he explainedTijani noted thus, “the goal of today’s visit is to assess the possibility of converting this historic building, the Standard Building, into one of the headquarters for BPO in the country. Our aim is to work with the state government to refurbish the building and then engage with companies that hire young people for BPO work.”Let me be clear, Plateau is not the only state we’re focusing on, we’re implementing this in a number of states. The federal government’s goal is to ensure that our programs reach everyone, everywhere.”Plateau State is unique, it stands out because education here is strong, the people are hardworking, and they speak high-quality English, an essential requirement for BPO jobs. Importantly, the governor is also forward-thinking. He’s been actively engaging with us to make this a reality in Plateau State, and we appreciate that kind of leadership.” He statedThe Minister commended the landmark development recorded in the state within the shortest possible time. “The structures on the Plateau under the Time administration are impressive. The governor is clearly committed to restoring Plateau’s glory, and that’s exactly what we need. This state has so much to contribute to national development.The Commissioner for information and communication Rt. Hon. Joyce Ramnap who accompanied the Minister on the inspection visit noted that the Plateau state government will continue to create an enabling environment for remarkable investment as they work closely with the federal government in the interest of Plateau people and the country at large.

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Prosperity Cup, Living up to Expectation, Says Akpe

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From Mike Tayese, Yenagoa

The Director General of the Prosperity Cup, Ono Akpe has declared that the Bayelsa State Governor’s Football Tournament is achieving set results.Akpe made the declaration while speaking to journalists shortly after the Yenagoa Local Government final encounter between Bayelsa United Feeders and Eternal Grace Ministries (EGM) FC.

He said he is very excited that within the space of seven years the tournament has grown so big and that some players scouted from the competition are now plying their trade within and outside the country, pointing out that was the whole essence of the Prosperity Cup, which is unarguably the biggest grassroots football tournament in the country.
According to the DG, “I am excited that a product of the 2023 edition of the Prosperity Cup, Precious Benjamin, who plays for Hoffenheim in Germany, is presently part of the national Under-20 football team that won bronze in the just-concluded AFCON U-20 Championship in faraway Morocco.”We are particularly excited that our players are getting the recognition they deserve. That is the whole essence of the Prosperity Cup. Our dream is that the tournament will serve as a springboard for our youths to play for big Nigerian club sides just as some will ply their trade abroad. We are fulfilling that dream and hopefully we will do more at the end of the tournament. I am super excited that our efforts are yielding dividends”.No fewer than six Prosperity Cup products are currently with Bayelsa United. A sizable number are scattered across club sides in Nigeria while plying their trade abroad. The women are not left out as Harmony John who played for the grassroots club; Golden Sun Sports Club is now a proud member of the Bayelsa Queens squad.Speaking of the quality of play in the Yenagoa finals, in which EGM defeated Bayelsa United Feeders by two goals to one, Akpe said “We are very thrilled, it was a very technical game, you could see both teams are young, youthful and very vibrant, and were eager to take the prize. We are impressed because we are seeing quality football at every stage of the competition”.Giving an insight into what spectators should expect in the Prosperity Cup final, Akpe said “it would be explosive and would be as good as any football competition final, even the F.A. Cup final. We are having both the male and female finals. There is going to be a lot of excitement and a lot of entertainment. It is going to be a potpourri of music, culture and football.The Director General also said “In furtherance of our desire to have more of our players going out, His Excellency, Governor Douye Diri has approved the invitation of 10 coaches from across the country, including the Director of the Technical Department of the NFF, Austine Eguavoen. They will be in Yenagoa one full week before the final. They will be coming to watch the quarter finals, semifinals and the grand finale. It is our expectation that more Bayelsa youths will be picked up by club sides across the country”.The grand finale of the Prosperity Cup has been scheduled to be held on Saturday, May 31.

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